Huangming

Chapter 84 The Eunuch's Amorous Nature, Taking an Unorthodox Approach

Li Xiong was the chief eunuch of the Imperial Kitchen, in charge of procurement matters.

There are far too many people eyeing this position, and it's very lucrative. Every day when I leave the palace, I can embezzle a little money.

He was very cautious and dared not ask for too much money or favors, because little by little, he could accumulate a lot of wealth for his retirement.

However.
Money sometimes really does come chasing after you.

Three years ago, on an unremarkable morning, he went out of the palace as usual to buy fruits and vegetables. However, he encountered a foreign official giving him money.

All he had to do was tell them what the emperor liked to eat.

This was not something he, as a procurement eunuch, was supposed to do.

However, the gifts they gave were far too much.

One thousand taels a month!

That's fourteen thousand taels a year!

How long would it take him to save up that much money?
Moreover, merely revealing what the emperor liked to eat was not a crime.

Furthermore, these people were willing to spend money, even using the slender women of Yangzhou to seduce him and have sex with him.

When that beauty appeared before the eunuch of the Imperial Kitchen, his manhood seemed to have already set its sights on her.

He could also regain his dignity as a man by conquering this woman, which, even if it was nonsense, offered him some solace.

Although I, Li Xiong, am a eunuch, I still have women!

Gradually, Li Xiong went from only revealing what the emperor liked to eat to revealing the emperor's diet. As a result, he received more and more money, and the incriminating evidence against him by his officials grew larger and larger.

Now, he can't get off this pirate ship anymore.

At 1:15 AM, Li Xiong, accompanied by eunuchs from the Imperial Kitchen, carrying the Imperial Kitchen's identification token and the "pass" issued by the Ministry of Revenue, left the palace after his identity was verified by the guards at Donghua Gate.

For ordinary purchases, the inner market outside Donghua Gate can meet the needs.

As for other delicacies, such as venison and deer antlers supplied exclusively by the Nanyuan Deer Enclosure, they were delivered directly to the inner market by hunters from Nanhaizi, without needing to be purchased from Nanyuan.

"Buy only what's listed in the booklet. If you buy even a little too much or too little, you'll be in serious trouble!"

Li Xiong's threats were so intimidating that the accompanying eunuchs were terrified and their necks seemed to shrink.

"Godfather, we will definitely get the job done!"

Seeing that his adopted sons were still quite clever, he warned them from the side:

"Let me make this clear: you can skim some money on these purchases, but you'd better be careful. If you get caught and lose your head, don't blame me for not warning you!"

After saying this, he got into a sedan chair carried by two men and headed towards the lantern market.

The lantern market at Dongsi Archway offered rare ingredients such as Liaodong ginseng and Fujian white fungus, and vendors could trade using "Imperial Merchant Certificates".

As the sedan chair passed through the stone archway of Dongsi Archway, a bustling atmosphere filled with the scents of perfume and the aroma of charcoal fire wafted towards it.

"Excuse me!"

A group of porters pushing wheelbarrows called out, and on the wheelbarrows were ice chests sent from Nanhai overnight, with faint traces of deer leg bloodstains visible inside.

Li Xiong lifted half of the sedan curtain and glanced at the shop on the west side with the sign "Su Ji Tea and Snacks".

This was a secret agent arranged by the Shanxi merchants. There were three baskets of winter dates in front of the door, but they were covered with red cloth. This was the secret signal for the rendezvous.

As the sedan chair turned into the alley behind the tea shop, two porters wearing felt hats suddenly lifted a basket covered with an oilcloth and placed it across the alley entrance, which happened to block the view of the patrolling officers of the Five Cities Garrison.

Suddenly, a hidden door opened in the gray wall at the end of the alley, and the shopkeeper, dressed in a traditional Chinese robe, came forward with his hands in his sleeves, the gilded abacus hanging from his belt jingling.

"Eunuch Li has finally arrived."

He lowered his voice, a hint of eagerness flashing in his eyes.

After welcoming the eunuchs from the Imperial Kitchen into the hall to be seated and served tea.

He slid half of a sealed letter covered with sealing wax from the Ministry of Revenue out of his sleeve. “The newly tribute Siamese purple rice from the south, please add a few entries to the register of the Imperial Kitchen.”

As they spoke, the sound of a gavel striking the table came from the bookstore next door. A storyteller was loudly reciting "The Story of Heroes and Martyrs," drowning out the transaction in the shadows amidst the hustle and bustle of the marketplace.

Li Xiong had some doubts.

"You summoned us here just to offer Siamese purple rice as tribute?"

Now that His Majesty is cleaning up the inner court, why would he risk his life to come here for such a trivial matter?

Li Xiong's face showed displeasure.

The shopkeeper hurriedly said, "This is my business. As for your important matters, Eunuch Li will know once he goes in."

Li Xiong didn't even have time to drink his tea before heading straight into the inner room.

Unexpectedly, the person inside was neither a Shanxi merchant nor a master of any family.

Instead, it was the lovely girl he longed for day and night.

"Feng Niang? What are you doing here?"

Feng Niang, though past her prime, still possessed a captivating charm. At this moment, she leaned against a carved sandalwood couch, her moon-white floral silk robe half-slipped down to her elbows, revealing a section of pine-flower silk bodice.

Eunuch Li stepped forward and took Fengniang's hand, saying, "I think of you day and night, and I wish I could see you every day."

A fleeting, almost imperceptible look of disgust crossed Feng Niang's eyes, but a joyful smile quickly spread across her pretty face.

"I also miss my husband very much."

Li Xiong, the eunuch of the Imperial Kitchen, embraced Feng Niang and, after a tender moment, asked, "Why did you come into the city instead of staying at the manor outside?"

Upon hearing this, Fengniang's eyes immediately welled up with tears, and she said, "Something has happened at home, and I have no other choice but to come and beg my husband for help."

Li Xiong was heartbroken by Feng Niang's pitiful appearance, but he was also very confused.

"Didn't I tell the Wang family to give you all the monthly allowance they send me? And what happened to the treasures I steal from the palace every year, which I estimate to be worth tens of thousands of taels?"

woohoo~
Fengniang lay on the old eunuch's back, complaining, "Those riches were robbed by bandits. I was almost violated by them, and Xiaoqi was even kidnapped. They said they would kill him if they didn't give me ten thousand taels!"

Upon hearing this, Li Xiong was in a real predicament.

Xiao Qi is his nephew, a bloodline he was adopted by his brother, so it wouldn't be an exaggeration to call him his son.

Who on earth is targeting him like this?

"Husband, you must save me, save Xiao Qi!" Feng Niang cried even harder.

"Don't worry, your husband is here!"

His face darkened, and he vaguely realized that perhaps someone had done this on purpose.

Where is Chief Wang?

Fengniang wiped away her tears and sobbed, "In the inner hall."

After comforting the woman in his arms, Li Xiong went straight into the inner hall, where a merchant dressed in a brocade robe was sitting in a grand chair drinking tea.

When the merchant saw the eunuch from the Imperial Kitchen arrive, he quickly stood up and said, "Eunuch Li, please sit down."

"Wang Dayu, what do you mean by this?"

Li Xiong's eyes were blazing with fury; he had no time or inclination to drink tea.

"You've got your eye on our family?"

Wang Dayu chuckled and said, "Eunuch Li, please calm down."

Seeing the unscrupulous merchant's ambiguous smile, Li Xiong had no choice but to suppress his anger. He sat down in the armchair on the right, gulped down a cup of tea, and glared at Wang Dayu with eyes that seemed to spit fire.

"Is this how you Shanxi merchants coerce your families? It's filthy and despicable, even worse than a spineless guy like me. If you've got the guts, come at me!"

(End of this chapter)