Chapter 95: Two Eunuchs

The night deepened at the Wan'an Thousand-Household Office.

Over a dozen Red Scale Guards in red robes stood on either side with hands on their swords, while a carved palanquin sat in the center.

Cao Fo'er, his hair streaked with gray, wore a tall hat as he sat on the palanquin, holding a white porcelain tea cup and leisurely picking out floating tea leaves; his eyes, marked with crow's feet, gave off a drowsy air.

Cao Huai'an, the Pacification Commissioner, knelt on one knee, with four bodies covered in white cloth behind him; though regarded by Jingcheng officials as a living Yama, fine beads of sweat now hung on his forehead, and his words carried a third part nervousness:

"Lord Cao, forgive me; this matter stems from my son's lax supervision. Within three days, I will uncover the truth and give Lord Cao an explanation..."

Chief Eunuch Cao Fo'er had been the 'Great Companion' of the Qian Emperor in his youth; after earning merit in the Jian'an Rebellion by following the dragon, the Qian Emperor had forcibly elevated him to the Super Rank of the Buddhist path with the nation's full strength, making him a trusted guardian.

Although honored as one of only two Super Ranks in Jingcheng, Cao Fo'er's Super Rank was somewhat inflated, lacking the overwhelming aura of a true ancient ancestor who would say, "Who else but me?"

Instead, Cao Fo'er looked more like an aged, fat old man, with kind eyes and a slightly effeminate tone to his speech:

"It is not an explanation for your father, but an explanation for the Prince.

"Just now, the Danwang Prince wailed outside the palace gate, claiming the Red Scale Guards harbored disloyal hearts and plotted to assassinate him, sowing discord between the Son of Heaven and his brother the Danwang, even startling the Son of Heaven.

"Though the Prince is disliked by the Danwang, disliked by the Son of Heaven, and even disliked by the Crown Prince, he is ultimately the Son of Heaven's own nephew.

"If you do not provide a reasonable explanation for this matter, even if your father wishes to protect you, the Prince likely will not agree..."

Having heard the news from the Golden Tower, Cao Huai'an had already guessed the general course of events and was about to report when footsteps sounded outside again.

Tap, tap, tap...

Turning to look, he saw an old man in brocade robes entering the gate briskly with attendants, raising his hands in a bow from afar:

"Lord Cao is here? What a coincidence..."

Cao Fo'er did not rise, merely greeting him in a sarcastic tone:

"Oh~ In the middle of the night, why is Eunuch Li not at home keeping his concubines company, but has come to the Red Scale Guards?"

Li Gongpu, the Huang Menlang, was secretly mocked by civil and military officials as 'Eunuch Li', but very few in all of Jingcheng dared to call him that to his face.

Cao Fo'er was the Chief Eunuch and usually did not meddle in Red Scale Guard affairs; when the Emperor issued orders, he typically sent Huang Menlang Li Gongpu to deliver them, and over time, Li Gongpu became seen by outsiders as the Red Scale Guards' second-in-command.

But in reality, in the eyes of the Red Scale Guards, Li Gongpu was merely the Son of Heaven's megaphone, though they dared not disobey the words he conveyed.

Facing Cao Fo'er's teasing, Li Gongpu showed not a shred of anger:

"I heard there was trouble at the Golden Tower and came to check the situation. Has it been discovered how Han Jingchuan died?"

Cao Fo'er glanced at the corpses on the ground:

"Does this require investigation?"

Cao Huai'an, knowing the grudge between Xie Jinhuan and Han Jingchuan, rose to reply:

"Han Jingchuan led men to ambush Xie Jinhuan in the room, carrying blood-fiendish objects to frame him.

"As a result, the demon bandits of the Mingshen Sect also sought to silence Xie Jinhuan, and the two groups collided.

"Xie Jinhuan sensed something was wrong and hid in advance, striking from the shadows, and accidentally killed Han Jingchuan."

Li Gongpu already knew the general situation; now he frowned tightly, looking at Han Jingchuan's corpse and pointing to the fatal hammer blow that had struck 'dead center':

"Even an ordinary person might not be able to land such an accurate hit; how can this be called accidental killing?"

Even if Cao Fo'er's Super Rank was watered down, it was still a genuine Super Rank; he commented:

"This was a strike made with all one's might, aiming to kill; it certainly contained some personal grudge."

"Exactly."

Li Gongpu asked: "Since it was not accidental killing, will Lord Cao not investigate?"

Cao Huai'an interjected: "During the clash, there were witnesses inside and outside the Golden Tower; Han Jingchuan was also dressed in black and masked, hiding with a blade in someone's house intending to commit a crime. Even if Xie Jinhuan intended to kill him, it was Han Jingchuan who sought his own death; how does Lord Li plan to investigate?"

"..."

Li Gongpu actually wanted to use this as an excuse to make a move, but Han Jingchuan was truly too stupid, leaving Xie Jinhuan no single handle to grasp!

Seeing the tone of this father and son, he knew the Red Scale Guards did not wish to handle this matter and replied:

"The dead man was a Red Scale Guard Thousand-Household Commander; Li Mou merely cares enough to ask a couple of questions. How to investigate naturally depends on Lord Cao."

Cao Fo'er, knowing Li Gongpu's character, asked directly:

"Was Han Jingchuan's action arranged by Lord Li?"

Li Gongpu replied with equal frankness:

"Li Mou is not so stupid as that. Han Jingchuan came yesterday and asked me to help decide. I told Han Jingchuan to hold his troops and increase his defenses.

"If Xie Jinhuan has no desire for revenge, both sides will remain at peace; if he truly comes to assassinate, whether Han Jingchuan lives or dies, the Red Scale Guards can thoroughly investigate Xie Jinhuan. Who could have thought he would actually hand the knife to the other party?"

Cao Fo'er nodded slightly:

"Lord Li indeed has a belly full of bad water; with such an open scheme, if Xie Jinhuan can break it, he must have a high expert assisting him. Pity that Lord Li used a useless pawn.

"The dead man was a Red Scale Guard Thousand-Household Commander; this matter cannot simply be dropped. But investigating Xie Jinhuan is truly unreasonable. Why not let Lord Li lend me something, so I have a legitimate reason to act?"

Li Gongpu frowned slightly and leaned closer:

"What does Lord Cao wish to borrow?"

"I wish to borrow Lord Li's head!"

Cao Fo'er stroked his chin, pondering seriously:

"Xie Jinhuan appears to be a person who never forgets a grudge; he will surely seek trouble with Lord Li again. I can learn a trick from Lord Li.

"Within a month, if Lord Li dies suddenly without cause, the Red Scale Guards will arrest the culprit directly; even if Xie Jinhuan possesses heaven-reaching abilities, he cannot escape the pursuit.

"If Lord Li is not dead, it proves Xie Jinhuan has no intention of revenge and that Han Jingchuan sought his own death; we cannot judge a gentleman by the heart of a petty man."

"..."

What a move: Lord Li Offering His Head...

However, while Lord Li could offer Han Jingchuan's head to set a trap, how could he possibly offer his own head for a scheme? He merely chuckled lightly at that moment:

"Lord Cao jokes. But 'a state cannot stand without laws'; if this youth truly has such audacity to come and assassinate Li Mou, I hope Lord Cao will then handle the matter impartially and not seek any personal motive."

Cao Fo'er paid no heed, merely lifting his tea cup, blowing on it, and taking a small sip:

"Hmm~ This tea is excellent."

Serving tea to dismiss a guest.

Li Gongpu's eyelid twitched; thinking to tease, he said:

"Master Cao's 'Vajra Unmoving Zen' has already been cultivated to be impervious to oil and salt; do you fear burning your mouth even when drinking tea?"

"Master Li is full of fat and grease; by all rights, he should fear no cold, yet he added clothes when autumn arrived."

?

Li Gongpu spoke with biting sarcasm; where could he compete with this eunuch? He said no more and swept his sleeve, departing.

Cao Huai'an stood with his hand on his sword until Li Gongpu led his team out the door, then asked in a low voice:

"Father, why is Li Gongpu more favored than you?"

Cao Fo'er looked slightly displeased: "I am at least human; how can I be compared to a poodle?"

Cao Huai'an felt this was true and asked again:

"Given Xie Jinhuan's conduct, he will likely seek trouble with Li Gongpu; Li Gongpu will not sit idly by while he strengthens his wings. Should we intervene in this matter or not?"

Cao Fo'er raised his hand slightly, ordering the attendants to lift his palanquin:

"One must look at the master before beating the dog; Xie Jinhuan should not be foolish enough to assassinate Li Gongpu. As for Li Gongpu, if Xie Jinhuan can be set up and calculated to death by such a person, he will not last long anyway."

"Oh..."

—

On the other side.

Dim yellow candlelight still illuminated every corner of the basement, but the wooden bed against the wall had become two.

He Shen, with bandages wrapped around his waist, struggled to sit up, holding a rice bowl and devouring food, his eyes gleaming with joy as if he had picked up several hundred taels of silver; while eating, he mocked:

"Oh my, oh my~ Look, what is called immediate retribution. Still a Incense Master of the Mingshen Sect; if all Incense Masters are like this, I think I could be one too..."

Zhang Chu lay shirtless in front, with bandages wrapped around his waist and abdomen; two faint bloodstains were visible. There was no anger in his eyes, only deep confusion:

"How did Han Jingchuan hide in Xie Jinhuan's room? Not only did he stab me twice, but his team was wiped out by Xie Jinhuan. I have walked the capital for so many years, yet this is the first time I have encountered such a brainless oddity..."

He Shen shrugged slightly: "The Jianghu is just like this; if everyone could see the situation clearly and predict events like a god, where would there be deceit and fraud? To speak plainly, you surviving and running back already exceeded my expectations. But rest assured, you won't live long; Xie Jinhuan has already set his sights on you..."

Inside the basement, an old man with white hair sat, examining Zhang Chu's injuries. After pondering for a moment, he helped review the situation:

"Three years ago, during the haunted palace case, Han Jingchuan could find no clues pointing to us. To shift the blame, he used Li Gongpu's power to make Xie Jinhuan's father take the fall.

"Xie Jinhuan is not yet aware of the details of this case; the hatred of a father's death will certainly be laid at Han Jingchuan's door.

"Han Jingchuan, feeling guilty, striking first is not surprising; perhaps he did not find anyone in the room, so he lay in wait to strike.

"Then you, worried about the matter coming to light, went to silence him, and the result was the great flood washing away the Dragon King's temple..."

Hearing this analysis, Zhang Chu felt so aggrieved he didn't know who to complain to; thinking, he asked:

"This youth seems to have some extraordinary luck; he will surely become a major threat in the future. How should we handle him?"

He Shen put down his rice bowl and interjected:

"I know this well: divert the disaster east! Since Xie Jinhuan is still unaware of the inner truth, just pin the blame on Li Gongpu.

"Li Gongpu's reputation is harder than even my master's; you can point to any corpse and claim Li Gongpu killed it, and the corpse itself would first suspect it misremembered the murderer's appearance rather than believing Li Gongpu is innocent..."

The old man understood the weight of the three words 'Eunuch Li' and shook his head:

"Li Gongpu was the mastermind behind framing Xie Jinhuan's father; this matter needs no diversion. Given Li Gongpu's character, he will not sit idly by while Xie Jinhuan's wings grow full; he will definitely strike soon.

"Our framing would be adding feet to a snake; just focus on our own affairs. The matter in Danyang was botched; we must quickly refine another 'Hua Yao Dan'."

Hearing these words, He Shen leaned in closer:

"Where will we refine the pill? Who is leading this time?"

"Since you know how hard your master's reputation is, do not ask things you should not know; tend to your injuries properly."

"Hey? Could I possibly sell you out..."

—

I wrote these ten chapters in two or three days, updating with all my strength. Thank you, great ones, for your support or2!

(End of this chapter)