Chapter 292

Baobao said: "The Emperor outwardly shows increasing favor toward him, but in reality he is indulging in male lust; at the very beginning of his reign he still tried to conceal it, but now he pays no heed whatsoever, almost every day he stays together with Ji Feihua, favoring and trusting Ji Feihua excessively. Ji Feihua, relying on the Emperor's favor, has rapidly increased his power, and now he has become the most powerful figure in the imperial palace."

Hu Xiaotian firmly believed Baobao's words; not long ago he personally witnessed Ji Feihua's arrogance and domineering behavior, to the extent that even Liu Yuzhang, an old servant who had once attended the Emperor, was not taken seriously by him; that day in the wine cellar Ji Feihua openly confronted Quan De'an. He then realized the main purpose behind Quan De'an arranging his entry into the palace: judging from the current situation, it is almost certain to deal with Ji Feihua. If that is indeed the case, the task is truly extremely arduous.

Hu Xiaotian said: "Isn't it said that Eunuch Quan is the one with the greatest power among eunuchs?"

Baobao said: "Although Eunuch Quan made meritorious contributions to the Emperor's ascension, he is after all old, and after the Emperor took the throne he has grown distant from him." She took another step toward Hu Xiaotian and said: "Recently, there have been rumors in the palace that Wei Huailing, a junior supervisor of the Directorate of Palace Attendants, was going to come to the Bureau of Imperial Gardens to replace Eunuch Liu Yuzhang; if Wei Huailing had not suddenly disappeared, the Bureau of Imperial Gardens would now be his domain."

Hu Xiaotian said: "Strange, how did Wei Huailing suddenly disappear?"

Baobao gazed at him with her beautiful eyes, full of deep meaning, but in her heart she suspected that Hu Xiaotian's involvement was related to Wei Huailing's disappearance, after all she had personally witnessed Hu Xiaotian eliminating Wang Desheng; with such a precedent, it would be possible for him to kill another Wei Huailing. However, Baobao also knew that Wei Huailing was one of Ji Feihua's left and right arms; this person's martial arts were far from ordinary, and for Hu Xiaotian, with his martial arts, to eradicate him would not be that easy. She whispered: "I have heard rumors that Wei Huailing's disappearance is related to Eunuch Quan. Since the Emperor favored Ji Feihua, the conflict between the new and old forces in the palace has intensified, and the representatives of this are Ji Feihua and Quan De'an."

Hu Xiaotian had actually sensed this in his heart; upon hearing Baobao lay out everything, he suddenly understood completely. He said in a low voice: "Quan De'an heads the Directorate of Rituals; nowadays he seems unwilling to contend for power, having already withdrawn from the palace, and usually works from the Cheng'en Residence."

Baobao said: "How could the thoughts of these people be easily fathomed? Although Eunuch Quan outwardly withdrew from the palace, he is absolutely unwilling to accept defeat in this way; instead, he is secretly plotting to expand his sphere of influence in the capital. Have you heard about the recent establishment of the Divine Strategy Manor?"

Hu Xiaotian nodded; of course he had heard about it, when the Divine Strategy Manor was first being set up, Quan De'an had him persuade Murong Feiyan and Zhan Peng to join it.

Baobao said: "On the surface, the Divine Strategy Manor was proposed by the Grand Tutor Wen Chenghuan, but behind the scenes it was jointly planned by Wen Chenghuan and Quan De'an; the purpose of establishing the Divine Strategy Manor was to oppose the Bureau of Heavenly Secrets."

Hu Xiaotian really did not know that there was so much behind this. Since Quan De'an is one of the founders of the Divine Strategy Manor, why then did he let Zhan Peng and Murong Feiyan join? Could it be that he also distrusts Wen Chenghuan? This old fellow is really suspicious. Hu Xiaotian said: "In that case, the Bureau of Heavenly Secrets must be related to Ji Feihua."

Baobao furrowed her brows slightly and said: "I don't know. Although I belong to the Bureau of Heavenly Secrets, I only have contact with my adoptive father; I know nothing about anything else."

"Who is your adoptive father?" Hu Xiaotian's question undoubtedly hit the nail on the head; whether Baobao can answer this question truthfully is the key to determining whether they can cooperate.

Baobao bit her cherry lips and said: "Master Hong!"

Hu Xiaotian said: "Master Hong? Isn't the Bureau of Heavenly Secrets under the Censorate? Who is Master Hong?"

Baobao said: "I only know him as Master Hong; I have never even seen his true face."

Hu Xiaotian saw that Baobao's expression did not look feigned, and he slowly nodded.

Baobao said: "I have told you everything I know; now you should believe my sincerity."

Hu Xiaotian said: "Good. I will spare you for now."

Baobao said: "You give me peaches, I repay you with plums; aren't you going to tell me something?"

Hu Xiaotian smiled and said: "You really are pushing your luck."

Baobao said: "You don't need to hide it from me. Is there a secret passage beneath this wine cellar? The last time, the eunuch surnamed Wang entered here through the secret passage."

Hu Xiaotian also did not hide it from her, he nodded and said: "It's getting late today; when you come next time, I will take you to explore the secret passage."

Baobao also realized that the time wasted today was indeed too long; if they continued to stay here, others would surely become suspicious, so she nodded and said: "It's agreed." Noticing Hu Xiaotian's gaze again resting on her calf exposed outside her cloak, her pretty face involuntarily flushed, and she said petulantly: "Don't you have any clothes? I can't go out like this."

When Baobao left the wine cellar, she changed into a eunuch's attire again; Shi Xuedong looked bewildered, wondering why this palace maiden came in a long skirt but left wearing eunuch's clothes—what did she and Hu Xiaotian do in the wine cellar? Every time she comes, she has to change into a different outfit before leaving.

After Baobao left, Shi Xuedong could not help but grab Hu Xiaotian's arm, full of curiosity, and said: "Brother, what good deeds did you two do down there?"

Hu Xiaotian gave him a mysterious smile and said: "Nothing much, just drank alcohol and got my clothes wet."

Shi Xuedong wouldn't believe it, sighed and said: "Still, brother, you're impressive—after being castrated, you can still bewitch this little maiden to the point of losing her mind."

Hu Xiaotian said solemnly: "Elder brother Dong, this matter must be known only to you and me; under no circumstances should you tell a third person."

Shi Xuedong nodded repeatedly and said: "Brother, rest assured, we are sworn brothers who share life and death; I will never betray you at any time." After saying that, he sighed again and said: "That Baobao is really a stunning beauty."

Hu Xiaotian, seeing his lascivious look, couldn't help but feel a bit strange: "Have you actually been castrated or not? How can you still have such a strong interest in women?"

Shi Xuedong looked around, then spoke mysteriously: "Let me tell you a secret: I was born with only one testicle; I once saw a doctor who said I actually have two, but one is undescended in my abdomen, so the castration spared me."

Hu Xiaotian couldn't help laughing when he heard that; after all this fuss, this guy is actually suffering from cryptorchidism.

Shi Xuedong gave a wry smile and said: "Don't laugh at me; I thought I was lucky to have retained a testicle, but now I realize it's not a good thing—my mind is constantly occupied with women, yet my equipment has been completely removed; if this continues, I'll soon be driven to fury."

Hu Xiaotian patted his shoulder and said: "Elder brother Dong, another day I'll find you two Buddhist scriptures to read; perhaps they can help you cultivate your mind and nature."

Shi Xuedong said: "I'd rather just take a cold shower to feel refreshed."

No matter where one wants to establish a foothold, one must handle all kinds of relationships. Hu Xiaotian is a person who repays kindness; he has not forgotten how Fan Zongxi helped him out of a predicament, so he specially prepared two jars of fine wine, selected some seasonal fresh fruits, summoned two young eunuchs, and accompanied them to deliver them to the Imperial Horse Supervisor.

When Hu Xiaotian arrived at the Imperial Horse Supervisor, Fan Zongxi was just preparing to leave the palace for the imperial horse farm; seeing Hu Xiaotian so courteous, Fan Zongxi also beamed with delight. He laughed: "Lord Hu, you are being too courteous; this is your first visit, as Zajia I ought to have fulfilled the host's courtesy, but I still have duties to attend to and must go to the Red Mountain Horse Farm."

Hu Xiaotian laughed: "Since Lord Fan has official duties, I won't disturb you; I came this time simply to bring some self-brewed fruit wine from the Bureau of Imperial Gardens for you to taste; if you find it good, feel free to send someone to the Bureau of Imperial Gardens to find me."

Fan Zongxi said: "Lord Hu, if you have no pressing business, why not come with me to the Red Mountain Horse Farm to have a look?"

Hu Xiaotian originally intended to cultivate a relationship with Fan Zongxi; since the other party took the initiative, he certainly would not miss this opportunity, he smiled and nodded: "Good!" He instructed the young eunuchs who had followed him to return and inform Liu Yuzhang of his whereabouts. Since assuming the position of purchasing eunuch in the Bureau of Imperial Gardens, Hu Xiaotian has had the freedom to enter and leave the palace.

Arriving at the palace stables, Fan Zongxi had someone prepare a black mount for Hu Xiaotian; a party of six left the palace and headed toward the Red Mountain Horse Farm located northwest of Huangcheng.

Today Fan Zongxi set out without bringing the little eunuch Fugui along; Hu Xiaotian's horsemanship is now passable—although he cannot perform any high-difficulty maneuvers on horseback, riding freely and galloping poses no problem.

Fan Zongxi and Hu Xiaotian rode side by side at the front of the procession; he said in a low voice: "Lord Liu has already had someone pass along a message; I have greeted the Tang family on your behalf, so from now on their several brothers will no longer cause you trouble."

Because of Lord Liu's care for him, Hu Xiaotian felt a warm surge in his heart; he smiled and said: "Thank you, Lord Fan, for your trouble."

Fan Zongxi said: "The Tang family's several children are truly excessive; in other words, it is because your Hu family is currently suffering misfortune—if it were the past, they probably wouldn't even dare to give you a proper look."

Hu Xiaotian smiled faintly; "a fallen tiger bullied by dogs"—the present situation exactly illustrates this point. The recent series of events has made him truly realize the importance of martial strength. In the past, he was the young master of a minister's mansion, going out with pomp and ceremony, constantly accompanied by bodyguards; when he went to serve in the Qingyun bureaucracy, he even had Murong Feiyan protecting him. Now, however, everything must rely on himself; lacking sufficient strength, he cannot even guarantee his own safety—just as few Grand Marshals go charging into battle, but once a Grand Marshal falls from his rank to become a foot soldier, he must lead the charge, acting personally. If it were not for Quan De'an transmitting ten years of internal energy to him, his martial prowess would not have improved so quickly.

Moreover, this method of transmitting energy likely harbors hidden dangers; Quan De'an has hinted before that if one were to break free from his control, one might possibly suffer deviation into madness; people who lack foresight must have immediate worries, but so far he has shown no abnormal condition, and Quan De'an will not teach him a complete solution before using him to achieve his goals; perhaps one can only take things step by step. (To be continued. If you like this work, please vote for recommendation tickets and monthly tickets; your support is my greatest motivation.)