Before we knew it, early winter arrived, and the first snow came in a fierce downpour.
Large snowflakes fell all night, covering the floor tiles with a layer of white.
Fu Lu suffers from rheumatism, and his whole body aches when the weather gets cold.
Even so, he still had to get up early to serve the emperor.
The young eunuch bathed and dressed him; the master and apprentice could only meet for a short while each day at this hour.
"Master, have you noticed that there are quite a few more mute people in the palace lately?"
Fu Lu snorted through his nose, "Have you noticed that many unfamiliar faces have disappeared?"
The apprentice also found it strange, "Some people are not old enough to be released from the palace, and sneaking out of the palace is a serious crime."
Fu Lu tapped his forehead with exasperation, "You're such a pig-headed idiot! You've already figured it out, how could those old folks not know? How did they disappear? Wasn't it someone's doing?"
The only person in the palace who can make this decision is probably the Emperor.
One look at the blank look on the young apprentice's face and you could tell he knew nothing.
Fu Lu was about to go serve Xu Zang. He put on his scarf and, before leaving, coldly reminded his apprentice, "What did I tell you on your first day in the palace?"
The first rule in the palace is to speak less and do more.
The young apprentice thought about what had happened in the palace recently, and suddenly his eyes widened.
Could it be because of that person...?
As winter approaches, taxes are being submitted from various regions throughout the year, keeping Xu Zang extremely busy, with even rest time becoming scarce.
The servants filed in, and Fu Lu lifted the heavy curtain and walked to the dragon bed, where Xu Zang had been sitting for a long time.
There were severe shadows under his eyes, so I guessed he was up all night again.
Fu Lu's heart sank, and he called in all the palace maids who were serving him.
Just a few days ago, most of the young women selected for the imperial harem were sent out of the palace, while only a very small number were sent into the inner palace.
Li Wenlan was, after all, from a prestigious family. Xu Zang was forced by the court officials to make her a concubine, but on their wedding night, he left his bride waiting in the bridal chamber and has not set foot in the palace since.
The number of elderly people in the palace is decreasing, the newcomers are all mute, and the remaining people are trembling with fear, probably all guessing why their companions have all disappeared.
They were all afraid that they would be the next to disappear from this palace, so they all kept their mouths shut, pretending to be mute, and dared not say anything that should or shouldn't be said.
I heard that the young master in the next courtyard can now walk without his wheelchair, although he stumbles a bit, at least he can stand up.
Xu Zang went to check twice a day, but no more.
Fu Lu served Xu Zang for more than half a year, and he saw that after the emperor finished reviewing the memorials every day, he would do nothing but look next door as if he could see something.
The emperor knew there were rumors circulating in the palace and didn't want to cause any unnecessary trouble for that person, so he preferred to keep quiet about it.
He is the most honorable person in the world, he can have anything he wants, yet he has to humble himself.
That person must have held a very, very important place in the Emperor's heart.
The Emperor was suffering from insomnia, and Fu Lu guessed that it must be due to another worry.
Every day at court, the ministers would not discuss important national affairs, but rather the issue of the royal heir.
It's understandable that the ministers were anxious because Xu Zang was delaying his wedding night with the concubines, and there was also an unidentified man in the palace.
It was another morning court session, and the ministers kept bringing up the issue of having an heir.
Xu Zang sat on the dragon throne, propping his head up, looking at the faces of the group of people below, all of whom were blinded by greed and ugly.
The people speaking were all officials whose daughters had entered the palace, most of them holding the rank of third grade or higher.
At this age, instead of thinking about how to enjoy one's retirement, one only thinks about climbing higher and higher, preferably to the very top.
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