Chapter 14: The tyrant emperor comes to his senses?

Yun Zhao never heard anything further.

When tea was served again, the three brothers were discussing donations.

The palace maid Yingluo was busy recording, and Zhang Fuan had to keep polishing it.

The palace maids who serve tea are not allowed to attend government affairs. The previous few times were just coincidences.

Yun Zhao put the teacups away, added more tea to Xiao Jin, and then planned to leave quietly.

Yun Zhao had not yet finished her steps to leave the hall with her head lowered when a sudden roar like thunder rang out from inside the hall. She was so frightened that her knees went weak and she barely managed to hold onto the door frame to avoid falling.

"Give it to me! I want to see what you have remembered?!" Xiao Jin's voice was icy cold and filled with thunderous rage.

Yun Zhao turned back in fear. Beside the imperial desk, the imperial maid Yingluo, her face pale, her ink-soaked jade pen clattering onto the precious rice paper, leaving a smear. She trembled like a sieve, holding the record book high above her head with both hands. "Your Majesty... Please review..."

Xiao Jin snatched it away, his hawk-like gaze sweeping across the page before he hurled it to the ground. The pages scattered like frightened butterflies.

"How dare you! How dare you be so careless and perfunctory right under my nose?! Is this what the Shang Gong Bureau taught you?!" He stood up suddenly, his tall figure bringing a heavy sense of oppression, and his gaze was like a poisoned arrow shot towards Ying Luo who was crawling on the ground. "Who told you to 'record' like this?! When did I reprimand the King of Qin?!"

"I dare not! Your Majesty, please calm down! I know I was wrong! Please spare my life!" Yingluo slammed her forehead heavily on the gold brick, making a bang. Tears streamed down her face, and she trembled almost unrecognizable.

The hall was dead silent, a pin drop audible. Yun Zhao froze by the door, his hands and feet cold, even his breath held.

In just five days of entering the palace, three corpses had been carried out in front of the emperor...The bloody smell seemed to still linger in his nose.

In this suffocating silence, Xiao Jin's hand suddenly pressed on the hilt of the "Qingyun" sword at his waist, which was shining with a cold light!

“Zheng——!”

With a clear dragon roar, the long sword instantly unsheathed half a foot! A chilling murderous aura suddenly spread!

Prince of Qin Xiao Yan's expression suddenly darkened, while Prince of Jin Xiao Heng stepped forward anxiously, "Brother Emperor! Absolutely not! Such a lowly person is unworthy of defiling the sacred Imperial Study, let alone the Qingyun Sword bestowed upon us by the late Emperor!"

[It's over, it's over! If the tyrant really killed Yingluo with a single sword right now, solidifying his reputation as a brutal tyrant, wouldn't that be exactly what some people want?] Yun Zhao's heart leaped into his throat, fear coiling around him like icy vines.

[But if Yingluo is truly the King of Qin's slave, then attacking now without solid evidence would only alert the King and put him on guard... To deal with an old fox like Xiao Yan, one must kill him with one strike, leaving him with no way to deny his actions!] She could only scream frantically in her heart, praying that the tyrannical king would retain a shred of sanity.

The veins on the back of Xiao Jin's hand holding the sword bulged, and time seemed to freeze.

King Xiao Yan of Qin had a gaze as deep as a pool. He stood quietly by without saying a word, but beneath that calmness there seemed to be a turbulent undercurrent.

Suddenly, Xiao Jin's knuckles pressing on the hilt of the sword moved slightly.

He very slowly pushed the half-foot-long green sword back into the ancient scabbard inch by inch, making a dull "click" sound.

"Ah Heng is right." The murderous intent in his voice seemed to fade slightly, leaving only a biting coldness. "This lowly slave's blood is truly unworthy of staining the Qingyun Sword."

He sat back on the dragon throne, his eyes sweeping over the shivering Yingluo on the ground, as if he were looking at a dead object, "Get out!"

Yingluo was as if pardoned, and she crawled and disappeared outside the palace gate.

Yun Zhao was about to take the opportunity to slip away, but before he could even breathe a sigh of relief—

"You," Xiao Jin's cold eyes suddenly turned to her, pinning her accurately. His eyes were so sharp that they seemed to penetrate the skin and pierce the soul. "Come here and record it."

What? !

Yun Zhao felt a chill rushing from the soles of her feet to the top of her head. Her knees softened and she fell to the ground with a plop. Her voice trembled uncontrollably: "Your Majesty! I... I am a palace maid serving tea in the Imperial Food Bureau. I dare not overstep my bounds in the position of clerk in the Imperial Palace Bureau!" Cold sweat instantly soaked the back of her clothes.

[It's over! They're putting me on the fire!] She wailed inwardly, [That fifth-rank official in the Shanggong Bureau is the Empress Dowager's confidant! This damn Emperor has clearly pushed me into the spotlight! Will those ladies tear me apart alive? I've only been serving tea for five days and I'm already being pulled out to do the job of secretary. This isn't a promotion, it's flattery! Are they saying I'm not dying soon enough?!]

Just as her heart was in turmoil, Xiao Jin, who was sitting on the dragon throne, tightened his grip on the red brush for a moment imperceptibly, and his knuckles turned white.

A very subtle ripple passed through his deep eyes, so fast that it made people think it was an illusion.

The corners of his tightly pursed lips seemed to straighten even more.

"Yun Zhao—" He spoke slowly, his voice low but loaded with weight, each word hammering at the heart, "How dare you! Daughter of a guilty minister, I've made you serve before the Emperor, and yet you have no remorse at all!"

Just as Xiao Heng was about to plead for mercy, Yun Zhao's mind raced, and he took the initiative to kneel down and plead: "Your Majesty, please calm down! I know I was wrong, and I will record it now!" His voice was filled with just the right amount of fear and obedience.

She did not dare to delay for even a moment, and immediately stood up, walked quickly to the imperial desk, picked up the jade pen and scattered pages that had fallen to the ground, knelt down again, spread out the paper, held her breath, and concentrated, with the pen tip hovering.

The atmosphere in the hall was stagnant.

Xiao Jin's cold gaze swept over her lowered head, then turned to the two princes, changing the subject abruptly: "Who do you think is suitable to oversee the disaster relief funds going to Jiangnan?"

Prince Xiao Yan of Qin remained expressionless and said calmly, "Brother Your Majesty, this matter is of grave importance. In my humble opinion, it would be better if the Ministry of Revenue were to remain in full charge. They are familiar with the allocation of funds and grain."

[Ministry of Revenue?!] Yun Zhao's fingertips, gripping the pen, turned pale, alarm bells blazing in his heart: [Those parasites have already been fed by Xiao Yan! How can the money flow into their pockets and into the hands of the disaster victims? In the end, there's a pile of bad debts, public resentment is boiling, and the blame will still be placed on you, the 'incompetent emperor'? Just wait for him to be forced to issue an edict of repentance!]

She suppressed her surging thoughts and wrote neat but soulless words on the paper with the tip of her pen.

Xiao Jin did not respond to Xiao Yan's words, but turned his gaze to Prince Jin: "Ah Heng, what do you think?"

Prince Jin Xiao Heng immediately straightened his back and said in a loud voice, "Brother Emperor, I am willing to personally go to Jiangnan to oversee the disaster relief efforts and ensure that every penny of the donations goes to practical use!"

Yun Zhao's heart sank suddenly, and the tip of his pen hovered in the air.

[Oh no! Ah Heng's going there is like a sheep walking into a tiger's mouth! How could Xiao Yan allow him to achieve any merit? The Jiangnan region is densely networked with rivers and streams, and the journey is long. In three months... I'm afraid even his bones won't be found!] She could almost foresee the insidious trap and the cold murderous intent.

"You?" Xiao Jin leaned back slightly, leaning into the spacious dragon throne, his knuckles unconsciously tapping the armrests. "You just returned from patrolling the northern border, you're exhausted. You won't have to travel all that far this time in Jiangnan."

He changed the subject, his eyes shooting towards Qin Wang Xiao Yan like lightning, "A Yan, you go and handle this matter. How do you think?"

[Brilliant!] Yun Zhao's drooping eyelashes trembled violently, a barely perceptible glint flickering across his eyes. He could barely contain the curve of his lips: [What a clever trick! Killing with a borrowed knife! No, it's like driving the tiger to devour the wolf! This old fox, Xiao Yan, if he messes up, I'll have a perfect excuse to deal with him! If he wants to succeed, he'll have to use all his strength, even cutting off his own claws! Your Majesty's move... is risky, but also decisive!]

She quickly collected her thoughts and put her pen down again, recording this seemingly calm but actually turbulent appointment. She felt an unprecedented fear and expectation towards the unpredictable emperor sitting on the dragon throne.