The blood had drained out, and the bodies of the Imperial Guards were soaked in the dried swamp of blood. No one groaned or moved anymore.
Yin Xiu waved his hand, and the shadow warrior, who was also bathed in blood, disappeared immediately.
Yin Xiu walked into the palace. Every step he took left a bloody footprint on the floor. Behind him, two eunuchs knelt on the ground, holding rags and carefully wiping away the marks.
Yin Xiu took a step forward, and they followed suit, just lowering their heads and wiping their footprints.
The emperor was still sitting on the throne, surrounded by expressionless eunuchs from the forbidden palace.
Di Wei stood almost between Yin Xiu and the emperor. He stood in the middle, picked up a whisk from the ground and put it in his arms.
Taking a deep breath, he shouted: "This is the time, the emperor will give you a banquet!"
I don't know when the eunuch standing at the door of the palace turned around and spread the words loudly.
"At this time, the emperor gives a banquet!"
"At this time, the emperor gives a banquet!!"
The shouts spread from near to far, and then formed faint echoes in the distance.
“You’re still eating at this time?”
Yin Xiu didn't care about him, pulled up a chair and sat down.
As soon as he sat down, eunuchs appeared one after another from the far side of the palace gate, walking towards here with their heads lowered. They seemed to be much more numerous than the imperial guards.
These eunuchs have an orderly division of labor. They hold cleaning utensils in their hands. Some are responsible for sweeping the floor and some are responsible for sprinkling water.
First, the corpses on the ground were dragged away like garbage, and then the remaining blood stains, minced meat, traces of fire, and frost all gradually disappeared under the influence of brooms and clean water.
In less than a quarter of an hour, all evidence of death was cleared away.
Nothing seemed to happen in front of the entire palace, except for the numerous knife marks on the white marble, which proved that a tragic battle had taken place here.
"Give me a feast!"
"Give me a feast!"
There was another shout, and from the left and right sides of the palace gate, the palace maids formed two long queues, carrying dinner plates and walking in in a neat, yet rigid posture.
The large table for the banquet had been prepared. Eight eunuchs moved it between Yin Xiu and the emperor. Dinner plates, wine cups and utensils were placed on the table one by one.
The emperor took the hot towel presented by the eunuch, wiped his face, and threw it back.
Yin Xiu also took the towel and wiped his face, hands and neck. When he put it back on the plate, the towel was soaked in blood.
"Wait a minute, we still have guests." The emperor ordered.
"Your Majesty, they are already here."
Di Wei pointed out and saw the palace gate on the left. Ma Xiaoyu was slowly walking towards it under the guidance of several palace maids.
Yin Xiu and she saw each other at the same time, their eyes filled with the joy of reunion. Although they were only one day apart, this day made them feel like they were a lifetime apart.
At the palace gate on the right, several eunuchs opened the way, Luo Wei and Liu Banxian walked forward with their heads held high.
"Brother Yin!"
Liu Banxian waved to Yin Xiu from a distance, while Luo Wei put his two fingers together and made a casual salute to Yin Xiu.
Di Wei came closer and said, "Ren Qi said that he has gone back to southern Xinjiang, and what happens next depends only on you."
Yin Xiu nodded, "As long as he's fine."
Saying that, Yin Xiu glanced at Di Wei again, "Manager Di, when did you become so polite to me? And you even helped me pass on the message?"
Dewei showed a meaningful smile, "Mr. Yin, after all, we have no grievances, right?"
"What about Changbai Mountain before?"
"That's just business, sir."
"Oh, business."
Yin Xiu nodded and signaled to Di Wei that he could retreat.
The emperor asked Di Wei again: "Where is Prince Su? Isn't he also in the palace?"
"Prince Su," Di Wei's smile became even weirder, "Your Majesty, Prince Su fell asleep."
"Have you fallen asleep?"
The emperor frowned, "I think he fainted because he smoked too much cigarettes? He used to be a very useful person, but since he went to Changbai Mountain..."
The emperor glanced at Yin Xiu and said, "After he came back, he seemed to be a different person. He just smoked dirt all day long. I don't think I can count on him anymore."
Yin Xiu didn't respond to him, but looked at Di Wei, her eyes obviously saying to Di Wei: I have to ask you, so you know what's going on.
Dewey's face was expressionless.
As footsteps approached, Ma Xiaoyu and the others entered the palace under the guidance of the eunuchs and maids.
Yin Xiu asked Ma Xiaoyu to sit next to her, and then greeted Luo Wei and Liu Banxian.
"Brother Yin, you look very good. I thought that if you were one day late, something unfortunate might happen to you."
"Unfortunately?"
Yin Xiu showed her body and said, "I didn't feel it."
"That's a good thing."
Liu Banxian smiled and nodded at the emperor. As soon as he took out the cigarette, a eunuch lit it and came forward.
"Thank you, thank you."
It can't be said that he was flattered, but Liu Banxian was also startled. He happily put the cigarette close to him, narrowed his eyes and took a puff.
Just when he was about to pat the other person's hand to express his gratitude, the eunuch quietly retreated.
Liu Banxian shrugged to Yin Xiu, expressing surprise.
Yin Xiu disagreed, "This is called professionalism."
Seeing that everyone was seated, the eunuch accompanying him clapped his hands and said, "Let's have dinner!"
Several eunuchs stepped forward quickly and lifted the lids off the plates, revealing the dishes one after another.
"Phew, this is incredible."
Liu Banxian clicked his tongue in surprise and asked the eunuch who was accompanying him, "Does the emperor usually eat so many dishes alone? Can you finish them?"
The eunuch looked at him with his nose, "The emperor always eats one dish, looks at three dishes, and never takes more than three bites of each dish. What he ate today is just the usual size."
"Really?"
Liu Banxian was still surprised, "But I'm so dazzled by the many things here. I'm full when I smell every item in front of me."
The eunuch smiled eccentrically and said, "Oh, this is something that can only be eaten in the palace. When your boss comes back, he has never eaten it or seen it before. It is normal that he is not used to it."
"I usually drink a cup of tea, order two shrimp dumplings and a barbecued pork bun, and that's it. It's like two pieces in one cup."
Liu Banxian made a sweeping gesture with his hand above the table, smiled at the eunuch and said: "There are so many dishes, can you introduce them, because I really don't have much knowledge."
The eunuch pursed his lips, and his brows came together and dispersed in the blink of an eye. Then he took a deep breath and began his introduction with an accent and rhythm not found elsewhere.
"Today there are a total of one hundred and twenty dishes, thirty-eight cold dishes, fifty hot dishes, twelve soups, fruits, ice cream, snacks, and several desserts.
They are steamed bear paws, steamed deer antler, steamed eight-treasure pig, duck stuffed with glutinous rice..."
"Stop!"
Liu Banxian interrupted him, "Except for ducks, everyone asked me to try it. I hate ducks the most in my life."
The eunuch was obviously a little resentful at being interrupted like this, but he couldn't say anything, so he could only swallow his breath and continue to serve with a smile on his face.
Yin Xiu didn't pay attention to what the two of them were saying. He looked at Ma Xiaoyu first, and then at the emperor.
"Anyway, everyone is not dead, why don't we eat first?"
The emperor nodded, indicating that he had no objection.
So Ma Xiaoyu raised her chopsticks, and before she could stretch them out, a piece of elbow was put into her bowl.
Ma Xiaoyu turned her head, and the eunuch said with an apologetic smile: "In the palace, if you adults want to eat something, you only need to indicate it with your eyes. You don't need to bother me."
"I know, this is the ritual in the palace! I'm very familiar with it."
Liu Banxian showed two rows of yellow teeth and pressed his chin towards the plate of beef over there.
Soon, the eunuch beside him put a piece of duck meat into Liu Banxian's bowl.
"Huh?"
Liu Banxian looked up at him.
"Is there something wrong, sir?" the eunuch asked nervously.
"No, not at all."
Liu Banxian said to Luo Wei: "You know, right? This is how we eat in the palace."
"I understand, I understand, you are well-informed."
Luo Wei nodded repeatedly and picked up the chopsticks while the eunuch filled his wine glass.
Although the food was a bit awkward, the food in the palace after the war was indeed not bad.
Whether it was the rule of not eating more than three bites, they didn't abide by it.
After finishing the meal and the table being cleared, Liu Banxian took a sip of tea and cleared his throat.
He turned around and looked at the palace, and found that all the eunuchs and maids had retired. In a huge palace, only a few of them, the emperor, and Di Wei were left.
The emperor rarely had a happy smile, "Can you let me go?"
Yin Xiu shook his head.
The emperor's smile disappeared immediately, and he spread his hands and said: "Actually, it has nothing to do with me at all.
I was not yet born when those wars began. The last war was more than ten years ago, and I had just learned to walk.
Whether it was raising taxes, signing treaties, or other orders, I didn't issue them at all. I just sat on the throne and watched it all happen.
When the foreign ambassador said something, I would nod. When the ministers handed over the documents, I would stamp them and make a mark without even looking at them. That was all. It was not up to me to make the decision at all! ”
The emperor patted the armrest, his previous grace and splendor completely gone.
"I am the same as you about the things you mentioned. I just heard about them and saw them like this. I am a witness and experiencer just like you. Dimension is not the determiner."
After raising his voice a few times, the emperor seemed to be choked by himself. He coughed a few more times and lay back on the chair, showing that depressed look again.
He knew very well that no one could save him now.
Princes and ministers, some have heard the news at this time, and some have not heard of this incident at all. Anyway, no one came.
Qin Tianjian and his subordinate masters dispersed, and Dongfang Future was nowhere to be found.
Originally, they could still count on Prince Jade, but he was also dead.
Even the remaining eight hundred forbidden troops were killed by Yin Xiu.
The most important thing is that the emperor knows that there are actually some old monsters hiding in the Forbidden Palace, but they have no intention of going to war.
On the one hand, they are afraid of the strong strength of Yin Xiu and others, on the other hand, they have also understood that even if there is a change of emperor, they can still survive by relying on the luck of the Great Inner Forbidden Palace.
Moreover, if Yin Xiu enters the forbidden palace, it will only bring new and better luck.
These parasitic monsters in the Great Inner Forbidden Palace are like fish in a pool. They don't care about the name of the pool or any changes in their ownership. All they want is nourishment.
Thinking of this, the emperor felt more and more depressed and angry.
"From the beginning to the end, the responsibility for Kyushu's decline does not lie with me. You people are also responsible for Kyushu's current situation!
You Taoist priests have never cared about the state of the country. You are just refining elixirs and cultivating immortals, competing for the title of Heavenly Master and National Master, and competing for whose Taoism is more upright.
Feng Shui masters just want to make money and become famous. They are competing for each other. Who cares about the luck of the Dragon Vein in Kyushu?
Civil and military officials, palace maids, eunuchs, and royal family members, everyone just wants to make money and stay away when something happens.
Who cares about Kyushu’s future? No one cares, Kyushu has fallen to this point, it is all your own fault, it is yourselves to blame at all! ”
The emperor's voice echoed in the hall, venting his anger and unwillingness.
No one spoke, only echoes.
After a brief silence, Liu Banxian spoke.
"Brother Emperor, uh, I know this is a strange title, but please forgive me. Although I grew up in the north, I have never seen the emperor since I was a child.
After I went to Hong Kong Island, the nicknames of those gangsters were so loud that they all belonged to some kind of overlord, Liu Bei, or Cao Cao, and they even told me to forget about it.
So I'd better call you the emperor brother. ”
Liu Banxian laughed awkwardly.
"Actually, I understand you very well. I am a descendant of the Liu family in Wollongong. It sounds like there are many people in the family, but in fact, from my grandfather to my father, it is a single generation of three generations.
When it came time for me to inherit the family business, a lot of uncles and uncles appeared out of nowhere, saying that they wanted to help me run the family and manage the family property, right?
I think it’s not like our Liu family has no one left, so don’t we still have me? I was still young at that time, but I was not a coward, and I was even less willing to talk about etiquette and favors. I swept all those uncles and uncles out. From now on, I didn’t care what they said, I just wanted to eat, drink, and have fun. If you play cricket with a woman, not to mention how happy and comfortable your life will be. ”
Liu Banxian held his fan and seemed to be reminiscing about the past.
"I understand you, little brother emperor, I understand your grievance and anger.
I also thought at that time, what does this have to do with me? My father and grandfather owe favors, and they have appointments with this person and that person. What does it have to do with me? It has nothing to do with me at all. Do I have to pay the father's debt to the son?
Later I realized that these things really had nothing to do with me, nothing to do with me.
However, when I decided to inherit the family business, or rather inherit the family, these relationships were transferred to my hands along with the inheritance.
Whether I give them or not is one thing, but they are certainly part of the legacy.
I say this, do you understand, little brother Emperor? ”
Liu Banxian adjusted his sunglasses.
"Or should I call you this, Lord of the Forbidden Palace?"
The expression on the emperor's face changed, and the dragon robe and five-clawed golden dragon on his body were blackened by a turbid air. (End of chapter)