The emperor was surprised: "Why are you crying?"
"Your Majesty is so busy, yet you still remember me. I am so touched. Just now I saw your kind face, and I couldn't help but think of Pei Gong..."
The more Qingtou thought about it, the better he felt Pei Gong was. In the past, even if he made a mistake, Pei Gong would just give him a few words of advice and that would be it. If Chang'an wasn't really good and he hadn't stayed there long enough, he might as well go to Dongdu overnight to serve Pei Gong.
The emperor laughed in silence, put down the book in his hand and observed Qingtou.
"Most men in Guanzhong have broad foreheads, fleshy noses, and well-proportioned bodies. Men in Ganliang have long faces, thin noses, and dark skin and strong bodies. I see that you look a bit like a native of Ganliang? Did you go to work for Pei Ji after he went to Ganliang?"
Qingtou nodded continuously, exclaiming from the bottom of his heart: "Your Majesty is wise! You can even see this!"
The emperor stroked his beard and smiled: "I have seen countless people, so naturally I have some experience. Tell me, how did you get into the Pei family?"
Qingtou quickly responded, saying that when he was five or six years old, he was herding sheep on the road one day and met a scholar riding a mule. He asked him how to get to Weiyuan City. He was not afraid of the long road in the snow and led the man all the way. It took half a day to arrive. When he arrived, he knew that he was the new county magistrate. The county magistrate saw that he was young and went out to herd sheep. In the winter, he was ragged and had only a pair of worn-out shoes on his feet. He asked him and learned that he had no mother since he was a child and lived with his father who was a gambler. Who knew that he got drunk and fell into the river and drowned. He was left to help others herd sheep in exchange for a bite of food. Because he was stupid and often bullied, he didn't even have a name. The county magistrate took pity on him and adopted him. Because they met in December, December together is Qing, so he named him Pei Qing, and his nickname was Qingtou.
The emperor sighed and murmured that he wished there were no orphans in the world, and then asked him to eat the fruit in the plate on the table.
Qingtou had heard that the rich families in Chang'an could eat fresh fruits cooked with ice in the summer. After taking a bite, the coldness cooled the stomach and the heat disappeared. But following the young master, he naturally didn't have this blessing. Hearing the emperor's words, he took a look and secretly swallowed his saliva. However, thinking of the look the young master had just given him, he shook his head and said, "Thank you for the reward, Your Majesty. I won't eat it."
"Why?"
"My eating manners are crude, and I am afraid of offending Your Majesty."
The emperor laughed and said, "I just like that you don't follow those rules. Eat without worries!"
Qingtou was still hesitant. At this time, he saw Miss Ye finish making tea, pour a cup for the emperor, and then peel a few grapes with her own hands, put the crystal-clear flesh in front of him, and said with a smile: "Eat it, don't worry about your master. If you are afraid of what he will say about you, just don't tell him."
Since she said so, Qingtou was relieved, sighed, knelt on the ground and kowtowed to the emperor, and carefully ate a frozen grape that Miss Ye had peeled for him. As soon as he took a bite, his lips and teeth were indeed cool and seemed to be sweeter.
The emperor then asked Pei Ji about his daily life there.
Qingtou gradually relaxed and kept talking about how honest Pei Ji was, how much he cared about the people under his rule, and how he was loved by the people. He was very happy and looked proud of it.
After listening to this, the emperor was silent for a moment, and suddenly asked: "Where is your Pei Langjun? What does he like to do on weekdays?"
Xuyu glanced at the emperor. He looked normal, smiling at Qingtou.
Qingtou said, "Mr. Pei is different from Mr. Pei. He doesn't like to talk and often goes out. He can't be seen for ten days or half a month. However, Mr. Pei is also a very good person. He does everything by himself and doesn't have the airs of a young man. When he was studying, he often asked me to study with him. But I didn't want to study. I wanted to sleep when I saw the book."