Chapter 371

The visitor turned out to be Dakang's eldest prince, Long Ting-sheng, the eldest son of Empress Jian and Long Xuan'en, coughing as he approached. At twenty‑five, he was tall and sturdy, with a square face, two whiskers forming an eight‑shaped mustache, a dark complexion, and tiger eyes that flicked to Long Tingzhen before he said, "Third brother, I heard Father is unwell, so I just came to see him."

Shi Xuedong.

Long Ting-sheng said, "The weather has turned bitterly cold these past two days—I even caught a chill…" He covered his mouth and coughed twice, his gaze falling on Hu Xiaotian still kneeling in the snow: "This is…"

Long Tingzhen said, "The eunuch Hu Xiaotian of the Directorate of Imperial Gardens is versed in poetry, song, and prose; I asked him to compose a poem on the spot."

Hu Xiaotian silently cursed, then spoke bitterly: "Your Highness, I am untalented and poorly educated; I simply cannot compose a poem."

Seeing his state, Long Ting-sheng couldn't help but laugh: "If you can't compose, just get up—it's snowing heavily; kneeling on the ground you'll freeze."

Hu Xiaotian looked pleadingly at Long Tingzhen; the third prince then said, "Since my elder brother told you to rise, you may rise."

Long Xuan'en.

Long Tingzhen.

Long Tingzhen clearly had no intention of chatting further with the eldest prince; he exchanged a couple of polite remarks, made an excuse, and turned to leave.

Your Highness.

Emperor.

Hu Xiaotian then realized that no one else was around; the little eunuch who had followed Long Ting-sheng had slipped into the Imperial Hospital at some point. He hurriedly bowed and said, "Nothing—I was just asked to compose a poem. Thank you, Eldest Prince, for bailing me out."

Long Tingzhen chuckled and said, "If you can't do it, you can't do it; it's nothing to be ashamed of. Are you Hu Xiaotian?"

Hu Xiaotian said, "Exactly, it's me."

Long Tingzhen said, "I've heard many people mention your name; after such a short time in the palace, you already manage the Bureau of Gardens. I didn't expect you to be so young—you're really capable."

Hu Xiaotian said, "Thanks to the Emperor's favor, this humble eunuch is overwhelmed and terrified."

Long Tingzhen chuckled and said, "It's Eunuch Ji who favors you, right?"

Hu Xiaotian furtively glanced at Long Tingzhen, but saw his eyes blazing, always fixed on him; he couldn't help silently lamenting his bad luck—could it be that the Third Prince is making trouble for him, and the Crown Prince is also looking to cause him problems, that the two brothers are taking turns targeting him today? Damn it. As the saying goes, grievances have heads and debts have collectors; if you've got the guts, go find trouble with Ji Feihua, don't drag me into this.

Long Tingzhen said, "Don't be afraid, I won't make things difficult for you; I've heard some things about you, and I still have some admiration for you."

Trying to bribe me? Hu Xiaotian immediately understood Long Tingzhen's words as a gesture of goodwill. Given Long Tingzhen's status and position, a grand Crown Prince certainly wouldn't need to curry favor with a lowly eunuch; bottom line, there could only be one reason: Long Tingzhen aims to win him over. Recalling that the crown prince position in Dakang remains undecided, Hu Xiaotian felt at ease; Long Tingzhen's hostility toward him stems from this, and Long Tingzhen's show of goodwill is also for this reason. Hu Xiaotian respectfully said, "Crown Prince, you praise me too highly; this humble eunuch is moved to tears."

Long Tingzhen coughed twice.

Hu Xiaotian asked with concern, "Is the Crown Prince feeling unwell?"

Long Tingzhen said, "Just caught a chill, nothing serious."

At that moment, the eunuch following Long Tingzhen walked up, stood before him, and said, "Your Highness, the Imperial Medical Institute's pharmacy doesn't have these medicinal herbs."

Long Tingzhen frowned upon hearing this and said, "Such a grand Imperial Medical Institute, yet it can't even find these herbs—truly, I don't know what those eunuchs in charge of the medicine store are eating."

Hu Xiaotian's mind stirred; he suddenly recalled the pharmacy in the Bureau of Gardens, and respectfully said, "Your Highness, the Bureau of Gardens also has a pharmacy; although it's smaller than the Imperial Medical Institute's, it still carries a variety of herbs, and perhaps you can find what you need there."

Long Tingzhen nodded, signaling the eunuch to hand the prescription to Hu Xiaotian.

Hu Xiaotian received the prescription, bade farewell to Long Tingzhen, and trudged through the deep snow back to the Bureau of Gardens. He did not go to Bright Moon Palace, firstly because it's too cold, and secondly because he didn't want to return and face Wen Ya's cold stare—if you're displeased, I'm not happy to serve you.

Upon arriving at the Bureau of Gardens, the heavy snow that had fallen day and night miraculously stopped. Shi Xuedong came forward, grinning ear to ear, and said, "Miss Baobao has arrived!" Because the weather was freezing, he kept rubbing his hands while speaking, appearing increasingly lewd. Hu Xiaotian asked, "Where is she?"

Shi Xuedong leaned close to his ear and whispered, "I had her go to your room first."

Hu Xiaotian nodded, handed him the prescription, and said, "Go help me check if we have these herbs." Shi Xuedong bowed and went.

Hu Xiaotian came to his own door, pushed it open and entered, seeing Baobao sitting at the table, chin resting on her hands, quietly waiting for him.

Hu Xiaotian smiled and said, "The Zajia just left, and you've already come knocking on your own—since that's the case, the Zajia won't stand on ceremony."

Baobao glared at him fiercely: "If you dare touch me, I'll let everyone know you're a—" Before she finished, Hu Xiaotian covered her mouth: "Walls have ears; do you really want to stir up even more trouble?"

Baobao struggled twice, broke free of his grip, but didn't expect Hu Xiaotian's hands to slide down and hug her from behind. Baobao bit her lip and said, "You're so shameless."

Hu Xiaotian said, "The Zajia has done you a life-saving favor, at least; I'm not asking you to repay with your body—just warming me up isn't too much, is it?"

"Too much!" Baobao said with her mouth, yet she didn't pull away. Hu Xiaotian pressed his advantage, moving his face closer; his cold‑wind‑chilled, ice‑cold visage pressed against Baobao's warm, moist lovely face, feeling incredibly comfortable.

Baobao blushed and said, "You've taken all my advantages; how am I supposed to marry anyone else now?"

Hu Xiaotian laughed and said, "Marry me, then; the Zajia is a responsible person."

"I don't believe your sweet talk; since I met you, nothing has gone smoothly—you wicked person are practically my ill‑fated star."

"If that's the case, you might as well resign yourself. As the saying goes, life is like rape; if you can't resist, you might as well close your eyes and enjoy it."

Baobao, hearing this, blushed crimson on both cheeks, strained to break free of his embrace, and said, "You wicked person, you can actually say such shameless words."

Hu Xiaotian said, "Those words weren't mine."

"It must be you—who else could say such vulgar things?" Baobao concluded that Hu Xiaotian was no good person.

Hu Xiaotian reached out, took Baobao's soft, jade‑like hand, and gently pulled her back to his side; Baobao lowered her head, shy, and Hu Xiaotian put his arm around her waist again, saying, "I'm being sincere."

"I don't even know what you're talking about," Baobao said shyly.

Hu Xiaotian said, "You're not allowed to set your sights on other men anymore; from now on, you're destined to marry me as my wife."

Baobao lowered her head even further: "How could a eunuch possibly take a wife?" Her neck turned red as well.

"You know full well what a eunuch like me is like—I haven't missed a thing."

Baobao covered her ears with both hands and coquettishly said, "I won't listen, I won't listen—you're really disgusting."

Hu Xiaotian hooked his arm around her waist and gave her lips a light kiss; Baobao's body trembled slightly, she furrowed her brow, gently rested her head on his shoulder, and whispered softly, "Although I know you're a liar and you never tell me the truth, I still would rather believe you once."

Hu Xiaotian held Baobao, his hand resting on her jade‑like buttocks, thinking of eating the steamed bun bite by bite, slow‑cooked over a low fire for so long—it must be ready by now—Pa! Baobao slipped from his embrace like a nimble snake, then slapped his greasy hand hard, you little brat, really pushing your luck—Baobao stepped back three times, confident she'd put a safe distance between them, then let out a long sigh and said, "Talented Person tells you to go back; there's business to attend to."

Hu Xiaotian shook his head and said, "I'm not going back—it's freezing, no stove, no brazier, not even a maid to warm the bed; if I return I'll have to face her cold stare, so I plan to resign later today and let her find whoever she wants to serve her."

Baobao said, "Today the Emperor just bestowed upon her six bolts of fine silk, plus two boxes of top‑grade imperial swallow nests, and said he'll soon visit her at Bright Moon Palace."

Hu Xiaotian said, "With so many concubines, the Emperor surely doesn't give everyone a share, does he?"

Baobao said, "I heard only the Talented Person received them—not even the Empress."

Hu Xiaotian frowned and asked, "She summoned me back—did she say why?"

Baobao said, "I'm not sure of the specifics, but by the way, the Guard Commander Chen Chengqiang brought men over today again, inspected Ma Liangpeng's usual quarters, and also had a look at your room."

Hu Xiaotian snapped, "What gives him the right? He dares to search my room, and picks a time when I'm not even there."

"Fourth-rank imperial sword-bearing warrior, and moreover, according to rumor, this matter was ordered by the Commander of the Imperial Guard Mu Rongzhan himself and received the Emperor's approval." Baobao paused and then said: "The Talented Person also agreed."

Hu Xiaotian said: "Do you feel that the Talented Person seems to be deliberately opposing me?"

"In her eyes you're nothing but a servant, summoned when needed and dismissed when not— you actually think of yourself as a dish?"

Hu Xiaotian said: "First you let me go, then you changed your mind and had me stay— it seems she's developed doubts about our relationship."

Baobao said: "What should we do?"

"Take things step by step— this Wen Ya is strange; since the Grand Tutor Wen sent her into the palace, he certainly won't let her spend her whole life alone like this; he will surely find a way to have her get close to the Emperor and gain the Emperor's favor."

Baobao said: "I'm afraid Ji Feihua might not let her have her way."

Thanks to Alliance Leader Baobao for the renewed popularity, here's an extra chapter! (To be continued~^~)