Chapter 846

Hu Xiaotian originally wanted to visit Li Yuncong with these two jars of wine, but Shi Xuedong is merely a minor figure; given his position, he could not possibly know the palace's core secrets. Li Yuncong is different—he has been plotting the old emperor's restoration, and now that the old emperor has successfully been restored, he must have made great contributions, so Hu Xiaotian can surely obtain much inside information from him.

Before Hu Xiaotian could even leave, the palace guard Qi Dainei came to find him.

Hu Xiaotian had dealt with Qi Dainei a few times before and knew he was one of Mu Rongzhan's capable aides, but now Hu Xiaotian's status was vastly different from before; upon seeing Hu Xiaotian, Qi Dainei hurriedly bowed deeply and said, "Your humble servant pays respects to Sir Hu!"

Seeing his respect, Hu Xiaotian finally slipped into his role. Right! I am now the deputy commander of the palace guards, the direct superior of these inner guards—in other words, the deputy captain of the royal security detail. Wearing this royal security uniform is indeed much neater and more imposing than the eunuchs' robes. Hu Xiaotian puffed out his chest and smiled: "Elder Brother Qi, no need for excessive courtesy; we are old friends."

Qi Dainei said: "Superiors and inferiors must be distinguished; propriety must be observed."

Hu Xiaotian secretly felt pleased; since leaving Qingyun, he had not felt this satisfaction from power for a long time. Although when he held great authority in the Directorate of Gardens, a bunch of little eunuchs fawned over him, that was hardly normal. Hu Xiaotian asked: "Elder Brother Qi, what do you need from me?"

Qi Dainei said: "It's not me seeking you, Sir; it's Commander Murong who asks you to come over for an important matter."

Hu Xiaotian nodded; Mu Rongzhan had always been inscrutable to him. Deep down he did not want too much contact with this person, yet he could not avoid it, after all Mu Rongzhan is the father of Murong Feiyan. He will eventually become his father-in-law; although this future father-in-law is not pleasing to look at and his deeds are somewhat scheming, he must still be faced.

During this period, Mu Rongzhan lived a secluded life—first, he disliked sunlight; second, he had suffered serious wounds in the operation to encircle and suppress Ji Feihua. When Hu Xiaotian entered his room, Mu Rongzhan had just finished meditation. Although he was the commander of the palace guards, he was not wearing official robes; his black long robe made his skin look even more deathly pale.

Hu Xiaotian walked in with a smiling, narrowed gaze, clasped his hands, and said: "Subordinate Hu Xiaotian pays respects to Commander Sir!"

Mu Rongzhan remained seated, not rising, and sized up Hu Xiaotian. After not seeing him for several months, this lad seemed somewhat sturdier and darker than when he had left. He had also just heard that Hu Xiaotian was actually a false eunuch, never expecting Princess Yongyang to trust him so much that, upon his return to Kangdu, she immediately entrusted him with important duties—and coincidentally placed him under Mu Rongzhan's command. Mu Rongzhan also understood that Princess Yongyang had no intention of using Hu Xiaotian to replace him; she merely gave him an office. His gray-white pupils fixed on Hu Xiaotian's face. His expression remained unsmiling: "Please have a seat."

Hu Xiaotian sat opposite him; Mu Rongzhan's gaze was overly sharp. Such a look was not only that of a future father-in-law examining his son-in-law, but also like a police officer eyeing a thief who had bewitched his daughter, making Mu Rongzhan's feelings very complicated.

Hu Xiaotian said: "I don't know what orders Commander Sir has for summoning me."

Mu Rongzhan replied calmly: "You serve under my command. Shouldn't your first duty be to come pay your respects to me?"

Hu Xiaotian smiled: "That's only natural. I originally intended to prepare a gift and pick an auspicious day to visit, but I never expected that, having just received my appointment, Commander Sir would already have someone come fetch me."

Mu Rongzhan silently cursed, thinking, "Are you presenting a betrothal gift? Still need to prepare presents and pick an auspicious day?" He said calmly: "In the palace, big and small matters are hardly hidden from my eyes."

Hu Xiaotian laughed: "That's only natural!" while pondering how to broach the main topic.

Mu Rongzhan said: "Hu Xiaotian, I never imagined you had concealed yourself so deeply that even I was deceived by you." When Hu Xiaotian accompanied Long Xi Yue to the Lingxiao Palace on Piaomiao Peak to visit the old emperor, Mu Rongzhan had personally examined Hu Xiaotian's body; he had clearly seen that this fellow was undoubtedly a eunuch—hearing is false, seeing is believing—but now what his eyes see may not be true.

Hu Xiaotian said: "At that time, I dared not reveal the truth because circumstances forced me to; I hope Commander Sir will not hold it against me."

Mu Rongzhan said: "I hear you have not been castrated?"

Upon hearing this, Hu Xiaotian knew Mu Rongzhan still doubted his male body, for he had used the Yin‑raising, Yang‑reducing technique to slip past his eyes then. Hu Xiaotian smiled: "You will find out if you ask Feiyan about it."

Upon hearing this, Mu Rongzhan could not help but flare up in anger, glaring at Hu Xiaotian and shouting: "Bold!" Hu Xiaotian's words were utterly rude; he clearly knew Murong Feiyan was his daughter, yet dared to say such things to his face.

Hu Xiaotian took a step forward; the five‑colored coiling dragon gold medal at his waist glinted. Seeing it, Mu Rongzhan forcibly suppressed his rising anger. This lad is no ordinary person—he once gained Ji Feihua's trust, and though Ji Feihua has now fallen, he has found a powerful backer in Princess Yongyang. Leaving aside other matters, just because of this medal I cannot touch him. Actually, Mu Rongzhan bears no ill will toward Hu Xiaotian; he is merely troubled by the question of whether Hu Xiaotian has been castrated.

Hu Xiaotian said: "Commander Sir, please don't take offense; I usually speak without restraint, so I hope you will forgive any impropriety."

Mu Rongzhan said: "Do you still remember what you promised me back then?"

Hu Xiaotian said: "I indeed promised you, Sir, that I would persuade Feiyan to withdraw from the Divine Strategy Manor, but after that mission she undertook, I have never seen her again, nor have I had the chance to speak with her." While speaking, he watched Mu Rongzhan's expression, hoping the commander would reveal Feiyan's whereabouts.

Mu Rongzhan said: "She has other duties; she is not presently in the capital."

Upon hearing this, Hu Xiaotian knew Mu Rongzhan certainly knew Feiyan's whereabouts, but this old fellow simply refused to tell him. Moreover, Hu Xiaotian puzzled: even if he could not find Feiyan, given her temperament she would certainly refuse to obey Mu Rongzhan's discipline, so why wouldn't she come to him? Hu Xiaotian asked: "Sir, could you give me a hint?"

Mu Rongzhan said: "I have told you before; you had best avoid seeing Feiyan in the future."

Hu Xiaotian heard this and the corner of his mouth twitched into a cold smile: "I don't quite understand Commander Sir's words; we are both adults, our legs are our own—if we truly wanted to meet, I doubt even you could stop us."

Mu Rongzhan said: "From now on, we serve in the same hall; it's best we keep the peace. I have said all I needed to say; that's it. If you later do anything offensive to me, you will bear the consequences yourself."

Hu Xiaotian could not miss the threat in Mu Rongzhan's words; he hehe‑laughed: "I will remember your words, Sir, but if it is for the benefit of Dakang, I, Xiao Tian, dare offend anyone." He had half a sentence left unspoken: "For my father's sake, I wouldn't care even about the old emperor, let alone you, a mere palace guard commander."

Mu Rongzhan said: "You sound loyal and devoted to Dakang. Since you have just received your appointment, I'll grant you two days off to attend to your personal affairs; come see me in two days, and I have an important task for you."

Hu Xiaotian acknowledged with a sound, took his leave, and inwardly cursed Mu Rongzhan roundly. He had hoped to obtain news of Murong Feiyan from him, but returned disappointed. Hu Xiaotian was not worried about Feiyan's safety—after all, Mu Rongzhan is her father; a tiger does not eat its own cub, so he would hardly harm his own daughter. Yet it seemed Mu Rongzhan was quite dissatisfied with him as a future son‑in‑law, clearly intending to cut off his contact with Feiyan, which is indeed somewhat troublesome.

Hu Xiaotian returned to the Directorate of Gardens, carrying the two jars of wine to the Library Pavilion. Having gained nothing from Mu Rongzhan, he decided to try Li Yuncong instead, hoping Li could reveal some inside information. Arriving at the Sutra Pavilion, he saw the young eunuch Yuan Fu sweeping the courtyard. Yuan Fu heard footsteps, looked up, and saw Hu Xiaotian in his guard attire, immaculate and imposing, striding over. He was taken aback, blinked, then recognized Hu Xiaotian and exclaimed delightedly: "Lord Hu!"

Hu Xiaotian chuckled, noting that he had only just received his appointment today, and the little eunuch of the Sutra Pavilion obviously was not well‑informed. He smiled and asked: "Is Lord Li in?"

Yuan Fu replied: "He is here; Lord Li just said earlier that Lord Hu might come today, and I didn't expect you to actually arrive."

Hu Xiaotian asked: "Where is Lord Li?"

Yuan Fu said: "He has been in his room these days."

Hu Xiaotian said: "I'll go see him myself!"

Yuan Fu nodded and pointed out the direction for Hu Xiaotian.

Li Yuncong's current appearance startled Hu Xiaotian—he had lost one eye, and compared with his former self he looked far more aged and frail; Hu Xiaotian almost thought he had entered the wrong room.

Li Yuncong fixed his single eye on Hu Xiaotian and said: "How come? You don't recognize the Miscellaneous School?"

Hu Xiaotian said: "Lord Li, how did you end up like this?" He was well aware of Li Yuncong's astonishing, unorthodox martial arts—Li not only possessed supreme skill but also excelled at heart‑seizing techniques; last time he had used a huqin to stir the aberrant true qi within Hu Xiaotian's body, and even Hu Xiaotian had been injured to this state by someone else, showing how formidable the opponent's power must be. Hu Xiaotian vaguely guessed that Li Yuncong was probably eight or nine times out of ten injured by Ji Feihua's hand.

Li Yuncong gazed at the two jars of wine Hu Xiaotian carried, his lone eye shining brightly: "Are these for me?"

Hu Xiaotian smiled: "Fifty‑year‑aged Jade Hall Spring; the Directorate of Gardens' stock is already running low."

Li Yuncong let out a strange, grating laugh: "No one understands the Miscellaneous School's intentions better than you, kid."

Hu Xiaotian approached Li Yuncong and placed the two jars of wine on the small table.

Li Yuncong reached out, seized one jar, wiped off the mud seal, opened the crock, tipped his head back and gulped it down. After several large gulps, his face lit up with extreme satisfaction; he exhaled and said: "Delightful! Delightful…" Before he finished speaking, he began to cough, his old face turning purple. Seeing this, Hu Xiaotian felt a twinge of worry, fearing the old eunuch might choke to death.

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