As the man spoke, he had already reached the group and led his people in greeting Lian Yu.
Lian Yu’s gaze didn’t leave Suzhen, his eyes slightly sweeping over, actually showing a hint of a smile. “Minister Quan, Minister Li, and General Chao have all entered the palace. You gentlemen all have your own duties to attend to. After morning court, I remember not asking any of you to remain. I wonder how you all just happened to appear in the palace?”
“It’s fortunate that it’s our loyal and meritorious Minister Quan who appeared. If it were other officials, entering the palace without summons could be viewed as plotting treason at worst, and they might be arrested.”
Ming Yanchu chimed in appropriately from the side. Ministers Quan and Li showed no concern, but Chao Huang’s face alternated between red and green. Li Zhaoting secretly pulled him back, and he finally bit back his words.
Li Zhaoting also secretly glanced at Gu Shuangcheng on the ground. Lian Yu had already helped her up, and she leaned against him skillfully. The two were intimate and harmonious. His hand, hidden behind his back, curled slightly, his gaze then falling lightly on Suzhen.
Quan Feitong also glanced at Suzhen, then replied unhurriedly: “Your Majesty, without Your Majesty’s or the Empress Dowager’s decree, even with ten times the courage, this minister wouldn’t dare enter these inner palace quarters. But there is urgent business requiring Director Li. Seeing Your Majesty and Miss Gu’s pleasant mood, plus the Princess and her family of three enjoying themselves harmoniously, this Li Huaisu looks quite out of place here. It would be perfect for this minister to take her away.”
He reached out to pull Suzhen. If her heart had been troubled before, after all this time, Suzhen didn’t even want to speak much. Without struggling, she simply followed him.
“I was just speaking with Director Li. Our conversation isn’t finished yet. Minister Quan is the pillar of our Great Zhou, a great loyal minister. Occasionally entering the inner palace without a decree in an emergency is nothing, but suddenly borrowing my minister seems somewhat improper?”
Lian Yu walked forward slowly. He only gazed coolly at the two, but Suzhen felt his gaze was like a sharp knife, as if it might cut someone open at any moment!
Without Lian Yu’s command, Qinglong and Xuanwu had already drawn their swords. The sound alarmed the imperial guards protecting the pavilion’s surroundings. A team quickly approached, standing behind Lian Yu with drawn swords in protection.
With this formation, how could they leave? Suzhen was already furious inside. She couldn’t engage in verbal sparring like these two—they had already exchanged moves back and forth. Just as she was about to step forward and ask Lian Yu to give her a quick decision, Quan Feitong gripped her hand tightly.
For some reason, he appeared calm and composed, not seeming to fear Lian Yu, but his hand clasping her fingers suddenly trembled slightly.
“Look at this minister’s forgetfulness,” he curved his lips slightly, still looking back unhurriedly. “I forgot to report the details to Your Majesty. As Your Majesty knows, Noble Consort Ai rests outside the palace and occasionally summons this minister to hear about affairs of state. She heard that this year’s top scholar has solved several major cases and became curious, so she asked this minister to bring him for her to see, saying she wanted to give the young man some praise. The Noble Consort has been listless since the matter with the Eldest Princess, but today her spirits are better and she thought of the top scholar’s affairs. This minister and the others happened to be paying our respects today, so we volunteered to fetch him from the Court of Judicial Review. Who knew Li Huaisu wasn’t there—they said he had entered the palace. So this minister had no choice but to boldly enter the palace to borrow him from Your Majesty.”
“The Noble Consort is indeed waiting anxiously. What should be done?”
Lian Yu had been listening calmly with his hands behind his back, but at this point, his expression changed slightly. He stared at Suzhen for a while. Suzhen’s heart felt completely cold, and she didn’t look back. Finally, she only heard him say indifferently: “Since the Noble Consort wishes to see him, very well. Minister Quan, take him away first.”
“Thank Your Majesty.”
Quan Feitong said nothing more and pulled Suzhen away.
Suzhen silently signaled to Lian Xin, who this time didn’t bare her teeth and claws but obediently nodded to her: You go first, I’ll come find you.
But Suzhen felt as if thorns were pricking her back. Without needing to look, she could feel someone behind coldly watching everything.
Of course, in his eyes, perhaps he found it laughable.
At this thought, she couldn’t help but laugh as well. Suddenly, warmth encircled her waist. Just as she was startled, her body lightened—Quan Feitong had unexpectedly lifted her into his arms.
“Minister, what are you doing? We’re still in the palace with everyone watching. What impropriety is this for us!” Suzhen’s face reddened with shock and urgency.
Li Zhaoting and Chao Huang, following behind, were also quite surprised. Li Zhaoting was about to step forward to dissuade him when Quan Feitong, as if he had eyes in the back of his head, laughed: “Zhaoting, you needn’t say more. This minister simply wants to suppress Lian Yu’s arrogance. He can touch my people—why can’t I touch his people?”
Li Zhaoting lowered his gaze slightly and replied quietly, “Yes.”
Hearing Quan Feitong’s words, Suzhen’s heart grew several degrees colder. She stopped struggling—fine, at least it was a win-win situation.
“Put me down when we get outside. I’ll return to my office myself.”
Quan Feitong said nothing and didn’t even look at her, only holding her tightly and securely with both arms.
All along the way, palace servants clicked their tongues, and many palace maids stepped aside, their faces red as they whispered quietly.
Outside the palace, Quan Feitong had Li Zhaoting and Chao Huang leave first. He really had brought that horse from home, along with a driver. That round, fat Little Immortal was being used as transportation today, pulling a carriage section. Seeing Quan Feitong emerge, it pitifully rubbed against his arm, but still showed Suzhen no favor, snorting loudly at her.
Suzhen felt miserable inside and rarely had half a mind to ponder—Quan Feitong’s ability to lie was truly unmatched. If this fat horse actually missed her, she’d chop off her other fingers too.
Quan Feitong was obviously in excellent spirits, giving instructions to the driver before preparing to lift Suzhen into the carriage.
But Suzhen struggled hard and jumped down from his embrace, saying: “Where does the Noble Consort live? I’ll go there myself.”
Quan Feitong crossed his arms and looked at her. “Do you think the Noble Consort really wanted to see you? I just spoke randomly. Lian Yu, that wolf cub, isn’t easy to deal with. The only person in this world who can make that boy show some respect is the late emperor’s widow.”
Suzhen also laughed. “I was waiting for you to say that. I’m just going back to my office. Goodbye, no need to see me off. Thanks for today.”
Quan Feitong suddenly lost his smile and sighed. “Are you unhappy about what I said to your Li Gongzi earlier?”
He pinched her cheek as he spoke. Suzhen slapped his hand away and said quietly: “Yes, I don’t like being used, but I really am grateful for today.”
“Do you really think what I said to Zhaoting was what I truly felt? I didn’t want him to dissuade me, so I blocked his mouth like that. Would I, Quan Feitong, really wrong myself by touching you just because Lian Yu touched Gu Shuangcheng? Gu Shuangcheng is just a fellow disciple in my heart—I wouldn’t compete with Lian Yu over petty jealousies. When I went to the Court of Judicial Review to find you, your people said the Empress Dowager had summoned you to the palace. Your complexion was off last night. I had people in the palace investigate what happened to you during your previous stay in the palace. They couldn’t find out the specific reason, but one thing was confirmed—you had been under house arrest by Lian Yu for several days. I was worried and entered the palace.”
“Do you understand now?”
Behind her, his voice came bit by bit, calm and steady, without his usual teasing tone.
Suzhen had walked several steps before finally stopping.
She was someone who distinguished clearly between gratitude and grudges. If Quan Feitong was genuinely helping her, it would be wrong of her to keep walking.
She slowly walked back to face him and saw him looking at her deeply, his gaze slightly burning. Her face heated up, and she changed the subject: “You came to help me, but you also came to watch the show, bringing spectators along. How thoughtful indeed.”
Quan Feitong laughed heartily, his eyes showing an ambiguous mischief. “I brought Zhaoting to let him see Lian Yu and Gu Shuangcheng clearly—beautiful women and power—to strengthen his resolve to help me eliminate Lian Yu. I brought Chao Huang along so Zhaoting wouldn’t notice my intentions. After all, seeing Shuangcheng so close to Lian Yu would be uncomfortable for him. Wouldn’t that make this minister seem quite sinister?”
Suzhen’s heart immediately shattered to pieces. She should have just walked away earlier!
In her moment of distraction, Quan Feitong lifted her and threw her into the carriage. He ordered the driver to start and immediately climbed in, sitting beside Suzhen and suddenly pulling up her left sleeve.
By the time Suzhen returned to the Court of Judicial Review, it was already nightfall.
Quan Feitong had noticed something unusual about her hand when he pulled it in the palace. In the carriage, he asked her what happened, but she didn’t say. He pressed her twice more but didn’t continue asking. Instead, he took her to a tavern to drink. During the meal, she remained silent, and he didn’t speak either, nor did he mention Lian Yu and Shuangcheng again. He only poured wine and served her food. Later, when she got drunk, he carried her to the carriage, played with her stubby little finger, wiped her face, and brought her back. He was so good to her that he didn’t seem like the Quan Feitong she knew. She groggily told him that his peach blossom eyes smiled particularly charmingly.
“Sooner or later you’ll be my wife. It’s only proper that I treat you well.”
When getting out of the carriage, he suddenly said this, successfully sobering her up with fright.
With someone’s company during the afternoon, she hadn’t felt much, but now that the alcohol was wearing off, she felt her stomach cramping painfully. Yet she still wanted to drink more, as if only this way could that piercing scene from the palace dissipate with the alcohol vapors.
They were finished just like that. She laughed.
Thinking this, there were suddenly several sounds outside. She startled and sat up from the bed. She couldn’t be so unlucky recently, could she, being attacked by assassins even while grieving? But logically, the Court of Judicial Review should be safe now—
Just as she lay back down, the door was pushed open and three people hurried in. The leader spoke urgently: “Director Li, please come to the palace with us immediately. His Majesty is seriously ill and keeps calling your name in his sleep.”