Seeing that Fugui was quite frightened, Xiao Jingzhao suppressed a laugh and asked, "When did I blame you?"
"What? The Emperor isn't going to punish me?" Fu Gui's still-childish face was filled with confusion.
Grandpa Ma stood aside, smiling without saying a word.
Xiao Jingzhao raised his hand slightly, "Stand up and speak. You are a loyal person, so this bowl of soup is a reward for you."
"Your Majesty, how can this be allowed?" Fu Gui said in a state of panic.
Although he was young, he knew that soup served to the emperor was no ordinary soup.
When Grandpa Ma saw that Fugui, the honest boy, was kneeling on the ground and wouldn't get up, he went over and lifted him up.
"Oh dear! You child, if the Emperor gives you a drink, just drink it. Why worry about whether it's appropriate or not?"
Xiao Jingzhao pushed the tray towards Fugui, who was so happy he felt like he was dreaming, and was in a daze.
"Thank you for your generous gift, Your Majesty."
Fu Gui bowed, picked up the tray, and left.
Under the eaves of the Imperial Study, Fugui squatted on the ground, holding a soup bowl in one hand and a spoon in the other, and ate with relish under the watchful eyes of several other eunuchs.
An older eunuch leaned closer, sniffed the soup, and said with envy, "This soup must have ginseng in it, right?"
"I don't know, but it's like glutinous rice balls, sweet and sticky, and delicious."
Upon hearing the enticing description, the other eunuchs swallowed hard.
Fu Gui didn't tell them the truth; he was starving, and this bowl of soup wasn't enough for him alone.
Fu Gui finished the bowl of pearl meatballs and soup without even looking up.
The eunuchs on duty outside gathered around and whispered, "Fugui, you stopped that girl just now, and the Emperor didn't blame you. Instead, he rewarded you. Tell me, is there some reason we don't know about this?"
Everyone was puzzled, as Fu Gui was the youngest among those on duty outside the Imperial Study.
Sometimes he's as stubborn as a mule, daring to stop anyone.
For some reason, the Emperor held him in high regard, and even the chief eunuch treated him differently.
Fu Gui licked his lips with a lingering sense of satisfaction, then shook his head with a grin. "There's no particular reason. It's just that His Majesty is in a good mood today, and besides, His Majesty doesn't have the habit of eating late-night snacks at this hour, so I got to have it."
"Fugui, if you become successful in the future, remember to help us out."
Fu Gui scratched his head. "No, you're older, so according to seniority, you're the ones who got ahead first?"
The oldest eunuch smiled and said, "Who says that being old means you're favored? Little Fugui is quite handsome. Once the Empress and the Imperial Concubine are in the palace, they will definitely choose you to serve them."
Fu Gui was too busy having fun to care about serving the empress who was covered in cosmetics.
He wanted to serve that exquisitely beautiful young master.
I accidentally saw him once in the Emperor's bedchamber; he was so adorable. He won't tell me about it.
...
The north wind blew all night and finally brought down heavy snow.
The cold wind carried snowflakes, which fell thickly, covering the high walls and green tiles with a thick layer of snow, and bending the branches of the trees in the garden.
Nangong Zeyue pushed open the door and looked around. As far as the eye could see, everything was covered in silver.
Looking at the snow-covered landscape, he longed to retreat to his bed and take a nap, but remembering his empty pockets, he had no choice but to bite the bullet and head to the Court of State Ceremonies.
Good morning, Young Master Nangong!
Just as Nangong Zeyue stepped out of the door, a tall figure suddenly appeared and blocked his way.
"Commander, what brings you to my humble abode so early in the morning?" Nangong Zeyue quickly withdrew her foot and took a step back to ask.
Xiang Song gave him a mysterious smile, "Young Master Nangong, guess."
"Look at what the commander is saying. I'm not a fortune teller, how could I possibly know what you're here for?"
Xiang Song walked inside as if they were old friends. Nangong Zeyue waved to the gatekeeper, who quickly closed the side door and shut the wind and snow out of the wall again.
Nangong Zeyue had a premonition that neither Xiang Song nor Xiang Yang would come looking for him; it couldn't be anything good.
Just like the other day, those two guys came to visit his yard every night.
One night, he even brought roast goose and good wine, and they drank together for half the night, calling each other brothers.
Later, Cangyun secretly told him that the emperor had been playing chess with Yueniang next door for half the night.
It turns out these two went to great lengths to keep me from disturbing them.
The two entered the inner courtyard and Xiang Song glanced around. "Young master, don't you think something's missing in this room?"
Nangong Zeyue suppressed the urge to roll her eyes. "Commander, please don't tease me. I'm lacking a lot here."
He sat opposite Xiang Song, a carefree smile on his face. "If I'm short of money, will the Emperor give me a raise?"
Xiang Song slapped his thigh and exclaimed, "It should go up! It should go up!"
"I came here today braving the wind and snow, just to give Young Master Nangong a raise."
Nangong Zeyue leaned back, a mischievous smile playing on her lips.
He thought to himself, "Keep trying to fool me. You've got some skills, but you can only fool this seasoned old fox like me until I'm crippled."
Xiang Song leaned forward slightly. "You don't believe me?"
"Cough cough!"
"I believe you, of course I believe you. Commander, it's best to speak frankly. I am terrified."
Nangong Zeyue's thoughts were exposed, and she coughed awkwardly, looking away.
When he looked at the other person again, he saw that Xiang Song had produced a roll of brocade in his hand as if by magic.
Nangong Zeyue was slightly taken aback, then shouted outside, "Someone, quickly bring tea."
"Young master, you have a keen eye. I haven't even unfolded it yet, and you already know it's an imperial edict."
Nangong Zeyue: "..."
That's just playing dumb; not everyone dares to use that bright yellow thing.
The servant outside quickly brought hot tea. Nangong Zeyue poured a cup herself and handed it to Xiang Song, saying, "Commander, please have a cup of chrysanthemum tea to cool down."
Xiang Song stood up with a smile and said solemnly, "Nangong Zeyue, receive the imperial decree."
Nangong Zeyue immediately knelt down and waited for a while, but Xiang Song did not continue reading.
He looked up and saw Xiang Song handing over the imperial edict with a warm smile. "Young master is accomplished in both literature and martial arts. This edict is unnecessary to read. Please accept it."
"I thank you Lord for your kindness!"
Seeing Nangong Zeyue respectfully raise his hand above his head, Xiang Song felt a pang of pity. He paused slightly, but gritted his teeth and placed the imperial edict into Nangong Zeyue's hand.
Upon receiving the imperial edict, Nangong Zeyue jumped up and began reading it before even sitting down.
"A letter of appointment! A captain?!"
"What is this thing?" Nangong Zeyue was completely baffled. He had never been in a military camp before and had no idea what this captain was.
"Congratulations, Young Master Nangong. His Majesty has seen that you have extraordinary talent and will surely achieve great things in the future."
"No, I think being a court official is not bad. I've been learning the customs and language of the neighboring country quite well lately. Your Majesty's... this great favor is truly not what I wanted."
Nangong Zeyue was forced to practice martial arts by his master from a young age, and he never had any lofty ambitions to achieve great things.
All he wanted was a wife, kids, and a warm bed.
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