Chapter 49

Not far from the building, there was a small alley. Walking in, it was just over twenty steps to a small courtyard. At the gate, three men with ashen faces and a chilling aura sat. The tall and thin man in the middle, who was in his thirties and was snorting tobacco, was the instigator of this tragedy, Eunuch Zheng.

"Damn, what bad luck. I spent silver to take on this mission. Do you want me to lose money? Grandmother... Ah-choo, ah-choo..." Stimulated by the tobacco, Eunuch Zheng sneezed fiercely, then closed his eyes in relief. "Dead people! No sense of propriety, where's the tea?"

Behind him, Liu Xiaodao, with a bitter smile, quickly handed over the warmed purple clay pot. "Sir, please have your tea... This Er Mao's mother has already been knocked out. Just wave your hand and let them off like a fart..."

"Damn, you talk so easily. This rascal dared to curse me in front of everyone and even tried to knock himself out. This is tarnishing my reputation! I serve the Emperor, tarnishing my reputation is the same as insulting the Emperor."

"Damn, I traveled hundreds of miles from the capital. Did I come here to listen to your curses? Today, I want to see if this scoundrel will die! If he dies, it's fine. If he doesn't, the county yamen's boards won't spare him..."

Eunuch Zheng's arrogant words made everyone present angry, but the common people, facing a eunuch from the palace, dared to be angry but not to speak. At this moment, a well-known bone-setting doctor from the county rushed over, just about to bandage and treat the injuries, when Eunuch Zheng roared.

"Who dares? Don't you know your own weight? If you dare to touch him, I'll deal with you... Children, go to the county yamen and report that someone has insulted me and the Emperor..."

At this moment, Er Mao, who had been crying beside him, disregarding the pain in his groin, crawled over and hugged Eunuch Zheng's leg, sobbing. "Sir, we were wrong. I won't go to the palace. Please, let my mother go..."

"Go to hell..." Eunuch Zheng kicked Er Mao to the side and, in a sinister move, stepped on his groin. The wound, which had just started to heal, burst open, and blood seeped out.

"Ah... It hurts, Mother, it hurts..." Er Mao rolled on the ground in pain. Liu Xiaodao, who knew how serious the wound was, was so heartbroken he couldn't bear to look.

The surrounding people were furious, their eyes blazing with anger at Eunuch Zheng, but the harsh feudal system had long made these commoners lose their courage. They could only look on in anger.

Eunuch Zheng had been in the palace for over fifteen years, starting as a bullied little eunuch and gradually becoming a warehouse eunuch. Over the years, he had endured countless humiliations. Fortunately, he had made it through and was now a middle-level eunuch with four or five subordinates and the privilege of eating from the small kitchen.

However, the twisted and perverted eunuch system had long changed his nature. He wanted to repay the abuse he had suffered as a child a thousand times over to the younger eunuchs. Er Mao's cries and sobs did not evoke any sympathy from him; instead, they excited him.

Eunuch Zheng kicked and beat Er Mao as if he were a cat or a dog, his eyes gleaming with excitement. "Ha, with your weak constitution, you want to enter the palace? You'll be dead in three days. Today, I'll teach you the rules of the palace... If I want you dead, you won't live..."

"Stop!" At this moment, a loud shout stunned everyone. A short-haired young man rushed over like the wind and kicked Eunuch Zheng in the chest. "I'll curse your ancestors, you perverted eunuch. If you dare to touch him again, I'll flay you alive!"

The young man who rushed over was Xiao Letian. He had just come down from the building and saw this tragic scene, which made him furious. "What are you waiting for? Hurry up and save him. I'll take responsibility for anything that happens..."

With Xiao Letian's words, the bone-setting doctor quickly provided aid. Er Mao's mother still had a pulse, and after bandaging and medicating her, she should be saved. However, Er Mao's groin injury was serious. Castration was a delicate procedure, and no one present, except Liu Xiaodao, knew how to handle it.

Liu Xiaodao, seeing the pitiful Er Mao rolling on the ground, finally felt compassion and rushed over to carry the child into the courtyard. Behind him, Eunuch Zheng's screams continued.

At this moment, Xiao Letian was already fighting with the three eunuchs. His strong and fierce attacks made the three eunuchs retreat step by step.

"Ouch, you're killing me, you're killing me... Do you know who I am? Do you know who I am?" Eunuch Zheng clutched his head and retreated.

"Who are you? I don't care who you are! You perverted eunuch, not a man or a woman..." Xiao Letian cursed.

Xiao Letian's actions were so sudden that County Magistrate Liu had not expected him to jump out. Normally, such matters would be handled by subordinates, not by the master himself. A moment of hesitation, and he failed to stop Xiao Letian.

This great master of Western learning was ruthless and fierce. By the time the people present realized what was happening, he had already beaten the eunuch into a corner. County Magistrate Liu, feeling bitter, quickly rushed over to mediate, followed by Wang Hu and his men.

"Ah, Mr. Xiao, calm down. Everything is under control. I'll handle it, I'll handle it..." County Magistrate Liu tried to mediate.

Xiao Letian, after a bout of fighting, was a bit tired and decided to stop. However, when the bruised and swollen Eunuch Zheng saw County Magistrate Liu step in, he felt like a stray dog finding support and came back to life.

"Did you all see that? This scoundrel dared to hit me. Hitting me is the same as hitting the Emperor... County Magistrate Liu, quickly arrest him, cut off his head, cut it off... Oh, this man doesn't even have a braid, he's a rebel, cut him..."

Xiao Letian's eyes widened, and he stomped his foot, scaring Eunuch Zheng, who shrank into the corner. Of course, Xiao Letian was just scaring him; with so many people blocking him, he couldn't get through.

"Everyone, disperse, disperse..." The constables began to drive away the crowd, and the two parties entered Liu Xiaodao's courtyard. When Xiao Letian entered the courtyard, he immediately covered his nose. He had already smelled the strange odor, and upon entering, he realized it was not a place for humans.

A mix of urine and herbal medicine smells made it hard to breathe. In the window of the side room, a group of small heads were curiously watching the important people outside. These were the children to be sent to the palace this season.

Eunuch Zheng finally caught his breath. Seeing the county magistrate, the constable, the registrar, and the secretary—all the county's top officials—appear, he felt a sense of unease. Adding to this, Xiao Letian's expensive Shu brocade robe and his imposing demeanor made the old eunuch feel a chill.

"Could I have provoked someone I shouldn't have today? It's possible..."

At this moment, County Magistrate Liu smiled