Chapter 65: The Eunuch's Fox Pet
Lin Zhi felt that Pei Duo must have noticed something, but Pei Duo did not express his opinion. He still held Lin Zhi and walked towards the mansion, so Lin Zhi did not ask any further questions.
The next day he found out the reason why Pei Duo did not ask much last night. Among the last group of beauties, Lin Zhi saw the girl from last night.
She still carried the scent of vows, wearing a bamboo green snow satin dress, accepting the gaze of the Queen and Concubine Shu above.
"Master Pei."
The Queen was the first person to see Pei Duo walk in from outside the palace, but this voice came from the mouth of Concubine Shu.
The election started in early July. Candidates from all over the country would screen and submit their names. Finally, the beauties would enter the imperial city, where the empress and other concubines would look at them and decide whether to keep them. After the names of all the beauties were finalized, they would stay in the palace for a month of etiquette training and observation. Finally, they would be awarded ranks or be married off to royal families.
The ten people standing here now are the last batch of beauties. Pei Duo had never come to see them before, so it is not surprising that he came today.
The Queen had a calm expression on her face and also greeted Pei Duo.
None of the concubines below dared to look up at the powerful eunuch; they all kept their heads down obediently.
The same was true for Zheng Jialing. She lowered her head and saw the vermilion and purple official robe embroidered with dark patterns fluttering past her.
"I'm just here to take a look, go on ladies."
Pei Duo walked to the upper seat and sat on the side.
Lin Zhi was held in his arms, and with the convenience of the fox body, he could look around.
The first person he noticed was Queen Huo. This was the first time he had met the queen in such a long time.
Although Pei Duo was a eunuch, he rarely entered the harem. Lin Zhi also rarely went into the harem, except to visit her little niece Pei Yunzhi in Chuxiu Palace.
The queen is a dignified woman, but she gives people a very depressing feeling.
Huo's father was the confidant of the late emperor. When the new emperor ascended the throne, under the circumstances at the time, Huo was the best candidate for queen.
But the emperor was afraid of and tried to please Pei Duo in the early days. He ascended the throne in a hurry without any psychological preparation. He was also worried that Pei Duo would be dissatisfied with him and kill him and support other brothers to ascend the throne. Therefore, the emperor was very fond of Pei Duo's concubine.
Since entering the palace, the Queen has been suppressed by Concubine Shu, which can be said to be very depressing.
As the situation in the previous dynasty changed, the Huo family showed goodwill to Pei Duo for a period of time. That period was also the most peaceful time for the Queen and Concubine Shu. Unfortunately, it is now a thing of the past.
Now the Queen's popularity is somewhat overshadowing that of the Concubine Shu, and this is of course due to the Emperor's contribution.
As the emperor gradually became dissatisfied, the Huo family would of course like to continue to serve the emperor as before rather than become a vassal of the Pei family. However, they were very careful in doing so. After all, the emperor still had to consider Pei Duo's mood, so they could only do small things in private.
But they will soon be unable to do anything, Lin Zhi thought in her heart. When Pei Yunzhi enters the palace, the newcomer will take the position and the old one will of course have to move away.
How the position of the queen changes depends on how the Huo family declines.
Struggle has always been a cruel thing, because there are bound to be winners and losers. Lin Zhi withdrew his gaze from the Queen and swept his gaze over the Concubine Shu next to her.
Concubine Shu smiled at him and waved her handkerchief, leaning back on the cushioned wooden chair. She looked as spoiled as the rumors said, which was totally inconsistent with her title.
Lin Zhi did not respond with any human expression. She nestled in Pei Duo's arms and watched the queen examine and question the concubines below.
Soon, the girl he noticed raised her head.
Zheng Jialing, the second daughter of the Minister of the Ministry of Revenue, was good-looking and came from a good family, so she was given a plaque.
Is it her burning desire to be selected? Lin Zhi didn't believe it. Zheng Jialing didn't show any obvious joy after being selected. Moreover, based on her background, family background and appearance, her selection was a foregone conclusion.
Lin Zhi thought about Zheng Jialing's father. Minister Zheng was considered a neutral person in the court and seemed to offend no one.
It’s getting weirder, Lin Zhi thought.
The Queen asked the palace maid to give Pei Duo the booklet of selected beauties. Pei Duo took a look at it and left Chuxiu Palace without staying there for long.
He came and left casually, and no one dared to ask any questions.
Lin Zhi was not squatting on Pei Duo's shoulder, but was held in Pei Duo's arms.
Pei Duo did not return to Yuxuan Palace. He found a pavilion not far away and sat down.
Lin Zhi squatted on the stone table and saw Pei Duo stretched out his hand, with a ball of pink mist appearing in his palm.
"Could this be something from Zheng Jialing?"
Pei Duo had just come out of Chuxiu Palace when he had this thing in his hand. Lin Zhi naturally thought of Zheng Jialing.
This pavilion is next to the pond and is transparent on all sides. No matter where people come from, they can see clearly. There is no need to worry about eavesdropping, so Lin Zhi spoke with confidence.
"It should be a pact with the Peach Blossom Demon, but there is no such monster in the capital, so its true form should not be here."
Pei Duo casually fed the cloud of mist to Lin Zhi, just like feeding him a snack.
The pink mist tasted sweet in the mouth, making Lin Zhi feel like eating cotton candy.
"You make a pact with a monster because you want to fulfill your wish. This is very likely to backfire. Do you want to check it out, sir?"
It is not uncommon for people to make deals with demons and ghosts because of their desires, but such things often come at a price, the most common price being flesh and blood and life.
Lin Zhi wasn't sure whether Pei Duo would investigate, because Pei Duo was not a righteous Taoist priest. He was very likely to deliberately keep Zheng Jialing under his nose and use her. If the peach blossom demon wanted to cause chaos in the harem, it would be right in the crosshairs, and Pei Duo could just wait for the demon to fall into his trap.
Of course, Pei Duo may also eliminate potential dangers in advance in order to eliminate hidden dangers.
Pei Duo touched the little fox's head and said nonchalantly, "Send someone to her house later to check. If they can find any traces of her, they will feed her to you."
Before raising foxes, those monsters were just monsters in Pei Duo's eyes. Now, those monsters have become food for the little foxes in his eyes.
This will allow the little fox to improve its cultivation faster. As long as it can be refined, the monster does not have to worry about any sequelae of cannibalism.
When Pei Duo mentioned going to Minister Zheng's house to take a look, he certainly didn't mean to have someone go directly to the door, but to send ghost servants or let people from the Demon Suppression Bureau to investigate.
"Then I'll go check it out for you, sir."
Lin Zhi volunteered, and his fluffy fox tail swayed slightly because of his determination.
"You want to go?"
Pei Duo looked at the little fox sitting upright and sensed his irrepressible excitement.
"Of course, I should do things for adults, and it's boring to stay here all the time. I want to go out and see the world."
Lin Zhi didn't intend to be a carefree and pampered fox. If he just obeyed him, he wouldn't be able to do what he was going to do next.
He wanted Pei Duo to remember that the original intention of their relationship was a transaction, not that he was looking for an owner.
Not only should he not weaken the monster characteristics of himself, but he should emphasize them even more, so that his choice will be more meaningful.
"I can't see that kingfisher later and still not make any progress."
The ability of a monster is not only related to cultivation, but also to the proficiency and skills of the magic. The original owner had been practicing in the mountains, and he knew few techniques. Most of the magic he knew was the charm and seduction that the fox was born with.
This magic can not only lure prey, but also confuse the enemy's mind at the critical moment of the battle. However, the original owner had never used it, and he would not use it when he was injured, so he ran away in a very embarrassing manner.
Lin Zhi had no way to gain experience from the original owner and could only grow through actual combat on his own.
Lin Zhi didn't want to rely solely on Pei Duo, and he knew that doing so would make Pei Duo like him more.
If a person only likes his partner or the person who is about to become his partner to be dependent on him, or even deliberately erases his partner's independence, or is angry because his partner chooses to polish himself to become stronger, then this person's love also needs to be weighed.
This is a kind of selfish, incompetent, and even narcissistic love. Whether it is love for a person, or love for the pathological self that pours all emotions into a person, remains to be judged.
Lin Zhi knew that Pei Duo was not such a person. He would appreciate souls that were moving forward.
The same was true for Lin Zhi. He carried out these redemption missions well, not just because he wanted to sleep with these personality fragments. More importantly, he felt the struggle of the person formed by these personality fragments.
He looked at Pei Duo, waiting for his answer.
Pei Duo listened to the little fox's somewhat self-deprecating whispers, and a sense of relief surged in his heart.
He is a vengeful person, so the monster pets he raises should be the same. No matter how weak they are now, they must remember how to torture their enemies to death.
"Since you are so aware, then go ahead."
Pei Duo touched Lin Zhi's tail, pinched the tip of his tail, and then touched his abdomen from his tail.
Ever since he knew what the soft grain was, Pei Duo didn't touch it on purpose, but he didn't avoid it either. He just rubbed the fur. Because the fox's fur was thick and he didn't touch it often, it was enough for him to be happy, and the little fox didn't have any objections.
Lin Zhi also lay down casually. Pei Duo didn't care much now, but he would have to pay more attention to it later.
Among the fluff, Pei Duo discovered that Lin Zhi's two bells seemed to have grown a little bigger. They were obviously very small when he first saw them, but now they are becoming rounder.
But in any case, it is not because of eating the magic pill of other monsters. It should be the normal state of foxes.
At night, before Lin Zhi left the courtyard of Pei's mansion, Pei Duo hung a small jade pendant around her neck. The word "Pei" was engraved on the front, and the pattern of a talisman was on the back.
"Go ahead and come back early."
Pei Duo stood in the courtyard, watching the little fox jump onto the wall. The tiny red jade was hidden among its fur, with traces faintly visible as it jumped.
Lin Zhi swallowed the peach mist from Zheng Jialing, and naturally followed the clues to find Minister Zheng's home.
The fox's body was lighter, and Pei Duo had carved a concealment spell on the jade, so Lin Zhi moved around the eaves without worry.
In the small courtyard of Minister Zheng's residence, a fox jumped down from the wall and turned into a young man with purple hair and purple ash on the ground.
Lin Zhi did not rashly push open the door of Zheng Jialing's boudoir, but released a wisp of demonic power to test.
After confirming that there was no trap inside, Lin Zhi walked straight through the door and stopped in front of Zheng Jialing's dressing box.
He moved his fingers slightly, and the innermost layer of the box opened automatically.
There is a small piece of peach branch inside, with a peach blossom blooming on it, emitting bursts of floral fragrance.
The petals are not the color of ordinary peach blossoms, but dark red like blood, with a hint of weirdness.
Lin Zhi searched the room but found nothing else, so he took the peach branch away.
Not finding anything else, Lin Zhi prepared to go back home, but before reaching Pei's house, he suddenly felt the peach branch in his hand begin to get hot.
Lin Zhi felt a strong attraction coming from a certain direction. He quickly weighed the pros and cons and finally decided to go in the direction indicated.
Lin Zhi left the city gate and the suburbs, running quickly in the night with a peach branch in her mouth.
Suddenly, the attraction was gone.
But this was not a problem for Lin Zhi because there was a peach forest not far away.
Under a larger peach tree, there was a monk chanting sutras.
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