Chen Jin pondered for a moment, his eyes flashing with deep reminiscence. He spoke slowly, his voice sounding a bit vicissitudes of life.
"I grew up in Xitongguan. During those years, the Xirong tribe frequently invaded, and bandits from the Xirong tribe often looted villages in the area. My parents unfortunately passed away as a result."
"At the time, I was just over ten years old. To survive, I took my infant brother and begged for food along the way, just to find a glimmer of hope."
The Xiangyun Hall suddenly fell into silence. The old marquis Xue Yonghuai had fought against the Western Rong tribe for many years. They naturally knew the suffering that war brought to the people. When they heard about Chen Jin's experience, they couldn't help but sigh.
Behind the green gauze curtain, Xue Huichun originally thought that Chen Jin was just a eunuch who was good at business, but she didn't expect that he had such a miserable life in his youth.
Chen Jin paused here, trying to calm his excitement.
"At that time, every day was like walking on the edge of life and death. I didn't care much for myself. I would even eat Guanyin soil when I was hungry. But just to feed my younger brother, I had to beg for food everywhere."
"That day I will never forget. I passed by a farm and knocked on doors to beg for food. However, everyone was busy with their own affairs and there was no extra food to help others. That is when I met an old lady."
"She had a kind face and eyes full of sympathy. She looked at me and said, 'Poor child, the baby in your arms is crying from hunger. Come into the house quickly. I'll make you some rice porridge.'"
"At that time, there was chaos and war in the west. Ordinary people could seldom even eat coarse grains and hard steamed buns, let alone white porridge." A trace of pain flashed in Chen Jin's eyes.
"I was also foolish. I didn't guard against the evil people's hearts. I only thought about my little brother crying from hunger, so I followed her into the yard without any precautions."
"But as soon as I entered the yard, I was knocked unconscious by someone from behind."
"When I woke up again, I found myself with my hands and feet tied, lying in a carriage covered with black cloth. There were several children of my age in the carriage."
"My brother is long gone."
Chen Jin took a deep breath, trying to calm himself, and continued, "Later, I learned that the woman was a kidnapper who specialized in luring displaced children like us and then reselling us. I think she'd probably taken my brother somewhere else."
Hong Yingrong's eyes were filled with sympathy: "Eunuch Chen, didn't you go look for your brother again later?"
Chen Jin nodded: "Of course I went to look for him, but in the chaos of war, there was no news at all."
"I am serving His Majesty and the Queen Mother in the palace, so it is inconvenient for me to contact the border officials directly..."
Hong Yingrong nodded slightly, roughly understanding the other party's thoughts: "Eunuch Chen, if you have any requests, please feel free to speak frankly."
"Two years ago, I learned that the old Marquis had teamed up with the Protectorate to crack a major case of trafficking women and children at the border. It was truly heartening. Among those rescued, many homeless people were placed in the orphanage established by the Marquisate."
"The Marquis' Mansion is undoubtedly more knowledgeable about the orphanage. I would like to ask for your help in searching the orphanage to see if there is any news about my brother."
Xue Yuanchu sat aside and listened, remembering that he had opposed his father's decision to establish an orphanage at the border.
In his opinion, it is enough to let the court handle these matters. Why should the Xue family show such a kind heart?
The orphanage housed not only the people of the Great Zhou, but also some women and children from foreign countries.
It is said that they all lost their homes due to the invasion of the Western Rong tribe. However, who can fully know what the real situation is?
What made Xue Yuanchu even more worried was that the annual expenses of the orphanage amounted to nearly three thousand taels of silver.
He had long felt that this huge expense was not worth it.
For this reason, he planned to close the orphanage within a year or two after his father passed away to reduce the additional expenses.
Hong Yingrong saw the sincerity of Chen Jin's words. Regardless of her past life, she couldn't stand by and watch the child being abducted. "Don't worry, Eunuch Chen. I will have people from the mansion search the orphanage carefully and notify you immediately if there is any news."
Xue Zhongfu, who had been silent all this time, frowned and thought deeply about his plan to find someone.
He turned to Chen Jin and asked calmly, "There are quite a few children around ten years old in the orphanage. Some have been adopted by local people, but they should all have household registration records with the village head or the county government, so finding them shouldn't be difficult. But, Eunuch Chen, besides age, do you have any other identification marks or things that could be used to identify them?"
Chen Jin said in a deep voice, "Back then, I had nothing, leaving behind no tokens of recognition. The only thing I knew was that my brother had six toes on his left foot. That was our only way of recognizing each other."
Hong Yingrong nodded. "It's good to have this clue. We'll make arrangements right away. Eunuch Chen, don't worry. The Marquis' Mansion will do its best to help you find your brother."
Chen Jin's eyes flashed with gratitude when he heard this, and his voice choked with sobs: "Old Madam, you are so kind. Chen Jin will remember this in his heart and will never forget it for the rest of his life."
Regardless of whether he can reunite with his brother in the future, at least the Marquis's Mansion can help him now, which can be regarded as the fulfillment of his long-cherished wish.
Chen Jin, who has been trained in the deep palace for many years, has become very adept at observing people's expressions and understanding their minds.
He clearly noticed that the Crown Prince Xue Yuanchu did not have much affection for him as a eunuch, but the old lady and the second young master showed him a lot of respect and courtesy.
The family of Xingyuan Hou Mansion lives in harmony, and they prosper together and suffer together.
Therefore, without further ado, he turned to Madam Hong Yingrong and kindly reminded her, "The Imperial Censorate has repeatedly submitted memorials to Your Majesty, expressing concern about the excessive favor bestowed upon the Xingyuan Marquisate, and even accusing the Empress Dowager of interfering in state affairs. The Imperial Household Department has intercepted several memorials. Tomorrow, the spirit tablet will be moved to the Imperial Ancestral Temple, and all officials will attend the ceremony."
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