"I told you long ago, don't keep this thing. It's so lively and unruly, it'll run wild and be impossible to control." As she was scolding, the little white dog seemed to understand the empress's words, and ran to the empress's feet with her shoe in its mouth.
"Get lost!" The queen lifted her foot, and Little White ran away in an instant.
"Why would Xiaobai go to the Buddhist temple? A dog running that far? Does the temple have bones or something?!"
"Mother, I really did go to find Xiaobai." Yun Yibo spread his hands, not understanding why his mother was so concerned about Xiaobai going to the Buddhist hall.
"That day, I discovered that Xiaobai was missing, so I went to look for her, but I couldn't find her even after searching for a long time."
"Later, a eunuch told me that Xiaobai seemed to be in the Buddhist hall, so I went there and actually found him! If I ever meet that eunuch again, I will definitely thank him properly..."
Eunuch?! Empress Zhaoyuan's mind went blank for a moment, and she suddenly grabbed Yun Yibo's shoulder.
"Eunuch?! What kind of eunuch?"
"Mother, it hurts! It's just a palace eunuch pushing the chamber pot. He's a bit smelly, but he's a good person..."
Empress Zhaoyuan connected the causes and consequences, and that made sense.
Her son's dog went missing, and a eunuch pushing a chamber pot told her son that the dog was in the Buddhist hall, so her son naturally ended up near the Buddhist hall.
That's a brilliant move!
It's best not to let her rescue her; it was the work of some slut!
"Cui Ling, come with me to the washroom!"
The washroom is a place specifically for managing chamber pots; the handling, washing, and transportation of chamber pots all take place in the washroom.
Empress Zhaoyuan felt a rush of blood to her head. Damn it, who in the harem was so audacious as to not take her seriously and even plot against her son?!
"Quickly, go to the washroom. Just the two of us, don't bring anyone else." They needed to sneak into the washroom to find out what was going on, so they couldn't make a big fuss. If too many people scared away the eunuch who was guiding Yun Yibo, they probably wouldn't be able to find out who had framed her son.
"Oh, right, have Grand Eunuch Wang wait for us on the palace path next to the washroom." As she spoke, the Empress removed the hairpins from her hair and changed into a simple dress.
"Yes, this servant will send someone to convey the message immediately." Cui Ling also realized the seriousness of the problem and understood her mistress's meaning, so she went to arrange for manpower.
"Son, tell your mother what that eunuch looked like?" After changing her clothes, before Cui Ling returned, the Empress went to Yun Yibo's bedchamber to inquire about the details.
At this moment, Yun Yibo was hiding in a corner, feeling emo (meaning sad), holding the little white dog and stroking its fur tenderly.
Suddenly hearing his mother call him so gently, he went to the Empress's side and said, "Mother, that eunuch is two heads taller than me and very thin, but all the eunuchs in the palace are very thin."
"Think again, are there any other characteristics?"
Yun Yibo closed his eyes and recalled carefully, "Hmm... he was about two heads taller than me, very thin, with a sallow complexion, small single-eyelid eyes, a low nose bridge, a black mole next to his nose, and a set of very yellow teeth when he spoke."
“He pushed the chamber pot cart, so I suspect that there must be thick calluses on the part of his palms near his fingers.”
"Yes, he must be quite old. You can see wrinkles around his eyes when he smiles."
"Hmm... and he really smelled terrible." After recalling these things, Yun Yibo opened his eyes and looked at his mother.
Empress Zhaoyuan blinked, looking at her son with some surprise. How could her son be so capable of describing someone he had only seen once in such detail?
She glanced at the stack of storybooks in the corner, as tall as the bed, and thought to herself, "Looks like I haven't been reading these storybooks for nothing!"
You little rascal, you have great observation and descriptive skills!
"Alright, Mother knows."
"Before Mother returns, and for the next few days, you must not leave your palace, understand?"
When the eldest prince, Yun Yibo, saw his mother's serious expression, he knew that something bad had happened, and he nodded.
"Mother, how is my younger sister?" Yun Yibo was very worried, but he was afraid that asking would anger his mother, so he spoke very softly.
"The little princess is not injured and has many people taking care of her."
Yun Yibo nodded. Ever since he heard that his younger sister had been rescued from the fire, he had wanted to go out and see her, but his father was also in Fushuang Palace, so he had never dared to go.
...
After passing through several palace gates, they arrived at the clean room, where the empress was nearly fainting from the stench.
"Go and find out what's going on, but be careful not to let anyone notice anything amiss." The Empress covered her mouth and nose with a handkerchief and her sleeve. She didn't have to come in person, but since it concerned her son's life, she was worried that her subordinates wouldn't handle things properly, so she had no choice but to come herself.
"Find a eunuch with a low, flat nose and a black mole next to his nose."
"Yes, Your Highness, I understand."
Cui Ling steeled herself and entered the washroom. She joined the crowd, squatted down, picked up a chamber pot brush, and tried to blend in with the eunuchs and maids around her. She listened intently to their conversation.
"Hey, it's almost Chinese New Year, and our workload is still only increasing!" Zhao Neng complained.
“Isn’t that obvious? These nobles are so busy with their food, drink, and daily routines that they don’t care about the New Year.” Li Er, with his flat nose and a black mole next to it, sighed.
“When the New Year comes, when the food is better and there’s more to eat, there will probably be even more chamber pots!” another eunuch said.
"Do you think our monthly allowance will be higher during the New Year?" Li Er asked.
“In previous years, we would receive an extra half month's salary.”
"Oh, this is too little. My sister is getting married soon, and I want to prepare a dowry for her!" Li Er sighed, calculating in his mind how much money he had saved so far.
"Your sister is getting married soon?"
"What kind of family are you talking about?"
"That's great. I wonder if anyone will want me when I reach the age to leave the palace! You two chat, I'll take this cleaned chamber pot outside." A palace maid, supporting her back, walked out, followed by a eunuch carrying the chamber pot for her. The two of them walked out together.
“Let me tell you, I’ve made quite a bit of money lately!” Li Er whispered in Zhao Neng’s ear.
Cui Ling also joined in.
"You can even make money washing chamber pots?"
"I'm telling you this because I consider you a brother. Try to talk to the ladies and mistresses in the palace whenever you have the chance. Who knows, something good might come your way!"
Cui Ling glanced around and saw that there were only three of them left in the washroom and near the sink. One of them looked exactly like the person the Empress was looking for.
The opportunity has arrived, now is the time!
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