Chapter 254

Hu Buwei sighed again and said, "Never mind, trouble Eunuch Quan to pass a word to the Emperor for me: I, Hu Buwei, am loyal to Dakang, harboring no rebellious intent; I knew nothing of Li Tianheng's raising troops to declare independence."

Quan De'an said, "Is it too late to say this now?"

Hu Buwei said, "Eunuch Quan, could you please persuade the Emperor to spare the lives of my whole family, and let me alone bear all responsibility?"

Quan De'an said, "Drink this cup of wine first, then we'll talk."

Hu Buwei, utterly despondent, raised his head and drained the cup. Quan De'an took the empty cup, refilled it, and said in a low voice, "You have sat in the post of Minister of Revenue of Dakang for many years, which counts as service to Dakang; without your careful management, Dakang's finances would not have steadily grown these years."

Hu Buwei drank that cup again.

Quan De'an said, "Your mistake was initially not to impeach the Crown Prince, and together with others you slandered the Prime Minister. You should know that since ancient times the throne passes to the eldest son. You people, for your own private gain, urged the Third Prince, confused the Emperor, sought merit and favor, causing the Crown Prince to be deposed by His Majesty, and nearly letting the fine lands fall into the hands of villains. If not for the Emperor's boundless fortune, you would have nearly died at the hands of these villains." Hu Buwei replied calmly, "Whether the Eldest Prince or the Third Prince ascends, the realm remains the Long family's, and Dakang remains as it was. Speaking solely of this matter, to charge me with rebellion seems rather far-fetched. In court, where policies clash, I admit I misjudged the situation, but I am loyal to Dakang. Over these years, since I assumed the post of Minister of Revenue, I have toiled for Dakang, exhausting my mind and energy; the state treasury has gradually grown rich. Though I have no merit, I have suffered hardship. When the Emperor ascended, if he wishes to charge me with disrespect, I have no complaint, yet let not disaster extend to my wife and children. I hope Eunuch Quan will convey to the Emperor, begging him to show mercy and spare the lives of my Hu clan; even if the guilty minister dies, he may die in peace." Speaking to this point, he became moved to tears. In fact, he understood this all too clearly. Even if he wore out his lips, it would be of no use; yet, even if there was a sliver of hope, he had to speak it out, for if he did not speak now, he might never get another chance to speak.

After receiving the third cup of wine from Quan De'an, Hu Buwei again said, "Back then the former emperor once granted my Hu family's ancestor the Vermilion Script Iron Charter, saying that if any descendant of my Hu family were to incur guilt, that charter could exempt the Hu clan from death."

Quan De'an gave a sinister chuckle and said, "Where is that Vermilion Script Iron Charter now?" Hu Buwei replied, "When my son went to take up his post in Azure Clouds, I gave him the charter to bring along."

Quan De'an raised the object in his hand and swayed it before Hu Buwei, saying, "Can you see clearly? Is this it?"

Hu Buwei, borrowing the lantern's light, when he saw clearly that the Vermilion Script Iron Charter in Quan De'an's hand was exactly the one the former emperor had granted the Hu family, he could not help but stare in shock. He murmured, "How could it be with you?" His heart was instantly overwhelmed by great fear; earlier, Hu Xiaotian had sent Liang Da Zhuang specially to deliver a letter. From the rubbing Liang Da Zhuang brought, it was certain the charter had been found by his son, yet now it appeared in Quan De'an's hands. There is only one possibility: his son has fallen into Quan De'an's grasp.

Hu Buwei trembled and said, "Eunuch Quan... how did you obtain this Vermilion Script Iron Charter?"

Quan De'an replied unhurriedly, "Naturally, your precious son personally handed it to me."

"Xiaotian?"

Quan De'an nodded and said, "Having such a son is also your fortune."

Hu Buwei felt a chill rise from his spine; the thing he feared most had finally come to pass, and he almost begged, "Eunuch Quan, he is just a child who knows nothing; I hope you will have pity, considering his youth and ignorance, and give him a way to live. I will bear all responsibility myself."

Quan De'an said, "The bond between father and son truly moves even the Zajia; what you drank was not poison, and the Emperor has not yet said he wants to kill you." He placed his hands behind his back and added, "The Zajia came to see you not because of the Emperor's order, but because your son found me."

Hu Buwei wore a bewildered expression; he had no idea how his son could have become connected with that favored person beside the new monarch.

Quan De'an said, "The Zajia owes Hu Xiaotian a favor; to be precise, the Little Princess owes him a favor." He then briefly recounted how Hu Xiaotian had previously saved him and the Little Princess.

Upon hearing this, Hu Buwei felt both startled and delighted; he never expected his son would, by chance, have saved the Little Princess. In that case, this child is not only blameless but meritorious; if the Senior Eunuch and the Little Princess are grateful people, perhaps relying on their influence before the new monarch could help the Hu family escape disaster.

Quan De'an said, "Your son is truly excellent; although the Zajia did not want to meddle in the Hu family's affairs, Hu Xiaotian's sincere devotion moved me, and he voluntarily offered to atone for the Hu family's sins by deciding to enter the palace to serve the Emperor."

"What?" Hu Buwei, hearing this, felt his vision darken and nearly fainted; he, being his only son, naturally understood that entering the palace to serve the Emperor meant castration to become a eunuch, which would mean the Hu line would end. He exclaimed, "This must absolutely not happen."

Quan De'an said, "The Zajia came here to tell you that Hu Xiaotian has already decided to do this; I will intercede for you with the Emperor, but you have committed too many wrongs in the past; even if the Emperor could pardon your death sentence, you would still find it hard to escape responsibility, and exile to the Western Frontier might be the best outcome for your family."

Hu Buwei burst into tears, thinking of his son willingly undergoing castration to enter the palace to save the Hu family; his guilt reached its peak, and he lamented dimly, "My poor child..."

Quan De'an said, "As long as the green hills remain, there is no fear of lacking firewood; if we can preserve our lives, perhaps there will be a day to turn things around. The Emperor cherishes talent, and perhaps he will later reemploy you—who knows? Your son is clever and quick-witted; success and fame await him shortly."

Hu Buwei only wept; his son had become a eunuch—what good would success and fame do? What joy remained in his life? For a moment he felt disheartened and hopeless, reflecting that today's situation was entirely of his own making; had he not been greedy for power and prestige, why would he have allied by marriage with Li Tianheng, taken office in court, and simply remained neutral? How could he have implicated the Hu family and dragged his son into this?

Quan De'an said, "Remember, you must never betray your son's sincere devotion."

Since arriving at the Grace-receiving Mansion and resuming a life of having clothes brought and meals served, the little eunuch Fu Gui attended to him most considerately, while he lay in bed pretending for three days. His only contact with the outside world was Fu Gui. Quan De'an never showed himself during these three days; Hu Xiaotian worried not only about the safety of his parents and family, but also about the fate of Zhan Peng and Murong Feiyan, who had risked their lives to rescue him, not knowing their current situation. He asked Fu Gui about this, but Fu Gui, a menial little eunuch, knew nothing of that night's events, nor had he even heard of the assassination. As for Quan De'an, it was said he had not visited the Grace-receiving Mansion for several days, lately being busy with the Emperor's enthronement affairs.

On the morning of the fourth day, Quan De'an finally came to the Grace-receiving Mansion to visit Hu Xiaotian; hearing of his arrival, Hu Xiaotian sprang up from bed in a single motion. Quan De'an waved his hand, signaling Fu Gui to withdraw, and casually shut the door.

Every room in the Grace-receiving Mansion was extremely dim; even in daylight one had to light lamps. Hu Xiaotian had lain in this sunless room for three days and nights, his mind already grown impatient.

Quan De'an sighed lightly and said, "You simply cannot restrain your temperament; if anyone with intent saw you now, they would surely not believe you had only just been castrated three days ago."

Hu Xiaotian said, "Eunuch Quan, how is my father's situation?"

Quan De'an said, "He is still being held in the Ministry of Justice's Great Prison, and I have not yet had the chance to see the Emperor."

Hu Xiaotian secretly sighed; things indeed were not that simple. Quan De'an was old and crafty, deeply scheming; although he had promised to help, it was uncertain whether he would sincerely aid in rescuing people. Moreover, the one who ultimately decides the Hu family's fate is the Emperor; if he is determined to exterminate the Hu clan, Quan De'an would likely be unable to overturn the situation. Thinking this, his mood grew heavy again; he knew urging was useless, for the initiative had fully passed into Quan De'an's hands, and for now he could only follow his arrangements.

Hu Xiaotian whispered, "Eunuch Quan, where are my two friends now?"

Quan De'an said, "You mean Murong Feiyan and them?"

Hu Xiaotian nodded.

Quan De'an coldly said, "Murong Feiyan, as a constable, actually knows the law yet breaks it, daring to assassinate the Zajia; by law he should be executed."

Upon hearing this, Hu Xiaotian could not help but become anxious: "You clearly promised me you would let them go."

Quan De'an's deep eyes stared steadily at Hu Xiaotian; he noticed many weaknesses in Hu Xiaotian's person—the lives of the Hu family, the lives of friends—if one is too attached to kinship and affection, it is not necessarily a good thing.

Hu Xiaotian said, "Do not forget that thanks to Murong Feiyan, the Little Princess was able to reach Harmony Prefecture safely."

Quan De'an said, "You care about her so much—do you like her?"

Hu Xiaotian was stunned by the question.

Quan De'an said, "Never forget your identity; from the moment of castration you are already a eunuch, and you may not like women. If you cannot restrain yourself and leak secrets, not only will you fail to preserve your life, but you may also implicate many others related to you."

Hu Xiaotian said, "Do not forget that the reason I agreed to your condition for entering the palace."

Quan De'an said: "You have no qualifications to bargain with me; now I am helping you, I don't need to ask you for anything. Today I came, prepared to teach you some skills; in one month, you will enter the palace. If you don't want to have loopholes that others can catch, then you had better discard all selfish thoughts in your mind and honestly learn something from me.")