Many people greeted Yan Qingqing warmly when they saw her, and the villagers who set up stalls would give her things whenever she walked to a stall.
Yan Qingqing naturally refused to accept it. Of course, if she saw something unusual that appealed to her, she would accept it, but she would have Ruyi pay for it.
These people are all small businesses, and she doesn't lack money right now, so she definitely can't just take their money for free.
Especially now that she is a Mingzhao Shuo Ren in the Great Yan Dynasty, countless eyes are watching her, both openly and secretly.
She certainly couldn't tarnish her own reputation.
Just as Yan Qingqing was enjoying her shopping, A-Da rushed over and whispered a few words in her ear.
Yan Qingqing put down what she was holding and hurried home.
Ruyi quickly grabbed the trinkets Yan Qingqing had bought and followed after her.
As Yan Qingqing walked home, she looked at A'da beside her and asked, "Which eunuch came to deliver the imperial decree this time?"
Ah Da replied, "It's the same Eunuch Yue who came last time."
This imperial edict is for our young master; I've already sent Ah Wu on horseback to deliver the message."
Yan Qingqing nodded and said, "We must make sure to treat them well and not neglect these people from the palace."
Sometimes, it is these seemingly insignificant figures who can play a crucial role at critical moments.
More importantly, they were people close to the emperor.
Spending so much time together, they gained a better understanding of the emperor's preferences. Building good relationships with them would save them a lot of trouble.
Upon hearing this, Ah Da quickly agreed, and then added, "The young mistress has already personally come to entertain you, so I don't think Eunuch Yue will feel neglected."
To outsiders, the most influential members of the Li family are Yan Qingqing and Li Xiangping, who are officials appointed by the imperial court, followed by Yuan Huiniang.
She was Li Xiangping's lawfully wedded wife and was also favored by her mother-in-law, Yan Qingqing, and managed the household affairs.
She was qualified enough to associate with the wives of ordinary officials.
Therefore, Ah Da felt that it was already a great honor for Yue Gonggong to have Yuan Huiniang personally entertain him.
Besides, Eunuch Yue is a eunuch, so there are no strict rules about gender segregation. Even if word gets out, no one will have any opinions.
Otherwise, how could the emperor possibly trust these eunuchs to run rampant in the harem?
But this is a class society; even a seventh-rank official is treated like a prime minister. How much more so a close attendant to the emperor!
Although they were all servants, the servants around the emperor were naturally much more noble than other servants.
However, Yan Qingqing didn't have time to explain these things to A-Da right now.
This was the first time Yuan Huiniang had hosted guests from the palace.
However, she did not panic. With her experience as a housekeeper over the years, she was still able to chat with her father-in-law for a while.
Eunuch Yue already had a good impression of the Li family, and Eunuch Xiang always spoke well of Yan Qingqing in front of the emperor.
He was naturally very kind to the Li family.
When Yan Qingqing returned, she saw the two of them chatting happily, asking and answering questions.
Upon seeing Yan Qingqing, Eunuch Yue quickly stepped forward and bowed, saying, "Our family has two generations of Mingzhao Shuoren."
Given Yan Qingqing's rank, it would be perfectly reasonable for Eunuch Yue to pay his respects to her.
Yan Qingqing dared not presume and said with a smile, "Eunuch Yue, there's no need for such formality. You've only been back in the capital for a short time, and I'm already troubling you with this trip because of my family matters. I really feel bad about it."
Seeing that Yan Qingqing was still speaking so politely, Eunuch Yue's goodwill towards her increased even more.
So he spoke up, saying, "We are all serving the Emperor, and we dare not complain about the hardship."
Furthermore, although delivering the imperial decree to Ming Zhaoshuo's home was a long journey, it was still a desirable task.
When you arrived, the Emperor instructed me to tell you, Mingzhao Shuoren, that you should come to the capital when you have time.
"Your residence in the capital is still empty."
Yan Qingqing understood everything upon hearing this. The Emperor meant for her to enter the palace to express her gratitude, but there was no official decree.
However, Yan Qingqing really couldn't leave for the time being.
Besides, the Emperor couldn't possibly remember someone of such low status all the time, so she smiled and said to Eunuch Yue, "Eunuch Yue is right, but I've been too busy with family matters lately and haven't had the time to spare."
However, please convey to the Emperor that I will definitely go to the palace to express my gratitude when I have the opportunity.
Grandpa Yue smiled and nodded, indicating that he would definitely convey Yan Qingqing's message.
After Yan Qingqing sat down, she glanced at Ruyi beside her.
Ruyi quickly took out a purse from her sleeve, stepped forward and stuffed it into Eunuch Yue's hand, saying, "Eunuch Yue, you've worked hard this time. This is a small token of our appreciation from the Mingzhao Shuo family."
Please have some tea, Father-in-law. And please don't look down on our humble origins.
Eunuch Yue habitually squeezed his purse. He immediately beamed and said, "Young lady, you flatter me. It is an honor for us to serve Lord Mingzhao. There is no question of us being presumptuous."
Last time, in front of so many people, this girl even put two thousand taels of silver in the food box.
Moreover, she always stayed by Yan Qingqing's side. Although she was just a maid, she always carried several thousand taels of silver notes with her, which showed how much Ming Zhaoshuo trusted her.
Eunuch Yue had seen all sorts of people in the palace, especially the head maids of some high-ranking concubines, who lived a more comfortable life than concubines of ordinary status.
Therefore, Eunuch Yue did not underestimate Ruyi just because she was a maid.
Ruyi acted gracefully, and after stuffing the purse into Yan Qingqing's hands, she returned to Yan Qingqing's side.
He clearly has good manners.
Although Ruyi is usually very casual in front of Yan Qingqing, Yan Qingqing has given her special training in etiquette and manners.
Eunuch Yue put away his purse and said with a smile, "Oh dear, this trip of ours was really worthwhile. Not only did we receive a reward from the young mistress, but we also received a reward from Master Mingzhao. I bet those little brats will be green with envy when we get back."
What Eunuch Yue said was not unfounded. As the emperor's close attendants, they all knew that delivering imperial edicts was definitely a good job.
Especially for these rewarding tasks, everyone is eager to do them.
After all, you'd receive rewards no matter which prefecture you went to, but there really aren't many people as generous as Ming Zhaoshuo.
Last time, he spent two thousand taels in one go.
Even if they stayed in the palace their whole lives, they might not be able to save up this much silver.
Therefore, it shouldn't have been Eunuch Yue who came to deliver the imperial decree, but since he was Eunuch Xiang's apprentice, he had no choice.
He went to ask Eunuch Xiang for help, and the cushy job naturally fell to him again.
To put it bluntly, Eunuch Xiang is already the head steward; otherwise, he would have wanted to come himself.
Yan Qingqing chatted with Eunuch Yue for a while, and also inquired about the situation in the palace from the sidelines.
Especially regarding Xiao Mochen, Yan Qingqing wanted to know the emperor's current attitude towards Xiao Mochen so that she could formulate appropriate countermeasures.
The eunuch Yue thought Yan Qingqing was just curious and, wanting to give her face, naturally told her everything he knew.
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