Chapter 106: Bargaining with a Tiger for Its Skin

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Huyan Dun’s words froze me in place, as if nails had been driven into my feet. What he brought me was not only surprise, but also fear. If he were to expose me, it would be a dead end for me. Yet he had not exposed me so far—what was his purpose?

“Come find me in the palace tonight at the hour of the pig. If you don’t, I can’t guarantee what I might say,” Huyan Dun whispered in my ear, then exhaled sharply by my temple.

Instead of feeling a tingling sensation, a wave of dread crawled from the soles of my feet to the top of my head.

“小 Xiaozi?” Jiang Xuan must have noticed I hadn’t kept up; he frowned and turned his head from a short distance away.

As he turned, Huyan Dun straightened up, acting as if nothing had happened.

“At your service,” I replied without looking at Huyan Dun, quickly slipping behind Jiang Xuan.

“He,” Jiang Xuan glanced once at Huyan Dun.

“Ninth Prince, let’s return to the palace quickly.”

Jiang Xuan then withdrew his gaze and said, “Mm.”

Walking along the way, I only relaxed after confirming Huyan Dun had not followed.

“小 Xiaozi!” I was lost in thought when Jiang Xuan suddenly turned around, startling me into stepping backward.

“At your service!” I bowed my head quickly.

“What are you thinking about?” Jiang Xuan’s gaze locked onto me, unwavering.

If I mentioned Huyan Dun, Jiang Xuan might become suspicious; if he learned my true identity, that would be bad.

“Hm?”

“I was wondering, if Ninth Prince hadn’t wasted that arrow on me, how many apples could you have shot down?”

“Really want to know?”

I nodded.

“Back to the palace.”

“Huh?”

Following Jiang Xuan back to the palace, I was still dazed while he ordered ten apples to be set up. Standing about fifty paces away, he took aim and drew his bow.

With a swoosh—

The arrow pierced through an apple and struck the bullseye.

I turned to look, astonished. Not only had every apple been hit, but one apple was knocked to the ground by the force of the arrow.

I looked at Jiang Xuan, this spirited youth who had never been underestimated.

Jiang Xuan tossed the bow to a nearby eunuch, then strode over to me, bending slightly to whisper, “Are you satisfied with the result?”

“Ninth Prince’s archery is superb. I admire you.”

“Remember this.”

“Hm?”

“That arrow was to save you, not wasted.”

I suddenly looked up at him. Jiang Xuan smiled faintly and said, “Prepare water. Bathe.”

“Ah!”

This was Jiang Xuan’s plan all along: the first round saved face for the Great Jin Dynasty and secured his rightful claim as champion. The second round, someone’s treachery gave him a chance to gracefully bow out, preserving Jiang Yun’s dignity as well.

I returned to Cuiwei Palace but couldn’t stop thinking about Huyan Dun. He had called me to meet him tonight, and I had no choice but to go. Yet this man was inscrutable; I had no idea what he wanted.

“小 Xiaozi?”

Yun Qing called me, snapping me back to reality.

“What are you thinking about? Don’t let the Empress see you like this.”

“I know my mistake, but does Her Majesty have any instructions?”

“Come in. The Empress has something to ask you.”

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“Yes!”

I followed Yun Qing inside, who closed the door behind us, clearly something important was at hand.

“The Empress has received a prescription,” Yun Qing said straightaway. “But she doesn’t know if it’s effective. You’re clever—do you have any ideas?”

I said, “Just ask the imperial physician.”

Zhang Bitong rolled her eyes. “If I could just ask the physician, would I need to ask you?”

“I’m confused,” I bowed, then asked, “Do you know what this prescription is for?”

Yun Qing glanced at Zhang Bitong, who turned her head and said, “It doesn’t hurt to tell him. After several encounters, I still trust him.”

Yun Qing nodded. “This prescription helps with conception.”

“Pregnancy?”

Yun Qing said, “In the harem, few women are favored by the Emperor. Even fewer conceive after being favored. So the concubines try all sorts of means to increase their chances. The Empress came by this prescription by accident, but the ingredients are too potent to use lightly. And it can’t be known by the imperial physicians, so she had no choice but to ask you.”

“So the Empress wishes to bear an imperial son for the Emperor.”

“I would be satisfied with just a princess. But if I conceive, surely the Emperor’s heart will be with me. Look, today he favored a Xiongnu princess, tomorrow who knows who else. If I don’t use some methods, how can I win his heart?”

“If Her Majesty truly wants to know if the prescription works, why not let me leave the palace to find a doctor? That way we’ll know.”

Zhang Bitong’s eyes lit up. “Good idea. Xiaozi, if this prescription fails, you can also ask if there’s another that might work.”

“Yes, I remember.”

I pocketed the prescription and on my way back encountered Hong Xiu. She looked at me intently but said nothing. At first, seeing Hong Xiu confused me, but now knowing her feelings for Long Zhan, I was much calmer. After all, she was also a prisoner of love. As long as she no longer harmed me, I would go along with her.

At the third quarter of the hour of the dog, Zhang Bitong had already retired. Xiao Yunzi was on guard outside. Seeing the palace silent, I slipped out quietly.

Arriving at the place arranged for Huyan Dun, I found the palace entirely empty.

He must have sent everyone away.

The emptiness made me even more nervous. The unknown future was truly unsettling.

“Come in,” Huyan Dun suddenly opened the door and stood there, startling me.

I approached as he closed the door behind me and leaned against it, watching me.

I stood frozen, daring not to move, and asked, “May I ask what His Highness the Prince wants from me?”

Huyan Dun stepped forward and sat on the soft couch, lifting a cup from the table and swirling it before asking, “What is your name?”

“At your service, I am Xiaozi.”

“I’m asking your real name.”

“My real name is unimportant. In this palace, I am Xiaozi.”

“Interesting,” Huyan Dun said, draining his cup, then asked, “Why disguise yourself as a man to blend into the harem?”

“I don’t understand what you mean, Your Highness.”

As I finished, Huyan Dun suddenly leaned in and grabbed my chin.

“You still dare to lie to me?”

I looked at him silently.

His hand slid across my cheek as he said disdainfully, “I never mistake people. That day in the hot spring, it was you—undoubtedly a young lady.”

Unable to refute, I confessed, “Since Your Highness already knows, I need not pretend. I am but an inconspicuous eunuch in the harem; whatever my purpose here, it does not concern you.”

Huyan Dun withdrew his hand and leaned back arrogantly. “You’re right, your purpose has nothing to do with me. But I am curious about that Ninth Prince.”

My heart leapt, but I showed no emotion.

“On the surface, the Crown Prince and Sixth Prince are superior and favored by the Emperor. But I don’t think so. From the first time we met, that look in his eyes was not ordinary. And recently, we shot ten arrows together. I suppose if he hadn’t shot that last arrow for you, I and he would be evenly matched in archery.”

I said, “Your Highness has already tied with the Crown Prince.”

“Tied?” Huyan Dun snorted coldly. “There are no more opponents. Winning against me is meaningless. It’s better to give your Crown Prince some face, or else it would be embarrassing.”

I recalled what Jiang Chen had said, realizing Huyan Dun had deliberately held back.

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If Huyan Dun had not saved his strength, there might have been a true contest between him and Jiang Xuan. I silently thanked fate that Huyan Dun was only interested in Jiang Xuan, not me. And Jiang Xuan, as the Ninth Prince, was noble; Huyan Dun was merely an envoy who would soon return to the Xiongnu, so likely nothing would come of this.

“If Your Highness came to ask about the Ninth Prince, then you asked the wrong person. I am just a eunuch in Cuiwei Palace, not familiar with him.”

“Not familiar?” Huyan Dun smiled playfully. “Would a master bring a eunuch to soak in a hot spring? Would he be so eager to save you today? Xiaozi, your cleverness is useless before me. But I only summoned you to size you up. Now I am certain I will need you in the future.”

Need me in the future? What did he mean?

“Your Highness intends to threaten me with my own identity?”

“The most amusing thing in the world is exactly that. I hold your secret, and you cannot escape, like a mouse caught in my hand, at my mercy. Of course, if you want to escape, I can toss you to a cat. The choice is yours.”

A chill ran through me, but I didn’t know how to respond.

Suddenly, something fell from the ceiling—

Ah, not something, but a person.

With a scream, Huyan Dun caught her without hesitation.

Standing steadily, I realized it was Princess Xi He who had fallen.

“Princess?” I gasped, my eyes nearly falling out.

“Cough, cough, put me down, you reckless scoundrel!”

Huyan Dun loosened his grip, and the princess fell to the floor.

“Princess,” I hurried to help her up.

She pointed at Huyan Dun, shouting, “You villain! How dare you harm me!”

Huyan Dun shrugged. “The Princess told me to let go. I was only obeying her orders.”

“You—”

“Princess, are you alright?”

“I’m fine.”

“I wonder why Your Highness the Princess was on my roof. Does the young princess wish to spy on men?” Huyan Dun sat back on the couch, pouring himself a drink.

“I’m not spying on you. This is the palace, not your Xiongnu lands. I come and go as I please. Xiaozi, let’s go!”

“Ah!”

I followed Princess Xi He out boldly. Outside the palace, she patted her chest. “That scared me to death. Who knew the roof would collapse and I’d fall right through?”

“Princess, how could you be so careless? What if you’d been hurt?”

“No harm done. Actually, I just wanted to see what this Xiongnu prince looked like. His archery is impressive. But Father forbids me from going to the shooting range, so I snuck out. By the way, Xiaozi, how did you end up there?”

Startled by her question, I said, “By chance, that prince sent me to serve him. I was just about to return to Cuiwei Palace when the princess fell from the sky.”

“Xiaozi,” Princess Xi He leaned in with a sly smile, “Are you sure that prince isn’t attracted to your beauty?”

“Princess, I am a eunuch now.”

She rolled her eyes. “Even as a eunuch with delicate skin, who can say they wouldn’t be tempted?”

Her words struck a chord. I recalled Jiang Xuan’s strange behavior these days, and Huyan Dun’s comment that Jiang Xuan cared for me. Could it be—

I shook my head hard, goosebumps rising all over me. Could Jiang Xuan have fallen for a man?

No, no, I am a woman!

No, wait, I am a man before him!

Still no, how would Jiang Xuan know I am a eunuch and like me? Besides, why would he like me?

But Jiang Xuan’s behavior is truly strange!

I was utterly confused!