Chapter 284

Quan De'an's words were like giving Hu Xiaotian a reassuring pill, and indeed that was the case. Wei Huailing suddenly disappeared, and no new appointee was sent to fill the position of Chief Eunuch of the Imperial Gardens Bureau. The Emperor said Liu Yuzhang should stay in the palace to recuperate, meaning Liu Yuzhang continues to head the Imperial Gardens Bureau. Behind this naturally lies a fierce struggle between Quan De'an and Ji Feihua, and the result is undoubtedly that Quan De'an has temporarily gained the upper hand.

Naturally, Hu Xiaotian and his group are the most pleased with this outcome. Liu Yuzhang feels no particular joy; he is neither Quan De'an's man nor Ji Feihua's. This time the Imperial Gardens Bureau unfortunately became the object of their tug-of-war, and he inadvertently found himself caught in between.

After this incident, Liu Yuzhang became increasingly lax, simply handing over all his current affairs to Hu Xiaotian to manage. Once Hu Xiaotian grasped control of the Imperial Gardens Bureau, he naturally first appointed his own people. He assigned the maintenance of the imperial gardens to Xiao Dengzi, Xiao Zhuozi took charge of the medicine store, and Shi Xuedong was put in charge of the warehouse wine cellar.

Hu Xiaotian believes that Ji Feihua could find him so quickly also because there is likely one of his informants inside the Imperial Gardens Bureau. Using his authority, he carried out a large-scale reassignment of the eunuchs there, sending all suspicious persons to follow Xiao Dengzi in maintaining the gardens, while the eunuchs left on duty in the Bureau had their backgrounds thoroughly investigated; anyone who had previously been too close to Wang Desheng was transferred out of the core management. His experience as magistrate of Qingyun Xian gave Hu Xiaotian an initial understanding of officialdom's machinations; although nepotism is not ideal, under the circumstances it is the most feasible and practical approach.

Liu Yuzhang simply let Hu Xiaotian's actions be; old age is old age. Although Quan De'an's intervention allowed him to keep sitting in the position of Chief Eunuch of the Imperial Gardens Bureau, Liu Yuzhang's heart felt weary, and indeed it was time for him to enjoy his retirement. Henceforth the Imperial Gardens Bureau would be left to Hu Xiaotian and his young lot to mess around with, even though he still had a deputy junior eunuch under him. But they were all yes-men, none capable of making a decision at a critical moment. By contrast, Hu Xiaotian, though young, possesses a broad perspective, handles affairs decisively and swiftly, which puts Liu Yuzhang's mind at ease. After several incidents, this kid's ability has been proven time and again, and Liu Yuzhang's resolve to support Hu Xiaotian has only strengthened.

Shi Xuedong saw Hu Xiaotian wielding great power and felt proud as his sworn elder brother, yet what vexed him was that Hu Xiaotian had never once taken him out of the palace for purchasing; almost every time Hu Xiaotian left the palace, this guy had to beg and plead. This time Hu Xiaotian finally agreed to take him out, but on the condition that he not wander off on his own nor contact his parents. Shi Xuedong readily agreed, and to be cautious Hu Xiaotian still brought two additional young eunuchs to guard the route and prevent this fellow from causing any trouble midway.

After handing everything over to Cao Qianshan, Hu Xiaotian indeed saved himself a lot of trouble. Each time he went out of the palace to purchase, he merely needed to give the list to Cao Qianshan, who would see to it properly, leaving Hu Xiaotian with most of his time free to dispose of as he wished.

After handing everything over to Cao Qianshan, Hu Xiaotian indeed saved himself a lot of trouble. Each time he went out of the palace to purchase, he merely needed to give the list to Cao Qianshan, who would see to it properly, leaving Hu Xiaotian with most of his time free to dispose of as he wished.

After teaming up with Qiqi to kill Wei Huailing, Hu Xiaotian also became much more cautious in his actions. Over the past few days Qiqi might also have been worried about arousing suspicion, so she did not come to bother him further. Whenever Hu Xiaotian entered or left the palace, he remained vigilant, fearing someone might be tailing him.

Quan De'an probably also considered this and did not contact him again. Although Wei Huailing's disappearance stirred up some ripples, as time passed the matter was quickly forgotten by everyone, just as Hu Xiaotian had initially said: with tens of thousands of eunuchs in the palace, a few odd ones here and there never attract much attention.

Everything seemed to have returned to how it was at the start. For this out‑palace purchasing trip, Hu Xiaotian had Shi Xuedong and two other young eunuchs go together to the market to check prices and gauge the latest fluctuations. Actually this was unnecessary, because Cao Qianshan exercises strict control over the vegetables and their prices; supplying the imperial kitchen is like walking on a knife's edge, and a misstep could cost one's head, so Cao Qianshan does not dare be careless. Still, trust is trust, but formalities must be observed; moreover, if Hu Xiaotian wants more freedom he needs to send these attendants away, as he has plenty of matters to attend to alone.

Compared to this meeting with Murong Feiyan, after finishing his business at the Hall of Jade, Hu Xiaotian stepped outside, looked around, and saw a carriage slowly approaching him. He could clearly see that the driver was Gao Yuan; the boy, whom he hadn't seen in a while, seemed to have grown noticeably taller. He drove the carriage up to Hu Xiaotian, and before saying a word he broke into a grin, revealing two rows of neat, white teeth.

Hu Xiaotian deliberately smiled and said, "Little lad, where are you headed?"

Gao Yuan replied, "To Tuojie! The Sanxi Restaurant!"

Hu Xiaotian nodded, glanced warily around, confirmed no one was following, and then got into the carriage.

This was not Hu Xiaotian's first visit to Tuojie; the last time he came here with Murong Feiyan it was to investigate a case, and he had even encountered a dangerous situation there—if not for Murong Feiyan risking her life to protect him, he would hardly have escaped the assassin's clutches. The present Tuojie remains as chaotic and noisy as before, and yesterday's scenes seem vivid before his eyes. In a daze he felt as if he had never left the capital, yet he clearly realized that everything had undergone an earth‑shaking change: he is no longer the son of the former Minister of Revenue, the enviable young master everyone admired, but has become a low‑ranking eunuch within the palace.

Gao Yuan drove the carriage to the Sanxi Restaurant, first surveyed the surroundings, then lifted the carriage curtain and invited Hu Xiaotian to alight. Although young, the boy conducts himself with remarkable vigilance, possessing a maturity beyond his years.

Hu Xiaotian had thought he would accompany him upstairs, but Gao Yuan whispered, "Third floor, the Swift Horse Hall!" He intended to stay behind to keep watch, looking out for any suspicious persons passing through.

Hu Xiaotian stepped into the Sanxi Restaurant. In the capital, especially in a place like Tuojie, eunuchs are not uncommon; the court has the Imperial Stables, and its eunuchs are almost daily seen at the city's major horse markets. Although Tuojie is relatively chaotic, eunuchs from the Imperial Stables also often come here, because one can occasionally come across hidden talents. Last year, the Imperial Stables even selected a batch of thousand‑mile‑a‑day snow‑flake roans here.

Consequently, Hu Xiaotian's eunuch attire did not draw much notice; the diners mostly assumed he was a palace eunuch in charge of purchasing.

That is indeed the case, only Hu Xiaotian's purpose was not simply purchasing. He went straight to the second floor of the Sanxi Restaurant, found the Swift Horse Hall, the door was ajar, and he gently pushed it open a crack to see Murong Feiyan and Zhan Peng both seated inside. He gave a faint smile, then pushed the door fully open and entered.

Murong Feiyan and Zhan Peng had in fact already seen Hu Xiaotian arrive at the window; to avoid drawing attention, they did not come out to greet him until he entered the room, at which point Zhan Peng rose and said with a smile, "Brother Xiaotian, long time no see!"

Hu Xiaotian stepped forward and clasped hands with him, laughing, "Quite good, couldn't be better!" While speaking he glanced at Murong Feiyan; seeing this guy enter, her heart suddenly raced for no reason, and when she met his fiery gaze her cheeks flushed involuntarily. She hurriedly lowered her head, fearing Zhan Peng would notice something amiss. Fortunately, Zhan Peng's attention was wholly fixed on Hu Xiaotian and he did not perceive Murong Feiyan's embarrassment.

After Hu Xiaotian took his seat, Murong Feiyan rose voluntarily to pour the wine, saying softly, "I and Elder Brother Zhan have been waiting here for half an hour."

Hu Xiaotian said, "Recently some things have happened in the palace, so we must be cautious in everything."

Zhan Peng sighed and said, "Xiaotian, you've really been put through the wringer!" He felt deep sympathy for Hu Xiaotian, believing that as a eunuch he had suffered this great disgrace, yet he must endure it for the sake of his family.

Hu Xiaotian replied, "It's not exactly hardship; my situation has improved considerably, at least I can now step out occasionally for a breath of fresh air."

Zhan Peng said, "I recently went to visit Sir Hu."

Hu Xiaotian nodded when he heard him mention his family.

"Although the court has relieved him of his official post, for now they still let him assist in the Ministry of Revenue, and he and his wife are temporarily residing in Shui Jing Hutong. Sir Hu and his wife are in good health; they are merely concerned about your safety."

Hu Xiaotian thought of his parents, and a sour feeling welled up in him—going from a top official in the Ministry of Revenue to the lowest rung, the psychological gap is easy to imagine. His mother used to dress in gold and silver, dignified and splendid, with servants galore; now she must enter an ordinary household and do everything herself, and he wondered whether she could adapt to such a life. Hu Xiaotian asked, "Elder Brother Zhan, have you told them about my recent situation?"

Zhan Peng replied, "I did—I told them you're doing very well, that someone in the palace looks after you, and you lack nothing in food and clothing; it's just that you've only recently entered the palace and it's not convenient to go out yet, but in a few days I'll go visit them."

Hu Xiaotian nodded repeatedly.

Zhan Peng did not tell the whole truth, for when he went to visit Hu Buwei and his wife, Lady Xu Fengyi wept uncontrollably, and Hu Buwei, a man of such stature, was overcome with grief; Hu Xiaotian is their only son, and now that he has entered the palace as a eunuch, it is as if the incense of the old Hu line has been cut off, making their sorrow and despair easy to imagine. Although Hu Buwei is deep‑minded and does not readily show his feelings, Lady Xu has repeatedly said that if they could preserve their son's safety, they would bear ten thousand deaths without regret—such is the heart of parents everywhere. Recalling that scene, Zhan Peng himself felt a bitter ache, and of course he could not reveal all this to Hu Xiaotian, lest it greatly affect his mood.

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