Reaction

Not far behind them, a middle-aged man in a purple robe stood respectfully with four young men in green robes.

The purple-robed middle-aged man was not tall, but well-proportioned and erect. His face was as lustrously white as jade, and his entire bearing exuded a gentle warmth, like a piece of mutton-fat jade.

A humble smile rested on his face. He smiled amiably, as though he found everyone cordial.

The four young men in green robes were likewise fair and clean, refined and handsome.

They stood respectfully behind the purple-robed middle-aged man like four statues, utterly motionless.

Chu Honglin suddenly turned his head. "Chief Steward Xu, why not return first and report to Imperial Brother, see whether he will change his mind?"

The purple-robed middle-aged man, Jiaming Palace's chief steward Xu Qingyun, said helplessly, "Prince, this servant acts under an imperial decree. It truly is..."

An imperial decree was an imperial decree. Even if it was wrong, he still had to carry it out without error and could not disobey.

As an eunuch delivering an imperial decree, the one thing he could least permit was acting on his own initiative.

So long as he faithfully delivered the decree, what followed was none of his concern. That was the principle for surviving in the palace.

Meddling in others' affairs, heedlessly listening to others and thereby going against the Emperor's word—that was courting one's own destruction.

"Old Xu, aren't you being far too rigid?" Chu Honglin said irritably. "Look at the situation now. Is it anything like what you imagined? Anything like what Imperial Brother imagined?"

"This..." Xu Qingyun hesitated, then said helplessly, "Prince, please do not make things difficult for this servant."

"Old Xu!" Chu Hongfeng said gravely. "You came to deliver the decree to Zhao'er, but Zhao'er's life and death