Chapter 321

Hu Xiaotian silently cursed, I haven't even escaped yet, you've already decided my crime; in fact, after Zhou Mo and Xiao Tianmu arrived, he indeed had the thought of fleeing Kangdu, of course not alone but with his parents. Since Quan De'an said that, it shows he has already become wary of me; this person is old and scheming, my escape must not be rushed, lest he notice and cause trouble. Hu Xiaotian put on an appearance of listening to instruction and respectfully said, "Xiaotian understood."

"Understood is fine; nothing should be rushed, rest assured—the Zajia will keep this in mind, and as long as the timing permits, we will certainly arrange for you and your father to meet."

"Quan De'an's promise, just hear it out—Hu Xiaotian wouldn't take it to heart; he sighed and said, 'Eunuch Quan, do you think telling Ji Feihua about the secret passage will gain his trust?'"

Quan De'an's deep eyes stared at him quietly, sensing in his heart that this brat was going to bargain with him again.

Hu Xiaotian said, "Ji Feihua is no ordinary person; his influence in the palace is second only to yours, to say his spies spread throughout the palace is not an exaggeration, is it?"

Quan De'an nodded; Hu Xiaotian had not exaggerated Ji Feihua's ability.

"Although I'm using the pretext of atoning for my father, the reason I could enter the palace is not because of you, old man."

Quan De'an narrowed his eyes, coldly gazing at this fellow and said, "From what you're saying, it sounds like you're blaming the Zajia?"

"I don't even have time to feel grateful, how dare I speak recklessly of blame? Xiaotian means: although we've been careful, hiding from many eyes and ears, it's hard to hide from Ji Feihua. Otherwise, Wei Hualin wouldn't have had murderous intent toward me upon our first meeting. Now you want me to feign defection to Ji Feihua; given his wisdom, I'd find it hard to deceive him—a mere wine cellar secret passage would hardly win his trust."

Quan De'an smiled and said, "Who says he must believe you? Even if he sees through that you're my person, it's no big hindrance. Ji Feihua always thinks highly of himself; even if he guesses you're a pawn I sent to stay by his side, he won't simply eliminate you but will use you as a pawn to turn against me, giving you a chance to approach him."

Hu Xiaotian silently cursed: "Your grandmother's pawn? Both sides treat me as a tool to be used, thinking I'm easy to bully? Piss me off and I'll kill both of you eunuchs. Even if I hate you to the core, I'll still show utmost respect on the surface." He cautiously said, "Eunuch Quan, what is your ultimate purpose in having me approach Ji Feihua?"

A flicker of icy killing intent flashed in Quan De'an's eyes; being beside him, Hu Xiaotian involuntarily felt a chill rise from his heart. Quan De'an must hate Ji Feihua to the extreme, gritting his teeth he said, "This man harbors wolfish ambitions; he will never be satisfied with the emperor's favor. I dare assert he will surely rebel someday. Your task in approaching him is to gather evidence of his conspiracy; once proof is found, the Zajia must report to the emperor and eliminate this villain."

Seeing Quan De'an grit his teeth, Hu Xiaotian couldn't help but secretly laugh; this old eunuch is clearly jealous—the emperor loves the new and discards the old, having the bewitching and charming Ji Feihua has distanced him from the wrinkled, old-faced Quan De'an, which is why he just wanted to kill and then quickly... the psychology of these eunuchs is truly perverse.

Quan De'an patted his shoulder and said, "Xiaotian, the Zajia knew from the first sight that you are no ordinary pond creature. Rest assured, as long as you wholeheartedly serve the Zajia, they will never treat you poorly." He paused, then added, "And your family and friends as well."

Hu Xiaotian cursed the old eunuch ten million times in his heart—threatening, it's nothing but a threat.

Hu Xiaotian was clear-sighted; although his life was temporarily safe, hidden dangers always remained. Loyalty to Quan De'an or defection to Ji Feihua were neither the best choice—once he lost his usefulness, neither would hesitate to kill him; in their eyes he was hardly more than an ant to be stepped on. Hu Xiaotian also wanted to seize the initiative, to have them under his feet, but the reality was that his strength paled compared to theirs. He could only survive in the cracks. Quan De'an's scheme to have him feign defection to Ji Feihua, though a poisonous plot by the old eunuch, was for Hu Xiaotian an excellent opportunity. Since both sides wanted to use him, looking from another angle, he could easily play both sides.

Offering the map of the secret passage as a credential to Ji Feihua? Hu Xiaotian didn't think that was any brilliant idea; if such a trick could fool Ji Feihua, he wouldn't have risen so quickly to a position where he could stand equal to Quan De'an.

On major matters Hu Xiaotian could still make up his mind; the things he decided to do were rarely changed by others—for instance, he had said he would secretly inspect Zilan Palace tonight. Having said that, Hu Xiaotian would go, although his head had been cut open by Long Xi Yue and his back stabbed viciously by Qiqi, fortunately Baobao's Golden Trauma Medicine and Mo Jade Regenerating Ointment worked wonders. The scars remained, but they posed no hindrance to his actions.

These days Hu Xiaotian was already familiar with the secret passage; when he reached the ancient well of Zilan Palace, he employed the Golden Spider Eight Steps taught by Quan De'an, his ten fingers like hooks, he clung to the well wall and climbed up slowly. It can be said that today Hu Xiaotian finally put the Golden Spider Eight Steps to proper use; at first he lacked confidence, but as he climbed the wet well wall, his confidence grew with each ascent, his movements became more practiced, and by the top he felt as if a spider had possessed him, using hands and feet together, scraping, scraping, scraping, scraping—like a gecko walking on a wall, climbing up and down as if on level ground.

As the well mouth drew nearer, Hu Xiaotian only then noticed a layer of silk netting covering it; earlier, because of the distance, he hadn't been able to see it clearly. Hu Xiaotian secretly laughed, thinking Princess Anping believed this thin layer of silk netting could stop him? That's overly childish. He reached out and gave the netting a light tug—only then did he realize the other end was tied to a palace bell; his pull made the bell chime loudly. Though the sound wasn't loud, in the quiet night it was unusually clear, and to Hu Xiaotian it was heart-pounding. Could Long Xi Yue have sold him out? Setting an ambush here to catch him in a jar? If so, his tumble would be a total disaster. Long Xi Yue, Long Xi Yue, after all my deep affection and righteousness toward you, for all I've done for you, hasn't it moved your heart at all?

Just as Hu Xiaotian was silently cursing his fate, he suddenly heard a faint sigh from the well mouth: "You reckless daredevil, how dare you actually come here? Aren't you afraid of being discovered and cut to pieces?" That voice was none other than Long Xi Yue's.

Hearing Long Xi Yue's voice, Hu Xiaotian's heart instantly eased; if she truly intended to set an ambush to capture him, she wouldn't speak like that. Moreover, he still vividly recalled everything that happened in the wine cellar that day—Long Xi Yue even went so far as to turn against Qiqi to save him, which, given her gentle nature, was already out of character. By setting aside her noble princess demeanor and daring to disregard a maiden's reserve to rescue him, it was certainly not merely because he had once saved her life; Hu Xiaotian wasn't being sentimental—this fellow thought Long Xi Yue must harbor at least some vague fondness for him, perhaps merely gratitude before, but now that she knows he is a false eunuch, a real man, how could she possibly have no feeling for him at all?

After a period of inferiority upon first entering the palace, this fellow's self-esteem began to improve again—like gold that shines wherever it goes; even if I've become a eunuch, I'm still outstanding among eunuchs. The net above certainly couldn't trap Hu Xiaotian; he lowered his voice and said, "Princess, open a gap in the net—I have something I want to say to you."

In the vast courtyard, only Long Xi Yue was present; in fact, since returning from the wine cellar of the Bureau of Royal Gardens, she had been uneasy because of Hu Xiaotian's remark, her heart both fearful and expectant. Although Long Xi Yue held the noble title of Princess, surrounded by stars, living deep in the palace she had no one she could truly confide in; her father, when in power, stood high above and rarely paid attention to this daughter, perhaps he didn't even remember her name; as for her mother, once favored, she later fell into neglect as her beauty faded and her father grew cold toward her, spending her days in gloomy melancholy until she died of depression. Deep down, Long Xi Yue did not consider being born into the imperial family a blessing. If she could choose, she would rather belong to an ordinary household, be a common woman, marry, raise children, and enjoy domestic bliss. Yet her reason told her that her fate was already sealed, everything must follow the family's arrangements—formerly her father, now her elder brother.

Whether marrying far away to Shajia or into Yongdu, neither was her heart's desire; she longed for freedom but didn't know how to attain it, and even before meeting Hu Xiaotian she didn't know what freedom was. Now everything seems to have changed; whenever she thinks of freedom, her mind fills with the sight of fireflies dancing across the sky, that flawless full moon, the moonlit river shimmering with ripples, and a warm smiling face—and that face is right beside her.

Within arm's reach, Hu Xiaotian lifted his face, his neck already somewhat sore; through the silk netting he could already see Long Xi Yue's exquisite beauty. Though only a sheet of netting separated them, Hu Xiaotian dared not break through lightly.

Long Xi Yue paced beside the well, seemingly still hesitating; finally she stopped, lowered her voice and said, "You'd better go back." After saying that, a long time passed without hearing Hu Xiaotian's response. Long Xi Yue's heart grew curious; she even thought Hu Xiaotian, impatient from waiting, had already left first, so she returned to the well mouth and peered down. (To be continued~^~)