Chapter 31 (including the announcement for premium content): The iconic scene of breaking through the Great Defense.

Hanyuan Hall

"Delu, what time is it?"

Eunuch Chen, who was leading a group of palace servants to serve tea and snacks, hurriedly replied, "Your Majesty, it is around the end of the Yin hour."

At the end of the Yin hour... Upon hearing this, Emperor Xuanpei looked out of the palace again, then lowered his eyes and expressionlessly opened a new memorial.

Seeing that their emperor didn't even glance at the pile of tea and snacks, Eunuch Chen, who was serving nearby, blinked and secretly mocked: Sure enough, the snacks from the Imperial Kitchen can't compare to those sent from Kunning Palace... But, the person who sent the snacks hasn't come for a few days.

It's the 1st, 2nd...6th.

The one that Eunuch Chen cared about so much was naturally the "bold" A-Zhu, who was very good at "taking advantage of favor".

Seeing that Emperor Xuanpei was not annoyed, she served him almost every day in various ways recently.

In the end, it was just a matter of time for tea and snacks, and Emperor Xuanpei, having sensed something amiss, tacitly approved it.

Of course, one could also say that Emperor Xuanpei was calmly observing, watching to see when the insatiable Ah Zhu would stop his little trick of playing hard to get.

Unexpectedly, this person arrived so suddenly and disappeared even more abruptly—he had just offered his skills, offering gentle and intimate care, when he turned and vanished without a trace.

Because of Ah Zhu's preference, the tea and snacks sent to the emperor always included pastries with osmanthus honey. Today, the kitchen prepared the same thing... But Emperor Xuanpei frowned when he smelled the honey fragrance. It was too strong, almost sickeningly sweet.

Rather than her... Emperor Xuanpei suddenly came to his senses, picked up his pen and wrote his imperial rescript on the memorial.

He quickly approved three memorials in a row, until Emperor Xuanpei himself couldn't help but laugh—why was he getting angry with a little girl?

With a smile, Emperor Xuanpei shook his head, put down his vermilion brush, and stroked the thumb ring on his hand—after all her efforts, all she could get in the end was a slightly higher rank.

That's true. She has such a good appetite. If she only receives the allowance for changing clothes or serving, it probably wouldn't be enough for her to buy snacks and treats.

People really can't stand being talked about.

Just then, Fu Hai, who was outside the hall, rushed in to report.

"Your Majesty, Miss Azhu from Kunning Palace is requesting an audience."

Emperor Xuanpei smiled knowingly but said nothing. As if unaware, he picked up his imperial brush again and busily wrote something on a memorial of greetings.

Seeing that Emperor Xuanpei had not spoken, Fuhai, not daring to disturb him further, subconsciously looked at Eunuch Chen.

With his sharp eyes, Chen Gonggong noticed the slight curve at the corners of Emperor Xuanpei's mouth and a smile appeared on his face as well.

He glared at the clueless Fu Hai and urged in a low voice, "Why aren't you inviting him in yet?"

Yes, yes.

Upon hearing this, Fu Hai hurriedly left the hall.

Upon seeing A-Zhu, he greeted her with a warm smile: "Miss A-Zhu, please enter the palace."

Looking at Fu Hai's smiling face, A Zhu, who usually returned the greeting generously, couldn't smile this time.

She, who prided herself on being loyal and never reflecting on herself, even began to have some doubts: Ah Zhu, what merit do you have that makes you worthy of such politeness from the emperor's eunuch?

The old Azhu never thought so much.

Of course, it is more likely that Ah Zhu, having tasted the sweetness of serving the emperor, subconsciously sought to avoid harm and did not want to think too much about it.

No matter how wonderful things seem on the surface, upon closer inspection, they are often a complete mess.

A-Zhu, who always kept the rules in mind and was loyal to the Empress, resolutely chose the Empress who had treated her with such kindness, even abandoning her dignity in front of the Emperor.

But thinking about those rumors, A-Zhu lost her composure. In front of Empress Wang, she couldn't think of a proper reason to refuse her duty to the emperor.

Fearing that making excuses would backfire, A-Zhu had no choice but to bite the bullet and come.

Ah Zhu, who used to walk with a swagger when she came to the Emperor's court, was dragging her feet and dawdling around today.

Along the way, she was sometimes filled with anxiety and sometimes secretly berated herself for overthinking things.

After all, what kind of talented and beautiful concubines are there in the palace? And the emperor values ​​rules and regulations... so he probably wouldn't look favorably upon her.

All of this is nothing but her petty-mindedness, her wishful thinking born of anxiety and fear of loss.

Good heavens, please have mercy! It must be that she's just being delusional.

After paying homage to Heaven, A-Zhu took a deep breath and entered Hanyuan Hall with a resolute look in his eyes.

"This servant greets Your Majesty."

Emperor Xuanpei, who seemed very busy, didn't say much, but simply raised his hand to signal her to get up.

Such a cold reception actually eased Ah Zhu's anxiety a little.

The tea and snacks that were just placed before the emperor had long been swiftly removed by the shrewd Eunuch Chen.

Ah Zhu stepped forward silently and somewhat reservedly, took out a few pastries from the food box, and gently placed them on the table.

This is not "A-Zhu" at all.

In the past, she would always be beaming with joy, naturally clinging to the emperor, and would even whisper to him, begging him to give her some snacks. But today...

Emperor Xuanpei paused, his hand holding the imperial brush pausing, his gaze falling on the pastries that Azhu had brought out—these were standard pastries meant to "show concern for His Majesty's health."

In other words, it doesn't matter if it tastes good or not, as long as it's elegant, refined, and aesthetically pleasing.

Clearly, this wasn't Ah Zhu's choice.

Emperor Xuanpei, who was just a moment ago very busy, suddenly became not busy anymore.

He stared intently at A-Zhu, only to find that the woman who used to be all smiles, with bright, sparkling eyes, as if she had a pretty little tail sticking up high and swaying seductively behind her, was now not only missing her pretty "tail," but also keeping her head down.

He was listless and wouldn't say a word, as if someone had been locked in a square box, bound and timid inside.

They looked as if they had suffered some great injustice, their heads hanging low, looking utterly pitiful.

With his eyebrows furrowed and his eyes dark and brooding, Emperor Xuanpei blurted out, "Did someone in Kunning Palace bully you?"

If it were the former Emperor Xuanpei asking this question, Azhu would naturally lean over, his eyes darting around as if he were tattlering.

But now... Azhu, with her firm stance, has an incredibly strong and clear sense of boundaries—Kunning Palace is the inside, and the Emperor is the outside.

After a slight pause, A-Zhu quickly knelt down.

She shook her head repeatedly and said firmly, "Your Majesty, no."

“No one ever bullies the servants in Kunning Palace.”

"Her Majesty the Empress is the most kind and benevolent, with the compassionate nature of a Bodhisattva, and she treats us servants the same way..."

The emperor and empress had lived together for decades. Empress Wang knew Emperor Xuanpei's character, and Emperor Xuanpei could not possibly not know what kind of temperament Empress Wang was.

But Azhu is still in Kunning Palace.

Whether it was out of genuine concern or not, her subconscious act of protecting the Empress would make her days in Kunning Palace a little easier... Therefore, Emperor Xuanpei said nothing more, only looking at Azhu and the slightly crooked plain silver hairpin at her temple.

He raised his hand—

!!

Suspicious and uneasy, Ah Zhu, who had been on edge the whole time, was startled and quickly dodged away.

No one in the world dares to dodge when Emperor Xuanpei raises his hand. Even if they know he is going to slap them, they will still kneel down and take the blow.

But looking at A-Zhu kneeling before him, her eyes filled with panic, and remembering her pitiful, aggrieved expression tonight, Emperor Xuanpei paused, then spoke, as if to comfort her, "The hairpin at your temple was crooked, I just..."

What merit does she possess?

With her mind in turmoil and a bad feeling creeping over her, A-Zhu shakily shoved the hairpin into her hair and kowtowed repeatedly, trembling as she confessed her sins.

"This servant has been disrespectful before Your Majesty, please forgive me."

The setting sun at dusk was like a speck of blood cut off by heaven and earth, exuding a chilling, rusty aura.

Looking at A-Zhu, who kept kowtowing and admitting his mistakes, the tenderness in Emperor Xuanpei's eyes twisted into a dark and gloomy expression.

He slowly withdrew his hand.

"Jiang Zhu".

It was just two words, but at that moment they felt like they weighed a ton, making it impossible for Ah Zhu to lift his head.

She lowered her head, her eyes downcast, and replied in a trembling voice, "This servant is here."

Too much of a good thing is bad.

Clearly, Emperor Xuanpei was tired of Azhu's manipulative tactics.

"I dislike people who are ignorant of rules and greedy."

The emperor before her seemed to transform once again into a shadowy mass that blotted out the sky, and out of fear and dread, tears welled up uncontrollably in A-Zhu's eyes.

She gritted her teeth, swallowing back the sobs that threatened to spill, and pressed her forehead against the cold floor tiles, struggling to speak.

"Your Majesty."

“When I was still in the inner palace, the nannies taught me to follow the rules and to serve my master faithfully.”

"This servant has always kept in mind the teachings of the old lady and the rules of the palace."

"Your Majesty the Empress does not mind my coarse and dull nature. She has treated me with kindness as heavy as a mountain. I only wish to serve Your Majesty the Empress faithfully for the rest of my life and have no other intentions."

"Absolutely no ulterior motives?"

To A-Zhu, that rhetorical question sounded more like a slow, agonizing death.

A-Zhu trembled, but it was as if she had used up all the courage she had in her life in this moment. She closed her eyes, and even though tears of fear were streaming down her face, she still pressed herself against the floor tiles and resolutely repeated the exercise.

"I have absolutely no ulterior motives."

At the moment Emperor Xuanpei fell silent, Azhu was almost out of breath.

But everyone should have something to hold onto in life, even someone as shameless, obsequious, and arrogant as Ah Zhu.

Looking at the loyal and unyielding Azhu before him, Emperor Xuanpei felt a sense of absurdity, as if he had become a laughing stock.

He naturally had a thousand ways to make Ah Zhu, who dared to disobey him and even mock him, wish he were dead... Unclenching his fists, Emperor Xuanpei shifted his gaze away from Ah Zhu.

"Get out," he said calmly.

It's no exaggeration to say that when A-Zhu heard that heavenly voice, she felt a sense of relief and her whole body went limp.

"This servant kowtows to express gratitude for Your Majesty's great kindness."

Without daring to delay for a moment, A-Zhu kowtowed fiercely, then staggered to his feet and fled from Hanyuan Hall without looking back.

Chen, the eunuch who was leisurely guarding outside the palace, heard the door open and turned around. He was shocked to see a figure dart past him like a gust of wind.

That looks like... Miss A-Zhu?!

Even the usually knowledgeable Eunuch Chen has had his eyes opened again today.

He turned his head blankly and looked at Fu Hai, who was also looking bewildered. The two stared at each other in silence.

"Splash—!"

Hearing the sudden sound of cups and plates falling to the ground inside the hall, Eunuch Chen was so startled that he cried out "Your Majesty!" and tried to rush into the hall.

"roll!"

This sound made Eunuch Chen stop in his tracks outside the hall.

Fu Hai, standing to the side, shrank back, not daring to raise his head, and quietly retreated to stand at a distance.

A note from the author:

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Pat your head, it'll be over soon, the window paper will break soon. Hehe.

Thank you so much for your support, my little darlings! I'm going to be a paid seller tomorrow. Thank you all so much! [heart emojis] [heart emojis] [heart emojis]