Ping Zhao Lu

Xu Zhouye picked up the palace lantern expressionlessly, then turned around and prepared to leave the room.

Seeing that the person was about to leave, Luo Siyan endured the effects of the medicine that was gradually beginning to take effect in his body and shouted, "No, you can't do this to me!" His face turned extremely red, fine beads of sweat oozed from his forehead, and his body trembled slightly.

Despite this, he still gritted his teeth and gasped, "You are so vicious and cruel. If the emperor knew about this, I'm afraid he would be very disappointed in you!"

Luo Siyan's heart was filled with despair and anger. At this moment, he no longer cared about anything else and decided to go all out.

So, he widened his eyes, stared fiercely at Xu Zhouye's back, and shouted loudly: "You are so cruel and unscrupulous, are you worthy of being the master of the harem! I am just trying to survive and gain the emperor's favor. Is there anything wrong with that? My motives are impure, but how much better can you be!"

Hearing this, Xu Zhouye paused. His calm eyes now seemed especially dark, filled with an endless chill. His lips curled up slightly in a cold smile, his voice icy and piercing: "As the saying goes, 'Misfortunes sent by Heaven can be defied, but those brought upon oneself cannot be escaped.'"

After saying that, Xu Zhouye said no more, opened the door without hesitation and stepped out.

The moment he walked out of the room, several strong men who had been waiting at the door immediately rushed into the room. They swarmed towards Luo Siyan like hungry wolves.

The door slammed shut with a dull thud. Xu Zhouye turned his back to the door and, expressionless, coldly ordered the guards outside, "When you're done, come and inform me immediately."

The guards hurriedly bowed respectfully and replied, "Yes." Then they stood straight and waited quietly for news from inside the house.

*

Shang Jiu hurried all the way to the Golden Palace.

When he reached the door, Zhao Dequan looked troubled. He hurriedly stepped forward, blocked his way, and said respectfully, "Sir, please stay. His Majesty is resting inside. If you have any urgent matters, can you wait until His Majesty wakes up?"

Shang Jiu paused when he heard this, and quickly glanced at Zhao Dequan with a sharp gaze, frowning, and asked in a serious tone, "What happened?"

In the past, when he had important matters to report to the emperor in person, Zhao Dequan never dared to stop him, because this was a privilege specially granted to him by the emperor.

However, at this moment, Zhao Dequan actually stopped him, which was uncharacteristically wrong. Something big must have happened here.

Zhao Dequan kept his head lowered, his face showing an expression of embarrassment and hesitation. After a long pause, he finally spoke with difficulty, "This... I am also following orders. To be honest, these are orders from the Queen herself. Even if I had the courage to do so, I would not dare to disobey. Therefore... I really cannot reveal the specific circumstances. Please forgive me, my lord."

Shang Jiu had his doubts, but seeing Zhao Dequan's genuinely troubled expression, he couldn't say anything more. So he sighed softly, nodded helplessly, and turned to leave.

Just as he turned around, he suddenly saw Xu Zhouye approaching alone, holding an exquisitely ornate palace lantern. The dim and soft light reflected on his cool and handsome face, adding a touch of mystery and nobility.

Shang Jiu, Zhao Dequan, and the palace attendants who had been guarding outside the palace saw Xu Zhouye arrive and hurriedly bowed in greeting, shouting in unison, "Greetings to the Queen!"

Xu Zhouye nodded slightly to signal everyone to excuse themselves from the formalities and said, "Everyone, stand up."

Then, he walked lightly up the stairs and walked slowly into the hall.

When passing by Shang Jiu, he paused for a moment, turned his head and said softly: "I think your Excellency must have an urgent matter that needs to be discussed with His Majesty in person. In that case, you should come in with me." After that, he continued to walk into the hall.

Upon hearing this, Shang Jiu bowed again and said, "Yes." Then he followed Xu Zhouye into the Golden Palace.

Hall

Chu Yunxiao, dressed in thin pajamas, lazily leaned against the gorgeous couch. His once handsome face was now shrouded in a layer of faint irritation, as if a nameless fire was burning in his heart.

His queen was really willing to leave him alone.

When he thought of this, he became more and more depressed.

So, he picked up an ancient book beside him and flipped through it casually, trying to calm his inner anxiety.

However, after just turning a page, he could no longer control his temper. He angrily threw the book in his hand aside, then supported his head with one hand, closed his eyes and began to rest.

Just when Chu Yunxiao was feeling upset, suddenly a slight sound of footsteps came into his ears.

This familiar voice instantly perked him up. He opened his eyes suddenly, and an expression of irrepressible anticipation appeared on his face.

Chu Yunxiao couldn't wait to stand up from the couch and walked towards the door with big strides.

When he arrived in front of the crystal-clear bead curtain, he immediately spotted Xu Zhouye's tall and slender figure. But then, his expression suddenly changed. It was because Shang Jiu was following behind him.

When Xu Zhouye entered the palace, he immediately noticed Chu Yunxiao's slightly disheveled and unseemly nightgown, and he couldn't help but frown slightly. However, he quickly looked away, walked straight to the emperor's couch as if nothing had happened, and calmly sat down.

Chu Yunxiao's eyes were fixed on Xu Zhouye from beginning to end. He keenly noticed a hint of displeasure in the other party's expression, and he couldn't help but start to reflect.

After thinking for a while, he seemed to realize something, and quickly reached out to gently close his open collar. Then he put his hands behind his back, walked slowly with steady steps to sit next to Xu Zhouye.

Then he calmed down, raised his head, looked at Shang Jiu standing beside him expressionlessly, and asked coldly, "What's the matter?"

Shang Jiu bowed across the beaded curtain. "Your Majesty, we recently captured a thief who specialized in stealing various medicinal herbs. After a thorough interrogation and investigation, we learned that his name is Xiang Heng, a descendant of the Yingfeng Xiang family, a family of physicians. However, his family fell on hard times, and to make a living, he can only rent a small shop, relying on his ancestral medical skills to diagnose and treat patients."

Shang Jiu paused briefly, as if weighing his words, before continuing, "According to Xiang Heng, he chose to steal the herbs out of sheer desperation. He claimed that taxes had recently increased dramatically, and some officials had taken advantage of the situation to amass enormous profits. He had no other choice but to sell off everything valuable in his home to barely pay the taxes."

"Furthermore, this person also revealed that almost all the medicine shops in the city have been secretly bought and controlled by people with ulterior motives. These people deliberately supply large quantities of medicinal materials to the various tribes in the border areas, and some even intend to buy out all the medicinal materials..."

Upon hearing this, Chu Yunxiao, who had been silent until then, frowned, his expression solemn. Just as he was about to speak, Shang Jiu continued, "Based on my subordinates' recent investigations, I've confirmed that this matter is not groundless. However, the variety and disorganization of the purchased medicinal herbs are so numerous, it's difficult for me to determine the true purpose of the person behind this."

Xu Zhouye, who was sitting nearby, interrupted, "This is a serious matter. The pharmacy's supervisors must be held responsible!"

Shang Jiu quickly responded, "Your Highness is absolutely right. As soon as I heard the news, I immediately dispatched personnel to conduct a detailed investigation of the situation at the pharmacy."

Chu Yunxiao nodded with satisfaction and said, "Well, I already know the details. I leave this matter to you! No matter who the mastermind is or what their intentions are, we must investigate it thoroughly and punish them severely according to the law. No leniency will be shown!"

Shang Jiu clasped his fists respectfully and saluted, saying, "Yes, Your Majesty, rest assured, I will live up to my mission." After that, he slowly took a few steps back, turned around and left.