Chapter 25: The Outsider

Zhang Fuan's answer was flawless: "Your Majesty, His Royal Highness the Prince of Qin arrived at the palace about an hour ago. He said he would be leaving for Jiangnan tomorrow and came to bid farewell to the Empress Dowager."

The reason is plausible and impeccable.

Yun Zhao scoffed inwardly: [Goodbye? What a great excuse! He's probably making love with Su Mingli in Zhaixing Tower right now! Poor dog emperor, he doesn't even realize he's in such a precarious situation!]

[Every time you go to "pay your respects" with such fanfare, people have already mastered the art of running away as soon as they hear the news! I'm afraid I'll have to wear this green hat forever!]

Xiao Jin's eyes were gloomy as he glanced at them: "Seventh brother, go back home. Zhang Fuan, go back to Yanying Palace."

Everyone held their breath and responded, the atmosphere was tense.

After returning to Yanying Palace, Yun Zhao quickly took his leave.

Zhang Fuan also led the palace ladies out in a line.

Yun Zhao had just returned to his small but well-equipped side hall (being close to the emperor meant being well-informed, which was a good thing), and before he could even sit down, he saw Zhang Fuan retreat to the corridor outside the hall.

Curiosity got the better of him, so Yun Zhao leaned over and asked, "Eunuch Zhang, why are you out here too? Is His Majesty...resting?"

Zhang Fuan didn't even raise his eyelids, and lowered his voice very low: "Young lady, don't ask what you shouldn't ask. His Majesty will make his own decisions on what he wants to do. As servants, it is our duty to serve you wholeheartedly."

"Oh." Yun Zhao wisely retracted his head and prepared to run away.

"Young lady, please stay," Zhang Fuan called her, his tone rare and earnest. "Your Majesty was in danger today, and it was you who stepped forward to save him. Your Majesty will remember this loyalty and bravery. From now on, your life will only be smoother."

Yun Zhao twitched the corner of his mouth and said lightly: "Oh."

How bad could the life of a duke's daughter as a palace maid be? It was nothing more than being laughed at a few times.

Zhang Fuan seemed to see through her thoughts and continued, "Young lady, you can return home to visit your family less than half a month after entering the palace. Which lady in the palace has such a grace? Being able to see your family once a year is a great blessing! Young lady, cherish your blessing."

Yun Zhao sighed inwardly, but said respectfully, "Thank you, eunuch, for your advice. Yun Zhao will keep it in mind."

"I know you are a sensible person." Zhang Fuan nodded with satisfaction. "Young lady, please go to bed early. You still have to attend the morning court tomorrow morning."

"Yes!" Yun Zhao, as if granted amnesty, quickly returned to his own room. Tired after a long day, he fell asleep as soon as he touched his pillow.

She didn't know how long she had slept, but a strong feeling of being watched woke her up instantly, like ice water poured over her head!

Yun Zhao suddenly opened her eyes and sat up—in the darkness, a tall, dark figure stood beside her bed. Who else could it be but Xiao Jin?!

"Ah!" She was so frightened that her soul was out of her body. She lost all sleepiness and her heart almost jumped out of her throat.

Is there something wrong with the dog emperor?! He's up in the middle of the night, playing ghost in a palace maid's room?! Is he going to kill himself for scaring people to death?!

"Your Majesty?" Yun Zhao rolled and crawled to her knees on the couch, her voice trembling. "Is there something wrong?" She subconsciously pulled the quilt up.

Xiao Jin seemed amused by her overreaction. He actually took a step back and looked at her disheveled appearance in the dim light from the window. "Are you sleeping soundly?"

[Nonsense! If you can't sleep soundly, do you think you're going to stay awake all night? Do you think everyone else is as paranoid as you and can't sleep?!]

Yun Zhao's temper was a little out of control due to the double catalyst of shock and grumpiness.

"Your Majesty," she said, trying to keep her voice steady, "if you have any instructions, please tell me directly. You standing by my bed like this... in the middle of the night... I am... afraid."

I'm not afraid of you! It's just scary!

Xiao Jin was clearly choked by her bluntness, and then, his anger welling up in him, he lowered his voice and scolded, "How dare you! You're the only one in the entire palace, in the entire world, who dares to speak to me like that!"

[Heh! Throughout the dynasties, you're probably the only emperor to sneak into a palace maid's room in the middle of the night, right?! Weird!]

Yun Zhao was furiously complaining in her heart, but she quickly knelt down and said, "I am guilty! I know I am wrong! Your Majesty, please calm down! Whatever you want me to do, just tell me!"

Xiao Jin stared at her, his back teeth grinding loudly. After a long while, he finally squeezed out an order from between his teeth: "Change your clothes! Follow me to Zhaixing Tower!"

[Zhaixing Tower?!] Yun Zhao's mind buzzed. [Are you really going to catch them in adultery?! And taking me with you?! Making me watch a live pornographic video?! You perverted dog emperor!]

"Yes... yes, Your Majesty." Yun Zhao tried to remain calm. "But... could Your Majesty please move outside the door and wait for a moment? I... must put on some proper clothes and avoid... avoid strangers..."

"How dare you!" Xiao Jin's voice suddenly rose, as if someone had stepped on his tail, filled with incredible anger. "You want me to... wait outside?! Who do you think I am?!"

Yun Zhao wrapped herself tightly in the quilt and raised her head, her eyes innocent yet filled with a hint of despair. "What else, Your Majesty? I'm still unmarried, and in the dead of night, with my clothes disheveled... I have to be more discreet around... men outside my family, right?"

She pronounced the word "foreign man" very clearly.

The air suddenly became dead silent.

Xiao Jin retreated with a dark face.

Yun Zhao quickly put on his coat and casually gathered his hair.

In the days without a maid, it's good enough to be able to take care of myself. Exquisite? There's no such thing!

Xiao Jin turned around and glanced at her, his eyes filled with disdain, as if he had seen an overturned slop bucket from the imperial kitchen.

[Ha! You short-sighted dog emperor! I, Yun Zhao, am also a renowned jewel in the capital! Only someone with such refined tastes as you would treat a vile creature like Su Mingli like a treasure!]

Xiao Jin walked very fast, with his feet moving like the wind.

Yun Zhao jogged all the way, panting so hard that his lungs ached, and cursed the dog emperor eight hundred times in his heart.

Arriving at the bottom of the Zhaixing Tower, Yun Zhao realized—oh my god, it was just the two of them! An emperor and a palace maid, coming to this concubine's residence in the dead of night... were they trying to steal something?!

Xiao Jin actually lowered his footsteps, and the two of them tiptoed to the entrance of the hall like thieves.

[What the hell? Is the dog emperor lying about something that keeps him awake, or is he simply missing his beloved Su Meiren?]

The palace was dead silent, and the palace maid on night watch was sleeping soundly in the corner.

The air was filled with a faint...sweet fragrance.

Yun Zhao's nose twitched, and his alarm bells instantly rang: [Fuck! It's the Dog King's favorite "incense"! Such a foul smell! He must have been fooling around here! No wonder he left a confidant to play dead!]

The villain in her heart was furiously scrolling through her screen: [This rich chestnut blossom scent, peace! Definitely peace! Conclusive evidence!]

At this moment, Xiao Jin, who was walking in front, suddenly stopped!

A terrifying low pressure suddenly descended.

Without saying a word, he grabbed Yun Zhao's wrist, turned around and dragged him out!

Yun Zhao was caught off guard and almost fell down. He was dragged to a secluded corner by him.

Under the moonlight, Xiao Jin's face was darker than the bottom of a pot. His eyes were like poisoned knives, fixed on Yun Zhao's face. He squeezed out a voice from between his teeth: "Yun Zhao! Do you... do you know what shame means?!"

Yun Zhao: “???”

[Oh my god! How could I be so shameless?! I was the dumb attendant the entire time! I was the one who was dragged out like a mop! Tyrant! Are you using me to vent your anger?! Could it be... that you really smell something?]