Gao Qiqian never stepped out of the sedan chair from beginning to end.
Scenes of subordinates brawling in the mud were not something a man of his status should be personally involved in. A high eunuch of the imperial court had dignity to maintain. If he jumped in himself every time fists started flying, what kind of grand authority would that be?
Still, he quietly lifted the corner of the curtain and peeked outside.
He had been watching the entire situation unfold.
At first, when the palace experts from the Inner Court had the upper hand, Gao Qiqian said nothing. He simply sat there calmly, waiting for his men to smash their way inside the camp.
But now things had changed.
Every single one of his men had been knocked flat on the ground.
That made things awkward.
Under circumstances like this, even if he wanted to stay hidden inside the sedan chair, he could not do so anymore. Someone of rank had to step forward and restore order.
Gao Qiqian lifted the curtain and prepared to jump out to display his official authority.
But at exactly the same moment, Chen Qianhu had just run up to the sedan chair. The first thing he did was grab the curtain and pull it open. He wanted to drag Gao Qiqian out and force him to talk face to face.
Inside the sedan chair, Gao Qiqian had only just placed his hand on the curtain.
Before he could lift it himself, the curtain was suddenly pulled open from the outside.
Inside the chair it was dim and shadowy.
Outside the chair the morning sun blazed brilliantly.
Gao Qiqian was sitting.
Chen Qianhu was standing.
So Gao Qiqian found himself looking up at Chen Qianhu.
This was the very first time Gao Qiqian had ever laid eyes on him.
The sun burned brightly behind Chen Qianhu, casting his face in shadow. The light created an eerie half dark silhouette.
A huge protruding chin.
Terrifying triangular eyes filled with killing intent.
A twisted grin exposing a mouthful of cold white teeth.
A large nose dotted with several blackheads.
And the hand gripping the curtain revealed fingernails that reflected a vicious gleam under the sunlight.
Gao Qiqian had originally intended to show off his authority.
But after just one glance.
Just that single glance.
All of his official arrogance collapsed and slid straight down into his stomach.
He swallowed with enormous difficulty and shouted in panic.
"W… who are you, villain? Don't kill me!"
He surrendered instantly.
Chen Qianhu had no intention of killing him in the first place.
Now that the fight had reached this stage, even Chen Qianhu understood he needed to think carefully. The other side had broken the rules first, yes, but after his own side had already subdued everyone, continuing to beat people would only make things worse.
Especially since Gao Qiqian was such a high ranking court official. If he were actually beaten, the Emperor would lose face, and that would interfere with Gao Family Village's long term infiltration plans within the court.
So Chen Qianhu decided to smooth things over.
He grinned widely.
"Aiya, Eunuch Gao, this is all just a misunderstanding. A big misunderstanding."
That grin.
Those crooked lips twisting upward.
The moment Gao Qiqian saw that smile, he immediately understood something.
This man was definitely speaking in reverse.
Absolutely speaking in reverse.
A villain who could swallow two children in a single bite loved speaking in that kind of sinister tone.
Gao Qiqian sucked in a cold breath of bean juice.
"Don't come any closer!"
Chen Qianhu tried his best to sound gentle.
"My subordinates are rough people. Not very flexible in how they handle things. If they offended Eunuch Gao, then I apologize on their behalf."
When he said the final word, his mouth opened wide.
His lips stretched apart, revealing a mouthful of uneven sharp teeth.
Those teeth looked exactly like the kind that could bite into a chunk of flesh and rip it sideways.
Gao Qiqian felt his soul flying wildly through the sky.
"This is the capital! Under the Son of Heaven! You must not act recklessly!"
Chen Qianhu nodded seriously.
"Eunuch Gao, please wait here for a moment. Our Commander will arrive shortly."
Again he pronounced the final syllable with a wide open mouth.
Again those sharp teeth were exposed.
At that moment Gao Qiqian finally understood.
This man intended to eat him.
He was absolutely certain of it.
Those teeth kept opening and closing in front of him, as if preparing to bite down at any moment.
Gao Qiqian suddenly threw his body backward.
Behind the sedan chair there was unexpectedly a hidden mechanism.
It opened.
And he flipped straight out through the back.
Chen Qianhu blinked.
"Huh?"
Gao Qiqian tumbled out of the chair, rolled several times on the ground, then sprang to his feet in one swift motion.
Without even looking back, he ran.
Chen Qianhu stared in confusion.
"Eh? Eunuch Gao? You're leaving already? Weren't you here to discuss something with our Commander?"
But Gao Qiqian was already sprinting forward while screaming at the top of his lungs.
"Help! Rebellion! Murder!"
Even the Crown Princess Zhu Youjian's famous movement technique called Shenxing Baibian would not have allowed her to run as fast as Gao Qiqian at that moment.
In the blink of an eye he had already disappeared without a trace.
Just then Sun Chuanting finally arrived at the camp gate.
He looked at the palace experts groaning all over the ground and asked curiously,
"What happened here?"
The two frontier soldiers who had first blocked the entrance immediately reported.
"Eunuch Gao Qiqian came here and tried to force his way into the camp without announcing himself. When we stopped him, he ordered his men to attack us. Then everything turned into this."
Sun Chuanting burst out laughing.
"So that's what happened. A trivial matter."
He waved his hand.
"You did nothing wrong. Gao Qiqian is the one at fault. He's too used to throwing around his authority, thinking that because he holds a high position he can ignore rules."
He paused slightly and smiled.
"That is a common problem within every old bureaucratic system. This time I came to the capital under the divine mandate of Dao Xuan Tianzun to teach the court officials some new rules. Today can count as a small lesson for Gao Qiqian."
Chen Qianhu scratched his head.
"What if he complains to the Emperor and speaks ill of us? Would that harm Headmaster Sun?"
Sun Chuanting chuckled.
"No need to worry. We simply won't give him the chance."
He continued calmly.
"A scout report has just arrived. The bandit army has been spotted near Jinan in Shandong. We will soon march there."
Chen Qianhu suddenly understood.
"The Emperor needs us to suppress the rebels. At a time like this, he won't be able to do anything to us. Gao Qiqian has no way to deal with us."
Sun Chuanting nodded.
"Exactly."
---
Meanwhile Gao Qiqian was running like thunder itself.
Sparks and lightning seemed to follow him as he rushed all the way into the Imperial Study.
He threw himself to the ground before Zhu Youjian and burst into loud wailing.
"Your Majesty must uphold justice for me! As supervising eunuch I went to inspect Sun Chuanting's military camp. But that Sun Chuanting was extremely rude and refused to allow me to enter!"
"How could anyone know what shameful things he is hiding inside that camp if he refuses inspection?"
Zhu Youjian frowned.
"Such a thing happened?"
Gao Qiqian continued crying.
"He even allowed his subordinates to attack us! Every man I brought with me was beaten badly. If I hadn't run fast enough, I wouldn't be standing here speaking to Your Majesty today."
Zhu Youjian grew angry.
Supervising eunuchs were the imperial court's tool to restrain military generals.
They represented the authority and dignity of the imperial family.
Without eunuchs watching them, what if the armies rebelled?
So Sun Chuanting's act of driving away a supervising eunuch could be considered disrespect toward the imperial house at best.
At worst, it could be interpreted as rebellion.
Zhu Youjian could not help thinking bitterly.
These ministers were truly unreliable.
Every Minister of War caused him headaches.
Zhang Fengyi was useless and had not even dared pursue the Qing army.
Yang Sichang secretly mobilized massive forces to encircle the rebels without informing the throne.
And now this new arrival Sun Chuanting had beaten a supervising eunuch.
This was outrageous.
"Such men must be punished. Severely punished!"
But just as he finished speaking those words, a eunuch rushed into the room in panic.
"Disaster! Scouts report that the rebel leader Chuang Wang is probing the defenses around Jinan in Shandong. Minister of War Sun Chuanting requests permission to lead the Capital Army to reinforce the city."
Zhu Youjian froze.
"Ah…"
He let out a long sigh.
"It seems now is not the time to deal with Sun Chuanting."
Gao Qiqian blinked in disbelief.
"Then… what about me?"
Zhu Youjian waved his hand.
"The grievance you suffered will be discussed after he returns from suppressing the rebels."