"Bilian, what happened?"

Guan Zhiyue looked at the open window, and Bilian also pushed open the door and walked in, looking at Guan Zhiyue somewhat anxiously.

"Your Highness, are you alright? The guards said that a thief broke into our mansion."

"What?"

"Oh, Your Highness, why is your window open? Could it be that a thief has broken in?" Bilian looked at the open window and quickly closed it. She then checked the room and was relieved to find that nothing was missing.

"Is everything alright at home?"

Bilian walked to the bedside, looked at Guan Zhiyue with her hair disheveled, and was relieved to see that she was alright. She gently comforted her, "We don't know yet, we'll be able to find out later."

"Um!"

A moment later, Li Qishang knocked on the door. Bilian stood at the door and asked softly, "What is it?"

"Sister-in-law, it's me, Qi Shang. Are you alright here?"

Bilian opened the door, and Li Qishang rushed in. Seeing Guan Zhiyue wrapped in a blanket, he thought she was injured or something, and hurriedly rushed to her side.

"Yue'er, what happened to you? Are you hurt?"

Guan Zhiyue raised her head, shook her head, and said, "No, are you alright?"

"Oh, I'm fine. It's good that you're alright here. I'll go ask Uncle Guan how things are going on his end."

"Um!"

Li Qishang didn't want to stay here, but it was already very impolite for him to barge in so late at night. For the sake of her reputation, he should give way, so he quickly checked on her and left.

The Guan family was in a state of panic all night, and Guan Zhiyue managed to stay awake until dawn.

......

The next morning, everyone in the Guan family got up very early. Guan Zhiyue also arrived at the hall in a daze, only to find everyone sitting together.

"Yue'er greets Grandfather, Grandmother, and Father!"

"Oh, good Yue'er, come here to your grandmother. Look at how sleepy you are. Why didn't you sleep a little longer? I must have scared you last night." Old Madam Guan pulled Guan Zhiyue to her side and looked at Guan Zhiyue's dark circles with a pained expression.

Guan Zhiyue quickly shook her head and looked at Guan Hongsheng: "Father, was anything stolen from our manor last night?"

Guan Hongsheng and his two sons exchanged an awkward glance, looking hesitant to speak. This stammering annoyed the old man Guan, who poked his son hard with his cane.

"What's missing? Just say it! What kind of nonsense is this, trying to cover it up?"

Guan Hongsheng glanced at his father, scratched his head awkwardly, and said rather embarrassedly, "Zhuo'er, you tell him!"

Guan Chengzhuo: "......"

Everyone turned to look at Guan Chengzhuo, who gritted his teeth and stamped his foot, saying, "Nothing was missing from the other rooms, it's just...it's just..."

"Oh dear, are you and your son trying to drive us crazy?"

"It means the food in the kitchen has been eaten clean."

"What? There's no food left in the kitchen?" The first to exclaim was Grandpa Guan Shang. He was going to show off to those old men today, so how come there's nothing left?

Guan Zhiyue's eyes widened in disbelief: "All gone?"

"Yes! They're all gone."

"There's no more stinky tofu left in the cupboard, all that's left are the various fresh ingredients from last night's hot pot meal."

Rosamund Kwan:...........

"Did we run into a gluttonous thief?" Guan Zhiyue looked at the group with a somewhat disgusted expression.

Guan Hongsheng took out a silver note from his hand and said, "It doesn't seem like it was stolen food."

"One hundred taels?"

“What does this mean?” Guan Zhiyue asked.

The others looked at the hundred taels of silver, then at Guan Hongsheng. Guan Hongsheng didn't know what it meant either, and then, based on his guess, said, "Maybe it's compensation because they felt we ate too much!"

The people in the hall....

Inside the palace.

"Ji Wu, you guys are really something, aren't you ashamed?"

"Your Majesty, I left one hundred taels in the kitchen, so it shouldn't be considered a free meal; we did pay for it."

Li Qiji: "......."

Hua Quan stood to the side, somewhat bewildered, wondering what incomprehensible things the Emperor and his entourage had done this time. He lamented that he lacked martial arts skills; if he had them, he could leap across rooftops and know what was happening to the Emperor. Now, he was useless in every way, drifting further and further away from being an emperor.

Li Qiji looked at Hua Quan and said, "What are you thinking about now? Don't try anything funny with me."

Upon hearing the Emperor's words, Hua Quan knelt down in front of Li Qiji with a thud and shouted loudly, "Your Majesty, you have truly misunderstood this servant. This servant did not think of anything, this servant would not dare to think of anything."

Li Qiji looked at the two kneeling men and said, "Don't you want to know what we did last night?"

Hua Quan quickly and honestly replied, "Your Majesty, although this servant is very eager to know, this servant is ultimately just a servant and is not worthy to know about Your Majesty's affairs."

"Yes! We went to Guan's residence last night."

"What?"

"There was a thief at General Guan's residence last night! Was it Your Majesty?" Hua Quan exclaimed in surprise...

Ji Wu seemed to understand, and hooked his arm around Hua Quan's neck, saying, "Eunuch Hua, we're in the same boat now, you..."

"Lord Jiwu, please rest assured, Your Majesty, please rest assured, this servant knows nothing, knows nothing at all."

Ji Wu tactfully released Hua Quan, took out an oil paper package from his pocket, and handed it to Hua Quan, asking him to open it.

"What is this? It smells so good..."

Li Qiji stared intently at Ji Wu, his gaze so intense it seemed he wanted to burn him alive. Ji Wu shrank back and quickly pulled out another packet from his pocket, trembling as he handed it to Li Qiji.

Upon seeing this, Hua Quan looked at Ji Wu with some nervousness and said softly, "Lord Ji, what is this...?"

"This is the food I bought at the Guan residence! Let me tell you, this stuff is absolutely delicious. I even took it to the imperial kitchen to have it sliced ​​into pieces. It's simply divine!"

Hua Quan also picked up a piece, and secretly put one in his mouth behind Li Qiji's back. His eyes widened in disbelief as he looked at Ji Wu, as if this thing was some rare treasure, and he was full of admiration.

"How was it? It tasted good, didn't it? You'd better keep it a secret! This is stolen goods, and you've shared it too."

Upon hearing this, Hua Quan was torn between swallowing the food in his mouth and spitting it out. He glanced at the Emperor, who was sitting at his desk eating with relish, and nodded.

The news of the theft at Guan's residence spread quickly throughout the neighborhood, and everyone immediately began guarding their kitchens closely, fearing that their own kitchens might also be stolen.

Some even joked that the Guan family must have prepared some divine delicacy to attract the attention of thieves. Rumors spread like wildfire throughout the capital, with everyone saying one thing and no one knowing who was right or wrong...