Chapter 134: Absolute Clarity of Mind

The news of Noble Consort Liu's death from illness spread quickly.

Emperor Yonghe had long since lost any interest in the inner palace. Now that he had obtained immortal techniques and karmic affinity, his mind was entirely set on cultivation, hoping to achieve immortality, become a patriarch, and live forever. He had even less mind to spare for a consort whose very appearance he could barely remember.

When the news reached his ears, he showed not the slightest reaction, merely instructing Liu Yuan to handle the corresponding funeral arrangements.

Although Noble Consort Liu was a noble consort, because of her low presence and lack of offspring, let alone entering the Imperial Ancestral Temple, she did not even qualify to be buried alongside the emperor.

Once all the procedures were completed, her corpse was buried in the imperial concubines' mausoleum on an auspicious day.

Xu Boqing had once used the pretext of visiting Grand Eunuch Liu to investigate Noble Consort Liu's remains.

Looking at that exquisitely charming beauty who had lost all breath, lying quietly in her coffin, even his steady state of mind was somewhat shaken.

He thought of the breathtaking astonishment when they first met;
he thought of the mistake that turned into something right upon the Empress Dowager's phoenix couch;
he thought of the indulgence as his courage grew bolder and bolder;
he thought of their playful splashing in the bath; he thought of her leaning in his arms, asking him with a smile that was like a tear whether he liked her or not;
he thought of the trance-like feeling when, after the cause and effect were severed, seeing her was like seeing a stranger; and he also thought of the strange look she gave him while sitting on the swing.

Now that he thought about it, that look seemed filled with reluctance.

Everything felt as if it had happened just yesterday. It seemed within reach, yet it was so far apart—so far that he could not figure out what Noble Consort Liu truly meant.

Empress Dowager Chen, Empress Zhang, and even Noble Consort Zhou, those who had been closer to her, seemed to have completely forgotten that they ever had such a good sister.

The Heavenly Eye Dharma could not lie. She had clearly been an ordinary person before, so how had she severed cause and effect?

Was she the reincarnation of some high-level adept who had awakened?
Or had someone helped her?
Or did she encounter some special opportunity?

Although this dead corpse was not fake, Xu Boqing could conclude with certainty that Noble Consort Liu was definitely not dead!

She had simply left!

If she were truly dead, then dust would return to dust, earth to earth, and all cause and effect would be completely dissolved. Why would she sever cause and effect in advance?

Since she wasn't dead, where was she now?

He could not figure it out.

After Noble Consort Liu's corpse was buried, Xu Boqing carried a jar of wine and a pot of tea to the foot of the back mountain of the Palace of Benevolent Tranquility. He sat down right on the ground, leaning against Grand Eunuch Huang's grave.

Grand Eunuch Huang had not been fond of wine during his lifetime, so Xu Boqing drank the wine himself while occasionally pouring some tea in front of the grave.

"Grand Eunuch, oh Grand Eunuch, the teachings you gave me back then taste more and more profound the more I ponder them. But why is it that the more things I see, the more ignorant I feel?"

"Back then, you pulled me out of the cleansing room, taught me the rules of this deep palace, and taught me martial arts. I haven't even had the chance to repay this kindness before you left us. Isn't this making things difficult for me?"

"You have no idea. Last time, I ran into an old man fishing who looked extremely aloof and pretentious. But I completely ignored him and even slighted him. I always have a feeling that old fellow is not someone willing to stay quiet..."

"Furthermore, to this day, I still can't figure out how you, a mortal with flesh eyes, managed to see that Noble Consort Liu did not have the appearance of a long life?"

"And also, after I left the capital and returned, the national fortune of Great Liang went who knows where, and some monsters are hiding in the capital. I always feel like this capital is about to become a place of right and wrong..."

"And... and..."

He leaned against the grave, drinking wine, muttering to himself the innermost thoughts he could not share with others, pouring out the anxiety in his heart, and venting his boundless loneliness.

Bathed in a hazy drunkenness, he fell asleep before he knew it.

Empress Dowager Chen had also noticed that her little thief's mind had been somewhat unsettled recently, which was why she rarely disturbed him.

Yet today, she hadn't seen him all day, and her heart inevitably grew a bit worried.

After inquiring of the elderly nanny and the gate-keeping old eunuch, and learning that the scoundrel hadn't gone out, she went to his room to look for him.

Seeing that the room was also empty, she guessed what had happened and went alone to the back mountain of the Palace of Benevolent Tranquility.

Sure enough, she saw Xu Boqing fast asleep right beside Grand Eunuch Huang's grave.

Seeing him holding a wine jar in his left hand and a teapot in his right, sleeping soundly as he leaned against the grave, the tip of the beautiful woman's nose felt somewhat sour with heartache.

The gorgeous matron hesitated for a moment beside him, choosing not to wake him up. Instead, she returned to her sleeping quarters to fetch a blanket, carefully draped it over him, and then departed.

Early the next morning, the weather was somewhat gloomy.

Xu Boqing woke up and let out a refreshing stretch, finally figuring out the matter of Noble Consort Liu leaving without saying goodbye!

No matter if she was the reincarnation of some high adept or had some special opportunity, leaving without a word and trying to sever cause and effect—this was simply not the right way to do things!

She came as she pleased, and left as she pleased. What did she take him, Xu Genshuo, for?!

"If we cross paths in the future, whether you're a demon or an immortal, as long as you're a woman, I'll definitely give you a hard time!"

Xu Boqing let out a long, soothing breath.

Once his thoughts cleared up and he saw the blanket draped over him, he immediately knew the Empress Dowager must have been there.

He returned to his quarters to playfully tangle and whisper sweet nothings with the Empress Dowager, engaging in their daily routine to ensure the gorgeous matron was fully satisfied, before heading to the Western Depot.

As the second-in-command of the Western Depot and holding a golden token, Jiang Jin essentially acted as the Superintendent in Xu Boqing's absence.

Hearing from his trusted subordinate that the Superintendent was waiting for him in the Western Depot, he hurriedly put down the task at hand and rushed back without a moment's delay.

Seeing the Superintendent sipping tea, Jiang Jin bowed deeply and saluted, "This subordinate greets the Superintendent."

"No need for formalities."

Xu Boqing skimmed the tea leaves floating in his cup, blew away the rising steam, took a sip, and asked pointedly, "How is the investigation going?"

"The several matters entrusted by the Superintendent are all making progress!"

"Let's hear it..."

"Yes!"

Jiang Jin stepped forward, carefully weighing his words before speaking, "The case of the bandit trouble in Jianyang that the Superintendent assigned before leaving has been confirmed to be the work of the Jiangnan rebels."

"The work of the Jiangnan rebels?"

Xu Boqing frowned slightly, interrupting him to ask, "Jianyang does indeed belong to Jianyang Prefecture, but when the Xu family suffered disaster, the Jiangnan region shouldn't have bred rebels yet."

"Reporting to the Superintendent..."

Jiang Jin quickly explained, "Two years ago, when Jianyang suffered from bandit trouble, Jianyang Prefecture superficially had not yet bred rebels, but underneath, many greenwood bandits had already secretly colluded, preparing to commit treason.

"Some time has passed...

"This subordinate investigated and found that during that period, a total of three factions of bandit forces had plundered the wealthy households of Jianyang. The leaders of these three factions were Cao Liquan, Ji Qu, and Luo Xinhua... all well-known bandit chiefs.

"Later, the Jiangnan rebels raised their banners to commit treason. All three factions of bandits threw themselves into the rebel camp. Because their men and provisions were abundant, they were respectively appointed as the 9th, 11th, and 18th chieftains among the thirty-six chieftains of the rebel camp."

"The thirty-six chieftains of the Jiangnan rebels."

Xu Boqing murmured thoughtfully, then asked, "Have you captured any of them?"

"Because Jianyang Prefecture is riddled with rebels and the Western Depot's control is weak, we failed to capture these three men."

Jiang Jin said this and knelt on the ground, "Please punish me, Superintendent!"

"Never mind, I was just asking casually."

Xu Boqing waved his hand, memorized the names of the three bandits, and said, "The Western Depot focuses on intelligence. Taking the enemy general's head from amidst a million soldiers is not yet your job."

His voice paused, as if recalling something, and he then asked, "What about Xie Honghua and Deng Jian?"

Hearing this, Jiang Jin couldn't help but heave a sigh of relief and said, "The disciples and followers of the Chongxu Sect were already dismissed several months ago, and Xie Honghua, the master of the Chongxu Sect, has disappeared without a trace."

As he spoke, he glanced around to confirm no one was nearby before cautiously saying, "However, this subordinate sent men to capture some members of the Chongxu Sect and learned through questioning that Xie Honghua seems to have been taken away by men loyal to the Second Prince, Zhu Wenjue..."

"Expected..."

Xu Boqing nodded slightly, showing no surprise at the news that Xie Honghua had been protected by the Second Prince, and asked, "What else has been investigated? Tell me all at once."

"Yes!"

Jiang Jin pondered for a moment and said, "The officials Third Prince Zhu Wenjing has been contacting recently are all court officials, nothing out of the ordinary. As for Deng Jian, he seems to have vanished into thin air, leaving not a trace to be found. This subordinate believes that this man must have changed his appearance, used an alias, and assumed a new identity.

"As for Duan Yuanze and Duan Siyuan, whom the Superintendent inquired about a few days ago, after investigation, this subordinate discovered that these two men are not people of our Great Liang, but hail from Great Song..."

"From Great Song?"