Chapter 265

Hu Xiaotian thought, "Corrupt merchant, you little... when you lift your butt I know what shit you're taking, haggling—this is my forte." Hu Xiaotian didn't even look at Cao Qianshan, picked up the Chazan, silently thinking, "Twenty taels? Damn, that's barely enough to send off a beggar?" The palace is so big, the daily vegetable expense for tens of thousands is no small figure. Hu Xiaotian lifted the Chazan, slowly sipped tea, and said: "Cao Boss, since you're so nostalgic, why not just wait and do business with Wang Desheng later?"

One sentence scared Cao Qianshan into a cold sweat. When Wang Desheng was in charge of procurement, Cao Qianshan initially gave him two hundred taels of silver as a benefit each month, but that little eunuch was also extremely greedy, and recently he had just raised it to three hundred. Cao Qianshan thought Hu Xiaotian didn't know the rules, so he held up two fingers, but he hadn't expected Hu Xiaotian to be so capable. Afraid of offending this god of wealth, Cao Qianshan hurriedly said, "Lord Hu, how about three hundred taels a month?"

Hu Xiaotian heard him report the actual figure of three hundred taels and couldn't help but be startled. He hadn't expected the profits from outside-palace procurement to be so huge—three hundred taels, damn, this is just one merchant; if all the suppliers were to take a cut, the monthly bribe pocket money alone would exceed a thousand taels. No wonder Wang Desheng looks at him with such venomous eyes—stealing people's wealth, harming lives; to Wang Desheng, this is an irreconcilable grudge. Cao Qianshan nodded repeatedly, saying, "Lord Hu, rest assured, the vegetables and fruits we select for the palace are all carefully chosen and strictly vetted."

Hu Xiaotian said, "Everyone has their own taste. The emperor just ascended the throne—what does he like to eat? What does he dislike? Do you know?"

Cao Qianshan was left speechless by Hu Xiaotian's question.

Hu Xiaotian said, "Look at all the places in Dakang. All tribute vegetables and fruits go through our Bureau of Imperial Gardens. We must sift through thousands to decide which produce finally goes onto the emperor's table, and we bear the risk."

Cao Qianshan said, "Lord Hu, I understand, I understand. As long as you issue the list, I can guarantee to send the best vegetables and fruits to the Bureau of Imperial Gardens."

Hu Xiaotian's face finally showed a hint of a smile: "I just said, I have my rules. We people usually stay in the palace. Food, clothing, and daily necessities are all bestowed by the emperor; money is of little use to us. Not to mention a few hundred taels—even if you gave me a mountain of gold and silver, I wouldn't be interested. Besides, even if I were interested, I couldn't bring it into the palace." Hu Xiaotian said, "I'll hand these lists to you first. If I'm not mistaken, what they want to discuss later is nothing more than this. Boss Cao, instead of scheming against me, you'd better think about how to get these things done properly. I have a suggestion."

Cao Qianshan said, "Lord Hu, please speak."

Hu Xiaotian said, "From now on I'll handle these matters with you; I have no interest or energy to contact others. Boss Cao, can you handle this much?" He then handed over the entire stack of lists to Cao Qianshan.

Cao Qianshan received it with both hands, feeling somewhat overwhelmed by the favor. Actually, the procurement of vegetables and fruits is not divided among families. Previously, Wang Desheng, in order to squeeze out as much profit as possible, had split the purchase lists so that each person could get a cut. Moreover, in order to obtain as many lists as possible, everyone would compete to give gifts to Wang Desheng.

Hu Xiaotian is no ordinary person. At a glance he saw through the corruption. Accepting bribes is something you must never cast a wide net for; any slip in any link could invite trouble. Hu Xiaotian had just entered the palace, and only then had he earned Liu Yuzhang's heavy reliance, barely managing to secure the position of a procurement eunuch; he certainly didn't want to lose the big picture over small gains.

Cao Qianshan, somewhat moved, said, "Lord Hu, you trust me so much… I will surely devote all my strength to doing these things well for you."

Hu Xiaotian smiled and said, "That's wrong—you're not working for me, but for the emperor. After getting along with me for a while you'll know I'm actually easy to talk to. You merchants seek profit; I seek the emperor's favor and my superior's trust. We each take what we need, help each other—wouldn't it be nice to be friends?"

Cao Qianshan had already been conquered by this little eunuch's mature and capable demeanor. As the saying goes, "People compare themselves to others and die; goods compare and are thrown away." Compared to the previous Wang Desheng and Hu Xiaotian, his perspective is literally heaven and earth apart.

Liu Yuzhang returned on time, Hu Xiaotian had also finished all his tasks, boarded the carriage, and greeted Liu Yuzhang with a smile, saying, "Hello, Lord Liu."

Liu Yuzhang said, "Are all the matters finished?"

Hu Xiaotian nodded: "Done. They'll deliver the vegetables and fruits into the palace early tomorrow morning."

Liu Yuzhang said, "Did anyone offer you any benefits?"

Hu Xiaotian said, "They did, but I returned them."

Liu Yuzhang said offhandedly, "Why?"

Hu Xiaotian said, "Money should be earned openly; this kind of money carries too much risk."

Liu Yuzhang's eyes, which had been almost narrowed to a slit, suddenly brightened. He looked appreciatively at Hu Xiaotian, never expecting this kid to speak so frankly. He slowly nodded and said, "The Zajia certainly didn't misjudge you—after all, you're from a noble family; your vision differs from those little eunuchs. Xiao Dezhi is greedy by nature; I've heard more than once about his deeds of damaging the public for private gain. Actually, loving wealth is not blameworthy, but we eunuchs have our own rules: there is a kind of money that must never be taken. He thinks he's taking the merchants' money, but in fact he's taking the emperor's. To serve as a slave to such an extent is inhumane and unjust."

Hu Xiaotian nodded, suddenly realizing that Liu Yuzhang was far from being as clueless as he appeared.

Liu Yuzhang yawned and said, "No parents, no relatives, no children, no wife—just a lone individual. Even if you gave us a mountain of gold, what good would it do?" He closed his eyes and added, "But eating and drinking a bit is fine."

Hu Xiaotian said, "Lord Liu, rest assured; from now on I'll handle the procurement matters properly and smoothly."

"I'm at ease with you handling things; your father is so shrewd and capable, so naturally your son won't be far off. By the way, Wang Desheng looked at you today with some ill intent—you'd better guard against him in the future." The Senior Eunuch appeared muddle-headed on the surface, but was actually clear-sighted and perceptive.

Hu Xiaotian's start at the Bureau of Imperial Gardens went fairly smoothly; in his procurement post he worked diligently, and the eunuchs brought from the Bureau of Imperial Cuisine quickly rallied closely around him, forming his core team in the Bureau. Liu Yuzhang observed for a few days, saw that Hu Xiaotian indeed did not disappoint him, and thus handed over the procurement duties to him.

Actually, the procurement work isn't complicated: each day they collect and categorize the requisition slips from various parts of the palace, then, according to the Bureau's inventory needs, they regularly go outside the palace to purchase. The timing is often irregular—sometimes as short as two days, sometimes as long as five—and of course there are times when they must go out every day.

Procurement also has its own expertise: they try to buy as little out-of-season produce as possible. Of course, if the emperor or a favored consort suddenly gets a craving—say, in winter wanting lychees or pineapples, or in summer wanting bamboo shoots—the Bureau of Imperial Gardens gets a headache. Some situations can be reported, but others must be dealt with, so they try to minimize their own trouble as much as possible.

Within just a few days of his arrival, Hu Xiaotian had made the Bureau's procurement lively and noteworthy; while his ability earned admiration from many, it naturally also attracted envy from many, Wang Desheng being one of them.

Hu Xiaotian never understood why Wang Desheng had embezzled so much silver, yet Liu Yuzhang let him off with just a transfer to the garden as a nominal post—until he learned that Wang Desheng actually had two brothers; his older brother Wang Decai also served in the palace and is currently a prominent figure beside Empress Jian.

Although Shi Xuedong earnestly begged Hu Xiaotian to take him out of the palace for procurement, Hu Xiaotian never agreed. He had some understanding of Shi Xuedong's temperament; Shi Xuedong is dissatisfied with his current life, and once given a chance to leave the palace, it's hard to guarantee he won't come back. Hu Xiaotian had just barely found his footing in the Bureau of Imperial Gardens; he couldn't afford to take risks. Dealing with Shi Xuedong doesn't require much talk—just push everything onto Liu Yuzhang, saying Lord Liu disagrees. Anyway, given Shi Xuedong's current standing, he could never hope to speak to Lord Liu.

Hu Xiaotian clearly distinguishes the importance of things; he understands that it's still a sensitive period, and he must have no contact with his parents. Although he has had several experiences going out of the palace for procurement, he has never actively reached out to his family, and he hasn't even seen Murong Feiyan or Zhang Peng.

In the blink of an eye another half month passed, and finally it was the day he had previously agreed with Murong Feiyan to meet. Hu Xiaotian had made preparations a few days in advance, and conveniently set this palace‑out procurement for today. On this outing he brought along Xiao Zhuozi and Xiao Dengzi, the two little eunuchs he had brought from the stables of the Bureau of Imperial Cuisine. Although Xiao Zhuozi had initially been given a hard slap by Hu Xiaotian, he has now earned Hu Xiaotian's trust through his skill at reading people and his loyal, diligent conduct, becoming one of Hu Xiaotian's confidants.

Shi Xuedong could only watch helplessly as the three of them departed.

Having left the palace, Xiao Zhuozi advised Hu Xiaotian, "Lord Hu, I've recently heard that Wang Desheng keeps spouting off, saying he wants to give you a lesson."

Hu Xiaotian smiled calmly and said, "There's no need to take rumors too seriously."

Xiao Dengzi said, "Lord, I think this matter shouldn't be taken lightly."

Hu Xiaotian said with interest, "According to your view, what should we do?"

Xiao Dengzi chuckled and said, "I can't say for sure, but I think we should strike first."

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