Chapter 105: The Princess's Favorite Eunuch

Long Chen sat on the *kang*, wrapped in a quilt and leaning against the wall.

In the center of the room stood a table scattered with pine nuts. Di Luoxi sat opposite him, with Xuanyi and Qingyue on either side, and Zhang Qian seated nearby.

"Little Dragon, you need to remember your place. You are this Princess's eunuch; don't try to defy me, understand?" Di Luoxi curled her lip in a cold smirk, her eyes raking over Long Chen.

The four of them had just stripped him bare and taken his clothes to be washed, leaving him with no choice but to huddle in the quilt.

"My dear bodhisattvas, you've already stripped me of my clothes; can we talk properly now?" Long Chen felt helpless. His cultivation was still at the peak of the King realm, while Di Luoxi was at the Martial Emperor level and the other three were at the King realm. Being one against four, he was truly outmatched and had been thoroughly suppressed.

Xuanyi giggled, "Elder Tang, it was clearly you who wouldn't speak properly and angered the Princess."

When Long Chen had nothing to do, he had told them stories from *Journey to the West*, so they were familiar with Tang Seng.

Qingyue chimed in, "Exactly. Speak nicely to the Princess, or you'll suffer for it later."

Long Chen thought to himself: *Stop putting on such an act. Back in the bathhouse, every one of you was nothing but a little kitten crawling at my feet.*

"That's just it—I have always been a good eunuch to the Princess, haven't I?" Wise men don't fight when the odds are against them; Long Chen decided to placate Di Luoxi first.

Di Luoxi chewed on a pine nut and nodded with satisfaction. "That's a good boy. Now tell me, what did you talk about with that Feng He today?"

Long Chen cleared his throat and gestured toward the teacup on the table. Zhang Qian immediately poured a cup and held it out for him to drink.

"Feng He arrived in Eastern Zhou from Southern Liang..." Long Chen recounted the details of their meeting. Of course, he only shared what was safe to say; he kept silent about Feng He's claim that Long Chen’s true ambition lay in ruling the world.

Di Luoxi bit down on a pine nut, heard him out, and then cracked it open with a crunch, eating the kernel and tossing the shell into a bin nearby. "He has sufficient evidence in his hands? What kind of evidence?" She was somewhat pleased—the more evidence, the better—but she remained skeptical of Feng He’s honesty.

"He didn't say. He’s using the evidence as a bargaining chip; he wouldn't tell me even if I asked." Long Chen hadn't pressed him, knowing it would be futile.

Zhang Qian asked suspiciously, "Do you trust him? What if he was sent by Li Chengdao?"

Long Chen replied, "That is a possibility. I don't trust him, but as long as he is useful to us, that’s enough. It’s simply mutual exploitation." Feng He wouldn't have arranged a meeting just to swindle some money; he likely truly possessed the evidence. As long as it served his purpose, that was sufficient. As for trust, since Feng He was unwilling to use his own mother as a hostage, Long Chen would not grant him his trust.

Qingyue interjected, "I actually think this Feng He is alright. He has principles." Feng He’s principle was his filial piety toward his mother.

"Exactly. For a professional spy, having such filial piety is rare. That is precisely why I chose to cooperate with him." Long Chen had repeatedly demanded that Feng He surrender his mother as a hostage, but Feng He had refused every time. It was this very trait that made him a man of principle, and thus, someone potentially worth trusting. If Feng He had finally relented and sent his mother to the palace as a hostage, Long Chen would have killed him on the spot. Someone who could abandon their own birth mother was not worth trusting and did not deserve to live.

"So, you do have some trust in Feng He after all," Di Luoxi said coolly.

Long Chen nodded. "A shred of trust serves as a foundation, but I value his competence more. If he joins us, we could build a vast intelligence network to monitor the world." He added, "Of course, that would require a great deal of money, and fortunately, we are not short on that." He only spoke of valuing Feng He's abilities; he did not mention whether Feng He was willing to pledge loyalty.

Di Luoxi shook her head. "No. If he cannot be fully trusted, he must not be used. A spy network is impossible to control if you don't hold the reins." She understood all too well how troublesome an unsupervised force lurking in the shadows could be, just as the secret guards under Jing Tianlie had proven.

Long Chen smiled. "It’s just an idea for now. We can discuss the specifics later. If Feng He proves trustworthy, we will consider it; if not, we won't speak of it again." Trust was the hardest thing to find between people. Betrayal was human nature, for everyone ultimately prioritized their own interests; selfishness was the norm. Selling out one's comrades was a shortcut to gain, and stepping on their corpses was the fastest way to rise. Thus, through the ages, blood kinship remained the most reliable bond—brothers fighting side by side, fathers and sons going into battle together.

Di Luoxi cracked another pine nut, staring at the teacup on the table. "Regarding the Shuihan case, Bai Qiulian is the one charging ahead, yet Jing Tianlie has remained motionless. That isn't normal."

Qingyue said with disdain, "Bai Qiulian is just trying to curry favor. That slut is truly shameless."

Long Chen remarked, "Bai Qiulian was propped up by Jing Tianlie in the first place, and she has feelings for him, so it’s normal for her to be at the forefront. However, I don't think Jing Tianlie will stay behind the scenes forever. Once he returns to the capital, he will certainly make a move."

Di Luoxi said with concern, "Feng He was right. If Jing Tianlie denies everything, we truly have no way to deal with him."

Long Chen replied, "It’s fine. We never intended to uproot the Jing family in one go. Regardless of the outcome, the Jing family will suffer a heavy blow." Ice three feet thick does not form in a single day, and it cannot be thawed in an instant, either; one must take it slowly.

Di Luoxi looked out the window at the swirling snow. "Very well. You three keep an eye on him. He is not to leave alone again." She put on her shoes and opened the door to return to her bedchamber in the Western Palace. The Qiuxing Palace and the Western Palace were separated by only a wall, just a few steps away.

Once Di Luoxi left, Long Chen looked coldly at the three women and said in a lecherous tone, "My three bodhisattvas, you were accomplices to her tyranny just now. How shall we settle this account?"

Zhang Qian giggled as she fetched his clothes. "My lord, it was the Princess's order. We had no choice, and it was all in good fun."

Xuanyi and Qingyue also laughed. "My lord, why take it so seriously? We only took your clothes; you’ve stripped ours plenty of times before. We're even now—don't be angry."

Long Chen stepped out from under the quilt and immediately pinned Qingyue down, laughing and scolding, "You little vixen, you were the most enthusiastic one just now. We'll start with you."

Sounds of pleas and laughter echoed through the room.

...

Yingfeng walked briskly into the bedchamber of the Fengming Palace, where the Empress was reviewing memorials. These memorials were submitted by commoners; the handwriting was crooked, and there were even misspellings. The Empress had issued a decree that any commoner with a grievance could submit a memorial directly, and local officials were forbidden from interfering.

"Zhenhai County reports that pirate raids are severe and the local officials are failing to resist. Tell the Inspector to investigate thoroughly and find out what is going on." The Empress was furious. She cared most about the well-being of the people, and such negligent officials, once verified, were almost always beheaded.

The attendant official at her side immediately took note. Yingfeng entered, and the attendant withdrew.

"Long Cheng'en just left the palace for the Fresh Fish Restaurant and met with Feng He. The two had a long, private conversation, and Long Cheng'en gave him a pouch of gold coins." Yingfeng commanded a spy network known as the Shadow Guards, who kept constant watch over Long Chen—partly for surveillance, and partly for his protection.

"What did they say?" The Empress set down her brush and asked with great interest.