Chapter 921

That afternoon, Qiqi, under the escort of Hu Xiaotian and his party, headed for Tianlong Temple; she was clearly a bit tired, and after sitting in the carriage for not long she fell asleep. Quan De'an had the convoy slow down, giving the princess a chance to rest along the way.

Hu Xiaotian slowed his horse to ride up beside Quan De'an and gave him a hehe smile. Ten years later, the rivers have turned; Quan De'an never expected that the fake eunuch he himself had sent into the palace would, in a mere moment, be flourishing like spring wind, and that he, too, had become one of Princess Qiqi's most trusted confidants—indeed, Qiqi relied on him even more than on Quan De'an. The grudges and favors between them are tangled and complex, so much so that Quan De'an himself cannot sort them out.

Seeing Quan De'an's indifferent expression toward him, Hu Xiaotian coughed and said, 'Eunuch Quan, this prosthetic leg of yours is well made; if I hadn't known beforehand, I really couldn't tell it was fake.'

You had to bring up the sore spot, Quan De'an rolled his eyes: 'If you hadn't mentioned it, I almost would have forgotten—this leg is entirely thanks to you, Zajia.'

Hu Xiaotian said: 'The same event looks different to different people; ordinary folks think I saved your life, but you see me as the culprit who cut off your right leg.'

Quan De'an said: 'When did Zajia ever think that way? If I truly regarded you as an enemy over this, how could you still be alive today?'

Hu Xiaotian hehe laughed: 'I've long seen that Eunuch Quan isn't that stingy; otherwise he wouldn't have given me ten years of internal energy for nothing back then.'

Quan De'an gave a hum, his old face still turned toward the sky, thinking: No matter what, Zajia is the one who made your present fortune; without Zajia, you'd probably have died a year ago, and even the best outcome would have ended with you becoming a genuine eunuch. Although Quan De'an originally only thought of using Hu Xiaotian, now he believes he is Hu Xiaotian's benefactor.

Hu Xiaotian said: 'Eunuch Quan, why do you seem so indifferent toward me?'

Quan De'an said: 'Eunuch Hu, are you just trying to amuse yourself with Zajia?'

Hu Xiaotian smiled faintly: 'Although I'm not as old as Eunuch Quan, I've still gone through some things. From them I've understood a few truths: in this world there are no eternal enemies, no eternal friends; when faced with common interests, enemies can become friends—let alone that we were old acquaintances to begin with.'

Quan De'an looked at Hu Xiaotian with a strange expression and said: 'What common interests could Zajia and Eunuch Hu have?'

Hu Xiaotian said: 'Our shared interest is protecting the princess's interests; the princess trusts only the two of us. Without our escort, wouldn't her future path be full of peril at every step?'

'Alarmist!' Quan De'an said coldly, though he had to admit the fact in his heart: whether he liked it or not, he would be tied to this brat for a considerable period of time.

Hu Xiaotian said: 'Is it that everyone in this world has ambition?'

Quan De'an didn't know why he would ask that, and furrowed his brows.

Hu Xiaotian said: 'In the past it was Ji Feihua; now it's Hong Beimo. Don't you feel that the present Hong Beimo is none other than the former Ji Feihua?'

Quan De'an said: 'Zajia has never interfered in court affairs.'

Hu Xiaotian sighed: 'If you shirk responsibility, then won't I be under tremendous pressure?'

Quan De'an pressed his lips, hesitated a moment, then finally resolved: 'You had better not provoke the princess against Hong Beimo. Hong Beimo is far more terrifying than Ji Feihua.'

Hu Xiaotian smiled: 'Some things you can't just dodge; if others treat you as prey, they'll eventually strike. Rather than wait to be slaughtered, it's better to prepare early—and even strike first.'

Quan De'an stared at Hu Xiaotian, word by word: 'If you want to go crazy, go ahead—but never gamble with the princess's fate.'

Hu Xiaotian said: 'You've known me this long; when have I ever acted crazy?'

Quan De'an retorted: 'When have you ever been normal?'

Hu Xiaotian burst into loud laughter and recited in a clear voice: 'In the Peach Blossom Abode lies the Peach Blossom Hermitage; beneath the hermitage dwells the Peach Blossom Immortal. The Immortal plants peach trees, picks blossoms to trade for wine. When sober he sits before the flowers; when drunk he sleeps beneath them. Half-sober, half-drone day after day, blossoms fall and bloom year after year. I wish to grow old and die amidst flowers and wine, not to bow before carriages and horses. The dust of carriages and hooves marks the worldly; the wine cup and flower branches bind the recluse. If you compare the worldly to the recluse, one stands on earth, the other in heaven. If you compare flowers and wine to carriages and horses, what is their toil to my leisure? Others laugh at me as mad; I laugh that they cannot see through. I have never seen the tombs of the Five Mausolea's heroes; without flowers and wine, I would plow the fields.'

After hearing it, Quan De'an secretly praised him in his heart: this guy indeed has some twisted talent, able to churn out a little poem at any moment; this style easily moves the hearts of spring‑yearning maidens. He suddenly thought of the little princess, then immediately blamed himself—Qiqi is still just a child.

A voice of praise sounded from behind: 'Excellent line—others laugh at me as mad, I laugh that they cannot see through!' It was Mingjing, who, upon hearing Hu Xiaotian recite the poem, couldn't help but exclaim in admiration.

Hu Xiaotian smiled, eyes narrowed: 'A true confidant is hard to find, Senior Brother Mingjing, who studies heaven and humanity, showing off his poetry before you is like Lu Ban's doorstep playing with an axe, or Guan Yu's presence brandishing a great blade—just showing off.'

Mingjing said: 'Although this poem's language isn't ornate, its simplicity harbors truth; savor it carefully and it provokes deep thought. Commander Hu, you are indeed a great talent!'

Hu Xiaotian hehe laughed: 'Senior Brother Mingjing, this is the first time you've praised me like this; before, others at most called me a lecherous talent.'

Hearing this, Quan De'an could neither laugh nor cry: this fellow has no semblance of an official, just a clown spouting comic lines. This is the generation gap; Quan De'an can't stand Hu Xiaotian's style, yet Hu Xiaotian is quite popular and well‑received in today's age.

At that moment Qiqi lifted the carriage curtain and asked: 'Where did you plagiarize this poem from?'

Hu Xiaotian said: 'As expected, nothing gets past the little princess; this poem isn't my original work—it was composed by the past talented romanticist Tang Bohu, who was peerless in poetry and painting.'

Although still young, Qiqi is quite well‑read; she blinked her beautiful eyes and said: 'Tang Bohu? I've never heard of him.'

Hu Xiaotian said: 'That Tang Bohu is a world‑withdrawn idler; he never had much fame.'

Qiqi asked: 'Peerless in poetry and painting? Is he really that good?'

Hu Xiaotian said: 'More than just peerless in poetry and painting, his true talent lay in his amorous ways—he took eight gorgeous beauties as wives and finally married the number‑one beauty under heaven, Qiu Xiang, enjoying all the blessings of the land of Qi.'

Qiqi asked: 'Are you envious?'

Hu Xiaotian nodded without hiding it: 'Not just envious—I practically wish I were Tang Bohu myself.'

Qiqi said: 'Is having nine wives really that rare? Which emperor, in any dynasty, doesn't have three palaces, six courts, and seventy‑two concubines? Serve me well in the future, and I'll pick out several more beauties for you to marry.'

Hu Xiaotian thought he had misheard, and stared wide‑eyed.

Qiqi said: 'You don't want to?'

Hu Xiaotian nodded repeatedly: 'Willing! A hundred times willing!'

Qiqi said: 'If my aunt hadn't met with misfortune, taking you as a prince consort would not be a bad choice either.'

The speaker meant no harm, but the listener took it to heart; Hu Xiaotian couldn't help but feel his heart leap into his throat. This little girl Qiqi is no simpleton—could her words have some hidden meaning? Does she sense something about Long Xi Yue? Impossible; regarding Long Xi Yue I've handled things flawlessly, and aside from my sworn brothers, no one else knows the details—how could Qiqi possibly know? Hu Xiaotian put on an appearance of fearful trepidation and said: 'Princess, you'll be the death of me; what status do I, Hu Xiaotian, have to deserve such jade‑like nobility? I never even dared to dream of it.'

Qiqi said: 'That's not easy to say; a frog at the bottom of a well never stops dreaming of leaping out to eat swan meat.'

Others might not understand, but Hu Xiaotian does: Qiqi is mocking him. From the secret passage in the well she should easily infer that he and Long Xi Yue have been carrying on clandestinely; this girl is so sharp, how could she miss such a simple point? Quan De'an also understands, and he knows that passage too. Yet Quan De'an feels a vague sense of crisis: he agrees that Hu Xiaotian is a mud‑frog, and that he wants to eat swan meat, but the swan Qiqi speaks of is Princess Anping, whereas Quan De'an believes the swan in Hu Xiaotian's eyes has already become Qiqi—this fellow recites poetry and flaunts his charm; could he be harboring ill designs toward Qiqi? Given Hu Xiaotian's character, he might really pull something like that, and thinking of this, Quan De'an felt a chill run down his spine; from now on he really ought to guard against him more carefully.

Hu Xiaotian said: 'How inspiring! Even if one is forever a mud‑frog and still harbors such lofty ambitions, what excuse do we have not to strive and contend? As long as we have courage, there's nothing in this world we cannot achieve.'

Qiqi smiled: 'What do you want to do? Why not tell me about it?'

Hu Xiaotian narrowed his eyes: 'In the past all I wanted was to be a carefree scion of a wealthy family, find a pretty and lovable young lady, have a son and a daughter, live without worry or care in blissful harmony; when I grew old I would enjoy my twilight years, raise an old yellow dog, drink tea and play chess daily, and spend my life in plain simplicity.'

'And now?'

Hu Xiaotian said: 'Changed!'

Qiqi blinked her eyes, showing strong interest in his current wish.

'Now I still want to be a carefree wastrel, seeking a bevy of wives as beautiful as fairies, fathering a host of children—each wife to bear at least two—and when I'm old, to keep a pack of old yellow dogs…'

'You like animals so much—why not assign you to the Imperial Stables to feed the horses?'

Mingjing standing nearby couldn't help but burst into laughter.

Hu Xiaotian said: 'I don't have any grand ambitions; I once thought simply living was easy, but now I realize that wanting to live a simple, plain life is not so easy either.'

Qiqi let out a faint sigh: 'You don't understand yourself at all, Hu Xiaotian; you've never been one to settle for plainness, you love adventure and stirring up trouble—if you were given such a bland existence, you'd probably not make it past thirty before succumbing to vexation and demise.'

'The princess seems to understand me quite well!'

Qiqi shook her head: 'Not really, but an onlooker sees clearly.'

Second chapter uploaded, again ask for Guaranteed Monthly Ticket! (To be continued~^~)