Chapter 270: Proper

“Wen Yin, you’ve gone mad. You really have gone completely mad!”

Wen Yin shook his head and crossed his two skinny legs.

“You and I both know perfectly well that I’m not mad. You know it too. Otherwise, why did you sneak into this little inn and hide away just to meet me today?

“Isn’t it because the same thought has already crossed your mind?”

“Nonsense! Utter nonsense!”

“Fine. I’m talking nonsense. So what? Open your eyes and look around. The entire city is in mourning now, but all anyone knows is that something happened to the Marquis of Jingnan’s wife on Tianhu Mountain. Whether she was struck by lightning, assassinated, burned alive, or met with some damned accident—no one can say for certain.

“Ten thousand armored soldiers of the Jingnan Army have already sealed every route up and down Tianhu Mountain, yet they still haven’t made a move. Yes, you can say they’re waiting for the Marquis of Jingnan to return.

“But what about the Chief Commander stationed here in Litian City, and the other two Chief Commanders who rushed over after hearing the news? Did they all grow up eating shit? Do they really need the Marquis of Jingnan himself to come back and give the order before they can even take revenge or vent their anger?

“If there were no hidden concerns, why has the Jingnan Army still made no major move? If this matter didn’t involve something they were wary of, why would tens of thousands of Jingnan Army elites in and around Litian City suddenly turn from tigers into cats and become so patient over something like this?

“Eunuch Li, the water has receded, but the stone still hasn’t surfaced. Heaven only knows what kind of stone we’ll finally dredge up—one shocking enough to scare both you and me witless.

“And don’t forget what happened back then. The Third Prince merely used a few underhanded methods and harmed soldiers in the army. How did the Marquis of Jingnan avenge those soldiers? And where is the Third Prince cooling his heels now?

“If this affair really does uncover that particular stone... well, whether the Marquis of Jingnan will rebel is still impossible to say. But if he has lost his son, surely he’ll make sure that person also...”

Wen Yin let the sentence trail off before smiling.

“The Crown Prince is far away in Yanjing. Wouldn’t it be perfectly reasonable to sacrifice one eunuch like you to the banner first?”

“You are growing more insolent by the moment! More lawless by the moment! We must truly have been blind to think We could learn anything useful from you. Once We return and report this to our master, just wait and see how His Highness deals with you!

“You are merely one of his hounds and claws, yet you dare turn the tables on your master so brazenly. Who gave you such courage?”

Wen Yin continued eating peanuts and said nothing.

Li Yinglian rose and pushed open the door. Before leaving, he turned and looked once more at Wen Yin, who remained seated there as leisurely as ever. His cheek twitched, but in the end he said nothing and walked out. The black-vested man followed him.

Wen Yin reached out, pulled the entire plate of peanuts into his hands, and began picking them up one by one as though counting them.

Just then, another person entered the room.

The newcomer wore a cloak soaked through by the rain. After stepping inside, he removed it and hung it beside the door.

Wen Yin set down the peanuts.

Then he dropped to his knees before the newcomer and said with complete sincerity, “This humble one, Wen Yin, pays his respects to Eunuch Zhang.”

The newcomer was yet another eunuch.

And he was none other than the Sixth Prince’s personal attendant.

Who could have imagined that the old man responsible for cultivating and arranging jianghu forces on behalf of the former Second Prince—the present Crown Prince—was actually a man belonging to the Sixth Prince?

Eunuch Zhang sat on the stool Li Yinglian had occupied earlier. He brushed a few beads of rainwater from his temples and said, “This whole affair truly came out of nowhere. Heh. Look at it this way, and We and Li Yinglian have practically become twin lotus blossoms.

“We both came here on behalf of our respective masters to offer congratulations and show our faces. Who could have expected things to end up like this?”

“Eunuch Zhang, is Master doing well?”

“He eats coarse corn buns at every meal. Even taking a shit feels like undergoing torture. So no, his life is hardly comfortable.

“The only improvement is that ever since His Majesty sent all the women around Master into official slavery, Master’s complexion has improved quite a bit. He has more energy too.”

Wen Yin merely smiled.

“Old Wen.”

“This subordinate is here.”

“If you want to retire, then retire.”

“Eunuch Zhang, what this humble one said earlier was only meant for Li Yinglian’s ears. There was no hidden meaning behind it. When two dogs snap at each other, the Crown Prince trusts this humble one all the more.”

Eunuch Zhang shook his head.

“This is Master’s intention. Back when the Second Prince had not yet entered the Eastern Palace, keeping you beside him as an extra pair of eyes was convenient enough.

“But now the Second Prince has entered the Eastern Palace and become Crown Prince. What used to be horseplay and competition for favor between brothers has turned into a struggle over the foundation of the state. Keeping an informant like you by his side no longer serves much purpose.

“And forget about a residence in Yanjing. How does Shengle City sound? The City Defender there is one of our own. We can arrange a spacious courtyard for you, with a few more servants and maids. Consider it compensation for all the hardship you’ve endured over these years.”

“Eunuch Zhang, this humble one did not mean—”

“All right, all right. Our master conducts himself properly. You and We both know that. Otherwise, you would never have agreed to infiltrate the Second Prince’s side in the first place.

“There is no need for empty courtesies between us. If you feel you still haven’t done enough, keep working. If you’re tired, step down early.

“Master said the Crown Prince will probably take control of part of the Secret Intelligence Department before long. Once that happens, leaving your line in place beside him will no longer be safe.”

“This humble one will remember it. Many thanks for Master’s great kindness.”

“Enough. Let’s discuss the real matter. Li Yinglian belongs to the Crown Prince, and We belong to the Sixth Prince. We’re both eunuchs serving sons of the Emperor. If this affair really reaches that point, We may genuinely end up being sacrificed to Heaven right alongside Li Yinglian.

“Aiya. Everything was perfectly fine. How did such a damned mess suddenly appear?”

“Eunuch Zhang, it would be best if we did not involve ourselves in this matter. The water is too deep, and our legs are far too short to touch the bottom.”

“We understand the reasoning. But We dislike being left in the dark like this, and Master certainly won’t like it either.”

“The only information this subordinate received in advance was that, before the Marquis of Jingnan’s wife went to Tianhu Mountain, the Marquis’s residence supposedly arrested and killed a group of people.”

“Silver-Armored Guards?”

“Possibly more than that.”

Eunuch Zhang narrowed his eyes and smiled.

“Tell Us, what sort of divine ritual was the Marquis of Jingnan’s wife performing? How is it that none of us can understand what she was doing?”

“Eunuch Zhang, please allow this humble one to say something taboo.”

“You’ve already said plenty today.”

“Eunuch Zhang, there is an old saying: if someone is alive, you must see the person; if they are dead, you must see the corpse.

“Even with the entire city dressed in mourning, even if the funeral procession has already passed beneath the windows of this inn, even if the dead body were lying right in front of us—could we truly be certain it was real?”

Eunuch Zhang shook his head.

“That is indeed the logic of it. Enough. Go handle your own affairs, and be careful with that old life of yours.”

“This humble one understands.”

Stooping slightly, Wen Yin left the room.

A short while later, Eunuch Zhang put his cloak back on and departed the inn.

He twisted through several streets and alleys, changed clothes halfway along the way, then circled back to the very same inn. After returning to the second floor, he entered a guest room across the inner courtyard from the one he had used before.

Inside sat an exceptionally elegant man, idly turning a wine cup between his fingers. Crimson wine swirled within it.

“I say, could you drink a little less? These are fine wines I bought from Western merchant caravans. Even I can hardly bear to drink much of them myself, yet you’re nearly through my entire stock already.

“How enormous must Lord Zheng’s family fortune be to survive the way you squander money?”

Lord Zheng did not build family fortunes.

He was only responsible for squandering them.

A’Ming did not say that aloud. Instead, he shook his head with a smile.

“The Sixth Prince is so poor his pockets practically jingle with emptiness. He even has to come begging my Master for handouts. Yet his personal attendant can afford wine this expensive.

“Sigh.”

“My Prince said it himself. If he is poor, if he has to live hard days, that is his own affair. He bears the hardship himself and lets His Majesty see the difficulty.

“But there is no reason to starve the people working under him. As for what little private wealth I have, my Prince would never take a single coin of it.”

Eunuchs tended to be greedy for money.

They had no descendants and no children to care for them in old age, so wealth became the thing they relied upon to secure their later years.

“Then why does he keep asking my Master for money?”

“They are friends. Friends have a duty to share their wealth. It is precisely because my Prince thinks highly of your Master that he is willing to borrow money from him.”

A’Ming nodded in admiration.

“That shamelessness is exactly the same as my Master’s.”

“Heh.”

Eunuch Zhang was not offended. He walked over to A’Ming and joined him by the window.

“You’ve had a difficult journey. You traveled all the way to Yanjing, and then still had to accompany Us on this trip to Litian City.”

“It was on the way. No need to thank me. Master went out on campaign anyway, so whether I returned or not made little difference.”

With Master away from home, who was he supposed to block arrows for?

“The Marquis of Jingnan returned to the city last night. The war should be over, which means Lord Zheng should have returned as well.

“It is about time you went back to Shengle. There is no need to keep wading through this muddy water here.

“It is so deep that even We are starting to feel afraid.”

A’Ming shook his head.

“If the Marquis of Jingnan is back, then my Master should be back too.”

“That is only natural.”

“No. I mean back here.”

A’Ming rested an elbow against the edge of the window.

“Not everyone has the qualifications to stick a hand into this pool.”

“Whether you drown or not comes later. But if you walk away without even getting your clothes wet, that would be a little unreasonable.”

“My Prince certainly does not want Lord Zheng jumping into a fire pit at a time like this. You should know just how much effort and how great a price my Prince has already invested in Lord Zheng!”

“Heh.”

“What are you laughing at?”

A’Ming raised a hand and pointed toward the street outside the window.

“There.

“He’s here.”

Beyond the window, beneath the curtain of rain, a lone rider tore through the streets of Litian City at full gallop.

It was none other than Zheng Fan, City Defender Zheng.

He had chased after Tian Wujing all the way back, but even though the horse beneath him was a fine steed, it still could not match Tian Wujing’s Pixiu. He had fallen a full day behind.

Truth be told, galloping through the rain beneath the oppressive atmosphere hanging over the city made him look rather dashing.

Eunuch Zhang curled his lips.

“So what if he’s here?

“What use can he possibly be?”

A’Ming was unconcerned.

“On the day you and your Prince are standing on tiptoe, desperately waiting for my Master to arrive, I hope you can still say the same thing.”

Eunuch Zhang chuckled.

“We have another wine cellar in Our private residence in Yanjing.”

Then he added, “Drink as much as you like.”

A’Ming nodded.

“Now that’s proper.”

[End of Chapter 270]