“Wen Yin, you’re crazy, you’re really crazy, gone mad!”

Wen Yin shook his head, crossed his two skinny legs, and said:

“You and I both know very well that I’m not crazy, and you know I’m not crazy. Otherwise, why would you hide in this small inn for a secret meeting today?

Isn’t it because you yourself are thinking along those lines too?”

“Nonsense, nonsense!”

“Alright, I’m talking nonsense. Why don’t you open your eyes and take a look? The whole city is in mourning now, but everyone in the city only knows that the Jingnan Marquis’s wife had an accident on Tianhu Mountain, but no one can say clearly whether it was struck by lightning, assassinated, burned, or some other mishap.

Ten thousand Jingnan soldiers have surrounded the mountain roads of Tianhu Mountain, but they haven’t taken action for a long time. Yes, you can say they are waiting for the Jingnan Marquis to return;

But the problem is, are the garrison commander of Li Tian City and the two garrison commanders who rushed over after hearing the news all grown up eating shit? Even revenge and venting require the Jingnan Marquis himself to come back and give the order?

If there are no hidden worries, why hasn’t the Jingnan Army taken any major action so far? If it doesn’t possibly involve something, how could tens of thousands of Jingnan Army warriors inside and outside Li Tian City turn from tigers into cats lying there, actually developing a temper in the face of such a thing?

Lord Li, the water has receded, but the stone hasn’t come out yet. Who knows what kind of stone will finally be touched, one that will surprise both of us?

Don't forget, back then, the Third Prince just used some tricks to harm the soldiers in the army, and how the Jingnan Marquis stood up for the soldiers. Where is the Third Prince cooling off now.

If that stone is touched this time, what will happen? It’s hard to say whether the Jingnan Marquis will rebel, but since he lost his son, he will definitely let that one also..."

“You’re becoming more and more presumptuous, more and more lawless. This old one is really blind, to actually want to get news from you. Wait until this old one goes back and reports to the master, and see if the master doesn’t deal with you.

As a lackey, you dare to be so unscrupulous and turn the tables. Who gave you the guts!"

Wen Yin continued to eat peanuts without saying a word.

Li Yinglian stood up, opened the door of the guest room, and looked back at Wen Yin sitting there leisurely. His face twitched, but he still turned and left, and the man in the black jacket also left with Li Yinglian.

Wen Yin reached out and took the whole plate of peanuts into his hands, counting them one by one as if he were counting grains.

At this moment, another person walked into the guest room. The person was wearing a cloak, which was already soaked by the rain. After entering, he hung the cloak at the door first.

Wen Yin put down the peanuts in his hand,

and knelt down to the person,

sincerely saying:

“Little one, Wen Yin, greets Eunuch Zhang.”

The person who came was actually another eunuch, and this eunuch was none other than the Sixth Prince's personal attendant.

Who would have known that the old man who specialized in cultivating and arranging Jianghu (martial world) forces for the former Second Prince, who is now the Crown Prince, was actually the Sixth Prince's man.

Eunuch Zhang sat down on the stool where Li Yinglian had been sitting earlier, patted the water droplets on his temples, and said:

“This matter is really unexpected, haha, so it seems that this old one can be considered a ‘twin lotus’ with that Li Yinglian,

both coming to say hello for their respective masters, showing their faces, who would have thought it would end up like this.”

“Eunuch, is the master doing well over there?”

“Turnips and cornbread for every meal, so much so that even shitting feels like torture. He’s really not doing well;

the only improvement is probably that since His Majesty sent all the women around the master into official slavery, the master’s complexion has recovered a lot, and he’s also more energetic.”

Wen Yin just smiled when he heard this.

“Old Wen ah.”

“Here.”

“If you want to retire, then retire.”

“Eunuch, what I said earlier was just for Li Yinglian to hear, not meant as any insinuation. When two dogs fight, the Crown Prince is more at ease with me.”

Eunuch Zhang shook his head and said:

“This is the master’s intention. Before the Second Prince entered the Eastern Palace, it was convenient for you to be an informant by his side. Now that the Second Prince has entered the Eastern Palace and become the Crown Prince, the frolic and competition for favor between brothers has turned into a struggle for the foundation of the country. There’s no use for you to stay as an informant there anymore.

Forget about the mansion in Yan Jing. How about Sheng Le City? The city guard there is one of our own. Getting a spacious courtyard with more servants would be considered fulfilling your hard work over the years.”

“Eunuch, I’m not…”

“Alright, alright, our master still pays attention to affection, you and I both know this, otherwise you wouldn’t have been willing to go to the Second Prince’s side as a spy.

Let’s not mention the empty talk. If you feel like you haven’t done enough, then continue to do it. If you’re tired, then come down early.

The master said that the Crown Prince is estimated to take over part of the Secret Spy Division soon. It’s no longer safe for you to stay by the Crown Prince’s side on this line.”

“This little one remembers, thank you for the master’s great kindness.”

“Alright, let’s talk about serious matters. That Li Yinglian is the Crown Prince’s man, and this old one is the Sixth Prince’s man. Both are eunuchs by the Emperor’s sons. If things really get to that point, this old one may really have to be sacrificed to the heavens with that Li Yinglian.

Aiya, why did this kind of bad thing happen out of nowhere?”

“Eunuch Zhang, it’s better for us not to get involved in this matter. The water is too deep, and our feet are too shallow.”

“I understand the reasoning, but this kind of muddle-headed situation, not to mention that this old one doesn’t like it, the master definitely won’t like it either.”

“The only bit of information that this subordinate received in advance is that it is said that before the Jingnan Marquis’s wife went to Tianhu Mountain, a batch of people were captured and killed in the Marquis’s mansion.”

“Silver Armor Guards?”

“Probably more than that.”

Eunuch Zhang narrowed his eyes, smiled, and said:

“You say, what kind of divine ritual is the Jingnan Marquis’s wife performing, that we can’t understand it at all?”

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

“You’ve already said a lot today.”

“Eunuch, as the saying goes, you have to see the person alive or the body dead. Even if the whole city is in mourning now, even if the funeral procession has already passed under our inn, even if the dead person is lying in front of us, can we really determine whether it’s real or fake?”

Eunuch Zhang shook his head,

and said:

“That’s the reasoning, alright, you go busy yourself, be careful of your old life.”

“This little one understands.”

Wen Yin walked out of the guest room with a hunched back.

A moment later, Eunuch Zhang put on his cloak again, left the inn, and after going through many twists and turns, changed his clothes midway, and walked back to the inn again. After going up to the second floor, he came to the guest room opposite the guest room he had entered earlier.

He pushed open the door and walked in. Inside sat a man with an extremely elegant demeanor, playing with a wine glass in his hand, with red wine swirling inside.

“I say, can you save me a little to drink? These are all fine wines bought from Western merchants. I usually can’t bear to drink too much myself. You’re good, you’ve almost drunk up my entire fortune these days. How big of a family fortune does Lord Zheng have to withstand being squandered?”

Lord Zheng doesn’t earn a family fortune, he only takes charge of squandering it.

However, A Ming didn’t say this out loud, but shook his head and smiled, saying:

“Clearly His Highness the Sixth Prince is so poor that he’s broke, and has to freeload from my master, but his attendant can afford to drink such expensive wine, sigh.”

“This is what my Highness said personally. He’s poor, he lives a hard life, that’s his own business. He eats the bitterness himself, and shows the difficulties to His Majesty.

There’s no reason to starve his subordinates. My Highness won’t take a single penny of my remaining wealth.”

Eunuchs are all greedy for money, because eunuchs have no descendants, no children to rely on for old age, so they can only rely on money for old age.

“Then why ask my master for money?”

“Friends, there’s an obligation to share wealth. It’s precisely because my Highness looks up to your master that he borrows money from him.”

A Ming nodded, and praised:

“This kind of shamelessness is really exactly the same as my master.”

“Hehe.”

Eunuch Zhang wasn’t angry. He walked to A Ming’s side, and looked out the window with A Ming, while saying:

“Thank you for your hard work, coming all the way to Yan Jing, and having to accompany me to Li Tian City.”

“It’s on the way, you’re welcome. Anyway, my master has gone on an expedition, so it doesn’t make much difference whether I go back or not.”

My lord is not at home, who am I going to shield?

“The Jingnan Marquis returned to the city last night, the war should be over, Lord Zheng should have returned as well. It’s time for you to go back to Sheng Le, so you don’t get caught up in muddy waters here anymore.

This water is so deep that I feel a little scared.”

A Ming shook his head, and said:

“Since the Jingnan Marquis has returned, my master should have returned as well.”

“That’s natural.”

“No, I mean returned here.”

A Ming propped his elbow on the edge of the window.

“Not everyone is qualified to get involved in this pool of water.”

“Whether you drown or not is a matter for later, but if you don’t even get your clothes wet, then it’s a bit unreasonable.”

“My Highness doesn’t want Lord Zheng to jump into the fire pit at this time. You must know that my Highness has spent so much effort and so much cost on Lord Zheng!”

“Hehe.”

“What are you laughing at?”

A Ming then reached out and pointed to the street outside the window,

and said:

“Look, he’s here.”

On the street outside the window in the rain,

a person was galloping wildly in the city,

it was Zheng Fan, the city guard of Sheng Le, who was chasing after Tian Wujing but was left behind by Tian Wujing’s Pixiu by a day’s journey even though the warhorse under his crotch was a fine steed.

Not to mention, this posture of riding a horse in the rain, coupled with the repressed atmosphere in the city at this time, is really a bit handsome.

Eunuch Zhang curled his lips, and said:

“What’s the use of him coming?”

A Ming didn’t take it seriously,

and said:

“When will the day come when you and your Highness look forward to my master coming, I hope you, Eunuch, can also say these words.”

Eunuch Zhang gave a “hehe” smile,

and said:

“This old one has a wine cellar in his outer residence in Yan Jing City.”

Immediately afterwards,

Eunuch Zhang added:

“Plenty to drink.”

A Ming also nodded, and said:

“Excellent.”