Chapter 353

Hu Xiaotian

Hu Xiaotian finally nodded in satisfaction, feeling he had finally vented the bad air stuck in his chest; he turned back to the imperial concubine's chair, pulled the chair, and yanked out the three steel needles stuck on it. In the light he saw the needles faintly glow Lan, brought them to his nose and sniffed— a foul stench hit him, his head swam, and he hastily threw the needles away; these needles were clearly poisoned. Hu Xiaotian, still seated on the imperial concubine's chair, lifted a leg onto it and coldly stared at Lin Wan.

Lin Wan crawled up from the ground, hair disheveled, her face ashen, and pleaded, "Please, Eunuch Hu, grant me the antidote."

Hu Xiaotian realized that Lin Wan, like Baobao, must have been forced to take the Ten Thousand Insects Bone-Eroding Pill, so blowing the whistle would trigger the poison in her body, causing such agony. He said, "Just now, weren't you trying to kill me?"

Lin Wan dropped to her knees with a thud, frightened, and said, "Eunuch Hu, all mistakes are mine; I didn't know you were one of us, so I acted wrongly. I beg Eunuch Hu, Sir, not to hold my petty offenses against me—"

Wen Ya

"Quibbling with a servant..." Lin Wan, under Hu Xiaotian's threat, had none of the dignity of a consort left; if outsiders saw this scene, no one could tell who was master and who was servant.

Watching Lin Wan kneel beneath him, fawning and pleading, Hu Xiaotian felt a surge of satisfaction from the heart— as the saying goes, "When the overturned serf sings, as long as you grasp the key, you can prove positions can be reversed." He naturally understood that making Lin Wan and Baobao bow and obey wasn't due to his own ability, but the Ten Thousand Insects Bone-Eroding Pill. He held the antidote to that pill, and also possessed a mighty weapon like the tightening spell—a whistle—so even if Lin Wan was an Imperial Concubine, before this little eunuch she had only the option to kneel.

Hu Xiaotian would not so easily give her the antidote; he hadn't planned to reveal his hand to Lin Wan this early, but today she launched a sudden attack on him—if not for his unexpected countermove, he might truly have been wounded by her hand. He coldly said, "Who sent you to kill me?"

Lin Wan said, "Eunuch Hu, I didn't mean to kill you; I only wanted to use the Poison Needle to control you."

"Isn't that even more vicious than killing me? Damn! You look fairly handsome, yet your heart is so vicious."

Lin Wan stammered, "Eunuch Hu, I truly didn't realize we were from the same sect; if I had known, even if you lent me courage, I wouldn't dare lay a hand on you."

Hu Xiaotian gave a heh heh cold laugh, "Women are reliable, pigs can climb trees," and said in a low voice, "What exactly was your purpose in sending Baobao to the Bright Moon Palace?"

Imperial Concubine

From her words it could be judged that Baobao's trip to the Bright Moon Palace was certainly not at Mr. Hong's behest; eight or nine times out of ten it was her own idea. Hu Xiaotian said, "Do you still remember what Mr. Hong sent you to the palace for?"

Bright Moon Palace

Hu Xiaotian was skilled at analyzing others' psychological states from their every move; from Lin Wan's behavior he could almost conclude that she, too, did not blindly obey Mr. Hong—perhaps this Lady Lin Wan was also a double agent like himself. Thinking this, he couldn't help finding it interesting. He decided to take a gamble. Coldly he said, "Zajia, no matter your purpose, you must not ruin Mr. Hong's grand plan; if I discover you have other schemes, heh heh… Zajia will make you wish for death but unable to die."

Lin Wan clutched her chest, her breathing grew ragged, she bit her lip hard, struggling against the waves of unbearable pain inside her. She trembled as she said, "Eunuch Hu, I was merely muddle-headed for a moment, letting jealousy cloud my mind, which is why I acted against Wen Ya."

Hu Xiaotian was already certain. Her intention to harm Wen Ya was entirely her own doing; he gave a cold snort and rose to his feet, saying, "Today I'll let you off once; if you offend again, I will certainly not be lenient." He started to walk away, but Lin Wan, seeing him leave so hastily, rushed forward and grabbed his arm, saying, "Eunuch Hu…"

Hu Xiaotian turned his face, seeing Lin Wan's fawning expression and then her disheveled hair—however he looked, it was ridiculous. That Ten Thousand Insects Bone-Eroding Pill really is powerful, able to make a high-ranking Imperial Concubine cast aside her dignity and spare no effort to flatter and fawn over him. Hu Xiaotian, pretending not to know, asked, "What is it?"

Ten Thousand Insects Bone-Eroding Pill

Hu Xiaotian said, "You'd better remember— from now on, whatever happens, you must first report to me; if you dare act on your own initiative, Zajia will not spare you." Saying "Zajia" with great vigor, he felt a dark satisfaction; no wonder people fight tooth and nail for power, rushing into fire and water, for power truly is a good thing, bringing a satisfaction that cannot be replaced. After speaking, he added, "Besides, you must not tell anyone about what happened today—not even Baobao."

Eunuch Hu

Just before leaving, Hu Xiaotian finally tossed a pill to Lin Wan; at this moment Lin Wan had no concern for the decorum of a consort, she caught it and hastily swallowed it, closed her eyes, waited for the medicine's effect to wear off, then let out a long sigh, only then opened her eyes—and saw Hu Xiaotian had long since departed. Lin Wan gritted her teeth and thought silently, Hu Xiaotian, in this lifetime I will grind your bones to ashes and scatter them to quell the hatred in my heart.

After finishing the task Wen Ya had given him, Hu Xiaotian returned to the Bright Moon Palace, discovering that the others who had gone out to deliver gifts had already come back; he was the last to return, which is no surprise, since he had spent a long time wits and courage against Lin Wan in the Bright Moon Palace, delaying him considerably—otherwise he would have finished earlier. Hu Xiaotian first went to Wen Ya to report back, delivering each person's return gifts and messages in turn.

Wen Ya listened while embroidering by the window, every move just like Le Yao's; in fact, Hu Xiaotian couldn't tell her apart from Le Yao at all. But if she really were Le Yao, why would seeing herself leave her unmoved? Could it be that she has wiped clean all of her own memories?

Make sure to keep meaning. Use glossary names.

Let's produce: "【26】 Wen Ya listened while embroidering ladies' work by the window; every gesture resembled Le Yao extremely, and in fact Hu Xiaotian simply could not tell her apart from Le Yao—but if she were Le Yao, why would seeing him leave her unmoved? Could she have wiped clean all her memories of him?"

Check: we kept all info. Good.

Hu Xiaotian left out the bit about Lin Wan; after hearing it, Wen Ya slowly nodded and said, "Very good, thank you for your hard work, Wutong. Each person will be given ten taels of silver."

Translation: Hu Xiaotian skipped Lin Wan's part; after listening, Wen Ya slowly nodded and said, "Very good, thank you for your hard work, Wutong; each person will be rewarded ten taels of silver."

Very good, thank you for your hard work, Wutong. Each person will be rewarded ten taels of silver.

Thus: "【27】 Hu Xiaotian skipped Lin Wan's part; after listening, Wen Ya slowly nodded and said, 'Very good, thank you for your hard work, Wutong; each person will be rewarded ten taels of silver.'"

Observing Wen Ya's every move, which exudes the dignified grace of a wealthy family, Hu Xiaotian couldn't help but compare her to Le Yao; in his memory, Le Yao had always been a timid, pitiful little widow, the most unforgettable being her pleading gaze, yet Wen Ya's every gesture showed composure and self-possession—one evokes pity and a protective urge from the heart, the other stands high and aloof, the very image of a strong woman. How could a person change so greatly in such a short time? Could it be that during their separation Le Yao developed schizophrenia? Yet no matter how one looks at this Talented Person before him, she does not seem like a mental patient; her affairs are orderly, she understands the bigger picture, she is very shrewd, very rational.

A mere five taels of reward money, Hu Xiaotian would not take it to heart; nevertheless he had to put on a show of profuse gratitude. Just as he was preparing to take his leave, a joyful voice came from outside: "Talented Person, Rong Baoxing has arrived!"

He was none other than the eunuch Rong Baoxing, who personally attended the Emperor; Hu Xiaotian had dealt with him several times before and knew he was greedy. When he had gone to the Bureau of Gardens to seek the Black Tiger Whip from Liu Yuzhang, it could be said that Rong Baoxing was also one of the dark hands behind Liu Yuzhang's murder, and Hu Xiaotian had already listed him in his heart as one of those to be avenged.

Although Rong Baoxing's rank among eunuchs was not high, because he held a special position, everyone in the palace, inside and out, treated him with great courtesy—just like a chauffeur for a leader in a modern enterprise; all his glory comes from his master behind the scenes.

Before Rong Baoxing had even entered the inner chambers, his jubilant voice rang out: "Congratulations, Talented Person! Congratulations, Talented Person!"

Wen Ya smiled faintly and said, "Rong Baoxing has arrived, but I do not know what joy this brings."

After Rong Baoxing made his salutations, he lowered his voice and said, "The Emperor has today turned over the Talented Person's tablet and decreed that she go to the Xuanweigong tonight to attend him."

Several palace maids and eunuchs, upon hearing the news, all congratulated in unison: "Congratulations, Talented Person!"

Hu Xiaotian remained silent; he understood what turning the tablet meant, and what "attending" meant—"progress" is tribute, "attendance" is to drive, to put it plainly, to ride; in other words, sending Wen Ya to be ridden by the Emperor. Damn it, why do I feel so stifled and displeased, as if a green cloud presses upon my head?

Wen Ya's expression, though bearing a faint smile, clearly showed composure and rationality; there was no trace of shyness or panic on her face, and she lightly nodded and said, "I understand."

Rong Baoxing added, "Today at the si hour, this servant will come to fetch the Talented Person."

Wen Ya said, "No need for you to trouble yourself, Rong Baoxing; I will go on my own."

Rong Baoxing laughed and said, "Yes, yes, the Emperor has specially ordered that I must personally come to fetch you. Talented Person, make ready and wait to see the Emperor."

Wen Ya said, "Look at the reward." This time she had the parasol tree take an ingot of red gold and give it to Rong Baoxing; comparing oneself to others breeds resentment; several palace maids and eunuchs of the Bright Moon Palace saw that large gold ingot, then thought of their own two taels of silver, and instantly felt shabby; there was nothing to be done—whoever let your status not compare to theirs.

Hu Xiaotian helped Wen Ya see the person off; Rong Baoxing, inside, had not greeted him. After coming outside, he beamed, put the gold ingot away, then cupped his hands to Hu Xiaotian and said, "Lord Hu, just now in front of the Talented Person I was somewhat remiss; I hope you will forgive any neglect."

Hu Xiaotian said, "Lord Rong, you are being overly courteous; the fault should be mine."

Rong Baoxing asked, "Lord Hu, will you also go over tonight?"

Hu Xiaotian said, "I don't know whether the Talented Person would like me to see her over." At this moment his feelings were a mixed bag; this fellow suddenly realized his possessive desire was still strong, and although he could not determine whether Wen Ya was Le Yao, even so he still did not want to cheapen the dog Emperor.

Rong Baoxing lowered his voice and said, "The Emperor likes red; Lord Hu should understand that."

Hu Xiaotian feigned profound gratitude: "Thank you for your guidance, Lord Rong." In his heart he cursed, "I thank your ancestors for eight generations." (To be continued~^~)