Chapter 0081: Hu Lai Who Happened to Pass By, Hu Lai Who Gets More Unscrupulous by the Day
After returning to the palace, Xie Chengze couldn’t sleep due to drinking too much tea, so he lit a lamp in the middle of the night and began doodling on paper again.
One sheet of paper after another was discarded, lying scattered on the floor like his tousled hair. It wasn’t until dawn began to break that he rubbed his sore eyes and finally prepared to go to bed.
Just as he had dozed off, there came a knock at the door from the night watch guard. “Your Highness, a retainer requests an audience.”
A retainer?
Xie Chengze groggily recalled that the Jian’an Dynasty did indeed permit princes to privately employ retainers. Moreover, the salary and benefits for retainers were quite generous, with high-ranking retainers even having their entire families taken care of. Many talented individuals from humble backgrounds who failed the imperial examinations would settle for the next best option—applying to become a prince’s retainer.
However, in return, these retainers were expected to possess the resolve to courageously sacrifice themselves for their prince. Regardless of whether their master was good or bad, betrayal was not permitted.
The rear courtyard of Cheng Huan Palace did house some retainers, but since he had just arrived and had been away on official business for half a year, he had never summoned any of them.
In the original story, these retainers were relatively loyal. However, as the Second Prince gradually descended into darkness, many retainers were unwilling to continue serving a corrupt master. Some, out of integrity, dashed their heads against pillars to their deaths, while the cleverer ones secretly defected—though in the end, they were all discovered and executed.
But wasn’t it enjoyable to be on paid leave? Why would a retainer suddenly seek him out?
Could it be that they were bored and wanted to return to work?!
Xie Chengze punched his pillow twice before getting up and walking to the door. He opened it and asked, “What is it?”
At the foot of the steps stood a middle-aged man dressed in black. Upon seeing Xie Chengze, he quickly bowed in salute. “Second Prince! This humble subject has urgent news to report! Please dismiss the others.”
Xie Chengze rubbed his temples and waved his hand, signaling the night watch guard to withdraw. Only then did he say, “Speak.”
The middle-aged man glanced around to ensure no one was nearby before taking a step forward and speaking in a low voice, “Your Highness, yesterday someone offered me fifty taels of gold to betray you and later whisper misleading advice in your ear!”
Xie Chengze: ?
Xie Chengze was instantly wide awake, staring at the retainer with a strange expression. “What was your name again?”
The retainer looked at Xie Chengze in confusion. “Your Highness! This humble subject is Hu Lai!”
Xie Chengze: …
Oh, he remembered now.
The Second Prince did indeed have a retainer named Hu Lai. The reason this name left such a deep impression was that this person was truly prone to acting recklessly. Even the Second Prince found it difficult to discern where his moral bottom line lay.
In the original story, he often gave the Second Prince bizarre and cunningly foolish suggestions, causing Shen Yuan and the Crown Prince’s faction to suffer many major setbacks. Later, after Wuhen died in battle and the new emperor was assassinated on the Dragon Throne, Hu Lai took advantage of the chaos to flee Jingcheng, and his whereabouts remained unknown…
Wiping his face slightly, Xie Chengze asked, “Why did they approach you?”
In the original story at this point, no one had tried to bribe his retainers. Moreover, later on, no one would choose to bribe Hu Lai because everyone knew he was “unscrupulous”—selecting him as an insider was akin to playing with fire.
“Oh, about that!” Hu Lai stroked his beard and began explaining in detail, “Actually, the other party initially tried to bribe someone else. That person refused, but I happened to be passing by and overheard, so I volunteered myself!”
Xie Chengze: “…”
Are you sure you just happened to be passing by, rather than tracking every suspicious move of the retainers and deliberately following them?!
He remembered now—the Second Prince never had the wit to uncover traitors. The one who found those traitorous clues and ordered their execution was Hu Lai!
Xie Chengze felt slightly disoriented in the wind, taking a long moment to collect himself. “So, who told you to whisper in my ear, and what were you supposed to whisper?”
“The identity remains unknown for now. Judging by the accent, they seemed to be from Jizhou. Given the large amount of gold they produced upfront, their master must be either a merchant or a high-ranking official. However, since they instructed this humble servant to persuade you to recruit Lord Shen Yuan, the Vice Minister of Justice, we can rule out the merchant identity…”
Hu Lai rattled off his analysis, then sighed regretfully, “It’s a pity this humble servant cannot serve as an official. My knowledge of court officials is limited. Perhaps Your Highness knows who it is?”
Hu Lai looked at Xie Chengze with anticipation.
Had it been the Second Prince here, Hu Lai would have been disappointed. But Xie Chengze was different—he would leave the gossip-starved Hu Lai both disappointed and itching with curiosity.
Because Xie Chengze would say, “Oh, I know who it is, but I won’t tell you.”
Hu Lai: “…”
Hu Lai: “???”
Hu Lai: “Second Prince! How are you even more shameless than me?!”
Hu Lai, always skilled at reading expressions, could tell from Xie Chengze’s face that this prince truly knew who the behind-the-scenes buyer was.
And for some reason, he felt the Second Prince seemed somewhat different from before.
But it wasn’t a big issue—as long as it was the “Second Prince.”
“What about the gold?” Xie Chengze reached out his hand, intending to confiscate the illicit gains.
Hu Lai’s sleeves suddenly felt heavier, his eyes darting evasively. “Your Highness, this isn’t quite appropriate… It’s not easy for this humble servant to play both sides as a double agent. And as you know, I have twenty-eight concubines to support…”
Xie Chengze turned his head sharply: “Huh???”
Did he just hear that correctly?
Since when did Hu Lai have twenty-eight concubines?
“You…” Xie Chengze hesitated, wanting to ask for details but worried the original host might have known. So he vaguely inquired, “You’re going back on your word—aren’t you afraid the buyer behind this will threaten your… twenty-eight concubines?”
“Ha! No!” Hu Lai waved his hand dismissively. “Those twenty-eight concubines are scattered all across the Jian’an Dynasty. I’ve even forgotten what many of them look like.”
“Then how do you support them?” Xie Chengze asked, astonished.
“Ahem, that’s a secret.” Hu Lai cleared his throat lightly. He wouldn’t tell Xie Chengze that every time he left a city, he would give the woman the fake bank account name he’d created at the money exchange. Each month, she could withdraw a substantial sum for living expenses—enough to raise children.
Xie Chengze didn’t think Hu Lai was lying. After all, in the original story, Hu Lai was notoriously stingy and loved taking advantage, always demanding hefty rewards for his schemes. No one knew where all his money went.
Rubbing his temples, Xie Chengze finally pulled himself away from the gossip and remembered the main issue. “You said earlier that person told you to whisper in my ear about Shen Yuan, urging me to recruit him?”
Hu Lai nodded. “I’ve heard of Vice Minister Shen’s achievements. He is indeed a talent worth recruiting. But now that he’s vigorously taken down Yang Qinghui, recruiting him at this moment could easily lead His Majesty to suspect you of courting court officials.”
Though it was indeed true. Hu Lai silently added in his heart, then leaned in and tentatively whispered, “Your Highness… I heard that you have recently been selecting a male consort?”
Xie Chengze: ???
Seeing Xie Chengze’s eyes widen in shock, Hu Lai immediately revealed a teasing expression. “Previously, Your Highness seemed quite averse to male charms, but now you’ve changed completely. I suppose something must have happened with Shen Shilang during your southern tour to Yi Province?”
Xie Chengze: …
Observing Xie Chengze’s silence, Hu Lai knew he had guessed correctly. He sorted through the information he had painstakingly gathered these past few days, then carefully suggested, “If Your Highness truly wishes to recruit Shen Shilang, I have a plan. Though I wonder if I should speak of it…”
Xie Chengze instinctively felt he shouldn’t, yet he couldn’t suppress his curiosity, so he said, “Speak.”
“I’ve heard that Shen Shilang has a close friend—Sheng Yiren, daughter of the Ministry of Rites’ Shilang. Your Highness could befriend her to secretly meet with Shen Shilang. If it cannot be done openly, we can always proceed discreetly!” After saying this, Hu Lai added resentfully, “Actually, I would have preferred to recommend that Su Family’s illegitimate son, but that wretch is utterly ungrateful. We’ll have to settle for the second-best option.”
He sighed regretfully, “If only we could pursue both approaches simultaneously! What a pity!”
Xie Chengze: …