Chapter 452: Kill Intent in the Dark Night

Although he hadn’t secured the position of eunuch in charge of ceremonial affairs, Lu Feng, as the de facto leader of that office, was now extremely powerful. Since taking office, his subordinates and junior eunuchs had fawned over him excessively, a stark contrast to his earlier days when he was under Zhang Qian’s control at the Imperial Surveillance Office. Even when he first took control of the Eastern Depot, he had never enjoyed such prestige.

Though he was wary of Huang Yan’s fate and didn’t dare go too far, he didn’t hesitate to seize any opportunities to benefit himself. Unlike other lowly eunuchs who could only sleep in crowded dormitories, his status allowed him to own a three-story house in the alley where the Imperial Surveillance Office was located. Yet, greedy as he was, he wasn’t satisfied and accepted another residence outside the palace, spending most nights there. Naturally, no one paid attention to such trivial matters.

That evening, several wealthy merchants invited him to drink at Wanxianglou, the finest restaurant in the capital. By the time they left, curfew had already begun. Already half-drunk, he was helped into a sedan chair by two junior eunuchs and immediately ordered to be taken to the Eastern Depot. Sitting in the swaying carriage, he clutched tightly to the heavy box in his arms, humming an off-key tune.

“As soon as power is in my hands, I’ll do as I please—watch me turn gold into tiles and silver into walls…”

It wasn’t surprising he was happy. Inside the box were not only a pair of white jade horses but also a stack of golden leaves, gifts from those merchants. Though he was no longer the deputy head of the Imperial Surveillance Office, his elevated status meant many fawned on him. Moreover, since Zhang Qian often served the emperor, he paid little attention to the affairs of the Imperial Surveillance Office. His influence still held weight, so as long as he distributed some benefits, it wasn’t considered overstepping his bounds. Thus, he accepted it without guilt.

After curfew, the capital fell silent. Though occasional sounds of music and chatter came from the mansions of nobles and high-ranking officials, most places had already turned off their lights, and the streets were pitch dark. Lu Feng’s group, with guards leading the way and protecting the rear, and a large green silk sedan chair carried in the middle, stood out sharply. Several night patrol soldiers initially intended to approach for inspection but quickly retreated upon seeing the attire of those leading the way.

How could they dare confront someone who could command the Imperial Guards as attendants?

He made his way back to the Eastern Depot. Lu Feng was helped into the meeting hall and sat down in the grand chair in the center. He drank a bowl of sobering soup, which quickly cleared his dazed mind. After listening to a few officials report matters, he waved his hand to send them away. However, one of the officials lingered at the back, waiting until everyone else had left before turning around.

“Elder Lord, I have an urgent matter to report. May I ask you to send everyone else away?”

Hearing the word “urgent,” Lu Feng, who had been resting with closed eyes, opened them slightly. After observing the short and fat official for a moment, he noticed the man’s small eyes exuding an indescribable slyness, which displeased him. He sneered, “This is a trusted subordinate who followed me to the south. Speak straight—don’t beat around the bush. If you don’t want to talk, get out. I’m not interested in your tricks!”

The short and fat official hesitantly glanced at the stern guard behind Lu Feng. Seeing the guard staring at him unfriendlyly, he felt a chill down his spine and quickly explained, “I mean no harm. It’s just a very important matter… I’ve been in charge of the Jishuitan area in the northwest of the capital. Although there aren’t any top-ranking nobles there, there are some officials living there, so I’ve kept a close eye on it. Last month, I noticed a strange house there. Usually, only one person goes out to buy vegetables and meat, enough for several people, yet no one else in the house ever shows up…”

Lu Feng was still not fully sober and grew even more impatient hearing the man’s rambling. He slapped the armrest and snapped, “Stop droning on! Get to the point!”

“Yes, yes. I watched carefully for several days until I finally spotted a clue. One afternoon, a black carriage stopped in front of the house. A young lady entered with two attendants, seemingly from a wealthy family. Soon, there was noise inside, then silence. But from where I was eavesdropping from the high wall, it seemed the noisy person had their mouth covered. So when they came out, I followed them secretly, almost to the point of exhaustion, before finally reaching the place. Guess where it was?”

“If you keep playing games, do you really think I won’t make you experience the eighteen techniques of the Imperial Guards?”

The chubby man, who had initially been complacent and eager to boast about his achievements, now awkwardly gave up on that idea. He quickly lowered his voice and said, “The place where the carriage stopped is the west gate of Lord Yangwu’s mansion. I was afraid I had misidentified the person, so I tried to find out later. I heard that the girl is the maid of Lord Yangwu’s wife and is now with Lord Zhang. I guessed there must be important people in that mansion, so I went to great lengths to gather information, and finally I got some results.”

At this moment, Lu Feng was no longer indifferent. He propped himself up on the armrests, trying to stand up, but ended up staying seated. His voice carried an unmistakable urgency: “What’s the result?”

“She’s the woman whom Lord Yangwu’s eldest son, Zhang Chao, once hid in a secret residence. The old lady discovered it, so he hid her there.” Seeing Lu Feng’s face turn disappointed, as if he might explode at any moment, he hurriedly explained, “My lord, from what I heard, this seems like a matter related to the household of a noble family, but it’s actually not the case at all. That woman was brought back by Zhang Chao during his mission to suppress the pirates in the southeast. Her background is not only unclear but also highly suspicious. Moreover, while gathering information, I accidentally came across another important piece of news.”

This time, he didn’t dare hold things back anymore. After taking a deep breath, he quickly said, “Didn’t Lord Yangwu bring back a second wife from the southwest? It’s said that not long after he set off for Jiaozhi, this second wife suddenly ran away! If she were just a woman from a humble family, it might not matter, but she’s the daughter of the tusi of Mangshi in Yunnan. My lord, think about it—Jiaozhi relies entirely on supplies from Yunnan. As soon as Lord Yangwu left, she left too. There’s clearly something fishy about this…”

“Enough, enough! Stop talking!”

Trying hard to control his pounding heart, Lu Feng waved his hand dismissively and said, “We thought it was something serious, but it turns out to be just some trivial affairs among noble families. Your skill at eavesdropping is truly remarkable! This is the Eastern Investigation Bureau, not a place for women’s gossip. You keep obsessing over such baseless rumors. At your age, you’re living like a dog!”

After delivering a scolding, he softened his tone slightly and said calmly, “Considering your loyalty, even if there’s no hard work, there’s still some effort involved. Go to the accounting department and get three hundred strings of cash. Stop staring foolishly at those noble families from now on!”

The short and chubby eunuch was first scolded into a state of confusion and panic, and then, upon hearing about the reward, his mood changed drastically—his temper completely vanished. Grateful, he agreed and quietly left the room. Lu Feng watched his retreating figure with a cold expression before softly calling out, “Liang Ming!” When his usual short-body guard turned around to salute, Lu Feng gently raised his chin and said, “Find an opportunity to get rid of this guy. Also, make sure he hasn’t spread the news. No matter who he might have told, find those people and deal with them one by one! Remember, this information must not leak under any circumstances!” It wasn’t until Liang Ming left the meeting hall that Lu Feng finally let out a long sigh, his hands tightly clenched together. If one doesn’t act for oneself, heaven and earth will punish them. Although his relationship with Zhang Yue was good, the Zhang family had two hereditary nobles—what was he, just a eunuch? With each new emperor, new ministers would rise; even if the Zhang family lost power in the future, they would still remain wealthy, but he wouldn’t have the same luck. Without power, he wouldn’t even be able to become a wealthy man! By holding leverage over the Zhang family, he deserved more. Besides, it was uncertain who would rule the world in the future… Huang Yan had indeed lost his life by showing his stance too early, but he wouldn’t be that foolish. Realizing that Liang Ming wouldn’t return that night, Lu Feng stayed at the Eastern Depot for a while before gathering his people and heading home with great fanfare. Compared to the palace, his residence outside had maids, wives, and old women—naturally better than those eunuchs who only knew how to serve obsequiously. After being taken care of, he changed into fresh clothes and climbed into bed satisfied, feeling an indescribable pleasure throughout his body. Almost instantly, he fell asleep. After what seemed like a long time, Lu Feng, still half-asleep, felt increasingly thirsty. He turned over and tried to call for help, but suddenly felt something cold on his neck. Straining to open his eyes, he saw a gleaming object placed on his neck. All his drowsiness vanished instantly, and his teeth started to chatter. “Was Fang Bin killed because of you?” “How do you know… No, it wasn’t me!” Lu Feng instinctively asked before realizing what he’d said. Filled with terror, he felt the cold object on his neck move closer and hurriedly added, “Princess Chen Liu was also at Lingji Temple that day offering incense—maybe she said something…”

To his surprise, the person who had been hiding outside the tent suddenly changed tone and laughed. “Eunuch Lu, there’s no need to rush to shift the blame onto others. I have nothing to do with Fang Bin. Moreover, since you managed to drive Fang Bin to death, my master will only be happier—why would he kill you? I’m here merely to remind you that my master has just arrived in the capital; as the head of the Eastern Depot, don’t forget to take good care of him. Also, my master is well aware of all the silver you collected in Qingzhou back then, as well as the money you embezzled over the years.”