The Great Xuan, the Imperial Study.
A man in black knelt on the ground and presented the secret letter with both hands.
Li An took the secret letter, examined it carefully, and confirmed that there was no suspicious powder or markings on it before handing it over to Zhao Yi, who was sitting next to him.
Zhao Yi took the letter, his sharp eyes scanning the paper, but soon, an angry look appeared on his face, and he cursed, "What a piece of trash!"
Clearly, the contents of the letter did not meet his expectations, leaving him extremely dissatisfied. He placed the letter over a candle flame until the flames almost burned his fingers, then tossed the burnt letter into a nearby copper basin, letting the flames consume it.
Li An stood aside, filled with doubt. He didn't know what was written in the letter, but judging from Zhao Yi's reaction, it was clear that His Majesty's plan for something important had not gone as desired, which was why he was so furious.
He stood silently to one side, his hands at his sides. He knew that in this situation, remaining silent was the safest option.
After a long silence, Zhao Yi finally broke the silence and slowly said, "I heard that Sheng'er has now become the Imperial Phoenix Guard by Zhizhi's side. No, now, I should call her Zhu San Niang." A faint smile appeared on his lips, as if he felt a little gratified by the news, but there was also a hint of bitterness in that smile.
Li An caught a glimpse of the smile on Zhao Yi's face out of the corner of his eye, but he was completely confused. He couldn't guess what Zhao Yi was really thinking at that moment, and he didn't dare to speak to him rashly.
In this situation, remaining silent is undoubtedly the safest course of action.
However, what Li An didn't expect was that even if he chose to remain silent, His Majesty didn't seem to intend to let him off the hook.
Zhao Yi suddenly turned his head, staring sharply at Li An, and asked, "I remember that the maidservant by the Empress's side, the one named Dongling, is now your lover, isn't that right?" Li An was startled; he hadn't expected His Majesty to suddenly bring this up.
Dongling has always been a thorn in his heart that is hard to remove. Their relationship is complicated and subtle, and he has always been careful to hide it, afraid that the secret will be discovered.
But if His Majesty asks, then we must answer.
Li An replied respectfully, "Yes, Your Majesty, that is indeed the case." There was a hint of tension in his voice.
Zhao Yi smiled slightly, seemingly satisfied with Ang Lee's reaction.
"I know you are a smart man, Li An. Dongling is a good woman, you must treat her well."
Ang Lee breathed a sigh of relief, but at the same time, his vigilance increased.
His Majesty suddenly brought up Dongling. Was he really just concerned about her personal affairs? No, His Majesty was probably reminding me to be wary of Dongling.
The former Empress Qin Sheng changed her name and went to Yun Dynasty to become a royal guard. She and Dong Ling had always had a deep relationship, and she herself was serving as the emperor's attendant...
Ang Lee pondered silently in his heart, and finally figured out the key to it.
He knelt down with a thud, trembling as he said, "Your Majesty, this old servant has absolutely no disloyal intentions towards Your Majesty!"
Zhao Yi sat on the dragon throne, his gaze passing over the memorials half a foot high, coldly fixed on Li An kneeling below, a contemptuous smile playing on his lips. Everyone told him they had no ulterior motives, yet everyone coveted the very seat he now occupied.
Except for that person, and except for his imperial sister.
The position that others would spend their entire lives striving for, Zhao Zhi discarded like trash. How ironic!
Thinking of this, he slowly stood up, walked to the window, looked at the increasingly round moon outside the window, and spoke after a moment of silence.
"Ang Lee, I live in such a world of deceit and intrigue that I can hardly tell who is telling the truth and who is lying!"
Li An knelt below, knowing that serving a ruler was like walking on thin ice; he was prepared to die at any moment. But the thought of Dong Ling filled him with resentment. When Qin Sheng faked his death, Dong Ling was supposed to be buried alive with him, but he had used his methods to save her.
Dongling was extremely grateful to him and agreed to repay him with her body. However, he suddenly couldn't get over his own conscience.
"Li An, I know you are loyal, but in this palace, loyalty cannot guarantee everything. I want you to be vigilant at all times and not let any disturbance escape your notice. In particular, I want you to keep a close eye on people related to Qin Sheng."
Li An felt a chill run down his spine; he understood His Majesty's meaning.
Although Qin Sheng has left Da Xuan, her influence remains, especially her relationship with Dong Ling, which makes Li An uneasy.
"Your Majesty, this old servant will do his utmost to share your burdens," Li An replied respectfully, though inwardly he was calculating how to handle his relationship with Dongling in order to secure his position in the palace.
Zhao Yi nodded, turned back to his desk, picked up a memorial, and continued, "In addition, I have heard that there have been some unusual movements in the Yun Dynasty recently. You should keep a close eye on the Yun Dynasty's movements and report to me immediately if there is any disturbance."
"Your Majesty, rest assured, this old servant will keep a close eye on the movements of the Yun Dynasty and will never fail Your Majesty's trust," Li An replied firmly, though in his heart he was calculating how to navigate the palace and the Yun Dynasty with ease.
Zhao Yi nodded slightly in satisfaction, then sighed softly and said with emotion, "Li An, some of the people around me have passed away, while others have chosen to leave or escape. The only one left to accompany me is you."
After saying this, he turned and walked to the bookshelf beside him, took out an exquisite porcelain bottle, carefully opened the cap, poured out two pills, and handed them to Li An. After taking the pills, Li An felt uneasy.
He knew he had no right to refuse and could only silently accept it all.
"Eat it. Leave the other one for Dongling," Zhao Yi whispered.
Li An respectfully replied, "This old servant will obey Your Majesty's decree." After saying this, he took a deep breath and resolutely put one of the pills into his mouth and swallowed it.
At this moment, his forehead was already covered with fine beads of sweat.
However, to his surprise, the expected abdominal and chest pains did not occur.
He looked at Zhao Yi in confusion, wondering to himself: Could it be that what His Majesty gave me was not poison, but some other kind of medicine?
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