Chapter 31
"Miss Zhao, we're here. The princess's palace is right in front." Eunuch Ma reminded.
Zhao Yan'er nodded and signaled to Chuntao, the maid beside her. Chuntao understood and took out a few taels of silver from her purse.
Eunuch Ma couldn't refuse, so he finally accepted it, thanked him and left.
After arriving at the Princess' Palace, Zhao Yan'er went straight in without asking anyone to inform her, and happened to see Ming'an struggling in front of a plate of snacks.
He walked up and sat down in front of Princess Ming'an without any courtesy. Princess Ming'an was shocked and asked, "Why are you walking without making any sound?"
Zhao Yaner explained: "It's not that I walked without making any sound, it's that you were too immersed in the dim sum."
She picked up a piece of dessert in front of her, took a small bite, and put it in her mouth to savor it carefully. "It tastes good!"
Then he asked even more puzzledly: "Then why don't you eat?"
At this time, Princess Ming'an's maid Wan'er said, "Our princess has been losing weight recently!"
Zhao Yaner said "Oh" as if she suddenly understood.
"Don't say such things in front of her in the future. She will definitely think that I am the one who looks like a princess." Princess Ming'an said sarcastically.
Now she still clearly remembers how arrogant she was when she competed with herself for beauty. It was so hateful.
Zhao Yaner smiled awkwardly and waved her hand, "It was just a joke when we were little. I've become much prettier after losing weight, Your Highness."
As soon as Zhao Yaner finished speaking, Ming An subconsciously raised his hand to cover his waist, feeling that he had indeed lost weight. A smile appeared at the corner of his lips. Although he tried to suppress it, the joy still leaked out from the corners of his eyes and eyebrows.
Ming An picked up the teacup to hide his joy, "What's wrong with you today? This is not like what you would say."
Zhao Yan'er chuckled and didn't give a direct answer. She just leaned closer to Ming'an and said, "Your Highness, I will come to the palace often in the future. Then you won't be lonely anymore."
Ming An seemed to have been touched on a sore spot and shouted, "Who's lonely? I have a lot of things to do!"
Zhao Yan'er didn't want to argue any further and simply said, "Okay, okay, I was bored and wanted to come and play with you, Princess. Please welcome me! Next time I'll bring some medicinal tea that helps with weight loss. It's very effective!"
When Ming An heard that it could help him lose weight, he reluctantly agreed.
*
Li Yin was reading in the East Palace when he suddenly came across a book with a picture of a little man who looked like him. The further he turned, the more he saw little men who looked like him on almost every page. Looking at these lighthearted little pictures, a smile appeared on Li Yin's lips unconsciously.
Looking at the place where Luo Sanrong often sat, Li Yin felt that Luo Sanrong was still there. This thought made Li Yin's heart tremble.
"How is that possible? A man?"
Li Yin called out to someone, and Eunuch Ma hurried into the hall upon hearing Li Yin's voice, "Your Highness, what are your instructions?"
"I'm not feeling well. Please call the imperial physician." Li Yin said sullenly.
Upon hearing that Li Yin was not feeling well, Eunuch Ma immediately went to the Imperial Hospital to find the imperial physician.
Half an incense stick of time later, Eunuch Ma and the imperial physician hurried to the East Palace. On the way, the imperial physician asked Eunuch Ma what the specific condition of the prince was.
Eunuch Ma was at a loss for words, and the imperial physician became even more anxious. This was because since ancient times, if someone did not show any symptoms but already felt unwell, it must be a serious illness.
The imperial physician felt Li Yin's pulse, pursed his lips, frowned, shook his head, and hesitated to speak. Eunuch Ma beside him became anxious and asked, "Sir, what is wrong with His Highness?"
The imperial physician withdrew his hand from taking the pulse, stroked his beard, and said, "I will prescribe a medicine for your insomnia."
"Insomnia? Is it just insomnia?" Eunuch Ma couldn't help but exclaimed.
Li Yin also cast a suspicious look.
"I have difficulty breathing and sometimes I blush unconsciously. Are there any other problems?" Li Yin added.
"In my humble opinion, Your Highness is in good health. If this kind of trouble continues for a long time, it may..." The imperial physician looked hesitant.
Li Yin approached the imperial physician, who looked at Eunuch Ma, then at Li Yin, and said, "According to medical records, this may be a symptom of a difficult thought."
"Difficult to think about?"
Both Li Yin and Eunuch Ma had strange expressions.
"I am deeply troubled. The book says that the harmony of yin and yang is the essence of life, but falling in love with someone you shouldn't is causing me great pain. This is called dysphasia."
What Eunuch Ma was thinking was: "His Highness drove away the eunuch Luo for my sake. Could it be that he likes me?" When he thought of this, Eunuch Ma was so scared that his stomach twitched and he started burping unconsciously.
Li Yin was thinking, "Could it be that he has fallen in love with that philandering Luo Sanrong?"
"How dare you! What nonsense!" Li Yin denied hastily. It seemed that the faster he denied it, the more it seemed to be false.
"I am terrified." The imperial physician bent over and trembled.
"Okay, get out now! Remember, you are not allowed to let anyone know that I came to see you for medical treatment. Do you understand?" Li Yin warned sternly.
"I understand." After saying that, he picked up the medicine box and left the East Palace.
Li Yin thought carefully about what the imperial physician said, and Eunuch Ma did not dare to disturb him. Li Yin thought for a long time and felt that it might be because he was too idle. If he kept himself busy, he would not have such random thoughts!
"Where is the tail knife? Find it for me." Li Yin ordered eunuch Ma.
Eunuch Ma was still thinking, if His Highness really liked him, should he obey? Just as he was thinking about it, he heard Li Yin's instructions and hurried to the inner palace to find Master Weidao. After all, he didn't want to rely on unspoken rules to get to the top!
Weidao was not in the Eunuch Hall. He disguised himself and came to a hidden shop outside the palace.
When the shop owner saw Weidao's appearance, he whispered to him, "You're here. The leader is waiting for you in the backyard."
When Weidao heard this, he nodded to indicate that he understood, and then quietly went into the backyard.
The leader the boss was talking about was a man in his forties, wearing a coarse linen shirt. He had long black hair with a few silver threads casually tied behind his head. His thick eyebrows were like two bags under his eyes, slanting into his temples. His eyes under his eyebrows were as sharp as an eagle. His nose was high and straight with strong lines. His chin and cheeks were covered with dense beard, which made him look very wild.
After receiving permission, Tail Knife pushed the door open and walked in. The leader did not stop to wipe the long knife, nor did he look up. He only asked: "Did you get it?"
Wei Dao pulled out the account book from his bosom and reported, "This is the list of officials who profited from usury."
The chief placed his long knife on the table and flipped through the account book. "Is that all?"
Taidao remained calm and said, "Yes."
The leader glanced at him and did not ask any further questions. He took out a book from the bookshelf behind him, opened it, took out a folded paper from it, and handed the paper to Weidao.
Otoshi took the paper and asked in confusion, "What is this?"
"This is a list of children who were orphaned and sold into slavery due to the war ten years ago. Can you check if Hong Jingxiu's child is among them?"
Wei Dao looked up in shock, "Are Hong Jingxiu's descendants still alive?"
Leader: "I'm not sure, but this is the information I've received so far. You need to find her first. This will be very helpful in rallying the scattered forces."
Tail Knife: "Okay, I understand."
After a moment of silence, Weidao thought there was nothing else to do and wanted to leave.
Before leaving, the leader stopped him and said, "Wei Dao, I know you've been lurking around His Highness since you were a child, so it's inevitable that you have some sympathy for him. But you must know that it was the organization that saved your life. You must know who you are loyal to."
Weidao paused for a moment, opened the door and went out without saying anything.
On the way back to the palace, Weidao kept thinking about what the leader said. It was true that the organization had given him a new life. Without the organization, he would not be where he is today. However, he would never be able to repay the kindness shown to him by His Highness in this lifetime.
He had unknowingly returned to the palace of eunuchs, and happened to meet eunuch Ma who was wandering at the door. As soon as eunuch Ma saw him, he hurried over as if he had met his savior.
"Sir, where have you been? His Highness is looking for you!"
Weidao went to the East Palace again. On the way, Eunuch Ma seemed to be hesitant to speak, but Weidao did not say much because he knew Eunuch Ma and he would naturally say what he wanted to say when he wanted to.
"Your Highness, I pay my respects to you—"
Li Yin waved his hand to signal Wei Dao to stand up and asked, "How's the matter I asked you to investigate last time?"
Wei Dao reported truthfully, "Your Highness, the envoys' whereabouts are indeed very suspicious. I've noticed that the eunuchs close to Prince Benin have been frequently contacting officials and merchants of our dynasty recently, as if they were conducting some secret procurement activities."
Li Yin perked up and said, "Then keep a close eye on them. I think you can catch them by the tail."
"Yes, Your Highness."
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