Everyone stepped forward to greet him. Long Tingzhen smiled and waved a hand. "This isn't the Imperial Palace, gentlemen. There's no need to stand on ceremony." When he spotted Ji Feihua, he gave a surprised murmur. "Eunuch Ji, you're here too?"
Ji Feihua smiled. "Your servant did not know Your Highness would grace us with your presence. Please forgive me for failing to welcome you sooner."
Long Tingzhen said, "I certainly can't tell you what to do!" That single remark silenced the gathering. Everyone could hear the Third Prince's displeasure with Ji Feihua.
Ji Feihua said, "Your Highness is mistaken. Without His Majesty, your servant would never have reached his position today. My loyalty to His Majesty, Your Highness, and Great Kang is unwavering. Even if I had to give my life for Great Kang, I would not hesitate."
Long Tingzhen chuckled. With his hands clasped behind his back, he surveyed the gathering. "Did everyone hear that? Eunuch Ji truly is a loyal and worthy servant of Great Kang. You should all learn from him."
Seeing Ji Feihua's predicament, Hu Xiaotian even felt a little sympathy for him. However formidable a eunuch might be, he was still a eunuch in the end. People might show him respect on the surface, but deep down, they despised him. No one regarded eunuchs as normal people. As an imperial prince, how could Long Tingzhen possibly think highly of these servants?
Yet Ji Feihua showed not the slightest anger from beginning to end. At Wen Boyuan's invitation, everyone took their seats.
Ji Feihua had been seated at Long Tingzhen's table not out of respect, but to put him in a difficult position. A eunuch sharing a table with a prince-now they would see how he kept himself in his proper place.
Hu Xiaotian had