Wu Lingzhu: "When the person was sent back, what did they say or do?"
Chunying said, "Your Highness is truly a diviner. When I saw Xiaodunzi out, he took half of the silver Your Highness had just given him and gave it to me. His words implied that I should speak well of him to Your Highness."
"It's good that you know what's going on."
“Princess, this little boy is too clever for his own good. Should I keep an eye on his movements?”
Wu Lingzhu smiled and shook her head: "How can you keep an eye on everything by yourself? Besides, I don't want you to do the work of surveillance. Here's what you do: spread the word that Xiaodunzi got the reward money, so that the people in Chuxiu Palace know that they won't lack money if they follow us."
Money may not buy absolute loyalty, but she does lack errand runners.
It can be said that although not all the palace servants in Chuxiu Palace have powerful backers, there are very few who do not. She had caught quite a few in her previous life, especially Xiaodunzi, who worked particularly hard. This is why she only realized something was wrong with Xiaodunzi when she died. Who would suspect the hardest-working and most effective employee?
If these things are used properly by those who already own them, the results can be quite good.
After Chunying left, Wulingzhu was alone, teasing the birds. In fact, when Xiaodunzi came in, she already knew that she could probably talk to all the animals.
"You said your name is Xiaobai?"
Little White was startled, and the bird began frantically flying up and down in its cage: [What the hell? How did you know my name is Little White?]
Wu Lingzhu smiled and said, "Don't be afraid. I'm just an ordinary person. I only got the chance to understand animals. I won't hurt you."
Xiaobai thought about it and realized it made sense. She could understand birdsong, and she was even more afraid of being found out.
Other birds joined the conversation, and Wu Lingzhu learned how these birds came to be. There were almost no concubines in the palace who liked to keep birds, and even Emperor Kangxi didn't like to play with them. They came from outside the palace and had gotten their hands on the Crown Prince's connections.
After listening, Wu Lingzhu had only one thought: "They really value me. They're willing to go to great lengths to gain my trust in Xiaodunzi. I feel sorry for them."
The people in the Imperial Household Department are the most greedy.
Xiao Bai quickly replied, "No, actually we didn't ask for any money."
"What's the meaning?"
[Someone approached the shopkeeper, displaying the "Prince's" sign. The shopkeeper personally selected us without paying.]
Wu Lingzhu was stunned for a moment, then couldn't help but laugh: "Haha, the Crown Prince deserved to lose! He's really not wronged."
I won't comment on what the future holds for the Crown Prince. He's not even ten years old yet, and countless people are already using his name to act, all because of a few birds. With such a group of people who can't distinguish right from wrong around him, it's almost inevitable that the Crown Prince will be deposed.
The people around the Crown Prince are too greedy!
Xiao Bai didn't know anything about the Crown Prince, but he was satisfied with his new home.
"I will give you whatever you like to eat, or whatever kind of nest you need. I will not lock you in a cage. You can fly whenever you want."
Birds kept in captivity generally cannot live without humans. Little White and the other birds had no objection to this; who wouldn't want more freedom when they have enough to eat and wear? Birds want that too.
[What do you need us to do?]
Xiao Bai often accompanied the shopkeeper to meet people, and he only knew that humans were profit-driven. He didn't think that Wu Lingzhu had no requirements.
"When you have some free time, just keep an eye on a few people for me. For now, keep an eye on the palace servants in Chuxiu Palace to see if they have any ulterior motives. You can make more friends. There are so many fellow beings in the heavens. I will prepare more food to put on the roof in the future."
[Sure! You know what, if other birds knew that someone could understand us, they'd definitely want to come and see you.]
"There's no need to make too much of a commotion. I can't afford to go through that 'hundred birds paying homage to the phoenix' stage for now. You should all be mindful of your behavior."
[Understood. Don't worry, I won't tell anyone about your matter.]
Birds are different from cats. Although there are many cats, most of the cats in the Forbidden City are in the cat and dog house. Birds, on the other hand, are in the sky, and there are many more of them.
In any case, Wu Lingzhu's two intelligence teams, the Cat Squad and the Bird Squad, have taken shape.
Chunying came in and was startled: "Princess, why did you open the cage?"
“I feel uncomfortable with these birds in captivity. I feel uncomfortable with them too. They are domesticated birds, they can’t escape. If they really fly away, it means I have no fate with them.”
Chunying smiled, not caring at all. After all, there were only a few birds. No matter how beautiful or precious they were, they were just for the princess to amuse. As long as the princess was happy, that was all that mattered.
"This servant thinks that Princess has been reading too many Buddhist scriptures lately, because her speech is full of Zen-like meaning."
"Your voice is getting nicer and nicer."
The master and servant laughed and joked together.
...
With Wu Lingzhu's money paving the way, she could command the entire Chuxiu Palace, whether secretly or openly. During this time, she maintained a frequency of visiting Shou Kang Palace every few days.
She never stopped sending Buddhist scriptures, but instead of presenting them directly to the Empress Dowager, she placed them before the Buddhist scriptures for worship. There was no need for public announcement; those who needed to know would know.
Then her life got better and better.
Wu Lingzhu also found out who was behind the palace servants in Chuxiu Palace. She brought three more people to her: a clean-cut eunuch, a palace maid backed by Liang Jiugong (who was actually sent by Kangxi, but was a nobody and wouldn't get to Kangxi's side), and the last one was Consort De's person.
I must say, it's really useful when someone with connections backs you up. They get two salaries, and their work attitude is so positive.
I don't want to let go of Wu Lingzhu.
Time flies, and in the blink of an eye, it was the twentieth year of Kangxi's reign. Wu Lingzhu also officially attended the palace banquet on New Year's Day. She sat among the concubines, next to the not-so-favored Concubine Dai Jia.
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