Page 341
"Ah?!" Lian Hua felt she had heard wrong and decided to give Xiao Linzi another chance, "You repeat that!"
What was this young eunuch bragging about? He couldn’t just receive a few compliments and think he was on cloud nine. It was preposterous, and not at all humble like her!
"Oh." Xiao Linzi scratched his head, not understanding why he needed to repeat himself, but obediently said, "Master, this servant has memorized it all, there’s no need anymore."
Nanny Qi lifted her eyelids, looking at the young eunuch in surprise. The anthology wasn’t thin; how could he have memorized it so quickly?
She had originally thought that the Emperor selected this young eunuch to serve Lian Hua because he was honest and good-natured. Could it be that he had such a talent?
Lian Hua suddenly stood up, her voice filled with shock, "What did you say? You’ve memorized it all?"
Ah? How could this be possible? He had memorized everything, even better than her?!!!
Xiao Linzi nodded somewhat anxiously. He had memorized everything, but why was his master so surprised? Wasn’t it her who told him to memorize it all?
Lian Hua stared at him unblinkingly, reconfirming, "You’re not bragging?"
Under her gaze, Xiao Linzi’s scalp tingled, and his voice lowered, "No, I’m not."
Xiao Jizi watched the excitement from the side with great enjoyment, thinking that one should not interfere in others’ business. He saw an opportunity to interject, "Master, you can test the fool’s recitation, right? Just pick a few poems at random for him to recite, and you’ll know."
Lian Hua snapped out of it, suppressing her shock, "Oh, oh, oh, right, right, right, testing recitation."
Testing recitation was the best way to verify, so she took the anthology and started flipping through it, preparing to test him.
Then she paused, and after a moment’s thought, she said to Xiao Linzi, "Xiao Linzi, you know the rules of Canglan Court. I won’t blame you if you’ve only memorized the first poem, but you must not lie to your master, okay?
Otherwise, the rattan cane awaits. I’m giving you one last chance; are you sure you’ve memorized the entire anthology? "
Xiao Jizi suddenly hung his head in a guilty manner, his master’s words seemed to be aimed at him...
Xiao Linzi swallowed, his mind racing as he tried to remember whether he had missed anything. Unable to help himself, he quickly went over everything from the first page to the last in his head. After considering for a while and being certain he hadn’t missed anything, he confidently nodded.
Lian Hua narrowed her almond-shaped eyes, thinking that if there were any bluffs, they would be exposed soon enough, and without further hesitation, she started flipping through the book at random, "The seventh page, ’The Rabbit Net’~"
Xiao Linzi, given the title, immediately began to recite, "The solemn rabbit net, struck sharply, ding ding. The valiant martial officers, commanders of cities and marquesses..."
He didn’t pause for a moment and recited very fluently.
Lian Hua couldn’t believe it and flipped a few more pages back, asking Xiao Linzi to recite, and he immediately did so.
Still dubious, she flipped randomly from the beginning to the end, and from the end back to the beginning countless times, but she could not stump Xiao Linzi; he recited each poem smoothly, not even the uncommon characters were missed.
She opened her mouth wide, as if she didn’t recognize Xiao Linzi anymore, her mind filled with the thought "A prodigy like this, how could he seem so dense"?
Had she misjudged Xiao Linzi? Was he actually wise and pretending to be foolish, not stupid...
Lian Hua was completely stunned, murmuring to herself, "How did he do this?"
Memorizing poetry was so difficult, to memorize an entire book from start to finish, and just in one morning, in her entire scholarly life, this was unheard of, unseen...
Xiao Linzi scratched his head, "Master, this servant doesn’t know how, but once I see it, I remember it, and can’t forget it."
Lian Hua was instantly dumbstruck, profoundly shocked. Her soul had been substantially shaken. If she could also do this, then she wouldn’t have had to endure so many beatings on her palms from her teacher as a child...
Good heavens, even if she couldn’t be like Xiao Linzi, having a classmate like him would have been great. When the teacher gave out assignments to memorize, could she not just ride on his coattails...
Lian Hua’s mind was buzzing with thoughts.
Nanny Qi’s eyes landed on Xiao Linzi, observing him deeply, confirming his extraordinary eidetic memory.
She couldn’t understand why the Emperor would place such talent beside a young girl, wasn’t it a waste?
Could there be some deeper meaning in this?
It was beyond her comprehension.
Lian Hua was stunned for a long time before she came to her senses. Once she did, she was very excited, pacing back and forth in the hall, unable to settle down.
In the end, she clapped her hands and appointed Xiao Linzi as the number one poet of Canglan Court, making him her personal poetry repository, and praised him for having a mind that was not dull but quite useful.
She also felt very proud, thinking of herself as Xiao Linzi’s benefactor who discovered his talent for memorizing poetry.
Just then, the Emperor sent someone to relay a message, saying that he would return for dinner that evening.
Lian Hua’s eyes lit up, she had been looking for a way to expend her energy!
At dusk, the Emperor strode towards Canglan Court.
As he approached the entrance, he saw Xiao Jizi starting to greet him: "May Your Majesty enjoy peace and happiness."
The Emperor stopped: "Stand up, did she send you here?"
"Yes."
The Emperor found it amusing, knowing in his heart that his Little Concubine was again preparing gifts behind his back, wondering how long she intended to be on the lookout.
He waved his hand: "Go ahead and deliver the message."
"Yes, Your Majesty." Xiao Jizi hesitated for a moment, then stepped back a few paces before turning to run.
After all, it was not a big deal, so he chose not to mention it.
He shook his head secretly, his mistress, oh how playful she was, especially enjoying playing with His Majesty. And His Majesty indeed cherished his mistress, willingly playing along with her. This was a blessing others in the harem could only envy.
Nowadays when he went out on errands, who didn’t address him as "Eunuch Ji" or "Brother Ji." No one dared to look down on him anymore.
Even those who used to look down on him in Huaqing Palace now had to treat him politely, all thanks to his mistress and His Majesty.
Satisfied with his life, he was grateful that he wasn’t like some opportunists and had stayed by his mistress’s side without deserting her even when she was down on her luck.
However, he couldn’t afford to be careless, he needed to be even more vigilant. As his mistress was in the midst of swirling currents, although His Majesty kept Canglan Court tightly guarded, things were never as calm as they seemed on the surface.
The meticulousness of Nanny Qi controlled every detail, from each meal that entered the mistress’s mouth to every item that entered the court. He witnessed with his own eyes how food ingredients and other objects that contained things they shouldn’t, being singled out by Nanny Qi’s keen vision.
He also encountered people acting suspiciously outside, who were then taken away by people secretly guarding on the Emperor’s orders.
The struggle never ceased, it was just that the Emperor and Nanny Qi combined forces to keep them out.
One should always fear carelessness, and he had to be more mindful.
He had a vague feeling that there would not be a shortage of events in the palace going forward, and with that person in Huaqing Palace seeing his mistress as a thorn in their side, it wouldn’t be easy to rest peacefully until they were brought down...
After waiting a while, the Emperor felt it was about time and resumed his walk.
As he walked, he pondered the current situation, noting that there had been no significant movement from Xue Ping’s side, except for the interception of one letter.
This old fox was still very cautious, keeping his composure, having managed the affair of his private soldiers for so many years without ever letting slip the slightest hint.
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