Ji Feihua glared at him. "I'm not blind. If you don't want others to know, don't do it in the first place!" His words clearly carried a hidden meaning.
Hu Xiaotian smiled ingratiatingly. "This has nothing to do with me."
Ji Feihua went inside and picked up an overturned chair. Hu Xiaotian hurried over, wiped it with his sleeve, then invited him to sit. Inwardly, he was thoroughly puzzled. Since Wen Ya had been sent back because her body was indisposed tonight, didn't that leave an opening for Ji Feihua? A snowy, windy night like this was perfect for warming the emperor's bed. Why had he wandered over to the Palace Gardens Bureau instead of currying favor with the emperor? Stranger still, how had he known Hu Xiaotian was back? Could he have stolen the Black Tiger Whip? On second thought, that seemed utterly impossible. Hu Xiaotian had once offered him the Black Tiger Whip of his own accord, and he had refused it. Why would he turn around and steal it now? Ji Feihua was no good man, but his cold, aloof pride should have placed such behavior beneath him.
Ji Feihua asked, "What did you lose?"
Hu Xiaotian answered honestly, "The Black Tiger Whip!"
"Oh? Do you know who stole it?"
Hu Xiaotian shook his head. Naturally, he could not make reckless accusations without evidence.
Ji Feihua asked, "Do you want to know who did it?"
Hu Xiaotian's heart stirred. It seemed Ji Feihua really had come prepared. Had he discovered the culprit? From the way he spoke, he appeared to know the inside story.
Hu Xiaotian said, "I do, but part of me doesn't."
Ji Feihua said, "All this hemming and hawing, all this hesitation. How tiresome."
Hu Xiaotian said, "I want to know, but I'm afraid