Dugong

Chapter 3 Looks like a person
evening.

Li Ping'an dragged his exhausted body back to his residence, undressed, and lifted up his trouser legs, revealing six bloodstains on his chest and calves.

When I touched it with my fingertips, I gasped in pain. It looked like the injury would take three to five days to heal.

"This old eunuch is so cruel! The landlord's cow was lazy, and even whipping it wasn't as cruel as this..."

Li Ping'an had no idea that eunuchs in the palace were worse than cattle and horses. They were just breathing objects, such as tables, chairs, benches, flower pots and spittoons.

If it's broken, shattered, or dead, just buy another one.

The price of an ox or horse is equivalent to that of three or five people.

Nearing midnight.

There were rustling sounds of footsteps outside the door. Xiao Zhongzi and the other two finally came back, all with tired faces.

Li Pingan took out three white flour buns from his arms. He had been holding them close to his body, and they were still warm. "Three eunuchs, we brought some food..."

Xiao Fangzi shook his head and refused: "We are not hungry."

Xiao Yuanzi didn't like eating white flour steamed buns, but he still took it with a smile and said, "Xiao Anzi is thoughtful."

Xiao Zhongzi broke open the steamed bun, tore off the layers and ate slowly, then asked, "How do you feel about the first day?"

"tired!"

Li Pingan said with a bitter face: "Memorizing the exercises is tiring, and standing by the rules is tiring. It's only been half a day, and I already have several bruises on my body."

"We all got through this. No matter how high we climb in the future, when we first entered the palace, we couldn't avoid being scolded by Eunuch Xu."

Xiao Zhongzi changed the subject and said, "But don't harbor resentment. There are few good people in the Ministry of Internal Affairs, and Eunuch Xu is one of them."

Xiao Fangzi and Xiao Yuanzi nodded in agreement. Only after they took the job did they understand how good Eunuch Xu was.

Li Pingan complimented him, "The three eunuchs are all kind-hearted. If our family were assigned to another place, who knows how much bullying we would suffer."

Xiao Fangzi didn't comment, while Xiao Yuanzi covered her mouth and chuckled.

Xiao Zhongzi laughed and scolded, "You are not good at learning etiquette, but you are good at flattering people without any teacher. Go to the kitchen and find some charcoal. I will teach you how to study."

Li Ping'an's eyes lit up and he hurried to the kitchen. Soon he came back with some black charcoal.

Xiao Zhongzi held the charcoal in his palm, and the true energy circulated to his palm, which instantly expanded to the size of a palm-leaf fan, emitting a light golden luster, as if cast in copper or iron.

After rubbing it back and forth a few times, the charcoal turned into two slender charcoal pencils.

"As the saying goes, a good memory is not as good as a bad pen. Copy down the Lotus Sutra and read it whenever you have time. After reading it ten thousand times, its meaning will become clear."

Li Ping'an quickly bowed to express his gratitude, found a piece of cloth to wrap the charcoal pencil, and kept it close to his body.

Xiao Yuanzi asked in surprise, "Have you mastered the Vajra Palm to perfection?"

“Luckily there was a breakthrough.”

Xiao Zhongzi spoke modestly, but the corners of his mouth couldn't help but rise, and a proud look appeared on his face.

Xiao Yuanzi said enviously, "With your current knowledge and martial arts, you are good enough to serve in the Imperial Household Department. By then, we can truly respectfully call you Eunuch Zhong."

Xiao Zhongzi shook his head slightly and said helplessly, "It's impossible to enter the Silijian without a backer. We are lucky to be able to go to the Yinshoujian and Duzhijian."

Li Ping'an had heard from Xiao Zhongzi that the twelve supervisors of the Imperial Household Department seemed to have equal rank, but in reality, their powers differed greatly. The criterion for judging merit and demerit was the number of times they could see the emperor.

For example, the top-level Silijian had the power to approve and seal documents, and could see the emperor almost every day.

The middle and upper class Yinshoujian and Duzhijian can be seen every now and then.

The Imperial Household Department where Xiao Zhongzi and the other two worked was in a middle-class position and they could occasionally see His Majesty.

As for the worst and most tiring Zhidianjian, you basically never see them. Even if you happen to meet them, they can only kneel down and kowtow without saying a word. It is a luxury to even see them looking up and showing their faces.

Li Ping'an got a sense of it. The eunuchs lived completely dependent on His Majesty.

……

The next morning.

Li Ping'an woke up early and drew water from the well to wash.

In the past, Li Ping'an would never be so particular. No one in the village had the habit of washing. Everyone was equally dark and dirty, and no one laughed at anyone for being dirty.

But yesterday, Xiao Rongzi despised him and mocked him for being "black as charcoal and smelly like a toilet."

From childhood to adulthood, Li Ping'an has heard a lot of unpleasant words, for example, the young master of Sun Baopi's family has liked riding horses since he was a child, and he only rides human horses instead of cows and horses.

Half a piece of coarse flour cake can be used as a horse for him to ride for half a day.

For a person to work like a slave to survive is nothing, not to mention that Xiao Rongzi just spoke rudely.

Li Ping'an wouldn't hold a grudge, but the young man had to save face, so he kept it in mind. He scrubbed it several times, inside and out, and after a few breaths, the odor faded considerably. He then fetched three basins of clean water and waited for Xiao Zhongzi to wake up.

My parents taught me that I should repay the kindness others offer me, and that only reciprocity can keep relationships long-lasting.

I heard from the old scholar in the village, how can this be called a gift?

Li Ping'an sat on the edge of the bed, trying hard to recall the secret book he recited yesterday, but after a whole night, he only remembered about ten words.

"I have to write it down quickly and recite it whenever I have time, so I can memorize it quickly and fluently..."

Not long after.

Xiao Zhongzi and the other two woke up on time and showed approval when they saw the water prepared for washing their faces.

"Xiao Anzi, I'll leave the chores in the back room to you."

"Okay okay."

Li Ping'an nodded in agreement repeatedly. After all, they were just small tasks like fetching water and sweeping the floor. It wasn't too hard to take on all the chores. He didn't realize that he was inferior to others at all.

Xiao Fangzi wiped his face and suddenly said something.

"What a lucky fool!"

Li Ping'an didn't understand what was going on. He smiled and took the water out to pour it out, then followed closely to the kitchen.

After dinner.

Li Ping'an touched his round belly and went to the Neiwu Hall. He still sat in the same seat as yesterday and opened the "Lotus Sutra" to read.

For illiterate people, reading is really a chore.

Reciting a dozen words over and over again was boring and made people drowsy. The reason that supported Li Ping'an's efforts was that he was assigned to work in the Shangshenjian.

For the sake of white flour buns, I can endure any hardship!

Xiao Rongzi arrived a little later and was planning to change seats, but when he saw Li Ping'an's clean face, he snorted and walked over to sit down.

"Yes, I look like a human being today."

Li Pingan ignored the ridicule and pointed at the strange yet familiar words in the book and asked, "Eunuch Rong, how do you read these words?"

"what--"

Xiao Rongzi narrowed his eyes, looking very happy: "Qi flows through the Ren channel, blood rushes against the gate, the jade pillow feels like it is burning, and the Xuanpin feels cold."

"Thank you, Eunuch Rong, for your guidance."

"what--"

Xiao Rongzi is much more fond of Li Ping'an. He has changed from being worthy of communication to being someone who can be taken in as a younger brother. In the future, he will be promoted to a father-in-law and can barely be taken in as a godson.

Li Ping'an found some rough paper and wrote crookedly with a charcoal pencil.

It's more like drawing symbols than writing. The strokes and order are completely wrong, and it looks crooked like chicken claws.

Xiao Rongzi's gaze, which was originally on his future godson, suddenly fell on the charcoal pencil. After observing it carefully, his pupils shrank slightly.

"Xiao Anzi, where did you get the charcoal?"

Li Pingan replied, "I have a good relationship with my roommate, Eunuch Zhong. He made a pen out of charcoal himself and taught me how to recite."

"..."

Xiao Rongzi raised his eyebrows and re-examined the bumpkin in front of him. He had just been in the palace for two days, but he actually knew how to take advantage of the situation.

Maybe he learned it by himself, or maybe he was forced by the environment.

Although his method was childish and full of loopholes, Xiao Rongzi saw through it at a glance. How could a "father-in-law" sleep with a young eunuch? However, his progress was so fast that it was amazing.

"Auntie was right..."

Xiao Rongzi muttered to himself, "This shameful place is like an inkwell. Anyone who falls into it will be stained with black."

Li Pingan was concentrating on copying the characters and didn't hear the conversation clearly, so he asked casually.

"What did Eunuch Rong say?"

Xiao Rongzi didn't look pleased this time, and his tone was a little more distant and serious.

"My family said that since Eunuch An has the support of noble people, he will surely be very successful in the future. Don't forget our family when that happens."

The first time Li Ping'an heard someone call him "father-in-law", he felt an inexplicable sense of pleasure in his heart, which was even more comfortable than eating white flour steamed buns.

On second thought, maybe it’s because I ate too much for breakfast and I’m not hungry now.

(End of this chapter)