cold clothes

The wind blows the red leaves, deepening the autumn atmosphere; pedestrians on the road tighten their clothes.

The sound of horses' hooves grew louder as they approached, raising dust as a grand procession of officials arrived at Yuhua Street, holding imperial edicts and displaying the emperor's power.

The once bustling and dazzling streets are now much quieter and more solemn. The most eye-catching Fengxiang Tower is now empty, with not a single person on the first floor when viewed from the outside.

As soon as the envoy from the Ministry of Revenue stepped into Fengxiang Tower, Mama Hu immediately came down from the second floor, greeting him with a beaming smile.

Although the official was a regular at Fengxianglou, he still explained his purpose in a businesslike manner.

"According to the latest regulations, brothels will be subject to an additional 30% tax, and the income from the previous two years will be subject to an additional 11.5% tax. We are here to check the accounts of Fengxianglou from the previous two years."

"Please come in, sir." Madam Hu readily complied, leading the Ministry of Revenue envoy to the accounting office. However, a dark cloud hung over her heart, and the resentment in her eyes was about to burst forth.

The Ministry of Revenue officials arrived just one day later. She barely managed to finish the falsified accounts and transferred a large amount of gold and silver out. Fengxianglou had a lot of money of dubious origin, not just Wang family's ill-gotten gains. She definitely had to protect Fengxianglou first, otherwise she wouldn't have any power left.

Zhao Yinming clearly wanted to challenge her power, break free from her control, and turn the tables on her. How could she possibly let Zhao Yinming have his way?

Leng Yi stood on the third floor, looking down at a group of officials entering, her gaze indifferent.

For two days, Fengxiang Pavilion had been deserted, and while everyone else was anxious and uneasy, she seemed indifferent to everything.

No, it's not that she didn't care. She was overjoyed to see Madam Hu in such a state of panic, and wished that Fengxianglou would go out of business the next day.

It would be better if Zhao Yin also died, but he really survived. After a whole night of turmoil, he was able to leave as if nothing had happened. Just thinking about the feeling of Zhao Yin's blood on her body made her wish she could take another shower.

Meanwhile, in the Zichen Hall of the Imperial Palace.

As soon as Zhao Yin entered the palace, the emperor noticed his unusual appearance: dark circles under his eyes, pale lips, and he was wearing a high-necked robe. When asked about it, Zhao Yin simply said that he had caught a chill the night before and woke up in the middle of the night, and had not slept well.

A while later, the emperor noticed out of the corner of his eye that Zhao Yin's left hand was wrapped in bandages. He asked what happened, and Zhao Yin said embarrassedly that he had cut his hand by breaking porcelain, but it was nothing serious.

Whether it was true, as Zhao Yin said, that the emperor harbored doubts, was ultimately irrelevant. Whatever his doubts might be was now merely a trigger; the seeds of doubt had long been sown within the emperor's heart.

The second prince also noticed Zhao Yin's unusual behavior, and his mind was in turmoil.

This minor matter naturally reached the Empress's ears. She immediately summoned Imperial Physician Li to inquire what was wrong with Zhao Yin. Of course, Imperial Physician Li couldn't say that Zhao Yin had self-harmed, especially since it wasn't the first time. He could only follow Zhao Yin's instructions and play the riddle, saying, "Your Majesty, the Fifth Prince actually has three wounds: one on his neck, one on his abdomen, and one on each side. All of them were caused by sharp weapons..."

The Empress was both surprised and suspicious. She hadn't assassinated Zhao Yin in a long time. Who would target Zhao Yin? The Emperor? Or Zhao Miao?

With many doubts in her mind, she decided to invite Zhao Yin to dinner that night in order to get information out of him.

As the sun began to set, Zhao Yin returned to Renming Palace after his shift and found that the Empress's maid was already waiting for him in his bedroom, inviting him to dine in the main hall.

Zhao Yin smiled and agreed, then changed out of his official robes and headed to the main hall.

The Empress must want to find out something from him, and it doesn't matter if he goes, since there's nothing for her to find out.

The setting sun casts a golden glow over the magnificent palace, making it appear even more grand and solemn.

Zhao Yin couldn't help but laugh at the thought that even the slightest accident could cause everyone in the palace to be on edge.