As soon as Xiao He went inside, Ji Zhaoxi ran behind a snowdrift.
"Sister Xiao He will definitely help me," Ji Zhaoxi said, her eyes full of smiles.
Xiao Yanchen squatted beside her, a hint of worry in his eyes.
He was very happy that Xiao Xizi would accompany him, but the Imperial Study was truly a terrifying place.
And he had already become a terrifying person too.
Inside the room, the red charcoal burned brightly, a stark contrast to the freezing cold outside.
The Noble Consort lounged on a soft couch, holding the Second Prince's schoolwork in her hand.
"Your Highness, what do you think?" Xiao He asked cautiously.
The Noble Consort stifled a yawn, her voice soft. "It's just a study companion. Xiao He, just go and inform the Internal Bureau."
Xiao He's eyes curved into a smile. "Thank you, Your Highness."
The Noble Consort studied Xiao He, amusement in her eyes. "Is it that little eunuch brother of yours again?"
Xiao He nodded. "It is indeed Xiao Xizi."
The Noble Consort set the Second Prince's coursework aside and sighed. "I feel like you treat that little eunuch even better than you treat me, Xiao He."
Xiao He gently tugged at the Noble Consort's hand and murmured, "Your Highness."
The Noble Consort shook her head and waved her hand, her tone teasingly mournful. "Go on, go on. Don't keep your favorite little eunuch brother Xiao Xizi waiting too long."
Xiao He smiled. "Then this servant thanks Your Highness on behalf of Xiao Xizi."
Just as Xiao He was about to close the door, the Noble Consort's voice suddenly called out from inside, "Xiao He, you must come back later!"
Xiao He replied helplessly, "Your Highness, I will definitely come back. I need to sleep too, after all."
It was already late at night, and both inside and outside the hall were exceptionally quiet.
When Xiao He opened the door, she paused in surprise. The Seventh Prince was holding tightly onto Xiao Xizi's hand. Xiao Xizi was earnestly saying something, and the Seventh Prince couldn't get a single word in edgewise.
At the creak of the door, Ji Zhaoxi hurriedly shoved Xiao Yanchen behind the snowdrift. Xiao Yanchen stumbled and nearly fell.
Xiao He was speechless.
"Ahem," Xiao He cleared her throat.
Ji Zhaoxi quickly ran to Xiao He's side, grabbed her hand, and looked at her with wide, eager eyes. "Sister Xiao He, did Her Highness the Noble Consort agree?"
Xiao He's gaze inconspicuously drifted toward the snowdrift behind them, and she nodded.
"I'll go tell the Internal Bureau tomorrow. Xiao Xizi, you can just go directly there to collect your waist tag."
"After the physical inspection is done, Xiao Xizi, you can go to the Imperial Study with the Seventh Prince."
Ji Zhaoxi was overjoyed and hugged her arm. "I knew Sister Xiao He was the best! Sister Xiao He treats Xiao Xizi better than anyone else in the world. Xiao Xizi likes Sister Xiao He the most!"
Xiao He covered her mouth and laughed. Xiao Xizi had used this trick countless times, but she just loved seeing Xiao Xizi bouncing around her.
"Learning to sweet-talk at such a young age?"
"This is called a genuine outpouring of emotion!"
Xiao He rubbed her head. "Alright, alright, hurry back now. Don't come crying to me later if Eunuch Liu beats you."
"Sister Xiao He, when my salary increases in the future, I'll buy you lots and lots of things."
Xiao He chuckled softly. "Okay, okay, go back now."
But Ji Zhaoxi stood rooted to the spot, refusing to leave, just looking at her.
Xiao He glanced at the corner of the clothes peeking out from the snowdrift and walked back through the palace doors. Only then did Ji Zhaoxi leave.
Xiao He had only taken a few steps when she heard an undisguised voice from the doorway.
"Xiao Yanchen, I can go be your study companion now!"
Xiao He couldn't help but laugh. Were all children like this? Just a while ago she was bullying the Seventh Prince, and now the two of them had become friends?
Xiao Yanchen's eyes were also filled with unconcealable joy. Although he was worried about Xiao Xizi, the thought of her always being by his side made him truly happy.
Without a word, he took Ji Zhaoxi's hand and placed it on his head, then looked at her with bright eyes.
Ji Zhaoxi was taken aback for a moment before tentatively petting him.
Seeing Xiao Yanchen blush with happiness, Ji Zhaoxi suddenly realized, "So you like this, huh."
Soon, she started to feel pity for Xiao Yanchen. Surely no one ever patted his head, unlike her. She was incredibly popular and often had people patting her head.
But Eunuch Liu never patted her; he only used things to knock her on the head.
She felt her reflexes had been a bit slow lately; it was probably because Eunuch Liu had knocked her silly.
Otherwise, how could such a young brain suddenly become so sluggish?
Xiao Yanchen looked at Ji Zhaoxi beside him, his heart feeling warm.
The very first time Ji Zhaoxi patted his head, it was as if a switch had been flipped. His scalp tingled, and he fell in love with the feeling in a single second.
No wonder so many people patted Xiao Xizi's head. It turned out that getting your head patted felt this happy.
The weather had grown colder recently, and the number of thieving eunuchs had increased. Eunuch Liu had practically been sleeping in the Office of Punishments these past few days, interrogating these eunuchs all day long.
By the time he returned to the courtyard, he felt so exhausted he could barely stand.
Just then, a tiny figure suddenly darted out from the side.
"Eunuch Liu, let this humble one help you into the room to rest."
Eunuch Liu couldn't be bothered to entertain her. Clutching his hand warmer, he walked into the courtyard.
The snow in the courtyard had been swept completely clean, and a large broom was deliberately placed on the threshold, clearly meant to be seen by someone.
"Oh my! It's all my fault. I swept the grounds all day and forgot to put this big broom away."
She ran over to set the large broom aside, and once it was put away, she came back to support Eunuch Liu again.
"Eunuch Liu, please be careful, the ground is slippery." She pitched her voice high and accidentally choked. "Cough, cough..."
As soon as Eunuch Liu entered the room, he saw that the red charcoal was already lit, and a cup of hot tea sat on the table.
She nimbly brought the tea right to Eunuch Liu's lips. "Eunuch, please drink!"
Eunuch Liu's lips were nearly scalded off. He waved his hand in disgust. "Go away, go away."
She stared at him without making a sound.
Eunuch Liu was speechless.
Eunuch Liu didn't want to agree to whatever it was. Every time she acted like this, she always had some troublesome request she wanted him to agree to.
"No."
Ji Zhaoxi sat to the side, dejected. "If it's no, then it's no. Anyway, I've already gotten the waist tag from the Internal Bureau. I'm going for the physical inspection very soon..."
"Pfft—" The tea in Eunuch Liu's mouth sprayed out. He looked at her in disbelief. "How did you get a waist tag?!"
"Sister Xiao He asked for it for me," Ji Zhaoxi said smugly.
Eunuch Liu was speechless.
Headache.
Such a terrible headache.
An incredibly terrible headache.
He knew raising a child was a troublesome matter, but he hadn't expected it to be this troublesome.
"Didn't you hate the Seventh Prince? Then what is the meaning of this?" Eunuch Liu's eyes looked a bit glazed.
Ji Zhaoxi spoke with absolute self-righteousness: "I can only bully him better if I go be his study companion! When the time comes, he'll sit right next to me, and I can just punch him a few times. It's so convenient."
Eunuch Liu didn't believe a word coming out of her mouth. He hesitated before saying, "You wretched girl, don't just look at the Seventh Prince's handsome face and..."
Ji Zhaoxi furrowed her brows deeply and clenched her fists. "How is that possible? I never look at faces when I hit people!"
Eunuch Liu let out a deep sigh. Forget it, he was just an abandoned pawn anyway; there shouldn't be any danger.
The next day, Eunuch Liu took Ji Zhaoxi and Xiao Yanchen to the Internal Bureau for the physical inspection.
The Chief Steward of the Internal Affairs Bureau looked at Ji Zhaoxi, hesitating to speak. He walked over to Eunuch Liu and whispered, "Eunuch Liu, you should tell Xiao Xizi to be a bit more careful. He is still an imperial prince, after all."
If he were to be tortured to death, it would definitely cause trouble.
Eunuch Liu: ...
