The rumors continue to spread because Hongli often goes in and out of the imperial study, but Hongli's attitude has improved because of that deep talk, although I don't know how much mustard he has in his heart, but at least he can recognize the current situation, and it will not be good if he is fighting in his own nest. As for those mustards, we can only wait for the future to slowly find a way to solve them.

On the day after talking to Hongli, I got a reply from Xu Fuduo, saying that the eunuch in charge had died of an emergency a few days ago, and that it would take at least a day to go to the imperial tomb to find the aunt who had helped him in Xiaodouzi's mouth, and he would not be able to reply again tomorrow. However, with such a delay, it is also unlucky to think that person, and it is difficult to count on this line.

That night, I asked Xiaodouzi to come over, and asked him to stand and talk to me without courtesy, and told me about the violent death of the eunuch in charge, and also told me the speculation that the aunt might have suffered an accident.

"It seems that if I hadn't had someone bring you over yesterday, I'm afraid that even if I didn't kill you, you wouldn't have lived long. I said.

Xiaodouzi stood with his hands down and bowed his head silently, and his complicated mood could be seen from his face.

"That's it, this matter is over, you just have to follow me now, I won't treat you lightly. I continued.

"Auntie, she really ...... too," Xiaodouzi asked suddenly.

"I don't know, I just think that even the eunuch who passed the word died in vain, and your aunt is even more difficult to say. The eunuch in charge died a few days earlier, and it must not have been because I sent someone to find you that people wanted to do it. So after such a long interval in between, it's hard to say whether my people can find anyone there. I patiently explained.

Little Beans fell silent again.

"Well, this matter can only be left to fate, and it is useless to think about it. But you have to worry about yourself, if the death of the eunuch in charge is not an accident, then this person should not let you go. Of course, as long as you stay with me for a day, I will naturally keep you safe for a while, but no matter how you beware, there will always be a time when you can't prevent it, so if you want to live, there are two records for you to choose from, it depends on your own wishes. ”

I also have my own thoughts on how to dispose of small beans. At present, this child is too young, and he still has nostalgia for me in his heart, and if he doesn't use it well, he is afraid that it will become the biggest hidden danger around him. So I just took this opportunity to settle him, and when he was older, he could use it by his side.

"But it's good for the mother to be the master, and the slave will take the order. "Xiaodouzi still calls me Niangniang, not the master, which shows that there is still alienation in my heart.

I ignored the child's thoughts, and continued to say what I had just said: "One way is for you to continue to stay in the palace, and I will think of letting you enter the Qianqing Palace and wait by Grandpa Su's side, what you have to do is to inform you afterwards if there is something going on over there." Doing things under the emperor's nose, and having Father-in-law Su to take care of him, he will have more scruples if he wants to do something. As for the second way, that is, I will let you stay outside the palace in the name of letting you help the fifth elder brother take care of my mother's business shop, so that you can temporarily avoid the rights and wrongs in the palace, and secondly, you can learn to watch and practice more. Both of these paths are good choices for you, depending on what you want to do. ”

When Xiaodouzi listened to me finish the first way, he lowered his head and raised it, looking at me with surprise and surprise in his eyes, and when he heard the second way, he lowered his head again, obviously thinking about a choice.

These two roads are a good thing for any Xiaogong person in the position of Xiaodouzi, one represents power and the other represents wealth. Money and power were irresistible temptations at all times, and now he had to choose one or the other. Of course, sometimes having rights also means being able to get more wealth, but having wealth does not necessarily mean getting more rights. It's just that everything is a blessing and a curse, and if he chooses the first path, it means that he will not only have to watch out for the hidden killer, but also face the uneasy situation of accompanying the king like a tiger. But choosing the second path, although he can't get the ascension of power and status like the first way, he can leave the palace without worrying about the potential threat in the palace, and at the same time, he can rely on my status to get a temporary free and stable life.

People make choices all the time in this life, and different choices determine different destinies. This is also a test question I gave to this child, if he chooses the first path, then it means that he is an ambitious person who is not willing to be plain, then this person is like a wolf cub, it is not ripe, sooner or later one day it will fall over and harm himself, for such a person, can only be used, but can not be reused. On the contrary, if he chooses the second path, it means that his heart wants to live a free and comfortable life, and he knows how to grasp and cherish the children who have his duty. This kind of talent is what I want, and it is also something that I should pay attention to treat and cultivate.

"Minions...... , Niangniang said before that slaves have use value, so they did not dispose of slaves. The slave was grateful in his heart, and he also knew that Niangniang could have multiple helpers in the palace, and if she went to the Qianqing Palace, she could serve in front of the emperor, and she would definitely be able to share her worries for Niangniang. Xiao Douzi pondered for a long time and then spoke.

His words darkened my eyes, and I secretly thought that this kid seemed to choose to go to the Qianqing Palace. Thinking about the backbone of his confession yesterday, I thought he was a person who could calm down, but unfortunately he still saw the wrong person, and he was afraid that he would be embarrassed.

was thinking about it, but saw him suddenly kneel down and kowtow to the ground, and the conversation also changed: "But the slave is only afraid of living up to the high hopes of the mother, and can't share the worries for the mother, the slave wants to choose the second way, please be gracious." ”

Xiaodouzi's final choice made my brows that had been slightly frowned suddenly relaxed, and a touch of approval and relief flashed in his eyes, and he nodded in response: "Since you let yourself choose your own way out, it will naturally be as you wish." ”

After saying this, he thought for a while and asked, "What was your name before you entered the palace, what kind of family background was born, and why was you sent to the palace at the age of eight?"

Seeing that I agreed to his choice, Xiaodouzi hurriedly kowtowed and thanked him, and began to answer my questions with more care, changed his voice to call the master, and replied: "Before the slave entered the palace, he was called Xiaodouzi, and his family was originally from a farmer's family, and there was an elder brother above. But when he was three years old, there was a plague in the village, and his parents and brothers died of illness, leaving only one slave with a hard life. When his parents died, he entrusted his slave to a relative's family to flee the famine to the capital, and then settled in the capital. The relatives were illiterate, and the slaves did not take a big name. The reason why the slave entered the palace was that the slave was eight years old when the relatives added a new ding, originally there were two children in his family, and he really couldn't afford to take me in with one more mouth, and it happened that the relative knew a knife maker, and I heard that the knife maker said that there were not enough people in the palace, and if the child was sent into the palace, he could get a large sum of silver, so ......"

Although the Kangxi Dynasty was peaceful and prosperous on the surface. Kangxi has also been reducing the tax burden, but after years of conquest, the treasury is empty, and the people's livelihood is not much better, and major disasters and small disasters occur in various places every year. There are many children with poor backgrounds like Little Bean. Many families have more children and cannot afford to support them, so they can only give or sell a sum of money to support other children and supplement the family. However, in this patriarchal era, if it weren't for the people who really couldn't get by, there were very few boys in the family who entered the palace.

"Then do you have a grudge against your relative's family in your heart?" I was powerless to change this status quo, and I didn't want to sigh uselessly, so I asked lightly.

"Don't complain, the slave entered the palace voluntarily. Little Bean replied.

"Oh?" I was a little surprised.

"His family has kept slaves for five years, and he has always treated them as his own and has not treated them harshly. Originally, they didn't plan to let the slaves enter the palace, but discussed selling their own little sister. But the slave couldn't bear it, and felt that he couldn't repay the great favor of his family, and now that there were difficulties in the family, he should also repay them for their nurturing kindness, so the slave heard them mention that they could get a lot of silver by sending the boy into the palace, and it was more than selling the little girl, so he insisted on entering the palace. Little Beanzi said.

After listening to his explanation, I nodded approvingly. Let's not say whether this is right or not, just say that he was only an eight-year-old child at the time, and he was willing to give up his whole life to repay the favor because of the favor he received for five years, and then think about his attitude towards that aunt who would rather sacrifice his life than defend it, which is enough to prove that he is indeed a person who knows how to repay his kindness. Such a child does not owe me to let him live and pull him at the same time.

"I'll give you a name, and in the future, I will follow my surname Geng, a single name, a clear character, innocent and innocent. In the future, I will treat you like my own family, and after leaving the palace, I will do things for me and the fifth elder brother. ”

Geng Qing ...... Innocent and innocent ......" Xiaodouzi muttered, her voice a little choked, and she came back to her senses for a while and gave a deep gift.