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The Emperor was lost in thought, his mind completely filled with thoughts of Lian Hua. There hadn’t been any major affairs these past few days, so he hadn’t really paid attention to the discussions of those below him.

As usual, a senior minister from the Ministry of Revenue complained about the lack of silver, droning on and on, suggesting cuts here and there.

Once the Ministry of Works heard this, they would have none of it, and neither would the Ministry of War.

The people from the Ministry of War were hot-tempered, swearing and cursing as the representatives from the three departments quarreled fiercely in the hall.

After the various parties had argued until their faces were red and their ears hot, and finding themselves at an impasse, they stepped forward together to plead for His Majesty to pass judgment. They waited for quite some time, but His Majesty, seated aloft, remained expressionless and silent.

The various parties suspended in tension, uncertain of His Majesty’s intentions. After standing for a while and unable to bear the pressure any longer, they obediently fell back into line, pretending as though nothing had happened.

When the Emperor came back to his senses and saw the hall was quiet, he wondered if there were no matters to report. Thus, with a wave of his hand, he dismissed the court and hurried towards the Star Palace.

The bewildered ministers who remained wondered if His Majesty was furious.

Usually, after a morning court session, he would offer some words of encouragement, speaking at least a few words.

But today, he had not uttered a single unnecessary word—could it be that he was dissatisfied with recent events?

At this thought, the ministers of the six departments tightened up, handling their affairs with much greater caution and care.

The thought of seeing Little Concubine soon filled the Emperor with uncontrollable joy. It felt like an eternity since they had last seen each other, the absence as bitter as the longing.

Yet when the Emperor arrived at the Star Palace, he found it empty, the stark contrast crushing his anticipation to nothing.

Where had the people gone? There hadn’t been another incident, had there?

With a growing unease, he ordered the Young Eunuch who was in charge of watching over the court to come forward for questioning. To his dismay, the eunuch tasked with the vigil also was nowhere to be seen.

The Emperor began to panic, he ordered Zhang Qing to lead a search while he himself paced back and forth within the hall.

And there, Zhang Qing, as he hurried out of the Star Palace, encountered Xiao Linzi.

Just in time!

Zhang Qing asked, "Where is Young Master Lian now?"

His Majesty was almost at his wit’s end; he was close to going out to search himself, but it was Zhang Qing who had advised against it, warning that it might create too much commotion and might not be good for Young Master Lian. With that, he had managed to placate His Majesty.

Xiao Linzi, noticing the Chief Steward’s dire expression, quickly replied, "Back to Chief Steward Zhang, Young Master Lian has returned to Canglan Court. She—" Right now she’s unconscious, he thought; he needed to inform His Majesty immediately.

Zhang Qing, in a rush, cut him off, "Enough, His Majesty is looking for you right now, hurry and follow me inside." Saying this, he tugged Xiao Linzi as they both ran back into the Star Palace.

Once inside, Xiao Linzi gave his respects and was about to report.

The Emperor interrupted him, demanding angrily, "I entrusted you to watch her, where did you go?" How could this servant be so inept at his duties?

Xiao Linzi was taken aback for a moment. Was His Majesty angry?

Seeing Xiao Linzi still stunned, Zhang Qing slapped him on the head and chided, "His Majesty is asking you a question, speak up."

Shaking off his daze, Xiao Linzi quickly responded, "Oh, replying to His Majesty, your servant followed Young Master Lian to Canglan Court."

Upon learning of Little Concubine’s whereabouts, the Emperor’s expression softened slightly, but then he grew anxious as he inquired, "What is she doing there?" He was eager to know what she was doing right now; he had seen her last night unharmed, but would she resent him? If she didn’t resent him, why wasn’t she waiting at the Star Palace for him?

Xiao Linzi hesitated again. Should he start from the beginning? But Young Master Lian...

Zhang Qing, sensing Xiao Linzi’s hesitation and guessing that His Majesty wanted to know about Young Master Lian’s reactions and condition, slapped him on the head again, urging, "Hurry up and recount everything that’s happened to Young Master Lian after she woke up!"

It had to be said that Zhang Qing knew the Emperor’s mind well, and his words were exactly what the Emperor wished to hear.

Xiao Linzi had a special talent for recounting events and conversations between people verbatim without missing a single word.

Hearing this, he no longer hesitated and began recounting the story starting from Young Master Lian’s conversation as he was leaving the hall.

As the Emperor and Zhang Qing listened to him retell about how he blocked Young Master Lian outside the hall and what their conversation was like, they couldn’t help but facepalm, wondering why the person had disappeared.

It turned out that when Xiao Linzi was asked to watch over someone, he literally just "watched" the person, and in his confusion, he let the person be tricked away.

Xiao Linzi was good in every way: honest and reliable, never cutting corners, and always doing as he was instructed. The only downside was that he was inflexible, and with a few less instructions, he got tricked by Lian Hua...

As Xiao Linzi continued talking about the conversation between Lian Hua and Xiao Qing, and then about Lian Hua going to look for Xiao Jizi, the Emperor nodded, thinking it seemed the person was indeed unharmed.

Then, as Xiao Linzi went on, he somehow included the conversation he had with Xiao Jizi, during which he chased after Xiao Jizi and forgot to keep an eye on Young Master Lian.

The Emperor, growing impatient upon hearing this, didn’t care for this jumbled mess. What he wanted to know was about the matter with Little Concubine, "Get to the point!"

"Ah? Oh!" Xiao Linzi stopped immediately, thought for a moment, skipped over a large section, and continued, "At that time, Beauty Li came..."

The moment he heard the words "Beauty Li," the Emperor’s face turned cold; she dared to go to Canglan Court!

Only Xiao Linzi’s voice remained in the hall, as he went on to clarify the whole incident.

When he heard that Little Concubine deceived Beauty Li, the Emperor burst into incredulous laughter, not having expected that little cunning spirit to have such a mischievous side.

When he heard that Beauty Li personally admitted she wanted to push Little Concubine down the stairs, the Emperor’s face darkened, and the killing intent in his eyes couldn’t be concealed. So that was it; he knew his Little Concubine wouldn’t do such a thing.

Beauty Li dare to play the thief and also cry ’stop the thief’? This was outright defiance, and it was fortunate that Little Concubine, blessed as she was, came to no harm, otherwise, he feared he would have executed Beauty Li and her entire family in his rage.

As the Emperor’s aura shifted, Zhang Qing was the first to sense it and promptly bowed his head further.

His Majesty was truly furious now, and it was lucky that his foolish adopted son was punished last night. Had it been today, he might not have been able to save his life. It was indeed a silver lining in a misfortune.

Without stopping, Xiao Linzi continued, "...and then Young Master Lian swung a fist and punched Beauty Li..."

"What? She dared to hit Little Concubine?" The Emperor roared in fury, revealing his inner title for her.

His initial reaction was to assume that Beauty Li had hit Lian Hua; it never occurred to him that Lian Hua would be the one to hit someone because, in his heart, his Little Concubine was too timid and cowardly to strike anyone.

Xiao Linzi, interrupted, was momentarily bewildered, unsure whom His Majesty was referring to as "Little Concubine". Feeling that something was off but recalling he had been explicit, he assumed the Emperor understood and must mean that, so he nodded.

The Emperor was angered and pained, asking anxiously, "How is the person now?"

"Is His Majesty asking about Young Master Lian? She fainted," Xiao Linzi finally reported with relief.

"What?" The Emperor was shocked.

Upon hearing this, Zhang Qing realized the gravity of the situation. He slapped Xiao Linzi’s head with his palm and berated, "Xiao Linzi, why didn’t you say so earlier!" and he fumed over the time wasted.

Touching his head, Xiao Linzi knelt down, feeling extremely wronged and said in a low voice, "This servant tried to say so, but every time before I could..."

He had wanted to say it from the beginning, but it was Steward Zhang who had stopped him, and then His Majesty had interrupted...

Steward Zhang’s slaps were getting more painful each time...

Worried about Lian Hua, the Emperor didn’t dwell on Xiao Linzi any longer and hastily rushed out of Star Palace towards Canglan Court.

At that moment, anger surged in his heart, and if anything had happened to Little Concubine, he was resolved to tear Beauty Li to pieces!

Chief Steward Zhang hurriedly followed His Majesty, but not before shooting a fierce glare at Xiao Linzi, thinking to himself how increasingly foolish the boy was!

In a blink, only a pitifully kneeling Xiao Linzi was left in Star Palace...