As the Seal-holding Grand Eunuch of the Directorate of Ceremonial, Qiao Gui routinely assisted the Emperor in reviewing memorials and drafting imperial edicts.
Moreover, the Emperor had always been too lazy to deal with the tedious and trivial matters of the court, finding them headache-inducing whenever he glanced at memorials. Thus, he only concerned himself with major affairs of state, leaving minor matters aside.
Minor matters were left for Qiao Gui to decide on his own without needing to report back. As for what constituted a major affair, naturally, that was for Qiao Gui to determine.
For Su Fengyi, having an imperial edict was enough. She didn’t care who wrote it and wasn’t picky, so she nodded in agreement.
As the two spoke, the Imperial Guard’s encirclement tightened further, and the crowd drew closer and closer to the great white tiger.
The distance was now dangerously close—so close that the great white tiger could leap up and bite off the Emperor’s head in just a few strides.
Su Fengyi watched with trepidation, no longer daring to move forward, and quickly called out to the Emperor:
“Let’s just wait here. Don’t go any further.”
Upon hearing this, the Emperor laughed heartily and said:
“When did my elder sister become so timid? Look at Qiao Gui—he’s right at the front. If he isn’t afraid, why should you be?”
Factory Overseer Qiao Gui, nicknamed Qiao Ergou, was originally named Qiao Fugui.
Twenty years ago, Qiao Fugui, a famine refugee who had fled to the capital, found himself unable to survive. In order to secure a meal, he castrated himself and entered the palace as a eunuch, changing his name to Qiao Gui.
Rising from the lowest-ranking menial eunuch to become the most favored Seal-holding Grand Eunuch of the Directorate of Ceremonial by the Emperor’s side, Qiao Gui relied on two great skills: a kind face and a ruthless heart.
First great skill: a kind face.
Qiao Gui possessed the most honest and trustworthy appearance in the world—one that looked absolutely incapable of betraying his master.
The Late Emperor was benevolent and kind-hearted. Most eunuchs were scheming and ambitious individuals, and the Late Emperor disliked these cunning and treacherous eunuchs. Instead, the kind-faced Qiao Gui caught the Late Emperor’s eye and was assigned to care for the then-newborn Emperor, paving the way for his meteoric rise.
Second great skill: a ruthless heart.
Qiao Gui was ruthless not only toward others but even more so toward himself.
The Emperor loved excitement, indulging in many extravagant and dangerous pastimes. Qiao Gui always took the lead, genuinely risking his life without hesitation whenever danger arose.
He had originally been by the Emperor’s side, trying to sow discord between the Grand Princess and the Emperor by subtly undermining Su Fengyi.
When a subordinate reported that the Grand Princess had beheaded his newly adopted godson, how could he tolerate it?
Godsons were worthless—he had plenty of them. The key issue was that his prestige as the Nine Thousand Years had been challenged. He had to retaliate a hundredfold, or else everyone would dare to disrespect him next time.
But one must distinguish between what is primary and what is secondary.
The power of a eunuch stems from the Emperor’s trust and favor. At all times, regardless of other matters, the Emperor’s needs must come first.
Even if the Emperor ordered him to climb a mountain of blades or plunge into a sea of fire, he would have to go with a smile and leave cheerfully, maintaining his persona of loyalty and straightforwardness before the Emperor.
So now, for Qiao Gui, the matter of the Grand Princess had to be set aside temporarily. Capturing the little white tiger the Emperor wanted was the top priority.
Was capturing the little white tiger a reckless act? Of course, it was. Was it dangerous? Undoubtedly so.
But the more dangerous it was, the more it demonstrated Qiao Gui’s loyalty to the Emperor.
Thus, once the white tiger was located and the encirclement was formed, Qiao Gui took the lead, eagerly stepping forward personally to capture the little white tiger for the Emperor.
The great white tiger was surrounded by the Imperial Guard, lunging left and right in an attempt to escape. The little white tiger, with its short legs, trailed behind, meowing incessantly but failing to keep up. Gradually, it was separated from the encirclement, drifting farther and farther away from the great white tiger.
Qiao Gui seized the opportunity, pouncing forward to pin down the little white tiger. Ignoring the danger, he lifted it high, his face beaming with a grin so wide it revealed his gums:
“Your Majesty, I caught it! I caught it!”
Qiao Gui had the kind of face that looked easily bullied, and he was skilled at playing the fool and acting obedient. So when he smiled like this, he appeared even more like a simple, honest man.
An honest man’s smile always puts people at ease, especially when it comes from someone who had accompanied him for eighteen years.
Seeing him smile, the Emperor couldn’t help but smile as well: “Well done, you shall be rewarded…”
Just as he spoke, the mother tiger let out a furious roar, her eyes blazing red. She turned on the spot, leaped over the encircling soldiers and horses, and charged straight toward Qiao Gui.
Even a cornered dog will jump over a wall, let alone a mother beast who had lost her cub.
As Qiao Gui faced danger, Su Fengyi didn’t even blink. Such a troublemaker—it would be best if he died. With him gone, the drama could skip dozens of episodes, and it would be the perfect ending.
Lu Hong rode alongside the Emperor. Logically, as the Imperial Guard was responsible for the hunt, any mishap would fall on him. If Qiao Gui died, the Emperor’s fury might cost Lu Hong his position as the Imperial Guard commander.
On the field, he was the one who should have acted first, yet he didn’t even blink, remaining completely still.
Just as Qiao Gui was about to meet his end, the first to move were the Emperor and Qiao Gui’s disciples.
Seeing the mother tiger charge at Qiao Gui, the Emperor, disregarding his own safety, instinctively spurred his horse forward, spear in hand, and shouted:
“Qiao Gui! Get down!”
Several eunuchs near Qiao Gui threw themselves over the Factory Overseer, attempting to shield him with their bodies.
Qiao Gui could die, but the Emperor must not.
Su Fengyi’s feathered arrow moved.
Lu Hong was faster than Su Fengyi’s arrow and swifter than the Emperor’s horse. He leaped into the air, soaring past the Emperor, his horse-slaying sword unsheathed as he charged toward the mother tiger.
The Imperial Guards also sprang into action. In a flash of lightning and thunder, Su Fengyi’s arrow struck the mother tiger’s eye, while Lu Hong’s sword slashed at its head.
In another instant, Lu Hong struck eight consecutive blows, his movements so fast they left afterimages in the air, cleaving the mother tiger into eight pieces.
Meanwhile, Qiao Gui, who had been moments from death and was shielded beneath a human shield, clung tightly to the little white tiger. Hearing the mother tiger’s furious roars and recalling the Emperor risking his life to save him, he silently grinned in triumph.
He knew it—as long as he was willing to die for the Emperor, he would never truly die.
Who else in this world could make the Emperor risk his life to save them?
Who else but him!
After a moment, the mother tiger’s roars ceased, and the human shield atop him rose. Unscathed, Qiao Gui plastered his signature honest-man smile on his face and eagerly carried the little white tiger to show the Emperor:
“Your Majesty, I caught it! I caught it!”
The Emperor was utterly terrified for Qiao Gui. He circled him several times, ensuring he was unharmed, then scolded him for his carefree demeanor:
“You reckless fool, with no martial skills to speak of, yet you dare charge into everything…”
Qiao Gui placed the still-crying little tiger into the Emperor’s arms and said with a solemn expression:
“Your Majesty has been so distraught over the lost little white tiger these past few days, unable to eat or sleep. I, too, have been deeply worried, unable to eat or rest, day and night thinking of how to catch this little white tiger to bring Your Majesty joy.”
As for other matters, such as life and safety, compared to the Emperor’s favor, they are all trivial and cannot be considered…”
Such words might sound overly sentimental if spoken by others, but when uttered by an honest man, they appear incredibly sincere. The Emperor had listened to them for eighteen years and had never grown tired of them; instead, his eyes even reddened slightly, moved by the sentiment.
Yet, in reality, it was the Imperial Guard who had exerted great effort over the past few days—searching for the tiger, luring it, capturing it, and killing it. Qiao Gui merely seized the opportunity at the last moment. With Qiao Gui’s words, the contributions of the Imperial Guard were completely overshadowed, and all credit seemed to belong solely to him.