Xiao Luzi huddled on the cold, muddy ground, his teeth still chattering, but the greater fear stemmed from the seemingly frail scholar before him. Lin Zhao's gaze was too calm, as deep and still as a cold abyss, making the young eunuch feel completely exposed.
"T-This slave didn't see much…" Xiao Luzi's voice trembled. "Grand Eunuch Sun was, was losing his temper outside His Highness's sleeping quarters… I only heard a few sentences from far away…"
"Speak," Ling Zhao's voice was low, yet carried an undeniable authority.
"Grand Eunuch Sun was scolding the two of them… saying they couldn't even watch over the medicinal ingredients in the, in the official rations… letting someone switch them out… and, and he also said…" Xiao Luzi swallowed hard, struggling to recall, "He also said that if it messed up His Highness's affairs, everyone would lose their heads…"
Medicinal ingredients swapped out? Ling Zhao's eyes narrowed slightly. Xiao Jin was "frail," so taking medicine was common. Did one of the monitoring factions tamper with his medicine to make him "sicker"? Or was Xiao Jin himself using this to conceal something? Or perhaps… both?
"What else?" Ling Zhao pressed.
"N-Nothing else… Grand Eunuch Sun spotted this slave, and I ran right away…" Xiao Luzi wailed.
Ling Zhao watched him in silence. The young eunuch indeed didn't know much, but the two pieces of information—"swapped medicinal ingredients" and "messed up His Highness's affairs"—were sufficiently valuable. The former indicated a flaw (or tacit understanding?) in the Eastern Palace's internal surveillance; the latter vaguely confirmed that Xiao Jin was indeed executing certain plans in secret.
"Mr. Lin, please… save this slave…" Xiao Luzi started kowtowing again when Ling Zhao didn't speak.
Ling Zhao reached out and pressed his shoulder, stopping him: "If you want to live, hiding here is useless. If Eunuch Sun can't find you, he will eventually trace you here."
Xiao Luzi's face instantly went deathly pale.
"There is only one way," Ling Zhao stared into his eyes. "Go back."
"Go back?!" Xiao Luzi was terrified out of his wits. "Grand Eunuch Sun will beat me to death!"
"You won't go back directly," Ling Zhao's voice was low. "You 'accidentally' discovered a secret regarding… where the swapped medicinal ingredients might have gone. You are unsure, and afraid of being silenced, so you secretly came to me, hoping to use me to 'indirectly' report this news to His Highness."
Xiao Luzi was stunned, unable to process the idea immediately.
Ling Zhao continued: "You don't need to know where the medicine actually went. You only need to provide a vague, seemingly plausible direction, for instance… a low-ranking steward who has previous bad blood with Eunuch Sun, or who maintains close ties with outside pharmacies. The crucial thing is that you must let His Highness know that you detected a problem, and that you chose to pledge your loyalty to His Highness."
This was a blood oath—a pledge of allegiance. Trading a piece of half-true, half-false information for a chance at survival, and binding himself to Xiao Jin's chariot. The risk was enormous, but it was the only lifeline in this desperate situation.
Xiao Luzi was not foolish and quickly grasped Ling Zhao's intention. His expression shifted rapidly, but ultimately, the desire to survive overcame everything else. He nodded hard: "T-This slave… this slave understands! But… what should I say?"
Ling Zhao leaned close to his ear and gave him hushed instructions. He directed Xiao Luzi to point the finger at a steward responsible for miscellaneous procurement in the Eastern Palace, who was rumored to have dubious connections with certain outside pharmacies. This person's rank was neither too high nor too low, making him the perfect scapegoat to divert attention. The information would be semi-true, preventing immediate exposure while simultaneously catching Xiao Jin's serious attention.
"Remember," Ling Zhao's final instruction was sharp, "you reported this risk because you admire His Highness and cannot bear anyone harming His Highness's well-being. Your encounter with me was merely accidental, to seek assurance."
Xiao Luzi etched Ling Zhao's words into his memory. He wrapped the old robe tightly around himself, took a deep breath, and submerged himself back into the violent wind and rain outside the window.
Ling Zhao secured the window. Silence returned to the room, broken only by the sound of raindrops hitting the window lattice. He walked to the table, poured a cup of cold tea, and slowly sipped it.
This was a dangerous move. If Xiao Jin saw through the plot or dismissed the minor eunuch's allegiance, Xiao Luzi would surely die, and he himself might be exposed. But if Xiao Jin accepted this "pledge," then he would have implanted a pin—a source of information—within the Eastern Palace's ironclad surveillance network.
He was gambling on several things: th