A hero doesn't dwell on past glories, and Qi Defu began to feel sad again.
That's the downside of raising children. You have to worry about smart kids, and even more about less intelligent kids, especially when they're the only child in the family.
Moreover, he had been transferred to the center of power in the inner palace, and after giving him many instructions, he handed Qi Qi a small box. Qi Qi opened it, and inside was a box neatly stacked with small silver ingots, each worth one tael. At a glance, there were at least twenty or thirty of them...
They also gave me four or five silver notes separately, all in denominations of five taels.
Qi Defu said, "Your godfather can't visit you often. Hide the silver well. If you need anything, just send a eunuch to buy it. Give a little when you ask someone for a favor, but don't give it to just anyone. Tell your godfather about all the people who come to you asking for money. Your godfather knows your personality. Don't be afraid of the eunuchs. When you encounter your master, don't be stubborn, at least don't offend him on the surface. Tell your godfather later..."
"Don't give money to Deshun and Eunuch Anrui, they won't even look at it. Just be nice to them."
"Your godfather will think of a way to send you some snacks later. Don't give any money to the small kitchen in Fengyi Palace, I'm afraid my godfather will get too involved and the Empress will find out and be displeased. Sigh, just bear with it for a few years... wait..."
Qi Qi held the money, feeling a little flustered and a little touched.
Qi Qi already knew from Chen Dianji that his annual salary was only forty taels, while his godfather was giving him nearly fifty taels of pocket money. Just how much had he embezzled...?
"Godfather, so much money..."
Qi Defu patted his head: "Your godfather is very poor. You can't say that to outsiders."
Qi Qi nodded.
Qi Defu thought to himself that this silly child hadn't learned this lesson yet. In the palace, if you don't covet others, others will covet you... Recently, Lai Bao has been so sensible, so he shouldn't offend any important people, right?
He saw Qi Qi off at the last minute, and slipped some silver to Xiao Fuzi when no one was looking. Qi Defu didn't want to see Qi Qi off himself, so he had Xiao Pingzi and Xiao Anzi take Qi Qi out.
He waved and watched his godson leave, then took out a handkerchief and wiped his eyes.
I'm getting old, and I can't bear to be separated from others anymore.
We still need to quickly make arrangements and ask our colleagues to keep an eye on things, so that our foolish son doesn't offend his superiors.
Eunuch Anrui has a fondness for fine tea, and coincidentally, his men have delivered some top-quality Lao Ban Zhang tea from the distant Yunnan Kingdom... That damned eunuch Deshun is rather vulgar; he only likes gold. I'll tidy up the palace's secret treasury later and arrange for some...
This palace is all about personal connections. Without power, you can't protect your interests; without interests, no one will do your job. Every little thing in the palace has its rules and regulations. If you stay here too long, even a pure white flower will turn into a black-hearted lotus.
Lai Bao is quite clever; if it weren't for his congenital deficiency... Oh well, let's just see how things go.
Qi Defu pondered this as he went back to work. Even if he didn't have to do the work himself, he still needed to keep an eye on things.
...
Xiao Pingzi and Xiao Anzi followed behind with large and small bags, while Qi Qi also carried a small bundle.
Looking at the group of people who seemed to be moving, Xiao Fuzi fell silent again.
Are we all entering the same palace?
The silver in his pocket was still warm. Xiao Fuzi thought to himself that, judging from this, he, Xiao Xizi, and the chubby boy weren't on the same track. They still had Eunuch Deshun ahead of them in this life, and it would be good if they reached the position of Grand Eunuch in the palace when they got old. Although the chubby boy was a pageboy now, who knew where he would end up in the future...
Let's try to get along well. More connections mean more opportunities. If we can't beat them, we can join them. At least they seem quite likable.
Thinking this, her smile became even more genuine.
Along the way, people looked at the group, and they seemed normal. However, when they entered the side hall and saw the bundles, everyone's lips twitched involuntarily.
Especially Grandpa Deshun, who gave a sarcastic laugh.
"They really spoil her rotten, humph."
After Qi Qi saw off the reluctant Xiao Pingzi and Xiao Anzi, he opened a bundle that his godfather had arranged and gave each of the eunuchs and maids in the hall a box of pastries. The exquisite pastries with various flower petals were neatly arranged in the carved wooden box, which was neither too big nor too small and had a delicate style.
The gift wasn't particularly impressive; it was just some food that the senior palace maids and eunuchs could afford. It wasn't considered a bribe, and people would just say that the junior eunuch knew how to get along with people. Naturally, Dongmei and the other senior palace maids accepted it.
It's De Shun's turn.
Qi Qi also handed it to him personally, quietly calling, "Uncle Deshun~"
De Shun, his eyes filled with suspicion, still took it: "...Hmph, your godfather taught you to call me that? He's certainly good at flattering people... Could he have poisoned me?"
Of course not, Defu's godfather just privately called him "the dead eunuch"...
As the saying goes, life needs artistic embellishment everywhere. Qi Qi nodded earnestly: "Yes, my godfather said you are a very good person, kind-hearted and good-looking. I feel a special connection with you when I see you—it reminds me of my uncle back in my hometown..."
De Shun couldn't help but smile and pinched his chubby cheek: "This little mouth of yours, it must have grown up eating candy."
I don't believe that dead eunuch Qi Defu would say anything good about him.
...
At noon, the bell rang, signaling the time for lunch.
Even before the Ninth Prince woke up, Qi Qi already knew that he was a severe insomniac. Once he fell asleep, the entire palace was overjoyed and whispered among themselves.
The palace servants of Fengyi Palace are not afraid of the sky falling down, but they are afraid that the Ninth Prince will have insomnia again. When he has insomnia, his complexion will be bad. When the Ninth Prince's complexion is bad, the Empress's complexion will be bad. When the master is in a bad mood, the servants will also be in a bad mood.
There weren't many people in the side hall, so the work was easy. At noon, they went to eat in two shifts. The eunuch serving the meals was Eunuch Deshun. Qi Qi was led to the kitchen by Xiao Fuzi and Xiao Xizi. They arrived after walking for a short while.
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