Pet official

All the eunuchs in Dongli Kingdom were selected by officials to enter the palace, and the folks were not allowed to castrate themselves, otherwise it would be a felony.

If you want to enter the palace, you must first find a guarantor. Most of the guarantors are eunuchs in the palace. With the recommendation of the guarantor, you can send the child who is going to enter the palace to the Department of Punishment. After the inner court stewards screened, some of the appearances were eliminated. Those who are not good, with bad character, only those who are handsome and clever can stay.

Ruan Baosheng is just a guarantor, Xiao Er wants to enter the palace and has to pass the level of the Punishment Department.

After lunch that day, Ruan Baosheng took Xiao Er and his son to the Punishment Department.

People in the Punishment Department came and went, many people stood in the courtyard, waiting for registration.Because of the prince's poisoning, hundreds of eunuchs and court ladies were killed by sticks and drowned in the palace. If such a person died all of a sudden, the palace's handymen were in short supply. The inner court affairs were complicated and there were not enough manpower. Many things were too busy In the past few days, there has been an order from the imperial court to announce to the world that a large number of young men and women are being recruited to add to the palace.

Ruan Baosheng directly led the second father and son into the back hall, walked through the corridor, and came to the door of a small wing room. Before entering the room, Ruan Baosheng put on a smiling face, "Is Master Li there?"

A vague promise came from the room, Ruan Baosheng hurriedly stepped into the room, and greeted Qian'er at the door: "Baosheng greets Master Li."

Xiaoer and Ruan Xing followed Ruan Baosheng, and at a glance, the wing room was not big, and the inside and outside were separated by a desk. It seemed that the outside room was used for office work. Books, brochures, paper, pens, inkstones, etc.The inner room is for resting, with an arhat bed, a small kang table, and a sputum bucket beside the footrest.

There was only Master Li in the room. He was lying on the Arhat's bed with his coat loose, holding a cigarette pouch with a white jade stem in his hand.Hearing someone coming in, Master Li opened his half-closed eyes, and glanced at Ruan Baosheng, Xiaoer and his son.

"Monkey boy, you just have a sweet mouth."

Master Li said something slowly, leaning on the arhat bed with his elbows, he turned around slightly.

Ruan Baosheng took a few steps, leaned into the bed, took out a strand of shredded tobacco from the pouch around his waist, and continued to put it into the cigarette pot in Master Li's hand, "Look at what you said, no matter how sweet my son's mouth is, he can't get any sweeter. Go to your place. This is the top-quality tobacco leaf produced in the northwest, smoked with magnolia flowers, it has a special fragrance, you have a taste, if you think it tastes good, my son will find a way to buy it for you."

Master Li sneered, "Okay, I've been relegated to this place where people kill people, so you don't have to flatter me."

Ruan Baosheng waved his hands again and again, with a sincere expression on his face, "It's because you dislike us little bastards who are not easy to teach, so you came here to hide yourself. Otherwise, with Master Li's knowledge and insight, if you stay in the palace, The seal of the Supervisor of Rituals is not yours yet."

Master Li laughed loudly, turned over and sat up, and tapped Ruan Baosheng on the head, "I didn't learn anything else, just learned from your master's glib tongue, one thing in front of others and another in back, and he praised me like a flower in front of me." It seems that when I go back to the palace, I still don’t know how to organize me. No one will believe what you say. Hmph, no wonder you became the eunuch in charge of Likun Palace at such a young age. It can make you laugh."

"Look at what you said, I don't have that ability, dead people can laugh, so it's not a lie."

When Master Li heard this, he burst into laughter again. He knew Ruan Baosheng had something to do, so he teased him a few more times and asked him to talk about business.

Ruan Baosheng pulled Xiaoer over and pushed towards Master Li, "My cousin from my hometown wants to enter the palace, you always check it."

Only then did Master Li carefully look at the child in front of him, stared at him twice, and then said with a smile: "Hey, he looks so handsome."

Xiaoer's face has not yet opened, and he still has a childish face, but his eyebrows are correct and his appearance is delicate, especially his eyes, which are black and white, the double eyelids are particularly deep, and the eyelashes are long, which makes his eyes more affectionate. , I can already see a little bit of stunning meaning.

It's just that the bones of this body are too thin, so I don't know if there is any serious disease.

It's been a long time since I've seen such a good seedling, Master Li couldn't help being taken aback, he stood up, and walked around Xiao Er twice.

The children in the country have not seen much of the world, and usually they will be frightened when they meet a stranger. If they look at him like this, even a child will be afraid, and the bold will have weak legs, and the timid will cry directly.

Xiao Er was also afraid, he clenched his fists tightly, his waist was straightened, and he stared at Master Li with a defensive face.Xiao Er has suffered since he was a child, his father doesn't love his mother and doesn't want to see him, and he grew up to such a big size only by hard work and resistance. His temperament is much calmer and more stubborn than ordinary children. Willing to admit defeat.

"Still stubborn! How old are you?" Master Li pinched Xiao Er's shoulder and asked with a smile.

Xiaoer was still tense, and when he heard Master Li's question, he just lowered his head and said nothing. Ruan Xingsheng was afraid that he would not accept him, so he hurriedly answered for Xiaoer: "After this year, you will be ten years old. My son Small, ignorant, please forgive me."

Master Li glared at Ruan Xing, raised his voice, and scolded: "This kid is dumb? Who wants you to talk too much!"

Ruan Baosheng tugged Ruan Xing's sleeve secretly, telling him not to speak too much.This is also the procedure that must be followed when entering the palace. It is a part of the inspection. It is to see if the selected child is articulate, whether he is healthy, and whether his behavior is correct. The sound is not clear and pleasant enough, which can also be a reason for rejection.

Ruan Xing was so frightened that he didn't dare to speak again. When Master Li and Ruan Baosheng were talking, they looked quite friendly, but that stare made Ruan Xing feel that this Master Li was better than the magistrate in their county. There are more officials.

Master Li asked Xiaoer again: "What's your name?"

Xiao Er paused for a while, then turned his head to look at his father, and saw Ruan Xing blinking at him, sweating on his brow, and rushing forward, wishing he could come up and answer for him.

Xiao Er gritted his teeth, and then whispered: "Xiao Er."

"louder please!"

Master Li yelled, Xiao Er trembled in fright, and stepped forward, staring and shouting: "Ruan Xiaoer!"

"Well, the voice is quite crisp." Only then was Master Li satisfied, and said again: "It's just that this temperament has to be adjusted and adjusted. When you come to the master, you talk like this, you are looking for death."

While talking, Master Li pointed to Xiao Er's clothes again, "Take off the clothes, and let me see how the skin is."

A ten-year-old child already knows how to be ashamed, so it's fine in front of his parents, and he is unwilling to take off his clothes in front of strangers.

Xiao Er felt that he had become a beast waiting to be slaughtered. In Master Li's knife-like eyes, he was being cut like Ling Chi, and his dignity was cut by countless knives. Now Xiao Er, only a stubborn refusal is left. The dead bones with bowed heads stood there numbly.

"Hurry up, I'm still busy!" Master Li was a little impatient, urging in a cold voice.

Xiao Er gritted his teeth tightly, clutching the hem of his clothes tightly with his hands, he didn't want to take off his clothes in front of outsiders, he didn't want to be seen naked, he wanted to go home.

Ruan Xing watched from behind, Xiao Er didn't move, he stomped his feet anxiously, intending to scold Xiao Er a few words, but also afraid of being scolded by Master Li again, he scratched his ears and cheeks, shook his body, anxious as if scratching his heart.

Ruan Baosheng sighed, scolding his mother in his heart, if it wasn't for his relatives, he really couldn't get away with it, so he wouldn't do such a thankless job.

Smiling, he stepped forward, stretched out his hand and untied the cloth belt in Xiao Er's waist, "My younger brother is shy, a country boy, don't take offense."

While Ruan Baosheng was talking, he had already tore off the cloth belt on Xiaoer's jacket, threw it on the ground, and then went to pull Xiaoer's lapel.

Xiao Er struggled, his face was pale, he twisted his body, and threw his fist at Ruan Baosheng.

Ruan Xing hurried forward, held down Xiao Er's hand, and Ruan Baosheng and Ruan Baosheng hurriedly took off Xiao Er's clothes.

The last bit of effort was trampled by others, Xiaoer suddenly hated the people in the house, father, Ruan Baosheng, Master Li, no one in the world could help him, and no one cared about his grievance and anger.Xiao Er hugged his shoulders, trembling all over, his bare skin was blown by the cold wind, his joints were cold, his eyes were already blurred.

Seeing this scene, Master Li frowned immediately, "Why, didn't this child enter the palace voluntarily? This is not allowed. Baosheng, you also know the rules. If you didn't voluntarily, the master who used the knife would not To the knife."

Ruan Baosheng's cold sweat also broke out. He pulled Ruan Xing and asked, "Uncle Wu, what's going on? You brought the child here without making an agreement with Xiao Er?"

Ruan Xing became anxious, and shouted loudly: "Why didn't you agree?"

He jumped up to Xiao Er in one step, grabbed his arm and lifted Xiao Er up.Ruan Xing scolded anxiously: "Didn't you say it well at home, you also agreed. Why did you shrink back when it was serious. Xiao Er, think about your mother, think about your brother, think about us You can't go back on your life at home, tell Master Li that you did it voluntarily! Tell me, did you do it voluntarily? Tell me!"

Xiao Er was already speechless, shaking like chaff all over his body, he was carried by his father and pushed around the room, the feeling of shame and indignation slowly faded away, replaced by a deep sense of desolation.

Is the yelling man in front of me really his father? Is the man who sold himself for ten taels of silver really his father?

Ruan Xing was still pressing, his eyes were red, and if he couldn't get the money today, he had to eat Xiao Er alive.

This distorted man made Xiao Er feel strange and pitiful. He asked himself to think about his mother and brother, but why didn't he ask himself if they thought about him before they made this decision.

Ten taels of silver is indeed a huge benefit for people like them.Xiao Er has been running the family for several years, and knows that the family can't even spend half a tael of silver all year round.With this money, the parents no longer have to worry about making a living for at least a few years; with this money, the younger brother does not need to eat thin meals every meal; with this money, the elder brother can also talk about a similar marriage.

Xiao Er thought about it, and he thought about it seriously. It turns out that he is still of some use to his parents.

He stretched out his hand, pushed Ruan Xing, walked up to Master Li lightly, Xiaoer closed his eyes, and shouted in a hoarse voice: "I, I voluntarily, I entered the palace voluntarily."

No one is forcing me, no one is forcing me, Xiaoer shouted in his heart over and over again, as if this could really become voluntary.