Lord Nine Thousand: A Difficult Temperament

Perhaps finding the long journey boring, the man grew bolder. "You must be careful. The Director..."

He made a throat-cutting gesture and whispered, "He hates filth the most. Don't you dare offend his eyes."

Chu Feng Qi was completely unaware that he was always disheveled in front of Du Chao Gong. His eyes shone with admiration. "Does Lord Nine Thousand like sachets and incense?"

The man nodded, as if finding a kindred spirit, and blurted everything out. "He loves them! He also likes wearing flashy, colorful clothes. He's fastidious about cleanliness—extremely so! He changes his clothes at least four times a day!"

Chu Feng Qi's eyes widened in awe. "Wow! Do you know anything else about Lord Nine Thousand?"

"What aspect do you want to hear about?"

"What does Lord Nine Thousand like to eat? What's his favorite color? Does he have any taboos, or a preferred scent? Is there anyone who usually serves him closely? Do you think I could do it? Don't tell him I asked this, it's embarrassing..."

A long while later.

"Why did you stop talking?"

Du Chao Gong had a volatile temper. Although he didn't kill indiscriminately, his cruel methods still struck terror into people's hearts.

If one were to give examples, three days and nights wouldn't be enough to tell them all.

Like the matter of that traitorous confidant; that night, Du Chao Gong had hunted him down merely for amusement, like a cat with a mouse. He let him run everywhere, and when he caught him, he didn't kill him immediately but broke his limbs and threw him into a cell full of insects to leave him to his fate.

True to his title, it was like raising venomous insects; they poured all sorts of bugs into the dark dungeon and threw the person in to fight for survival against the swarm. The scene was more horrific than hell; just looking at it would scare away half of one's soul.

The guard who had brought the traitor back saw that gruesome sight and was so terrified he couldn't sleep all night.

These methods of Du Chao Gong were used against enemies, but his own people were tormented in different ways.

Du Chao Gong was fastidious to a pathological degree. He changed several sets of clothes every day. Washing them wasn't enough; they had to be dried in the sun all day and then taken to the incense room to be infused with fragrance. What was remarkable was that the clothes weren't worn for long, yet they had to retain the scent for a long time.

Every so often, the scent had to be changed, which was incredibly exhausting. Everyone lamented that this was the first time they had met such a fastidious eunuch.

Furthermore, Du Chao Gong was extremely picky about food, with many dietary restrictions. The chefs around him changed like a revolving door; all of them quit because they couldn't stand his demands. According to a former chef, if the saltiness wasn't just right, it wouldn't do. Meat had to be prepared this way, vegetables sliced that way—each dish had a different requirement that gave people a headache, making them want to tell him to just go into the kitchen and cook it himself.