Chapter 349

Hu Xiaotian repeatedly thanked, put away the jade bottle; it seems Quan De'an also doesn't want me to die too early, after all I'm still useful to him. The sugar-coated cannonball comes again — this old man doesn't turn away anyone who comes; as long as you dare to send, I dare to accept.

"Ji Feihua has you managing things here — have you discovered something?" Quan De'an's remark carries a double meaning; he is asking Hu Xiaotian whether the matter of his not being castrated has been discovered by Ji Feihua.

Hu Xiaotian shook his head; actually someone has discovered his secret, but that person is not Ji Feihua — Li Yuncong hides it deep, perhaps Quan De'an hasn't noticed this potential rival. The mantis stalks the cicada, unaware of the oriole behind; while Quan De'an and Ji Feihua fight to the death, neither realizes there is still a hidden force in this palace. Hu Xiaotian whispered: 'Eunuch Quan taught me the raise Yin and contract Yang technique, but I still haven't mastered it.'

Quan De'an smiled calmly: 'No rush, you'll be fine just the same; the Zajia guarantees you won't come to harm.' His gaze swept over the garden: 'These four palace maids and eunuchs must have some background; you must keep a close watch on them, and absolutely must not let Wen Ya suffer any mishap.'

Hu Xiaotian's scalp went numb: 'Sounds like a thankless task.'

Quan De'an said: 'In the palace you must learn to find pleasure in hardship.' He didn't linger long; after seeing to it that all the dowry gifts were properly placed, he led his retinue of eunuchs away.

After Quan De'an left, Hu Xiaotian with a group of palace maids and eunuchs waited anxiously until noon; the Talented Person still hadn't arrived. Hu Xiaotian sent Wang Ren to inquire, only then learning that after entering the palace the Talented Person had gone straight to the Xin Ning Palace to pay respects to the Empress; it seemed she wouldn't come at noon. The snow from last night hadn't let up. It was freezing cold. Hu Xiaotian's party had been standing in the bitter wind for a whole morning, each suffering greatly; they couldn't help but sigh inwardly that this newly arrived Talented Person would probably be hard to serve.

What Hu Xiaotian saw, however, was another side: this Wen Ya knew how to climb the upper‑class ladder; among the imperial consorts, to get ahead she first needed to get on good terms with Empress Jian. Moreover, it couldn't be ruled out that Empress Jian might seek her out herself. After all, Empress Jian and Minister Wen had reached a tacit understanding; she was the main force behind Wen Ya's entry into the palace.

Ma Liangpeng came up to Hu Xiaotian with a bitter face: 'Hu Eunuch, do we still have to stand here?'

Hu Xiaotian glared at him and snapped: 'Nonsense, of course we have to wait — when the Talented Person arrives, then we can rest.' Saying 'rest' was out of the question. Hu Xiaotian sent Baobao to get some food, and the few of them barely managed a meal.

Besides the attendants from the Directorate of Rites, with no one else coming, they waited from daybreak to sunrise, from sunrise to noon, and then from noon until the sun slanted westward — still no sign of the Talented Person. Having learned of her whereabouts, Hu Xiaotian sent Qiu Yan to the Xin Ning Palace to inquire again.

At nightfall, the Talented Person finally arrived, slow and graceful. It was Empress Jian herself who accompanied her, showing how highly Empress Jian regarded her; at the same time it indicated that the Emperor would probably not come to the Ming Yue Palace tonight.

Hu Xiaotian spent most of the time staying warm in his room, only making the four palace maids and eunuchs suffer. Upon receiving the definite news that Empress Jian and the Talented Person were coming, Hu Xiaotian lazily emerged from the Ming Yue Palace, walked to the gate, and saw a procession approaching in the distance, more than twenty zhang away. Because night had fallen, he couldn't make out who was in the retinue, but from the display he could tell that, aside from Empress Jian, no one else was present in the inner palace.

When the group drew near, Hu Xiaotian led the four palace maids and eunuchs in kneeling and called out loudly: 'Greetings, Empress, may you live ten thousand years; greetings, Talented Person!'

Empress Jian and the Talented Person, surrounded by a retinue of eunuchs and palace maids, came before Hu Xiaotian. Seeing him kneel, Empress Jian curled her lip in a cold smile, then turned to the Talented Person and said: 'Little sister, I've brought you here today; if you have anything to say, just tell me.'

The Talented Person spoke softly: 'Empress, thank you for your trouble.' Her voice was gentle and melodious, like an oriole emerging from the valley; to others it sounded unremarkable, but to Hu Xiaotian it struck like a thunderclap from a clear sky — this voice was unmistakably…… He prostrated himself on the ground, longing to lift his head to investigate, yet he dared not raise it.

Empress Jian said: 'You all listen to me; from today on you must carefully attend to my younger sister, and if there is the slightest negligence, I will certainly not forgive you.'

'Yes!' Hu Xiaotian led the four in answering together.

The Talented Person's voice was especially gentle; she said softly: 'You few, don't stay kneeling — get up.'

Empress Jian remained silent, and the few still knelt properly on the ground. Empress Jian gave a cold snort and said: 'How come you didn't hear my words just now? My younger sister told you to get up!'

Hu Xiaotian and the four palace maids and eunuchs then rose to their feet, though they still dared not lift their heads.

Empress Jian turned to the Talented Person and said: 'Little sister, I'm leaving now; it's freezing, hurry back and rest.'

Wen Ya hummed in acknowledgment: 'I'll see the Empress off.'

Empress Jian laughed: 'No need to see me off; you've just arrived, the palace roads are labyrinthine and you're not familiar with them. Today the Emperor is busy with state affairs and can't spare time to come see you; little sister, you must not feel wronged in your heart.' A group of palace maids and eunuchs hearing this could hardly believe it — they had never seen Empress Jian treat another consort with such courtesy.

Empress Jian said: 'Hu Xiaotian!'

'Here!' Hu Xiaotian bowed in salute.

'You come see me off!'

Hu Xiaotian answered with a sound, then straightened his waist and glanced hastily at the Talented Person — just that glance left him utterly frozen; this Talented Person indeed had exquisite features, capable of overturning states and cities, but what stunned him was not her beauty, but the fact that she looked exactly like Le Yao.

The Talented Person also noticed Hu Xiaotian's gaze; her eyes flicked across his face, showing no surprise at all, as if she had never seen him before, and she walked past him.

Hu Xiaotian stood there, dazed, not daring to look again; he lifted his head and immediately encountered Empress Jian's chilly gaze, whereupon he hurriedly said: 'Your servant sees the Empress off.'

Empress Jian stepped forward, her retinue of palace maids and eunuchs falling back knowingly. Hu Xiaotian kept close at her side and whispered: 'Empress, what are your orders?'

Empress Jian said: 'You're so clever; I know what I want, and you understand it in your heart.'

Hu Xiaotian said: 'Empress, rest assured, I will spare no effort to protect the Talented Person.' Before seeing the Talented Person, Hu Xiaotian had thought her life or death was of no concern to him; but after seeing her, he instantly changed his mind — the Talented Person was none other than Le Yao. Hu Xiaotian simply could not fathom how this little widow, who should have been in Xichuan, after he had rescued her from the tiger's den and had Murong Feiyan place her in Fork River Town, then, caught up in endless affairs, never found the time to visit her; later, hearing that Le Yao had disappeared, he felt lost for a while, yet he never imagined that, after many twists and turns, they would meet again in the imperial palace.

Hu Xiaotian believed he couldn't be mistaken — there simply aren't two people in the world who look exactly alike — yet just now the Talented Person's gaze at him was so indifferent, her eyes devoid of even a flicker; recalling the charming little widow Le Yao, with whom he had certainly shared intimate contact and who owed him her life, how could she possibly remain unmoved before him? The more he thought about it, the stranger it seemed.

After seeing Empress Jian off, Hu Xiaotian hurried back to the Ming Yue Palace, where he ran into Ma Liangpeng waiting at the door; upon seeing Hu Xiaotian return, Ma Liangpeng hurriedly said: 'Hu Eunuch, the Talented Person wants you to come in and see her.'

Hu Xiaotian nodded, but inside he felt even more urgent; as he reached the gate he suddenly realized that in such a situation he ought to stay calm: if Wen Ya wasn't Le Yao, she would certainly be meeting him for the first time, and his excitement would be useless; if Wen Ya was Le Yao, he had even less reason to get worked up, since she was pretending not to know him — why should he press his hot face against her cold butt? Thinking of the word 'butt', Hu Xiaotian suddenly felt that the part of him that shouldn't belong to a eunuch was stirring again. He took a deep breath, reminded himself to stay calm, and then entered the Ming Yue Palace.

Wang Ren, Qiu Yan, and Baobao were all standing; the Talented Person, who was Minister Wen's adopted daughter Wen Ya, sat upright before the painted screen, with a palace maid standing beside her — the maid was fairly pretty, but the muscles in her face were tight, making her look like a rubber doll; altogether she lacked any warmth.

Although Hu Xiaotian had managed to gain some status among the eunuchs, he was still a servant; facing Wen Ya, the master of the Ming Yue Palace, he had to kneel on their first meeting — the saying 'a man's knees hold gold' does not apply to eunuchs.

Hu Xiaotian knelt down properly and said: 'Hu Xiaotian pays respects to the Talented Person.' Even the emperor's minor consort deserves respect. Hu Xiaotian felt resentful: 'Le Yao, Le Yao, you've had enough of being a little widow, yet you've turned yourself into a consort — back then we didn't swear eternal vows, did we? There was at least some mutual affection; we even shared a blanket and once rubbed cheeks. But in the blink of an eye you forgot me completely and made me kneel before you — how could you bear to do that?'

Wen Ya said: 'Get up!'

Hu Xiaotian rose to his feet and boldly gazed at Wen Ya's pretty face.

The palace maid beside Wen Ya was displeased; as a servant, daring to look directly at her master was a major taboo, and she snapped: 'Bold slave, how dare you show disrespect to the Talented Person!'

At a glance Hu Xiaotian knew this maid also served as a female bodyguard, likely part of Wen Ya's personal entourage; but among the maids and eunuchs of the Ming Yue Palace, I am the biggest — what airs are you putting on in front of me?

Wen Ya said: 'Wutong, no rudeness.' It turned out this maid's name was Wutong.

Wen Ya fixed her captivating, soul‑stealing gaze on Hu Xiaotian's face, studying him; he, in turn, took the opportunity to examine this newly promoted Talented Person carefully, from the tips of her hair to her eyelashes — not a single strand was unfamiliar to him; she was clearly Le Yao, yet why did her look at him contain not a trace of familiarity? Wen Ya said: 'I have heard the name of Eunuch Hu.' (to be continued~^~)