Chapter 9

Li Hechun hurriedly followed the emperor back to Qianyuan Palace, taking small, quick steps. He wondered if it was just his imagination, but the more he chased after the emperor, the further away his figure seemed to get.

Oh no, it seems His Majesty is really angry and can barely contain his rage. He's probably thinking of cleaning up the desktop.

Li Hechun maintained the air of a grand steward on the surface, but his inner bitterness was overflowing, and he wished he could drown those ministers of the previous dynasty, especially that Lord Chu Wenjing!

The case of Consort Zhen caused such a big uproar back then that it even implicated the late Empress. The case had to be transferred from the inner palace to the outer court, but not a single official dared to step forward and take it over. Why do you think that was?

Who would have thought that two years later, someone so reckless would suddenly appear and dredge up this old case?

Lord Chu may be acting recklessly and have his momentary pleasure, but it's a burden for a mere servant to bear the hardships. It's infuriating! Li Hechun cursed Lord Chu for his meddling in his affairs while simultaneously threatening the palace maids and eunuchs serving in Qian Yuan Palace with his eyes.

Be careful today, or he won't be able to protect you if something goes wrong!

As Li Hechun made his way to the main hall of Qianyuan Palace, Chengtian Hall, he inwardly groaned but quickly dismissed all the servants and slammed the doors shut. He braced himself for the emperor's impending rage.

Sure enough, the figure in the dragon robe and imperial crown in front of him stopped abruptly beside the dragon table, but the scene of sweeping up the things scattered all over the ground did not appear.

The emperor's expression was somber but lacked anger. He uttered two words in a cold, hard voice: "Come out."

Li Hechun stepped forward nervously, saying, "This servant is here."

“It wasn’t you.” The emperor frowned. “Did you hear any sounds in the Golden Palace earlier? The sounds of children.”

Li Hechun was startled. The Golden Palace was a place for holding court and discussing state affairs. Where did a child's voice come from? The youngest prince was already fifteen years old, and his voice was in the awkward stage of puberty, so unpleasant that it was unforgettable. Moreover, Lord Chu's actions today had made the atmosphere of the entire court very tense, and the prince shrank to the side and did not dare to utter a sound!

Could it be that one of the princes secretly sneaked into the Golden Palace to eavesdrop? In the entire palace, only the Ninth Prince, whom His Majesty favors, would dare to do such a thing, but... there's no reason why His Majesty wouldn't recognize the Ninth Prince's voice.

In the few seconds it took Li Hechun to react, his mind was filled with countless thoughts. He shook his head with shame, "This servant is old and hard of hearing, and did not hear the child's voice."

Sure enough, only the emperor could hear the voice of the child who was yelling for him to show him the memorial. The emperor, unsurprised, turned his gaze away.

When the emperor first heard the voice, he was enraged and thought it was just his ears ringing from anger. But the voice kept ringing, and none of the court officials seemed to notice anything unusual. He then guessed that only he could hear the voice. He hurriedly left the court and returned to Qianyuan Palace, intending to give Chu Wenjing a cold shoulder, and also to go back and interrogate the voice in his head.

As a result, the voice that had suddenly appeared also suddenly disappeared. The emperor, who believed in ghosts and spirits but did not heed them, immediately suspected a conspiracy: to whom did the child's voice belong?

It is said that someone with profound internal strength, reaching the pinnacle of mastery, can transmit sound in secret. Is the deliberate choice to ensure only the Emperor can hear this voice, seeking his attention and approval? The person capable of such a feigned voice must have a specific purpose in impersonating a child's voice. However, the only children in the palace are princes, and to convincingly imitate such a voice would require time. The two have known each other well for some time; which prince has a martial arts master by his side? Who is the mastermind behind this? What is their aim? Is it a frame-up or an attempt to use supernatural abilities to undermine something?

The emperor, with his perfectly logical mind, began to suspect the princes and the powerful families behind them, focusing on the prince whose voice matched the prince's age.

Those over twelve years old can basically be ruled out, and those under five years old can also be ruled out. So, who are the children from fifth to ninth grade?

Xiao Jiu's voice was too familiar; it wasn't him.

Xiao Liu has a slight stutter, but it's not him.

Xiao Wu is calm, reserved, and doesn't like to talk much, which is possible.

Xiao Ba... I don't remember him, maybe.

And... Xiao Qi, the daughter of Consort Zhen, has not been seen for two years. Her face is already blurry in my memory, let alone her voice.

Li Hechun secretly observed the emperor, and seeing His Majesty standing in front of the dragon desk with a frown for a long time, seemingly lost in thought, he suddenly asked, "What has Xiao Qi been doing lately?"

Why did His Majesty suddenly ask about the Seventh Prince? Could it be related to Consort Zhen's case...? Li Hechun clicked his tongue in surprise, and casually lit a candle for his many colleagues.

As the chief eunuch in charge of the emperor's household affairs, Li Hechun was naturally well-informed. All news, both inside and outside the palace, passed through his ears. He knew what he should and shouldn't know; otherwise, the empresses and officials in the palace wouldn't have been so eager to send him money.

He knew all the dirty secrets in the palace, but the emperor didn't want to hear them, so he wisely kept quiet. Now that the emperor had asked, he wouldn't hide anything.

Regardless of whether Consort Zhen's case is overturned or not, a group of people in the palace are going to be in big trouble, and the Seventh Prince's status will also change, after all, he is a prince.

Li Hechun quickly concealed his expression, organized his thoughts, and began to report in a humble and submissive manner.

The dragon table in Chengtian Hall ultimately could not escape its fate of being emptied.

*

Meanwhile, at Cining Palace, Lu Bingzhu had already returned. However, the Empress Dowager had taken a nap. After waking up, she received two imperial concubines who had rushed into the palace to inquire about news because the morning court session had lasted for a long time.

After the people were sent away, the breakfast that Lu Bingzhu had brought was reheated and served, and it had become lunch.

Fortunately, the Empress Dowager was frugal and not picky about food. She picked up her chopsticks, and Su, who usually served her closely, stepped aside. Lu Bingzhu, being very perceptive, immediately picked up his chopsticks and served the dishes.

The old Duke of Ningguo was a founding military general, and the Empress Dowager was the husband and wife of Emperor Taizu, who had risen from humble beginnings. In addition, as they got older, they did not like complicated rules and etiquette, so they naturally did not adhere to the rules of not speaking while eating or sleeping.

She took a couple of bites and casually asked, "You punished the people in the imperial kitchen? What happened?"

“No news can be kept from you. It’s the Seventh Prince.” Lu Bingzhu recounted the story and added, “He is not favored by the Emperor. He has reached the age but has not gone to the Imperial Study. Naturally, we servants look down on him because we are so eager to please him.”

The Empress Dowager raised an eyebrow and smiled, "You seem to like him quite a bit, and you even came to me specifically to act as a mediator."

"He always wears his mother's blood dragon wood bracelet, so he must be a sentimental child." Lu Bingzhu knew how to win over the Empress Dowager and subtly put a positive impression on the Seventh Prince.

The late emperor's empress was the only daughter of the late Duke Ningguo, the elder brother of the Empress Dowager. She was cherished like a precious jewel. Back then, the late Duke Ningguo did not want his daughter to enter the palace as empress. It was the Empress Dowager who arranged this marriage. However, the outcome was so tragic. The late Duke Ningguo was deeply affected by this and fell ill. He passed away soon after.

That person's death remains a thorn in the Empress Dowager's heart. She originally thought that the love between the current emperor and Empress Xiaojingyi could heal these wounds, but unexpectedly, the empress passed away suddenly, and this thorn has become even deeper and more painful.

Both Zhong family daughters died at the age of nineteen. The Empress Dowager had privately issued an imperial edict that "daughters of the Ningguo Mansion shall no longer enter the palace." However, the current Duke of Ningguo paid lip service to this, and within a few years, he sent a "cousin" who resembled the late Empress into the palace.

The Empress Dowager's falling out with the Ningguo Mansion and her dislike of Consort Rong, as well as her lukewarm attitude towards her three grandchildren, indicates that this matter has always been a thorn in her side.

It is true that the emperor had feelings for Empress Xiaojingyi, but the fact that he had kept the Weiyang Palace closed and did not establish an empress for so many years, showing his deep affection, could also be seen as a way of showing consideration for the Empress Dowager.

Otherwise, how could there be a Consort Rong in the palace whose very existence is quite offensive?

The Empress Dowager was a woman, but also a politician. Moreover, she had personally trained the emperor, so she was very clear about the meaning behind all these actions, but she cooperated without exposing them.

The clearer you are in seeing through everything, the more heartbroken and pained you become.

"...It's good to be nostalgic. I like children who are nostalgic." Sure enough, the calm in the Empress Dowager's eyes was broken, even if it was just a tiny, barely perceptible ripple.

"I've reached the age where I can enjoy my retirement. Let the Emperor arrange things for the Imperial Study." The implication was that she didn't care whether the Seventh Prince went to the Imperial Study or not.

"However, seven years old is indeed the time for him to start his education. You can arrange a tutor for him. I think Cui Pengfei would be a good choice."

Cui Pengfei was one of the three regents left by Emperor Taizu to the late emperor, and rose to the position of prime minister. When he saw the Empress Dowager gradually consolidating power by expelling the regent and the two regents from the court, Prime Minister Cui quickly submitted a memorial requesting to retire. In the end, he cooperated with the emperor to abolish the prime minister and establish a cabinet, successfully retiring and saving the lives of his family.

The Empress Dowager said, "Isn't Cui Pengfei's grandson the top scholar in Jiangnan Prefecture? He will be taking the imperial examination next March, and it won't be difficult for him to stay in the Hanlin Academy. Cui Pengfei is returning to the capital with his grandson this time, so he probably won't leave again. We should find him something to do so that he won't be causing trouble outside at his age."

After resigning from his official post, Cui Pengfei devoted himself to nature, enjoying traveling to mountains, rivers, lakes, and seas. He also wrote several travelogues that became widely circulated.

As for whether Cui Pengfei, who is so free, will actually return to Beijing with his grandson, or whether he will stay... that's not important. Even if he isn't, he will soon be.

Choi Jae has always been very pragmatic.

*

Xue Jin'an was unaware that a desktop cleaning master in Qian Yuan Palace was planning to clean up the unused heads in the palace, nor did he know that the great-grandmother of Ci Ning Palace had arranged (kidnapped) a teacher for him.

At this moment, he is concentrating on recharging (drying rice).

However, even though the phone was fully charged, it wanted to go into sleep mode. The human tendency to feel sleepy after a good meal surged up, and my eyelids started to droop uncontrollably.

He slept until the next day, and Xiao Luzi had already brought back breakfast. The alarm he had set didn't wake him up.

"Something's not right." Xue Jin'an felt that there might be some bug in the human body, so he seriously opened the health monitoring software to reread the body data.

However, the result was quite unexpected. The body's data was slightly higher than last time, and even the battery health increased by 0.1%!

Can the human body really heal itself without any repairs, just by eating and sleeping?! Wow! That's amazing! Imagine how much money that would save on spare parts!!

Xue Jin'an, who originally planned to replace the battery and then equip it with other body parts depending on the battery's condition, has been living as a human for the first time these days and feels that being human is not entirely undesirable.

The battery repair speed is too slow, so it still needs to be replaced.

Having made up his mind, Xue Jin'an began to use live streaming to figure out the routes of the palace and determine suitable locations for secretly digging up batteries.

Two days later, the Fourth Prince, who had managed to get up early a few times after being scolded by Master Cen, once again overslept as expected. Unfortunately, the Master Cen was on long leave that day, so Master Cen was the substitute teacher.

"So many people have called me, yet I can't wake up! Useless, useless, useless!" The Fourth Prince stormed out of the house in a fit of impotence and rage. His rapid steps left a trail of afterimages, and in the blink of an eye, he had left Shunde, who was carrying a book box, behind him.

Just as he was about to reach the door of the study, a pair of hands suddenly reached out from the corner, covered his mouth, and pulled him inside.

Soon, Shunde followed the Fourth Prince's figure past this place without noticing anything unusual.