After asking the Empress, Dongmei led Qiqi to the side room next to the Ninth Prince's inner palace... which was just a wall away from the Ninth Prince's bedchamber. There was a small room there, separated from the sleeping quarters by only a wall, with a thin door through which the Ninth Prince's calls could be clearly heard.

The space was about the same size as the room where Qi Qi was sleeping now, with two beds, only one of which had just been covered with bedding and other personal items.

Xia Zhudao, who was in charge of the Ninth Prince's rest, said that the Ninth Prince had stopped allowing any maids to sleep here since last year because he couldn't sleep with anyone there and found it noisy. This rule was only for the guards who were skilled in martial arts and could keep the noise to a minimum.

The fact that the Ninth Prince can sleep next to Qi Qi means that he can accept Qi Qi. So, I let Qi Qi sleep here and act as a personal maid. If the Ninth Prince needs anything at night, I can hear him.

Moreover, the palace maids on night watch were always outside the bedchamber, ready to respond to any call.

Qi Qi noticed that, in order to prevent body odor, the servants' toilets were all outside and separate from those used by their masters. This meant that if Qi Qi wanted to use the toilet in the future, he would have to walk for several minutes...

There is a bathtub available, but it takes several minutes to fetch the water...

Sigh, that's just how my life is.

Overnight, Qi Qi went from being waited on in paradise to being waited on in hell, leaving him speechless with despair.

Around 11 a.m., Xia Zhu told Qi Qi to go back and get his things, as she would be taking him to the internal affairs office in the afternoon to collect his badge and new clothes.

"Go ahead, Your Highness is kind. In our Fengyi Palace, we usually serve lunch at 4:40 noon. If you are serving the master or are delayed by other matters, you can go to the small kitchen to see if there is any food left. The head nanny will provide it."

Qi Qi was surprised again: "Aunt Xia Zhu, am I going to live here from now on?"

Xia Zhu pinched his cheek: "Yes, are you afraid of living alone?"

Qi Qi shook his head: "I'm not afraid, I just miss my godfather and the others."

Xia Zhu looked at him again and suddenly remembered that this little eunuch was no ordinary person. Master Qi was a fourth-rank official, and the deputy chief eunuch of the harem beside the empress was only a third-rank official.

Qi Qi's position as a pageboy has been promoted from unranked to a third-class salary of one tael of silver per month, with additional subsidies for part-time work.

Xia Zhu said, "It's alright. You have two days off a month, so you don't need to work during those days. You can allocate your time as you see fit."

Qi Qi: "Yes, Aunt Xia Zhu, can I ask someone to help me carry these things?"

Xia Zhu: "Of course, if you can't carry it, you can go outside and ask a few eunuchs to help you."

Qi Qi only asked a young eunuch to help him lead the way, because there were too many roads in the palace for him to remember.