Chapter 4

Eunuchs are quite interesting in their speech; they can easily engage in conversation. If you have the leisure to chat with them over tea, you could talk for three days and nights without repeating yourself. Su Yi readily agreed, saying, "That is certain. Regardless of whether I become an official's wife or just marry a farmer, I must thank you for your kind words."

The title of the Prince of Ke is hereditary. Upon mentioning this title, one immediately knows it refers to the nephew of the Empress Dowager of Changchun Garden, who is also the last surviving heir of the previous dynasty's final prince. She bowed respectfully and said, "This servant humbly pays respects to the prince."

Thus, I was quite surprised in my heart, yet I managed to maintain a composed expression on my face. I then bowed and said, "Your Highness, I have heard it. However, I do not have the fortune for such a favor. Once I leave the palace, I will return to my hometown in Mongolia, fearing that I would disappoint Your Highness's kind intentions."

The eunuch in the tea room had already prepared the teapots and teacups upon hearing the commotion. She had previously visited the service room and was somewhat familiar with several eunuchs serving tea. Considering that there were many young masters in the courtyard, she decided to prepare a portion for each of them; if they were not needed, they could simply be returned.

In this place, where the nose is close to the eyes, there are all distinguished individuals, and one might even encounter the Emperor. Indeed, just as she was about to step out, she suddenly saw two people coming out from the office diagonally opposite: one was a high-ranking minister with a red cap, accompanying a tall figure dressed in formal dragon-patterned attire, walking and talking, heading towards the southern study. From a distance, she could not see their faces clearly, but just based on their attire and demeanor, it was undoubtedly the Emperor. She was taken aback and felt fortunate that she had not yet stepped outside, quickly retracting her legs.

Eunuch Chen lowered his eyelids and said, "I am not flattering you; I am speaking the truth. This tea house has been around for some years. I have been serving here since the founding of the British Empire, and I have seen and heard too much. The more humble one is, the more blessings one receives; competing for glory is only temporary. Is a glass ball beautiful? Yes, it is beautiful, smooth, and eye-catching, but after seeing too much of it, one gets tired of it. Have you ever seen His Majesty use glass as prayer beads? No. Glass is just a trinket; how can it compare to jade and pearls? Is a glass ball beautiful? Yes, it is beautiful, smooth, and eye-catching, but after seeing too much of it, one gets tired of it. Have you ever seen His Majesty use glass as prayer beads? No. Glass is just a trinket; how can it compare to jade and pearls? I have a keen eye for people; my lady, you are not a glass ball; you will surely have blessings in the future. Even after leaving the palace, you will definitely be able to become the wife of a high-ranking official from a prominent family."

Eunuch Chen observed her in this manner, unsure of what was happening. Following her gaze outside, he was quite surprised to see, "Auntie is unwilling to show her face in front of His Majesty? Some people achieve success just by a small glance, it is truly rare to see someone like Auntie!"

After the current emperor ascended the throne, the various princes changed the character for 'East' to 'Hong' to avoid the emperor's taboo. This prince is the youngest among those with the character 'Hong', ranking thirteenth, and is undoubtedly a true noble of the highest order. The last imperial edict issued by the retired emperor before abdicating was to elevate his title. He is the son of the Empress Dowager of Changchun Garden, and he carries the most esteemed blood of two dynasties.

Ma Liu'er did not say much, merely nodding and saying, "That is reasonable, very well, do not let down the feelings of Chang Man Shou who recommended you."

Everything has been tidied up, and a line of people is formed to send it over. When presenting it, it is not done casually; one must pay attention to the person. The princes all wear bright yellow belts, and there are only three legitimate masters, the eldest being seven or eight years old, arranged from oldest to youngest, making it easy to distinguish them.

To enter the Zhenshun Gate, one must obtain a token from the Jingshifang Yamen. The Jingshifang is located at the eastern end of the Nanshufang. The palace servants are not allowed to pass through the Qianqing Gate and must detour through the Yuehua Gate. Upon crossing the threshold, one can immediately see the Qianqing Palace; while walking, one must not even lift their eyelids, but simply move along the perimeter of the surrounding buildings.

Thus, I again humbly pay my respects to the esteemed Prince Rui

Thus, having spoken, he turned and proceeded towards the door

After exchanging a few pleasantries, she peeked out again, and the emperor was no longer in sight on the corridor; it seemed he had gone to the southern study to discuss matters. Seizing this opportunity, she hurried out, quickening her pace towards the respect office, planning to take the token and return through the Sun Essence Gate.

As she was being attended to, a young boy in a white short-sleeved shirt approached, carefully examining her while wearing studded wristbands, murmuring, "You look so familiar, which post are you on?"

Oh, it's twenty now, and next year it should be released. He nodded, Did you hear what Prince Rui just said?

She quickly signaled the eunuch serving tea, as acquaintances knew her habit of not recognizing people. Eunuch Chen hurried to clarify, "In response to His Royal Highness, she is the head palace maid of the Department of Internal Affairs, responsible for managing the new palace maids, and usually does not go out."

But what one fears often comes to pass; there are indeed such coincidences in the world. Just as she stepped out the door, the Emperor happened to be passing by the entrance of the Hall of Reverence, and he caught sight of a flash of bright yellow. By the time he realized it, he could not stop his legs in time. He silently exclaimed that it was not good, and collided head-on with His Majesty.

Serving at a funeral may earn a few coins, but it cannot be said to lead to any promotion. Although I have my doubts in my heart, I would not voice them; I would only respond, "I will not fall short of the benefits from the patrons for having received the reward, and I must thank the patrons for their usual care towards me."

Mossai touched his nose and asked, "How old are you this year?"

Hong Xun glanced at him and said, "You should really calm down! What good does it do to say who she resembles? You get all flustered whenever you see a pretty girl. If you like her, just ask the Emperor to reward you with her." Hong Xun turned around and waved to the third prince who was playing with arrows, "Yu Min, come here. Didn't you take a liking to my curved saber? Let's have a contest; if I lose, it will be yours, how about that?"

Prince Keqin Shuosai made a sound, looked again, and turned around to pull over a handsome young boy, saying, "Hongxun, who does this child resemble?"

Thus, with a forced smile, I replied, "In response to the prince's words, I am getting old; I am twenty years old this year."

Prince Rui is not very old, around ten years of age, yet he carries himself with an air of authority. He scrutinizes her for a moment and remarks, "I didn't notice that."

The steward of the Respectful Affairs Office, Ma Liu'er, was licking the tip of his pen while preparing the records for the guard duty when he heard footsteps and casually asked, "What brings you here?"

Thus, she found it quite amusing to run to the official residence, almost sending herself out. If she really arrived at the Duke's residence at her age, it would be more appropriate for her to be a concubine or a senior maid. She chuckled and said, "Just joking, but you took it seriously. You are busy, so I will head to the western office."

All the tea that should be served has been attended to, and Su has taken the cups and saucers back to the tea room. The serving eunuch, Eunuch Chen, smiled and said, "What a great opportunity, the lady actually let it slip away."

Oh dear, you have given me too much face, I am but a humble person with little fortune to bear such honor

Ma Liu'er slapped his thigh and said, "You have misunderstood my meaning. Your hard-earned money, we all come rushing to share it, it's not like we haven't seen silver in eight hundred years, there's no need to be so shameless! What I mean is, as you continue on your path, may it become broader, and if you could lend us a hand along the way, we would be content with that."

The Qianqing Palace is the place where the Emperor conducts state affairs. In the southern study room located to the west of the main entrance, military officials accompany the Emperor daily to participate in state matters. To the east of the main entrance is the Shangshufang, where the princes and royal relatives study and read. Today, coincidentally, the weather is fine, and the outer courtyard has set up a target for the princes and grandsons to practice archery. As I passed by, a group of people was enthusiastically engaged in a game of cloth cannon. Two individuals were competing, while the cheers and shouts from the sidelines were incessant. As I passed by, a group of people was enthusiastically engaged in a game of cloth cannon. Two individuals were competing, while the cheers and shouts from the sidelines were incessant.

The Third Prince let out a joyful exclamation, "Thirteenth Uncle does not deceive, deceiving is for little dogs!" The uncle and nephew linked arms and headed towards the end of the corridor

At this point, it is inevitable that one would become suspicious. This trip is likely not as simple as it seems; these eunuchs are not motivated without profit, so one must be cautious and vigilant. With a smile on his face, he took the plaque and said, "Xian Da is just joking with me! I am a servant, what promotion could I possibly have? I can only serve diligently, ensuring that everything is handled perfectly, and not bringing shame to Xian Da."

Ma Liu'er then raised his eyes to look at her, "Is that girl one of your subordinates? Was it you who accompanied the fat man to identify the corpse yesterday?" Seeing her affirmative response, he let out a long "oh". He took a plaque from the wall to register, pushed the ink pad forward, "Sign here to prevent any inquiries from above. Did the fat man say anything to you yesterday? I heard his apprentice chatting about how he mentioned you attending the prince's funeral, is that right?"

Eunuch Chen fanned the fire under the copper tea kettle with a fan, nodding and saying, "Auntie is an understanding person; there are not many understanding people in this day and age, and you are one of them"

It is quite amusing to think that such a small child speaks just like an adult, and often seeks to please others. She glanced at Prince Keqing, who is only about thirteen or fourteen years old; could it be that she genuinely wants to find a concubine?

Ma Liu'er paused for a moment, looked at her seriously for a few seconds, and then grinned, saying, "What a good job! If my aunt gets promoted, don't forget about us brothers in the future"

The hearts of people are as distant as the belly; if she were to admit that she does not favor this palace, and if that were to be leaked, wouldn't she be left with no way to survive? Therefore, she merely laughed it off, saying, "I am timid; seeing His Majesty, such a great figure, I fear I might be so frightened that I wouldn't be able to speak, how could I dare to rush forward directly! I will wait until His Majesty enters the Southern Study before I proceed, making fewer moves to make fewer mistakes, avoiding embarrassing myself in front of others, so that they cannot find my weaknesses."

Thus, I dipped my fingertip into the ink pad and pressed my handprint onto the plaque, saying, "There is such a saying, fearing that the lady of the lord may be too busy, I was invited to serve as the female host."

She did not dare to linger and hurried towards the service room. Just as she reached the corner of the corridor, she heard someone command her, "You, bring water to the master!"

Smiling, "Thank you for the compliment."

Suo Sai smacked his lips and said, "Did you not sleep well yesterday? Your eyes look tired!"

Thus, I am here to seek a favor, "A young palace maid has left our office, and her parents are waiting for news at the Zhenshun Gate. The Imperial Clan Court has not sent anyone to convey the message, so our matron has dispatched me to collect the token and report back. I kindly ask for your assistance in this matter."

Shuo Sai felt a bit melancholic, murmuring, "What a pity for the child." He continued to pace back and forth.

After a brief pause, this young master appeared to be only five or six years old, likely just beginning his education. Due to the order from the chief master, no eunuchs were allowed to accompany the princes into the school, so she instructed whoever she caught. Although she was unfamiliar with the area, she knew that the tea room for the princes was next to the study, so she bowed slightly and responded affirmatively, making her way east by circumventing the guardhouse.

"The palace ladies go out with a good reputation, as if they are playing with a favored son-in-law." Chief Eunuch Chen snapped his fan and said, "Just wait! If I am not mistaken, in the future when I go out of the palace and happen to run into you in the market, you must buy me a drink."