The favor of those above is never earned through flattery.
It is exchanged.
Deng Yi had always believed this—whether through wealth or other abilities, it was always an exchange, not groveling.
Take Chu Ling, for instance, whom the officials had just mentioned.
Everyone said Chu Ling had lost the Emperor’s favor, yet no one noticed that a man who had supposedly fallen from grace had remained as Garrison General at the Border Commandery fortress for over a decade.
This proved that Chu Ling’s favor with the Emperor was not won through flattery but exchanged.
It was widely known that Chu Ling had once traded his talents for soaring to the top, but after that, even when he incurred blame, he went unpunished—there must have been some undisclosed exchange behind it.
Later, when Prince Zhongshan asked Deng Yi to facilitate an acquaintance with Chu Ling if the opportunity arose, it further confirmed his suspicions.
Of course, Deng Yi had no objection to helping with this.
Naturally, he had no intention of befriending Chu Ling personally. With anyone, he did not seek friendship—only exchange. Still, understanding someone better allowed for a more accurate valuation, so he did not mind the deliberate approach of Chu Ling’s daughter, or rather, her attempts to curry favor.
The girl had been openly trying to win him over from the moment they met.
Logically, she should indeed try to please him, given that he was the one sent to apprehend her. Yet, her temperament did not seem the type to willingly flatter others. Even as she sought his favor, her eyes were filled with unmistakable pride.
This recent incident only reinforced his view—faced with the Third Prince, the girl had dared to stand her ground without yielding.
Bow and apologize to the Third Prince? Seek his favor? She outright refused. She would only meet the challenge head-on.
Chu Ling and his daughter were truly intriguing people, Deng Yi thought with a smile.
By now, they had reached the Inner Court Gate, the most crucial entrance to the Emperor’s quarters. The officials at the gate spotted Deng Yi and greeted him cheerfully, “Minister Deng, you seem in high spirits today.”
Deng Yi smiled. “Indeed. After duty, let’s go for a drink—my treat.”
The officials laughed, chiming in, “Excellent!” “Minister Deng’s wine is the best.” “The food and drink Minister Deng arranges are always superb.”
As they bantered, several eunuchs hurried over from outside. The officials quickly stepped aside, but Deng Yi raised a hand to block their path.
The officials were startled and tried to intervene, but it was too late. Deng Yi had already addressed the eunuchs, “Your waist tokens.”
The eunuchs were equally taken aback, staring in disbelief at Deng Yi blocking their way.
“Are you blind?” the lead eunuch snapped. “Don’t you know who I am?”
An official hurriedly interceded with an apologetic smile, “Eunuch Zhu, please don’t be angry. Minister Deng is new here.”
Other officials whispered urgently to Deng Yi, “This is Eunuch Zhu from the Crown Prince’s retinue,” urging him to apologize quickly.
Deng Yi stood firm and said, “I am aware this is Eunuch Zhu, which is precisely why I asked for the waist token.”
Eunuch Zhu and the officials’ faces darkened further—the implication was all too clear.
“How dare you!” Eunuch Zhu fumed, his face flushing red. “You disrespect the Crown Prince! His Highness may come and go freely in the palace by the Emperor’s decree. How dare you, a petty official, try to sow discord—”
The eunuchs behind him glared menacingly. Since the Crown Prince favored riding, archery, and strong men, his eunuchs were all burly and imposing. They clenched their fists, ready to tear this minor official apart.
If they were to actually kill an official, the Crown Prince would not only refrain from punishing them but would likely praise their bravery.The officials dared not utter a word, but Deng Yi continued speaking: "However, you are not the Crown Prince."
Eunuch Zhu was truly about to take action when, fortunately, laughter echoed from within the palace gates.
"Why has Eunuch Zhu only just arrived?" The newcomer was also a eunuch, his hair entirely white, his kindly face carrying a hint of reproach. "His Majesty has already inquired several times."
Seeing this elderly eunuch, Eunuch Zhu suppressed his ferocity but remained indignant: "It is not that this servant is late, Elder Qi. It is that this servant cannot enter this gate."
The old eunuch approached, roughly understanding the situation. He glanced at Deng Yi and said, "So there is a newcomer. This Eunuch Zhu has come on behalf of the Crown Prince to deliver an item. His Majesty is waiting."
Deng Yi looked at him: "Waist Token."
The old eunuch was taken aback: "Goodness, you don't even recognize me." He shook his head with a self-deprecating smile. "But it's not your fault. I am old and seldom come out these days."
The officials hurriedly explained: "Lord Deng, this is Qi Gonggong from His Majesty's presence, who attends to His Majesty's daily needs." Then they explained to Qi Gonggong, "He is new here, originally from outside the palace, from the Ministry of the Guards. He has never been to the imperial court and knows nothing of its ways."
Qi Gonggong made a sound of understanding: "Why assign someone who knows nothing?" His long eyebrows rose as he scrutinized Deng Yi. "You must have offended someone, haven't you?"
No one knew how to respond to this, offering only awkward smiles.
Deng Yi did not answer either, merely saying: "No one is born knowing everything. We all learn step by step. Next time I see you, Gonggong, I will not fail to recognize you. However—"
Before he could finish, Qi Gonggong reached out and produced his waist token: "This is my waist token. I have come specifically to escort Eunuch Zhu. Is that acceptable?"
Eunuch Zhu sneered: "Why bother explaining to him? Just drive him out."
Ignoring him, Deng Yi took the waist token and examined it carefully before nodding and stepping aside: "Please proceed."
Eunuch Zhu looked him up and down: "Deng Yi, is it? I will remember you."
Deng Yi bowed and said: "I have just arrived here and am unfamiliar with the rules. If I have caused offense, I beg your indulgence. I will strive to learn the customs here and will never delay your duties in the future." As he spoke, he untied a jade pendant from his waist. "This is a family heirloom of this humble official. I hope you will accept it."
What kind of person was this! Eunuch Zhu was stunned: "You... you..."
Gifts to eunuchs were commonplace, but one so openly and unabashedly presented in public was truly a first.
Was this minor official mocking him?
"Who wants your trinket?" Furious, Eunuch Zhu flicked his sleeve, knocking Deng Yi's jade pendant to the ground. "Step aside."
Deng Yi complied and moved aside.
Qi Gonggong laughed heartily: "Enough, do not quarrel with him." He pulled Eunuch Zhu along as they headed inward, whispering, "He must have offended someone and been assigned here—ask Young Master Yang and the others when you return. You will likely learn his background."
If he had been thrown here after offending someone, left to cause trouble and be punished, then Eunuch Zhu had no desire to take the lead. He was willing to teach others a lesson, but not to be used as a whip—not even by someone from Imperial Uncle Yang's household.
"Not just anyone can come to these palace gates," he fumed. "This servant will inform the Crown Prince to investigate them thoroughly. This is outrageous!"
The two gradually moved farther away, disappearing into the depths of the palace until they were out of sight.
Deng Yi bent down to pick up the jade pendant from the ground, then looked at the surrounding officials, whose expressions were complex.
"I have startled everyone," Deng Yi said with a smile, shaking the jade pendant. "Once I pawn this, I will treat everyone tonight to settle your nerves."The officials were both exasperated and amused. They finally understood Deng Yi's ways and why he couldn't stay anywhere despite giving gifts everywhere.
"What are you trying to achieve?" they asked helplessly.
Deng Yi smiled: "To achieve that no matter what happens, one should never retreat without a fight."
Only after fighting and losing should one lower their head.
This way, though some might mock him, others would remember him.
He glanced toward the deep palace.
...
...
Compared to Deng Yi, a minor official dutifully guarding the gate, the imperial guards patrolling the palace were much more tactful. They stood solemnly without glancing sideways, allowing the eunuchs to come and go freely.
A young man with phoenix eyes standing on the city wall yawned boredly and looked at the gathered guards nearby.
"Hey, any interesting news lately?" he asked.
The guards shook their heads: "There aren't that many interesting things happening."
"Not necessarily," the phoenix-eyed youth frowned, then raised his long eyebrows. "Have you heard about that incident at the Elegant Interest Pavilion in the city? A woman—"
Before he could finish, the guards showed expressions of having had enough. They swarmed over, some pinching his arms and pressing his shoulders, while others repeatedly bowed with folded hands.
"My dear Ninth Lord, spare us all. You've told this story several times already."
"Just because you witnessed some excitement doesn't mean you can talk about it forever."
"Yan Lai, we beg you to go out again. Maybe you'll see something new happening."
Go out? Absolutely not. Xie Yanlai sneered. As the group laughed and joked, a guard watching the fun suddenly remembered something.
"Hey, speaking of new excitement, there really is some," he said. "About that incident at the Elegant Interest Pavilion in the city—"
The guards immediately groaned, "We've all heard it!" "I've already memorized it." "I even dreamt of Miss Chu—"
At this point, someone was kicked, though no one saw who did it, making him yelp in pain.
That guard waved his hand: "No, I mean because of the Elegant Interest Pavilion incident, something new has happened, and it involves the Third Prince."
Involving the Third Prince? The laughing and joking stopped as everyone turned to look at him.
Xie Yanlai also looked over, his eyes sharpening. He quickly figured something out and muttered gleefully, "Serves him right. I knew this would happen."
The others asked in unison, "What happened?"
"It's about that Miss Chu," the guard said. "After competing with her own brother, now the Third Prince has ordered her to compete against everyone."
Though there was no physical fighting like at the Elegant Interest Pavilion, what Miss Chu endured was much more painful than being beaten.
"Bowing and admitting defeat over and over again, writing confessions and pressing fingerprints—the shame is carved into her body, something she can never wash away in this lifetime."
The other guards imagined such a scenario happening to themselves and thought they'd rather die or never show their faces again.
After all, they were men, but Miss Chu was just a young woman. What would become of her?
"Actually, it's Miss Chu's own fault. The Third Prince clearly just wanted her to admit her mistake," one guard frowned. "If she had admitted defeat and wrongdoing from the start, saying she couldn't compare, wouldn't that have been enough? No scholar would truly make things difficult for her."
Another nodded: "Exactly, she was too arrogant. Since she had to admit defeat anyway, why bother?"
Someone snorted with laughter.
"Nonsense."
Who? Everyone followed the voice and saw it was the phoenix-eyed youth standing at the back, leaning lazily against the city wall.
"Retreating without a fight is admitting defeat," he said. "But losing after fighting isn't defeat."
If it's not defeat, then what is? The guards frowned."Besides, after losing enough times, you might just win," the phoenix-eyed youth said with a laugh. "Once that happens, she can afford to be arrogant."
......
......
At a seating arrangement for ten, a girl stood slightly bent over before one of them, deep in thought, then picked up a piece and placed it on the board.
With this single move, the situation on the board instantly reversed. The young man sitting opposite turned pale, and a crisp, feminine laugh rang out above his head.
"Young master, you've lost."
The spectators who had been watching the entire game shook their heads in unison, acknowledging the hopelessness of the situation. The young man, to his credit, conceded gracefully and made to rise and leave, but was stopped by Chu Zhao.
"Young master, wait," she said. "Your calligraphy is inferior to mine, your earlier arguments were less incisive, and now you've lost at chess. So, this means I've bested you, doesn't it?"
The young man turned to look at the girl. Her eyes sparkled, a faint smile playing on her lips—truly a delightful sight. Fine, he thought, if it pleases her, so be it.
He nodded and cupped his hands in a gesture of respect. "I've lost." He made to leave again, but Chu Zhao once more called out for him to wait.
A maidservant emerged, blocking his path with a fierce glare.
"Young Master Zhang," Chu Zhao said, looking at him. The girl was only thirteen, shorter than all the men present, but at that moment, she lifted her chin slightly, her gaze looking down from a height, her expression both haughty and cold. "Though there are many witnesses, words alone are no proof. Please write on this paper: 'Zhang Liang of Yuancheng is inferior to Chu Zhao in calligraphy, chess, and talent.'"
Young Master Zhang was stunned, then flushed bright red. The others around them frowned as well.
She was throwing back at him the very words others had once used against her.
This girl—who had been conceding defeat for days with humility and sincerity—had won just once and immediately become this arrogant.
"Miss Chu, you've only won once," someone remarked with a sarcastic tone.
Chu Zhao smiled. "Winning once is still winning."
Her eyes swept over the crowd, her smile mocking.
"What? I can handle losing—can't any of you?"
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