Chapter 81
In the solemn and dignified atmosphere of the Purple Palace, Li Yin sat high on the dragon throne, emitting a cold and austere aura.
The leader of the imperial guards, Wei Zheng, stood straight, walked quickly forward, knelt on one knee, clasped his hands together, and respectfully reported to Li Yin the progress of the investigation into the assassin.
His words were clear, but they were full of helplessness and frustration. It was obvious that this investigation had not yielded any valuable clues.
After hearing what Wei Zheng said, Sun Xing's heart, which had been hanging in the air, quietly settled down, and his expression unconsciously relaxed a little.
He stole a glance at Li Yin, who was now in the upper position, and then feigned indignation as he exclaimed loudly, "Your Highness! The Imperial Guards are already guarding every corner. Despite such strict security, an assassin still managed to break in. This is truly absurd and unimaginable!"
Li Yin's gaze was as sharp as a torch, coldly sweeping across the crowd below. His voice seemed to come from the underworld, chilling to the bone. "Hmph! In my opinion, is there anything more absurd and unbelievable than the Minister of Revenue, whom I dismissed, now standing brazenly in the court?"
As soon as these words were spoken, the hall fell silent, and everyone felt the anger in Li Yin's words.
Upon seeing this, Prime Minister Ji Ke hurried forward, bowed slightly, and with a seemingly peaceful smile on his face, he said to Sun Xing, "During the time that Your Highness was recuperating, Minister Sun played a vital role in the court, working hard on many matters. His contribution is truly invaluable."
His words undoubtedly implied that Sun Xing's ability to stand in the court today was something he tacitly approved and recognized.
However, Zhao Wanyong, who had always maintained a neutral stance within the court and refused to take sides easily, suddenly stood up and retorted with a serious face and a firm voice, "But ignoring His Highness's orders is undoubtedly an act of disloyalty! As a subject, I must strictly follow His Highness's instructions and must not disobey."
He looked straight ahead without any fear, completely ignoring Ji Ke's knife-like gaze.
When Ji Ke saw Zhao Wanyong like this, his eyes instantly turned as cold as ice, and he looked at him viciously, as if he wanted to eat him alive.
But Zhao Wanyong did not back down and responded with an equally firm look. The atmosphere between the two was tense, as if a fierce conflict would break out at any time.
Li Yin seemed to be standing aside, turning a blind eye to the open and secret struggles between them, his expression still stern.
Seeing this, the Minister of Revenue Sun Xing was a little frightened, but he still gritted his teeth and stepped forward with slightly heavy steps.
He bowed, trying to make his voice sound steady, and explained: "Although I have been dismissed by Your Highness, such an accident happened in the palace, which concerns Your Highness's safety. How can I sit back and watch?" There was a hint of self-defense in his words.
Minister of Rites Xu Jiang also secretly exerted his strength on the side. He frowned slightly and said with a cupped hand, "Besides, Your Majesty is also aware of and agrees to the reinstatement of Minister Sun. Please consider this matter carefully!"
His words were undoubtedly using the emperor to support Sun Xing.
Upon seeing this, the other ministers looked at each other, then bowed together and said in unison: "Your Highness, please consider this!" For a moment, the hall was filled with these uniform voices of pleading.
Upon hearing this, Li Yin's grip on the armrest bulged with veins, his knuckles turning white, as he struggled to suppress the raging anger within him. His chest rose and fell slightly, and his eyes were brimming with rage.
Wei Zheng keenly sensed that the atmosphere was not right, and fearing that the situation would get out of control, he quickly turned the topic back to the assassin investigation.
He raised his voice, his face anxious, and said, "When we arrived, there were only nine assassins' bodies left. If we can capture one of them alive, we can interrogate him rigorously and find the real culprit behind this!"
His words were full of regret and unwillingness.
Li Yin took a deep breath, suppressed the anger in his heart, glanced at Wei Zheng, and realized that this was not a good time to conflict with everyone.
He calmed himself down and continued, "The remaining assassin was seriously injured. There's no way he could have climbed over the palace wall alone and disappeared inexplicably. Therefore, there must be someone inside the palace helping him. You must do everything you can to find this person and don't let any of them go!"
Li Yin was immersed in anger and thought, and did not notice at all that Wei Dao, who was standing quietly beside him, had his eyelashes trembling slightly, and a trace of imperceptible panic flashed in his eyes.
Ji Zeming happened to be bringing some shopping into the palace. Because the assassin had stabbed his palm that day, it was very inconvenient for him to carry things. When the things in his arms fell to the ground for the third time, he sighed helplessly in his heart. When he was about to bend down to pick them up, a hand suddenly appeared in front of him and helped him pick them up.
Ji Zeming looked up and said in surprise: "Eunuch Luo"
Ji Zeming handed him the things he had picked up, and then said softly: "Your hand is injured, why are you still carrying such a heavy thing?"
Ji Zeming curled his lips and said in a coquettish tone: "Eunuch Luo, your sympathetic look makes me feel even more uncomfortable."
Luo Sanrong was a little confused.
Seeing her puzzled look, Ji Zeming didn't continue teasing her, and then changed the subject: "Are you scared? What happened that day."
Luo Sanrong replied: "It's okay, I'm not injured."
Ji Zeming then asked, "How is His Highness?"
At this time, Li Yin came behind Luo Sanrong and continued Ji Zeming's words, "As you can see, I am doing fine now."
Seeing that Li Yin was doing well, Ji Zeming breathed a sigh of relief. For so many years, Ji Zeming had been secretly asking about Li Yin, but this was the first time that his "concern" was noticed by the person involved.
Li Yin took the initiative to break the silence and said, "Let's find a place to talk!"
The two of them came to the octagonal pavilion where they often played as children. Li Yin stood by the pavilion, looking into the distance, and said, "I don't know when it started, but I don't know how to get along with you."
Ji Zeming stood beside him and continued, "Is it because I'm the only legitimate eldest son of the Ji family?"
Li Yin turned his gaze towards him and said bluntly, "That's one of the reasons."
Ji Zeming didn't say anything, waiting for Li Yin to continue.
Li Yin looked at Ji Zeming's bandaged hand and said slowly, "But when I saw you catch the sword that was stabbing at me with your bare hands, I felt a little guilty."
Ji Zeming comforted him, "Your Highness, you don't have to feel guilty. Your Highness has helped me a lot in the past. This is just a way to repay Your Highness's favor!"
Li Yin was about to say something when Ji Zeming continued, "From now on, I will no longer wait for you, will no longer care for you, and will no longer ask anything of you, Your Highness."
Li Yin smiled and said, "I don't intend to stop you. I will stop thinking about it only after I have done what I should do."
After the two finished their conversation, they started to busy themselves with their own things, and Li Yin turned and went to the library.
The candlelight was dim. Luo Sanrong stared at Li Yin across the bookshelf. Li Yin was about to step forward when Luo Sanrong said, "Your Highness, you are here. These are damaged books that need repairing, these are books that need airing, and these are books that have been sorted. They are all labeled. I have already affixed them. Your Highness can just look at the labels when the time comes."
Li Yin said, "These things have been sorted out so quickly. It's okay to sort them out slowly."
Luo Sanrong complained, "Anyway, whether it's sorted out all at once or slowly, sooner or later I'll be the one to sort it out."
Li Yin smiled and turned to another bookshelf to browse the books that interested him.
In the library, it was always like this between the two of them. They were both busy with their own things, but there was always a tacit understanding between them that no one else could interfere with.
After a while, Luo Sanrong said, "Your Highness, would you like me to compile those stories I told you when you couldn't sleep into a book?"
Li Yin felt a little strange and asked, "When the time comes, if I want to hear something, I can just call you over, right?"
Luo Sanrong nodded hesitantly: "...That's right."
After saying that, Li Yin turned around and went to read. He was a thick-skinned man and didn't notice that there was anything wrong with Luo Sanrong tonight. Even if he noticed it, it might just be because he was in a bad mood!
After a long while, Luo Sanrong's arms quietly wrapped around Li Yin's waist. Li Yin paused and tentatively called out, "Luo Rong?"
Luo Zhen was a little abnormal tonight.
Luo Sanrong leaned against Li Yin's back and said fondly, "Your Highness, let's stay in peace for a while!"
A smile appeared on Li Yin's lips, and he responded: "We can stay together like this forever."
Although she said so, Luo Sanrong did not stay there for long. She chose to return to the eunuch hall alone. Unexpectedly, she met Miss Zhao Yan on the way. Miss Zhao Yan didn't know what she was looking at. Luo Sanrong was about to leave quietly, but Zhao Yan called her.
Miss Zhao Yan looked at the candlelight in the East Palace and asked, "Eunuch Luo, has His Highness started to handle government affairs normally now?"
Luo Sanrong replied, "Yes, Miss Zhao."
Zhao Yan said somewhat disappointedly, "Eunuch Luo, you know what? I have already expressed my true feelings to His Highness, but it still doesn't work. So, from now on, I have decided not to express my true feelings to His Highness anymore."
Seeing Luo Sanrong's puzzled expression, Zhao Yan chuckled and said, "From now on, I will be someone who benefits His Highness, rather than someone who admires His Highness. At least this way, I can always be by His Highness's side."
Luo Sanrong asked with some distress: "Is it worth doing this?"
Zhao Yaner: "It's worth it. What if one day His Highness discovers my true feelings?"
Luo Sanrong didn't say anything.
Zhao Yaner asked, "Am I really useless?"
Luo Sanrong said: "No, Miss, you and His Highness are a perfect match."
Zhao Yaner smiled slightly, "I don't know why, after talking to you, I always feel much better. Can I come to chat with you often in the future?"
Luo Sanrong said hesitantly, "...Okay."
Zhao Yan'er looked at the sky and said to Luo Sanrong, "I want to go back. I've been wandering in the Imperial Garden for a long time because I was always scared. Now my feet hurt." After saying that, she turned around and left.
At this time, Luo Sanrong called her and Zhao Yaner looked back in confusion.
Luo Sanrong seemed to have made up his mind and said to Zhao Yaner, "Your Highness, he is reading in the library."
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