Chapter 28

Young... Young Master? He actually has connections with that unfortunate emperor?

"Lord Li and Your Majesty have been companions since childhood and are bosom friends. In the past, when His Majesty traveled incognito outside the palace, Lord Li would always find out and find him no matter where he hid. Even if he had to chase and catch him, he would still escort His Majesty back to the palace overnight. But... I heard that Lord Li has been unwell recently. Now that His Lord Li has no one to inform him of the time, he must have forgotten the deadline for returning to the palace." Empress Consort Hui sighed, stroking her brocade sleeve.

Tsk tsk. Listen to this... What kind of lousy emperor is this? He's using the Young Master as a royal night watchman? When the time comes, he'll knock a few times—"It's dry, Your Majesty, please stop this nonsense."

An emperor of such stature, with no one to drag him home, was running wild outside, so much so that several of his wives had to chase after him from their homes. He truly deserves to be called a foolish ruler.

But... that royal night watchman has now cast aside his past and doesn't dwell on it. He now lives each day as a typical playboy, indulging in the pleasures of Rouge House. With his current lowly character and morals, how could he possibly still harbor the same loyalty to the emperor? Forget about sacrificing his time for eating, drinking, and merrymaking to find the emperor; he probably doesn't even remember which emperor is!

"Your Empress, as you are all aware, the Young Master is suffering from both physical and mental ailments. To send him to see His Your Majesty now is probably... inappropriate."

"This can't be wrong! He has to go find him!"

"Huh? Why is that?"

"Because only he knows where His Majesty is hiding right now, secretly laughing!" Empress Consort Pan exclaimed, slamming her hand on the table.

"Only he dared to grab His Majesty by the collar, drag him all the way back to the palace, and throw him back onto the Dragon Bed!" Empress Consort Hui added.

"Only he dared to grab the Imperial Noble Consort's cat by the tail with his bare hands and threaten His Majesty that if he didn't return to the palace, he would pluck all its fur!" Empress Consort Yan added immediately.

... What a complicated and sordid relationship between ruler and subject.

"In short, the matter of inviting His Majesty back to the palace cannot be left to Li Chenjing alone!" the three Noble Consort Empress said in unison.

"... Then please, Your Empress, go and find the Young Master, Zhongjun Aiguo. I shall take my leave now." Since it was absolutely necessary for him to go, why did he have to come and yell at her? The whole incident had nothing to do with her, and she didn't want to get involved in the unfortunate emperor's family affairs.

"The task of capturing the Holy Emperor is none other than Young Master's, and the task of asking Young Master to seek the Holy Emperor is none other than Young Master Young Master Zhu's." A steady male voice joined the conversation at the opportune moment. Wei Chenmu stepped out from the ranks of those entering through the door, knelt on one knee, and kowtowed, saying, "Greetings, Your Empress. The only one I have identified who can currently control my Young Master is none other than this man. If he is to go and seek Young Master's help in seeking the Holy Emperor's assistance, Young Master will certainly do everything in his power, even unto death."

"Exerting all one's strength, even unto death?" That sounds so unpleasant. Isn't that something one should do for the Emperor? Why is everyone coming to her for the Emperor's sake? She's never actually met that tyrant. If she did, she'd want to yell at him, "Whoever confiscates her Zhu Household's property will be reborn as a pig in their next life!"

How did this Noble Consort Empress, living deep within the palace, know who she was?

"Lord Wei!! Could it be you...?"

Wei Chenmu nodded. "That's right, it was I who introduced Young Master Zhu to the three Empress."

"..." Screw you! Who asked you to go around attracting jerks?! Who wants to go with that idiot to find a tyrant?!

"I hope Young Master Zhu will not disappoint the three Empress. Please persuade my Young Master to return to the right path and not continue to indulge in depravity. Also... find His Your Majesty as soon as possible and bring him back to the palace safely."

Who cares whether this lewd and boring ruler and his minister forgot to go home or went astray! She was just innocently passing by!

"Please forgive me, I cannot..."

"Anyone who disobeys will be executed without exception!"

"We cannot persuade Lord Li to commit suicide by slow slicing!"

"We cannot find His Your Majesty by five horses!"

"... This humble student receives the imperial decree."

Author's Note:

My old classmate is out all day today, QAQ. I'm out having dinner and drinks with her, so I'm not going to be able to reply to your posts when she gets back! Just thinking about it makes me so excited! Hehehe~~~ Give me lots of love and kisses! (づ￣ 3￣)づ

Chapter 29, Chapter Twenty-Eight

Upon receiving the imperial decree, his head was practically on the verge of being chopped off.

Zhu Bafu paced back and forth in the main hall of the Li Household, hoping to see the Young Master of the Prime Minister.

Who said that no one but Li Chenjing could be found by searching for the emperor, and that no one but Zhu Bafu could be found by searching for Li Chenjing?

This is a completely fabricated elaborate scheme!

"Looking for the emperor? What's that? No interest."

He would definitely answer her coldly, then kick her out the door. After all, she was the one who gave him the cold shoulder first; how could he not seize the opportunity for revenge?

"Young Master, what a coincidence! Hehe, you're back from having some fun. I heard the emperor is missing from the palace. Since you're free anyway, why don't we meet by chance and go with me to find the emperor?"

"... No! This is too fake! It needs to be more natural and dignified. As the saying goes, 'The rise and fall of the nation is the responsibility of every citizen!' Young Master, you are the Dongxu Grand Secretary. Now that the Emperor is in trouble, please put aside your personal feelings and grudges and join me in thinking about the Common People!"

"No, no, no! He's completely shameless right now, he has no concept of the Common People in his mind! Otherwise, we'll use threats, bribes, and trickery! Hey! The Emperor is missing, the Noble Consort Empress has ordered you to find him, and you can't disobey her decree. If you don't find him, you'll be torn apart by five horses. Are you going to find him or not?"

"He's stubborn and won't listen to reason, so this definitely won't work. He might even try to take me down with him, which would be a terrible injustice for me! No way!"

Shaking his head repeatedly, Zhu Bafu caught a glimpse of the Brocade Pouch hanging at his waist.

That was given to her secretly by Wei Chenmu, who had dragged her into this mess, after a pang of conscience.

"If you encounter any difficulties, you can open it and take a look."