Chapter 63: The Eunuch's Fox Pet
Inside the Yuxuan Palace, palace maids were fanning behind a basin of ice that looked like a small hill, in order to spread the cool air and reduce the summer heat.
Pei Duo still had his usual expression, and it was impossible to tell whether he was happy or angry.
But when Lin Zhi saw him, the mist around him turned darker.
Compared to Pei Duo, Pei Sheng's emotions were not well disguised. Today, he felt like he was pierced by needles on the cushion. He was restless and his face was gloomy.
Today is the day when their cousin Pei Yunzhi enters the palace. Under the current circumstances, everyone knows that she will be extremely conspicuous when she enters the palace, and the emperor will not truly love her. If she becomes a concubine, it will be impossible for her to have a harmonious married life. Moreover, she is only fourteen years old this year, just old enough, so she has to come.
The late Mr. Pei had a total of four sons, all of whom were legitimate sons born to his first wife.
Pei Duo's father was the third child, and Pei Sheng's father was the fourth child. Pei Da was older and married early, so his legitimate son was only slightly younger than Pei Si.
Later, Pei Duo and Pei Sheng were born. Although they were of the same generation as their uncle's eldest son, this cousin was actually about the same age as their father.
Pei Yunzhi is the eldest daughter of their cousin. Her birth means that the Pei family has continued to another generation. She has a good personality since she was young, so she is loved by everyone in the Pei family. Pei Duo represents the third branch of the family and often sends gifts back.
The emperor and several princes who did not become emperors at the time joined forces to let Pei Yunzhi enter the palace in order to sound a warning to everyone in the Pei family.
Pei Duo considered letting Pei Yunzhi get engaged early, but Pei Yunzhi was unwilling.
After learning that she was going to enter the palace, Pei Yunzhi was very determined. She saw the big ship of the Pei family sailing in the wind and waves. She didn't want to escape and even wanted to be a sail.
"Cousin, do you want to go see Lili later?"
Lili is Pei Yunzhi's nickname, because she loved eating pears since she was a child, and she would not let go even if she vomited after having a bloated stomach.
"Go ahead and make her feel more at ease. Let your cousin and his wife stay with you for a while."
Pei Yunzhi's father had no talent for literature. He practiced martial arts since he was young and then traveled around the country to do business. Pei Yunzhi's mother was also a merchant daughter, so it was no problem for her to stay in the capital for a while.
"Don't worry, brother. Everything has been arranged long ago. Cousin, aren't you going? Lili always mentions Uncle Wu in her letters."
Pei Duo is the fifth boy among the four families, so Pei Yunzhi calls him Fifth Uncle.
"If I go, she will be even more conspicuous. Let him go instead of me. I have already arranged everything for her, but I asked her to be careful in everything."
Pei Duo picked up the little fox on the table and gestured to Pei Sheng.
Lin Zhi was caught off guard and met Pei Sheng, the man and the fox staring at each other.
Pei Sheng smiled and said, "How wonderful! Who in the palace doesn't know the Purple Fox?"
There was some intriguing joking in Pei Sheng's words, because Pei Duo was often accompanied by a little fox, and Pei Duo's robe was vermilion purple, so some people secretly referred to Pei Duo as the purple fox.
"Check on her for me."
Pei Duo looked down at Lin Zhi and spoke softly.
Lin Zhi blinked to show that he understood.
This kind of look is definitely not a simple look. He must take another look to see if there is anything unclean around Pei Yunzhi.
Lin Zhi now has more than a little demonic energy. It has been more than half a month since he last ate Hang Wan'er. During this period, Pei Duo fed him another demon pill. It seemed to be a big demon with heavy blood. It took Lin Zhi almost a week to digest it. He spent another week to stabilize his foundation and condense the demon pill to avoid contamination by bloody thoughts. Now his strength has recovered to 40% of the previous level, and his dantian is no longer empty.
Pei Sheng stretched out his hand to hug the little fox, but saw the little fox easily jump onto his shoulder and squat there steadily.
"What a human-like little fox."
Pei Sheng praised, but Lin Zhi remained indifferent. Not to mention that he understood human nature, he even spoke human words.
Inside Chuxiu Palace, Pei Yunzhi wiped the sweat from her forehead with a handkerchief, and the maid beside her immediately poured her tea and fanned her.
After drinking two glasses of water in a row, Pei Yunzhi felt a little calmer, and he was no longer panicked when looking at the unfamiliar place.
Her fifth uncle and seventh uncle are both in the palace, so she is not afraid.
When she went to Beijing, her fifth uncle sent her a message. She knew what she would face and she would not back down.
Soon, the maid who grew up beside her immediately informed her with a happy face that the Seventh Master had arrived. Pei Yunzhi stood up excitedly, then immediately straightened her posture. When she saw the purple fox on the Seventh Uncle's shoulder, she exclaimed "Ah", and said with love in her eyes, "It's so beautiful."
Lin Zhi jumped down from Pei Sheng's shoulder and observed the surroundings to see if there was anything unusual. He did not dodge when Pei Yunzhi came to touch him.
This time Pei Sheng was envious and said, "Except for my cousin, Lin Zhi always won't let anyone touch her."
"Its name is Lin Zhi? That's a nice name."
No one was surprised that a fox had a human name. He was Pei Duo's fox, so it would not be surprising even if he was given a divine name.
Lin Zhi cast a calming spell on Pei Yunzhi to make the girl feel better, and then looked around the room.
It was normal for a fox to run around, and Pei Sheng just remarked that he was more lively today.
After Lin Zhi finished the inspection and confirmed that there was no problem, he left a fox hair in the room and cast a spell just in case. If there was any dirt, he could sense it.
Over there, Pei Sheng was still teaching his cousin the rules of survival in the palace, and Pei Yunzhi listened quietly.
Although Pei Duo did not express his thoughts explicitly, from some of the things he did, Lin Zhi knew that Pei Duo wanted to make his niece the queen.
Lin Zhi felt that the emperor's decision to let Pei Yunzhi enter the palace was a bad move, as he underestimated Pei Duo's concern for his family.
Provoking Pei Duo like this would only make him crazier. A sober madman is the most terrifying.
Although they are relatives, it is not easy for outsiders to stay in Chuxiu Palace for too long. Pei Sheng gave Pei Yunzhi some money for bribes. Pei Yunzhi refused, saying that her parents had given her enough. Pei Sheng didn't care and stuffed an ordinary purse filled with silver into Pei Yunzhi's arms, then called Lin Zhi and left.
Lin Zhi jumped onto his shoulder like a ray of purple light, causing Pei Yunzhi to exclaim.
After returning to Yuxuan Palace, Lin Zhi jumped off Pei Sheng's shoulder and fell into Pei Duo's arms.
Pei Sheng didn't even catch Lin Zhi's shadow, and told Pei Duo about Lin Zhi letting Pei Yunzhi touch her.
Facing Pei Sheng's resentment, Pei Duo stroked the fox's fur and said, "He also cares for the younger generation."
Pei Sheng was speechless and had nothing to say.
After dusk, Lin Zhi was carried by Pei Duo through the secret passage, where she told Pei Yunzhi what she had placed with him.
Pei Duo paused for a moment and whispered, "You are very careful."
Pei Duo would naturally do these things. What surprised him was that Lin Zhi took the initiative to do it without his instructions.
"I am taking care of my younger generation. She is your niece."
Lin Zhi took Pei Duo's words for granted.
Lin Zhi knew that Pei Duo actually cared about his family very much, and that was precisely because he cared that he kept his distance.
Even Pei Sheng, who was closest to him, couldn't get too close to his life.
In this way, even if you have to sever your family ties in the future, it won't make people too sad.
If Pei Duo was alone, it would not matter what future generations would say about him after his death, even if the world was turned upside down. But he still has relatives and they will have descendants. If he does not make good arrangements, even after his death, these descendants may suffer because of what he has done. This is the clan concept of the Chinese.
Sometimes Lin Zhi looked at Pei Duo and felt that he was somewhat similar to himself. At certain moments when Pei Duo was working hard, Lin Zhi seemed to see his own shadow.
They are of the same kind. When Lin Zhi warms him in his arms, it seems as if she is also warming her past self that has long disappeared in the torrent of time.
I know you are tired, I know what you care about, it’s okay to take a break and catch your breath, you have done a good job.
Pei Duo lowered his eyes. This secret passage was long and narrow, and the candlelight was far apart. When walking in the dark, it seemed as if there was no end in sight.
He had walked this road alone countless times, from a teenager to a young adult, going back and forth like a shadow.
Now that I'm holding a warm, living creature in my arms, the road seems shorter.
He held the fox's paw and continued forward steadily.
In the light, Lin Zhi saw the mist floating next to Pei Duo, bright red.
There was a smile in his fox eyes that was not meant for humans to see.
Although he couldn't say that Pei Duo trusted him completely now, at least Pei Duo would not joke with him about fox fur again.
Feel free to lavish your affection on him; it will make him feel really, really good.
After having dinner with Pei Duo, Lin Zhi was taken out by Pei Duo.
This time they were riding in a carriage, and it looked like they were heading out of the city.
"Where are we going?"
"Fanjing Temple."
Pei Duo had an appointment with Master Wuchen. In the past, he would play chess with Master Wuchen every once in a while and listen to his lectures to calm his mind.
After having the little fox, he hadn't been there for a while. Today, Pei Yunzhi entered the palace, and what he was going to do was about to begin. He planned to go and discuss Buddhist principles with Master Wuchen again.
Since we are in the human world, we are bound to be involved in the mundane world. Even though Master Wuchen's Buddhist teachings are so profound that they are beyond ordinary people, most of the monks in Fanjing Temple are still ordinary people.
Pei Duo wanted to give a reminder and also wanted to use him to pass on some information. As for why he brought the little fox with him, it was naturally because the purple bamboo forest on the back mountain of Fanjing Temple was full of spiritual energy, which was suitable for the little fox to have fun.
When he walked out of the secret passage today, he was thinking that the little fox was born in the mountains, and this deep palace might be too boring for him.
The carriage rolled over the bluestone slabs, making a slight noise.
The carriage drove out before the city gate was closed. After passing the city gate, Pei Duo suddenly steadied the table, not because of the bumps.
The pain, more intense than before, erupted, making his face pale. Veins bulged on the back of his hands as he resisted the urge to bang his head against the table to soothe the pain.
The desk in the car had cracks on it and was about to break.
Lin Zhi immediately used a calming spell, but Pei Duo's expression of pain did not change.
Thinking that Pei Duo's symptoms had worsened again, Lin Zhi had to increase the intensity of his magic. Fortunately, he had digested the demon pill before, so this could explain it.
Pei Duo closed his eyes and his expression slowly calmed down.
He looked into the pair of purple eyes staring at him, raised his hand and rubbed the little fox.
Lin Zhi is actually very smart. He always knows not to ask things he shouldn't ask, and Pei Duo likes this about him.
To distract himself, he combed the fox's fur, and suddenly looked a little confused.
Because he accidentally saw the little fox's human form last time, Pei Duo avoided touching his abdomen again, and he only rubbed it lightly before.
Now, after a thorough analysis, I discovered something was wrong.
He counted them in his mind and felt three pairs of soft grains in the fur.
What's this? Could it be that after swallowing the evil pill of the harmful monster, I would have such symptoms? I don’t know if it is serious.
Pei Duo's brows slightly furrowed on his pale face, trying to recall whether there were any descriptions of the strange phenomena that occurred after monsters cannibalized each other in the books he had read.
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