It was late at night.
A bright yellow palace lantern hung from the eaves of the pavilion. A gentle breeze blew by, and the light swayed and shone on Xiao Heye's face.
The pale white undergarment hung loosely on his body, and through the thin fabric, one could vaguely see Xiao Heye's well-defined and firm chest muscles.
Xiao Anzi raised her eyes slightly and saw a small red spot on his neck.
It's obvious that this must be Su Tiyue's masterpiece.
Xiao Heye sat lazily at the small stone table with his legs crossed, his slender fingers tapping the surface lightly one after another.
Xiao Anzi walked up to him, then knelt down on both knees and bowed respectfully: "This servant Xiao Anzi greets Master Xiao."
Xiao Heye lowered his eyes and looked down at him: "What's your real name?"
"Reporting to Master Xiao, this servant's surname is An, and his given name is Ran."
"An Ran?" Xiao Heye frowned. "Is it the An Ran who is safe and sound?"
"Exactly."
"Raise your head and look at our home." When Xiao Heye said this, he stopped tapping the table with his fingers and instead intentionally or unintentionally touched the mark on his neck with his fingertips.
That little thing got drunk and started biting without any restraint.
Xiao Anzi looked up, feeling a little scared, but still braced herself and met his gaze for a moment.
Xiao Heye's eyes were sharp as an eagle's; how could he not see what kind of thoughts Xiao Anzi had for Su Tiyue?
His willingness to risk his life to save Su Tiyue at the Great Buddha Hall last time is enough to prove everything.
Having developed other thoughts about Su Tiyue, Xiao Heye naturally wouldn't let such a servant stay at Tingyu Tower any longer.
"Your mistress asked us to help you find a good job..."
Xiao Heye paused for a moment, then asked him, "Do you think you can handle the task our family has assigned you?"
Xiao Anzi's eyes were firm: "Reporting to Master Xiao, although this servant is dull-witted, I am hardworking and can endure hardship. I certainly will not disappoint you."
"Hmph... Following us, you don't have to endure hardship, just one word..." Xiao Heye leaned down and said in a deep voice, "That word is ruthlessness."
"You have to be ruthless to yourself, even more so to others. Can you really do that?"
"Yes!" Xiao Anzi nodded, looking resolute.
Xiao Heye asked him, "A few months ago, when the late emperor was on the throne, your empress was set in a trap in the flower room. She escaped by jumping off the building. Do you remember that?"
Xiao Anzi: "I remember. Her Majesty's legs were badly injured that time, and it was this servant and Liu Wan who brought her back."
"If I were to tell you now that it was Xu Feng, the Grand Steward of the Imperial Household Department, who did that, what would you do?"
“This servant…” Xiao Anzi lowered his eyes and gritted his teeth, “This servant will follow Master Xiao’s lead.”
"Tsk."
Xiao Heye sneered: "Xu Feng is an ungrateful dog. It's already merciful that we've kept him alive until now... Xiao Anzi, do you want to take his place?"
Xiao Anzi understood immediately and frowned: "What does Master Xiao mean...?"
Xiao Heye nodded slightly: "Go, take care of this matter. From now on, there will be no more Xiao Anzi in this palace."
He remained silent for a long while, then continued in a sinister tone, "Then it's only Steward An."
The meaning behind this statement is already quite clear.
Xiao Anzi is smart, how could she not understand?
"This servant will certainly not disappoint Master Xiao." Xiao Anzi slammed his forehead heavily against the ground and did not get up for a long time.
"Hmm." Xiao Heye had said everything he needed to say and instructed.
Xiao Heye stood up, yawned, and then walked straight back to his room.
At that time, apart from the pavilion itself, which still had some light, the surrounding flowers, trees, and rockeries were shrouded in darkness.
After Xiao Heye had walked quite a distance, Xiao Anzi silently straightened up. His eyes were filled with murderous intent, and his hands were clenched into fists…
Xu Feng, the chief steward of the Imperial Household Department.
It was him...
Because of the incident in the greenhouse, Xu Feng had already been punished before this. Xiao Heye had him pushed off the building, leaving him paralyzed in his lower limbs and unable to stand up again for the rest of his life.
Xiao Anzi silently recited the name in his heart. After leaving Yelan Pavilion, he did not return to Tingyu Tower.
Tonight, Xu Feng has two reasons why he must die.
Firstly, it was for the sake of the Empress.
Secondly, it was for his own good future.
As Her Majesty once said, in this palace, only by becoming stronger and gaining power can one protect those they want to protect.
Since that's the case, then tonight Xiao Anzi will risk his life to prove his ability to Xiao Heye.
This proves that he can be a tool in Xiao Heye's hands, and also proves that he has the ability to become the head of the Imperial Household Department.
...
This is a dog-eat-dog world; the way to survive in the palace is the law of the jungle.
Almost every person in a high position, whether a concubine or an important official, has several lives in their hands.
Xiao Heye was like this, and so were everyone else.
*
Three days later, the feast for the Shangsi Festival arrived as scheduled. (Note: I have changed it to Shangsi Festival here. It has the same meaning as before: enjoying flowers, going on spring outings, and offering sacrifices and prayers.)
In fact, the Empress Dowager's real purpose in holding this banquet was to give Jiang Min, the daughter of the Minister of War, more time to get to know the Emperor.
On ordinary days, Empress Dowager Shen Mei always tries to create various opportunities for Zhou Tingyue and Jiang Min to spend time together.
However, Zhou Tingyue repeatedly used his busy schedule as an excuse to refuse.
Well, with the Shangsi Festival approaching, the Empress Dowager finally came up with this idea so that her son, the Emperor, could soon fall for Jiang Min. That way... wouldn't everything be perfect?
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