Chapter 356

Hu Xiaotian laughed and said: "I, Hu Xiaotian, was wrong; I just suddenly thought of another person."

Wen Ya said: "Have you all seen the snow together?"

Hu Xiaotian

Wen Ya

Hu Xiaotian thought: who knows who is accompanying whom? In this freezing weather, the north wind howls, the heavy snow keeps falling, and you actually want to accompany me to view the snow? It should be me accompanying you. If it weren't that you just happened to have your monthly period, you might now be warming the Emperor's blankets. So you treat me as a spare tire. Hu Xiaotian felt some resentment in his heart, and he whispered: "The night is cold and windy; Talented Person, you'd better go back to rest early, lest you catch a chill, which would not be good. If the Emperor blames us, this servant cannot bear it."

Wen Ya walked unhurriedly, then placed her hand on Hu Xiaotian's arm, and softly said: "If you get sick, it's not really a bad thing."

Hu Xiaotian secretly thought: Is this girl's mind addled by stimulation? The sudden accident dashed her hope of gaining the Emperor's favor, ruining an excellent opportunity for her to get close to the Emperor, so she feels deeply disappointed. Could it be that she intends to use illness to draw the Emperor's attention again? If so, this girl is quite scheming.

Braving the cold wind and snowflakes, they returned to Mingyue Palace; Wen Ya released Hu Xiaotian's arm, strode straight into the chambers, and in a moment forgot entirely about accompanying Hu Xiaotian to view the snow. So women's words cannot be trusted, especially beautiful women.

Seeing Wen Ya go and return, several palace maids and eunuchs were greatly surprised; after Wen Ya entered, they one by one gathered to inquire about the details, but Hu Xiaotian coldly drove them away. Such matters are best kept bottled up.

Although Mingyue Palace had also prepared a room for Hu Xiaotian, it was small and cold; even lighting a brazier, one didn't know when it would warm up. Rather than stay here and freeze, it's better to return to the Bureau of Imperial Gardens to enjoy comfort, for Wen Ya had already agreed that he could stay there every night.

Hu Xiaotian briefly informed Baobao of the situation here, then, lantern in hand, hurried to the Bureau of Imperial Gardens. The Bureau and Mingyue Palace are not far apart, less than two li, but along the way one must pass several checkpoints; given Hu Xiaotian's current status, he naturally would not be subjected to layer upon layer of interrogation and body search.

Having just left Mingyue Palace, he saw a lantern moving toward him in the distance; Hu Xiaotian judged that the bearer was heading for Mingyue Palace, so he stopped and waited until the person drew near, only to discover it was Shi Xuedong and a minor eunuch from the Bureau of Imperial Gardens, who were clearly coming for him.

Shi Xuedong, upon seeing Hu Xiaotian, was both startled and delighted, saying: "Lord Hu! At last I've found you; I just heard you had gone to Xuanweigong, but when I arrived there I heard you had already returned."

Hu Xiaotian

Shi Xuedong vigorously nodded his head, leaned close to Hu Xiaotian's ear, and lowered his voice: "Something's happened."

Hu Xiaotian furrowed his brows: "Let's go, we'll talk back there!"

Having taken just a few steps, Ma Liangpeng came running up from behind: "Lord Hu, please wait! Lord Hu, please wait!"

Hu Xiaotian stopped. Ma Liangpeng, panting, caught up, having to squint his eyes against the wind and snow as he ran: "Lord Hu, the Talented Person summons you."

Hu Xiaotian said to Shi Xuedong: "You go back first; I'll see the Talented Person and then come over."

Shi Xuedong nodded: "Then we'll head back and wait." He gave Hu Xiaotian a look; it was indeed an urgent matter.

Hu Xiaotian returned to Mingyue Palace again; the chambers were not exactly warm. Wen Ya half-leaned, half-reclined in a chair, covered with a sable-fur blanket, her shoulders resting against the cushion, holding a cup of steaming ginseng tea, slowly sipping it.

Hu Xiaotian shook off the wind and snow outside before stepping into the chamber. Approaching Wen Ya, he bowed and saluted: "This servant pays respects to the Talented Person!" He made a motion to kneel, but actually lowered himself slowly.

Wen Ya

Hu Xiaotian took the opportunity to straighten up; having long been mixed in the imperial palace, his acting in this regard was top-notch; without realizing it, Hu Xiaotian had become an old hand at deceiving, and he had his own set of tricks for fooling these high-ranking folks.

Wen Ya said: "Little bearded one, where are you going so late?"

Hu Xiaotian respectfully replied: "Talented Person, you forgot—didn't you promise to let me return to the Bureau of Imperial Gardens to rest at night?"

Wen Ya said nonchalantly: "With such a fierce wind and snow tonight, there's no need to go back; better stay here and keep the Palace company with some talk."

Hu Xiaotian said: "Just now someone from the Bureau of Imperial Gardens came and said something happened over there that needs my attention, so I must go back regardless of how late it is." It seemed Wen Ya was unsettled tonight because her attempt to gain the Emperor's favor had been thwarted; otherwise she wouldn't have thought of asking him to keep her company.

Wen Ya raised her elegant eyebrows, finished the last sip of ginseng soup, and handed the bowl to Hu Xiaotian, who reached out to take it, only to hear Wen Ya say: "My body is in Cao's camp, but my heart leans toward Han."

Hu Xiaotian said: "The Talented Person blames this servant."

Wen Ya said: "It's not that I blame you; it's just that tonight my feelings are all tangled up, and I constantly want someone by my side to talk with."

Hu Xiaotian said: "If that's the case, this servant will go nowhere; I'll stay by the Talented Person's side to keep you company."

Wen Ya laughed and shook her head: "Look at you, your mind is all over the place; since you have business, go attend to it quickly. Forcing yourself to stay here would just leave you distracted."

Hu Xiaotian said: "Then I'll be off first."

Wen Ya then let out a soft sigh: "Truly, loneliness is like snow..."

Upon hearing this, Hu Xiaotian started, looked up, and saw Wen Ya had already closed her eyes, as if listening to the sound of snow falling outside; gazing at her exquisite face, flawless in every detail—so beautiful that even "gorgeous and splendid" falls short—Hu Xiaotian felt that Wen Ya before him was becoming ever more inscrutable.

The sole reason Shi Xuedong rushed over to look for Hu Xiaotian was that the Bureau of Imperial Gardens had been burglarized; during his nightly patrol he found the wine cellar's door lock pried open. Although he didn't know what secrets lay inside the cellar, because Hu Xiaotian usually valued this place highly and rarely let outsiders in, he sensed a major problem and thus hurried to Mingyue Palace to report.

Hu Xiaotian braved the wind and snow back to the Bureau of Imperial Gardens, followed Shi Xuedong into the wine cellar; his chief concern was whether the underground passage had been exposed. He first went to the lowest level, saw that everything remained as before, and only then did he relax a little.

Shi Xuedong said: "Lord, rest assured; I've just taken inventory, and nothing seems to be missing."

Hu Xiaotian nodded and asked: "What about the medicine store?"

Shi Xuedong replied: "I've checked everything over; all is well."

Hu Xiaotian furrowed his brows, suddenly recalling something; he turned and hurried to his own room. Outside the door he saw the lock still fastened securely, and his heart eased a bit. He then took out his key and opened the door; Shi Xuedong, holding a lantern behind him, entered, and upon seeing the room in utter disarray—bedclothes flung on the floor, the bed frame overturned—he couldn't help but gasp in shock. Hu Xiaotian inspected and found that the only thing missing was that Black Tiger Whip. In fact, the whip was not important to Hu Xiaotian; he did not believe the absurd rumor that consuming it could regenerate one's vital essence. Yet recalling that Liu Yuzhang had given his life for this whip, which represented the deep affection of his old master, Hu Xiaotian's heart filled with fury. Without question, the thief who stole the Black Tiger Whip was almost certainly a eunuch—otherwise, what purpose would anyone else have? He had always kept the whip well hidden, and few knew it was in his possession. His first suspect was Rong Baoxing, who had come repeatedly to demand it, and Hu Xiaotian had given him several imitation whips to put him off; could it be that Rong Baoxing's greed was undying, that he had suspected Hu Xiaotian, and thus resorted to scaling walls and sneaking in to steal?

Shi Xuedong went to check the window and found it had been pried open from outside; he scratched the back of his head and said: "It looks like someone came in through the window."

Hu Xiaotian remained silent, opened the door and stepped outside, raising his lantern to scan the ground for suspicious footprints. Aside from his own and Shi Xuedong's prints, there were no others; he pursed his lips, finding it hard to say when the thief had slipped into his room—if it had happened after the snowfall, then the intruder must possess the skill of leaving no trace in the snow.

Shi Xuedong said: "Should we report this to the Guard?"

Hu Xiaotian shook his head: "Forget it; after all, nothing important was lost. Brother Dong, did anyone suspicious come to the Bureau of Imperial Gardens today?"

Shi Xuedong thought: "None, not a single one. Should I summon all our people and interrogate them one by one?"

"No need; no reason to spread panic."

Hu Xiaotian also suspected an insider; otherwise, how could someone enter his room unnoticed, steal calmly, and escape just as calmly?

Shi Xuedong leaned in: "Brother, what exactly did you lose?"

Hu Xiaotian said: "Nothing!" He did not want to draw undue attention or cause unnecessary repercussions.

At that moment a cry rang out: "The Commander has arrived!"

Hu Xiaotian and Shi Xuedong exchanged a glance; neither had expected Ji Feihua to show up at this moment. Hu Xiaotian gave a look, and Shi Xuedong hurried to greet the Bureau's other staff; everyone came out to the courtyard to welcome Ji Feihua's arrival.

Ji Feihua entered the Bureau of Imperial Gardens wearing a black sable fur coat, accompanied by two eunuchs—a scene utterly unlike the former grand entourage of stars surrounding the moon.

Hu Xiaotian led the crowd forward to pay respects, feeling somewhat puzzled: why had Ji Feihua not stayed in Xuanweigong to accompany the Emperor, but come here instead?

Ji Feihua waved her hand: "Forget it; in such heavy wind and snow, everyone should head back. As a miscellaneous specialist passing by, I suddenly thought of Lord Hu and stopped by to say a few words."

When the others heard that Ji Feihua wanted to speak with Hu Xiaotian, they tactfully withdrew; Ji Feihua, without waiting for Hu Xiaotian's invitation, already headed toward his room. Hu Xiaotian hurried after her, saying respectfully: "Commander, why don't we sit over there?"

Ji Feihua gave him a doubtful glance but did not stop; she reached the door of Hu Xiaotian's room, pushed it open, and upon seeing the room in utter disarray, finally understood why Hu Xiaotian had tried to stop her, and she couldn't help laughing: "This place looks as if it had just been robbed."

Hu Xiaotian bowed and said, "Commander, your eyes are sharp; you can see that." (to be continued~^~)