Cao De, upon hearing the call, his fox-like eyes sparkled as he responded loudly, "Your servant is here." He then quickly walked towards where the Emperor was.
Lian Hua, noticing someone approaching, felt a touch of shyness as she tugged at His Majesty’s sleeve and hid behind him. She had been so focused on looking at His Majesty that she had forgotten there were so many people around.
Oh my, had everyone seen her hugging and cuddling with His Majesty? How embarrassing that would be.
The Emperor chuckled softly; his Little Concubine was still so shy. He held his hands behind his back, yet couldn’t resist holding her hand within his, his broad sleeve hiding their clasped hands.
Blushing, Lian Hua hid behind His Majesty’s towering figure, her lips curling up into a smile as His Majesty held her hand. With great sweetness filling her heart, she couldn’t help but lean gently against His Majesty’s back, her face resting against it.
His Majesty, tall and well-built, provided enough cover to hide her from onlookers. Despite her embarrassment, a secret joy bubbled within her heart.
Cao De approached the Emperor, bowed deeply with due propriety, and said respectfully while looking down, "Your Majesty, your servant has brought people and has accounted for all the craftsmen, guards, and members of the Interior Work Department in the Main Hall area. Thanks to Beauty Lian, everyone was present; not a single one was missing."
When it was just the two of them, Cao De could be as casual as he wanted without the Emperor blaming him. However, in public, he had to maintain the decorum befitting a subject.
After respectfully making his report, Cao De’s gaze lowered once more, and his mouth twitched slightly as he saw the corner of a delicate pink garment peeking out from behind the Emperor.
The Emperor and his Little Beauty were so entangled, acting as if he couldn’t see them, with the corner of the Little Beauty’s skirt exposed. Judging by how closely her skirt clung to the Emperor’s robes, she must be pressed tightly against his back.
In broad daylight, for such a dignified Emperor, there ought to be some consideration for propriety—how the times have degraded!
The Emperor, maintaining a straight face, nodded and said, "Very well."
Just as Cao De was about to continue, the Emperor added, "My Beauty Lian has always been excellent, exceptionally intelligent."
Cao De couldn’t help but raise his head, looking at the Emperor in surprise. Knowing the Emperor as he did, he wouldn’t have expected such unnecessary comments. Could it be that love had clouded his judgment?
The Emperor cleared his throat and looked straight at Cao De, signaling him to continue.
There was no helping it. His Little Concubine, upon hearing the latter part of Cao De’s remarks, had scratched softly in the palm of his hand, seemingly in anticipation of his praise. The scratching was so ticklish and sweet that he couldn’t help but compliment her, and sure enough, his Little Concubine seemed even happier, pressing closer to him.
Perplexed, Cao De continued, "In the Main Hall area, upon my inspection, something seemed off about the pile of timber. I knocked on it, and as expected, I found that some of the timbers were hollow. It appears the thieves hollowed out the timbers and placed Serpents inside. Although we’ve been very thorough in searching everyone who comes in and out for repairs, we weren’t as meticulous with the incoming materials. Plus, hiding Serpents inside the timber is inconspicuous and not something one would easily consider."
The Emperor’s gaze grew icy. His grip on Lian Hua’s hand tightened. He had gone to such lengths to protect her, yet a single oversight had nearly led to an incident, almost putting Nanny Qi in danger as well.
He didn’t even want to imagine what would have happened had it not been for his Little Concubine. Such vicious people deserved to be condemned!
Hidden behind the Emperor, Lian Hua couldn’t help but nod in agreement—the thieves were indeed clever. Feeling His Majesty holding her hand tightly, she comfortingly moved her fingertips.
The Emperor felt her gesture and his eyes softened, unable to resist interlocking his fingers with hers.
The Emperor looked back at Cao De, his voice tinged with murderous intent as he said indifferently, "Find out as quickly as possible who is behind this, and who is the mastermind." Otherwise, he would have no peace of mind.
Cao De felt that the Emperor before him was behaving oddly, his demeanor shifting between cold and gentle in an instant, probably due to the presence of the Little Beauty behind him.
With a helpless sigh in his heart, he accepted the order, saying, "Yes."
As if to confirm his words, agents of the Internal Guard Bureau made a discovery in the distance. They split several logs and carried them over while still attached to the logs.
Before they even approached, a spirited young man, accompanied by others, saluted and said loudly, "Reporting to His Majesty, reporting to the Ancestral Master, we have found that these logs are hollow, with a secret opening. The opening is covered with the original surface wood and pasted over, hardly noticeable unless examined closely. There is a faint stench of Serpent inside, the Serpent must have been placed inside and transported in."
Cao De walked over and lifted one of the logs. The holes carved into each log were not very large, and if he had not been meticulous, he might not have found them.
He and the Emperor exchanged glances, both understanding the situation, their eyes growing colder.
The person who set up this scheme could at best be described as killing two birds with one stone and extremely malicious. If unnoticed, the wood would still be used to repair the Main Hall. Initially, such wood could bear weight, but it would surely collapse over time. Whoever was residing inside would be unlucky to be hit by these logs and would likely be killed or injured.
Cao De bowed to the Emperor and instructed the men of the Internal Guard Bureau, "Take away everyone involved in the refurbishment of the Main Hall, and don’t miss anyone."
The nature of the situation had changed. Someone was scheming meticulously, and it was unclear if they were just after the master of Canglan Court or the Emperor himself. Since the mastermind could strike so accurately, they surely knew that the Emperor presently rested in Canglan Court each day. This could not be taken lightly.
The spirited young man, along with others, began moving efficiently, the whole process was carried out quietly without much noise.
Upon hearing this, Lian Hua couldn’t help but peek from behind the Emperor. Seeing her curiosity, the Emperor let go of her and turned to ask, "What is it?"
Lian Hua clutched the Emperor’s sleeve, stepping out from behind him to see the people of the Internal Guard Bureau moving like they were escorting criminals, their mouths gagged and hands bound as they were taken away.
She tugged at the Emperor’s sleeve, somewhat uneasily, and asked, "Your Majesty, are they going to take all those people away?" She had thought only those with suspicion would be apprehended.
The Emperor, sensing her unease, patted her head and explained patiently, "If we don’t do this, some might slip through the net. Once everything has been investigated, the innocent will naturally be released."
Lian Hua nodded in understanding and after a moment added, "Your Majesty, may I speak a few words with that handsome young man over there?" she asked, pointing at Cao De whom she saw only in profile.
The Emperor was unsure of whom she referred to until he followed her pointing finger and almost laughed aloud. It turned out that, in her eyes, Cao De was a handsome young man, a term that sounded like he was a kept man.
He nodded with a smile and replied, "Certainly." After responding, he called out to a not-too-distant place, "Cao De, come here."
Cao De was commanding his troops to depart unobtrusively when he heard the Emperor’s call. Seeing that the Little Beauty finally came out of hiding, he walked over with a puzzled air.
As he approached, he heard the Emperor introduce him to his Little Beauty, "This handsome young man is the great Cao De, from now on you can call him Xiao Dezi."
Cao De immediately objected, what handsome young man, what Xiao Dezi? Yuchi Zhao, this foolish sovereign, was willing to mock him to curry favor with the Little Beauty. Just as he was about to jump up and expound on the proper roles of ruler and subject, he heard the Emperor continue: