Speaking of gifts, Wu Shixiong was now in a somewhat difficult position.
At first, Wu Shixiong had merely intended to test the waters and make friends with Liang Zhu.
Now that he thought about it, giving money seemed a little too vulgar.
At Eunuch Xiao Zhuzi’s level, simply giving money was completely useless.
Wu Shixiong decided that if he was going to give a gift, he might as well give something substantial!
His follower felt rather depressed upon hearing this. “Your Highness, is it worth it?”
“Why wouldn’t it be worth it?” Wu Shixiong said viciously. “That old turtle Wei Jiuxian is already over ninety years old. He outlasted two old emperors. How many more years can he live? Little Pillar is currently favored, so giving him a gift now is timely help... Once he truly becomes successful, our gift won’t seem as sincere.”
The follower thought for a moment before saying, “Your Highness, among the jeweled gifts we brought this time, there is a remarkable book from the Inner Palace of the Great Chu Dynasty! It records martial arts so mysterious that they seem to defy gods and ghosts! However, only eunuchs can practice it, so the Prince had us bring it to the capital city.”
Wu Shixiong was very surprised. “A martial arts manual that only eunuchs can practice?”
The follower said loudly, “Reporting to the Heir Apparent, this book is called 《Sunflower Manual》!”
After returning to the Imperial Palace, Liang Zhu placed a box of gold bars in his room and hugged the gold, grinning from ear to ear.
Seeing Liang Zhu’s appearance, Chu Xiaoxiang could not help rolling her eyes at him, thinking that he was being far too foolish.
Gold and silver—heavy, filthy things...
Liang Zhu did not care about any of that.
Gold was hard currency in the city.
One liang of gold was equivalent to ten liang of silver and could be exchanged for a thousand copper coins of the highest face value.
A ten-cash copper coin could buy half a jin of rice in Tai'an City, or one sesame cake.
Liang Zhu was not a stingy man either. He grabbed a large handful of gold bars and eagerly hurried out.
Liang Zhu arrived at Xiao Meiyue’s residence and placed the gold bars on the table.
A gold bar was actually about the size of a girl’s little finger, not some thick and clumsy object.
This large handful of gold bars amounted to more than a hundred liang of gold.
The bright yellow gold had a powerful visual impact beneath the lamplight.
Xiao Meiyue was not so shocked by the gold that she lost her composure. She smiled and said, “Made a fortune?”
Liang Zhu chuckled. “Five hundred liang of gold! This hundred-plus liang is for Older Sister.”
“Wu Shixiong certainly is generous.” Xiao Meiyue picked up a gold bar and examined it. “The color is pure gold. It seems Prince of Zhenxi’s residence places great importance on you.”
Xiao Meiyue put away the gold bars, took Liang Zhu’s hand, and said earnestly, “Older Sister still has some savings. Later, I’ll help you exchange this money for silver and copper coins, then distribute them in your name as rewards to the eunuchs and palace maids of the various palaces. Since Your Majesty has no Noble Consort or other consorts here, there aren’t many people who need to be cultivated...”
As she spoke, Xiao Meiyue gave a gentle smile. “Once Little Pillar has accumulated connections and prestige and becomes Chief Eunuch in the future, Older Sister will have to rely entirely on you.”
Liang Zhu was deeply moved and nodded.
After coming to this world, Xiao Meiyue was truly the person who helped him wholeheartedly. Tianlai Novel Network
Although Xiao Meiyue’s assistance did contain an element of competing for power and cultivating an ally, it had indeed helped Liang Zhu greatly.
However, this chief female official in the palace had one bad habit: she was lustful.
People usually say that men are lustful, but women were actually not much different.
In the palace, Xiao Meiyue saw nothing but frail eunuchs.
A handsome, strong, and powerful eunuch like Liang Zhu was someone Xiao Meiyue found more and more attractive the longer she looked at him.
Since this was her private residence and it was nearly time to sleep, Xiao Meiyue was not wearing very much.
In this world, thick, coarse fabric was what girls from poor families wore.
The standard for truly fine fabric was that it be light, thin, exquisitely dyed, and soft in material.
Xiao Meiyue was wearing this kind of skirt.
It was translucent inside and out, with every line and detail clearly visible.
Liang Zhu felt a bit of a headache.
Xiao Meiyue seemed to notice Liang Zhu’s gaze as well. She smiled and glanced out the window. “Little Pillar, it’s getting late. Why don’t you rest here tonight? We can have a good chat.”
Liang Zhu let out a scream and turned and ran.
If Liang Zhu really were a little eunuch, he would have accepted his fate.
But the problem was that Liang Zhu was not!
If he lost control and violated Xiao Meiyue right there, wouldn’t he be hacked to death by a mob afterward?
Liang Zhu’s martial arts were formidable, so Xiao Meiyue could not stop him at all.
Helpless, Xiao Meiyue laughed and cursed from behind him, “coward, what are you running for? Older Sister isn’t going to eat you!”
Liang Zhu waved his hand and ran even faster.
Standing by the window, Xiao Meiyue gently bit her lower lip. “Hmph, you bad guy. Sooner or later, I’ll eat you up!”
Xiao Meiyue glanced toward the imperial bedchamber, draped a garment over herself, and went outside the imperial bedchamber to inquire about the Empress’s condition.
The Empress’s physical condition had been good recently. She often worked until late at night and was still full of energy.
Xiao Meiyue had come over to see whether a late-night snack or something else needed to be prepared, but she was told that the Empress had already gone to sleep.
“She went to sleep this early today?” Xiao Meiyue asked with concern. “Is Your Majesty feeling well?”
The palace maids indicated that the Empress’s mental state was still quite good.
Xiao Meiyue was still somewhat uneasy. She quietly walked to the imperial bedchamber and looked toward the Empress.
She saw the Empress lying on her side, sleeping soundly on the bed, her flushed complexion looking very beautiful.
Whether it was an illusion or a matter of perspective, Xiao Meiyue felt that the Empress’s chest seemed to be slightly fuller.
It was still early. The chief female official, wishing to demonstrate her loyalty, gathered several palace maids together and softly instructed them on the various matters requiring attention in their daily duties.
After saying nearly everything that needed to be said, Xiao Meiyue took out several small silver ingots and distributed them among everyone, saying that they were rewards from Eunuch Xiao Zhuzi.
Recently, Eunuch Xiao Zhuzi had been the Empress’s favorite. Everyone was eager to curry favor with him, but no one had expected Eunuch Xiao Zhuzi to be so generous...
Handsome, trusted by the Empress, and wealthy—the palace maids’ eyes sparkled with infatuation. Apart from not being a man, Eunuch Xiao Zhuzi could be called perfect.
As everyone was talking, a sound suddenly came from inside the imperial bedchamber: “Hmm.”
Immediately afterward came another “Ah,” filled with considerable pain.
Xiao Meiyue and the palace maids hurried over as quietly as possible.
Under the darkened lamplight, Xiao Yanran’s cheeks were flushed, her forehead covered in sweat, and her body trembled painfully like that of a sick person.
They were all women, so Xiao Meiyue and the palace maids immediately knew what was happening to the Empress.
With a severe gaze, Xiao Meiyue ordered the palace maids to leave.
“I’ve memorized every one of your names!” Xiao Meiyue said with bloodthirsty killing intent. “If I hear even the slightest leak about what happened today, all five of you will be beaten to death!”
The five palace maids turned pale with fright and hurriedly swore an oath that they would never reveal anything.
Xiao Meiyue waved her hand and dismissed the palace maids.
Although she had told the palace maids not to meddle, Xiao Meiyue could not suppress her own curiosity. She crept back over and took another look.
Amid the silence, Xiao Meiyue heard the Empress murmur in a low voice from her dream, “Little Pillar, don’t do this... Ah, please spare me...”
Xiao Meiyue’s eyes suddenly widened. Good heavens, the Empress was actually dreaming about Little Pillar?!