The Ci'an Palace in the Imperial Palace where the Empress Dowager lived.

Lu Fengqing had just returned from the Taimiao on a phoenix carriage. After bathing, she sat in front of the dressing table, staring at herself in the mirror, and gently stroked the fine lines at the corners of her eyes with her fingers.

"Chang Bao, did you see the old lady of Xingyuan Marquis today?" Lu Fengqing asked softly, "Doesn't she have fewer fine lines around her eyes than I do?"

Chang Bao was the chief eunuch of Ci'an Palace. He was clever and skillful, especially good at combing hair.

At this moment, he was using a glass tortoise shell comb to carefully comb Lu Fengqing's long hair that had just been bathed.

"How can the old lady be compared with you, the Empress Dowager?" Chang Bao replied softly, "Although I am standing far away, I can see that her elegance and grace are far inferior to the Empress Dowager's."

Lu Fengqing sighed slightly, "Hong Yingrong is only four years younger than me, but she looks much younger. Her hair is still as black and shiny. After all, the Marquis' Mansion has fewer worries, so people can look younger."

Chang Bao listened silently, but his hands did not stop. He took advantage of Lu Fengqing's inattention and gently combed a small tuft of white hair at the back of her neck into her black hair, cleverly covering it up.

"You, Queen Mother, have been guarding this country steadily for Your Majesty. I still remember when Your Majesty first ascended the throne, it was you, Queen Mother, who protected Your Majesty from the wind and rain, guarding against those covetous princes. After Your Majesty's wedding and taking power, it was you who skillfully maneuvered at court, reassuring the ministers. Your contribution to today's peaceful and prosperous times is invaluable."

"Look at what you said, I'm not that great." Lu Fengqing raised the corners of his mouth slightly, his tone indifferent, as if he was talking about a trivial matter, but the pride in his heart was hard to conceal.

Chang Bao skillfully tied up her hair and continued, "But Your Majesty has reached the age of thirty and has several princes. I'm afraid he is no longer as obedient to you, the Queen Mother, as he used to be."

Lu Fengqing dipped her hands into the rose and gardenia water handed to her by the palace maid. She gently stirred her fingers in the water, then picked up the brocade handkerchief and wiped them carefully.

"Today I bestowed the dragon-patterned staff upon the Hong family. Do you think His Majesty will be happy or angry?"

"Well, I dare not speculate on this. After all, no one knows a child better than his mother. Your Majesty, your heart is as clear as a mirror, and you can see more clearly than I can."

Lu Fengqing looked at her carefully combed peony-like bun in the mirror, nodded with satisfaction, and a hint of shrewdness and depth flashed in her eyes.

At this moment, inside Ci'an Palace, the head aunt walked briskly into the inner hall and respectfully reported, "Your Majesty the Queen Mother, the Eunuch Chen Jin from the Imperial Household Department requests an audience."

Chang Bao stopped the glass tortoise shell comb in his hand, which was still gently pinched by his raised orchid fingers.

"Oh? What could he be doing here?"

The Queen Mother was not surprised by this and said calmly, "Let him enter the palace."

As soon as he finished speaking, Chen Jin slowly walked in, holding a jade Ruyi cloud-patterned cane in both hands.

After bowing to the Queen Mother, he stated his purpose: "Today, the Queen Mother bestowed upon the old lady of the Marquis of Xingyuan a royal staff with a dragon pattern. Upon returning to the palace, Your Majesty immediately ordered the Imperial Household Department to remake it."

"It will take at least half a month to make a new cane. Your Majesty has specially instructed me to retrieve this jadeite Ruyi cloud-patterned cane from the storehouse for Your Majesty's use during this time. Please review it, Your Majesty. If it doesn't suit your taste, I will immediately return to the storehouse to replace it."

Lu Fengqing glanced at it casually without examining it in detail, and said, "This is the cane that His Majesty Emperor Shizong gave to Consort Shouyi, the Empress Dowager, who raised him. It is naturally of the highest quality."

After saying that, she gestured to Chang Bao to take the cane, and then her eyes fell on Chen Jin.

This glance actually brought a hint of admiration into her eyes.

On weekdays, Chen Jin always ran back and forth between the emperor's Qianqing Palace and the Silijian.

This was the first time that Lu Fengqing looked at him carefully, and he found that his facial features were indeed outstanding, and were not inferior even to those of the children of aristocratic families.

In the imperial palace, eunuchs were carefully selected. If they were not good-looking or had unclear speech, they would only be assigned to the horse washing station or the miscellaneous affairs room.

It seems to be no coincidence that Chen Jin was appreciated by the emperor so quickly.

"Everyone in the palace says that the newly appointed eunuch Chen Gonggong writes excellent poems. Did he have any education before entering the palace? How did he end up serving in the inner court?" Lu Fengqing asked curiously.

Chen Jin lowered his head slightly, his hands clasped in front of him respectfully. He replied in a humble voice, half true and half false: "When I was young, I was separated from my family due to the war at the border and was brought to the capital by kidnappers. I was originally sold to a wealthy family in the suburbs of Beijing as an adopted son, and I was fortunate enough to attend school for a few years."

"Later, the couple gave birth to a son and drove me out. At that time, I was young and had no way to make a living, so I entered the palace just to have something to eat."

Upon hearing this, Lu Fengqing shook his head and sighed, "That family is truly short-sighted. If they had nurtured you for a few more years and allowed you to pass the imperial examinations, you wouldn't have to worry about not having wealth and glory."

Chen Jin smiled slightly, revealing a humble demeanor: "When the Queen Mother said this, she was actually praising me. I was born to serve Your Majesty and the Queen Mother in the palace. No one else can match my abilities. I am here to share the worries of Your Majesty and the Queen Mother."

Lu Fengqing turned to Chang Bao and said half-jokingly, "Look, what a beautiful statement he made. Even you can't compare to him. No wonder the emperor appreciates him so much."

She then joked, "Back then, when you were your age, that old fox Li Fang was still serving tea and water to the emperor." This made Chang Bao couldn't help laughing out loud.

However, Chen Jin maintained due respect, after all, the eunuch Li Fang, who held the seal, was his immediate superior.

"It is a great honor for us servants to serve His Majesty loyally."

"Well, he's indeed a sensible and well-behaved child." Lu Fengqing nodded with satisfaction. "When you're done with the Emperor, you might as well come visit me."

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