Ping Zhao Lu

After a long time, Su Ming led Xu Jianglin into Fengluan Palace.

Along the way, many palace servants stopped to watch.

Xu Jianglin was tall and handsome, wearing a bright crimson official robe, with an ivory tablet tucked into his waist, and walked into the palace with steady steps.

His appearance attracted the attention and admiration of people around him.

Xu Jianglin remained calm on the surface, but his heart was already in turmoil.

This was his first time setting foot in the harem. It would be fine if he just met some palace maids, but if he accidentally ran into the concubines and accidentally caused a lot of trouble, he would want to die.

Fortunately, the journey was smooth and nothing that shouldn't have happened happened.

Xu Jianglin breathed a sigh of relief and even forgot about etiquette. He sat down next to his younger brother very naturally, poured himself some tea and drank it in one gulp.

Xu Zhouye couldn't help laughing when he saw this.

He waved his hand to signal the palace attendants to withdraw, then tilted his chin up as he watched his elder brother frantically frantically. "Look how frightened you are, brother. After all, it was I who summoned you to the palace, and His Majesty agreed. Why are you so nervous?"

Xu Jianglin put the teacup down heavily and said seriously, "What do you know? The bloody storm in this harem is no less than that of the previous dynasty! As your elder brother, I still need to remind you. Don't be too naive and kind, otherwise you will suffer the consequences!"

Xu Zhouye shook his head in amusement, "You're still talking about me. You just rushed in, completely disregarding the proper etiquette. Fortunately, we're all family members in this palace. If anything else happened, the papers about reporting to Big Brother would be flying everywhere tomorrow morning!"

Hearing this, Xu Jianglin looked away guiltily, cleared his throat, and said indifferently, "Then let them complain. Anyway, I won't be in the capital from tomorrow onwards, so I won't be able to hear them even if they talk all day and night."

Having said that, the smile on Xu Zhouye's face gradually faded, replaced by a serious and thoughtful look.

Under Xu Jianglin's puzzled gaze, he slowly stood up, walked to the desk, picked up the brush, his eyes focused and deep, as if he wanted to express his thoughts through the tip of the pen.

At this moment, he suddenly turned to look at Xu Jianglin, "Come here and grind ink for me."

Xu Jianglin was stunned when he heard this, and then he couldn't help but smile bitterly: "Xiao Jin, your ability to order your big brother around really has never changed!" Although he complained, he still obediently walked to the desk and began to grind ink.

Xu Zhouye ignored Xu Jianglin's words. His gaze remained fixed on the paper, and the pen in his hand began to dance gently, as if in dialogue with the paper. As the pen moved, words gradually emerged, and at the end, a topographical map was drawn.

"This is..." Xu Jianglin widened his eyes, with surprise and confusion intertwined in his eyes, as if he had seen something unbelievable.

He stared at the papers on the table, then looked at Xu Zhouye, with surprise clearly visible in his eyes. His younger brother was really a man who would make a big splash if he did.

Xu Zhouye's expression remained calm, without a trace of emotion. After the ink on the blueprint had completely dried, he carefully folded it up and solemnly handed it to Xu Jianglin. "Be careful not to talk too much, so keep it safe."

After saying this, he paused for a moment and then continued, "Of course, with Big Brother's ability and wisdom, he might not need help from a half-baked writer like me."

After all, this strategy was told to him by his elder brother in his previous life after his victory. What he wrote was just the tip of the iceberg; when it came to military strategy, he was certainly nowhere near as good as his elder brother.

Can this action be considered as... returning the property to its original owner?

Xu Jianglin understood and carefully put the things away. He did not say much about his brother's abnormal behavior, nor did he ask any questions, but he was completely relieved.

"Is everything going well in the palace these past two days?"

Xu Jiang couldn't help asking before he died.

He had also heard that his younger brother had experienced many turbulent events since entering the palace.

"Everything is fine." Xu Zhouye said in a deep voice, "Go back and give my regards to my father, and tell him not to worry about me. These are just trivial matters, I can handle them myself. And..."

Xu Zhouye's eyes changed slightly, "Go get the best doctor to check on my father." Although it was not yet time for Rong Yu'an to take action against his father, it was still better to be cautious.

Xu Jianglin nodded. "Don't worry about that. Father has always been well taken care of." The corners of his lips curled up as he spoke meaningfully, "As for you, my father and I are worried that you'll be used as a pawn."

Xu Zhouye smiled slightly, "The person who wanted to use me as a pawn the most has been exiled to Qianling Mausoleum."

Xu Jianglin was startled. He looked at him carefully, and after confirming that he was his biological brother, he breathed a sigh of relief. "I heard about this when I came here, but I didn't expect you to be so cruel and stop indulging him."

He felt deeply comforted by this.

"This is an order from the emperor, how dare I disobey it?" Xu Zhouye said with pretended helplessness.

Xu Jianglin's heart tightened, and he asked tentatively, "Are you going to rescue the person secretly?" He knew very well that with his brother's previous obsession with Rong Yu'an, it was obviously not impossible for him to do this.

Xu Zhouye chuckled and said disdainfully, "I'm not a living Buddha." He wished Rong Yu'an would suffer, so how could he possibly save him.

After hearing that he had no such intention, Xu Jianglin finally felt relieved, but he was still a little worried. After all, he still remembered how his brother had protected Rong Yu'an in every possible way.

"But..." Xu Zhouye suddenly changed the subject, which made Xu Jianglin's heart, which had just been relieved, rise again.

Xu Jianglin asked nervously, "But what? You still can't let him go?"

What does it mean that you still can't let him go?

Brother, did you misunderstand that he likes Rong Yu'an?

Xu Zhouye said with a smile: "I'd like to ask Big Brother to send a few people to take good care of him for me." There was a hint of cunning in his tone.

Xu Jianglin frowned and asked doubtfully, "What kind of care?"

"Of course..." Xu Zhouye raised his lips, the viciousness in his eyes was not concealed at all, "It can make him live a life worse than death, and destroy his dignity... These brothers should know it." His voice was low and cold, as if he was describing a very ordinary thing.

"Really?" Xu Jianglin stared at him in disbelief. He couldn't imagine that his brother could do such a thing. "Can you really do this?" His eyes were full of astonishment and confusion.

"Why not?" Xu Zhouye said indifferently, as if he was talking about something insignificant. To him, this was just an appetizer.

Compared to Rong Yu'an's cruelty in his previous life, this is nothing.

"This should be a lesson for him, so he won't have the same wishful thinking again." Xu Zhouye's face was stern, his eyes firm and resolute. "I have difficulty finding anyone useful in the palace, so I can only rely on you, big brother. If anything happens, I will take the responsibility alone and will not involve anyone else."

Xu Jianglin calmed himself down and tapped his brother's forehead. "What could it be? Even if a convicted servant dies, it won't cause any trouble."

Although I have doubts about my brother's behavior, as long as he is happy, there is nothing I won't do.

Xu Jianglin: "If there's nothing else, I'll go back first."

Xu Zhouye: "Have breakfast before leaving."

"No." Xu Jianglin's face was full of resistance, and he hurriedly bowed and said, "I can't afford it. I will take my leave now." Such an honor should be shared with the emperor.