The Marquise: I Earn My Own Worship

It turned out that it was Eunuch Xiao who came with people to express condolences. Xiao Degui was surprised to see that the whole family had come out, even Duan Jing'an who was lying there.

"This servant pays his respects to Madam Duan, Lord Duan, and Scholar Duan."

This was the eunuch beside the Emperor of Chu. Song Shengfu smiled and quickly asked Eunuch Xiao to get up, invited him to take a seat, and ordered someone to add more tea.

"What brings you here, sir?"

Xiao Degui skimmed off the tea foam and took a sip. When he heard Song Shengfu's question, he put down his teacup and replied:

"The emperor is aware of today's events and has sent this servant to inquire about the health of the scholar."

"I'm sure my father-in-law knows about it, but it's nothing serious. Luckily, we were at the clinic, and the old doctor bandaged it properly. There wasn't much movement, but there are some cracks in the bones inside the ankle. The doctor said he needs to rest well and can't walk for at least six months."

Song Shengfu said with a worried look on her face. She suddenly remembered that the second and third place students would have to take the imperial examination later, and Duan Jingan definitely could not take it.

What should I do? The imperial examination is for the candidates who can become scholars. If I cannot participate, I will have to find another job.

Xiao Degui also knew about it. After learning more about the situation, he chatted with Song Shengfu for a while.

Song Shengfu didn't know what to talk about, so she just casually asked about food and clothing, such as whether they had eaten and whether they were busy recently.

Xiao Degui was so tired of chatting that he could hardly sit still. Seeing that it was getting late, he prepared to set off to return to the palace.

Mother Qi, who was beside Song Shengfu, escorted Xiao Degui out. Before leaving, she stuffed two large purses into his pockets and said with an apologetic smile, "This is just a small gift. Please accept it, father-in-law."

Xiao Degui stretched out his hand and pursed his lips. For the first time, his expression almost lost control. He glanced around briefly, and tried to push his purse towards Mother Qi, exclaiming quietly: "This..."

Mother Qi quickly pushed it back and said with a smile, "This is what our old lady meant. Eunuch Xiao is a popular figure around the emperor, so he deserves it. This little bit is nothing."

Then he casually said, "Alas, I'm not afraid of being laughed at by you, father-in-law. Our family is down on luck, and the old lady is just worried about the health of the Fourth Master. We don't know what to do next. I've said too much, please don't take it to heart."

There was a slight glint in Xiao Degui's eyes, as if he was thinking about something. Before he left, he smiled and looked at Mother Qi.

"Please ask mother to tell the old lady to relax, and that the Jinshi will be blessed by heaven." After saying this, he got on the carriage.

After sending Xiao Degui away, Mother Qi returned to the house and told Song Shengfu about this.

After hearing this, Song Shengfu felt relieved.

After a busy day, Song Shengfu felt a little exhausted and returned to the yard.

I remembered something when I was about to fall asleep.

He called out to Mother Qi who was about to leave and said: Go and light the incense.

Mother Qi was stunned for a moment before she understood what the old lady was talking about. She retreated solemnly and went to the ancestral hall to light incense under the moonlight.

Inside the palace, Emperor Chu heaved a sigh of relief after hearing Eunuch Xiao's account of the situation. He knew Duan Jing'an was alright. He was the only one still useful to the family, and he couldn't let this accident ruin him.

He was thinking about how to place Duan Jing'an. He knew that Duan Jing'an's talent was still lacking, but there was no need for him to recite poems and compose couplets to do practical work.

After some thought, the Emperor of Chu played with the white nine-clawed golden dragon paperweight in his hand and leaned back on the imperial chair with a lazy look on his face.

"Xiao Degui."

"I'm here." Eunuch Xiao stepped forward respectfully.

"You said that the fourth son of the Duan family has been dragged down by this. What should I do to comfort him?"

Upon hearing this, Xiao Degui said with a fawning expression, "Your Majesty, what are you talking about? Everything you do is a favor to them. That Jinshi, Duan, was overjoyed to have been selected as an official. This minor injury can only be considered a test from heaven."

Upon hearing this, the Emperor of Chu smiled and shook his head, pointing his finger at Xiao Degui: "You, you, you are always saying these words to coax me."

Xiao Degui stepped forward and massaged the Emperor of Chu's shoulders, continuing, "Your Majesty is the true Son of Heaven, a great man. Today, I went to the Duan family. As far as I can see, the Duan family is truly a noble family, and their etiquette and rules are impeccable. When they heard that the Emperor had sent me, they even brought out the Jinshi from the couch."

"Oh? There's such a thing?" Emperor Chu raised his eyebrows.

Then he continued, "You are someone close to me, so they should respect and honor you."

Xiao Degui echoed, "This servant is blessed by His Majesty. If it weren't for His Majesty, this servant wouldn't be where he is today."

As he spoke, he even raised his hand to wipe the corners of his eyes.

Emperor Chu noticed the actions of the people around him and found it a little funny.

"What's going on? You're already an adult, and you're still doing this to me."

Xiao Degui's face turned pale and he felt a little embarrassed, pinching the corner of his clothes with his fingers.

"I know I'm just a eunuch. People outside look down on me because of my status. I've been looked down upon a lot in the past. But Your Majesty trusts me and treats me so well. I will be grateful to Your Majesty for the rest of my life."

When the King of Chu heard this, he remembered that when he was out of favor, the servants around him were also bullied and humiliated.

Thinking of this, his face darkened: "Why, did someone give you a cold look?"

Xiao Degui knelt down immediately.

"No, I am a eunuch. It is only natural for those masters to look down on me. It's just that Madam Duan in Lord Duan's mansion today reminded me of my former mother."

There was no such pretense of respect and defiance as in other official families, who actually looked down on him. This made him feel very comfortable, and for the first time, Xiao Degui felt like a normal person.

The Emperor of Chu knew that these eunuchs were sold into the palace because their families were in financial difficulty, so he simply patted Xiao Degui on the shoulder to comfort him.

Since it’s not the Duan family, then it must be someone else. If nothing unexpected happens, it must be Zhao Lin. I really don’t know what he’s talking about.

The Zhao family, even a branch of the family dares to give a hard time to the people around him, so it can be seen...

"Xiao Degui, go to the Duan family tomorrow and tell them I want Duan Jing'an to recuperate at home. He doesn't need to take the imperial examination this time. If there's a vacancy after he recovers, he can directly apply for a position."

On the second day, Xiao Degui went to the Duan family to announce the imperial edict and brought along the reward from Concubine Ning. The Duan family's residence was bustling with activity for a while.

Left Prime Minister's Mansion

Duan Jingyi, feeling depressed, just came out of her mother-in-law's yard and ran into Qiao and Yu.

"Oh, my sister-in-law is here too? I heard that a Jinshi scholar appeared in her family, so why don't you go back and congratulate her?"

Duan Jingyi had just been scolded by her mother-in-law and was feeling very upset, with a tight chest and shortness of breath. Remembering her mother's words about not being tolerant, she snapped back, "Second brother's wife is so carefree, why don't you take care of your second brother? He keeps bringing women home all day. Yuxiangyuan is almost full."

"You, shut up!"

Mrs. Qiao was touched on a sore spot and was a little angry. Seeing this, Mrs. Yu pulled Mrs. Qiao and continued, "Sister-in-law, please forgive me. Second sister-in-law didn't mean that. We just heard that your brother accidentally fell off his horse, and we are a little worried, so we came to ask about it."

Qiao put away the scorn on her face, and said coldly with some disdain, "That's right, that's right, you don't know how to appreciate kindness. We are just here to care about the health of the Jinshi. You said it was so hard to pass the exam, if something happens to you, it would be a waste of effort."

After saying this, they both covered their mouths with handkerchiefs, fearing that the smiles on their lips would be too obvious.

But Duan Jingyi would never miss their little tricks, and she was so angry that her vision turned black.

"You, I think you have bad intentions, I... I..." Before she could finish her words, Duan Jingyi felt dizzy and then passed out.