"I love you the most!"
The Ninth Prince smirked: "Why are you bringing this up again?"
Qi Qi said sweetly, "Even saying it a hundred times a day isn't enough~"
Gu Siyan was truly amazed and thought to himself that this little eunuch must be a talented spy or agent.
Not only did he know both princes and their servants, but he also addressed them as "brother" at every turn. When questioned by the Ninth Prince, he made no mention of his past conflicts with the Seventh Prince, only saying that he had rejected the Seventh Prince and then casually expressing his loyalty.
Moreover, at such a young age, he speaks sweet words so skillfully. Even when Gu Siyan was more experienced and worldly, he had never seen such words before. His skin is so thick...
Gu Siyan became increasingly wary.
He had lived in the palace for several years, walking on thin ice, and his life was extremely difficult. He thought he was being cautious enough, but he never expected that not only the adults, but even children who were only a few years old had such deep cunning!
The palace is indeed full of hidden talents, and no one should be underestimated. Even a young page or an inconspicuous eunuch sweeping the roadside may be harboring great secrets!
...
In the archery lesson, the Ninth Prince only practiced archery. He drew a small bow halfway and hit a huge bullseye two meters away. The teacher and teaching assistant praised him endlessly. Qi Qi felt once again that he still had a lot to learn on the road of flattery. He was excellent at acting cute and charming, but he was still lacking in flattery.
During the afternoon classes, shouts could be heard from the training ground every now and then. It was the Seventh Prince, his bow fully drawn, his target hit, and he could even perform some extremely difficult moves, shooting arrows while riding a horse.
Qi Qi focused on cheering on and encouraging the Ninth Prince, but the Ninth Prince did not let others' achievements affect his own pace and continued practicing his archery.
Qi Qi glanced at the field occasionally, and was in a fairly good mood, until he saw on the other side of the training ground that several stable boys were being encouraged by a group of children to carry targets and run around the field. Heaven knows that those children had just started shooting arrows and hadn't hit the targets much yet. Some of them were even deliberately shooting arrows at people. They were just playing around!
The teachers and teaching assistants, though some looked on with pity, did not say anything.
The nobles were dressed in fine clothes, adorned with exquisite ornaments, riding fine steeds, and using bows made of animal horns and deer sinews. Their small faces beamed with joy, but their eyes were filled with pure and innocent malice. They seemed unaware that they were committing evil.
This was true for several princes, and for others as well.
Qi Qi asked, "Your Highness, is it always like this here?"
Ninth Prince: "What?"
Qi Qi pointed ahead: "Are you always using people as targets?"
The Ninth Prince replied nonchalantly, "It's always been like this, but those aren't people; stable boys are slaves."
Qi Qi suddenly asked softly, "Do you do this too?"
Actually, people are the same everywhere. Qi Qi is not human, so he can see things more rationally, but he does have human emotions after all. Although he is not sad, he is indeed curious and wants to know if the people around him are like that.
Upon hearing this, the Ninth Prince turned around and paused for a moment. In that instant, the Ninth Prince seemed to see an extremely faint emotion on Qi Laibao's face, like a Buddha statue sitting high in a temple, looking down at all living beings without joy or sorrow.
The young Ninth Prince was very intelligent, but occasionally he would encounter things beyond his comprehension, such as a eunuch with bold yet clear eyes, whose words and actions were unusual and who showed no fear of imperial power.
For example, why would this seemingly silly chubby boy suddenly give such an expression, as if they were far apart?
He was standing right in front of me.
The Ninth Prince is not yet able to think about many things. He is still young, so when he does things, he simply follows his own preferences.
"You don't like this? You feel sorry for them?"
Qi Qi shook his head: "I don't feel sorry for you, it just makes me uncomfortable to look at you."
The Ninth Prince glanced at him, then gestured for someone to come over and gave them instructions.
Soon, the grooms who had been used as targets were put back to the side. They slumped to the ground, covered in sweat, and bowed in this direction. Several young noblemen also glanced in this direction but said nothing.
Qi Qi grinned.
The Fifth Prince passed by, his head still slightly lowered, and handed the quiver to the Fourth Prince, who was three years older than him.
...
At night, after all the palace maids and eunuchs had left the bedchamber, the young eunuch Qi Qi pushed open the door separating him from the bedchamber and entered as usual.
He was wearing thin silk pajamas, and his hair, which had just been washed and still smelled of soap, was loose and draped behind his head, making him look like a pretty chubby baby.
Once they climbed onto the most prominent large bed in the hall, another beautiful child was already lying behind the bed curtains.
What story will we tell today?
Qi Qi thought for a moment: "There is one, but the story is a bit long. I've only seen it on TV... no, I've only heard the old woman at the village entrance tell it a bit. She probably didn't tell it very well. Do you want to hear it?"
"listen."
Qi Qi leaned against the pillow, very close to the Ninth Prince, and began the story with his eyes closed.
"Legend has it that there are four countries in the world, called East Sheng Shen Zhou, West Niu He Zhou..."
"In the Eastern Continent of Divine Victory, there is a country called Aolai, which is near the sea. On the seashore is a mountain called Flower and Fruit Mountain, with beautiful scenery, birds singing and flowers blooming. On the top of the mountain is a magical stone that has been nourished by the essence of the sun and moon. Gradually, a celestial embryo was born inside it. One day, the celestial stone cracked open, and a stone was born inside. The stone grew when exposed to the wind and turned into a stone monkey..."
Qi Qi loves watching this TV series. Not only has she watched the TV show and the animation, but she also plans to read the novel again next time she goes to the real-world instance.
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