When he reached the side gate, he discovered that he was not the only one waiting there. Seven eunuchs had already gathered, and Hu Xiaotian actually knew one of them: Shi Xuedong, the darling son of Shi Buchui, Minister of Personnel. In fact, Hu Xiaotian and Shi Xuedong were sworn brothers who had exchanged the eight bows of brotherhood. Back when they had gone through that sham ceremony, Shi Xuedong had even seen him off at the Long Pavilion ten li outside the city when he left to take up his post in Azure Cloud, giving him two pornographic pictures with the sole intention of setting him up. Now both their fathers had met with disaster, and the two of them had encountered each other in the imperial palace as eunuchs. As their eyes met, they felt something of the kinship between fellow wanderers fallen on hard times at the ends of the earth. With that feeling between them, it was only natural to greet each other with a smile and let old grudges dissolve.
With so many people present, they merely exchanged a glance; neither dared to greet the other aloud. The group followed Zhang Fuquan at a brisk pace along a passage between two palace walls. The Directorate of Imperial Cuisine was responsible for the emperor's meals, palace food, and banquets, and it employed a great many people. Since numerous old, weak, sick, and disabled eunuchs had recently been dismissed, fewer than half remained. These included the keeper of the seal, the supervising Director of Palace Provisions, chief administrators, managers, clerks, office heads, scribes, overseers, supervisors of facilities such as the Cattle and Sheep Office, and purchasing agents for the various departments. These men held official positions, most of them cushy posts involving management and issuing orders. The