Emperor Chongzhao, who had slept for an hour, opened his eyes precisely on time.
After dusk, Li Yuanzhen, hearing the news outside, hurriedly entered the palace to remind His Majesty: "Your Majesty, Lord Xu and Young Master Ruyu have arrived."
Emperor Chongzhao paused slightly in his work of reviewing memorials. "Have they arrived?"
“Yes, Your Majesty,” Li Yuanzhen replied respectfully.
Even though he was usually very calm after reaching adulthood, he felt a little nervous.
Looking at Li Yuanzhen, who was waiting for his instructions at the door, Emperor Chongzhao composed himself, suppressing his inexplicable emotions, and calmly said, "Let Xu Yanli come in first."
"As for Ruyu, let him in later."
"Yes, Your Majesty."
Outside the palace, Xu Yanli, whose foot injury had healed considerably after being properly treated, lowered his head and exhaled a breath of stale air. This was not the first time he had greeted the emperor. Compared to the dog emperor of his previous life, Emperor Chongzhao was indeed a rare wise ruler.
Things are different now. In this life, he is no longer a eunuch, and he also has the mercy of the gods.
The guards outside the hall looked at the elegant Xu Yanli standing there and sighed inwardly. This man was already a top scholar, and now he had received the imperial favor for protecting the emperor. His future prospects were unimaginable...
Xu Yanli ignored the envious and admiring looks from the guards and saw Li Yuanzhen, who had come out to report, come out.
"Lord Xu, His Majesty requests your presence."
As a favored eunuch close to the emperor, Li Yuanzhen was eager to befriend this promising official, Lord Xu.
"Lord Xu, His Majesty is in a very good mood right now," Li Yuanzhen whispered a reminder.
Xu Yanli was not surprised by Li Yuanzhen's actions. He raised his eyes and smiled, "Thank you for the reminder, Eunuch Li. This is just my humble opinion."
The palace eunuchs, though castrated, still served others all day long, finding no joy other than greed.
As he spoke, Xu Yanli took off the jade pendant he was wearing and handed it to Li Yuanzhen.
Li Yuanzhen's smile broadened as he looked at the exceptionally high-quality jade pendant in his hand.
As a minister favored by His Majesty, possessing imperial favor and adept at cultivating relationships, this official is truly remarkable.
Xu Yanli walked slowly because of his foot injury, and Li Yuanzhen knew this, so he deliberately slowed down his pace.
When they entered the hall, Li Yuanzhen had already stepped aside.
Xu Yanli's eyes narrowed slightly as he looked at the bright yellow figure sitting above, flipping through memorials. This man was not as easily fooled as the dog emperor from his previous life.
...
The conversation between Xu Yanli and Emperor Chongzhao was not long; at least in Li Yuanzhen's view, it was unexpectedly short.
But what this conversation revealed shocked all the officials in the imperial court.
First, Xu Yanli was promoted three ranks to become the Imperial Censor, who could supervise important officials. Although his rank was not very high in the court, the position was very powerful. As long as he found a problem with an official, he could report it to His Majesty and implicate him. Which official in the court could guarantee that he was clean and without any stains?
Looking at the imperial decree and seeing the newly issued official Xu, Li Yuanzhen smiled and said, "Congratulations, Your Excellency."
Xu Yanli nodded. "Thank you, Eunuch Li."
The news of Xu Yanli's promotion spread much faster than people imagined. Qingyin, who was waiting for the emperor's summons in the side hall, heard the eunuchs passing by outside the hall saying things like Xu Yanli had become the Imperial Censor and had a bright future.
Qingyin raised an eyebrow slightly. He really didn't expect Emperor Chongzhao to value Xu Yanli so much. However, placing Xu Yanli in this position was surprisingly suitable. With his excellent style in the previous life, the officials of the court would probably have trouble sleeping for months.
Just as Qingyin was about to fall asleep while waiting in the side courtyard, a familiar person finally came into the house.
Li Yuanzhen still looks the same as before, except that there are a few more fine lines on his face.
Before entering the hall, Li Yuanzhen was curious about what the little boy looked like now, but since the Jade Prince was handsome when he was a child, he must be just as good-looking now.
The last time I saw Young Master Ruyu, he was wearing a mask, but he was quite thin... Li Yuanzhen's mind wandered.
But all those imaginings vanished when the door was opened and the person was seen; all the imagination and the most eloquent words were suddenly insufficient to describe the person before her.
There are some people who are born beautiful and radiant, so much so that just one glance at them makes you feel incredibly fortunate. And Ruyu Gongzi is such a person; all other thoughts fade away, leaving only awe and an indescribable emotion.
Li Yuanzhen was speechless. If it weren't for the caution and habits he had developed from serving the emperor for so many years, he would have preferred to continue quietly admiring the person in front of him.
"It's been a long time since we last met, Young Master Ruyu."
Qingyin smiled. Li Yuanzhen didn't know sign language, so he could only greet her with a smile.
Li Yuanzhen had many things he wanted to say to this handsome young man, but in the end he swallowed them all, leaving only the emperor's command: "Young Master Ruyu, His Majesty invites you."
Qingyin nodded.
Following the familiar Eunuch Li back to the familiar yet unfamiliar Hall of Supreme Harmony, Qingyin felt a mix of emotions.
The exterior of the Hall of Supreme Harmony remains unchanged from before.
Presumably, the small bed he slept in back then was also moved away.
Qingyin thought to herself, and with her head down, she walked into this palace that people both pursued and feared.
Inside the hall, Qingyin kept her head down obediently, her eyes fixed on the luxurious yet understated yellow patterned floor. Out of the corner of her eye, she noticed a screen with an ink painting of landscapes separating the inner hall from the outer chamber.
Upon reaching this point, Li Yuanzhen stopped, and Qingyin knew that she would have to go in by herself.
Sure enough, not long after, Li Yuanzhen smiled and said, "Young Master Ruyu, His Majesty is waiting for you inside, so this servant will go out first."
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