Dugong

Chapter 74 Recruiting Old Servants
evening.

Li Ping'an attended to Empress Dowager Zhou as she retired for the night and then went to the east side room to stand guard.

The side room was about twenty steps away from the phoenix bed. With the skill of standing upright and disappearing in an instant, one could arrive there in a flash. The north window faced the curtains of the Empress Dowager's bedroom, allowing one to observe the movement of the candlelight at any time.

Around midnight.

Li Ping'an lay down fully clothed, half-asleep, and seemed to hear the sound of a copper bell.

Suddenly opening his eyes, he flashed to the north window and saw that the lights in the bedroom were on and there was nothing unusual about the eunuchs and maids on night duty.

"Was I just dreaming?"

Li Ping'an frowned slightly. Martial arts masters, with their perfect energy and spirit, rarely dream. He immediately left the side room and came to the door of the palace.

The eunuch on duty bowed and said, "Greetings, Chief Eunuch An."

Li Ping'an was no longer wearing gray clothes, but had changed into a blue official robe. He served as the chief eunuch of Cining Palace, in charge of all affairs in the palace and directly communicating with the Empress Dowager on imperial edicts.

"Open the door, we need to see the Empress Dowager."

The young eunuchs exchanged a glance, their faces showing reluctance, and said, "Palace Commander Zhou repeatedly instructed that the Empress Dowager has just returned to the palace and is physically and mentally exhausted, and no one is allowed to disturb her rest."

Li Ping'an's gaze darkened: "So, are you listening to Zhou Gong's orders or to our family?"

Zhou Gongling is the old nanny Lingxuan. Her ancestors were servants of the Marquis of Zhongyong's mansion for generations and were granted the surname Zhou. Now she serves as "Gongling" and manages trivial matters such as appearance, clothing, sleeping arrangements, and meals.

The young eunuch knelt down with a thud: "Steward An, please spare me! I was just following orders."

Li Ping'an did not press the matter further, as getting entangled with the gatekeeper eunuch would only make him a laughingstock. Instead, he asked in a gentle tone.

What are your names?

"Xiao Dingzi, Xiao Zhizi."

"I've got it. Do your job well!"

Li Ping'an closed his eyes slightly and bowed slightly, as if bowing to the palace gate. He stood motionless until dawn broke.

There was a squeak.

The palace door opened, and Empress Dowager Zhou looked up and saw Xiao Anzi, which put her in a very good mood.

"Little Anzi, I know you are loyal and filial, there is no need to come to pay your respects so early."

Without Li Ping'an needing to explain, Xiao Dingzi, who was kneeling beside him, said, "Your Majesty, Chief Steward An is very concerned about your safety and waited outside the door all night yesterday."

Li Ping'an said, "This is my duty."

Empress Dowager Zhou keenly sensed something unusual and asked, "Why not let Xiao Anzi enter the palace to stand guard at night? It's cold and windy outside; he shouldn't catch a cold."

Xiao Dingzi replied, "The Zhou Palace Commander is blocking the way and will not allow Steward An to see the Emperor."

"From now on, when Xiao Anzi sees me, there is no need to announce his arrival, and it is strictly forbidden to obstruct him!"

Empress Dowager Zhou spoke calmly, raising her hand and saying, "Xiao Anzi, help me to Rouyi Palace so I can catch up with Consort De."

Consort De was a title bestowed upon her by the late emperor; she has now been promoted to Dowager Consort.

Empress Dowager Zhou and Consort De were both born into noble families during the founding of the dynasty. They were close friends in their youth and maintained a close relationship during the reign of the late emperor. Their visit now was not just to reminisce about the past.

……

Jingxiang Division.

The area where the palace supervisor cleaned the toilets was filled with a terrible stench.

Xiao Rongzi sat on the stool, not at all bothered by the stench of the toilet. She first rinsed off the remaining feces with water, and then wiped it clean with a burlap sack.

Washing it three times wasn't enough; it was then left to dry in the sun.

Finally, wipe it with a clean cloth soaked in water, and smell it carefully. Only when the odor is completely gone is the job done.

According to the usual practice of Jingxiangsi, only five toilets need to be cleaned every day. However, Xiaorongzi had more than a dozen or twenty toilets piled up next to her, stained with yellow and green filth.

I have to scroll through the web from morning till evening, skipping lunch, just to barely finish my task.

The young eunuch working alongside him sneered, "I've long heard that Rongzi is skilled at cleaning toilets, and seeing it for myself today, I can confirm that his reputation is well-deserved."

Another eunuch sneered, "No matter how clean the toilet is, the nobles in the palace won't even glance at you." The stench in the Jingxiang Department was unbearable, but Eunuch Shangguan never came to check. No one would know if the toilet wasn't washed a couple of times. Did the nobles in the palace smell the stench when they urinated or defecated?
So everyone just went through the motions and didn't clean according to the rules, and there were never any accidents.

Xiao Rongzi ignored her colleagues' mockery and buried herself in meticulously cleaning the toilet.

My godfather once taught me that I should put my heart into everything I do and do everything to the best of my ability. Even something as mundane as emptying chamber pots can lead to success.

At this time.

The gate to the Jingxiang Division was pushed open from the outside, and the eunuch bowed and led the way with a fawning smile on his face.

"Steward An, you can just tell who you want to see. Why come to this filthy place and dirty your feet!"

Li Ping'an glanced around and quickly recognized Xiao Rongzi, waving to greet him.

"Eunuch Rong——"

"what!"

Xiao Rongzi subconsciously agreed, but when she turned around and saw Xiao Anzi smiling, she looked a little embarrassed.

"Eunuch An, long time no see."

Li Pingan casually picked up a stool and sat down next to him, carefully looking him up and down.

Compared to a few years ago, Xiao Rongzi has grown much taller, with a slender and handsome face, and her exposed arms are much darker than I remember.

"How has Eunuch Rong been doing these past few years?"

"not bad."

Xiao Rongzi said, "There is food and drink, and no one has been kicked out of the palace."

Eunuchs were born out of dependence on imperial power; the closer they were to the emperor, the greater their chance of rising in status.

Therefore, Xiao Rongzi would rather empty chamber pots and wash toilets, and endure the humiliation from her superiors and colleagues, than ever think of leaving the palace.

Li Pingan said sadly, "Our godfather, your godfather, passed away before the New Year. He kept talking about you before he died."

"We've already heard about it."

Xiao Rongzi sighed, "As a son, I was unable to be there for him in his final days. It was all thanks to Grandpa An for taking care of him. As his elders, we feel guilty!"

"You guys..."

Li Pingan shook his head and chuckled, the gloom in his heart instantly dissipating.

When Eunuch Chu died, he felt little grief. As a child, he had witnessed his elder sister and younger brother pass away, emaciated and resembling skeletons. It was better for Eunuch Chu to die of obesity than to freeze or starve to death.

After exchanging a few words with Xiao Rongzi, we got down to business.

"Our master is now the chief steward of Cining Palace and has been ordered to recruit people. Would Xiao Rongzi be willing to serve as the deputy chief steward under the Empress Dowager?"

Xiao Rongzi said solemnly, "Thank you for your guidance, Steward An."

Li Ping'an glanced at the sweat-drenched eunuch Xiang and asked, "Won't my transfer to Xiang Gonggong's right-hand man affect the work of the Jingxiang Division?"

"No, no."

As a senior member of the palace, Eunuch Xiang naturally knew how to read between the lines: "Don't worry, Steward An, I will punish those fools and make sure you are satisfied."

Li Ping'an nodded slightly, led Xiao Rongzi away from Jingxiangsi, and whispered instructions to her when they were alone.

"We don't trust anyone else, so Rongzi, you must keep a close eye on Cining Palace and find an opportunity to get rid of those old nannies!"

Xiao Rongzi asked in confusion, "What does Eunuch An mean by this?"

Li Ping'an took out the Empress Dowager's edict from his bosom. It had His Majesty's seal on it and allowed Cining Palace to recruit the former subordinates of Eunuch Chu. There was an extra note in red ink: "to take over the affairs of the Inner Palace Attendants Department."

"I reckon His Majesty will assign us some duties, making it difficult for us to stay at Cining Palace at all times. If some servant manages to lure the Empress Dowager away, we'll be in deep trouble!"

Xiao Rongzi glanced at him and said, "Isn't Eunuch An afraid that we will take his place?"

“If anyone else had said that, I would have slapped their head off. But Rongzi is different. If it weren’t for his advice back then, I would have been killed by Eunuch Zhou long ago…”

(End of this chapter)