Chapter 6: Wang Lu is still an honest man after all.

"Come in." Lu Wenzhao's voice remained as steady as ever.

Wang Lu strode into the office of the Thousand-Man Commander with the imposing gait of a tiger. Having foreseen the trajectory of the story, he had always been ambitious, hoping for a swift promotion. Yet, even so, he had not risen as quickly as Lu Wenzhao. Reflecting on his own "discourse on power" delivered under the blood-red sun after rescuing Lu Wenzhao and the others, he felt a sting of embarrassment. It was a slap to his own face.

Lu Wenzhao’s major turning point had occurred four years ago. Back then, he was merely a Hundred-Man Commander, yet for a period, he had kept to himself and rarely appeared in public. Shen Lian had once inquired about it, but Lu Wenzhao had remained tight-lipped. It was only a month later, when Lu Wenzhao’s appointment as Deputy Thousand-Man Commander was announced, that Wang Lu realized this fellow had been playing his own game. Wang Lu could roughly guess that he had climbed the ladder through the patronage of Prince Xin.

Truth be told, Wang Lu had wanted to say that he, too, could hate the Eunuch Faction. But for some reason, Prince Xin’s camp never reached out to him. Wang Lu wasn't one to fuss over whether someone belonged to the Eunuch Faction or the Donglin Faction; he was simply here to complete his mission. As long as he could get promoted, it didn't matter who was in charge. Besides, the Donglin Faction would later become powerful, maintaining its influence even into the Southern Ming dynasty. Such a sturdy leg was certainly worth trying to latch onto. He had almost explicitly hinted at this to Lu Wenzhao at the time, but Lu Wenzhao had never taken the bait.

At the end of last year, Lu Wenzhao was promoted again to Thousand-Man Commander, leaving the two of them behind. Before Emperor Tianqi fell into the water, Wang Lu had dropped hints both openly and covertly to Lu Wenzhao, but received no response. After the incident, Wang Lu stopped mentioning it, yet now it was Lu Wenzhao who began to probe him, intentionally or not, about his views on the imperial court. *You ignored me when I was seeking your favor; now that I’ve moved on, you are out of my league.*

His original plan had been to infiltrate the inner circle, fish Emperor Tianqi out of the water, and secure a place in the Emperor’s heart. Instead, he had been ignored. Now that Tianqi was dead and Prince Xin was preparing to eliminate them, joining at this late stage would be like a eunuch signing up in 1912 or joining the Nationalist army in 1949—utterly futile. Wang Lu had completely extinguished any desire to join them; he would wait until the dust settled.

He walked into the office.

Dressed in a luxurious silver Flying Fish robe, Lu Wenzhao shot Wang Lu a look of disdain. "Close the door."

As soon as Wang Lu shut the door, Lu Wenzhao feigned annoyance. "Did you do that on purpose? Why stand on ceremony between brothers? You were so loud; I’m not deaf."

"Between the two of us, of course not," Wang Lu replied with a smile. "But those people outside are watching. If I’m not respectful enough, they’ll look down on you. Think about it: if a Hundred-Man Commander dares to speak to a Thousand-Man Commander like that, won't people say that Commander Lu is weak and easy to bully?"

"Haha, with your level of consideration, you could have achieved great things as a civil official," Lu Wenzhao said, clapping a hand on Wang Lu’s shoulder with a laugh.

Wang Lu curled his lip. "I’m no good at word games. I prefer to speak with this," he said, patting the long blade at his waist.

"Hah! No wonder they call you the 'Martial Fanatic.' Come, sit down and talk."

As he sat opposite Lu Wenzhao, Wang Lu unbuckled his sword. "Others can call me that if they like, but even you? 'Martial Fanatic'—isn't that just a way of saying I’m an idiot who does nothing but train?"

"Not at all," Lu Wenzhao said, picking up a wine pot to pour. "You challenge people to duels every day until everyone is afraid of you—even Shen Lian avoids you. I think the nickname is quite fitting. A name might be given in error, but a nickname never is."

Lu Wenzhao filled three cups. Wang Lu raised an eyebrow, glanced around, and asked, "Are we expecting another guest?"

"Yes," Lu Wenzhao said, gesturing with his index finger. "An honored guest." He turned and bowed toward the screen. "Please, Eunuch Guo."

A man without a beard emerged from behind the screen. It was Guo Zhen, the ceremonial eunuch of the Directorate of Ceremonial, the man responsible for the Imperial Works Department. Wang Lu had once considered whether he should take the plunge himself, but after hearing from Guo Zhen that doing so at an older age carried a high risk of sudden death, he had thought better of it. Well, in truth, his constitution was so robust that a mere four or five inches wouldn't have killed him, but the mental hurdle was what he couldn't overcome.

Many looked down on eunuchs, but Wang Lu actually respected them. This was a future bought with one’s own body. He knew he couldn't do it himself, so he held the utmost respect for those who could, especially the "Nine-Thousand-Year-Old" Wei Zhongxian, who had been an adult before he was castrated and entered the palace. They were all people with immense ambition.

"Eunuch Guo," Wang Lu said, rising to bow, his eyes clear.

Guo Zhen walked over and raised a hand. "No need for that. The lives of the three of us were saved by you back then; who cares about such formalities?"

Wang Lu smiled and helped Guo Zhen to his seat. The three of them fell into a brief silence. After a moment of thought, Wang Lu spoke. "Eunuch, there is something I haven't told you before."

Guo Zhen picked up his cup and let out a soft hum.

"Ever since the Emperor fell into the water, the undercurrents in the capital have been turbulent. Worried for your safety, I sent men to protect you along your route whenever you leave the palace. This was entirely my own unauthorized action; it has nothing to do with Commander Lu. Please, punish me."

"This..." Lu Wenzhao paused, glancing at Wang Lu with shock and uncertainty.

"Is that so?" Guo Zhen stared into Wang Lu's eyes, scrutinizing him.

"It is," Wang Lu replied, his gaze unwavering and his tone sincere. "I know it’s against the rules, but you have helped me quite a bit over the years. I must repay a drop of kindness with a fountain of gratitude."

"I was just about to ask you, and you brought it up yourself. Is there such a thing as a coincidence?" Guo Zhen’s eyes, sharp as a hawk’s, remained fixed on Wang Lu, while his hand snatched the short blade from Lu Wenzhao’s waist and pressed it against Wang Lu’s throat. "I’ll ask you again: are you protecting me, or are you spying on me? Whose side are you really on?"

"In honor of the fact that you saved my life back then, I can spare you, but you must tell the truth."

Wang Lu swallowed hard, suppressing the urge to draw his sword. He realized that Guo Zhen and Lu Wenzhao had already dragged each other into the depths; they were in this together. With so many lieutenants and commanders outside, no matter how high his martial arts skills were, he feared crossbow bolts. Even if he fought, he would fail with absolute certainty; there was no chance of survival.

"I am a man of Commander Lu, and I am a man of Eunuch Guo. You could give me a hundred guts, and I would still never dare to be disrespectful to Eunuch Guo." Wang Lu watched the blade at his throat from the corner of his eye. If Guo Zhen decided to strike, he would have to try to escape, even if it meant certain death. Perhaps Lu Wenzhao would go easy on him? Hadn't he done the same for Shen Lian? Perhaps he could use his tongue then—tell Lu Wenzhao that Prince Xin would kill all those who knew the truth?

"Pfft—hahaha!"

The murderous atmosphere vanished like ice in the sun. Guo Zhen sheathed the blade and returned it to Lu Wenzhao’s waist.

"I knew there was nothing wrong with him. Who in the Imperial Guard doesn't know that Brother Wang Lu only cares about practicing his swordplay and nothing else? He’s spent eight years of salary on that broken blade alone. What kind of wicked intentions could he have?" Guo Zhen said to Lu Wenzhao.