Chapter 281: Heart to Heart
Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios
Chu Yi carefully examined the broken guardrail. A stream of light flashed across his eyes as he instructed indifferently, “He Lie, capture all the relevant people in the Imperial Household.”
The inner court was in charge of the construction of the palace. Even if there was a window in the palace that needed repair, it had to go through the inner court.
The pleasure boat had been in disrepair for a long time, and the people in the imperial court couldn’t escape responsibility.
‘Yes, Your Highness.” The commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guards, He Lie, hurriedly bowed to Chu Yi and accepted the order. Then, he raised his hand and made a gesture.
The dozen or so Embroidered Uniform Guards with spring sabers at their waists moved silently. Beside them, a few inner servants in three-mountain hats and blue robes immediately turned pale and trembled in fear.
The other palace maids around also fell silent. Their eyelids twitched, and their hearts instantly rose to their throats.
The Emperor’s safety in the royal court concerned the country. Just now, the Emperor had such a huge accident on the pleasure boat in the palace in front of everyone. Someone had to be responsible.
The people attending the banquet no longer had the relaxed mood from before. They looked at each other and felt a sense of oppression that a storm was brewing.
Chu You looked at the Emperor with a deep and ruthless gaze.
The Emperor had clearly fallen off the pleasure boat, but he hadn’t even touched a drop of water.
Yuan Zhe quietly walked to Chu You’s side and remained silent. Like him, his body was tense.
Chu You gritted his teeth and said hatefully, “Could it be that the heavens really bless the king?” His voice was low.
Yuan Zhe secretly tugged at Chu You’s sleeve and shook his head gently.
Chu You pursed his lips and stopped talking. He tried his best to suppress his emotions, but the veins on his forehead showed that he was far from as calm as he appeared.
The Embroidered Uniform Guards spread out in an orderly manner and approached the black-caped and blue-robed eunuchs on the deck. They were cold and dignified, and each of them was as cold as an unsheathed saber.
The blue-robed eunuchs trembled uncontrollably, their legs trembling.
With the help of the chief eunuch, Zhao Rang, the Emperor walked to the cabin of the pleasure boat and sat down on a rosewood armchair.
The Emperor ignored the chaos around him and waved at Gu Yanfei as if nothing had happened.
Gu Yanfei strolled over with a faint smile on her lips. She walked gracefully to the Emperor’s side.
Her calm expression made it seem as if she wasn’t facing the Emperor but an ordinary elder.
‘Dear.” The Emperor looked at Gu Yanfei and smiled even more kindly, as if he was looking at his own child. He whispered, “Where did you get this talisman? “I drew it.” Gu Yanfei’s face tilted, and her eyes darted around. Under the sunlight, her face was as smooth as jade.
Was his future daughter-in-law so powerful? The Emperor couldn’t help but widen his eyes, unable to hide the shock on his elegant face.
“Then... draw another one for me?” The Emperor looked at Gu Yanfei with a smile and asked curiously.
The Emperor thought of how he had just floated in the air and found it novel. The talisman his daughter-in-law had given him was too mysterious!
Gu Yanfei smiled. “I don’t have any cinnabar left.’
The Emperor wasn’t disappointed to hear this. He smiled until his eyes narrowed and said gently, “Next time. Next time, I’ll prepare cinnabar for you.
He also gave Chu Yi, who wasn’t far away, a look, as if to tell him to remember to bring his future daughter-in-law back for him to see next time.
The Emperor and Gu Yanfei’s voices were very low, and only the nearby An Le heard them.
The little girl’s nose and the corners of her eyes were still a little red from crying. Although she didn’t understand, she still covered her mouth and chuckled. Her face lit up again.
There was silence.
The other young masters and ladies weren’t standing too far away. They all saw the Emperor and Gu Yanfei chatting intimately. They were either envious, jealous, or watching on the side.
Many people secretly exchanged glances. They all knew very well that this Second Lady of the Gu family had saved the Emperor today and had received his favor. She was probably going to rise to the top in a single step.
Many thoughtful gazes swept back and forth between the Emperor, Gu Yanfei, and Chu Yi.
Several more Embroidered Uniform Guards entered the cabin.
Many of the people outside p.r.i.c.ked up their ears to hear what was going on inside, but it was silent. There wasn’t even a plea for mercy.
Those inner servants who usually did whatever they wanted in the palace were actually silent now.
This made the people outside even more confused. Many people craned their necks to look into the cabin building and couldn’t help but speculate. They didn’t know what those Embroidered Uniform Guards had done to those people in the Imperial Household.
There was a rustling commotion around them, and the air became heavier. At some point, the sun above was covered by dark clouds agam, and the sky darkened.
Empress Dowager Yuan scanned her surroundings with a gloomy gaze. She was frustrated and scolded Chu Yi unhappily, “It’s the new year, but you’ve mobilized so many people. The Eldest Prince is really impressive. Aren’t you afraid of ruining your fortune?”
Empress Dowager Yuan’s voice wasn’t loud. Every word and sentence was filled with suppressed anger, making the atmosphere even more solemn.
The Imperial Household Supervisor was an Imperial Attendant. Not only was he in charge of the internal affairs of the palace, but he was also in charge of internal and external literary transfers. His status in the palace was important.
More than ten years ago, the late Emperor had already handed the seal of the Imperial Household Overseer to the eldest eunuch, Li Han. Everyone in the palace and the ministers in the royal court knew that Li Han used to be Empress Dowager Yuan’s eldest eunuch and was her trusted aide.
All these years, with Empress Dowager Yuan backing her, Li Han’s status as a seal eunuch was as stable as Mount Tai. At the same time, Li Han was also Empress Dowager Yuan’s right-hand man.
Empress Dowager Yuan gripped the rosewood prayer beads tightly in her hand. Her well-maintained fingertips were slightly pale and tense. She looked at Chu Yi with a sharp glint in her eyes.
Instead of getting angry, Chu Yi smiled. A gentle, humble, and amiable smile appeared on his lips, making him look like a spring breeze.
‘IIS the Empress Dowager in shock?” Chu Yi asked with concern.
Empress Dowager Yuan’s eyes twitched imperceptibly as she said coldly, ‘No..
She had originally wanted to teach Chu Yi a lesson as an elder. The dignified Eldest Prince had actually made a fuss over such a small matter. How improper. In the end, she had only said the word “no” when Chu Yi cleverly cut off the rest of her sentence.
‘Since the Empress Dowager isn’t shocked, why don’t you accompany Grandma Feng Yang to watch the show.” Chu Yi placed his hands behind his back and slowly took a step closer to Empress Dowager Yuan, who was sitting in a chair.
His tall and slender shadow fell on her, giving her an invisible sense of oppression.
Against the backlight, Chu Yi’s handsome and flawless face was a little blurry. His thin lips were still smiling, and his dark phoenix eyes looked especially deep and fierce..