After the golden saber and White Pack fled south, all remained calm in Jixian for three straight days. On the fourth day, Central Regular Attendant Nie Hao suddenly arrived at the Prince of Wu's residence.
Faced with someone of his kind, Murong De and Muyugan were of one mind: they immediately rose, did as requested, and kept a respectful distance.
It was not that they knew nothing of eunuchs or had never dealt with them. But for a long time, the eunuch functions found in the courts of the Central Plains had been conspicuously absent from the court of the sinicized Xianbei. It was hard to imagine any uncle or brother of the Murong family needing his arrival announced before seeing the Great Chanyu, or any consort of the Great Chanyu needing to avoid tribal chiefs attending a festival.
Yet only a few years after their arrival in Jixian, the office of Central Regular Attendant, once copied by tracing the shape of a gourd and essentially inherited from the Later Zhao court, had already become deeply entangled in court politics.
This had caught everyone somewhat off guard.
Murong De even thought that once the capital moved to Yecheng, such people would only grow more numerous and more powerful.
Nie Hao, however, put on no imperious airs and did nothing unnecessary. After explaining the situation to Murong De and Muyugan in the front courtyard and obtaining their permission, he brought armored soldiers into the middle courtyard and respectfully requested an audience with Murong Chui, the Prince of Wu.
Only after receiving permission again did he enter the hall to meet Murong Chui. No one knew what he said or did, but he withdrew shortly afterward, obediently returned to the front courtyard, and stood beside its gate, waiting for something like the