"Luo Peiyu!"
Upon returning to the Jiaofang Palace, Xie Yuan summoned Luo Peiyu, his most trusted embroidered-robed envoy.
"yes!"
Luo Peiyu stood with a bow, respectful and humble.
"Go, thoroughly investigate Yuwen Hao!"
"I need to know if he had any close friends while he was traveling."
"Furthermore, after he arrived in the capital, he maintained close ties with those people!"
Xie Yuan gave the instructions sternly.
When she first met Yuwen Hao, she didn't have any particular feelings of liking or disliking him; she just didn't have a good impression of him.
Upon seeing him again today, Xie Yuan finally realized that there was something wrong with this person.
He actually tried to sow discord between Xie Yuan and Helian Jue.
Furthermore, in a moment of desperation, Yuwen Hao even dared to address Helian Jue by his given name.
In ancient times, with its strict hierarchical system, this would have been considered extremely disrespectful.
Beheading would be the least of your worries; if things go wrong, your whole family could die!
Yuwen Hao did this, either because he was emotional and momentarily lost his composure, or because he misspoke.
Or perhaps he didn't respect Helian Jue at all, and when he mentioned the emperor in private, he always called him by his full name.
The former is one thing, but everyone has moments when they lose their mind.
But if it's the latter—
Xie Yuan was always thorough and cautious in his actions.
Now that we've identified the problem, we need to find a way to address it.
As for the feelings Yuwen Hao expressed for her, Xie Yuan didn't believe it at all!
Of course, a few years ago, the original owner and Yuwen Hao were childhood sweethearts and may have had some ambiguous feelings for each other.
However, the current Xie Yuan is not the original owner, but a soul from the future.
Furthermore, even for the original owner, after several years of separation, Yuwen Hao did not appear when the original owner needed him most, and there was no news of him for several years in a row.
To say that he had any feelings for the original owner is simply a joke!
Xie Yuancai would not treat Yuwen Hao differently.
After their first meeting, Xie Yuan didn't immediately send someone to investigate, which was already considered a favor to Xie Yuan, the original owner's biological father!
Now that Yuwen Hao has shown his true colors, Xie Yuan would be out of her mind if she remained unmoved.
"Yes! This servant will obey!"
Luo Peiyu quickly responded, her eyes filled with awe and loyalty towards Xie Yuan.
Xie Yuan remained expressionless, but inwardly he was wondering: Is Luo Peiyu truly loyal to me?
Luo Peiyu and the Embroidered-Robe Envoys she commanded were Xie Yuan's most trusted secret service agencies, which he openly trusted.
It was her private force, and it had already been made public to Helian Jue.
In the past, before Helian Jue ascended the throne, Xie Yuan could still trust Luo Peiyu and the Embroidered-Robe Envoy's loyalty.
But things are different now. Helian Jue is the emperor of the Great Zhou Dynasty, who controls the entire world and has millions of ordinary people under his control.
Xie Yuan was somewhat uncertain.
As the saying goes: there is no such thing as loyalty in the world, only that the cost of betrayal is not high enough!
Luo Peiyu herself could swear allegiance to Xie Yuan, but Luo Peiyu was not alone; she also had parents, relatives, friends, and acquaintances.
As emperor, Helian Jue could grant Luo Peiyu and her relatives the wealth, status, and prestige they desired.
Xie Yuan could be empress, but her power came from Helian Jue.
So, in the end, Helian Jue is still the one more worthy of our allegiance!
Xie Yuan never tests people's hearts, nor does he gamble on whether a person has a conscience.
She would never entrust her safety to someone else.
Fortunately, she had a backup plan!
Of course, this so-called backup plan is not an absolute secret.
In order to manage her marriage with Helian Jue well, Xie Yuan held almost nothing back from him.
In the past, it was simply to better manage the marital relationship; now, Xie Yuan is very glad he did it.
Helian Jue is a lunatic.
For an extreme paranoiac like Helian Jue, what he wanted was "absoluteness".
Xie Yuan must absolutely love him, absolutely prioritize him, and absolutely believe in and trust only him.
Xie Yuan succeeded by sheer luck!
However, within Xie Yuan's "absolute" assurances, she secretly left a hidden trap—
Orphans from Lingnan and those adopted in the capital region.
And Schelling's treasure ship fleet!
The orphan, Ah Lang, is the person Xie Yuan trusts and relies on the most.
While still in Lingnan, Xie Yuan casually arranged for him to go to the shipyard.
Now, Ah Lang is a member of the navy established by the Yue King's Palace.
He was unremarkable, just an ordinary squad leader.
However, all nine soldiers under his command were completely loyal to Xie Yuan.
As long as Xie Yuan sends a message by carrier pigeon, A Lang can sail his ship to a designated sea area.
As for Xie Yuan, if it really comes to the point of breaking with Helian Jue, she only needs to take the child to the harbor, and from then on, she can have a vast and boundless world and become a maritime overlord!
"Helian Jue, you wouldn't force me to take that step, would you?"
After seeing Luo Peiyu off, Xie Yuan sat alone in the main hall, holding a jade hairpin with slightly rough carving, lost in thought.
"Your Majesty, you miss His Majesty again!"
Ruyi is now the head maid in the Jiaofang Palace. She was Xie Yuan's dowry maid and has followed the Emperor and Empress all the way.
Not just in the Jiaofang Palace, but throughout the entire harem, he was a person of considerable standing.
The fact that Helian Jue, a proud and aloof person, could not remember the names of the palace maids around him, but could still recognize Ruyi, speaks volumes.
Ruyi was unaware of Xie Yuan's thoughts. Seeing her holding the jade hairpin that the Emperor had personally carved for the Empress, she mistakenly assumed that the Empress was missing the Emperor.
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