The Ninth Prince asked cautiously, "Another ghost story?"
Qi Qi: "I'll tell you next time when we go to bed."
Ninth Prince: "...I don't really want to hear it."
"Today I'm going to tell you a story about a little prince in the ocean..."
Ninth Prince: "Prince? Which small foreign country are you from?"
Qi Qi: "You go ahead and tell the story!"
The Ninth Prince remained silent once again.
Qi Qi then began the story in a soft voice.
"Once upon a time, there was a beautiful ocean, where the seawater was as blue as the sky, like the purest sapphire. In the deepest part of the sea, there was a beautiful palace made of coral and seashells. The coral emitted colorful light in the dim seabed, illuminating this beautiful world..."
"A group of beautiful mermaids live in the palace, and our protagonist today is the most beautiful... cough cough, the most special mermaid prince. He has seaweed-blue hair and a shimmering fish tail, like scales polished from the most beautiful gems..."
Qi Qi revised the story, incorporating his own experiences of the underwater world, but art always requires some embellishment...
In the new version of the story, a group of evil humans came to the island. To steal the Little Prince's jewel necklace, they pretended to be weak and harmless, deceiving the Little Prince into trusting them. After being imprisoned, the Little Prince, through his (not really) cleverness, escaped the evil humans' clutches. Then, in anger, he fought the humans for three hundred rounds. Finally, finally…
"..."
"Then what?"
The Ninth Prince said, but when he turned his head, he found that the chubby little boy who was telling stories had already fallen asleep.
"..."
Who's the kindest person who tells you stories to put you to sleep? Especially such childish stories.
A palace built of coral, shells, and pearls? A mermaid with a human torso and a fish tail? Quite imaginative.
The little eunuch always had his mouth agape when he slept. He was chubby and pink all over, with a layer of fine downy hair on his cheeks, and his eyelashes were incredibly long.
The Ninth Prince leaned closer and touched them with his finger. They were even longer than his mother's. Was there any connection between long eyelashes and round eyes?
After watching for a while, the Ninth Prince also closed his eyes, and his breathing gradually calmed down.
For a moment, the secret guards observing from the shadows were unsure whether to report this scene, as it was a serious taboo for a servant to climb into his master's bed.
Although they are just two little kids...
The matter still needed to be reported. The Empress was indeed angry when she learned of it, but despite her anger, she did not order the punishment of the young eunuch.
Xiao Jiu hadn't slept well for a long time. The child was intelligent from a young age, thought a lot, and was deep in thought, but he never told anyone. By the time the Empress discovered this problem, it was too late, and forcibly correcting him would easily cause the child to rebel.
The Empress was the only daughter of the Grand Tutor. Her family was upright and she was loved by her parents. She had read many books and thought about many things. Knowing what she was like when she was a child, she knew that smart children are not easy to manage.
However, didn't Xiao Jiu always think that her playmates were stupid?
The Empress thought this little eunuch wasn't very bright, so how did Xiao Jiu take a liking to him? Could it be that he has some hidden talents?
...
Qi Defu was also flustered. He was leisurely sitting on his recliner supervising the eunuchs' work when Xiao Pingzi suddenly rushed over.
A glance swept over immediately: "What's with all this panicking? Have you forgotten all the rules?"
Xiao Pingzi said in a panic, "No, Master, something terrible has happened! Just now, Aunt Chunqin from Fengyi Palace brought people to the courtyard and took Eunuch Laibao away..."
Qi Defu jumped to his feet, nearly falling to the ground: "What? Say it again?"
Xiaopingzi, sweat beading on his forehead, repeated himself.
Qi Defu also started sweating: "You dog slave, why didn't you come and tell me earlier! Lai Bao... my Lai Bao!"
Xiaopingzi: "Master Seal, I noticed that Aunt Chunqin's expression is still gentle, she doesn't seem to be here to punish someone, there must be something else!"
Qi Defu glared at Xiao Pingzi, straightened his hat, and walked away.
You can't tell anything just by looking at their faces. These people who serve their masters are all very shrewd and have a lot of underhanded tricks up their sleeves.
Why would someone from the Empress's palace come to the Chief Steward's Office...?
Qi Defu managed to maintain a semblance of composure and inquired around with his sworn brother, who was on good terms with him and worked in the inner palace. Only after a quarter of an hour did he learn that Lai Bao was the Ninth Prince's destination.
To be a pageboy?
Qi Defu's face turned pale and then red, and he didn't even hear his sworn brother's congratulations. His mind was in a mess as he replied.
The Ninth Prince is the Emperor's second son and the Crown Prince's younger brother. It would certainly be a good thing for him to serve the Emperor, but the good thing is for those around him, not for Lai Bao!
Qi Defu knew his child well; his temper had only improved these past couple of days, and he seemed quite well-behaved. A few days ago, his temper was... he even threw a tantrum at Qi Defu.
Objectively speaking, Qi Defu was quite self-aware. This kid was the legendary troublemaker, and he hadn't even figured out a gentle way to teach him manners and etiquette, yet now he was being asked to go to the Empress's palace.
Qi Defu touched his official hat and head, wondering if he could still keep his head.
On the other side of the study, Chen Dianji, who hadn't seen Qi Qi all morning, was worried. He knew Qi Qi was a good boy, and since he hadn't come, something must have happened.
At noon, the seventh prince, dressed in red brocade, arrived at the library.
Where is Qi Laibao?
Chen Dianji cupped his hands and replied, "Your Highness, he did not come to work today."
The Seventh Prince's expression suddenly changed. Seeing him angrily search up and down the stairs before storming off, Chen Dianji became even more worried.
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