Chapter 18

Lin Nanjie took the little prince to play in the side hall, and the little prince obediently let Lin Nanjie play with him. Lin Nanjie stuck a few fallen feathers on each side of the little prince's head, but he didn't do what Li Chengqian did, inserting feathers all over his head like a nouveau riche.

After finishing, Lin Nanjie looked at the cute but serious-looking little prince and thought that she couldn't take care of him alone, so she took him to meet the Queen Mother.

The Empress Dowager is Li Chenghuan's biological mother. Her family background is not prominent, but she has been in the palace for decades and has become the Empress Dowager, which is unusual.

However, at the moment, the Queen Mother is just a majestic and kind old lady.

The Empress Dowager was sitting in the Cining Palace. From a distance she saw a handsome child wearing feathers on both sides of his head. He walked with a swaying gait, which made his pretty and childish face glow.

The Queen Mother burst into laughter and said, "Come quickly, let me have a look."

The little prince skipped and ran to the Queen Mother, holding Lin Nanqi's arm.

The Queen Mother was at a loss whether to laugh or cry as she watched the little prince shaking his head. She touched his head lovingly, as if he were a character in a painting.

"This outfit is really nice, like the fairy boy sitting under Guanyin."

"I never thought that your father would actually allow you to do whatever you want..."

Lin Nanjie told the Empress Dowager everything, especially the absurd things that happened on the way back, which he described in vivid detail, causing everyone in Cining Palace to prick up their ears to listen.

Finally, Lin Nanjie said, "Since it is a good omen, the emperor agreed to let me put some white egret feathers on the little prince to bring some good luck."

The Queen Mother laughed until tears came out of her eyes: "I have never seen the Emperor like this before."

"Yu'er and the emperor were cut from the same cloth when they were young, both were taciturn, but I never thought they had this side."

Lin Nanjie couldn't help but complain in his heart, more than that, the emperor is simply a pervert.

The Queen Mother had obviously also heard about the "auspicious" events on the way back from the ancestor worship, and she touched the little prince's head lovingly, cherishing him very much.

Lin Nanjie made the queen mother very happy and received a silver coin as a reward.

Lin Nanjie came out of Cining Palace holding the silver. She was a little surprised. Was it so easy to make money in the past?

He bit the silver coin in a daze, almost hurting his teeth, and then smiled foolishly.

Who would understand? It was the first time he touched a whole piece of silver!

Lin Nanjie hurried back to his room, took out the broken boots from under the bed, and prepared to hide the silver in them.

The boots looked quite old. The upper fabric was aged and gray, and the soles were badly worn. There was an inconspicuous brown cloth bag stuffed inside.

Lin Nanjie took out the cloth bag and opened it. Inside the old brown silk was a broken white jade ring. The ring was pure white and delicate in texture, with tassels tied around it and a rope knot hanging on it, shaped like a jade pendant.

Lin Nanjie didn't understand the origin of the jade ring, so he put the silver ingot and the jade ring together. He then took out his small treasury and counted everything, and found that he actually had several dozen taels of silver.

At this moment, there was a knock on the door. Lin Nanjie quickly put away the change, stretched his neck and shouted outside, "Who is it? Come in."

A eunuch with a big smile on his face pushed open the door and walked in, not forgetting to close it carefully, "Eunuch Lin, I am here to honor you."

Lin Nanjie was stunned for a moment, recognizing that the man was once a disciple of Qian Wanli, named Sun Lun. He did not expect that this man would come to honor him, and was somewhat surprised.

Lin Nan scratched his head and asked, "What can I give as a filial tribute?"

Sun Lun mysteriously took out a piece of silver from his belt and said with a flattering smile: "Now, everyone knows that Eunuch Lin is a favorite of the emperor."

Now that Qian Wanli has fallen, the eunuchs in the palace no longer dare to look down on Lin Nanjie. After all, even Qian Wanli, who was so powerful, has fallen, while Lin Nanjie is still doing well and even has the potential to become a popular figure in the court. Even if you don't necessarily have the chance to make friends with him, you still have to sell yourself to him.

Lin Nanqi: [Ah? I have become a celebrity now? ]

[When did this happen? How come I don’t know? ]

[Ah, does this count as private bribery? 】

Li Chenghuan, who was walking on the imperial path, suddenly heard these words and couldn't help but raise his eyebrows.

Bribery? What bribe?

【Wow, here comes another one! 】

【Food, drink, silver, and gold???】

When Li Chengqian heard that inner voice, he suddenly felt sour: [My monthly salary is so little, how come you are so rich? ]

【I’m so excited! 】

Li Chenghuan stopped and listened patiently to Lin Nanjie's heartbeat. He couldn't help but chuckle helplessly. Doesn't this little eunuch know the value of Yuqian yet? Otherwise, why would so many people rush to Yuqian?

Li Chenghuan called out to Wang Dehai, "How many years has Lin Nanjie been in the palace?"

Wang Dehai didn't know why the emperor suddenly mentioned Lin Nanjie, and immediately said, "I remember that Lin Nanjie entered the palace at the age of six. She is nineteen now, so it has been about thirteen years."

Li Chengqian sneered: "It's been so long."

Not yet on track.

【Alas, what a pity, I can’t accept it. 】

Lin Nanqi rejected them all: "I won't accept this, this, or the tea!"

He pushed and rejected all those who tried to give him money and treasures.

[It always feels weird. It's so shameful to make money by selling information about people around you. 】

[Never mind, never mind, the weather is nice today, why not go out and buy something. ]

[It’s time to buy some clothes and socks… and buy some gifts to honor the dog emperor. I hope he will be less crazy in the future.]

Li Chengqian chuckled.

This kid has a pure mind.

Those who moved around in front of Yu, especially those who were often summoned to his presence, were not poor at all. Any piece of information could be sold for tens or even hundreds of taels of silver, and they would even receive gifts from their subordinates from time to time.

The chief eunuch during the previous emperor's time was so powerful that he could cover the sky with one hand. He even had a mansion outside the palace and a farm in the suburbs.

This is also what Li Chengqian hates the most.

Especially, he still remembered to buy things for him. He is a teachable child.

Li Chengqian had to look up to Lin Nanjie.

Wang Dehai didn't know what the emperor was thinking, but he felt that he was in a better mood than before. He couldn't help but sigh: "Although this kid is a bit reckless sometimes, he has a very upright heart."

Li Chengqian nodded.

On the other side, Lin Nanjie had just sent everyone away and remembered that he had never been to the capital city since he came here, so he changed into casual clothes and asked for directions to Beizhen Fusi where Si Nanhao was.

Si Nanhao exchanged shifts with his friends and came out in casual clothes. When he saw Lin Nanjie, his eyes lit up: "It's been a long time since we last met, Eunuch Lin! I didn't have a chance to talk to you during the last ancestral worship ceremony. Today, I'll accompany you for a good stroll!"

In fact, when the previous emperor was alive, the Jinyiwei and the eunuchs did not get along well, especially when the great eunuchs were in power, and the Jinyiwei were almost reduced to the eunuchs' hawks and dogs, which was extremely aggrieved. When the current emperor ascended the throne, he rectified the eunuchs and the North-South Pacification Office, and the situation improved greatly.

And Si Nanhao simply felt that he and Lin Nanjie had a good relationship.

Lin Nanqi was a little embarrassed: "I'm not very familiar with Beijing. Sorry to bother you."

Si Nanhao patted his chest righteously: "Don't worry, I'll take care of it!"

The two of them wandered along the most prosperous streets of the capital. Lin Nanjie bought himself two sets of warm clothes to wear inside, some daily necessities, and also wanted to pick out some things to give as gifts.

Si Nanhao asked: "Who do you want to send it to?"

Lin Nanqie counted them: "Your Majesty, Little Prince, and Eunuch Wang."

Si Nanhao looked at Lin Nanjie with a mysterious expression again.

Lin Nanqi felt uneasy when he was looked at: "What's wrong?"

Si Nanhao murmured, "You have really become a celebrity in the world."

Can give gifts to the emperor

Ordinary people cannot give gifts to the emperor.

Lin Nanqi looked puzzled.

Si Nanhao pulled him and said, "Come on, I know a good antique shop. I'll take you there to have some fun."

Lin Nanjie said silently in his heart: It’s better if it’s not too expensive, otherwise I can’t afford it.

The two of them entered an antique shop in the west of the city. The shopkeeper was familiar with Si Nanhao and, hearing that he was a famous figure in the past, he immediately began to promote his products enthusiastically.

"My friend, please give me a gift. We have a red coral plant half a man's height in our store!"

"There is also the great Hainan Dongzhu!"

"This sword is not bad either. It was used by the former knight Nan Fengyi."

Lin Nanjie touched the sword. The sword was silver-white with a faint cold glow, and a ruby ​​was inlaid on the hilt.

"My friend, you have excellent taste. This ruby ​​is crystal clear and as bright as spring cherry blossoms. It is hard to find in the capital!"

Lin Nanqi silently withdrew his hand: "Boss, do you have anything cheaper?"

The shopkeeper's enthusiasm was instantly blocked, and he said awkwardly, "Yes, yes."

After all this trouble, this former celebrity has no money?

Lin Nanjie spent a long time choosing and found a set of riding pottery dolls for the little prince and a deck of gold-inlaid leaf cards for Wang Dehai. When it was Li Chengqian's turn, Lin Nanjie carefully selected for a long time and finally chose a music box.

This thing is exquisitely made, a square wooden box, with a painting in the box, and the three characters "Meng Ke Ji" inscribed on the upper right corner. There is a rotating crank on the right side of the wooden box, and every time it is turned, the painting will change, just like a slow-motion movie, exquisite and interesting.

Lin Nanqi fell in love with him at first sight.

After making the selection, Lin Nan paid with a painful look on his face, and walked out of the antique shop with Man Huai and Si Nan Hao in his arms.

Seeing that it was time for dinner, Si Nanhao picked up the package from Lin Nanjie's hand and said coolly, "This place is not far from Zuixianju. Let's go. I'll treat you to dinner."

Lin Nanqi felt relieved and a little embarrassed: "You have helped me so much today, so I should treat you."

Si Nanhao glanced at Lin Nan's shrunken purse and asked, "Do you have any money left?"

Lin Nanjie said awkwardly, "It's enough for us to eat. The Jinyiwei also pays us monthly. It's not reasonable for us to let you treat everyone."

Si Nanhao blinked: "Ah...you are talking about salary. Salary is indeed not enough for me to spend, but my mother gives me banknotes every now and then, and I can't spend it all. Don't be polite to me."

Lin Nanjie exclaimed “Wow!”, it turns out he is a rich second generation!

"As for you," Si Nanhao bumped into Lin Nanjie's arm, "you've become a famous person, why are you still so poor?"

Lin Nanjie looked confused: "My monthly salary has increased to five taels of silver. Is that too little?"

One tael of silver in Daqi was equivalent to more than 2,000 yuan in purchasing power today, and five taels of silver was more than 10,000 yuan. The monthly salary of the position he had passed the exam for at that time was less than 10,000 yuan.

The Queen Mother also gave me a silver ingot, which weighed ten taels, which is equivalent to twenty thousand yuan!

Si Nanhao looked at Lin Nanjie in a daze. Could it be that his buddy got to the top of the list just by relying on his looks?

Lin Nanjie: "Why are you looking at me like that?"

Si Nanhao looked at him sympathetically: "I only have a lot of money on me. I finally came out to eat. You can order whatever you want. Don't save money for me!"

The two agreed that Lin Nanjie would treat them for the next meal, and then they went straight to Zuixianju.

Arriving at Zuixianju, Lin Nanjie almost drooled when he heard the names of the dishes announced by the waiter. Just after he finished ordering, he heard a loud noise coming from upstairs.

The waiter soothed them, "Don't worry, gentlemen. A guest upstairs had a minor conflict with someone else. It's nothing serious, nothing serious."

Lin Nanjie and Si Nanhao then sat down.

Soon the dishes came up one after another. The table was full of delicious food, and the aroma kept drilling into Lin Nanjie's nose. Seeing this, his stomach growled. The two of them picked up their chopsticks and prepared to have a full meal.

Who would have known that at this moment, the noise upstairs became louder, and a man's furious voice came over: "You bastard, it was you who was greedy for wealth and took the initiative to ask for sex that night, you are asking for shit justice!"

Then he heard a rolling sound coming down the stairs. Lin Nanjie was startled and turned around to look.

I saw a woman rolling down the stairs in pain, with bright red blood oozing out of her skirt.