Zhou Ruiyuan was adept at reading faces. Seeing the change in the emperor's expression, he knew his words had almost certainly touched the dragon's forbidden scale. A sovereign became a solitary man because, once he ascended to a position above all others, he began looking down upon the world and gradually stopped listening to anyone else's opinions. Although Zhou Ruiyuan was the Crown Prince's Grand Tutor, these were words he could have spoken while Long Yelin was still Crown Prince. Now that Long Yelin had ascended the throne, would he think Zhou Ruiyuan was presuming on his favor and treating him with disrespect?
In the end, Long Yelin restrained the anger in his heart. He nodded slowly and said, "Minister Zhou, you and Eunuch Quan deserve the greatest credit for bringing me to where I am today. I know perfectly well what I should do from now on."
Zhou Ruiyuan said respectfully, "Your Majesty is wise indeed!"
Long Yelin said, "From now on, my realm will depend on men like you."
Zhou Ruiyuan replied, "I shall bend my back to the task and give my utmost until death!"
Hu Xiaotian had received ten years' worth of Quan Dean's internal power. Judging by the old eunuch's age, even if he had begun practicing in his mother's womb, Hu Xiaotian should now possess nearly a fifth of his power. At first, Hu Xiaotian had been terribly worried that practicing this eunuch's martial art would make his little brother shrink smaller and smaller until, without ever undergoing castration, he trained himself into a born eunuch. But after several days passed without anything unusual happening, he gradually relaxed.
After entering the palace to see the emperor, Quan Dean told Hu Xiaotian that his parents' lives should be spared. He need not worry; for now,