Li Yi found that the maidservants in the residence were a little strange these days. They often stole glances at him when he wasn't paying attention. When he noticed that they were also looking at him, they would all look away.
This was something that had never happened before.
When he washed his face in the morning, he looked at his reflection in the water a few more times. Recently, he hadn't obviously become more handsome. There was no reason for him to suddenly become so charming?
"What are you looking at?" When he sat in the courtyard and flipped through the old book that Second Granduncle gave him, he saw two maidservants hiding in the corner looking at him. They were whispering and pointing at him. He finally couldn't help but walk over and ask.
"No, nothing." The two maidservants lowered their heads and wiped the pillars, not daring to look at him.
Li Yi was a little puzzled and ignored them. Yesterday, Second Granduncle told him that he had neglected his martial arts practice. He threw him a booklet without a cover and the pages had already turned yellow, and told him to read it when he had nothing to do.
Fang wasn't so lucky. He was whipped by the two guards. If he persisted for half an hour without being whipped, he would have to start all over again.
"Lord Jue doesn't look that scary."
"Yes, are the rumors false? Are they not talking about our Lord Jue?"
"I've asked them twice. They are talking about Lord Jue, but — — it really doesn't look like it!"
…
The two maidservants were full of doubts. Their Lord Jue didn't look like the kind of person who would scare people into jumping into the lake with just a glance, not to mention that he was a prince.
If it was the Second Miss, it was possible. But if it was the handsome and amiable Lord Jue — — they really couldn't imagine the scene at that time.
But in the past two days, the news had spread throughout the capital. Lord Jue had taken a look at the King of Shu in Prime Minister Qin's Residence, and the King of Shu had jumped into the lake. It was said that he had even sprained his ankle. To the maids of the Li Residence, this was truly unimaginable.
Lord Jue had always been kind to them. They had heard that the King of Shu had been beaten up by him before, and it seemed that he had beaten him up quite badly. Naturally, this was something that they could not imagine. But to just take a look at him — how could that be?
Li Yi glanced at the two maidservants in the corner and said, "You've already been cleaning that pillar for an hour. If you continue to slack off, I'll deduct your pay …"
The two maids immediately ran away. Lord Jue's deduction of money was just a passing remark, but they didn't dare to discuss it anymore.
The erotic book in his hand gave him a headache. Based on his level, he might not be able to handle it. When he saw Ruyi walking in from outside, Li Yi hurriedly waved at her. "Wife, come here for a moment …"
…
…
In the next few days, Li Yi spent part of his time studying the erotic book. Ruyi seemed to value it very much. Whenever she had the time, she would give him pointers.
Most of the time, he would take Xiao Huan out for a stroll, to the brothel to watch shows, and to patrol the shops. There was nothing much to do in the palace, and the days were as leisurely as ever.
Sometimes, he would also meet Wan Ruoqing. She was always very busy. In the beginning, Li Yi also felt that this was not the way to go on. There were too few people with the ability to manage. When there were more and more shops, there would be more and more things to do. It was far from enough to rely on just one or a few people.
Wan Ruoqing nodded and said, "I'm already consciously cultivating them. But this is not a matter of a day or two. I can still take care of things here for the time being."
She was always so restless. Li Yi said a few times, but it was obviously not effective. Fortunately, Xiao Zhu was by her side, so she would not be as tired as before. Li Yi changed the topic. He pointed to a shed at the entrance of the brothel and asked, "What is this used for?"
When he came here just now, he noticed that there was this thing. There were a few beggars waiting outside, and there was actually a queue.
"This is the porridge shed that was set up here two days ago. These beggars have nothing to do on weekdays, so they let them clean the inside after closing the brothel at night. Usually, it takes a lot of effort to clean, but there are quite a lot of them, so they can save a lot of time."
Wan Ruoqing explained, "It doesn't cost much to give porridge twice a day, and they are also willing to do it. It's almost mealtime. Those who have worked here can get a bowl of porridge and two steamed buns with their tickets."
The brothel was a crowded place, and a lot of garbage was produced every day. It was really troublesome to clean, especially after all kinds of melon seeds became popular in the capital these days. The cleaning work became more and more troublesome. This was a good idea. Li Yi felt that this method was unlikely to be Wan Ruoqing's idea. Make the best use of people, and not waste any. This was Old Sun's style of doing things.
If it was free porridge, he was afraid that it would become a habit. This was also good. In fact, the cost would actually be reduced.
Not long after, someone carried a big pot of porridge out from inside. Li Yi took a look, and it was not too thin. The beggars in the queue all had tickets in their hands. One ticket was a bowl of porridge, a salted vegetable, and two steamed buns. For these beggars who didn't know the next meal, the food was already very good.
Not far away, there were beggars looking at them enviously. Seeing that there was still a lot left after the beggars received their food, the girl in charge of giving out porridge waved her hand and said, "There is still a little left today. If you want to eat, come over. This time it's free for you. If you want to eat every day, go to the other brothels in the capital and ask again. See the one with the willow leaf sign at the door? Ask them if they are still short of people …"
When the beggars heard this, they immediately swarmed over, loudly saying "Great Benefactor", "Living Bodhisattva", and so on. The girl hurriedly said, "Line up, line up, line up, otherwise we won't give it …"
In the distant corner of the street, a beggar was about to walk over, but he was stopped by a person.
The beggar turned his head and said with some impatience, "I don't care if the Empress of Heaven you speak of is real or not. She can't give me porridge to eat. I'm telling you, don't stop me anymore. In a bit, there will be no porridge left …"
"What is a bowl of porridge?" The young man next to the beggar looked at him with bright eyes and said, "Two months ago, I was the same as you. I didn't believe in the Empress of Heaven, but if it weren't for the Empress, I would have starved to death. How could I have lived until now?"
The beggar looked at him again. Although his clothes were not luxurious, they were a hundred times better than the beggars here. He suspiciously asked, "The Empress of Heaven, is it real? If you believe in her, you will really have porridge to eat? "
"Humph, the Empress of Heaven has already appeared twice. Everyone in the capital knows of her. You can go ask …" He took out a scroll from his chest and carefully opened it. His face was filled with respect and fanaticism as he said, "This is the Empress of Heaven …"
"Wait a moment …" The beggar looked at the scroll and hesitantly said, "Wait a moment, I'll go get a bowl of porridge, there really won't be any left!"
… …
… …
"There are many beggars in the capital city. In the past two days, many people have come to ask. I've told them to go to other brothels. We really do lack people …"
As Wan Ruoqing and Li Yi were talking about these things, they saw a beggar walk over from a distance. She picked up the spoon and waited for the beggar to place the bowl on the table in front of her.
The young girl who had just given out porridge had a stomachache and went to the bathroom. She happened to see this so she took her place.
The beggar placed the bowl and ticket on the table. He looked up and wanted to give him a bit more, but his mouth opened halfway and his eyes nearly popped out.
"Heaven, Heaven, Heaven … Empress!" His voice trembled and his mind went blank. In that instant, a thought appeared in his mind, "So those who believe in the Empress of Heaven can really have porridge to drink!"
"What … Empress, did you mistake me for someone else?" Wan Ruoqing shook her head with some doubt. Seeing that the young girl had already come over, she handed over the spoon in her hand and turned around to enter the brothel with Li Yi.
The young girl rubbed her stomach and gave the beggar some porridge. She routinely said, "Tonight is the same time as before. Wait here and someone will bring you in … Hey, hey, what's wrong?"
The beggar regained his composure and looked at the young girl. He rubbed his eyes and looked back at her with a puzzled expression.
But he quickly reacted. He picked up the bowl of porridge and forgot to even take the steamed bun. He turned around and ran across the street …
In a corner of the street, the youth carefully put away the scroll in his sleeve.
At this moment, the beggar ran over and grabbed his arm. With a trembling voice, he said, "I believe, I believe, I believe in the Empress of Heaven!"
As the youth was wondering why the beggar would have such a change, the beggar excitedly said, "I just saw the Empress of Heaven!"
The youth's body shook and a fanatical look appeared on his face. He grabbed the beggar's arm and asked, "Where, where is the Empress of Heaven!"
You've already exceeded your reading limit for today. If you want to read more, please log in.
Login
Select text and click 'Report' to let us know about any bad translation.
