Wenren Yu finally caught up. Waving his ink-painted fan, he took a couple of breaths before clearing his throat and speaking under the watchful eyes of the crowd.

"Your Majesty, I have something to report. Shall we go to the Imperial Study together?"

As he spoke, his handsome face, as if painted with ink, raised an eyebrow and lightly bumped Helian Nie with his shoulder, his nonchalant manner making him incredibly irritating.

The palace servants lowered their heads, not daring to look at the emperor's expression, thinking to themselves that the prime minister was truly audacious, so disrespectful.

Chang Ying's tense face twisted into a vicious smirk; the Emperor was now essentially breaking ties with the General.

The Prime Minister is becoming increasingly unscrupulous, as if he's afraid others won't know that he and the Emperor are in cahoots.

Helian Nie didn't reply, his narrow, peach-blossom eyes coldly fixed on Wenren Yu, a chilling and sinister gaze.

A sinister gaze, like countless cold, venomous snakes, crawled across Wenren Yu's body.

The previously nonchalant Wenren Yu immediately shrugged, gave an embarrassed smile, and waved his ink-painted fan incessantly.

"Ahem, Your Majesty, I have urgent business to attend to."

Recently, that old scoundrel from Wenyi has been so caught up in his own little squabble that he's completely forgotten that the Emperor doesn't like people getting too close to each other.

He unconsciously touched his head; it was still there.

Seeing that Wenren Yu had become obedient, Helian Nie slowly withdrew his sinister gaze, put his hands behind his back, and strode towards the imperial study.

Wenren Yu lowered his hand from his neck, then followed, fanning himself with his fan.

He fawned over Helian Nie, fanning him without caring whether he actually reached him; he was just being a sycophantic little fanboy.

Changying's lips twitched again as he watched. He raised his hand, and the grand imperial procession, following the emperor's steps, headed towards the imperial study.

The Imperial Garden wasn't far from the Imperial Study, and we arrived in no time. Although the hottest days of summer were almost over, the sweltering heat still lingered.

After walking for a while, her throat was burning. Just then, the palace servants and eunuchs brought over some cooling tea, and Wenren Yu gulped it down in one go, only then did her throat feel a little better.

Helian Nie took a sip of his cool tea, put down the cup, and didn't rush to review the piles of memorials.

With one hand supporting her chin, her narrow, almond-shaped eyes fell on Wenren Yu, and her thin, crimson lips parted slightly.

"Speak, what is it?"

Wenren Yu swallowed the last mouthful of cold tea, then sat up straight and said,

"Your Majesty, just as you predicted, the little princess encountered trouble not long after leaving my residence last night."

Helian Nie's long, slender fingers, with distinct knuckles, rested on the jade thumb ring on his thumb, his handsome face narrowing slightly.

What was the result?

"The result was that it was a ghost."

Wenren Yu shrugged, held his fan open with both hands, and leaned back in the pear wood chair.

Then he sat up straight, leaned forward, and his handsome face wore a strange and mysterious expression.

"Your Majesty, none of the men I sent out last night have returned. They all dragged their carriages back to my residence."

"I sensed something was wrong, so I sent men to investigate. But alas, not only was there no body, but not even a trace of a struggle was found. Your Majesty, tell me, isn't this a ghost?"

After saying this, Wenren Yu withdrew his hand and rubbed his arm, shaking off the goosebumps on his body. It was, to be honest, rather creepy.

The Prime Minister felt completely unwell. He had lived for over twenty years and never believed in gods, demons, or ghosts. This whole thing had really shaken him up.