Chapter 6

When the steward came back, Li Fuquan was squatting in the courtyard, pulling at the yellowed, withered grass. Recently, their morning and evening meals had been changed to meat soup, and he had no complaints. He counted the remaining days, day by day, and there were only five or six left.

However, he had no other feelings about entering the palace and just followed the steward's instructions. Zhao Cai began to toss and turn at night again. Li Fuquan thought that after entering the palace for a few days, he would not have to stay with him anymore, so he went with him for the time being.

This time, the steward came over and checked the wooden signs in their hands again. After confirming that there were no problems, he said, "Be smart and answer whatever the master asks. Whether or not to send you to the palace depends on the master's will."

Li Fuquan nodded in agreement and was led out of the courtyard with Zhao Cai. He finally had a chance to take a closer look at the entire mansion. The gentleman was still dressed the same as when he first met him, but the fragrance emanating from him seemed different, stronger than last time, but not as unpleasant.

The steward bowed first, and Li Fuquan and Zhao Cai followed suit. The elder came over and asked them to look up and examine him carefully before speaking, "Well raised... Have you learned the rules?"

The steward nodded hurriedly, "I've learned it all. If I continue to pay attention to it during this period, there shouldn't be any mistakes. Does your Excellency have any other instructions?"

Li Fuquan bent down again, ready to listen. He had just seen the master's appearance clearly, and he felt a certain discomfort. "If it's nothing serious, pack up and send it to the palace in the next few days. If you go too late... you won't be able to find a convenient place to stay." Fallen leaves were carried in by the autumn wind outside the window. The setting sun cast a bleak feeling into the room. Li Fuquan heard the steward's constant bowing and nodding, and he felt that this master's voice made him even more uncomfortable.

He and Zhao Cai were then led back. Zhao Cai kept his head down the entire way, his expression unchanged. The steward didn't say much, only telling them to remember to get up early and work hard for the next two days. If they didn't do their job well in the palace, it would be different from being beaten in the government office.

Li Fuquan had gone to bed early; tonight someone had come and lit a candle. The wind was blowing relentlessly outside, so he went down barefoot to half-close the window before lying down again.

He stared at the flickering flames with his eyes open, recalling the days that had passed. They'd been good days, but in reality, they hadn't lasted that long. The master had also said that their entrance into the palace was entirely due to the emperor's decision to replace all the palace attendants with eunuchs. It took him a long time to grasp what the eunuch had said, and inwardly he cursed the emperor, sitting in the palace, for putting him through such pain.

He and Zhao Cai had learned the same etiquette for entering the palace, either bowing or kneeling to greet each other. The rest of the procedures were not explained clearly. Li Fuquan turned over. He was interested in watching Zhao Cai huddle together tonight, and suddenly wanted to say a few words to relieve his boredom. "Have you ever heard about what the palace is like before?"

Zhao Cai was stunned for a moment, then squeezed out a mosquito-like sound from his mouth, "I heard from my parents that it should be better than the mansion, but it must be bigger than the village."

"How could it be bad? That's where the emperor lives. I heard that if we go there, the emperor will do it to prevent the women in the palace from cheating on him." Li Fuquan sneered. "Even if I didn't become an emperor in this life, I don't know if I'll have the chance to be reborn in a good family after death." He then spat the words out. "This is not my own curse. After entering the palace, I heard the master say that I should be paid silver. Hey, do you remember how much silver the master said I could get every month?"

Zhao Cai thought for a while before shaking his head. "I don't remember clearly, but it seems to be two or three taels. They even give out food to adults."

"I didn't expect you didn't listen to much of what he said. Forget it," Li Fuquan sighed. "Anyway, you'll know after entering the palace. It's just a change of master. The emperor is much richer than that gentleman."

He turned over and closed his eyes. Zhao Cai was tactful enough not to respond. Li Fuquan continued to indulge in his previous sweet dream, wanting only to make this good life last a little longer. If there were better days to come, he would not let himself suffer any loss.

Three months had passed, and their genitals had long since healed. Li Fuquan had secretly touched the new flesh while bathing, and it still felt strange and inexplicable, and he still occasionally leaked urine. The steward said it was normal and that he could just stuff a piece of linen cloth into his pants to cover it. He felt that the steward's words were not entirely trustworthy, but the palace never sent a doctor to check on them again. He didn't dwell on it, but he just felt that his voice had become a little higher, but the pain was gone after it healed.

In the past two days, the steward came to watch over them all day long. He first let them take a good bath, then carefully checked the rules they had learned before, and even gave them each a new set of clothes.

Li Fuquan first put on a dark-colored gown. The inner garment was still linen, but the outer garment was much smoother than the coarse cloth they usually wore, and it even smelled of incense. Although he wasn't used to the smell, he was happy to change into new clothes. Zhao Cai's clothes were cut a little too long, and they didn't hold up on him, so they dragged on the ground.

But they weren't the type to care about such things. The fact that they could wear new clothes was something they had only since their parents gave birth to them. The steward took one last look at them and gave them another warning, "Follow me to the palace tomorrow. Follow my instructions for the rest. Mind yourselves, don't listen or watch too much. If you get into trouble in the palace, no one can save you."

Li Fuquan and Zhao Cai bowed together and watched the steward walk out of the yard. They were still wearing their new clothes and looked at each other before going about their business.

That night, they tossed and turned on the couch in the same way, and no one blamed anyone else. Li Fuquan hadn't expected it to happen so quickly, so he panicked. He said he had learned the rules, but who knew what the palace would be like by then? Good times were good times, but he couldn't hide it or he would be beheaded.

He rolled over, his eyes fixed on the half-open window. Moonlight still shone brightly on the floor. He pondered over it, but couldn't figure it out. Feeling irritated, he carefully folded his new clothes again and tucked them next to his pillow. Zhao Cai remained huddled to the side, but tonight he'd gone to bed earlier than Li Fuquan. He didn't know what he was dreaming about, but he began to whisper, calling for his parents.

Li Fuquan moved a little further away, thinking about his parents who had sold him. This made him realize what he could do now. He thought about them one by one before closing his eyes. He still preferred his current life. Although he could run around the village freely before, except for stealing chickens and catching fish, he had no meat to eat the rest of the time and could only drink bitter water boiled from vegetable roots.

Compared to going back, he felt that he might as well go into the palace. Of course, it was not his choice now. He had to listen to the words of that adult. After entering the palace, he had to always remember what was told to him.

The next morning, Li Fuquan was awakened by the steward before the cockcrowed. He and Zhao Cai donned their new clothes and, as the steward had instructed, pressed the wooden plaque into their hands and held it tightly. The host prepared a carriage for them, and they were helped into it and seated.

"When you get to the palace gate, show the wooden sign to the guards, and someone will lead you in. Remember, do your job well. If there is a need in the future, someone will naturally come with the same wooden sign as you to pass on the message." The steward said the last few words before asking the coachman to drive the horses out of the mansion.

Li Fuquan glanced around the carriage; this was his first time sitting inside. Aside from the cushions beneath him, there seemed to be nothing else inside. Following the steward's instructions, he checked the wooden sign in his hand again, thought for a moment, and then tucked it back into his arms.

The carriage was moving very slowly, and the curtains beside it had been closed. He and Zhao Cai could only hear some noisy sounds outside, and they had no idea which way to go to the palace.

Even when he was about to fall asleep, the carriage slowly stopped. They followed the guard's instructions and got off the carriage. After showing him the wooden sign, someone came to lead them.

Li Fuquan lowered his head as he had learned. The guards were neatly dressed, swords at their waists. He averted his gaze, afraid to look up, so he simply stared at the long steps below.

He thought that no one in the village had ever been to the palace, and no matter how much they had said about it, they could never have imagined it was like this. Even the stone steps were carved with dragons and phoenixes, exuding an aura that made people afraid to speak.

The man walking ahead of them was dressed the same as the man from the palace before them. He would occasionally look back to see if they were following him. When he saw that they weren't looking around, he spoke briefly. "After the physical examination, go to the palace assigned to you on the roster. Someone will tell you what to do then." He paused deliberately before continuing, "I won't ask anything else. If you get into trouble, you'll have to take responsibility for it yourself. Don't say anything you shouldn't say."

Zhao Cai first responded quietly, and Li Fuquan, upon hearing the voice, returned to his senses and responded as well. They then entered a side hall where a special person examined them. The attendant from before also came to review the rules they had learned before allowing them to proceed.

Li Fuquan touched the wooden sign and reported his name, which was naturally the one that the teacher had corrected. The person who recorded it said a congratulatory word and assigned him to a side hall to serve his new lover. Zhao Cai was also assigned to the hall next door, but he did not accompany him when he left.

Li Fuquan followed the attendant and listened to him slowly talk about his monthly salary and what he had to do. He only remembered the general idea that the food was better than what he had in the mansion. As for whether he could move up, it depended on whether the newly appointed man in the palace could please the emperor.

He crossed the threshold and entered the hall, still keeping his head bowed and hunched, before first receiving his daily clothes and finding his sleeping area. He also packed up his attendants himself, but simply instructed them to wait in the hall from the next day and then left.

Li Fuquan sat on the propped-up couch, still keeping his body bent and his head lowered, and then he began to think carefully about the palaces and other things he had seen along the way.