The man seemed not to have expected the Sovereign to summon him at this hour. In his usual unhurried, gentle tone, he asked, "Is there something important?"
The eunuch's smile seemed ingratiating to the utmost, but his reply pushed the man's question back at him without being either soft or hard: "How would this servant dare presume to guess the Sovereign's intentions?"
Naturally, he would have to wait until the man arrived to find out exactly what it was.
The man glanced at the sky. The golden sun had sunk westward, leaving only wisps of its afterglow; most of the heavens were already dyed black. He turned to his son and gave him a worried reminder: "Look after your mother. I'll be back in an hour at the earliest, two at the latest."
He spoke to his son, but someone else was the one he truly meant to hear.
"There's no need to hurry so much. When a country's ruler summons a trusted minister at dinnertime, it's only right and proper to offer him a meal."
The eunuch had a pair of upturned, triangular eyes, and his pupils were small. When he stared at someone, an indescribably gloomy air hung about him, as if a poisonous snake had its fangs at their throat. He shot the woman a sidelong glance and said, displeased, "Lord Cui, which lady of your household is this? The Sovereign is no ordinary person. How can a mere woman presume to comment?"
The atmosphere turned tense and fraught for no apparent reason.
The man said, "She's my wife."
The eunuch gave way appropriately, then asked in confusion, "This servant heard that Lord Cui had been alone for many years. Is this your new wife? Congratulations, congratulations!"
His lips offered congratulations, but his eyes held not a