I have Immortality In The Cultivation World

Chapter 543: Chapter 403 Rouge is Poisonous

“Second son, come in quickly.”

Father Zhou pulled Zhou Yi into the room and took the central seat, while he himself sat to one side.

The plump Mother Zhou stood with her hands on her hips behind Father Zhou, her cold gaze sweeping over the other women as if she wanted to rip the mouths off these vixens.

Zhou Yi, accustomed to reading faces in the palace, guessed the family affairs without a word and purposefully asked.

“Father, who are these women? I don’t believe I’ve met them before.”

“They…”

...

Father Zhou’s face turned slightly red as he said, “I felt the Zhou family’s incense was thinning, so I married a few more concubines to bear children. Second son, just call them ‘aunties’.”

Zhou Yi nodded slightly and stood up to help Mother Zhou sit to his left, expressing his concern.

“Mother, the Imperial Physician said that being overweight is bad for the heart, so you must watch your diet!”

“Ah, ah, ah.”

Mother Zhou, in her excitement, spoke incoherently, feeling that her second son, whom she hadn’t seen in ten years, was tenfold, a hundredfold better than her husband and eldest son at home, and that now she had support in the family.

Anyone who dared gossip would be sold off!

With just a few words, Zhou Yi won over his mother, isolated his father, and quietly took control of the family’s power.

Such tactics were much smarter than causing a big fuss and suppressing others with authority!

As they were talking and enjoying their tea,

footsteps approached from outside. Looking up, he saw two men walking side by side into the inner quarters.

The younger one had a familiar face and was likely his elder brother at home. The other, a middle-aged man with a goatee, his eyes gleaming upon seeing Zhou Yi, but bowed to Father Zhou instead.

“Son greets foster father!”

“Get up, get up.”

Father Zhou hurried forward to help the man up, introducing him, “Second son, this is my sworn son, the Magistrate of Wannian County, Tian Xu.”

Zhou Yi put down his teacup without standing, and said with a half-smile,

“So it’s Brother Tian. Our family stays long in the palace, and I haven’t had the chance to meet you properly. I fear I have missed the proprieties.”

“I dare not! I dare not!”

Tian Xu bowed and said, “Eunuch Zhou oversees two bureaus and holds a third-rank position. According to the rituals of the National Dynasty, it should be I who actively seek an audience.”

Zhou Yi spoke with a shade of sarcasm, “Brother Tian understands rituals as well? It’s my parents who know the rules of the Zhou estate; those unaware might think we are related to the emperor’s kin!”

“Mercy, my lord.”

Tian Xu fell to his knees in fright and stammered, “This estate has a long history, originally belonging to Lord Wang, the former scholar of the previous dynasty. After Lord Wang retired and returned to his hometown, he entrusted it to a moneylender for sale.”

“I purchased this estate and offered it to my foster father. In my haste, I failed to clean up any overstepping decorum, and I beg for your leniency!”

“I see.”

Zhou Yi nodded and said, “Since there’s a reason behind it, our family won’t pursue the matter further. Magistrate Tian, please get up and join us for a simple meal!”

“Thank you, my lord.”

From frightened to relieved, Tian Xu respectfully took a seat beneath Father Zhou, eagerly taking over the servants’ tasks by personally pouring tea and water.

Zhou Yi looked towards his restless elder brother Zhou Xiong and inquired, “Brother, what job are you doing at the County Government Office?”

Zhou Xiong hurriedly answered, “Big brother assigned me to be a clerk, but I’m illiterate and don’t recognize the legal codes or petitions, so I dare not investigate or judge cases rashly. I volunteered to become the jail warden instead.”

The position of jail warden only held rank in the imperial prison; the jails in prefectorial and county offices were still staffed by low-level clerks.

Zhou Yi praised with a smile, “Well done. It’s good to know oneself; with more benefits and fewer hassles in the prison, brother should just stay there comfortably.”

Seeing Eunuch Zhou smile, Tian Xu hurriedly sought to take credit and said,

“My lord, although my younger brother’s position as a warden only comes with actual power and isn’t entered into the clerical registry, our nephews could still study and sit for the civil service examinations.”

“Very good, very good.”

Zhou Yi was very supportive of education, which didn’t necessarily have to be for passing the civil service exams, but was about understanding its principles and being able to discern who was talking nonsense.

“Just focus on studying diligently. We’ll keep a watchful eye from the palace. Who knows, the Zhou family might produce a graduate!”

During the conversation, Zhou Yi turned to look at Father Zhou’s concubines.

“And you must also encourage your sons. As long as they have the ability to study, our family has plenty of ways to pave their paths.”

First promise a grand future, and then we’ll see if it’s managed later.

Upon hearing this, the concubines quickly knelt down and thanked him profusely, valuing the newly arrived Zhou Yi even above Father Zhou.

After chatting for a while, the banquet was ready.

During the banquet, there were not only members of the Zhou family but also officials from the county government office, local gentry, and prominent families, who didn’t care at all about Zhou Yi’s status as an internal attendant, and were very willing to make his acquaintance.

During the banquet.

Zhou Yi’s cup was never empty, and he kept raising it for more.

Seeing Eunuch Zhou being so approachable, everyone else also let loose, drinking merrily until the midnight hour before ending the feast.

At that point, Zhou Yi was completely drunk, and with the help of several servants, he was supported back to his room where a maid had already warmed the bed and carefully attended to him, ensuring he fell asleep.

At the hour of the ox.

Zhou Yi suddenly opened his eyes, waved his hand to seal the acupoint of the maid, and his figure disappeared from the room.

The next day.

Another great banquet was held.

Having connected with people the previous day, today’s banquet was for collecting favors; notable individuals from Wannian County had prepared generous gifts to offer to Eunuch Zhou.

Zhou Yi refused no one, accepting land, houses, shops, and even blatantly hinted by saying,

“These things, our family can neither touch nor see—it’s gold that people love!”

The third day.

The crowd brought many golden items, gold bowls, gold chopsticks, gold Maitreya, gold Bodhisattva statues, and gold of all sorts, filling a large chest.

Zhou Yi was thoroughly pleased, he spread them out in the courtyard, admiring each piece and occasionally letting out bizarre laughter. @@novelbin@@

“Hehehe!”

The spies secretly watching were already accustomed to such behavior, as all the internal attendants in the palace were similarly greedy!

…

In the second year of the Orthodox era.

In July.

The Orthodox Emperor made his way to Yaohua Palace.

The Noble Consort prepared with great care, attending to him diligently, but midway through.

The Orthodox Emperor passed out, and upon careful examination by the Imperial Physician, it was found that it wasn’t due to physical weakness, but rather the rouge was poisoned!

…

In charge of Yangxin Hall.

Zhou Yi was leisurely sipping his tea.

Eunuch Yuan burst in, urging him hurriedly,

“His Majesty summons you, it is urgent, hurry, Eunuch Zhou.”

The two of them activated their True Qi and flitted through the palace, quickly arriving at Yangxin Hall.

Upon entering.

Zhou Yi kowtowed three times and bowed nine times, shouting “Long live His Majesty,” then waited quietly for the Emperor to speak, but there was no response.

The Orthodox Emperor, still not over his shock and anger, had an iron-blue face and said in a cold voice,

“I entrusted you with the safety of the palace. Yet last night, there was an attempt at poisoning. Is this how you repay My trust?”

“Poisoning!”

Zhou Yi was so startled that he looked up with a pale face, and thumped his head on the floor, saying, “Your Majesty, I deserve to die, I deserve to die…”

The Orthodox Emperor scrutinized Zhou Yi carefully, his expression seeming genuine, and his anger abated slightly.

In charge of Yangxin Hall.

Zhou Yi was leisurely sipping his tea.

Eunuch Yuan burst in, urging him hurriedly,

“His Majesty summons you, it is urgent, hurry, Eunuch Zhou.”

The two of them activated their True Qi and flitted through the palace, quickly arriving at Yangxin Hall.

Upon entering.

Zhou Yi kowtowed three times and bowed nine times, shouting “Long live His Majesty,” then waited quietly for the Emperor to speak, but there was no response.

The Orthodox Emperor, still not over his shock and anger, had an iron-blue face and said in a cold voice,

“I entrusted you with the safety of the palace. Yet last night, there was an attempt at poisoning. Is this how you repay My trust?”