Wang Decai asked, "How long have you been in the palace, Eunuch Hu?"
Hu Xiaotian thought for a moment. "How long has your younger brother been missing?" He had deliberately lifted the very pot that would not boil, rubbing salt into Wang Decai's wound.
Sparks of fury shot from Wang Decai's eyes. He clenched his teeth and forcibly suppressed his anger. "Do you know that a Talented Lady holds only the Subordinate Sixth Rank in the palace? What are you implying by putting poinsettias in her garden?"
Hu Xiaotian laughed. He truly had not considered that. There were so many taboos in the palace; the slightest lapse could violate one.
Wang Decai raged, "You dare laugh? Believe me, I'll report this to Her Majesty the Empress and have you charged with knowingly breaking the rules!"
"When you want to condemn someone, you'll never lack a pretext. You've been targeting me all along, Eunuch Wang."
"So what if I have?" Wang Decai said. "Don't think that just because someone in this Imperial Palace protects you, you can swagger around like a dog emboldened by its master's power!"
Hu Xiaotian remained unruffled. "There seems to be something behind those words, Eunuch Wang. I'd like to hear it. Just who is protecting me?"
"You know perfectly well!"
"Though I don't know that, I do have some self-awareness," Hu Xiaotian said. "Unlike you, Eunuch Wang-you don't even know what you are. 'A dog emboldened by its master's power, swaggering around'-that's a portrait of you!"
Wang Decai snarled, "You..."
Hu Xiaotian smiled. "What? If you're unhappy, go ahead and slander me before the Empress. I refuse to believe Her Majesty would indulge her servants to such an extent."
Wang Decai ground his teeth. "Don't think having Ji Feihua backing you gives you the right to