Peach Blossoms in Chang'an

Chapter 219 Undercurrent surging

The night sky of Chang'an City was as starry as ever, but it was also filled with an unusual agitation. In the past few days, strange things had happened frequently in the city. First, the century-old trees in the Imperial Garden withered overnight, then the water level in the moat rose inexplicably, and there were even rumors that strange phenomena had appeared in the sky above the Imperial Palace, with faint colorful clouds gathering.

These strange things naturally alarmed the emperor who lived deep in the palace. He summoned the Imperial Astronomical Observatory to inquire about the celestial phenomena, but the answer he received was vague, saying that the yin and yang were out of balance and that he needed to perform sacrifices and pray for blessings. The emperor was uneasy, but he had no choice but to order the city defense to be strengthened to prevent any accidents.

However, what he didn't know was that the source of all these strange phenomena was not a natural disaster, but a man-made disaster.

Since Lin Yu started to activate the device, the ground veins of Chang'an City began to fluctuate. At first, it was just a slight tremor, but as time went on, the frequency and intensity of the tremor continued to increase, eventually causing changes visible to the naked eye.

All of this was seen by one person, Eunuch Li. As the emperor's confidant, he knew every tree and blade of grass in Chang'an City, and no subtle changes could escape his eyes.

Eunuch Li was a man of great scheming and cunning. He keenly realized that these strange phenomena were not natural phenomena, and there must be someone behind them secretly controlling them. He secretly sent people to investigate and finally found some clues.

"The prince has been very close to a strange man recently. They often meet in a house on the outskirts of the city, and there seems to be some secret hidden there." The secret guard knelt on the ground and reported in a low voice.

A cold light flashed in Eunuch Li's eyes. He waved his hand, signaling the secret guard to continue speaking.

"That strange man seems to be proficient in some strange techniques. I suspect that the strange phenomena in the city may be related to him."

Eunuch Li fell into deep thought. He remembered that a few days ago, Hu Bugui had recommended a strange man named Lin Yu to the emperor, saying that he was proficient in astronomy and geography and wanted to serve the court. At that time, he did not care, thinking that Hu Bugui wanted to win over talents. Now it seems that this person is not simple.

"Your Majesty, I want to see what tricks you are playing!" Eunuch Li sneered, his eyes full of viciousness. He knew that he had found a perfect opportunity to overthrow Hu Bugui. As long as he reported this to the emperor, Hu Bugui would not be able to die even if he had ten lives!

Wu Tao felt the chill emanating from Hu Bugui's body and knew that he must have encountered something difficult. "But something happened in the palace?" She asked softly, with a trace of worry between her brows.

Hu Bugui held her hand and nodded gently, "Eunuch Li is a sinister and cunning man. Now that he has set his sights on Lin Yu, I'm afraid he has noticed something."

Wu Tao's heart tightened. Eunuch Li was deeply rooted in the palace. If he caught him, the consequences would be disastrous. "Then what should we do?"

"There is no time to lose. We need to notify Lin Yu as soon as possible so that he can make preparations early." Hu Bugui made a prompt decision and stood up to go out.

"Wait," Wu Tao pulled him back, frowning, "Since Eunuch Li has already begun to suspect, if we go to inform Lin Yu now, wouldn't it be a warning to the enemy? What's more, our every move is under his surveillance, and rash action will only expose the target."

Hu Bugui hesitated for a moment. Wu Tao's words made sense. Their every move now might be seen by Eunuch Li. If they were not careful, they would lose everything.

"You're right," Hu Bugui nodded in agreement, "We need to come up with a foolproof plan."

At this time, in the courtyard where Lin Yu was, he was fiddling with several pieces of strangely shaped metal pieces. These metal pieces seemed to have life in his hands. They were combined together according to some rules and emitted a faint light.

"Eunuch Li, do you think this little trick can stump me?" Lin Yu sneered and activated the device in his hand. A light wave invisible to the naked eye instantly spread out, covering the entire yard. This is a signal jammer he made using modern technology. It can block all monitoring and tracking. Even Eunuch Li can't easily spy on the situation here.

"Your Majesty, everything is ready," Lin Yu said to an inconspicuous bamboo tube, "We are just waiting for Eunuch Li to fall into the trap."

 Chapter 219: Undercurrents

Wu Tao and Hu Bugui fell into silence. Eunuch Li's suspicion was like a sharp knife hanging over their heads, and they didn't know when it would fall. The moonlight outside the window was dim, and the lights of thousands of houses in Chang'an City could not illuminate the haze in their hearts at the moment.

"We can't just sit there and wait for death," Wu Tao broke the silence with a firm look in his eyes, "Eunuch Li has been operating in the court for many years. We must find a force that can compete with him."

Hu Bugui knew that what Wu Tao said was true. Eunuch Li had many followers, and it would not be easy to bring him down. "There are only a few trustworthy people in Chang'an," he said in a heavy tone, "We need to act with caution."

"I do have an idea," Wu Tao's eyes flashed with a cunning look, "Eunuch Li is very powerful, so he must have made many enemies. We can start with his opponents and perhaps find a breakthrough."

Hu Bugui's eyes lit up. This was indeed a feasible path. Eunuch Li was arrogant and domineering in the court, and had many enemies. If he could find those officials who were suppressed by him, he might be able to unite to fight against him.

So, the two made a plan overnight. Wu Tao, relying on his knowledge of Tang Dynasty history, made a list of officials who had had conflicts with Eunuch Li. Hu Bugui was responsible for contacting these people and secretly testing their attitudes.

Undercurrents are surging in Chang'an City, and a silent game is quietly unfolding.

At the same time, inside Eunuch Li's bedroom, the atmosphere was completely different.

"Waste! All of you are a bunch of waste!" Eunuch Li threw the teacup in his hand hard to the ground, and the fragments flew everywhere, scaring the surrounding palace maids and eunuchs so much that they trembled and dared not even breathe.

"Your Majesty, calm down," a shrill voice sounded, "Lin Yu is full of tricks, it is understandable that we were not careful for a while..."

The person who spoke was Eunuch Li's trusted eunuch, named Xiao Dezi, who was the most trusted by Eunuch Li.

"Excusable? Humph!" Eunuch Li was still furious. "He is just a small craftsman, how could he have such means! There must be someone helping him behind the scenes!"

Xiao Dezi rolled his eyes and lowered his voice and said, "Your Majesty, you are suspicious..."

Eunuch Li didn't say anything, but just glanced at him coldly, his eyes full of chillness.

"I will check it right away," Xiao Dezi immediately understood, "I will get to the bottom of this matter and give the prince an explanation."

Eunuch Li waved his hand, signaling him to leave. After Xiao Dezi left, he slowly walked to the window, looked at the bright moon in the night sky, and a cold arc appeared at the corner of his mouth.

"Since you guys want to play, then I'll play with you," he muttered to himself, "and see who will have the last laugh..."

Wu Tao and Hu Bugui secretly contacted several officials according to the information on the list. These officials had been excluded and suppressed by Eunuch Li, and had been resentful for a long time. However, due to the power of Eunuch Li, they could only be angry but not speak out, and lived a cautious life. Now, seeing Hu Bugui extending an olive branch to them, these officials felt a glimmer of hope.

For safety reasons, they agreed to meet in a secluded manor outside the city. As night fell, several carriages drove into the manor silently. Wu Tao and Hu Bugui had been waiting for a long time.

Under the dim candlelight, several officials looked solemn. They were all old foxes in the court and were well aware of the risks of going against Eunuch Li.

"Your Highness, we all know that Eunuch Li is extremely powerful. Are you sure you can overthrow him?" An old minister with white hair and beard asked first, his tone full of worry.

Hu Bugui had a calm expression and a firm look in his eyes. "Don't worry, everyone. Since I dare to stand up, I must have a foolproof plan."

Wu Tao also stood up and saluted to everyone, "My Lords, Eunuch Li has committed many evil deeds, and now he has extended his evil claws to the army. If we don't eliminate him as soon as possible, the Tang Dynasty will be in danger!"

Her voice was clear and powerful, carrying an unquestionable momentum that inspired everyone present.

"Your Highness is right. We can't just sit there and wait for death!" A burly official slammed the table and stood up. "We can't sleep or eat well until Eunuch Li is removed! Your Highness, Your Highness, please give us your orders. We will obey you!"

Everyone echoed and expressed their willingness to advance and retreat together with Hu Bugui and Wu Tao.

Just as everyone was discussing how to expose Eunuch Li's crimes, an unexpected person suddenly appeared. He was wearing a black nightgown, with a veil covering his face, revealing only a pair of sharp eyes.

"Do you think you can overthrow Eunuch Li like this? You are so naive!"

Everyone was horrified and drew their swords, looking at the person coming vigilantly.

"Who are you? Why do you trespass here?" Hu Bugui asked coldly.

The man in black sneered and slowly took off his mask, revealing a familiar face.

"Lin Yu!" Wu Tao exclaimed, looking at the person in front of him in disbelief.

How could Lin Yu, the time traveler who had helped them and then suddenly disappeared, appear here? And why did he stop them from exposing Eunuch Li?

"Yes, it's me." Lin Yu's eyes swept across everyone, and finally fell on Wu Tao and Hu Bugui, with an ambiguous smile on his lips, "In fact, you should have guessed the true identity of Eunuch Li a long time ago, right?"

Wu Tao and Hu Bugui felt a chill in their hearts, and an ominous premonition came to their minds.

"You...what do you mean by that?" Wu Tao asked with forced calmness.

Lin Yu did not answer directly, but clapped his hands. Several men in black filed in from the door and surrounded the room.

"You have been surrounded." Lin Yu said in a cold tone, "Just surrender, and I can consider giving you a quick death."

"Why are you doing this?" Hu Bugui stared at Lin Yu with a sharp gaze, "Who are you?"

Lin Yu didn't say anything, but the smile on his face became more and more weird.

At this moment, there was a chaotic sound of footsteps outside the door, and then Eunuch Li broke in with a team of imperial guards.

"It seems that you can't escape even if I don't do anything." Lin Yu said with a smile.

Eunuch Li walked up to Lin Yu, patted him on the shoulder, and said in a tone full of appreciation, "Well done, Lin Yu, you didn't let me down."

"Eunuch Li..." Wu Tao looked at the scene in disbelief, "You...you actually..."

Eunuch Li sneered and interrupted Wu Tao, "It seems that you know too much."

He waved his hand, and several imperial guards immediately stepped forward and surrounded Wu Tao, Hu Bugui and others.

"take away!"