Chapter 318: Brothers Meet (Part 1)

Hu Xiaotian's cultivation of internal arts isn't exactly urgent, after all Quan De'an transmitted ten years of inner strength to him; that alone is enough for him to sweep ordinary masters. However, according to the Senior Eunuch, these foreign internal forces will provoke a rejection reaction in his body, sooner or later harming him and possibly causing deviation. But who knows what the future holds? Given his current situation, the most realistic approach is to take things one step at a time—living well in the present is the foundation.

If it weren't for Qiqi and the others exposing his identity, Hu Xiaotian's situation in the palace would actually be not bad. The two sworn brothers traveled thousands of miles from Qingyun to the capital to look for him, which made Hu Xiaotian feel delighted. Having the help of experts like Zhou Mo, Xiao Tianmu, Murong Feiyan, and Zhan Peng, he could bring his parents and flee Kangdu, greatly increasing the chance of regaining freedom. Hu Xiaotian began plotting to leave the imperial city. In fact, he had never given up the idea of leaving; now, with Ji Feihua's appearance, it has become especially urgent. He does not want to become a pawn in the power struggle between Ji Feihua and Quan De'an.

Hu Xiaotian kept his promise and arrived on time at Jinghong Inn. In fact, after learning that Xiao Tianmu had also come to the capital, he wished he could have gone to see him right away, but Hu Xiaotian knew his situation was precarious; he could not let emotions dictate his actions unless he had full confidence, before deciding each step.

When he arrived at Jinghong Inn, he saw Zhou Mo already waiting outside, with a carriage beside him.

Hu Xiaotian walked over; Zhou Mo smiled, nodded slightly, and said in a low voice, 'Get on!'

Hu Xiaotian cautiously looked behind him. Zhou Mo said, 'Don't worry. I've arranged for the brothers to keep watch around.'

Only then did Hu Xiaotian board the carriage; Xiao Tianmu was inside, as calm and unremarkable as ever, his whole person as still as an ancient well, never startled by turmoil. Even sensing the arrival of his sworn brothers, he smiled and said, 'Third brother, you've come!'

Hu Xiaotian nodded: 'I'm here.' He reached out and grasped Xiao Tianmu's long, slender hand, squeezing it firmly; his inner excitement showed plainly.

The carriage moved slowly. In Hu Xiaotian's memory, this wasn't the first time he and Xiao Tianmu shared a carriage; the first time was in Qingyun, when they formed an alliance in the carriage to deal with Qingyun's officials. Now they were together again, but this time in the capital, with Xiao Tianmu having left his hometown, while Hu Xiaotian had become a low-ranking eunuch in the Directorate of Imperial Gardens of the Dakang palace.

Xiao Tianmu gently shook Hu Xiaotian's hand, then patted the back of it and said, 'These days, you must have endured much hardship.'

Hu Xiaotian smiled: 'It's not really hardship; I just regard it as a form of training.'

Xiao Tianmu said: 'Big Brother bought a residence in Mingfang Lane; it's already been fixed up. Let's go take a look.'

Hu Xiaotian looked at Xiao Tianmu with some surprise; when he had seen Zhou Mo the day before, Zhou Mo hadn't mentioned it, yet he hadn't expected the residence to be purchased so quickly—this meant they intended to stay long-term in the capital.

Xiao Tianmu said: 'Big Brother and I have agreed that if one day we leave, we brothers will leave together.' Though the words were plain, they contained the deep brotherly bond of blood being thicker than water.

Hearing this, Hu Xiaotian's heart suddenly tightened, his nose soured, and tears nearly welled up. The sworn brotherhood back then was not purely simple; both Xiao Tianmu and he harbored different motives. They had sworn brotherhood merely to cooperate in an alliance, but after the tides changed, everyone's circumstances diverged greatly. The Hu family suffered misfortune, fell into decline, and he was no longer the once-prosperous magistrate of Qingyun County. During this time he had become accustomed to the warmth and coldness of human relations, the fickleness of the world. Precisely because of this, he felt this brotherhood forged in shared hardship was all the more precious.

Zhou Mo had bought an ordinary courtyard house in Mingfang Lane; the rooms hadn't yet been repaired, and the courtyard was overgrown with weeds. The three brothers entered the courtyard, and Zhou Mo smiled: 'The owner of this residence went to Da Yong for business, so he was eager to sell, letting me snag a bargain.'

Hu Xiaotian said: 'It looks like no one has lived here for a while.'

Zhou Mo said: 'There's plenty of furniture and furnishings; it's just been neglected for so long that it's become overgrown. Tomorrow I've arranged for people to come over and fix it up inside and out—next time you come, you'll definitely be impressed.'

Hu Xiaotian smiled: 'How much did it cost?'

Zhou Mo spread his hand and said: 'Five hundred taels of silver. In the capital, at this location that's already cheap; back then, you wouldn't even consider it unless it was over a thousand taels.'

Hu Xiaotian nodded, then led Xiao Tianmu to sit down in the bamboo pavilion within the courtyard.

Zhou Mo said: 'You two brothers chat first; I'll go to the street to buy some cooked dishes and fetch some good wine. We'll have a drink in the grass pavilion—though it can't compare to a full-service restaurant, the advantage is the quiet solitude where we brothers can talk without interruption.'

Hu Xiaotian smiled: 'Big Brother, go quickly and return quickly.'

After Zhou Mo left, Hu Xiaotian also sat down in the pavilion, looking around; this residence naturally could not compare to the former Secretary's mansion. Recalling the past, a sense of loss naturally welled up in his heart.

Xiao Tianmu whispered: 'Are you still used to life in the palace?'

Hu Xiaotian said: 'It's all right. I'm currently working in the Directorate of Imperial Gardens; the steward eunuch Liu Gonggong treats me very well and even gave me a lucrative post as a purchasing eunuch; otherwise I wouldn't have the chance to freely enter and leave the palace.'

Xiao Tianmu said: 'A lifetime never goes completely smoothly; everyone has some regrets. If I could be given a pair of eyes to see this world clearly, I would gladly accompany you into the palace to become a eunuch.' He said this with an obvious deeper meaning; his true intention was to console Hu Xiaotian, tactfully telling him that many are worse off than him—for example, himself.

Hu Xiaotian felt somewhat moved, yet also a bit amused; everyone has something they cherish. To Xiao Tianmu, perhaps eyes are more important, but to him, his life essence is far more important than eyes—of course he didn't tell Xiao Tianmu the truth. Hu Xiaotian said: 'Second Brother, rest assured, I've grown accustomed to it, and I've also discovered that being a eunuch has its own advantages.'

Xiao Tianmu said: 'Ever since Big Brother met you at Miss Murong's place, he's been worried about your affairs, knitting his brows. Speaking of it, we two brothers really feel ashamed—we couldn't lend a hand when Third Brother was in trouble, and only today have we finally reached your side.'

Hu Xiaotian said: 'You two brothers mustn't think that way. Since I left Qingyun, everything that's happened has been too sudden, leaving no time to respond or adapt.'

Xiao Tianmu nodded.

Hu Xiaotian rose and took two steps, gazing at the overgrown garden and said softly: 'In Xiezhou City I suddenly encountered turmoil; at that moment I felt like a drifting leaf, completely unable to control my fate.'

At that moment Zhou Mo returned carrying the food and wine he'd bought; Hu Xiaotian hurriedly stopped talking and went to help. The roast chicken and beef were steaming hot, plus peanuts and lotus slices. All bowls, chopsticks, cups, and plates in the kitchen were ready; Hu Xiaotian washed them, brought them out, plated the four dishes, then Zhou Mo lifted a wine jar weighing over ten catties, slapped open the mud seal, pulled the wooden stopper, and immediately the wine's aroma wafted out.

Zhou Mo laughed heartily: 'Who would've thought we could find a bottle of Xichuan-produced Yijiang Hong here!' He filled the three small black bowls with wine.

The three brothers raised their wine bowls and all stood up. Zhou Mo said: 'Let's drink this cup to our long-awaited reunion!' They tipped their heads back and drained the bowl in one gulp.

After sitting down again, Hu Xiaotian continued with his unfinished story, recounting his experiences in Xiezhou from beginning to end.

Zhou Mo sighed: 'Third brother, why didn't you return to Qingyun back then? If we three brothers had stayed together, united in purpose, we could at least have found a mountain near Qingyun to claim as our own and lived carefree.'

Hu Xiaotian said: 'Back then I held the Hu family's Vermilion Scripture Iron Token; such an item was granted to our Hu family by the former emperor, with the promise that if the Hu family ever faced disaster, the token could spare the lives of our entire clan. The Li clan of Xichuan raised troops and declared independence; Li Tianheng rebelled against Dakang, and I had become engaged to his daughter Li Wuyou. If I had stayed in Xichuan, the Hu family would have been framed for colluding with the Li rebels in treason. I could not be so selfish as to save my own life while ignoring my parents' fate.'

Zhou Mo and Xiao Tianmu nodded in unison; if Hu Xiaotian were someone who cared only for himself and disregarded his parents, they would surely have despised him for that.

Hu Xiaotian said: 'There's something I've never told you two brothers: on my way to take up office in Qingyun, I once rescued an old man and a little girl. At the time I didn't know their true identities, but later I learned that the old man was the current Supervisor of the Directorate of Rites, Quan De'an, and the little girl is the present little princess of Dakang, the emperor's cherished pearl, Qiqi.'

Zhou Mo and Xiao Tianmu were obviously startled; now they understood why Hu Xiaotian had risked coming to the capital.

Xiao Tianmu said: 'So you came to the capital to seek their help?'

Hu Xiaotian nodded: 'I originally thought this Vermilion Scripture Iron Token might still be useful, but only after arriving in the capital did I realize that if the emperor truly wanted to kill you, nothing—no object, no person—could stop him.'

Xiao Tianmu sighed deeply: 'What you say is absolutely right. Things like the Vermilion Scripture Iron Token or death‑exempt gold medals are merely tricks emperors use to deceive their subjects. Sometimes possessing them adds only a worry; you must treat them as priceless treasures, exhausting every means to collect and protect them, for losing them would be a capital offense.'

Zhou Mo slammed his wine bowl down and said: 'Exactly, the emperor's machinations are truly sly and shameless!'

Hu Xiaotian said: 'My father may have had some friends in the past, but under these circumstances, who would step forward for him? Seeing our Hu family in trouble, everyone avoids us like the plague. After thinking it over, I could only go to Quan De'an. When I saw him, he did agree to help me, but he also put forward a condition.' (To be continued~^~)