Immediately after the death of the master

There was an emerald-like luster underneath. When I entered the room, the butler was drinking tea and checking the account books. The tea was full of fragrance. It was a treasure that even the gentlemen could not afford to drink when we were in Wuchao. .

"Big Steward." I took my servants to salute the big steward.

"Senior Steward." I followed the servant's appearance, and pretended to salute.

That appearance, like a child wearing an adult's clothes, is so funny no matter how you look at it, the big butler burst out laughing, hearing the sound, I raised my head softly, and was facing the big butler's smiling face.

According to my current master, although I don't look very good, when I stare at others with my shiny black eyes, it seems that he is the most trustworthy person in the world, and few people can feel bad.

I don't know if this is the reason, but the big butler put down the ledger in his hand, stepped forward, and stroked my soft hair affectionately.

"Boy of the Li family, what do you know?"

Nothing to be afraid of, I replied openly.

"The little ones can read and write, and can do arithmetic. They can do cleaning, laundry, cooking, and physical work such as chopping firewood, burning fire, and moving things."

Although I pretended to be ignorant, I had been paying attention to the expression of the chief steward. I could clearly see that the chief steward's eyes lit up when I mentioned that I could read and write.

I let go of my heart, even if I am a fool, I know that in a big mansion, the status of civil servants is always higher than that of physical labor. I put literacy and hyphenation first, so naturally there is such a thing. considerations.

But ironically, my honest and honest father didn't help me at such a critical moment. On the contrary, some knowledge my stepfather taught me in his free time gave me great help.

The big butler was not what I expected, he touched my head with a smile and said:

"It's just right, there is still a shortage of a book boy at the fourth son's place, so you can do it."

"Hmm! Alright—" I smiled brightly, showing my big white teeth.

"That's right, as long as you're willing," the butler patted him on the shoulder before taking his hand back, and told me, "Learn etiquette first in these two days, so as not to offend the nobleman, and then go to work after five days."

I nodded like a mortar.

After arranging the affairs for me, the big butler who hadn't read the account books didn't want to keep us either, so he put his hands in his sleeves reservedly, and before sending us away, he pretended to remind me unintentionally.

"Boy of the Li family, do a good job."

"Yes."

I don't know why, so I can only nod in response.

After closing the door of the chief steward, he took my servant to look at me meaningfully and said something.

"School boy, what a job."

I clearly felt that the gray-robed servant hadn't spoken half of what he said, but I didn't know what it was. Even after only staying here for two short days, I still clearly felt that the words of the people here The way is different from the habits of normal people.

If you see through but don't speak through, you will always only speak half.

31,

But this time it's okay, what the gray-robed servant has hidden from me is not a terrible thing.It belongs to the kind of "secret" that everyone knows, the kind that is not allowed to be revealed on the surface but has been spread like crazy in private.During the days of learning etiquette, through other people's gossip, I already knew half of what the gray-robed servant failed to say that day.

Being a book boy is a good job. I only need to grind the grinder, wash the pens every day, and accompany the young masters to and from home to study. But the problem is that I am the fourth son's book boy.

The fourth son, Ji Qinghe, this son's background is a taboo in the Ji family.In Ji's family, Ji Zuocheng has two sons, namely the uncle of the Ji family and the second master of the Ji family who are still in the imperial capital.Among them, the uncle of the Ji family has some wives and concubines, and they have three sons and one daughter. Among them, the only ones worth noting are Ji Sanqing, the eldest son born to his wife, and Ji Wanyue, the daughter born to Gu Shi.As for the second master of the Ji family, he is the husband-in-law of Princess Jianping and the son-in-law of the royal family. According to Princess Jianping's status, wealth and jealous temperament, it is logically impossible for the second master Ji to take concubines, but Ji Qinghe's mother—— The lowly actor, who did not know what kind of dirty tricks he used, was pregnant with Ji Erye's son. Under the pressure of the old prime minister Ji, Princess Jianping had to agree with Ji's second master to take a concubine, and this lowly actor gave birth to a concubine. His child is naturally the Fourth Young Master Ji Qinghe who has an embarrassing position in the mansion.

Ji Qinghe's mother is a crazy woman, the mother and son have never been favored by the second master of the Ji family; the main wife, Princess Jianping, has always been decisive in killing, and her rule is extremely strict. He dared to offend this nobleman; Ji Laocheng, who was in charge of Ji's mansion, had done his best to save his mother at such a young age, and the old prime minister really cared only about his own patriarch, Sun Ji Sanqing, who had never been too lazy to intervene in Ji Qinghe's life.Ji Qinghe is such a guy who doesn't love his grandma and uncle. On the surface, he has the food and clothing of a son, but everyone knows that he is just a useless abandoned son, who is almost forgotten by everyone in the family. Recently he was able to study at home. The eldest lady, Ji Qingshuang, went to the old man to ask for an opportunity.

Following such a young master has no future, less rewards, less chance of promotion, and being looked down upon by servants of other young masters and ladies. In addition, this young master has a gloomy personality and treats the servants a bit harshly.For the people in the Jifu, if there is a choice, few servants are willing to come to the Fourth Young Master.

But I don't have to choose, even if I have a choice, the book boy of the Fourth Young Master is my best choice.

I have already been branded as a slave, if not by accident, my life's glory and abjection are all bound to Ji's family.

Although Prime Minister Ji Zuo had never fought against Prime Minister You at that time, he had to retreat to his hometown Fengcheng to advance by retreating.But the Ji family has been in control of the government all year round, and its roots have penetrated into every corner of the Yu Dynasty. It is only a matter of time before Prime Minister Ji Zuo returns to the court.

I have no advantage among the servants of the Ji family. It is no exaggeration to say that the Ji family is one of the top aristocratic families in the Yu Kingdom. The servants working in this kind of aristocratic family are naturally extraordinary. , looks good.Not to mention anything else, just talking about the few bookboys who work in the same position as me, all of them have already read poetry and books at a young age, and their backgrounds are also extraordinary. Among them, there are many descendants of declining nobles. Handsome boy.

And me, to be honest, if it weren't for the big housekeeper who really didn't care about the fourth son, if it wasn't for those schoolboys who looked down on the fourth son with their eyes too high, how could such a good job be my turn, a kid from a poor mountain valley? If it weren't for the head steward who didn't know which nerve was wrong that day, an ignorant poor child born in the countryside like me, even if I sold myself as a servant, I would still be the lowest servant with no hope of promotion.

So even though I know that the fourth son has a gloomy personality, even if I know that the fourth son can hardly get any rewards, I still firmly hold on to the position of Jifu's son as a book boy.

Five days of etiquette study didn't change my rogue and stingy inside, but at least it made me act similar to those servants born in the imperial capital.

When I went to see the Fourth Young Master, the Fourth Young Master was endorsing a book in his study room. It was daytime, but the study room was as dark as night, extremely cold. The legendary Fourth Young Master was curled up by the candlelight, wearing dark dark clothes .

"Are you my bookboy?"

The fourth son, Ji Qinghe, raised his eyes, and stared directly at me with dark eyes.

32,

It's summer now, and most people wear short shirts, but Ji Qinghe is wearing thick dark clothes, looking weak.

"Yes, Fourth Young Master." I pretended to be old-fashioned and saluted Ji Qinghe, "The younger one's surname is Li, and his name is Sanpang."

"Li, three fat...? Cough cough—" The fourth son Ji Qinghe heard the rustic name, and then looked at my dark and thin appearance. If there is anything he doesn't understand, he can guess it. He found a literate servant and sent it over, probably because of this kind of humiliation, he was so angry that he coughed.

I stood in the shadow of the room, looked at Ji Qinghe who was sitting by the candlelight, and clearly saw his serious dislike, so even though I saw my future master coughing badly, I still didn't ignorantly step forward.

"Since your surname is Li," the eleven or twelve-year-old boy curled up his lips, his lips were bright red, his skin was pale, and he said with some unspeakable malice, "I will call you Xiao Lizi from now on."

Little Li, Eunuch Li, the treacherous and evil eunuch who led to the subjugation of the previous dynasty, is an eternal villain in folk dramas, and every time he appears on stage, he is bound to be reviled by thousands of people.For the fourth son Ji Qinghe to give me this nickname is undoubtedly a sign of humiliation.

But I can only suffer.

I not only have to suffer, but also be grateful.

"Little one, thank you sir for giving me the name."

I knelt down reverently.

It seems that there is really no resentment at all.

33,

Now I think I am still a romantic and handsome man, although every time I stand with my master and the Ninth Prince, no girl will look at me at all...

But when I was 12 years old, I just escaped from the blacksmith, and I was really ugly.

At the blacksmith's place, I was not fed enough to wear warm all the year round, and did physical work under the scorching sun from time to time, which made me dark and thin at the age of 12, like a wild monkey jumping out of a ravine, and the nobles of the imperial capital, most of them prefer A lovely young man with red lips and white teeth, in Ji's mansion, all such young men are like this.

The fourth son, Ji Qinghe, was the best among them. Although he hated people talking about his appearance, he couldn't understand guys who were uglier than him.

Unfortunately, it was his target at that time.

Who can blame this?It was because I didn't look as expected back then, it was because I looked like a monkey, which stained Sigongzi's eyes, causing Sigong