Chapter 58: The Eunuch's Fox Pet
In the slightly chilly palace, a faint scent of incense was burning not far from the desk.
The young eunuch bent over and steadily picked up the tray, then quickly carried the memorials inside to the imperial study.
Pei Duo looked at the desk which was half cleared, holding the red-lettered review in his hand and continuing to look at the memorial in his hand.
"Look, cousin, this is already the third memorial this month."
Pei Sheng, who was sitting aside, handed the memorial in his hand to Pei Duo, and then said nothing more, waiting with bated breath for Pei Duo to speak.
He is a direct descendant of the Pei family, and his father is the fourth brother of Pei Duo's father, so he calls Pei Duo his cousin.
In this year's palace examination, he was chosen by the emperor as the third place winner and entered the Hanlin Academy. Later, he was valued by his cousin and was promoted to participate in government affairs.
However, he is still in the learning stage and cannot directly intervene in the government affairs. At present, he just reads the memorials for his cousin and roughly prioritizes the matters. He screens the memorials that have been screened once again and then sends the unimportant ones to the emperor's desk.
When Pei Sheng did this for the first time, his heart was pounding and he felt uneasy about blaspheming the imperial power. His elders also reminded him to be careful all the time, and his mother even advised him not to have too close contact with his cousin. However, Pei Sheng had an idea.
He knew that the emperor did not want to select him as one of the top three in the palace examination that day. Even though he was knowledgeable and talented, he deliberately ignored him. It was only because his cousin was standing nearby that the emperor finally praised him with a forced smile.
The emperor was using him to express his dissatisfaction with his cousin. Pei Sheng had no complaints in his heart, but he knew that you couldn't write two Pei characters with one stroke. If his cousin fell, it would be impossible for their Pei family not to be implicated. Now that it has been done, there is no turning back.
Gradually, as he read through these memorials, his heart became calmer and calmer. His heart no longer beat wildly and he was no longer in a state of panic. What he saw and learned was far more than before, so he admired his cousin even more.
If nothing had happened back then, my cousin, a man of such talent, would surely have passed the imperial examination and become famous for generations to come. It's a pity that the white wall is now broken and can no longer be like before.
The last time they met was in Zechuan more than ten years ago. His cousin was eight years old and he was three years old, playing behind his cousin. After not seeing each other for so many years, they are now like this.
Pei Sheng suppressed the sigh in his heart, his expression became more solemn, waiting for Pei Duo to speak.
"Don't worry about it, just leave it alone."
Pei Duo just took a glance and then looked away.
Pei Sheng was a little confused about what he meant, so he put the letter aside.
This is a memorial from Jingzhou. Jingzhou is located in the south of the Yangtze River. The governor of the province reported that banditry has been rampant recently and hoped that the court would send troops to suppress it. It must be very urgent, as three memorials were submitted in one month. Why did my cousin turn a blind eye to it?
Pei Duo did not explain for him, his mind drifted to the matter in Jingzhou.
The governor of Jingzhou has been colluding with the pirates for a long time, and they often work together to oppress merchants. On the one hand, they increase commercial taxes and exploit them, and on the other hand, they let the pirates wait to rob goods. Unless the merchants can offer 70% of their profits, they can guarantee that the goods will be intact.
In the middle of last month, the rare goods they looted disappeared out of thin air. The two groups blamed each other, thinking that the other had embezzled them. Jingzhou Mu wanted to suppress the bandits, but the matter was exposed. Therefore, he only dared to report to the court, and then pretended to be a friendly party to inform the bandits, so as to achieve his own goals in the meantime. Pei Duo knew his plan clearly because he was the one who hid the goods.
Let it be more chaotic, it will be easier to take action.
As Pei Duo thought so, the aura around him grew colder.
Pei Sheng lowered his head and dared not look again. Although his cousin behaved very gently, Pei Sheng did not think he was really easy to talk to.
If my cousin is friendly, it will make people feel cold, and when he turns cold, it will make people feel even more frightened.
While reading the memorials, he suddenly heard his cousin laugh, not in a sarcastic tone, but because he was happy about something.
He looked curiously and saw that a note had appeared on his cousin's desk.
Because the distance was not far, Pei Sheng also saw what was written above.
He woke up at one quarter past nine and ran around the yard. Seeing that the slave was a little startled, he ate a lot, especially chicken soup, and sipped half a bowl of water.
Pei Sheng asked in surprise: "Cousin has a pet?"
There is nothing surprising about keeping pets, but Pei Sheng knows that cats and dogs will avoid his cousin. Even the spoiled and scratching cat with heterochromatic eyes raised by Concubine Shu and the fierce dog raised by the eldest princess dare not make a sound when they see his cousin. Pei Sheng finds it hard to imagine that there are animals that are not afraid of his cousin.
"A little fox."
Pei Duo received the note and slept for three days. Finally, the little fox woke up.
Just by looking at the text, he could imagine the little fox running in the yard and then suddenly seeing the maid and being frightened. It must have looked both useless and cute.
Thinking of this, Pei Duo missed the smooth and soft touch of his fur and decided to go back to see him in the evening.
Pei Sheng nodded, and he clearly felt that his cousin's mood had improved a lot. The heavy pressure that seemed to be real was relieved a little, and he felt relieved.
The sun gradually sets, and the bright light is replaced by the night.
After dinner, Lin Zhi lay on the stone table, drowsy.
He was simply too bored. His injuries had not yet fully healed, so he could not practice rashly. He had almost absorbed all of the spiritual energy from the Buddha Lotus, and it no longer bloomed.
He couldn't leave the courtyard, and as he had just arrived, he couldn't make any requests. He could only eat, sleep, and watch the clouds passing by in the sky.
01's voice made him open his eyes from his sleepiness and straighten his body.
[Host, the coordinates of the mission object have moved, and he is approaching here! 】
After a while, the puppet maid came out from the corner, made a gesture of invitation to Lin Zhi, and looked around Lin Zhi, as if looking for the best posture to lift him in.
Of course Lin Zhi would not wait to be carried in by her. He jumped off the stone table and headed towards the bedroom. His movements were very fast, like a streak of purple light.
The summer night still had some heat left, but Pei Duo's room was a little chilly.
After Lin Zhi went in, the maid closed the door and stood quietly by.
Through the screen, Lin Zhi saw Pei Duo sitting on the bed.
He was wearing a navy blue official robe embroidered with dark patterns and had a slender figure. He was taking a nap with his eyes closed when Lin Zhi came in, and he opened his eyes after hearing the noise.
"Little fox, come here."
Lin Zhi did not go over, but instead took two steps back, his fox ears erected vigilantly, his purple eyes full of alertness.
Pei Duo's expression did not change. He just looked at him quietly, but his eyes became colder and colder.
Behind him, the fog representing his emotions was dark and thick.
"I'm not stupid. You look very wrong in your current state. What if you strangle me to death if I get close to you?"
The purple little fox spoke confidently, his fur slightly puffed.
Lin Zhi remembered his character and was straightforward but not naive, which was why he made deals with dangerous people. Although he became the other party's demon pet, he was really heartless when he ran towards others without any defense after being framed.
Everyone has a desire to be tamed, but it is meaningless to be obedient like a quiet doll. Pei Duo doesn't like people playing tricks on him, but that doesn't mean he likes people who are so obedient that they have no temper.
The coldness in Pei Duo's eyes disappeared because of Fox's words. He held his forehead, closed his eyes and smiled.
I really don't know whether to call the fox smart or stupid. I guess it is used to living in the mountains and wilderness. It doesn't speak in a roundabout way and doesn't try to please others carefully.
The pain that almost stretched his skull apart made Pei Duo's breathing a little disordered. He clenched his fingers into fists, leaned on the bed, and his lips gradually turned pale.
Noisy whispers rang uncontrollably in his ears, and he seemed to smell a burnt odor at the tip of his nose. Pei Duo knew clearly that this was an illusion, and endured the throbbing pain in his head.
I'm afraid today will be a bit difficult. Tonight is a full moon, and both the spiritual energy and the demonic energy will be much stronger.
He would also appear in the palace two hours later to avoid people noticing that he would be alone during the full moon and to prevent others from figuring out the pattern.
The selection of concubines began at the beginning of the month. Calculating the time, concubines have been transported from all over the country. The emperor and several princes, who were originally not in harmony with the emperor, have already put pressure on the Pei family to send a concubine. Only the fourteen-year-old cousin is eligible. The cousin's daughter is stubborn and does not want to marry in a hurry and give her family another handle. She is willing to come to the imperial city to contribute to the Pei family, but this cannibalistic den is destined to torture her.
Pei Duo wanted to think about something else to distract himself, but his head hurt more and more.
Suddenly, the chaotic ghost talk in my mind became quieter, and even the headache seemed to have eased a little.
Pei Duo opened his eyes and saw the little fox squatting in front of him with its eyes closed, seemingly casting a spell.
The fluffy fox tail hung down, with the tip just beside his hand.
Pei Duo supported his head and looked at the lighter hair between the little fox's eyebrows, and his hand unconsciously pinched his tail.
This seemed to scare the little fox. Its purple fox eyes looked at him stiffly, but returned to normal the next moment.
Pei Duo thought of the note that the puppet gave him as a report, and couldn't help but curl his lips.
Because of the interruption of the magic, severe pain swept over him again, but he still had a smile on his face and his attitude remained unchanged.
"How dare you come over here now? Aren't you afraid that I will strangle you?"
He stroked the fox's tail along the fur, from the base to the tip, rubbing the slightly darker hair, his slender white fingers moving slightly, over and over again.
The black mist around him, representing emotions, became thinner and its color became lighter, now a mixture of black and gray.
“This is our deal.”
Lin Zhi answered seriously, and his tail unconsciously pulled out a little. Pei Duo touched the base of his tail, which made him feel numb and slightly sour.
Although the strength of this technique is determined by the power of the mental force, Lin Zhi did not completely relieve Pei Duo's pain right away. Although this could attract Pei Duo's attention, it would attract too much attention.
He is just a demon fox whose injuries have not yet healed and is not much better than ordinary foxes. If it can have this kind of effect, it is another matter whether Pei Duo can help him recover quickly.
Don't show abilities that are too inconsistent with your own. If your limits are discovered, you will easily become passive.
The headache symptoms were relieved a little, and Pei Duo knew that the little fox had cast a spell again. He didn't expect it to be really useful. While stroking Lin Zhi's back, feeling the warm and soft touch, he watched the little fox's relaxed reaction when being touched.
He noticed with his sharp eyes that the fur on the little fox's belly seemed not to be entirely purple, but had some light red lines. He couldn't help but turn the demon pet over out of curiosity, observing the lines, and found that the little fox's belly was softer and felt much better than its back.
Pei Duo said thoughtfully: "So you are a male fox."
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