Chapter 460

When he returned to the palace, night had already fallen. Hu Xiaotian thought more and more it was strange; the old beggar certainly hadn't gone to the eunuchs' tomb by chance, teaching him two martial arts must have been intentional. Although his appearance was so-so, he was certainly not a rare martial arts genius with extraordinary bones and outstanding bearing, one in a million. There was no reason for them to force martial arts on him. If it were only because he ate the sacrificial offerings, that reason would be too far-fetched; there must be other reasons behind it. Since the old beggar wouldn't say, Hu Xiaotian surely couldn't find the answer, but one thing he could be sure of: he hadn't suffered a loss in this matter; actually, he had suffered a small loss, having been kissed several times by the old beggar's greasy, dirty mouth—just thinking about it made him feel a bit nauseous.

Hu Xiaotian returned to the Service Gardens Bureau; before he even reached the gate, he met Xiao Zhuozi coming over with a lantern. Seeing Hu Xiaotian, Xiao Zhuozi exclaimed with delight: 'My lord, you've finally come back! The Emperor feels a bit unwell and has summoned you to the Xuanweigong. We've been searching everywhere for you, we're almost burning up with worry.'

Hu Xiaotian said: 'When did this happen?'

'An hour ago, the Emperor's personal attendant Yin Gonggong came over himself to deliver the message.'

Hu Xiaotian thought for a moment and was sure it was Yin Zheng; last night he had entrusted him to arrange a meeting with the Emperor, and he hadn't expected this kid to be so efficient, getting it done so quickly—it seemed his gold leaves hadn't been wasted.

Seeing Hu Xiaotian still calm and unhurried, Xiao Zhuozi couldn't help but worry for him; in a eunuch's eyes, nothing is more important than an imperial summons. He reminded him: 'Lord Hu, you'd better hurry over; if the Emperor blames you, that would be troublesome.'

Hu Xiaotian laughed: 'All right, I'm going now.' He took the lantern from Xiao Zhuozi's hand and then instructed him: 'Please go to Zilan Palace for me; the Zajia has been out for a day, and we had planned to meet Princess Anping this afternoon. Something came up and delayed us—by the way, tell her that the Emperor summoned me; I won't be going to Zilan Palace tonight.'

'Yes!'

Hu Xiaotian carried the lantern toward the Xuanweigong; upon arriving outside, he saw Yin Zheng waiting eagerly at the door. Hu Xiaotian smiled and said: 'Gonggong Yin, happy New Year.'

Yin Zheng looked around, pulled him aside, and gave a wry smile: 'You finally came; the Emperor just said his stomach felt a bit uncomfortable, I suggested having you come over, but I didn't expect you to be absent.' He subtly winked at Hu Xiaotian, indicating that he had arranged this matter for him.

Hu Xiaotian said: 'I went out to handle some affairs. How is the Emperor?'

Yin Zheng lowered his voice: 'Nothing serious; he himself said he was fine, but I suggested you come over to check on the Emperor.' He emphasized that this was merely to highlight his own merit, since Hu Xiaotian had said the previous night that he wanted to see the Emperor to pay his New Year respects, and he had arranged it today. Although many people wanted to see the Emperor these two days, the Emperor had no interest in seeing everyone; only those of high rank and power were fortunate enough to gain an audience. Thus one must maintain good relations with the little eunuchs around the Emperor, even though they hold no status; at critical moments they can still speak up.

Yin Zheng went in first to report; shortly after, he came out smiling, his brows relaxed, and said softly: 'Lord Hu, please come in; the Emperor is already feeling better, and his mood is quite good.'

Hu Xiaotian secretly praised the lad for his cleverness and his tact in speech and deeds; so far, this younger brother had certainly not chosen poorly.

After dinner, Long Yelin indeed felt a bit unwell, though not seriously; if it weren't for Yin Zheng's suggestion that Hu Xiaotian come over to help look, he wouldn't have considered it a big deal at all. By now he felt much better, even forgetting that he had summoned Hu Xiaotian.

Upon entering the Xuanweigong, Hu Xiaotian loudly proclaimed: 'Xiaotian wishes the Emperor a most auspicious New Year: may your journey be smooth, your desires fulfilled, three generations prosper, four seasons peaceful, five blessings arrive at your door, six paths unobstructed, may the seven stars above lend their aid, smilingly welcoming affinities from all directions, may the nine heavens' vast fortune descend, bringing great joy and auspiciousness, all wishes fulfilled, myriad joys from the heart, ten thousand blessings, forever accompanying you—Your Majesty, Xiaotian offers his New Year greetings, offers his New Year greetings!' Hu Xiaotian fell to his knees with a thump and knocked his head three times solidly on the ground.

Long Yelin burst into hearty laughter at the string of auspicious phrases, delight showing on his brows: 'Well said, well said, hahaha! Quickly, bestow generous rewards, bestow generous rewards!'

Yin Zheng took a red envelope from the side and handed it to Hu Xiaotian; his admiration for this elder surged like the endless waters of the Yangtze, and he secretly sighed, 'Hu Xiaotian truly is a divine person; if I could learn even half of his abilities, promotion and riches would be within reach.' He silently recited Hu Xiaotian's New Year words, determined to memorize them even if it exhausted his brain cells.

After receiving the Emperor's permission, Hu Xiaotian rose from the ground, his face full of concern, and said: 'I heard the Emperor was unwell; how is he now?'

Long Yelin replied: 'It's nothing; I just felt a slight discomfort earlier, but I originally thought it was nothing—it was little Yin who insisted you come over.'

Hu Xiaotian laughed: 'Gonggong Yin's loyalty to the Emperor is unwavering and meticulous; he truly is a model for eunuchs, an example for us to learn from—admirable! admirable!'

Yin Zheng thought his skin was thick enough, yet even now he couldn't help but blush a little; 'Damn it,' he thought, 'Hu Xiaotian is truly a rare person in the present age—how can such shameless words come out so naturally and sound so pleasant?'

Hu Xiaotian said: 'Your Majesty, why don't I take your pulse?'

Long Yelin said: 'No need, I'm fine. By the way, why did you take so long to come over?' Only then did he realize he had summoned him quite a while ago.

Hu Xiaotian said: 'Your Majesty, please forgive me; I dare not lie before the Emperor. It's because I just went to pay respects to Gonggong Liu, which caused the delay.'

Long Yelin furrowed his brows; there are too many Liu-surnamed eunuchs in the palace to count— which Gonggong Liu?

Seeing his bewildered expression, Hu Xiaotian secretly sighed; Liu Yuzhang seemed to have died in vain, having served Long Yelin from childhood to adulthood, and even his death was because of him, yet it turned out that in Long Yelin's heart he had almost no presence. Meanwhile, Yin Zheng subtly gave Hu Xiaotian a look, hinting that, having finally caught the Emperor in a good mood during the New Year festivities, why bring up these unpleasant matters?

Hu Xiaotian, however, had done it on purpose, and added: 'Gonggong Liu Yuzhang.'

Upon hearing the name Liu Yuzhang, Long Yelin's smile instantly faded, his hands unconsciously clenching; after a moment he sighed: 'So it's Gonggong Liu, Xiaotian, it's hard on you to still remember him.'

Hu Xiaotian said: 'All that I have achieved today is entirely thanks to Gonggong Liu's care; in my heart I have always regarded him as my own father.'

Hearing him say that, Long Yelin's heart was involuntarily moved; in his heart Liu Yuzhang was no different from a relative. Liu Yuzhang was about to retire from the palace, and before leaving he had gathered some elders to denounce Ji Feihua's various wicked deeds in his presence, but the matter was leaked, leading to Ji Feihua's poisonous attack on him. Whenever he thought of this, Long Yelin felt endless remorse; as the ruler of a nation, he could not even protect the eunuchs beside him.

Long Yelin said: 'Xiaotian, in my heart I also regard Gonggong Liu as a relative.' He sighed and rose to his feet.

At this moment Hu Xiaotian knelt again: 'Your Majesty!'

Long Yelin asked: 'Why are you kneeling again?'

Hu Xiaotian said: 'I wish to ask the Emperor for one thing.'

Long Yelin said: 'If you have something to say, just say it; there's no need to kneel at the drop of a hat.'

Hu Xiaotian said: 'The task of escorting Princess Anping to Da Yong for her marriage is no trivial matter; I know I lack talent and virtue, and am unfit for such a great responsibility, so I ask the Emperor to choose someone more capable.'

Long Yelin's face darkened: 'Hu Xiaotian, what do you mean? Are you questioning my judgment?'

Hu Xiaotian's acting skills exploded; he forced himself to squeeze out two tears: 'Your Majesty, I, as the first generation, entered the palace to atone for my father's sins, having castrated myself and pledged to spend my life serving the Emperor to repay the great kindness he has shown our Hu family; even if the Emperor now ordered me to die, I would not frown. Yet the duty of the marriage envoy is truly too heavy; I fear I would fail the imperial trust.'

Long Yelin had thought it was something major, so he returned to his seat, took the cup of tea Yin Zheng handed him, sipped it, and said: 'I won't misjudge you; you needn't have so many misgivings.'

Hu Xiaotian said: 'Your Majesty, I am a bearer of guilt; since you decided to have me escort Princess Anping to Yongdu, many rumors have been circulating outside.'

Long Yelin said: 'What rumors? Tell me about them.'

Hu Xiaotian said: 'I dare not say.'

'I pardon your crime; speak freely!'

'Someone says Hu Xiaotian is colluding with the Li clan of Xichuan, intending to rebel.'

Long Yelin burst out laughing, as if he had heard the most ridiculous thing in the world, laughing until tears nearly welled up.

Although Hu Xiaotian was bold, even he felt a bit dazed by the laughter; 'Damn, am I really that funny? What are you laughing at, you idiot?'

Long Yelin said: 'Let them say what they want; do you think I'm that easy to believe? Colluding with the Xichuan Li clan—you don't care about your own life, do you not care about your parents' lives either?' Long Yelin's smile vanished completely.

Hu Xiaotian silently cursed, 'Long Yelin, Long Yelin, you're still using my parents' lives as leverage against me—you damned emperor, certainly not a good thing.' On the surface he put on a show of grateful tears: 'Your Majesty is sage, Your Majesty is sage.'

Long Yelin said: 'I trust your loyalty to Dakang, and I also trust that you harbor no divided heart toward me; now you can finally relax.'

Hu Xiaotian added: 'I have one more matter; I dare to speak it out, and I hope Your Majesty will not blame me.'

Long Yelin said: 'I've already said I won't blame you.'

Hu Xiaotian said: 'I've heard that the person responsible for the safety of the marriage entourage along the route is General Wen Boyuan.'

'Not bad; General Wen Boyuan is highly skilled in martial arts, possessing both wisdom and courage—having him escort you should guarantee absolute safety.'

Hu Xiaotian said: 'Your Majesty, I dare to think that he is not a suitable choice.'

Long Yelin's face darkened: 'What do you mean?' (To be continued~^~)