Chapter 123: Establishing the Western Depot

Upon returning to the palace, Qingyue handed Long Chen a note that Feng He had instructed her to bring back. Feng He wanted to meet with Long Chen, so Long Chen asked Zhang Qian to prepare.

"I need to meet someone. He sent me a message just now."

Zhang Qian asked, "Who? And where?"

"Xiangyun Pavilion," Long Chen replied.

Zhang Qian nodded and immediately prepared clothing and a dagger for him. Long Chen left the bedroom and went into the bathroom with a change of clothes, where Xiang Ning was waiting with a giggle.

"Did Sister Qianqian not come?"

"Do you wish she had?"

"It’s better that she didn't; my lord is all mine now."

Xiang Ning shooed all the other palace maids away, locked the door, and kept Long Chen to herself.

Half an hour later, a blushing Xiang Ning returned to the room with Long Chen. He put on a large hat and a fur cloak, tucked the dagger into his belt, and set out from the palace alone toward Xiangyun Pavilion.

...

In the Phoenix Palace, the Empress sat in her study with Shadow Phoenix standing guard nearby, her hand on her sword.

Long Chen entered, followed by a man dressed as a eunuch—Feng He.

"Greetings to Your Majesty."

"Your subject, Feng He, pays his respects to Your Majesty."

The Empress scrutinized Feng He and asked, "I heard from Long Chengen that you are willing to defect to the Great Zhou?"

Feng He bowed. "I am willing, but I have one condition: I will only report to Lord Long."

Shadow Phoenix’s expression shifted slightly.

The Empress turned to Long Chen. "Do you believe him to be trustworthy?"

"I cannot say for certain yet," Long Chen replied.

The Empress looked back at Feng He. "If Long Chengen cannot guarantee your trustworthiness, why should I?"

Feng He prostrated himself. "I have heard that Your Majesty possesses the Gu Pill. I am willing to take it."

The Gu Pill was a substance used by the Empress to control the Shadow Guards, crafted using poisonous insects from the Miao border region as its core. Those who took the pill had to consume a regular antidote; otherwise, the insects would breed within their stomachs and burrow through their hearts.

Shadow Phoenix looked surprised; she had not expected Feng He to volunteer for the Gu Pill.

"Do you think this makes him trustworthy?" the Empress asked Long Chen.

"Yes, it does," Long Chen replied.

Since Feng He refused to hand over his elderly mother, the Gu Pill was the only way to exert control. Long Chen had insisted on using Feng He’s mother as leverage before only because the Gu Pill was in the Empress's possession, not his.

The Empress gestured, and Shadow Phoenix produced a small vial. The Empress removed the stopper and poured out something resembling an insect egg. Feng He stepped forward. Shadow Phoenix tightened her grip on her sword hilt as the Empress placed the pill into Feng He’s hand. Without a moment's hesitation, he tossed it back and swallowed.

As the pill hit his stomach, a wave of agonizing cramps surged through him, and the veins on his forehead bulged. Shadow Phoenix presented another vial; the Empress poured out an antidote, which Feng He immediately took. Only then did the pain in his abdomen slowly subside.

"You have performed a great service by handing over Shen Hong today. I grant you the title of Fifth-Rank official, and you shall serve under the orders of Long Chengen!"

Although Long Chen hadn't said it, the Empress could guess that Shen Hong and Jade Tiger had been provided by Feng He.

"Your subject thanks Your Majesty!" Feng He bowed deeply, cold sweat dripping from the tip of his nose to the floor.

The Empress toyed with the pill vial, glancing at Long Chen. He felt a jolt of terror, silently screaming, *Don't you dare give that to me!*

The Empress smiled and signaled Shadow Phoenix to put the medicine away. Long Chen breathed a sigh of relief.

"Your subject has one more request for Your Majesty."

"Speak."

"I promised Shen Hong that I would plead for her life. It was a condition of her agreeing to testify."

When they were in Linjiang City, Long Chen had sliced Feng He’s throat to stage a fake death and dumped him in a mass grave. Shen Hong happened to have been dumped there as well; Feng He had found her still breathing and saved her. Feng He had convinced her to testify, partly because she owed him her life, and partly because he had promised to intercede on her behalf.

The Empress replied coldly, "Granted!"

Ordinarily, a traitor could not be spared, but spies valued their word above all else. If Feng He broke his promise, his future credibility would be ruined.

"Thank you, Your Majesty!"

"You may withdraw."

Long Chen felt as though he had been pardoned. He took Feng He out of the Phoenix Palace and returned to the bathroom in the Qiuxing Hall through the back entrance. He did not return to the main room, opting instead for a secret conversation in the bathroom, which had been cleared and was usually unoccupied.

"You asked me to meet at Xiangyun Pavilion, yet you brought me straight to the Empress. Do you trust me that much, my lord?"

Before they had left the palace, Long Chen hadn't been sure if Feng He would show up at the market or bring the evidence. If Feng He hadn't appeared, that would have been the end of it. If he did, he would certainly have tried to send the evidence through Zhang Qian, Xuanyi, or Qingyue, as those were the only five people Long Chen trusted. Since Princess Di Luoxi could not be involved and Wu Jian was absent, Feng He would have had to reach out to them.

Long Chen had instructed the women to tell Feng He to seek an audience with the Empress afterward.

"You provided the evidence, which shows your sincerity, but I cannot trust you completely. The Empress’s Gu Pill was necessary."

"Furthermore, building my own shadow organization requires the Empress’s support. I had to inform her. As for not meeting at the pavilion—do you think I dare leave the palace at will?"

Long Chen knew Shadow Phoenix was constantly watching him. If he had formed a covert organization with Feng He behind her back, the Empress would have struck. By involving her, he could secure her funding.

"The Empress didn't make you take the Gu Pill. She trusts you deeply. How did you manage that?" Feng He asked with a lewd grin, suspecting that Long Chen had become a concubine.

Long Chen chuckled. "It is because of my unique gift. I have two, and even if one were cut off, I would still have another."

Feng He laughed. "You joke, my lord."

"Enough. The Empress has ordered you to follow my commands. Give your orders."

Long Chen said, "Very well. I am a eunuch of the West Palace, so this organization shall be called the Western Depot. Your name changes as well. From today on, Feng He no longer exists; you are Yu Huatian."

"I have two tasks for you. First, map out Jing Tianlie’s shadow guards. Second, find the leaders of the World Association and the Dragon Gang. I want to know exactly who they are!"

"Do not worry about money. I am not lacking in funds!"

Long Chen pulled out a key. "At Xu’s Roasted Duck outside the city, there are one hundred thousand taels of silver and five thousand gold coins in the warehouse. That should be enough for you to start."

Feng He took the key and smiled. "You are truly generous, my lord! This subordinate takes his leave!"

Feng He left the West Palace. Long Chen circled back through the rear entrance to the Qiuxing Hall.

"Hasn't Xiang Ning returned yet?" Long Chen asked Zhang Qian.

"She is back. She bought a pile of things and is currently dividing them up with Xiao E and Daiyu," Zhang Qian replied.

Earlier, Long Chen and Xiang Ning had swapped clothes, and Xiang Ning had gone out wearing his garments to run errands. Though their builds were quite different, Long Chen just had to ensure no one looked too closely.

"Did it go well, my lord?" Zhang Qian asked.

Long Chen sat on the heated brick bed. "It did. The Empress approved."

"Take care of that palace maid."

Zhang Qian immediately went to attend to it. Long Chen sat cross-legged and began his meditation.

...

At the Jing estate, Wuming entered Jing Tianlie’s room. "General, he did not go to Xiangyun Pavilion. The eyes we had in the palace have been purged."