Chapter 236: Doubt

Chapter 236 Suspicion

He froze for several seconds before snapping out of it, a surge of anger flared up again at being played, his voice climbing several octaves.

"You damn bastard! When I eat, there's all these damn rules, but you can just grab it with your hands and gnaw away?! Are you messing with me?!"

Cheng Ge was in the middle of tackling a tough, sinewy meat bone.

He paused at the words, cheeks bulging, and forced himself to swallow the food in his mouth.

Then he looked up with eyes still full of sincerity at Lei Biao, his tone utterly matter-of-fact.

"Boss, you've misunderstood again. This isn't for me to eat!"

He pointed at the table full of leftovers and argued with righteous indignation.

"Think about it—when the emperor in the palace dines, he takes just three bites of each dish before they're taken away.

So what happens to all the remaining delicacies? They can't just be thrown away, can they?

The emperor graciously gives them to the eunuchs and maids who serve him.

This is called 'bestowing food,' a way to show the emperor's immense grace and care for his servants!"

He picked up a bare bone and shook it: "When the underlings get a reward like this, they must eat it right then and there happily and with deep gratitude.

The more heartily they eat, the more they show their appreciation for the emperor's favor!

If they leave any or refuse to eat, it means they look down on the emperor and betray his grace—that's a capital offense—they'll lose their heads!"

Cheng Ge said, taking another savage bite of the meat in his hand, and added indistinctly:

"I just figured, since you, Chief, were done eating, and it would be a pity to throw away these leftovers.

Since you've graciously bestowed them, I should quickly eat them with gratitude, so I don't waste your royal favor!"

Lei Biao's head was spinning from all that 'palace rules' nonsense, and he opened his mouth but couldn't come up with a single retort for a long time.

Wait... that actually made sense? When the emperor bestows food, his subordinates indeed have to eat it all with gratitude...

But... but no matter how he looked at it, it felt wrong. Why the hell did he have to go hungry while watching this bastard feast?!

But thinking of words like "emperor," "rules," and "imperial kindness," and then recalling the grand vision of becoming an emperor that Cheng Ge had painted for him,

he choked down his hunger and annoyance, leaving only an indescribable feeling of frustration and confusion.

He glared at Cheng Ge, who was wolfing down his food, and finally just let out a disgruntled snort, turning his head away to avoid seeing it.

Cheng Ge took his time gnawing the last scraps off the bone, then tossed the clean bone back onto the table and roughly wiped his greasy mouth with his sleeve.

That smug look vanished from his face, and he immediately put on an expression of utmost loyalty.

He quickly shuffled behind Lei Biao, who had just stood up, slightly hunched over, like a total bootlicker who just got a huge handout.

Lei Biao was suffocating from all that 'imperial grace' crap.

Hungry but unable to vent his anger, he could only snort irritably and said gruffly, "Full? If you're full, then follow me!"

"Yes, yes! Thanks for the grub, Chief!" Cheng Ge said loudly.

Lei Biao couldn't be bothered to see his smug expression, and strode out with long strides. Cheng Ge immediately followed closely behind.

The two walked one after another to a wooden house deeper in the stronghold where security was even tighter.

At the door stood two fierce bandits wearing sabers at their waists. Seeing Lei Biao arrive, they immediately called out "Chief!"

Lei Biao stepped forward to enter, and Cheng Ge naturally tried to follow.

However, the bandit on the right side of the door suddenly thrust out an arm, unceremoniously blocking him squarely in the chest.

Cheng Ge feigned surprise at just the right moment and looked up at the people inside the room.

The light inside the room was dim. Lei Biao was already lounging arrogantly in the tiger-skin chair in the center.

Xiong Meng stood by his side, while at the lower seat, White Brow was holding a cup of coarse tea, gently blowing on it.

Those shrewd eyes, through the rising steam, precisely fixed on Cheng Ge's face.

Their eyes met. Cheng Ge's heart tightened, but his face instantly showed a mix of deference and fear, and he quickly lowered his head.

White Brow watched him, a faint trace of doubt flashing in his eyes. He did not immediately look away.

The people he sent to investigate reported back that Cheng Ge's background was suspiciously clean, everything reasonable.

But precisely because it was too reasonable, the trace of suspicion in his heart did not dissipate; instead, like a drop of ink in clear water, it seeped out like ink spreading in water.

He always felt that this guy wasn't as simple as he appeared on the surface.

White Brow put down his teacup, his fingers tapping the tabletop soundlessly.

Inside the room, Lei Biao saw Cheng Ge being stopped and was about to speak.

But White Brow spoke first, his voice low but carrying an air of finality.

"Chief, what we're discussing is confidential matters of the stronghold. This newcomer... after all, he's new here..."

His words were polite and reasonable, and naturally Lei Biao trusted White Brow more.

So he waved his hand and said gruffly, "Alright, you—wait outside!"

"Yes, Chief," Cheng Ge responded respectfully. Without any complaint, he retreated to the shadow under the eaves, standing with his hands at his sides like a lifeless wooden post.

The door slammed shut tightly in front of him, completely cutting off the sounds from inside.

Under the eaves, the look of deference and fear on Cheng Ge's downcast face vanished completely in an instant.

His ears twitched almost imperceptibly, straining to catch any faint sound seeping through the crack in the door.

...

"Chief, rest assured. Everything that needs to be arranged has been arranged, and the customary tributes have already been delivered," White Brow said as he slowly rose.

Hearing this, Lei Biao patted his stomach with satisfaction. "Mm, I naturally trust you to handle things, Second Brother. You need to keep those people in line for me."

As he spoke, everyone started to walk out. White Brow fell in step beside Lei Biao and lowered his voice, "Big Brother, that young follower of yours has a murky background and a too-sharp mind. You should be a bit more cautious of him."

Lei Biao was taken aback, stopped in his tracks, and asked, "Second Brother, why do you say that? Have you found any problems?"

No matter the place or the faction, the biggest taboo is having a mole inside.

White Brow slowly shook his head, frowning, and said, "There's no problem, it's just..."

Lei Biao, upon hearing there was no problem, waved his hand dismissively and laughed heartily: "Second Brother, you worry too much!

A pale-faced pretty boy like him, weak and helpless, all soft like a woman, could be blown over by a gust of wind—what waves could he stir up?

Looking at him, I bet a single fart could make him cry. He's just a slick talker looking for a free meal."

He patted White Brow on the shoulder: "Alright, I know you mean well, little brother.

In this stronghold of ours, we rely on real skills earned from living on the edge. That kind of man can't cause any trouble."