Chapter 421

Yin Zheng smiled and said, "A harmful heart must not exist; a defensive heart must not be lacking. Eunuch Hu, do not underestimate yourself—your great deed this time will surely earn the Emperor's further favor. As the saying goes, 'The tree that stands out in the forest will be blown by the wind.' With your talent, Eunuch Hu, it is impossible not to attract envy."

Hu Xiaotian looked at Yin Zheng; this little eunuch is certainly no ordinary person. If he sincerely defects to me, that would not be a bad thing. Since he came to my door, I should first pacify him; as for whether I can take him into my service, we'll see his future performance. Thinking this, Hu Xiaotian smiled and said, "Little Yin, you speaking from the heart like this truly moves me. Thanks for not despising me; if you think I, Hu Xiaotian, am someone worth befriending, then from now on let us call each other brothers."

Yin Zheng clasped his fists and said, "Elder Brother Hu, allow me to kowtow." He then thumped down onto his knees.

Hu Xiaotian thought, "You look older than me no matter how I see it, with a face full of worldly weariness, yet you shamelessly call me big brother. And your knees are hardly worth anything—you just drop to kneel at the drop of a hat." He reached out and helped Yin Zheng up, saying, "Younger Brother Yin, get up quickly; we don't need these empty formalities." Since he had already bowed his head, it would be rude to refuse.

Calling each other brothers isn't a formal sworn brotherhood; Hu Xiaotian also had no reason to swear brotherhood with a little eunuch. This is about gathering followers—Yin Zheng is paying homage to the mountain chief.

After rising, Yin Zheng said, "Elder Brother Hu, there is someone you must be on guard against."

Hu Xiaotian nodded; at last there was some substance. Yin Zheng's mind was still sharp. Hu Xiaotian was no simpleton; from his various performances, this person does not act without seeing a rabbit—meaning he doesn't act without cause—and is not easily fooled. If he doesn't produce something that moves Hu Xiaotian, others may not take him seriously. He lowered his voice and said, "Wen Chenghuan, when he visited the Emperor before, had said quite a bit about you; from his tone it seems he wants to pin the blame for the Mingyue Palace fire on you."

Hu Xiaotian was not surprised by this; the news wasn't exactly a secret. But hearing it from Yin Zheng, an eyewitness, fully confirmed the matter: "What did the Emperor say?"

Yin Zheng said, "The Emperor didn't say anything at the time, but from his current demeanor he seems not to believe it. However, Wen Chenghuan brought up your father before the Emperor last night..."

Hu Xiaotian pressed his lips together, anger welling up in his heart. Wen Chenghuan, that old bastard, is truly hateful—trying to shift the blame for the Mingyue Palace fire onto me in order to implicate Ji Feihua, he spares no means. Even though my father has fallen to this state, this old coot still wants to kick him when he's down. Wen Chenghuan, Wen Chenghuan. If I ever get the chance, I will surely repay this arrow's vengeance. The anger on Hu Xiaotian's face flashed and faded; at present he lacks the strength to oppose Wen Chenghuan, so he spoke softly: "I recall that last night Wen Chenghuan entered together with Chancellor Zhou; what did he say?"

Yin Zheng said, "Chancellor Zhou didn't say anything."

This was somewhat beyond Hu Xiaotian's expectation; he had thought Zhou Ruizhen and the Hu family were enemies, and that Zhou would not pass up the chance to kick a man when he's down. Yet he hadn't expected Zhou to stay silent—and in the current situation, staying silent amounts to helping himself.

Yin Zheng added, "Afterwards the Emperor had everyone leave, leaving only Eunuch Quan alone; I have no way of knowing what they discussed."

Hu Xiaotian said, "Good, brother. Go back first; tomorrow I'll go change the Emperor's medicine. If anything happens, tell me at once."

Yin Zheng beamed, "Rest assured, Elder Brother Hu. Any stir in the Emperor's vicinity, I'll report to you immediately."

Hu Xiaotian slipped off the jade thumb ring from his hand; this ring had been given to him not long ago by Cao Qianshan of the Jade Hall. He handed it to Yin Zheng and said, "Brother, since you've acknowledged me as your elder brother, I don't have much else to give you. This is the piece I wear daily, never off my person—let me give it to you."

Seeing the crystal-clear thumb ring, Yin Zheng knew it was valuable. As a eunuch, he harbored an innate greed for wealth and power; his eyes lit up, but he waved his hands in refusal, saying, "How could I possibly take your elder brother's belongings?"

Hu Xiaotian took his hand, slipped the ring onto his finger, and smiled, "Brothers need not be so particular about shares; any benefit I gain will naturally bring you glory as well. Wealth is fleeting as passing clouds—nothing compares to our brotherhood, as solid as gold."

Yin Zheng slipped on the ring, feeling a warm glow—not from being moved by Hu Xiaotian's sincerity, but because he felt he had paid homage to the right mountain chief and reaped the benefits. He whispered, "Elder Brother Hu, from now on your affairs are my affairs; whoever dares to wrong you is my enemy."

Hu Xiaotian patted his shoulder; although he knew the fellow was lying, he still hoped he'd really do so, and added, "Brother, how old are you this year?"

Yin Zheng said, "I'm twenty‑one!"

Hu Xiaotian thought, "I'm only seventeen, but camaraderie can transcend age. Throughout history, which subordinate seeing a superior doesn't act like a grandson? Let alone having him call me brother—he'd even gladly call me grandfather."

That night Hu Xiaotian went to the wine cellar to rest; he set up a resting spot there precisely to facilitate entering and exiting the secret passage. Li Yuncong had Yuan Fu come over to deliver a note, reminding him to hurry to the Cangshuge for a meeting—it seemed the Senior Eunuch was also deeply concerned about the events of the past few days.

As midnight approached, Hu Xiaotian followed the secret passage to beneath the Cangshuge; when he reached the end of the passage, he found the opening above still uncovered, the statue of Wen Sheng having been moved aside beforehand.

Hu Xiaotian secretly rejoiced—it seemed Li Yuncong had prepared in advance, expecting him to come tonight. He crawled up through the opening and saw the room lights flickering; Li Yuncong sat cross‑legged at the table, reading. Even when Hu Xiaotian appeared before him, he didn't lift his gaze, lazily saying, "You've come!"

Hu Xiaotian performed a respectful salute and said, "Eunuch Li, you are truly a divine person—unpredicting yet foreseeing, indeed possessed of marvelous calculation." He felt a bit puzzled; the Senior Eunuch had somehow predicted his arrival today. Then he thought, Li Yuncong's martial prowess is high; perhaps he had been listening all along and moved the Wen Sheng statue before Hu Xiaotian arrived, which is not impossible to know.

Li Yuncong said calmly, "Anyway, few people know about this secret passage, and even those who do don't like crawling through it like rats; might as well leave it open to let the air circulate."

Hu Xiaotian asked, "Eunuch Li, how have you been lately?"

Li Yuncong said, "What could the Zajia possibly do? Nothing more than sorting books, cleaning the room, having an occasional drink, getting drunk then sober, sober then drunk!" His gaze finally lifted and fell on Hu Xiaotian's face, like two bolts of lightning shooting toward his eyes.

Hu Xiaotian returned his gaze with a squinting smile.

Li Yuncong said, "Your luck really isn't bad!"

Hu Xiaotian smiled, "Without a bit of luck, how could I have earned Eunuch Li's favor?"

Li Yuncong chuckled twice and said, "What else are you hiding from me?"

Hu Xiaotian felt that today's atmosphere was somehow off; Li Yuncong was full of suspicion, and his eyes hid killing intent. Logically, he had offended no such Senior Eunuch, so why was he acting so strangely? He inwardly guarded himself: "I have always been frank with Eunuch Li; I don't know what he means by this remark."

Li Yuncong nodded and said, "Good! Good! Good!" As he uttered the third "good," he suddenly reached out; an invisible suction force wrapped around Hu Xiaotian, pulling his body toward Li Yuncong. Hu Xiaotian startled, planted his feet and pushed hard—only to hear a crack as the blue‑stone tiles under his feet split. Still unable to resist the invisible pull, he felt as if being dragged along, his body lurching forward involuntarily. He struggled backward against the force, but unexpectedly the suction vanished, and due to inertia he stumbled backward, crashing into the bookshelf before his retreat halted.

Li Yuncong flicked his wide sleeve, and the Wen Sheng statue inside the room shifted, bracing against Hu Xiaotian's body and pinning him between the bookshelf and the stone image, leaving only his head exposed.

Li Yuncong slowly rose and walked toward Hu Xiaotian; with each step he took, the pressure on Hu Xiaotian's body increased by a notch, and he cried out, "Eunuch Li, why are you doing this?"

Li Yuncong coldly said, "Come clean—is that *Tianren Wanxiang Tu* in your hands? And what exactly is your relationship with Gong Wuxin?"

Hu Xiaotian was bewildered—what *Tianren Wanxiang Tu*? I've never heard of it. Is this Senior Eunuch going mad? He said, "I've never heard of such a thing."

Li Yuncong gave a hollow cold laugh, "Indeed, you won't shed tears until you see the coffin. You possess superb medical skill yet deliberately conceal it; the Zajia nearly fell for your deceit." As he spoke, the stone image pressed forward another fraction, squeezing Hu Xiaotian's face red, nearly choking him; if this continued, the Senior Eunuch might literally play him to death.

Hu Xiaotian wailed, "You old fool, I have no idea what you're talking about! What damned *Tianren Wanxiang Tu*… Even if I die, you'll make me die knowing why!"

Li Yuncong nodded and said, "Good!" He slowly unfurled a picture before Hu Xiaotian's eyes—it was an anatomical drawing of the human abdomen, drawn by Hu Xiaotian himself. Hu Xiaotian recalled giving that sketch to Qin Yutong, yet somehow it had ended up in Li Yuncong's hands. At this point he began to understand, and he whispered, "Is this the *Tianren Wanxiang Tu* you spoke of?"

Li Yuncong said, "The *Tianren Wanxiang Tu* is a treasured item of my Cangshuge; it was stolen seven years ago, and I never expected it to be you, you scoundrel, who took it."

Hu Xiaotian gave a wry smile, "Please, use your brain, old man. Seven years ago… I was only ten; I'd never even set foot in the imperial palace, so where could I have stolen your *Tianren Wanxiang Tu*? This drawing… I did draw it, but it's nothing special—it's just a human anatomy diagram. I… I could draw the structure of any body part with my eyes closed, but I've never seen anything called the *Tianren Wanxiang Tu*."

Li Yuncong remained half‑believing, half‑doubting. (To be continued~^~)