“Aren’t you the bookboy? Come here and sit beside me to serve,” Rong Jin said.
“Yes,” Tong Sui replied, struggling to rise from the ground. He walked with a limp, looking frail enough that a gust of wind could blow him over.
Rong Jin narrowed his eyes, realizing that the news from Liu Zhongtang might not be false—this was hardly the frame of a twelve-year-old child.
Tong Sui cautiously approached him and was about to kneel when a soft cushion was tossed at his feet.
The cushion was embroidered with golden threads and silver lines, adorned with tassels, and in the corner, the character “Rong” was stitched, clearly a personal item of Rong Jin.
“Why are you just standing there?”
Tong Sui hurriedly responded with an “Oh” and quickly sat down beside him.
Fearful of offending Rong Jin, he dared not sit too close, obediently settling on the cushion a distance away, his legs neatly together like a well-behaved child.
Although Rong Jin had asked him to sit, he did not indicate what he should do next and instead began reviewing the piles of official documents on the table.
There appeared to be at least hundreds of documents spread across the table.
And this was just a small portion of the work that had fallen onto the Ministry of Rites since the emperor had stopped holding court.
Tong Sui was left with no choice but to apply the ink grinding skills he had just learned that day, extending his hand to awkwardly grind the ink stick on the inkstone.
After a while, he touched the empty teacup on Rong Jin’s desk and refilled it with hot tea.
Rong Jin glanced at him without saying a word.
If it were any other servant, they would have been too frightened to move by now, but this little bookboy had quite a bit of nerve.
He took a sip of the hot tea and continued reviewing the documents on the table.
With nothing to do, Tong Sui turned his gaze to the official documents in Rong Jin’s hands.
He could understand most of the characters but needed time to adapt to read them quickly and figure out the meanings.
In contrast, Rong Jin seemed very familiar with such matters—reading, making judgments, marking in red, all the actions flowing smoothly together.
When faced with particularly important decisions, he would slightly furrow his brows and set those documents aside.
Observing this scene, one could hardly believe that this person before him was the same as the notorious head of the eunuchs.
Rong Jin was like a contradiction, leaving one unable to determine which side was truly him.
Tong Sui stared at the documents for a while, feeling somewhat bored, so he let his gaze drift back to Rong Jin’s familiar face, now acutely aware of their differences in status and only daring to sneak glances.
He thought that such small actions would not catch Rong Jin’s attention.
Rong Jin merely saw through this without exposing it, curious to see just how much courage this child had. Little did he expect to encounter someone bold enough to doze off in front of him one day.
Tong Sui initially kept alert, but facing Rong Jin’s excessively familiar face, he gradually began to relax.
The hall was warm and quiet, filled with a delightful sandalwood fragrance, and the soft cushion made Tong Sui’s eyelids feel heavy.
Even though he had already slept through the night, he still felt incredibly drowsy and seemed unable to get enough sleep.
His head dipped lower and lower, almost touching the tabletop, when he suddenly woke up, glanced at Rong Jin to confirm he hadn’t been caught slacking, and closed his eyes again.
This repeated several times.
Tong Sui comfortably spent the entire afternoon, and after leaving the Ministry of Rites, returned to his small dilapidated room.
Chu Yunyun anxiously waited inside and rushed over when Tong Sui entered, looking around, “Are you okay? I was about to die of worry. How did Liu Zhongtang punish you?”
Tong Sui paused, “Liu Zhongtang?”
“The old man who took you away,” Chu Yunyun replied. “He’s the Grand Secretary, Liu Yong, and a subordinate of that eunuch Rong Jin.”
“He didn’t punish me.”
Hearing this, Chu Yunyun sighed in relief but then asked, “But where did he take you?”
“To the Ministry of Rites.”
“What?!” Chu Yunyun’s expression changed dramatically. “What did he take you there for?”
Tong Sui shook his head. “I don’t know.”
He looked at the steaming food on the table, his attention completely shifted, and he no longer had the mind to answer Chu Yunyun’s question.
To Chu Yunyun, this was a serious matter.
Being targeted by Rong Jin felt like stepping one foot into hell; how could this foolish child only be thinking about eating?
Chu Yunyun held his hand firmly, his expression more serious than ever, “You must tell me everything you discussed and did.”
Reluctantly, Tong Sui recounted what had happened that day.
After listening, Chu Yunyun fell silent for a moment, seemingly in disbelief, “Is that all?”
Tong Sui nodded, “Can I eat now? I’m so hungry!”
Chu Yunyun released his hand.
Rong Jin had countless people serving him; why would he specifically summon Tong Sui to such a unique place?
What did he truly want?
Chu Yunyun watched Tong Sui start eating, unable to refrain from frowning. If Tong Sui had no power or influence, the only thing he could flaunt was his handsome face.
But he had never heard of Rong Jin having a preference for that.
Not only did Rong Jin not have such a preference, over the years, he had not had anyone particularly close to him, being like a breath of fresh air compared to other eunuchs.
Although the reasons remained unclear for now, it did not mean that Rong Jin had any good intentions.
Chu Yunyun warned him, “You must be cautious of Rong Jin; he is known for being ruthless. Those who offend him do not end well. Next time you encounter him, just keep your distance.”
Tong Sui held the rice bowl, “Actually, I don’t think Rong Jin is as bad as you say…”
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