Chapter 474: The Imperial Star Shifts
Whoosh…
In the pitch-black night, moonlight streamed through the cracks in the room, casting a faint shadow within. Consort Xiang startled violently and began to struggle fiercely.
Shhh…
Xu Sanyan stood over Consort Xiang, pressing a hand over her mouth as he leaned close to her ear. “Do you want to live or die?” he whispered.
Mmm…
Consort Xiang suddenly stilled. Of course she wanted to live. Though her days were far from ideal, who truly desires death?
“Then be quiet, alright?”
Though Xu Sanyan’s tone was conversational, Consort Xiang had no choice but to nod obediently, letting out a soft nasal hum. “Mmm.”
Xu Sanyan’s face, hidden in the darkness, let out a soft chuckle. He slowly released his hand from her mouth, his palm tracing down her jawline, across her neck, and gliding over her smooth skin to her chest, then slowly downward…
Mmh~
Consort Xiang instinctively let out a soft moan, her delicate face flushing crimson, though the darkness concealed her blush.
Such a burning hand…
An inexplicable thought arose in Consort Xiang’s heart. Perhaps it was the result of being alone in her empty chamber for too long, coupled with her prolonged abstinence from male company, which had stirred her stagnant inner world back to life.
But…
What could a eunuch possibly do?
Aside from covering himself in saliva…
Consort Xiang had already guessed the identity of the person behind her. As a woman, she possessed a keen sixth sense. During the day, she had noticed the strange glint in the young eunuch’s eyes—too fervent, too predatory, utterly unlike the gaze of a castrated man.
And then…
Consort Xiang’s heart skipped a beat as she recalled the tent-like bulge beneath his robes…
He wasn’t properly castrated after all.
Soon, muffled sounds filled the room, accompanied by suggestive whispers:
“…be gentle…”
“Mmm…”
“There…”
Ling’er, the night watchwoman outside the door, drowsily heard the faint noises from within. She could only shake her head helplessly.
It’s hard for a woman alone in an empty chamber…
But wasn’t she in the same predicament?
Sigh…
“Sigh…”
Emperor Qian tossed aside the memorial he was holding, leaning back wearily against his throne. His gaze drifted through the open window to the night sky, his pupils momentarily losing focus as he sank into thought.
He couldn’t understand why the Late Emperor had ruled for over a thousand years in peace and prosperity, while he, having ascended the throne just over a century ago, was now facing an endless stream of crises.
The calamity in the Chaotic Cloud Mountains was escalating rapidly. If left unchecked, the ancestral legacy of the Qian Kingdom would surely be destroyed by his own hand.
Although this disaster threatened the entire Central Region, not just the Qian Kingdom, the Five Great Sects should have united to overcome this crisis. However, the Qian Kingdom’s vast territory bore the brunt of the initial impact, while the Five Great Sects each occupied a single immortal mountain, temporarily beyond the calamity’s reach. This allowed them to maintain a detached, observer’s stance.
But Emperor Qian could no longer endure this. He had already detected a weakening trend in the Dragon Vein. Once the Dragon Vein was damaged, no amount of treasure could fully restore it.
To persuade the sages to intervene, Emperor Qian had emptied nearly half his treasury as bargaining chips. Finally, the bald donkeys of the Heaven’s Will Demon Subduing Temple relented and agreed to request the sages’ aid.
Shangyin Mountain and the Source Worship Sect also agreed to send reinforcements, requiring no further compensation from the Qian Kingdom. After all, resolving this matter swiftly would benefit everyone.
Whenever Emperor Qian recalled the immense price he had paid, his heart clenched with pain. It truly pained him.
At that moment, a voice echoed from beyond the door: “Your Majesty, a memorial from the Star Observation Pavilion has arrived.”
“Present it,” Emperor Qian replied, his composure returning, though a heavy feeling settled in his heart. The Star Observation Pavilion, established by the Late Emperor, was a special institution tasked with observing celestial phenomena, predicting calamities, and forecasting the rise and fall of the kingdom’s fortunes. Though their predictions were often inaccurate—correct only seven out of ten times—even a single accurate forecast could herald a major event.
Moreover, memorials from the Star Observation Pavilion never brought good news; such tidings required no formal report.
A eunuch pushed open the door, respectfully placed a crimson memorial on the Emperor’s desk, bowed deeply, and withdrew.
Emperor Qian steeled himself, opened the memorial, glanced at its contents, and slammed it shut, his fingers trembling slightly.
He had only glimpsed a few words:
The Imperial Star has shifted, Mars burns fiercely…
The Imperial Star has shifted?
How could that be possible?!
Since the founding of the Qian Kingdom, such a thing had never occurred. The Imperial Star had always shone brightly. Why would it suddenly…
Emperor Qian took a deep breath and reopened the memorial:
The Imperial Star has shifted, Mars burns fiercely. The Greedy Wolf Star moves from west to center, driving away the Purple Tenuous Star, threatening to devour heaven and earth.
The nation’s fate is unstable, Dragon Qi trembles, the Nation-Protecting Artifact has wailed throughout the night. Calamity approaches.
Hah…
Emperor Qian exhaled sharply, suppressing the terror in his heart. His gaze flickered erratically.
The Greedy Wolf Star moving from west to center and driving away the Purple Tenuous Star meant danger was coming from the west.
But what threat could there be in the west?
Emperor Qian narrowed his eyes. In the west… lay the Harmonious Heart Demonic Sect!
“Summon someone!”
Emperor Qian slammed the memorial onto the table, leaping to his feet and shouting.
“Your Majesty.”
“Monitor the demonic sect’s movements closely. Report any unusual activity to me immediately.”
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
“Ah…”
Emperor Qian, burdened by the arduous task of governing the nation, had neglected the beauties of his harem. Xu Sanyan stepped in to manage their affairs, seeking no reward, and became a model of selfless service.
Not that he sought no reward at all. After all his hard work, borrowing the Dragon Vein for a bit shouldn’t be too much to ask, right?
Xu Sanyan rested his head on Consort Xiang’s smooth, supple thigh, inhaling the decadent fragrance that filled the air. He reached out to playfully grasp her delicate foot, turning it over in his palm.
Consort Xiang smoothed her disheveled hair, wiped the sweat from her neck, and blushed deeply, her expression utterly content.
How many years had it been…?
Since entering the palace, she hadn’t felt this way. And before entering the palace, she’d never experienced anything like it.
Consort Xiang playfully tapped Xu Sanyan’s forehead. “You truly have a daring appetite for pleasure! Do you realize that if this were discovered, ten of our heads wouldn’t be enough to pay the price? Even our families would be implicated.”
“Enough with the useless talk. Just tell me, was it comfortable?”
“…Mmm.”
“Heh heh…”
Xu Sanyan chuckled dismissively. As the saying goes, “The more debts you have, the less you worry.” Besides, it was Lin Fan who had been playing with Consort Xiang, not him, Xu Sanyan.
“Alright, get some rest. I’ll come again tomorrow night.” Xu Sanyan rose, straightened his robes, and vanished in a blur.
“Sigh…”
Consort Xiang, her passion now subsided, returned to her usual calm. But a familiar anxiety resurfaced: what if this were discovered? What would happen then…?
Still, she couldn’t deny it had been… remarkably comfortable.
Xu Sanyan didn’t return to his quarters either. The night was pitch-black, and candles flickered throughout the Imperial Palace, their crimson lanterns barely illuminating the winding paths. Jade Dragon Guards patrolled the grounds at regular intervals.
This was the perfect opportunity to explore the palace’s hidden corners and uncover the Dragon Vein’s true location.
According to the Imperial Clan Court, Emperor Qian frequented two places: the Imperial Ancestral Temple, where ancestral tablets were enshrined, and a towering pavilion known as the Star Observation Pavilion.
(End of the Chapter)