Page 254

The Emperor’s eyes flashed with irony. These people, having nothing better to do, were fixated on his honest Little Concubine.

This would likely disappoint them.

Since they were so idle, it was time to find them something to do:

"Zhang Qing, tomorrow draft a decree to transfer these two away from the Imperial Censorate. There’s a shortage of clerks in the great camps of Liangzhou. It would be good for them to serve the Imperial Court there."

"Yes." Zhang Qing hurried forward with small steps to receive the order.

Upon hearing this, Hu Miaomiao joyfully praised aloud, "His Majesty is truly wise and valiant, allowing the capable to demonstrate their abilities. My admiration for you is like the endless river waters..."

"Enough, enough, stop with this act." The Emperor raised his hand to cut off his nonsense and continued, "I want you to send someone to investigate the whereabouts of Beauty Lian’s relatives. As soon as there’s news, report immediately.

Also, keep a close watch over the Main Hall, make sure there are no slip-ups. "

"Yes, His Majesty, you know your servant well, your servant..."

"Alright, go now." The Emperor didn’t wait for Hu Miaomiao to finish, stepping towards the Side Hall of Canglan Court, unwilling to stay and listen to his nonsense.

Hu Miaomiao bowed in the direction the Emperor had gone, somewhat regretful. His admiration for His Majesty could fill three days and nights, and he still had much to say.

He shook his head sadly and turned to see Zhang Qing. A smile inevitably spread across his face, "Old brother, you haven’t been ill, have you? Your spirit looks even better, is there some good news?"

Zhang Qing waved his hand, "Chief steward Hu is joking. What good news could there be? I recently made a mistake and fell ill. It’s only through His Majesty’s grace that I can still stay by his side and serve."

Zhang Qing didn’t believe Hu Miaomiao was unaware of his situation. If it wasn’t for his mistake, Hu Miaomiao wouldn’t have been appointed to replace him.

This fat man acted as if he knew nothing, and he did a very convincing job. Zhang Qing wouldn’t be fooled by him. Besides Cao De, the person he dreaded most in this palace was this fat man.

A smiling tiger, smooth and cunning, ruthless and merciless, those words described this fat man perfectly.

Ordinarily, everyone served His Majesty, each with their own duties, and there was little interaction and no conflict between the two.

Upon hearing this, Hu Miaomiao looked disapprovingly at Zhang Qing and then said sincerely, "Ah, old brother, you shouldn’t belittle yourself.

We each have our expertise. I manage affairs outside the palace adequately, but when it comes to handling affairs inside the palace for His Majesty, you are the most capable.

To be honest, aside from His Majesty, I admire you the most."

Though aware that Hu Miaomiao was eloquent and his words might not be heartfelt, Zhang Qing still felt very gratified to hear them.

After exchanging a few more courtesies, Zhang Qing hurried back to his duties, and they went their separate ways to attend to their own tasks.

The Emperor, back in the Side Hall, reviewed and stamped a document, instructing his servants to send it out.

The Autumn Exam was about to begin, and he also needed to oversee affairs concerning Cao De. He would be busier than usual before the Mid-Autumn festival and likely had little time to return to Canglan Court during the day.

After dealing with the document, the Emperor pulled back the bed curtains to see his Little Concubine sleeping soundly, having kicked her covers off again, exposing half of her body.

The Emperor smiled tenderly. Each time he saw her, the fatigue of the day dissipated.

He leaned over to touch the bare skin that was exposed. It was warm, like a little furnace; no wonder she had kicked off the covers.

He kissed her, then lay down on his side, pulling her into his arms. Unintentionally, she nuzzled against him, softening his heart.

After covering them both with the blanket again, the Emperor also drifted into a deep sleep.

Outside a guesthouse in Yanqing Mansion, a man tossed the reins to a guard and entered the guesthouse with a grim face.

Once he had secured the best room and shut the door behind him, the man turned and stared fiercely at a servant.

This servant was decently dressed, resembling a minor steward in appearance. He looked terrified and wanted to say something but dared not speak hastily.

Without waiting for the servant to speak, the man lifted his foot and fiercely kicked him in the chest, yelling furiously, "Idiot, how could you let someone switch things under your watch for so long without anyone noticing? If I hadn’t gone there myself, were you planning to keep deceiving me?"

The kicked servant fell to the ground, a sharp pain in his chest, and spat out a mouthful of blood.

Without wiping the blood, enduring the intense pain, the servant crawled forward, grabbed the man’s hem, and hoarsely begged, "Master, give me one more chance. I will certainly capture that whole family."

The man seemed to hear a funny joke and burst out laughing, "Hahahaha."

After laughing for a while, he bent down and slapped the servant on the face, his expression sinister, "You let so many people escape right under your nose, vanished without a trace, and after so much time, how can I still trust you?"

Having said his piece, the man stood straight, tugged at his robe, and signaled the men on either side with a glance, then walked over to the window, looking out at the station.

The guards understood and pinned the servant, who was still on the ground. One of them clenched the servant’s throat.

The servant shouted, "Master, spare my life, spare my life, give me one more chance, Master..."

He had only shouted half a sentence when he heard a "snap," and his neck was broken. His life was extinguished.

Two well-trained guards covered the body with a black cloth and carried it out.

The man had kept his back turned the whole time, his expression both cruel and indifferent.

This fool was not worthy of life, as not killing him would not have quenched his anger.

This fool, initially chosen for his slick mouth and clever handling of affairs, was specifically appointed to watch over others.

He had thought that with this fool watching, everything would be foolproof and sooner or later could extract what he wanted. Once extracted, the ignorant family would naturally become useless...

Initially, the fool had indeed done well, always managing to bring back some useful information. But later, the news became less frequent; getting a message or two in a year was considered good.

And each time he sent information, it misled him, tantalizing him with the illusion of imminent success. He had endured for so many years because what he wanted was known only by that family; spending so much effort, if he didn’t get what he wanted, it would have been a pity to kill them.

The Place of Exile was early bought and controlled by him. The exiles, merely living a wretched life, were of no concern to anyone. Confident that his trusted people were watching, he believed no one could escape.

It was his own fault for trusting the fool too much.

As time went by, he became complacent and careless, assuming that since the targeted individuals were being watched, they couldn’t slip through his fingers, and what he desired would eventually be his.

Daily business kept him too busy to pay attention, ultimately leading to the current passive situation.

This time, a message from the palace had reached him. His cousin had asked him about the Dew Tea, and he realized that there had been no news from that end for a long time.