Liu Yuzhang said, "I'm old! All I did was twist my ankle, and the bone broke. People like us can't even look after ourselves anymore. How are we supposed to look after His Majesty?" A deep sense of desolation seeped into his words.
Quan Dean certainly understood his desolation. Seeing Liu Yuzhang's present circumstances, he felt the fox's grief at the rabbit's death. Liu Yuzhang's today might well be his tomorrow. Since Long Yelin had ascended the throne, he had begun noticeably distancing himself from these old retainers. This was not merely because Zhou Ruiyuan and his fellow ministers had advised the emperor to keep the palace eunuchs away from affairs of state. The younger generation was also rising rapidly, and without anyone noticing, the newcomers had already taken the old guard's place.
Quan Dean patted the back of Liu Yuzhang's hand and said softly, "We may be old, and our bodies may not be what they once were, but when it comes to loyalty to His Majesty, no one can compare with us."
A bitter smile appeared at the corners of Liu Yuzhang's mouth. Loyalty? Even if my heart is wholly loyal, can His Majesty see it?
Quan Dean slowly rose and turned his gaze toward Ji Feihua beside him. "Little Ji, since when has the Palace Gardens Bureau fallen under the jurisdiction of the Directorate of Internal Affairs?" Throughout the palace and beyond, Quan Dean was the only person who dared address Ji Feihua that way.
Ji Feihua smiled. "Please don't misunderstand, Eunuch Quan. I brought my men here primarily to see how Eunuch Liu's injury was healing. The other reason was to look for Wei Hualin while we were here."
Quan Dean said, "Isn't Wei Hualin one of your people at the Directorate of Internal Affairs? If