Mistakenly Connected to the Jade Flower Branch

A large table, plus an entire wall, was covered with memorials to the emperor.

Luo An stood at the door of the imperial study, not wanting to go in at all: "Burn it."

Xu Chengyao was the first to react, and refused decisively: "No way."

Luo Andao said, "Lord Fan."

Burned? What was burned? The memorials to the throne? Fan Tong stared blankly at Luo An: "Huh?"

How could the head of the Imperial Secretariat have such a blank expression and dull eyes? How could such an incompetent official support the Southern Yue?

Luo Andao said, "Move the memorials to the Taiji Hall and categorize them according to the departments of Personnel, Revenue, Rites, War, Justice, and Works. Summon the ministers of each department and the head of the Hanlin Academy to the palace tomorrow morning to discuss the review of the memorials with the Crown Prince."

Xu Chengyao objected again: "I don't have time."

Luo An looked at him, expressionless.

Xu Chengyao slightly raised his chin, trying to make himself look very upright: "I have to go to school, the Five Classics and Six Arts, rites, music, archery, charioteering, calligraphy and mathematics. My schedule is very full every day."

Luo An nodded: "Starting today, the First Prince will move to the Taiji Hall for classes. The First Prince will spend half an hour handling state affairs and half an hour in class. This balance between work and rest is good for his health."

Xu Chengyao objected for the third time: "No."

Luo An raised an eyelid slightly, his gaze instantly sharpening. Fan Tong sensed the murderous aura and took half a step back.

Xu Chengyao was startled, and his voice softened noticeably: "Archery requires a large field; it's easy to injure people indoors."

Luo An said, "The lessons on rites and music are suspended, and archery and horsemanship are moved outside the Taiji Hall, where there is enough space. Combining internal and external training is beneficial for growth."

Xu Chengyao kept his mouth tightly shut, only daring to shout in his heart: Cunning and vicious... cunning and vicious... cunning and vicious...

When the Crown Prince first made arrangements for affairs, he naturally wouldn't tolerate any opposition. Like a new broom sweeping clean, his first act set the First Prince on the line.

Luo An was somewhat satisfied: "All arrangements must be completed today; those who fail will be dismissed."

The Crown Prince assigned this task for the first time, and failing to complete it would likely be more than just dismissal; it was a warning to others than a punishment for the innocent! The second round of reprimands would have to be borne by Fan Tong.

Fan Tong, however, remained neither humble nor arrogant: "Your Highness, there are only seven people in the Office of Memorials. They certainly cannot complete the task in half a day. I request that scholars be transferred from the Hanlin Academy to assist in this matter."

If the Crown Prince does not agree to allocate personnel to assist, Fan Tong intends to kneel down and resign.

Luo An agreed: "Granted."

Just as Fan Tong was about to express his gratitude, Luo An said, "For the next three days, everyone in the Office of Memorials and the Hanlin Academy must remain in place and not go home."

Xu Chengyao threw a punch at Luo An's back, fully expressing his resentment.

Fan Tong made the arrangements methodically: "I will take the office of memorials to move the memorials; Eunuch Wei, please take the imperial guards to move the tables; Your Highness, please go to the head of the academy and ask him to take all the staff of the Hanlin Academy to the Taiji Hall to help."

Upon returning to Ciming Palace, Luo An went to find the large box that Xu Sheng had mentioned. This was the important matter for him upon returning to the palace, and he should not be disturbed by anything else.

The dormitory room was spacious and empty: a bed, a set of desk and chairs, and a wardrobe, nothing else. Everything was visible at a glance; there wasn't even a large sandalwood chest, let alone one.

Unlike the emperor's bedroom, Ciming Palace showed no trace of luxury. The other rooms, like the main bedroom, contained no relics of the late emperor, nor any trace of his presence.

It is said that after the late emperor regained consciousness from taking the medicine that brought him back to life, he moved to Xuanzhi Mountain and planned to burn down Ciming Palace before leaving the palace.

The emperor knelt on the ground, trying to stop her, saying that his sister should leave him a memento. So the late emperor burned everything in the palace that was related to her, leaving only empty rooms.

After the late emperor passed away, no one lived in Ciming Palace. The emperor arranged for palace servants to clean it every day and repair it regularly, so it was well maintained.

After Xu Sheng returned to the palace, he took the initiative to request to stay in Ciming Palace. However, he complained that the bedroom was too empty and eerie, so he added basic living utensils to each room to make the bedroom look more like a living place, which is what Luo An sees now.

Luo An walked around the room, finding it unbelievable: how could he so easily believe Xu Sheng's nonsense?

This can no longer be explained by a mental breakdown; it can only be suspected that he has been poisoned by a curse and lost his ability to think normally.

When the late emperor sent envoys to the Heavenly Palace, what was due to him was already given. This bed was added later; how could there be a box under it that Xu Sheng only discovered now? And now the emperor is asking if he should give it to him?

Thinking this, Luo An still squatted down and bent over to look under the bed, but the bed curtains were too long and blocked his view. He pulled the bed curtains open and saw a large box in the middle of the bed.

Luo An felt his heart beating faster and faster. He let go of the bed curtains and let them slide down to block his view. Only after his heartbeat gradually calmed down did he sit on the bed.

Mr. Xu said it was quite a large box, not as big as he had imagined. It was about two feet long, and a little over one foot wide and high. The top was engraved with the Hetu diagram, and the four sides were engraved with the seven constellations of the four cardinal directions.

The box appeared as a single, solid piece, without a lid or latch. Roan examined all the patterns on it, then took out his hidden blade and placed it on top of the box.

Xu Sheng said the key was a hidden blade, so where is the keyhole? If Xu Sheng can find the keyhole, he should be able to find it too, unless Xu Sheng is lying.

The boxes are all here, so there's no point in lying about the keys. What's the problem?

Luo An felt thirsty and got up to pour himself some water. There was a teapot and cups on the table, and the teapot was filled with water. As Luo An poured the tea, he thought: There are no maids attending to me, but there is tea, which is quite thoughtful.

Luo An spat out a mouthful of tea as soon as it reached his mouth: it was burnt and bitter, and he couldn't swallow it.

Luo An threw the cup on the table, thinking to himself: What kind of thoughtfulness is this? Not to mention good tea, there isn't even a pot of tea that's drinkable.

There was no sound from any direction. Luo An felt uneasy and called out, "Someone come here."

To Luo An's surprise, Jieqianjiese appeared at the door in response: "Your Highness."

Whether they're from the palace or Xu Sheng's people, having connections is enough. One can't judge a leopard by a single spot, or a palace by a glimpse of tea; he can't rely on too much.

Luo An said, "Get me a pot of water."

Jie Qian came over with a kettle: "Your Highness, isn't there water here?"

Luo An said, "This is tea."

Jie Qian put down the pot and said, "I'll go right away."

Luo An sat down, twirling a cup in his hand, staring at the box, and began to deduce the movement patterns of the Hetu Luoshu and the Twenty-Eight Mansions in his mind, trying to find clues from them.

Jieqian returned quickly, placing the kettle on the table: "Your Highness, the water is here."

Luo An was so focused that he couldn't be distracted, so he didn't respond.

Thinking he hadn't heard, Jieqian reached out and patted Luo An on the shoulder, raising his voice: "Your Highness, the water is here."

The sound was like thunder, making Luo An's ears ring. He looked helplessly at the kettle, indicating that he understood.

Jie Qian pointed to the kettle, emphasizing it to prevent Luo An from making a mistake: "Your Highness, this kettle contains water."

Luo An shifted his gaze from the kettle to Jie Qian's face: Is Jie Qian an idiot? What kind of people does Xu Sheng send?

Seeing Luo An staring blankly at him, Jie Qian lifted the kettle high, level with his face: "Your Highness, this kettle contains water."

A sound rolled on his tongue, which Luo An swallowed. He reminded himself again: he couldn't expect too much, whether it was from officials, guards, tea, or even this pot of water.