Page 454
Eunuch Liu was extremely exasperated, as his initial attempt was not going well. He hadn’t even managed to handle the palace maid yet, let alone meet with Nanny Qi and Master Lian, and now someone had taken away the very thing that was meant to be carried by his own people...
Finally, as he turned a corner, a pavilion appeared before him, under which a group of young eunuchs and little palace maids were roasting something, chatting and laughing lively.
So the fragrance was coming from here. Eunuch Liu was a bit dumbfounded; this was quite a sizable setup, one that he had never seen before.
He shifted his gaze upward and, through the bamboo curtain, faintly discerned a few figures inside the pavilion.
Xiao Qing, seeing the pavilion, couldn’t help but laugh and immediately shouted toward it, "Master, Xiao Jizi’s clothes have arrived."
The sudden shout caught Eunuch Liu off guard. He had prepared everything from meeting Master Lian and Nanny Qi to the final farewell, trying to curry favor subtly so as to be remembered without being too abrupt.
His mind panicked, and the words he had prepared were all jumbled up. He hadn’t expected that this was how the notifications worked in Canglan Court; he was completely unprepared.
In his moment of mental blankness, the bamboo curtain on the side lifted slightly, and a girl with wide, innocent eyes and rosy cheeks poked her head out.
She beckoned to the little palace maid leading the way in front of him, her eyes sparkling with excitement, "Bring it here quickly, let’s have a look. "
Eunuch Liu was shocked. Was this the legendary Beauty Lian? The Favored Concubine held in the hands of His Majesty? She was nothing like what he had imagined...
"Alright, Master, this servant is coming," Xiao Qing didn’t care what those around her thought. Having received her cue, she happily jogged with the tray toward the pavilion, pulling open the curtain on the front side, so the master could properly see Xiao Jizi’s new clothes.
This left Eunuch Liu and Little Doggie disheveled in the wind, it seemed the palace maid had forgotten to introduce them, as if she had come to meet them just for the sake of that tray...
Today, Lian Hua and Nanny Qi were planning to have lunch inside the pavilion.
Lian Hua was preparing lunch for His Majesty, and this was the first chicken that was roasted, watched over by Xiao Qing, and it was the best-roasted chicken of the lot.
She dismantled the whole chicken, keeping the most delicious parts in a dish. Several layers of the food box were filled, with the bottom layer holding charcoal and boiling water to prevent burning, and on top were the main dishes, vegetables, and soups.
Hearing Xiao Qing’s voice, she immediately put down what she was doing, lifted the side bamboo curtain, and glimpsed the contents of Xiao Qing’s tray.
She couldn’t wait to take a look, so she had Xiao Qing quickly bring it over.
This was the first set of clothes to mark a promotion at Canglan Court; even though she had seen similar ones in other parts of the palace, none seemed as rare as their own.
Xiao Qing rapidly brought the items over, her expression both excited and thrilled. Despite maintaining her composure in front of Eunuch Liu, she was very excited internally – Xiao Jizi had been promoted, and she couldn’t be happier.
Lian Hua leaned in to touch the clothes and hat on the tray, continuously admiring, "Wow, clothes for those who’ve been promoted really are different! This fabric is better than the non-promoted ones, and the pattern on the belt is much nicer too, much better looking than the plain ones."
Xiao Qing nodded repeatedly, "Indeed, Master, this servant felt the same the moment I saw them."
Xiao Linzi was busy roasting chickens and couldn’t leave his task, yet he couldn’t help but stretch his neck to take a look. Brother Ji was promoted, and he was happy and also wanted to see.
Nanny Qi shook her head with a smile. This young girl, once she encounters something joyful, forgets everything else. Look, she is so engrossed in looking at the clothes that she even forgot the two important people sent from the Bureau of Palace Attendants, sigh...
She gave Pang Ya a knowing look, and Pang Ya understood immediately. She stepped down from the pavilion and walked toward Eunuch Liu and the others.
Now that Pang Ya was leading the way, Eunuch Liu finally felt reassured; this was the proper procedure. Otherwise, no matter how much experience he had, he was still somewhat unsure about how to proceed next.
Just as they were about to reach the front of the pavilion, someone rushed past them like a gust of wind, startling them.
That person was none other than Xiao Linzi who had just finished roasting the chicken; as soon as the chicken was done, he promptly set it aside and rushed over, deeming a look at Brother Xiao Ji’s new official attire as far more important than the roasted chicken.
He performed a hasty bow and also squeezed in to look and touch the tray.
Lian Hua couldn’t help but praise the set of clothes, from the boots to the hat, "Look at these boots, they seem sturdy, almost like they are made of sheepskin."
Xiao Qing nodded, "They don’t leak in the rain."
"Indeed, and this hat looks more expensive than ordinary ones; there’s also embroidery on it, hmm... the embroidery is not bad at all." It was much better than hers.
Xiao Linzi also couldn’t help but join the discussion, "Master, how does servant see Brother Xiao Ji’s outfit as looking better than the others?"
Lian Hua agreed profoundly, "Indeed, indeed, great minds think alike."
Eunuch Liu and his companion had arrived at the pavilion and found themselves a bit at a loss with the situation.
Master Lian was thoroughly enjoying the conversation and hadn’t noticed their arrival at all.
He feared that greeting them would disrupt the gathering, yet failing to greet them would also be inappropriate.
Nanny Qi, seeing this, cleared her throat loudly towards Lian Hua.
Lian Hua immediately turned around, "Granny, is your throat dry?"
Nanny Qi gave her a look that indicated she should look down, which she did, puzzled.
Eunuch Liu made a quick decision and, together with Little Doggie, immediately bowed, "Deputy manager of the Bureau of Palace Attendants, Liu Dayou—"
Little Doggie followed, "Bureau of Palace Attendants, Little Doggie—"
Together they said, "Greeting Master Lian, may Master Lian be auspicious."
They also bowed towards Nanny Qi, "Greeting Nanny Qi, wishing Nanny Qi abundant happiness and health."
Oh, so there were people below; that’s what Nanny Qi meant.
Lian Hua stepped forward, held her fist to her lips with a serious cough, and said, "Rise, both of you have worked hard."
Nanny Qi also responded softly, sitting at the far end, letting Lian Hua handle the situation.
Eunuch Liu got up, wearing a smile, "Not at all, not at all, just call me Little Liuzi as Master Lian wishes."
Lian Hua looked at Eunuch Liu’s stout and short frame with a round face; the name Little Liuzi didn’t suit him, so she waved her hand, "That’s not appropriate, not appropriate, it’s better to call you Eunuch Liu."
"As Master Lian wishes, as long as you are pleased, I am pleased," Eunuch Liu couldn’t help but smile joyously. Master Lian truly had a good temperament, and there wasn’t the slightest hint of pride from favoritism. No wonder she was favored.
Noble Consort loved to call him Little Liuzi, no matter how high a position he climbed, the Noble Consort always reminded him that he was still the Little Liuzi from years ago.
He feared that Master Lian would hear about this and thus also suggested the name Little Liuzi; even if it didn’t endear him to anyone, it wouldn’t offend anyone either.
Master Lian didn’t want to use that name, and a single address as Eunuch Liu made him feel very settled.
He nudged Little Doggie standing beside him.
Little Doggie hurriedly spoke up, "Servant’s surname is Chen, with the official name Doggie and commonly called Little Doggie, and... and please, Master Lian, bestow a name."
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