On the evening of the same day, Wu Tianming threw a feast for Wu Qi, Guigu'zi, and Mo Di at the back garden in Great Wu's inner court.
The garden was dimly lit. Dozens of old eunuchs, all in their sixties, waited on them, and there was no one else. The emperor had a group of young eunuchs at his side, but as soon as they entered the inner court, he drove them all away, leaving behind only the old, wavering men.
Wu Qi studied these old eunuchs curiously. Wu Tianming had told him their background a few moments ago—they were all confidants who had been with the emperor since he was three or five years old, and had been serving him for decades.
