Chapter 75 Entering the Royal Palace Four Times (please follow up)
Zhao Duan was stunned for a moment, handed the beef wrapped in oil paper to his left hand, bent down to pick up the official document booklet, dusted it, put it back on the table, and said with a smile:
"Sir, are you in a bad mood today?"
The old eunuch with gray temples and sunken eye sockets was angry. He sat behind the desk in the main room and looked at him:
"I remember telling you not to come again."
Zhao Duan said shamelessly:
"What I said last time was that late-night visitors are not allowed, and the sun has just set now."
Sun Lianying sneered:
"What kind of place is this for me? How about hanging out with those dandies?"
You are so petty, you just missed work a few times... Zhao Duan laughed dryly and did not defend himself.
He put the wine and meat on the stone table in the Houya courtyard and said:
"The food in the Yamen is too bad. You haven't had dinner yet. I brought you your favorite osmanthus wine, Feng Ji's beef, Dongshifang's tofu, and Han Ji's pickles..."
Not rich, but good in taste.
Sun Lianying was in a daze.
A long time ago, there was a period of time when Zhao Duan often came to see him bringing food and drinks.
However, the Imperial Guard made a fortune from a young age, and after that, it never happened again.
"Ha, I still remember our family's preferences," Sun Lianying was silent for a moment and said disdainfully:
"Your wine is not good. There is good wine in the back room."
Zhao Duan's eyes lit up and he went to pick up two jars of the old eunuch's private collection of aged wine.
When he came out, the old eunuch was already sitting at the stone table. He opened the oil paper bag and put a piece of meat in his mouth. Zhao Duan hurriedly offered the wine bowl.
After drinking it, Tan took a long and comfortable breath, and the afterglow on the horizon dimmed.
The back office lit lanterns.
On the first night of summer, mosquitoes were flying around the antique bamboo strip lanterns, and the sky was covered with gauze.
An old man and a young man sat across from each other, eating and drinking, and occasionally talked to each other. The topic couldn't avoid the storm in the court during the past two days.
Zhao Duan looked curious and learned many details with relish.
It is said that the most effective way to please a man is to ask him for advice on his areas of expertise.
Next, as long as you listen, the other person will talk endlessly and get a comfortable pretentious experience.
"You guys came here today just to inquire about this?"
After half-drinking, Sun Lianying was slightly tipsy and asked.
"I can't visit you if I have nothing to do?" Zhao Duan held up the wine jar and refilled his glass: "My lord, you have taught me a lot in the past. I will bear in mind my humble position."
After a pause, he joked:
"If it hadn't been confirmed by Bizhang, there is no elder named Sun in the family. It would almost be wrong to think that you are related to Bizhang."
He came tonight, firstly to repair the relationship, secondly to understand the situation in the temple, and thirdly to find out why the old eunuch was so good to the original owner.
It can't be the illegitimate son of an eunuch...that would be too bloody.
Sun Lianying leaned on the wicker chair and sneered: "We don't have such a dissolute junior in our family. As for the origins, we do have some connections."
Zhao Duan's eyes lit up: "I'm here to listen with all my heart."
The old eunuch, who was already drunk, seemed to be reminded of the past. He was silent for a long time and then said: "Our family entered the palace in the second year after the late emperor succeeded to the throne.
That year, there was a severe cold disaster in the Great Yu. People around the capital froze to death. My family was already poor, and we were hit by another disaster. We couldn't survive. My parents had no choice but to send me to the palace to make a living, so that my family could be supported. People live.
But how easy is it to enter the palace? It's not like you can break the roots with a knife and get in.
You need to find someone, find connections, and get involved with the eunuchs inside. If they are willing to be guarantees, then a master will do the purification for you. You will also have to live in the master's house for several days to recuperate, and you will have to pay tribute to food and clothing...
No money, it doesn't matter, even if you want to sell yourself into slavery, you can't.
What to do? I had no choice but to find connections that were beyond my reach and ask for help. Finally, I found a military commander who was an errand in the Forbidden Army before I could do it.
Not only that, the military master also used his own money to help with the management, so he entered the palace.
But when they entered the palace, they discovered that the eunuchs at the bottom were living a hard life. It was not easy to get into the eyes of the nobles and not be bullied by other eunuchs.
The little money I got every month had to be sent out of the palace to support my family. Those days were really difficult. Thanks to the relief provided by the military master, I was able to survive. "
Zhao Duan said curiously:
"Didn't you say that after entering the palace, there would be a chance to be selected as a 'consecration'? Didn't you try?"
Sun Lianying said with emotion:
"Why didn't you try? At that time, everyone who entered the palace was thinking about becoming an offering, and there was also a rumor that as long as you become an offering and practice to a high level, you can complete the incomplete body...
Oh, I later learned that even in the realm of gods, one can only regenerate the severed limbs within a short period of time after the body is destroyed..."
He suddenly smiled and said:
"At that time, there was another eunuch younger than me who was also staring at this. You know him, it was Ma Yan."
"Ma Du Gong?" Zhao Duan said, "I heard that he belongs to the prince."
"Yes," Sun Lianying nodded:
"Ma Yan's background was even worse. Both his parents were dead. He was almost beaten to death by beggars on the street. Fortunately, the prince was on patrol that day and rescued him. By then, his lower body had been smashed by beggars, so he entered the palace.
His talent is the best among our group, and he is also the only one selected by Hai Zongfeng.
Later, during the Xuanmen coup, Ma Yan took thirty-one swords to save the prince, which was regarded as repaying his kindness. After your majesty avenged the prince, Ma Yan became loyal to your majesty. "
Is Ma Yan also enshrined in the imperial city?
Zhao Duan was surprised. This was something he had never known.
He blinked: "Do you know anything about sea worship?"
Sun Lianying glanced at him and said:
"Stop trying to slander our family. What kind of person does Hai worship? You just need to remember that he is only loyal to the emperor."
Loyal to the "Emperor".
So, after the old emperor died, the prince had not succeeded to the throne, and the new emperor had not been born, so the royal family did not participate in the coup?
Aren’t the two helping each other? Or did he take action, but was stopped by some force?
In the memory of the original owner, he did not see Eunuch Hai on the day of the coup.
Zhao Duan took a deep breath, and instead of digging into the topic, he said:
"But you still gained momentum."
Sun Lianying said "grace" and said with a smile:
"That is the second 'noble man' that our family has met. During the late emperor's time, there was a famous man in the palace who ascended to the position of 'Eunuch of the Palm Seal' at the age of eighteen, which is rare in history books.
I met him when I was young, and after he became powerful, he promoted me and sent me to work beside the Third Princess, our Majesty, so that I could advance into the world. "
"Eighteen-year-old palm print eunuch?" Zhao Duan was surprised:
"I seem to have heard my father mention it, but I didn't have a deep impression."
Logically speaking, such a powerful eunuch should have a great reputation unless he died young.
Sun Lianying lamented:
"He was very proud of himself at that time, and was respected by all civil and military officials in the court. Because of his youth and frivolity, he offended many people, and even interfered in the court affairs... He died unexpectedly when he left the palace and went south."
If this was not murder, I would write my name backwards... Zhao Duan slandered.
This would explain why he knew it was unknown.
People die too young and no one talks about it.
Sun Lianying said:
"His death taught me the most important lesson. Since then, I have remembered that when doing things in the palace, I must be cautious and avoid frivolousness. You can make money, but you can only be greedy for money, and don't be greedy for power. .
After that, the palace was quiet for a while. As I grew older, I won the appreciation of the third princess for my good hair combing skills, and allowed me to attend the lectures in the palace hall. You will know the rest. "
As soon as the three princesses ascended the throne, chickens and dogs ascended to heaven... Zhao Duan automatically completed the follow-up, he was silent for a moment, and said:
"So, the Imperial Guard who helped you..."
Sun Lianying nodded: "It's your grandfather."
"..." Zhao Duan couldn't laugh or cry.
The reason that had troubled him for a long time turned out to be just this.
Sun Lianying was favored by the Zhao family in her early years. After the empress ascended the throne, she reciprocated the favor and recommended Zhao Duan to be promoted and brought him into Xu Zhenguan's field of vision.
He sighed:
"So, you have repeatedly warned me to guard against arrogance and impetuosity because..."
Sun Lianying sighed: "Never forget the past, and you will be the master of the future."
Case solved!
It was precisely because of the living example of the "eighteen-year-old palm print eunuch" who had supported him that the old eunuch beat Zhao Duan.
I was afraid that he would make the same mistake again and end up "accidentally dead".
Sun Lianying was very drunk, stared at him, and urged: "I know you don't want to listen. When people are young, they are always unhappy and resist the old man's warnings.
People teach people, a hundred words are useless, things teach people, once they enter the heart.
I thought you had woken up after Zhuang Xiaocheng's case, but I didn't want to end up hanging out with a dandy like Qin Qiu again..."
The old eunuch's voice became lower and lower, and he was already drunk and fell asleep.
The night was quiet, Zhao Duan raised his head and looked at the sky.
The dense clouds that had suppressed the capital for several days dispersed, and a full moon hung high in the sky.
He stood up, sent the old eunuch into the house, covered him with a blanket, packed up the leftovers, and turned to leave.
During the conversation tonight, he gained a lot of information.
…
The next day, it was dawn.
Zhao Duan got up, put on the official robe of an envoy in front of the bronze mirror, took out a porcelain vase, and carefully hid it in his inner bag.
This is the "Rose Dew" that he created in his spare time these days.
That is: a rough version of perfume obtained by mixing rose flowers with water and distilling them.
"The craftsmanship is a bit rough, but it's still a new thing in Dayu."
Zhao Duan muttered, "I don't know if Zhenguan likes it or not."
He tried it, and it was pretty good. It smelled elegant and fragrant, much better than the sachets that were mainly used to repel insects during the Yu Dynasty.
The morning dynasty is held very early and is often over by dawn.
He figured it was time for the dust to settle.
While he was thinking about it, Eugene Hua's voice came from outside: "Da Lang, there is someone looking for you outside."
Zhao Duan rushed to the door.
In the faint morning light, the person beside Yuan Li leaned against the carriage and said with a smile:
"Mr. Yuan ordered me to invite you to the palace to receive your reward."
Pei Kaizhi fell? !
Zhao Duan was refreshed. The war was over, and it was time to reward him for his merits.
…
palace gate.
When Zhao Duan arrived, he unexpectedly saw a familiar figure. He was startled and greeted with a smile:
"Brother!"
He was tall and thin, stern and beardless, with two slightly gray eyebrows growing out of his protruding brow bones. The governor of the imperial edict, which frightened all the officials, had just arrived and was startled when he heard the call.
Ma Yan frowned: "Shijun Zhao, what did you call me?"
Immediately, he noticed that Zhao Duan walked out of Yuan Li's carriage, his pupils suddenly narrowed.
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(End of this chapter)