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Xiao Jizi led Pang Ya and several people from the Star Palace out. Their faces were pale, their expressions anxious and fearful, and they hurriedly made their way towards the Canglan Court to head to Consort Zhen’s Huaning Palace, their foreheads sweating.

On the road, they forcefully suppressed their anxiety and unease, deliberately choosing less crowded paths and stealthily avoiding the eyes of other palace attendants. Nevertheless, given the heavy traffic in the Harem, they were still seen by many.

Soon, whispers faintly spread throughout the Harem. Something had happened in Canglan Court, and beneath the surface, the entire Harem began to churn with unrest...

Xiao Linzi also wanted to follow but was stopped. His acting was so poor it could not be any worse; to prevent the risk of being exposed, they couldn’t let him go.

He was very disappointed. Nanny Qi had him go find some men in black and keep an eye on anyone unusual within the Harem.

Thus, the entire Canglan Court was bustling with activity.

At this moment, Xia Liu, detained in the woodshed, was feeling panicked and breathless, her heart pounding and her face pale.

She sharply felt that something was wrong, the atmosphere very tense, but she didn’t know what had happened.

The eunuch didn’t pay any attention to what she said at all. He simply had someone tie her up in the woodshed and then left. The young eunuch from her Star Palace also utterly failed to extract any information from her.

She couldn’t help but shiver; if something had happened to Beauty Lian or Nanny Qi, it must have been done by someone else, it must be, she... she was innocent.

In another house, Dong Xue, who was initially very scared, gradually calmed down a bit. Although still afraid, she wasn’t as terrified as Xia Liu and looked much better.

She didn’t know what was happening. After asking once and receiving no answer, she didn’t dare ask again.

She carefully recalled everything, and besides almost losing a cup lid yesterday, she hadn’t made any other mistakes, and the lid was found eventually.

Her heart slightly calmed, repeatedly reassuring herself that as long as she hadn’t made any mistakes, everything should ultimately be alright.

Meanwhile, the Emperor, accompanied by Hu Miaomiao and others, was racing back on horseback.

The Shadow Guard who came to report was in a hurry to inform him that Little Concubine had been drugged, but she should be unharmed; the exact details, however, were unknown.

Upon hearing this news, he immediately set off, neglecting to slowly return by carriage and instead, racing toward the Imperial Palace on horseback with his entourage.

All along the way, his mind was filled with deadly intent, his anger piling up more and more, countless speculations flashing through his mind.

Exactly who was responsible, possessing such audacity to reach out through layers of protection? The culprit in the palace must have a deep foothold, even his people hadn’t noticed.

These people kept testing his limits, only time would tell whether they would regret it!

He had already determined, during the Serpent case, the enigma was profound, and those behind the scenes were very cautious. Following the scented cream lead back to the palace, the investigation landed on Lady Xue and Lady Zhou and had since been shelved.

Lady Zhou had already been closely monitored, confirmed to be involved in the Serpent case, yet the mastermind behind her could not be identified. Thus, he adopted a wait-and-see approach, ready to expose the hidden mastermind the next time there was a stir.

His remark "a generation of talents" directed at Hu Miaomiao, was actually about Changzai Zhou.

He had never paid attention to such people before the Serpent case brought her onto his desk.

That woman, on the night of the Mid-Autumn Festival, had someone throw a scented cream box down the deep well, thinking no one would notice. But the palace maid who did it was caught just after leaving, and the box was placed on his desk the very next day.

The reason this woman had still been able to live peacefully until now was merely because her identity had been exposed.

Under surveillance, she was unable to stir up any trouble—and it also facilitated the detection of relevant people through her, enabling the fishing out of the bigger back players in the Serpent case. Should she become useless...

A heavy murderous intent flashed through his eyes.

This Harem housed too many malevolent spirits and wicked creatures. Those who appeared innocent and motiveless often harbored the deepest deceptions.

Someone had dared to poison Little Concubine and plot against the Imperial Heir, expecting nothing less than their entire families eradicated!

The Emperor felt waves of murderous intent stirring in his heart, wishing he could immediately find the culprits and execute them all.

He was also worried about Lian Hua, and fiercely whipped his horse, using all his strength to hurry along the road.

Hu Miaomiao, who was following behind, was secretly alarmed. They were already skilled riders, yet it had taken them extra effort just to catch up with His Majesty, who was moving at a breakneck pace.

It was clear that Master Lian was undoubtedly His Majesty’s Achilles’ heel.

When he received the message from the palace, he did not dare delay and went to report it immediately. Indeed, even though it was said that Master Lian was unharmed, His Majesty was still not at ease and insisted on returning to the palace with all speed.

From now on, they must never offend Master Lian. How to change their image in her heart was a major issue that needed to be planned carefully...

Outside the Imperial Academy on the main street.

Crowds surged toward Shanxue Square, all discussing the matter of Lian Musu’s prolific writing.

After Lian Bao returned there, he looked over at Shanxue Square from a distance, his eyes gleaming with a strange brilliance.

He felt reassured in his heart, knowing his elder brother was capable.

No one knew better than he how hardworking and determined his elder brother was on an ordinary day.

During those difficult days, even without favorable conditions, even while doing strenuous daily labor, his elder brother never gave up studying.

He always recited books he had read, pondered their meanings, and despite being very tired at night, he would still practice writing, day after day, regardless of the weather.

Moreover, his elder brother was able to mingle well with the people of all trades in the place of exile, earning more respect than him and learning from the multitude of exiled individuals, thus reflecting on the various facets of life.

The exiled individuals, each with their own intriguing pasts, were far more colorful than ordinary citizens—whether grievously villainous, petty thieves, or corrupt officials, every sort of extremely vicious person was present.

Their perspectives on morality and viewpoints on matters were quite peculiar.

Listening to them left him often amazed, realizing that indeed, a big forest harbored all kinds of birds.

For instance, one corrupt official who had been exiled after his family was executed, leaving him alone, transformed from a rotund man to a thin one, yet he took it in stride.

He was highly learned and sociable, possessing a very unique perspective on things, and loved discussing the philosophy of life with his elder brother.

This corrupt official believed that one must be corrupt in office to better serve the country and the people, to accomplish genuinely helpful deeds for them, and help them prosper.

His viewpoint was this, the local Yamen needed money to attract talents from all areas, school teachers needed money to sustain themselves, craftsmen needed silver for their upkeep, and even agricultural tools required sufficient funds for manufacturing.

Additionally, there had to be dedicated people seeking easier farming techniques—all these depended on money.

Moderate corruption allowed for all this to be actualized, benefiting the citizens. And if the corruption involved only the wealthy and not the common people, it meant a small sacrifice for a greater good, which was not troublesome.

But an official who was clean as a whistle, while reputedly good, was too narrow-sighted and stuck to standard procedures, incapable of achieving significant deeds, ultimately unable to genuinely benefit his subjects, leaving them to share in the poverty.

Such officials were too cautious and selfish.