Chapter 339

Hu Xiaotian's scalp tightened involuntarily; although deep down he wanted to keep his distance from the Empress, he dared not disobey her order. Ji Feihua used this matter of Wang Decai to give that old woman a harsh lesson; Empress Jian probably wouldn't bear a grudge against him for it, as the saying goes, 'one good turn deserves another.' If she bore him ill will and found any excuse to strike him down, wouldn't he be in trouble? Hu Xiaotian couldn't help feeling a bit uneasy.

Empress Jian said: 'Close the door.'

Hu Xiaotian answered, then closed the study's door from inside.

Empress Jian walked slowly to the front of the desk, sat down slowly, and gazed outside through the carved lattice window.

Hu Xiaotian stood respectfully before her and said: 'Your Majesty the Empress, what are your orders?'

Empress Jian said: 'Little whiskers, we both know exactly how Wang Decai died.'

Hu Xiaotian said: 'Your Majesty, I was not present when Wang Decai met with misfortune, so I don't know the details.' This matter is clearly not a good thing; Hu Xiaotian certainly wouldn't admit it honestly, and would deny it regardless of any connection.

Empress Jian smiled faintly: 'You are what sort of person? I also know a bit about you; you saved Qiqi, which counts as a favor to our imperial family.'

Hu Xiaotian said: 'That's all just what I ought to do.' He silently cursed, knowing that he had done a favor for the imperial family, yet they wanted to castrate him and make him a eunuch—repaying kindness with enmity, heartless and unjust, that's the imperial family's way.

Empress Jian said: 'I heard that Ji Feihua transferred you to Bright Moon Palace to take charge of managing this place.'

Hu Xiaotian said: 'If Your Majesty the Empress thinks I cannot handle this, please select someone more capable.' He really didn't want to take this post, but Ji Feihua forced it upon him, leaving him feeling helpless.

Empress Jian said: 'Actually, I originally planned to have Wang Decai come here to help for a few days, but I never expected him to be harmed by someone!' As she spoke, her voice suddenly turned stern; the resentment she had suppressed in her heart burst forth. After all, as the mother of a state, she still possessed considerable dignity. Hu Xiaotian lowered his head even further, thinking, 'You've got the guts to go settle scores with Ji Feihua—it's not like I killed him. Are you just afraid to provoke Ji Feihua and so looking to cause trouble for me, picking on the soft persimmon?'

Empress Jian's phoenix eyes glimmered with menace as she coldly fixed her gaze on Hu Xiaotian and said: 'Don't think that because someone is shielding you, I dare not act against you.'

Hu Xiaotian said: 'Your Majesty the Empress, my loyal heart can be vetted by heaven.'

'If I wanted to prove it, would I have to dig out your heart to see whether it's black or red?'

Hu Xiaotian said: 'Your Majesty, I am merely a eunuch of the Imperial Gardens Bureau; I harbor no intention whatsoever to harm the Emperor or Your Majesty. I only wish to fulfill my duties, be loyal to the Emperor, and serve You to the best of my ability—this lifetime I will be loyal to the sovereign and serve the nation, with no other thoughts.'

Empress Jian said: 'You are indeed eloquent, but I hope your mind is as clear as your tongue.' She slowly rose, walked toward Hu Xiaotian, biting her cherry lips, her phoenix eyes wide open.

Hu Xiaotian was about to bow his waist into a large shrimp, sighing inwardly, wondering how he could get through this ordeal; if this old woman was determined to make trouble for him, he feared the complications would be great.

Empress Jian said: 'A wise person must distinguish right from wrong, prioritize, see the big picture—what is master and what is servant; you don't need me to teach you that, do you?'

Hearing her say this, Hu Xiaotian actually relaxed. It seemed Empress Jian wasn't today intending to make things difficult for him. Ji Feihua's killing of Wang Decai was not only to threaten her, but also to use this affair to probe the Emperor's intentions: if the Emperor turned a deaf ear, it would prove that his standing in the Emperor's heart even surpassed that of Empress Jian; if the Emperor punished him for it, it would prove his weight in the Emperor's heart was still insufficient. In fact, the Emperor indeed did not blame a little eunuch's death, which for Empress Jian was a heavy blow; as the Empress and mother of the state of Dakang, her standing in the Emperor's heart was actually lower than that of a mere eunuch.

Hu Xiaotian respectfully said: 'I will keep the Empress's words in mind.'

Empress Jian said: 'Since I have appointed you to manage Bright Moon Palace, you must do your job well. Talented Person is the daughter of Grand Tutor Wen; I treat her as my own sister.'

Hu Xiaotian couldn't help but want to laugh at this; he didn't believe Empress Jian would be so magnanimous. The inner court's usual fare is intrigue and jealousy; by bringing Grand Tutor Wen's daughter into the palace, who knows if she isn't inviting a wolf into the house? However, judging from Empress Jian's current situation, her aim in doing this is twofold: first, she hopes to use Talented Person's beauty to win back the Emperor's affection; second, she hopes to exchange this concession for her own son, Long Ting Sheng, to be named crown prince.

Empress Jian said: 'As long as you properly look after Talented Person, I will certainly not treat you poorly in the future.'

Hu Xiaotian said: 'Rest assured, Your Majesty the Empress; I will devote myself wholeheartedly and strive to do everything to the utmost perfection.'

Empress Jian sighed softly: 'Little whiskers, I can see you are a shrewd child; you should be able to tell what is important from what is trivial.'

Hu Xiaotian sensed from Empress Jian's words that she was trying to win him over; he never expected to become the object of multiple parties' courting, at least for now he was a tasty morsel. According to what he understood, Ji Feihua was one faction, Empress Jian had also been a faction, and Quan De'an and Grand Tutor Wen together formed another. Originally Empress Jian and Grand Tutor Wen were incompatible, but Ji Feihua's momentum was so rapid that several people, to curb her, had to temporarily unite; Talented Person was the result of their compromise alliance. As for himself, Quan De'an had personally sent him into the palace, intending for him to feign closeness to Ji Feihua, while Ji Feihua saw through Quan De'an's plot and wanted to turn the tables with a counter-espionage scheme; this instead highlighted his own importance. Empress Jian likely did not know of his private dealings with Quan De'an; her purpose in saying this to him was nothing more than to win him over.

Hu Xiaotian was the type who wouldn't act unless he saw a tangible benefit; without concrete gain, he couldn't wholeheartedly work for others, so he gave only a verbal assent.

Empress Jian naturally wouldn't trust Hu Xiaotian just because of a few words; before leaving, she added another sentence: 'As long as you do your job well, I will personally speak favorably of the Hu family before the Emperor.' This statement carries two meanings: if you obey, I will speak well of you; if you disobey, I will speak ill of you—essentially, she was using Hu Xiaotian's family to threaten him.

Hu Xiaotian felt quite helpless about this; everyone saw his weakness and used his parents to threaten him, which had repeatedly worked. Consequently, deep down he harbored a strong urge to flee the imperial city with his parents as soon as possible. As the saying goes, 'a good bird chooses its tree'; facing multiple forces, he must seek out the strongest one, for only then could he protect himself and the Hu family.

When Hu Xiaotian went to Cangshuge, he brought back the borrowed 'Dakang General History' and also took along a jar of fine wine. If it weren't for the affair at Bright Moon Palace, his brief stint in the Imperial Gardens Bureau would have been carefree. As responsibility grew, so did pressure; with Hu Xiaotian's authority increasing, he truly came to understand the meaning of that saying.

Hu Xiaotian had thought Li Yuncong would summon his nephew Fan Zongxi, but upon arriving he discovered Li Yuncong had not called anyone else; it was just the two of them at night. Because of the overcast sky, darkness fell early, and the north wind howled outside. Li Yuncong's room already had a lit brazier, making it warm as spring.

A small table stood on the bed, with a brass hot pot on it; a pot of mutton bone broth had boiled to a milky white. Beside it lay the ingredients for hot pot. After Hu Xiaotian entered, the little eunuch lit the pot and then withdrew.

Li Yuncong sat cross-legged on the bed and said: 'Take off your boots and come up.'

Hu Xiaotian took off his boots, climbed onto the bed, and sat opposite Li Yuncong. Seeing the dazzling array of dishes on the small table, he couldn't help but say: 'Lord Li, you're being overly extravagant.'

Li Yuncong said: 'If this is the first time I'm treating you to a meal, how could I not be extravagant to show the sincerity of Zajia.'

Hu Xiaotian first set down the set of 'Dakang General History,' then placed the jar of wine he had brought on the small table.

Li Yuncong lifted the jar of wine, slapped open the mud seal, and after pulling out the wooden stopper, the room instantly filled with wine aroma. The senior eunuch drew a deep breath and said: 'Good wine—this is Sanhe Chun, aged at least twenty years.'

Hu Xiaotian said: 'I don't even know what kind of wine this is or how long it's been stored; I just grabbed a jar from the cellar on a whim. From now on, whenever Lord Li wants a drink, I'll take you to the cellar to pick one out.'

Li Yuncong beamed with a smile, proactively poured wine for Hu Xiaotian; Hu Xiaotian had wanted to do it himself, but the senior eunuch insisted on doing it.

The two ate hot pot while drinking wine; after two bowls of wine went down, they instantly felt hot and steaming, warm and cozy all over.

Li Yuncong seemed to speak casually: 'The matter of Wang Decai, the Empress has been reporting it to the Emperor all along.'

Hu Xiaotian hadn't expected him to bring this up voluntarily; he smiled and said, 'I'm not qualified to know these things, but after Li Gonggong left today, the Empress came to Bright Moon Palace—I had thought she would ask me something, yet the Empress didn't mention Wang Decai at all.' Hu Xiaotian naturally wouldn't spill everything Jian Huanghou had told him.

Li Yuncong let out an oh, slowly lowering the wine bowl in his hand: 'It seems the Empress doesn't intend to pursue this further; that would be best.'

Hu Xiaotian asked, 'Li Gonggong, are you afraid of trouble?'

Li Yuncong laughed, 'The Zajia have grown lazy; I usually just read a bit and drink here, and before I know it, most of my life has passed. Whatever happens inside and outside the palace, the Zajia never care.'

Hu Xiaotian asked, 'Li Gonggong, you've been in the Cangshuge for quite a while, haven't you?'

Li Yuncong's eyes showed a dazed look, as if he were lost in memories of the past, and he spoke softly: 'Thirty years, huh—before I knew it, the Zajia have grown old. The brothers who entered the palace together with the Zajia back then—some died, some perished—now I can't even find anyone to drink with.' (To be continued~^~)