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Xiao Jizi immediately stepped forward to lead the way, "Master, please come this way~"

Knowing that his master was in a playful mood, even if it was just a short distance, he pretended to take it seriously, indulging and playing along with his master’s whims.

Lian Hua walked forward with her hands clasped behind her back, nodding slightly in approval, and said, "Not bad at all. From now on, you will be promoted to be the Managing Eunuch of Canglan Court, in charge of all the others."

At this moment, her belly had just begun to show, but as the months went on and it grew larger, walking with her hands behind her back like this, she would resemble an old-fashioned eunuch who had been in the palace for many years—portly, both adorable and comical.

"Chirp, your servant obeys the order." Xiao Jizi beamed with joy, thinking to himself that his master was truly nice, even indulging him in his fantasy as they played.

The Managing Eunuch was in charge of all the eunuchs in the palace, and without any Palace Maids of significant rank present, they could also oversee the maids, effectively managing all the servants in the palace.

Promotions for eunuchs in the palace were extremely difficult, even more so than for Palace Maids, especially those from the Star Palace.

Most were of the lowest eunuch rank, commonly referred to as Young Eunuch.

Above this rank was Great Eunuch, followed by internal affairs eunuch, supervisor eunuch, Managing Eunuch, chief eunuch, and so on.

As for the rank of Great Eunuch, it was much higher than that of an ordinary eunuch.

Even the lowest-ranked Great Eunuch was ranked higher than a chief eunuch.

The ranks included Great Eunuch, internal affairs eunuch, supervisor eunuch, Managing Eunuch, chief eunuch, and so forth, with the highest being the Chief Steward, the rank of someone like Zhang Qing.

Thus, when people outside called a eunuch "Great Eunuch," the eunuchs were pleased, as it was a title all of them coveted.

At the same time, eunuchs serving in front of His Majesty were of the same rank as other eunuchs but held a higher status.

This was also why Xiao Jizi was so dejected when he first arrived at Canglan Court. Just as he was making some headway in the Star Palace and was about to be promoted, he was thrown into Canglan Court and found himself at the very bottom again. It was no laughing matter.

When he first came to Canglan Court, he comforted himself with the thought that if, by some chance, his master took a liking to him and made him Managing Eunuch, otherwise there would be nothing to look forward to.

As for becoming a Managing Great Eunuch, he didn’t dare to dream about that. In the palace, not every master could appoint a Managing Great Eunuch. To speak disrespectfully, even the Noble Consort couldn’t do so without the permission of the Empress, the Empress Dowager, or His Majesty.

If he were to become a Great Eunuch in this life, it would only happen if his master became...

Cough, he was getting ahead of himself; with so many envious eyes, even dreaming about it wasn’t permissible. It could harm his master.

Xiao Jizi quickly gathered his thoughts and heard his own master sipping honey water and commanding them with a sweeping gesture, "Both of you, sit down. Have some melon seeds. I will tell you a story. Eh, where’s Xiao Linzi? Never mind, never mind, the two of you are enough."

She was eager to share what she had just witnessed.

Xiao Qing hesitated. Ever since Nanny Qi arrived and taught many manners, she knew it wasn’t proper to sit while her master stood.

Xiao Jizi also hesitated for a moment.

Seeing their dithering, Lian Hua felt frustrated, wondering how she could tell a story like this.

With her hands on her hips, she said fiercely, "Won’t you sit down, or do I need to use the rattan?"

Both promptly sat down with a plop, afraid to be served by the rattan if they were too late.

Lian Hua immediately grabbed two handfuls of melon seeds, shoving a handful to each person; listening to a story without melon seeds and tea was like losing half the fun.

Once everything was ready, she cleared her throat and began to speak slowly.

The book she was reading was called "The Strange Records of the Human World Judges," telling of a judge from the netherworld who, somehow, reincarnated into the human world.

With a pair of Yin Yang Eyes, he could see clearly the past lives and karmic cycles of all beings; none could escape his penetrating gaze if they committed sins.

The story started in a small village where one day, the judge arrived just as an old lady lost her chicken and couldn’t find the thief, crying bitterly.

The judge, filled with a strong sense of justice, comforted the old lady and promised to help her find the chicken thief.

He said that he would recognize the culprit just by having the villagers walk before him.

The old lady was skeptical but desperate, carrying the judge around the village.

True to his word, the judge immediately identified the thief for the old woman, describing in detail how the chicken had been stolen, at what time it was taken, and how it had been cooked and eaten.

The thief, thinking he had been caught red-handed, had no choice but to confess, and when questioned, his account was exactly as the judge had said, revealing himself to be a habitual offender.

After dealing with the chicken thief, the old lady was immensely grateful to the judge and loudly sang his praises to anyone who would listen, extolling his incredible powers.

The village was small enough that when the old lady shouted at the entrance, those at the far end could hear her.

Soon, the entire village gathered to see this judge, unable to help marveling at his abilities.

An old man found it odd that this newcomer could recount the entire story as if he had witnessed it himself.

He grew suspicious, wondering if the judge was in league with the thief—especially since the thief came from outside the village, which seemed to corroborate his suspicion, and he openly questioned it.

As the rest of the villagers listened to the old man’s doubts, they started to find his reasoning sound and began to share his suspicions, even the old lady whose chicken was stolen.

Now the judge, though innocent, found himself unable to clear his name and sighed deeply.

To vindicate himself, he brought up the old man’s missing son and past life’s wrongdoings, stating that the man was destined to have no descendants this lifetime.

His son, said to be missing, was actually murdered and buried somewhere behind the village.

The villagers were both shocked and doubtful—the stranger’s words seemed genuine, not to mention the old man’s son had indeed been missing for several years.

The old man, eyes red with fury, was most afraid of having no descendants, and this outsider had gone so far as to curse him with such viciousness—it was something he couldn’t let pass.

He gathered the entire village, demanding that the judge point out the location of his son’s remains. If they found nothing, they would bury the judge alive on the spot.

Of course, the villagers sided with their own; there was no reason to side with an outsider. So the whole village escorted the judge to search for the body, ready to bury him alive if they found nothing.

After all, "even the laws of a nation sometimes fail to reach the remote villages, where the word of the village chief can be mightier than the law."

Upon reaching the spot, the judge, not the least bit disturbed, pointed to a location and instructed them to dig.

As the villagers dug, they indeed unearthed a skeleton, still vaguely recognizable by the remnants of its clothing.

Upon seeing it, the old man fell to the ground crying bitterly, his cries laden with utter grief.

The villagers were extremely shaken, unable to comprehend how the outsider knew, and they crowded around to ask him.

When the old man came to his senses, he picked up a hoe and aimed for the judge, bawling and accusing the judge of being the murderer.