He almost wanted to clap and cheer!
This blockhead had no idea what kind of person Concubine Fang was. No matter how persistently Concubine Fang used elegant words to express her genuine and touching emotions, he always managed to set her straight!
After a few exchanges, it seemed that Concubine Fang was annoyed and, in a fit of anger, told the blockhead to leave. And the blockhead, true to form, was about to leave obediently. Before leaving, he remembered something his master had once said and bluntly told Concubine Fang, "There are only two food boxes in Canglan Court, both are unique and exquisite, and they can’t stay overnight in Lanyue Palace." He insisted on taking them with him.
Concubine Fang was even more annoyed and told the blockhead to wait for Jin Xi to send them over.
But the blockhead disagreed.
He was stunned when he heard this and asked the blockhead why he disagreed. The blockhead replied, "The master said that such fine food boxes shouldn’t stay elsewhere overnight. It seems that even staying past noon wouldn’t be proper. What if someone coveted them?"
He suddenly remembered that this was something the master and His Majesty had argued about, asking the blockhead to reclaim the food boxes from Star Palace.
He was astonished. He hadn’t expected that this blockhead, usually so single-minded, had now started to think laterally and even deduce conclusions on his own. It was about whether staying overnight or even past noon was inappropriate, but had he perhaps taken a wrong turn in his reasoning?
Luckily, the blockhead still had some sense of proportion and didn’t say the last sentence outright, mentioning only that the food boxes couldn’t stay in Star Palace either—otherwise, he’d certainly end up offending everyone on behalf of his master.
Still, Concubine Fang was furious and embarrassed, wailing and clutching her chest, shouting in pain, and reciting bitter poetry to express her dissatisfaction.
But all of this was lost on the blockhead. He still cleared out the food boxes and, with full propriety, performed the farewell bow. He completely missed that Concubine Fang was speaking about him, hoping he’d say a few nice things to placate her, but instead, he simply took his leave.
Upon leaving the door, Jin Xi tried to stop him but couldn’t. The blockhead said he had to come back to offer his congratulations and left without lingering, heedless of her calls. Concubine Fang, truly infuriated, moaned and lamented behind him, to no avail.
Perhaps he said many things, and the blockhead heard only a few?
He understood everything now.
After Xiao Linzi finished speaking, seeing Xiao Jizi’s expression remain blank and motionless, he couldn’t help but wave his free hand in front of him, "Brother Xiao Ji, what’s wrong with you?"
Xiao Jizi suddenly snapped back to reality and, seeing the simple-minded blockhead before him, slapped his shoulder and couldn’t hold back a loud laugh, "Well done, blockhead, not bad. From now on, all tasks for Lanyue Palace will be assigned to you."
It was a waste to not use such talent. Letting the blockhead deal with Concubine Fang was just perfect, hahaha.
No wonder there’s a saying that everything has its match. So many in the palace were subdued by Concubine Fang’s pretentious demeanor, even he had been. But this blockhead didn’t fall for it. Instead, he subdued Concubine Fang with his own methods. Such talent, haha!
Xiao Linzi couldn’t help but show a shy smile, revealing two small canines, "Thank you, Brother Xiao Ji."
Brother Xiao Ji praised him for handling the tasks well, and it made him very happy.
Remembering something, he added, "Brother Xiao Ji, you’ve been promoted. Da Zhuang said that by the time I return, many would have already congratulated you."
Xiao Jizi couldn’t help but laugh. Being promoted had really boosted his confidence indeed, as everyone who saw him offered their congratulations.
Xiao Linzi continued, "I haven’t congratulated you yet. I’m not sure what to give you. His Majesty gifted me two roast chickens, I ate one and saved the other. I’ve kept it for you as a congratulatory gift."
He ate one of the roast chickens and still hadn’t had enough, but when he thought of Brother Xiao Ji, he resisted his drooling and carefully put away the roast chicken, storing it in their room.
Xiao Jizi was about to say something when suddenly, a bolt of lightning struck his mind. He was promoted, and people were congratulating him?
He suddenly realized why Fatty Gao from the Imperial Kitchen had become so friendly, it must be because he knew about the promotion beforehand and had come to curry favor!
Indeed, indeed. It was rumored that Fatty Gao and Eunuch Liu were close. He must have gotten wind of it beforehand.
Yes, during their casual conversation, Fatty Gao had asked him if he had encountered Eunuch Liu before coming out. At the time, he didn’t think much of it, assuming Fatty Gao couldn’t find Eunuch Liu and was just inquiring. Now it was clear he was testing whether Xiao Jizi knew about his promotion!
Upon thinking it through, everything became clear!
He suddenly clapped his hands together, his mind instantly enlightened. Clever Fatty Gao, giving him quite the scare, so that was the reason!
At that moment, he felt exceptionally refreshed, as if all his worries had vanished. He patted Xiao Linzi firmly on the shoulder and laughed heartily, "No need, keep it and eat it. You have already given me two great gifts today, two very big gifts!"
The first gift was the matter with Fatty Gao, which had enlightened him and cleared the disgusting feeling stuck in his heart!
The second great gift was related to Concubine Fang Pin. In the Lanyue Palace, he had felt so stifled and uncomfortable, thinking about visiting Lanyue Palace in the future made him dreadfully worried. Having to interact with Concubine Fang Pin a few more times, he would have gone mad. But now this fool not only gave him a chance to exhale in relief but also solved his future worries. Indeed, a great gift!
Xiao Linzi scratched his head, not understanding. Had he given him anything?
Later, Xiao Jizi told him not to worry about it and just enjoy the roast chicken. He didn’t think much about it and happily took his food box and left.
Xiao Jizi was also quite cunning. From that day on, whenever there were tasks involving Concubine Fang Pin, he always sent Xiao Linzi. Each time Concubine Fang heard someone from Canglan Court was coming, she was pleased, but upon seeing Xiao Linzi, her smile would fade. Every time she reminded herself, if it weren’t for this blockhead being Sister Lian’s man, she wouldn’t bother putting up with him. For Sister Lian’s sake, she was willing to make sacrifices!
After sending Xiao Linzi back, Xiao Jizi continued to strut around the yard with his chest puffed out, looking here and there, meddling in everything and showing off in front of every single person.
At night, Lian Hua sat in front of the dressing table, undoing her hairpin and brushing her hair. Xiao Qing sat in front of her, vividly describing Xiao Jizi’s antics, making her burst into uproarious laughter.
Xiao Qing portrayed vividly, "...When Xiao Jizi saw Pang Ya, he immediately straightened his face, walked back and forth in front of her with his hands behind his back. Pang Ya simply went about her business, completely ignoring him. Seeing that Pang Ya was ignoring him, he couldn’t hold his face and loudly cleared his throat, then drew closer, nearly standing right in front of her!"
Xiao Qing walked around with her hands behind her back imitating Xiao Jizi, the picture of a smug little person. As she spoke, she herself couldn’t resist laughing out loud.
Lian Hua delightedly asked, "Then what?"
"Because Xiao Jizi was hindering Pang Ya’s work, she couldn’t ignore him any longer. Hence, Pang Ya glanced at Xiao Jizi, turned around, picked up a broom nearby and started sweeping forcefully at Xiao Jizi, saying while sweeping, ’Where did all this clutter come from? It’s so obstructive, scram, scram, scram!’"