Eunuch's Declaration of Loyalty

Chapter 28

From the first day to the tenth day of the lunar new year, I was busy, worshiping the ancestors and heaven, and could only sleep for two hours a day. In just a few days, the empress dowager was worn down a circle.And because it was Chinese New Year, most of the meals prepared by the palace people at this time were greasy, and if they ate too much, Liu Qingtang looked at the food and felt a little sleepy.

Often, a large table of dishes is served according to the Queen Mother's example, and she only takes a few mouthfuls before being removed and rewarded to the servants below.If it wasn't for Liu Qingtang's reluctance to go out of line in every way, and to stumble over such a trivial matter, he might have simply ignored the palace rules for many years and withdrew the three meals during the first month.

Taoye and Zhuiyi were particularly worried at this time, and asked the chef of Ci'an Palace to cook some light soup and porridge, and then looked at the gap where they could rest to persuade the empress dowager to eat more.Liu Qingtang wore that heavy and heavy outfit all day long, stopped and walked, kowtowed and bowed down, sat there unwilling to move when she was tired, and refused to eat more no matter how hungry she was, and was perfunctory when urged by the peach leaf embroidered clothes Take two bites.

She's used to it like this in previous years, but this year, with the addition of Qin Shu, the situation has changed a bit.Originally, there were only two people in Taoye Zhuiyi, but Liu Qingtang only had to put in a little effort, frowning and showing a refusal face, and they could shake their heads and retreat helplessly. After all, they never thought of forcing her, the master.

But Qin Shu was different. This guy didn't know where he got his stubborn temper. When he saw that she was eating less, he looked at Kong and gave her porridge and soup. He was much more active than Taoye Zhuiyi and the other two.If she said she couldn't eat, he wouldn't say anything, and backed away silently, but only after a while came to bring her food again.If she pretended to be angry, he would apologize without saying a word, as if the knee didn't hurt when it was knocked down.It's okay to punish the slaves, but the food must be eaten.

Liu Qingtang was laughed at by him. After she was reborn, she never said anything serious to him, let alone beat or scolded him.What can I do, I should eat and drink, as long as she honestly eats as much as usual, Qin Shu will be able to calm down.

Liu Qingtang reluctantly took a bowl of white fungus and lotus seed porridge from Qin Shu, and ate it spoon by spoon.Halfway through eating, I felt that I really didn't want to eat, and I wanted to play tricks, but suddenly I looked up and saw that Qin Shu was secretly relieved because she had eaten the porridge, and his face that had been relieved a lot showed some joy, and he felt like saying Without exporting it, I could only silently drink the porridge as water.

While drinking porridge, Liu Qingtang recalled the events of her previous life in a daze.At that time, Qin Shu was not close to her, and at this time, the only thing he would do was to take away the things about Xiuyi Taoye intentionally or unintentionally, and then give them time to persuade her to eat more.Because she didn't like it, he didn't dare to take the initiative to approach her, and it seemed so circuitous to care about her.

The funny thing is that when she found out about this back then, her first reaction was to wonder if Qin Shu wanted to take away the power of Taoye Zhuiyi, and be the only one in Ci'an Palace.Liu Qingtang suddenly felt strange, why did she act like a blind person in her previous life?I can't see Qin Shu's silent care and concern, nor can I see his body that was too thin because of being too tired to do so many things alone.

She always thought that the person with other purposes actually didn't ask for anything, but held a heart at her feet.But the so-called relative she has always trusted, the emperor's nephew, is the one who has the most other plans.

"Qin Shu...bring me another bowl." Liu Qingtang turned her face away as she inexplicably felt a lump in her throat.

"Your Majesty has a good appetite today." Qin Shu was very happy to hear her say that.Although there was no change in his expression, Liu Qingtang could tell that there was happiness in his voice.

As long as it was about her, he seemed to be easily happy. Some things, in Liu Qingtang's view, were just the most common things.

On the fifteenth day, I was going back to Liu's house. Liu Qingtang thought about it and made his next decision.

Once the news spread that the Empress Dowager, who hadn't been home to see her relatives once in five years, was going back to Liu's family, everyone had their own ideas.Although it seems to be an ordinary family visit, the reason why the Empress Dowager suddenly wants to go back has something to do with the incident against Feng Shoufu a few days ago. Will the Empress Dowager discuss something with Liu Guogong privately when she returns... ...there are a lot of these various guesses.

Regardless of what those people thought, Liu Qingtang went straight to tell the little emperor that he wanted to go back to Liu's family to visit his relatives, and he didn't use all the ceremonies, and only brought some maids, eunuchs and guards there.The little emperor naturally had to agree, even if he felt that her decision not to have a guard of honor was inappropriate, he couldn't resist her insistence.

The emperor couldn't say anything, and the two chief assistants who were smiling didn't say anything, so naturally no one was stupid enough to say anything.Only a few old antiques muttered a few words, which was not in line with etiquette and ancestral system. Of course, they only dared to mutter in their hearts, saying that they did not dare to speak out.

Didn't you see the last time a certain ceremonial officer was taken away from his official position and thrown out just because he said something that the empress dowager didn't like to hear? For such a not very serious matter, he lost the official position he had worked so hard for decades. It's really worthless, now the court is dominated by the empress dowager, who dares to make her unhappy.

Liu Qingtang had a good rest in Ci'an Palace for two days, and it was the fifteenth day of the first lunar month, which was the Lantern Festival, and the streets were very lively.After Liu Qingtang's carriage drove out of the palace, it took a long way to enter the market where ordinary people lived. The lively and lively shouts and laughter from outside the carriage made Liu Qingtang feel like he had returned to the city in an instant. world.You can't hear this in the high palace wall, which makes people feel the friendly voice of the market.

Liu Qingtang leaned against the inner wall of the carriage. Although she didn't reach out to lift the curtain, she kept listening to the sounds outside.The satisfied expression on her face made the three of them, Xiuyi Taoye and Qin Shu, who were sitting opposite her, happy for her.

Because she didn't want to disturb the people, she didn't use a guard of thousands of people to open the way. There were only a few carriages carrying her and some court ladies and eunuchs.There is also a team of guards riding horses to protect the surroundings, who look like ordinary official wives traveling.In fact, on the [-]th day, there were indeed many wives of officials who would go to offer incense, so when their carriages passed through the bustling market, they did not attract much attention, allowing Liu Qingtang to listen to the long-lost lively shouts.

Liu Qingtang was very silent along the way, perhaps because she was timid because of her closeness to her hometown, and she was a little too nervous.I can't even remember what I wanted to say to my father and brother that I had thought about a long time ago.

In this life, she has been in the palace for five or six years, and she has never returned to Liu's house, and in her previous life, she has not been back to the palace for 15 years.At first I was unwilling, then I didn’t dare, and finally I couldn’t.

She has been concerned about and missed for more than ten years, and the home that allowed her to spend her childhood and girlhood is still the same as when she first entered the palace.

There are two mighty big lions at the door. She once wanted to climb up while no one was looking, but she fell off after climbing on the base, knocked on the ground, and her head fell out of the boss.Then, amidst her cries, her father pushed the bag away for her with his big hands coated with medicinal wine, so that she never dared to approach the two stone lions again because of the pain.

When Liu Qingtang entered Liu's mansion, he didn't have anyone to inform him. Instead, he asked Taoye Zhuiyi to take people to arrange the residences of the court ladies and eunuchs, and let the guards guard outside Liu's mansion. He only brought a Qin Shu and was familiar with the road. to a courtyard somewhere.

In fact, it's not long after breakfast, but she sent a message back early, saying that she will arrive in the afternoon.I sent the message like this on purpose because I didn't want my father and brother to come to the door and wait to greet her. She was going back to her own home, so why should she be so particular about it.But if she said that, her father would definitely not listen to her, so she could only do this.

After entering Liu's mansion, Liu Qingtang couldn't help taking even bigger steps, and she looked anxious, as if the timid person on the carriage was not her.Taoye and Zhuiyi were considered half masters, and when Liu Qingtang sent them to sort out the presents and arrange manpower, only Qin Shu was left behind.

At this moment, the empress dowager is like a bird that has left the cage, her steps are light and her skirts are slightly raised.How can such an empress dowager be calm and stable in the palace, she looks more like a little girl.Qin Shu followed her and looked at her, feeling that he was also tainted with her joy.

"elder brother!"

As soon as Liu Qingtang walked into the Yizhu Courtyard, he saw a familiar figure standing there with his back to him, reading a book with one hand behind his back, so he rushed over with a choked cry.

Liu Qingrong was staring at the book in a daze, thinking about what her sister, whom she hadn't seen for a few years, would look like, when she heard a brother behind her, and then someone pressed her up.He was caught off guard by such a pressure, and almost fell to the ground with his waist bent.Although she was almost pushed to the ground because of her lack of consciousness, Liu Qingrong immediately let go of her hanging heart.He threw himself on his brother's back to act like a spoiled child so recklessly, which meant that his silly sister was still that silly sister.

"Finally I know I'm coming back to see my brother." Liu Qingrong sighed, straightened up and picked up the younger sister from behind.

"I just arrived, and my father came to your place without even looking at it..." Liu Qingtang blinked away the moisture in her eyes, narrowed her eyes and said with a smile.

Before Liu Qingrong could answer, another person walked in from the door. "I guessed right, Qingtang really arrived at this time."

Liu Qingtang turned around and saw the person coming and smiled: "Su Shu, you are here too!"

"She came here yesterday, and she stayed here for one night just waiting for you." Liu Qingrong said, and she was about to lead Liu Qingtang and Yang Sushu to sit down, "Stop standing, sit and talk, brother has a lot of things. I want to chat with you."

"Don't worry about it, I'll go to my father's place right away, and I'll listen to your nagging after talking with him." Liu Qingtang said, and dragged Qin Shu who was standing in the corner out, and pulled him to his brother's place. in front of friends. "During this time, Qin Shu will be handed over to you, and you have to take good care of him."

It was not the first time Yang Sushu had seen Qin Shu, and he had guessed the relationship between the two for a long time, so he smiled and said nothing.The elder brother of the Liu family looked at Qin Shu dressed as an eunuch, and looked at his younger sister in confusion, "This is..."

"Brother, do you remember what you told me when you were a child, if you find that person one day, I will bring it back for you to see."

Liu Qingrong looked at Qin Shu up and down again, and asked seriously, "Are you serious?"

"of course."

Liu Qingrong, who received this answer, smiled, showing no disapproval in her expression, on the contrary, she was a little relieved. "In the early years when you entered the palace, my brother thought that this agreement would never be fulfilled again, but I didn't expect to hear you say that today. That's fine, as long as you are willing to feel happy, my brother will help you."

Liu Qingtang walked away easily, leaving behind Qin Shu who was completely confused and his scalp was numb from the stares of the two people in front of him.

Of these two people, one is the elder brother whom the Empress Dowager valued, and the other is Imperial Doctor Yang who he has been jealous of for many years, but finally found out to be the daughter of a close friend in the Empress Dowager's boudoir.No matter which one, it should be much more important than him in the Queen Mother's heart, so he must not say or do anything wrong.Qin Shu was thinking so nervously, and Liu Qingrong's first words to him frightened him.

"Qin Shu, right? I'm Liu Qingrong, you can call me brother just like Qingtang."

"When I was young, I told my silly sister that if one day she met someone she wanted to marry, she would bring that person back to show to her brother. As a result, today, she brought you to me."

(End of this chapter)