Li Lianying's new, temporary headquarters was a suite of rooms in the western part of the palace, hastily converted for his use. They lacked the history and the tailored security of the incinerated Silkworm Nursery, and the atmosphere within was thick with the foul stench of fear and recrimination. The head eunuch sat behind a large desk, his face a tight mask of controlled fury, his eyes scanning the faces of his remaining inner circle. The fire had not just destroyed his records; it had shattered his network's morale and sense of invincibility. He was wounded, and like any wounded predator, he was lashing out.
"A ghost did not attack the Silkworm Nursery," he hissed, his voice a low, venomous whisper that slithered across the room. "It was a man. Flesh and blood. And a man cannot walk through locked doors and past vigilant guards unless a traitor within our own walls opened the way for him. So, I will ask again. Who was it?"
His gaze swept over his senior subordinates, each of whom flinched as if struck. The paranoia was palpable. They were all now suspects, their years of loyal service rendered meaningless by this single, catastrophic breach.
This was the moment Eunuch Yao had been waiting for. Since his terrifying encounter with the Emperor's dark sentinel, he had been living a double life, his outward subservience to Li Lianying a perfect performance masking his new, terrified allegiance. He had been given his instructions by his new masters, a subtle strategy of misdirection delivered through a coded message he had found tucked into his daily rice bowl. Now, it was time to act.
He stepped forward, bowing low, his face a picture of thoughtful concern. "Excellency," he began, his voice carefully modulated. "Your wisdom is profound, and there is doubtless a traitor among us. But perhaps… perhaps we are looking for a snake in our own basket, when the tiger is already outside the cage."
Li Lianying's eyes narrowed. "Speak plainly, Yao. I am in no mood for your poetic nonsense."
"Forgive this humble servant," Yao said, his head still bowed. "I was merely thinking about the logistics of the attack. The guards on duty that night… they were not our usual men. They were newer assignments, recommended for their strength and loyalty by the Captain of the Imperial Guard, Turgai."
He let that name hang in the air for a moment before continuing. "And as we all know, Captain Turgai is a Manchu Bannerman of the old school. A known associate of Prince Gong's military aide, Batu. They served together in the same banner thirty years ago."
He paused again, letting the insinuation take root. He was not making a direct accusation. He was a humble servant, merely connecting the dots for his brilliant master. He was weaving a tapestry of circumstantial evidence, each thread plausible on its own, but damning when woven together.
"And there is one other thing," Yao added, his voice dropping conspiratorially. "The new bodyguard assigned to the Emperor just days before the attack. The one they call Meng Ao. The one with the strength of a demon. He, too, is one of Captain Turgai's men. Is it not… a remarkable coincidence? That the Prince's faction pressures the throne, and then an attack of unparalleled skill and audacity is carried out by men connected to his allies in the Imperial Guard?"
The narrative was perfect. It was elegant, logical, and, most importantly, it was exactly what Li Lianying and Cixi wanted to believe. Their minds, already conditioned to see Prince Gong as their primary adversary, seized upon the explanation with hungry relief. It directed their rage towards a known enemy and away from the terrifying possibility that their own network had been compromised from within.
Li Lianying's eyes lit up with a cold, vicious fire. Of course. It wasn't a ghost. It was one of Prince Gong's brutish military thugs, let in by a sympathetic captain. The Prince, unable to win a political battle, had resorted to a covert military operation. It made perfect sense.
"Turgai," Li Lianying whispered, savoring the name of his new target. "And this… Meng Ao."
"The captain is well-respected among the guards," Yao cautioned, adding a layer of verisimilitude to his deception. "To move against him directly would be difficult. And the boy, Meng Ao, is now the Emperor's personal shield. He is always by the Son of Heaven's side. Untouchable."
This only served to cement Li Lianying's conviction. The pieces fit too perfectly. The bodyguard was a plant, a spy and a potential assassin placed right next to the Emperor by Prince Gong. Captain Turgai was the facilitator.
"Excellent work, Yao," Li Lianying said, a rare note of approval in his voice. "Your mind is sharp." He turned to the other eunuchs. "Begin a full investigation into Captain Turgai. I want to know every man he speaks to, every cup of wine he drinks. Dig into his past. Find his weaknesses. We will pull him down, brick by brick."
The seeds of discord had been successfully sown. Li Lianying, blinded by his desire for a simple, external enemy, was now set to declare a silent war on the Imperial Guard, one of the few relatively uncorrupted institutions left in the palace. He would begin to see Prince Gong's agents behind every shadow, wasting his time, resources, and political capital on a phantom threat.
Miles away, in his own study, Ying Zheng received his report. The message had been delivered by Little An, hidden in the false bottom of a bowl of medicinal broth. The report, written on a tiny piece of rice paper by Eunuch Yao, detailed the success of the misdirection.
Ying Zheng allowed himself a small, cold smile. It was a classic strategy from the old wars, one he had used to bring down entire kingdoms: turn your enemies against each other. Cixi's power rested on the twin pillars of her spies and her control of the military appointments. He had now successfully turned her spies against her guards. He was not just cutting the ropes of her web; he was making the spiders devour one another. He had created chaos, and from that chaos, he would forge his own new order.