Back at Tingyu Tower, Liu Wan found a medicine box and gauze, applied the medicine, and carefully bandaged Xiao Anzi's wound.

Looking at Xiao Anzi's severe injuries, Qingwu said with some worry, "Your Highness, I think this matter is definitely not over yet. With Consort Wan's spoiled and domineering nature, she will definitely not let it go easily."

“Yes, Your Highness, Consort Wan has the Emperor and Empress backing her up. We need to think about how to deal with her,” Liu Wan echoed softly.

Only Xiao Anzi sat silently in the chair.

He clasped his hands tightly together, his thumbs digging into his palms so hard they almost bled, but he didn't feel any pain.

He should have walked properly instead of bumping into Consort Wan. Now he's caused the Empress so much trouble. He doesn't care if he gets beaten or scolded...

Xiao Anzi was just afraid that it would implicate the Empress.

Su Tiyue lowered her eyes, thought for a moment, looked at Xiao Anzi, and asked him, "Can you still walk, Xiao Anzi?"

Xiao Anzi nodded, her face full of guilt.

“Then let’s do this for now. Qingwu, take Xiao Anzi to the Shenxing Division first, and say that Xiao Anzi took the punishment voluntarily. Even if Wanpin brings reinforcements to ask me for him, I can still have an excuse to delay.”

Qingwu nodded and said "Yes," then helped Xiao Anzi walk out. When they reached the door, Su Tiyue was still worried and took two steps forward to catch up and ask again, "Xiao Anzi, after you get to the Shenxing Division, they might still torture you. Can your body handle it?"

Xiao Anzi turned to look at her, his face serious, and said, "Your Majesty, rest assured, this servant is strong and healthy, and can endure this hardship. This servant is not afraid of the punishments of the Censorate at all."

"No matter what difficulties you encounter inside, you must grit your teeth and persevere. I will definitely find a way to save you."

"This servant will obey Your Majesty."

Xiao Anzi knelt on the ground, kowtowed heavily to Su Tiyue, and then limped away.

Seeing that the two had walked a little further away, Liu Wan asked with a worried look on her face, "Your Majesty, what should we do next?"

what to do?

Su Tiyue frowned and sighed, the image of Consort Wan crying and running to the Palace of Longevity to find the Emperor flashing through her mind.

Looking for powerful backers and connections, huh? Anyone can do that.

Su Tiyue could only learn and apply what she had just learned.

She turned and walked to the dressing table, lightly brushing some rouge onto her face and the tip of her nose. This added a touch of blush to her delicate and pretty face in the bronze mirror, making her look even more pitiful.

With red eyes, Su Tiyue walked towards Yelan Pavilion with a wronged expression.

But as soon as she walked from Yelan Pavilion to the inner courtyard, she was stopped by Li Xun.

"Your Majesty, the Chief Supervisor is in the middle of a meeting. Please wait here for a moment while I go and inform him."

Su Tiyue stood on tiptoe and craned her neck to look inside, but the door was tightly closed and the windows were shut, so she couldn't see anything inside.

She asked Li Xun curiously, "Does your supervisor have any guests?"

Li Xun nodded: "Yes."

"Then I'll trouble Eunuch Li to inform him that I'll be waiting for him here."

"yes."

Su Tiyue wandered aimlessly in the courtyard, occasionally rubbing her reddened eyes.

She thought to herself that she should try to do a better job later.

Like Consort Wan, so delicate and pitiful, with tears streaming down her face, you mustn't give yourself away...

*

Although it was daytime, the doors and windows of Xiao Heye's room were tightly closed, and the light was dim.

He leaned against the long table, holding a bronze sleeve warmer in his hands to keep warm. His black hair was tied up high with a jade crown. His face was cold and serious. He wore a loose, gray-blue silk robe, which could not hide his noble and lazy demeanor.

Li Xun pushed open the door, came in to announce his arrival, and then discreetly slipped out.

He's incredibly good at assessing situations.

At this moment, the atmosphere inside the room was not good; it was gloomy and eerie.

A tall, burly man in black stood upright before the long table, his head slightly lowered, making it impossible to see his face.

"How's it going about the matter I asked you to investigate last night?" Xiao Heye asked him lazily.

The man lowered his head, pulled a piece of paper from his sleeve, and slowly handed it to him, saying, "Lord Supervisor, I did not find any clues in Yong'an City, so I went to Suzhou overnight... and that's when I found some clues."

"Gusu?" Xiao Heye looked calm as he took the paper with one hand, opened it, and glanced at it casually. There were many words written on it, but Xiao Heye immediately saw those four words.

Bowen Academy.

It is said that Gusu is a treasure land, and most of the literati and scholars of the Northern Liang Dynasty came from Gusu.

The Bowen Academy in Suzhou was renowned throughout the world, attracting royalty, noble families, and powerful clans who all desperately wanted to send their children there for further studies.

Xiao Heye lowered his head, read the few lines on the paper, and suddenly his expression changed. He crumpled the paper into a ball and threw it hard at the face of the man in black.

"It's all nonsense, it's like they didn't find anything at all, it's useless!"

The man in black immediately knelt down and begged for forgiveness: "Lord Supervisor, please calm down. I am incompetent... but I really did my best. I have searched Yong'an and Suzhou thoroughly, but this is all I could find."

"Oh? Is that so?"

Xiao Heye continued to hold the sleeve warmer in his hand, the warmth spreading little by little from his palm. He squinted and looked out the window.

Even though the window was closed, he still stared blankly at that spot.

That was exactly where Su Tiyue was standing at that moment.

The man in black whispered, "Master, those traces are too clean, suspiciously clean..."

Upon hearing this, Xiao Heye's lips curled up slightly, as if he had finally heard a human word.

He drew out four words slowly from his throat: "Trying to cover it up only makes it more obvious."

"That's exactly what I was thinking."

"Alright, you can leave. We've got this under control. No need to investigate further; you won't find anything anyway. Also, go back and keep an eye on the Deputy Chief Supervisor..."

"yes."

The man in black had doubts but dared not ask any more questions. He couldn't understand why the supervisor had instructed him to keep an eye on the deputy supervisor.

Everyone in the Eastern Depot knew that Xiao Heye and Hanzhou were as close as brothers. It was probably the only person Xiao Heye trusted most in the entire world.

After replying, he was about to leave through the door.

"Get back here." Xiao Heye glared at him helplessly, his tone sharp: "Go through the back door, and take your trash with you while you're at it."

The man in black paused for a moment, then bent down to pick up the crumpled piece of paper from the ground, and left without a word through the hidden door behind the bookshelf.