Chapter Nine: The Eunuch of the Western Depot is a Good Man

Lingran jumped in like this because she feared the cold water inching up her body would be more unbearable; better to get it over with quickly. But she had no idea she'd chosen such a treacherous spot. The moment she plunged in, she let out a blood-curdling scream and then scrambled ashore, grimacing in pain.

A crowd on the bank burst into laughter at her disheveled state.

Biqing and Yuan'er hurried over to help her up. Yuan'er scolded, "How could you be so reckless?"

Biqing anxiously asked, "What happened? What happened?"

Lingran turned to inspect herself under the lantern's light, and saw a long bloody gash stretching from her lower back down her left thigh, scraped by a stone. It hurt so much that tears streamed down her cheeks.

Madam Xu and Madam Zhou were startled and rushed over. Madam Xu, furious, shouted, "Do you still look like a lady from a noble family? You must remember, your bodies no longer belong to yourselves. The general paid dearly to buy you all. If anything goes wrong—if you end up scarred—see if I don't beat you to death!"

Lingran was sweating from the pain, and now had to endure a tirade from this woman. In any other place, she would have argued back, but she knew well that wisdom lay in patience. She bit her lip and kept silent.

"What are you standing around for? Take her back at once. I'll report to the general and have someone bring ointment to stop the bleeding and clear the bruises to her room."

Xiao'e went off with them to fetch the medicine. Biqing and Yuan'er supported Lingran, one on each side, as she limped back.

Madam Zhou stayed behind in the courtyard, berating and urging the other eight girls into the water. The courtyard was soon filled with sobs and complaints.

Yuan'er carried the lantern, her face full of worry. "You might catch a chill like this."

"Thanks to Lingran, we don't have to go into the water," Biqing remarked, entirely carefree.

"You might escape today, but you can't forever. Bathing in the water is nothing," Lingran muttered, still determined to voice her opinions.

Yuan'er couldn't help but chide her, "You're injured and still saying it's nothing?"

"I'm just not used to it being so dark at night—I couldn't see clearly..."

As they walked, tangled in their worries, suddenly a man's cough echoed from the darkness ahead.

The three girls were startled and stopped. Yuan'er raised her lantern to scan their surroundings, while Biqing summoned her courage and called out loudly, "Who's hiding there?"

Silence fell, with no reply.

Biqing and Yuan'er grew uneasy; Lingran, wounded, couldn't afford to chase after thieves, so they ignored the matter. Glancing at each other, they quickened their pace and made it safely back to the large house where they stayed.

Soon after, Madam Xu brought a lean, wiry man into the room, announcing loudly, "General Peng truly has a heart of gold. When he heard someone was injured, he sent me to fetch Doctor Ma at once. Let him have a look!"

Lingran's wound was on her backside; she'd never let a lecherous-looking middle-aged man examine her. She waved her hands repeatedly, "No need, no need. Let the girls take care of it. Just give us the ointment—we’ll be fine."

Biqing stepped in front of Lingran protectively, while Yuan'er whispered the situation to Madam Xu, who then shot Lingran a glance and explained with a smile that it was just a scrape. She insisted the doctor leave medicine to prevent scarring.

The doctor maintained that without seeing the wound, he couldn't guarantee there'd be no scar. The women argued with him for a while; Lingran nearly lost her temper. At last, he shook his head reluctantly and left cleaning solution and ointment behind, following Madam Xu out, disgruntled.

Clearly a lecher! Lingran cursed inwardly.

Once Yuan'er finished tending her injury, the pain eased. Lingran lay on her stomach, flashing a grin over her shoulder. "Yuan'er, your hands are so skillful. If only you could always be by my side."

Yuan'er put on a stern face, "You can still smile! You scared us all half to death just now."

Lingran smiled in silence, turning her thoughts to her future prospects.

Clearly, being someone else's songstress held little promise. She reasoned that General Peng, having paid so much for them and planning to train them, must have some greater purpose in mind than simply hiring entertainers. She recalled the immortal painter at the restaurant mentioning they’d be gifted to a certain Lord Liu, and couldn't help but ask, "Do you know who this General Peng is? And who is his mentor, Lord Liu? Surely he's not that eunuch from the Western Bureau?"

Having read too many dubious books in her previous life, her mind swirled with unsavory thoughts about eunuchs and palace maid "companionships," sending a chill through her.

Biqing shook her head, "I only know there's a famed Peng Lun, but can't recall his achievements or whether he's the same person. I don't know who his mentor is, either."

Yuan'er replied, "I have a cousin serving in the Peng family army. He came home last year and spoke about him. According to my cousin, Peng Lun, the commander, is shrewd and decisive, strict in his discipline—a rare hero. As for his mentor, I haven’t heard. That’s all I know."

"Peng family army?" Lingran was astonished. Though she claimed to have a grasp of history, she only knew of armies like the Qi family, Yue family, and Yang family. Still, she reasoned that any army named after a family must be a reputable force.

Biqing said excitedly, "We must have seen him this evening, right? If so, that's wonderful! He's so tall and handsome, and so young... Whatever happens, it’s better than being sold to some old man."

"He might just give us to an old man," Lingran replied, dousing Biqing's romantic fantasies, then asked Yuan'er, "Do you know his deeds? Tell us!"

"I heard General Peng rose to fame guarding the southern border. When he arrived, the tribes like the Six Caves Miao often invaded the cultivated fields, refused to pay taxes, and wouldn’t supply grain for the postal horses. Sometimes they’d even abduct people and extort bribes—the border was a mess. After he took charge, he quelled the Miao uprising, set up boundary markers for the villages, and decreed that anyone crossing the border would lose their ears and nose at best or be killed outright at worst. The wild Miao were subdued and dared not trespass again, while the settled Miao were pacified and able to live in peace, so the people began calling his troops the Peng family army. Later, he fortified positions all over, and his exploits are too many to count. The imperial court holds him in high regard; just last year he was promoted to Deputy Commander of the Vanguard."

Lingran nodded, though she had no idea how high that rank was. She figured that since he was called “general,” it must be significant. This young man, already a high official, was surely a favorite of Chancellor Chu. "Your cousin must admire General Peng Lun. I wonder if the General Peng who bought us is the commander you speak of?"

Yuan'er replied, "It must be—Madam Xu said General Peng is the Commandant of Yongding Garrison. Then it’s definitely him."

Suddenly, Biqing shook her head and said, "I actually know about that Liu eunuch from the Western Bureau."

"Oh?" Lingran admired Biqing's jump in logic; while they discussed Peng Lun, she brought up Liu. Still, she was interested in these famous figures.

"In our dynasty, the eunuchs of the Directorate of Ceremonies usually oversee the Eastern Bureau, which wields the greatest power. The eunuchs of the Directorate of the Imperial Horses often serve as military supervisors or even directly command troops—they’re not to be underestimated. Liu Yongcheng, the eunuch in question, is a renowned figure, as famous as the Three-Jewel Eunuch Zheng He, and was greatly trusted by the late emperor. After the emperor's death, Chancellor Chu established the Western Bureau to balance the Eastern Bureau, and Liu, being highly respected, became its chief." Biqing turned to Yuan'er, "Sister Yuan'er, am I right?"

"Absolutely," Yuan'er replied with a smile.

Lingran thought, listening to them, that this chief of the Western Bureau was actually seen as a good man by the people!

It seemed there were no absolutes in this world; even the head of a secret police agency could have a good reputation. How remarkable!