Chapter 12 Secretly Returning to the Palace: "His Majesty is handsome and has excellent taste."

"Oh? Tell me more."

"His Majesty is extremely diligent in his duties, often reading memorials until evening after the morning court session. He is never arrogant or extravagant, unlike other emperors in historical records who were known for their lavish lifestyles. His Majesty is also handsome, and..."

"Return what?"

Yao Ruyi couldn't come up with anything more. He stared at a weed on the ground for a while and said, "You have a good eye."

"this……"

"He's talking nonsense, how does he know all this?"

"You can tell he's talking nonsense even if you use your brain. At this point, saying nice things is enough."

"..."

As the last sentence fell, a faint laugh could be heard amidst the chattering discussions in the prison.

"Thump, thump..."

The black and gold fox fur coat nearly touched the bars, barely a finger's width from the moss and rust. Gu Huizhou looked through the bars at the fair-skinned boy sitting on the ground in the prison, almost identical to his memory. His long, jet-black hair, as dark as ink, accentuated his smooth, fair skin, and his eyes, raised with a hint of timidity…

And they're incredibly bold.

He praised himself with such confidence that he felt completely justified. Gu Huizhou withdrew his gaze, turned to Xu Yi's face, and chuckled lightly, "Let's go."

Xu Yi's heart was in his throat. "Master, these scholars..."

"Let it go."

"Then, Mr. Li Wenjing—"

The winter boots pounded on the ground without stopping. "To be beaten to death."

"master--"

The thud grew fainter and fainter. The light shining through the narrow window was like red and blue hues reflected on a glass lamp. The cold air entered the mouths of the students in the prison, making them shiver.

"Release them?!"

"We...we can get out now!"

"Thank you, sir! Thank you, sir!"

"Thank you, sir!"

"Then Mr. Li—"

"He deserved it, we haven't even settled accounts with him yet! If it weren't for him, why would we have stayed here all day!"

"Exactly! He calls himself a great Confucian scholar of Yun Kingdom, but all he does is disgusting things. Who knows how many classmates he's corrupted in private!"

"Why are you silent now? Didn't you admire that old scoundrel so much?"

One student, his eyes reddening, choked out, "Don't push your luck! Didn't you also fight over the teacher's books this morning?"

"I...I was deceived by a villain!" she said smugly. "The villain will be beaten to death soon, but thankfully the magistrate is willing to give us justice."

Gao Qi remained silent. He and Zhang Li exchanged a glance, their eyes filled with regret and helplessness. No one had expected things to turn out this way; Mr. Li was about to be beaten to death, and there was nothing they could do.

"If I pass the imperial examination and enter officialdom, I will definitely find out who framed you, sir!"

"Framed?"

“Brother Yao, Mr. Li has always been a recluse and has never taught before. Someone must be framing him. Once a teacher, always a teacher!” Gao Qisheng was tall and strong with a kind and honest nature. His elbows trembled as he braced himself against the hemp rope. “I believe that Mr. Li would not do anything to collude with villains.”

Will not associate with wicked people?

Yao Ruyi thought back carefully, and it seemed that when he woke up that day, he had heard something about Mr. Li. It was in the carriage, when the emperor asked Liang Fu why his eldest son had summoned all the scholars.

Could this matter be related to the Liang family?

"Brother Yao? Are you still going to stay in the capital?" It was already night when the hundred students were released from the prison. The suburbs were desolate and chaotic. The tranquility was broken by hundreds of voices, and it suddenly turned into a bustling market. But the bustling scene did not last long. In less than the time it takes to burn an incense stick, they ran off in all directions.

"Um, what about you guys?"

"The New Year is just around the corner, we need to hurry back to our hometowns." Zhang Li scratched his head and laughed. "I need to prepare well for the county examination in February." This time, the Imperial Guards directly escorted them into prison, and these hundreds of people were not on the official register. Fortunately, they were still eligible to take the exam.

"Me?" Xunyang was stunned. He originally thought he would like to take the imperial examination and enter officialdom, but after taking a trip to the capital, he found that his temperament was not suitable for staying here.

After a moment of gloom, his tone rose, "I want to go to the south to see if I can find a distant relative there. If I really become a wealthy merchant, I'll buy you all the same kind of fabric that Brother Yao is wearing."

Gao Qi laughed, "Let's go home for the New Year first, and then we'll see."

Yao Ruyi nodded and smiled gently at the group, "Goodbye."

"Brother Yao, until we meet again."

Watching the group head towards the city outskirts, Yao Ruyi felt a slight pang of disappointment. These were the first friends he had ever made, and he wasn't sure if he would ever see them again. His white robes were covered in moss and mud from his time in prison, with messy black and gray stains clinging to his body.

The wound on his wrist was still clearly visible, and Mushroom was troubled again. How could he return to the Cloud Palace without making a sound? He hadn't finished repaying his debt of gratitude, and his human form wasn't very stable.

And Mr. Li.

Yao Ruyi walked towards the moonlight, surrounded by a few scattered students. While in prison, he had overheard these same people discussing the emperor. Most agreed that Li Wenjing's note was without fault, but disagreed with the latter half; what about the first half…?

"Is the king cruel and capricious?"

tyrant?

Mushroom scoffed. How could His Majesty be a tyrant? After walking for a while, he slowed his pace. "Did he say he wanted to have Mr. Li beaten to death...?" Yao Ruyi fell silent for a moment, then suddenly quickened her pace.

If Mr. Li is beaten to death tonight, I don't know if he can save him in time if he goes to the palace now!

The Liang family is definitely involved in this.

Evening, outside the Cloud Palace.

Several long corridors stretched out from the Cloud Palace, their towering structures carved with dragon patterns. Eunuchs held lanterns beneath each pillar, both inside and outside the corridors. The corridors stretched as far as the eye could see, forming a string of luminous pearls. The accumulated snow was neatly swept to one side, and the eunuchs, according to the emperor's preferences, sprinkled flower petals on it, making it resemble a pool of water.

The moonlight shone down, casting countless afterimages. A pair of black dragon boots with gold patterns were covered with tiny snowflakes. A fox fur coat was casually draped over his shoulders, and the red gauze robe with silver threads underneath fluttered in the campfires on either side. The jade pendant and belt at his waist jingled.

The black fur on the fox fur coat mingled with the man's long hair that reached his lower back. He held the wine cup in his hand and swirled it around, looking quite relaxed.

"Your Majesty," Cui Xiangzhu shivered, the cold wind stinging his face, "why don't you go back inside and rest? The air here is getting colder and damper. Please take care of yourself!"

Gu Huizhou waved his hand, "You may leave."

Cui Xiangzhu wanted to explain that it wasn't because he was afraid of the cold, but that was part of the reason. The head eunuch wisely went downstairs, and when he reached one side of the corridor, he encountered a group of lantern-bearing eunuchs. He stopped and said, "You, stand over to His Majesty, and make the fire in the lanterns burn even brighter."

"I understand."

"I understand."

Cui Xiangzhu nodded, walked to the corner and looked back at Gu Huizhou, finally sighed and ran back to his residence.

The wine in the emperor's cup was rich and mellow, and the wound on his wrist was unmarked, overlapping with a string of red cinnabar beads. Also in the same color was the red jade thumb ring on Gu Huizhou's thumb, a deep, purplish-red that seemed to hold fresh blood.

The snowflakes fluttered and then stopped, finally settling on the emperor's fox fur coat at midnight. Gu Huizhou finished his wine cup, his dragon boots clattering heavily on the freshly fallen snow, the sound rhythmic, until his footsteps stopped before the door leading to the Cloud Palace.

"It's better if Cui Xiangzhu, this chief eunuch, doesn't serve any longer; he's just fooling me all day long." The cinnabar string was being strung in someone's hand, making a "clattering" sound. "I don't believe a mushroom could disappear in the Cloud Palace. If that were truly the case—"

The emperor paused, then said, "These good-for-nothings should have their heads chopped off and fed to the dogs."

"Your Majesty, please calm your anger!"

The palace servants immediately knelt down, and Gu Huizhou hesitated before getting up after waving his hand.

"call--"

As the door was pushed open, a gust of cold wind rushed out of the Cloud Palace, accompanied by a whooshing sound. Coincidentally, the window on the inside of the Cloud Palace was also blown open by the wind, slamming against the wall with a "bang!" The cold wind howled and pounded against the mushroom.

"Isn't this right here?"

Yao Ruyi's heart was pounding in his chest as he hurried back. There were an unusually large number of palace guards tonight, perhaps because the year was drawing to a close. He secretly used some of his magic to return to the Cloud Palace unnoticed, exhausting his remaining spells in the process. Just as the emperor pushed open the door, he crashed into a flowerpot.

He bumped his head on the flowerpot.

A mushroom leaned crookedly against the flowerpot, and Gu Huizhou's eyes flashed with curiosity. There were no pastries or strong tea in the room tonight; perhaps the young emperor was in a bad mood, as he was still awake past midnight.

"Thirteen."

"Your subordinate is here."

Gu Huizhou leaned against the dragon bed, still wearing his fox fur coat, and ordered, "Order the guards to stay in the Cloud Palace in the coming days, and no one is allowed to enter or leave at will."

"Cui Xiangzhu recently said that my mushrooms have gone missing, and I'm worried about it. Have someone keep an eye on them so I can feel at ease."

Thirteen asked seriously, "But there's unrest in the capital. Should I go and inform Twelve?"

"The capital has been in constant turmoil."

Da da da da—

What was that sound? Thirteen had never heard such a sound in the Cloud Palace before. A few breaths later, his peripheral vision fell on the Emperor's hand. When did His Majesty acquire a string of cinnabar beads?

"Go down."

"Your subordinate takes his leave."

After everyone left, the Cloud Palace fell silent again, and the warmth of the underfloor heating finally eased the chill. Gu Huizhou's fox fur quilt remained on the soft couch, and his red robe lay on top of it.

Yao Ruyi yawned. Was the emperor going to change his clothes again? It was already past midnight; he would usually be asleep by then.

What is he doing with the sword?

Yao Ruyi suddenly woke up to find Gu Huizhou stabbing her with the long sword. Blood gushed out like a fountain, scattering at her feet and forming patches. The blood flowed along the hilt of the sword to her wrist, finally pooling at her elbow and dripping onto the ground.

"His Majesty!"

Gu Huizhou stared at the forearm-length wound on his abdomen, his throat tightening and his chest heaving rapidly before finally calming down. He tossed his longsword onto the table with a clang; a few drops of blood from the previous strike had splashed onto his chin, mingling with his sweat and trickling down his chest.

Just like that morning, Yao Ruyi watched as he took out the bottle of medicine powder from the wooden box beside the dragon bed and sprinkled it directly on the wound. Blood spread from the soft couch to the edge of the table and finally stopped on the dragon bed.

Gu Huizhou's heavy breathing continued, and Yao Ruyi could hear his trembling. The emperor's hands, also covered in blood, were tightly pressed against the wound.

Although the bleeding from the wound has stopped, the pain is unavoidable.

The stench of blood filled the room, especially at the table. "Hmm—" The emperor groaned as he propped himself up, blowing out the candle with a soft breath. The Cloud Palace was plunged into darkness. Yao Ruyi's heart was still pounding; he could smell the increasingly heavy stench of blood.

It wasn't Gu Huizhou's wound, but rather the sword that had just pierced the emperor, which was now resting peacefully on the table, right beside him.