Chapter 33: Plea

Yun Zhao was practically laughing at his own nonsense. [Military pay is a given! My brother hasn't been home for three years. Isn't it only natural for him to come back? Can this be considered a favor? The damn emperor's face is thicker than the palace walls!]

She lowered her eyelashes, hiding all her true emotions, and said in a calm voice, "I am delighted. Thank you, Your Majesty, for your grace."

Xiao Jin stared at her for a moment, then suddenly shouted, "Someone, get ready to go to Concubine Zhang's palace!"

[Princess Zhang? Zhang Wanru? The daughter of that idiot Minister of War Zhang Jianren?]

Yun Zhao's mind flashed with information instantly. [A pawn inserted to appease the Ministry of War during the first year of his reign...]

[Wait! Concubine Li, the daughter of Minister of Personnel Li Xin, is also in the harem!] A thought flashed through the fog like lightning. [Is the bastard emperor... planning to use the harem to compete for favor and stir up a fight between the Zhang and Li factions of the previous dynasty? Let them start fighting among themselves?! What a trick to divert trouble away!]

Xiao Jin paused slightly, a hint of deep surprise flashing across his eyes.

How could she have seen through his intentions so quickly? He didn't linger, and with a flick of his wide sleeves, he quickly disappeared out the door, carrying a chilling aura.

The next day, an imperial decree shook the harem—Concubine Zhang Wanru, for her meritorious service in the emperor's bedchamber, was promoted to Imperial Concubine! Generous rewards streamed into her palace.

In the court, Xiao Jin even praised the Minister of War Zhang Jianren in public for the first time, praising him for "educating his daughter well and being a role model for all officials."

Before he finished speaking, the spearhead suddenly turned to the Minister of Personnel Li Xin, accusing his daughter, Concubine Li, of "stirring up trouble and having no talent or virtue" in the harem. The harshness of his words attracted the attention of everyone in the court.

Three days later, the red marks on Yun Zhao's cheeks faded, leaving only a few marks.

She walked steadily back to Yanying Palace to take up her post. Before she could step through the heavy shadow of the palace gate, she bumped into the thin figure.

Concubine Li, Li Yangzhi, had a slender figure wrapped in a slightly loose palace dress, like a willow branch rustling in the autumn wind, which might be blown off at any time.

Behind her followed an equally trembling little palace maid, holding a gilded food box in her hand. The box was exquisite, but it made the master and servant look even more panicked and helpless.

When Concubine Li saw Yun Zhao, it was like grabbing a life-saving straw. She tried to force a smile on her face, but it was as stiff as if it was painted on, without any warmth.

Her voice was as soft as a mosquito's whisper, trembling barely perceptibly. "Miss Yunyun... could you please... tell me this? I... wish to see His Majesty..."

Yun Zhao's gaze swept across her pale face and the food box, and he understood.

Her face remained expressionless as she bowed politely, her voice steady: "Your Majesty, please wait a moment. I will go in and report."

As for the result... she was not sure in her heart, she only felt that there was a chilling coldness inside and outside the palace.

Xiao Jin's heart, during those years of confinement without sunlight, had long since become colder and harder than the golden bricks in the deep palace.

Yun Zhao pushed open the door, and a heavy smell mixed with the scent of ink and ambergris hit him in the face.

Xiao Jin was buried in a pile of memorials. He didn't even look up when he heard the voice. He just said coldly, "What? I still have to wait for you?"

Yun Zhao was already accustomed to his harsh words. She walked straight to the cushion beside the imperial desk, knelt down, picked up the notebook, and spoke in a clear and calm voice: "Your Majesty is diligent and arrived a quarter before the scheduled time. This servant has not been late."

Xiao Jin raised his eyelids from behind the memorial, sneered, and said no more, but the invisible pressure still lingered.

Yun Zhao did not pick up the pen immediately, but looked up at him, her tone of voice just right and natural: "Your Majesty, Concubine Li is waiting outside the palace now. I heard that her mother's family is from Sichuan and Chongqing, and she is an excellent cook, so she specially brought a box of homemade snacks today. It is late autumn and the weather is very cold, and Your Majesty must be tired from reviewing memorials. Would you like to... try some hot food to warm yourself up?" She cleverly transformed Concubine Li's intention of "seeking an audience" into the thoughtfulness of "presenting delicious food."

Xiao Jin's gaze was like an icy probe, instantly locking onto her. A hint of insightful sarcasm curled up the corner of his mouth. "Oh, Yun Zhao, you've got a brilliant plan. You can even speak so righteously to plead for that foolish concubine?"

Yun Zhao drooped her eyelashes slightly, avoiding the sharp scrutiny. Her voice remained steady, but with a hint of imperceptible guidance: "I dare not presume to guess the Majesty's intentions. I just think that it would be a pity to disappoint the beauty who has shown such great kindness; and it would be even more of a pity to miss out on such delicious food...?" She stopped there and threw the choice back to Xiao Jin.

"Princess Li, I can only offer you a way out. Ultimately, you must walk the path of this deep palace on your own."

"Oh," Xiao Jin sneered with understanding, "You are the one who is greedy!"

Yun Zhao remained calm, even bowing her head slightly, appearing exceptionally respectful. "It is a blessing for me to share this delicious meal with Your Majesty."

[Food is the most important thing for people! If you don't eat the delicious food that is right in front of you, wouldn't that be a waste?] The true thoughts in his heart contrast sharply with the outward respect.

Xiao Jin stared at her for a moment, his penetrating gaze seemed to be able to penetrate her skin and reach her soul.

He said no more, but just raised his chin towards the palace door as a sign of tacit agreement.

Outside the palace, Concubine Li, feeling every second seemed like an eternity, suddenly lit up with a faint light when she heard the eunuch's shrill "Announce—" and could hardly believe her ears! Could Yun Zhao's words actually be so effective?

She suppressed her excitement and anxiety, took a deep breath, and walked into the hall as dignifiedly as possible.

Yun Zhao had stood up and took the heavy food box, which held all her hopes, from her maid.

Xiao Jin's gaze didn't even linger on Concubine Li's carefully made-up face. His voice was as indifferent as if he was asking something insignificant: "Why do you have to see me?"

Concubine Li knelt hurriedly and saluted, her voice filled with suppressed tension and anticipation: "Your Majesty, I see that it is cold in late autumn, and I am afraid that Your Majesty will overwork and harm your health, so I...I made some Sichuan snacks from my hometown by myself, and I implore Your Majesty...to have a taste." Her attitude was humble to the point of being dusty.

[It is a pity that such a beautiful lady is trapped in the palace and reduced to a pawn.]

"Okay, got it." Xiao Jin's response was cold, his eyes never leaving the memorial. "Put your things down and leave." He paused, as if suddenly remembering something, and added, his tone as flat as if he were giving an official order, "I'll be there tonight."

This sudden "favor" was like a thunderclap! Concubine Li raised her head abruptly, her eyes instantly bursting with incredible ecstasy, her voice trembling: "Yes! Your Majesty... Your Majesty, I will take my leave! Your Majesty, I will be waiting for your arrival!"

Xiao Jin never raised his eyes from beginning to end.

The palace door closed, blocking out the humble joy outside.

Yun Zhao knelt back on the cushion, picked up the pen and dipped it in ink, looked at his nose with his eyes, and looked at his heart with his nose, as if everything that had just happened had never happened.

The show is about to begin! The villain in her heart was already rubbing his hands in excitement. The Zhang and Li families of the previous dynasty were at loggerheads, while in the harem, Concubine Zhang and Concubine Li were fighting to the death... The more intense this fire burns, the better!

[Just sit back and watch the fun unfold; sooner or later, the power will be taken back by the dog emperor. This plan of killing someone with a borrowed knife and watching the fire from the other side of the river is quite a good one!]