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The pen of a scholar, a killer’s mouth, is truly magnificent!

If that’s how he wants to play, then let this mediocrity die by his own tongue, which would be a fitting end.

Cao De stroked his smooth chin and, seeing the Emperor’s obscure and unfathomable expression, knew he was still furious.

To dragons, their inverse scales should not be touched, and now it seems that the Emperor’s inverse scale is that Little Beauty.

Well, he should provoke her less from now on. Hasn’t he seen how quickly that Imperial Censor died?

That Imperial Censor made a lengthy criticism, trying to pin a label on him, and when he was about to pin the label of emulating the Late Emperor’s Favored Concubine—he hadn’t finished speaking when the Emperor, who had been holding a jade orb in his hand, threw it at him, hitting the censor so hard that his head bled profusely.

The jade orb was something Cao De had presented before the court session began, for the Emperor to fidget with and, if necessary, to throw at someone.

At that time, the Emperor had laughed at him for being overzealous. Now, how wise that seemed, as it had come in handy!

The Emperor is indeed quite insidious, tolerating everything up front, allowing people to speak, until that moment to throw the orb, precisely intercepting the Imperial Censor’s nonsense, stopping it just right.

Hiding behind a Young Eunuch, he watched, feeling the pain himself.

After silencing the Imperial Censor, the Emperor roared in anger, demanding righteously what the meaning of emulating the Late Emperor was, whether he meant that he, the Emperor, was incompetent, or the Late Emperor was incompetent?

The Late Emperor had passed away, and matters of right and wrong, success and failure were not for an Imperial Censor to publicly criticize in court; even if one knew of the Late Emperor’s incompetence, it could not be openly stated.

The Imperial Censor panicked, repeatedly denying that it was his intention, but the Emperor did not give him a chance to speak further.

He brought up that the censor had been promoted during the Late Emperor’s reign and scolded him for being ungrateful, lacking loyalty to his sovereign and piety towards his parents.

Then the Emperor exposed that the censor had kept a mistress and that his nephew bullied men and women, angrily denouncing him for not being virtuous privately and for having a disordered family.

In the end, in open court, the ungrateful, untalented, and unvirtuous man was thrown into prison for investigation and sentencing.

With that, the morning court session ended. The words spoken by a person of dubious character, can one heed them? Of course, they do not count anymore!

In the court, everyone fell silent as cicadas in winter, having not seen the Emperor show such harshness in court for a long time, directly imprisoning a man on the spot—and they had forgotten the Emperor’s iron-fisted, decisive methods of before.

Cao De too was startled. He hadn’t seen Yuchi Zhao so angry in a long time—oh, he’d forgotten, it’s been years since he last saw Yuchi Zhao. It’s been a while, hasn’t it?

But now he’s still feeling the residual fear, reflecting on how ruthless the Emperor is, using the enemy’s spear against their own shield.

He estimated that this must be the most aggrieved Imperial Censor to die, not gaining a reputation for loyal service to the point of risking death but instead falling because of his own unfinished words, ending up disgraced in open court.

Being directly accused by the Emperor in court, who else could receive such "good" treatment?

News would spread throughout the Capital in the blink of an eye, even if the censor were not to be exiled after his family was raided, his descendants would not be able to hold their heads up high for generations.

So one should not provoke Yuchi Zhao. And when speaking, one must be quick and not take breaks mid-sentence, lest they have to take a permanent break thereafter.

The Emperor took a sip of tea and looked at Cao De, "What do you think of today’s events?"

Cao De hurriedly sat up straight, cleared his throat, and with a thumbs up said, "He was hit well, hit just right, clearly the result of practice."

"..." The Emperor was speechless.

Alright, having been interrupted by this fellow, the Emperor did indeed calm down significantly, but he still didn’t want to talk.

When he thought of that damned Censor accusing his Little Concubine, wanting to put her to death and forever pin her in the history as a bewitching consort, he was filled with rage, wishing he could exterminate that man’s entire family.

Seeing that the Emperor’s countenance was still very dark, Cao De stopped joking and said solemnly, "That Imperial Censor is but a fool being used as a pawn. Logically speaking, on the day when you conferred the rank on your Little Beauty, these people should have reacted, it doesn’t make sense for them to jump out on the third day.

Could it be that they’ve received some sort of news, for instance, your intentions to elevate Little Beauty to the position of Empress, so they wanted to put her to death? "

The Emperor’s heart skipped a beat, Cao De was indeed perceptive, but it couldn’t possibly be for that reason. The rank of a Beauty was far from that of the Empress; ordinary people wouldn’t think of it.

He shook his head, dismissing the speculation.

Upon closer consideration, Cao De agreed. After all, what was that compared to what they were dealing with? The Noble Consort’s position was still secure. There were many who speculated about the Noble Consort’s ascension. Who would consider a mere Beauty in that regard?

After some thought, the Emperor said, "Could it be that the affair of her pregnancy was leaked?"

Otherwise, there was no reason for such actions. The rank of a Beauty wasn’t that high, and though her promotion broke precedent, she still wasn’t eye-catching among a group of Concubines.

Cao De nodded, more inclined to agree with this reason. The Harem had been barren for many years. If this had been leaked, it would make sense that some people would become desperate, perhaps acting precipitously out of urgency.

The Emperor’s gaze was icy as he signaled to Cao De. Comprehending the cue, Cao De put away his jesting expression, respectfully stood up, bowed, and then withdrew.

He had to go and see who was responsible for the leak.

The probability of the Eunuchs from the Star Palace leaking it was slim; as for the people from Canglan Court, setting aside whether they would leak it, they had been under the supervision of the Star Palace these recent days and had no opportunity to do so.

He had seen that Little Beauty; her figure had not yet shown signs of pregnancy. When he saw her, he didn’t think she was pregnant; she was so lively and jumpy. Anyone who saw her wouldn’t suspect a thing, so the servants around Huaqing Pool yesterday morning could be temporarily ruled out.

That left only the Noble Consort and the people from the Imperial Medical Bureau. He would start the investigation with the Imperial Medical Bureau. Even the Noble Consort would need to get information from there.

After Cao De left, the Emperor summoned Zhang Qing.

Zhang Qing bowed, ready to receive instructions, "Your Majesty, please command."

The Emperor’s expression was impassive, and his majestic voice filled the hall: "I will not dine at Canglan Court for today’s midday meal. You tell them that." There were matters on the court that he needed to properly arrange.

Zhang Qing bowed his head and replied, "Yes." He didn’t dare to say any unnecessary words. He also knew about matters on the court; some people were intent on harming Beauty Lian. His Majesty seemed calm on the surface, but a storm was raging within.

The Emperor further ordered, "Have the people secretly protecting her increase their vigilance.

Additionally, send two servants to guard the main gate of Canglan Court.

Anybody entering or leaving must be thoroughly searched to ensure nothing unclean is brought in.

" While overtly placed guards had been retracted, there were still guards secretly in place.

Zhang Qing shuddered, "This servant obeys." After many years of calm in the Harem, he had almost forgotten about those sinister tactics. He had grown complacent in his ease and had been negligent.

"High alert for the repair area of the Main Hall, keep a tight watch, and don’t let any scoundrels sneak in through there to enter Canglan Court."

"Yes, Your Majesty."

"You may leave." Having completed his instructions, the Emperor dismissed him.

"Yes." Zhang Qing bowed and retreated. Once outside the Star Palace, he summoned a Young Eunuch and quickly instructed him with a few words before personally hurrying toward Canglan Court.

There were many issues now at Canglan Court.

The Main Hall had started to undergo repairs, and people in the Side Hall also needed cautious protection.

Both the Main Hall and Side Hall could not do without manpower.

He had made arrangements long ago, emphatically reminding everyone that anyone entering or leaving Canglan Court must be searched without exception, but he still felt it was not safe enough.

With the imminent storm over the Capital, and His Majesty personally inquiring, he had to be even more meticulous.

In the Star Palace, the Emperor tapped his fingers against the imperial desk, silently contemplating with a cold light flickering in his eyes. If anyone dared to target his Little Concubine, stirring up chaos, they would have to see if they could afford the consequences.