Liu Juan descended from the carriage on trembling legs, her body shaking uncontrollably throughout the journey. She had barely taken a step when she collapsed to the ground. Hearing the commotion, Dongzi rushed out and hurriedly helped her up, asking, "Miss Liu Juan, what happened? Are you alright?"
Liu Juan shook her head, not caring about embarrassment anymore. "Please help me inside. I need to report to the young mistress."
"Of course." Without another word, Dongzi supported her through the gate, delivering her directly to the inner courtyard entrance where a maid from the inner quarters took over, escorting her to Hua Zhi.
Hua Zhi was somewhat surprised by her condition. She knew the backgrounds of those around her well. Although Liu Juan had joined her service later, she wasn't the type to be frightened out of her wits by trivial matters.
Fu Dong quickly stepped forward to support Liu Juan to a seat nearby. A young maid brought hot tea, and only after drinking it with trembling hands could Liu Juan finally speak.
"Young... young mistress, the city is under martial law. I saw many fully armed soldiers." Once the words started, the rest flowed more smoothly. "Not long after this servant entered the city, someone came and directly brought me before that person. Just as you said, young mistress - wearing a mask, with his companions also masked, and many tied-up people nearby."
Hua Zhi nodded slightly. After learning Mr. Lu's identity, she had known the masked man who saved her that night was none other than him - the mysterious head of the Seven Constellation Bureau of Daqing Dynasty.
"After this servant gave him the items, he asked if you had any message to convey. When I said no, he dismissed me. Following your instructions, I carefully observed the city's situation and found it much more severe than what that servant had described earlier. I deliberately walked slowly to listen to others' conversations. They say... they say someone intends to harm the Emperor."
Liu Juan swallowed hard, unable to conceal the terror in her eyes. Having been raised on a manor estate, the Emperor seemed as distant as heaven and earth to her. Merely mentioning him made her heart tremble, let alone speaking of someone attempting to harm the Emperor - to her, it felt like the sky was falling.
Having obtained the information she needed, Hua Zhi no longer pressed the frightened young maid, instructing Fu Dong to take her for proper rest.
Bao Xia was also startled by what she heard, but her thoughts quickly turned elsewhere. "Although Liu Juan hasn't been with us long, she has performed quite well - bold yet careful in her work, without making any mistakes. This servant thinks she could be promoted to second-rank maid."
"Since when do such matters require my approval?" Hua Zhi found this somewhat amusing. She knew she herself was bold, but she didn't think she usually displayed it overtly. She wondered why all her maids seemed to be developing such fearless attitudes.
Bao Xia chuckled and went to discuss with Ying Chun. Ying Chun, who hadn't fully recovered from the shock, became serious when the topic was raised. "Not just Liu Juan - Chunxiang could be promoted too. Oh, and Liu Xiang as well."
Liu Xiang, who had been working nearby, quickly looked over.
Ying Chun smiled at her. "We've mentioned promoting you before. Although your monthly allowance was increased, it was never officially announced. We'll make it official when we return."
Liu Xiang bowed to Ying Chun, then performed a deeper bow toward Hua Zhi. "This servant thanks the young mistress.""You've earned this." Hua Zhi had always remembered how the maid had been willing to endure humiliation herself to save her. It was from that moment onward that this young girl suddenly lost her former liveliness, as if she had matured overnight. All of this was what Hua Zhi owed her.
Nian Qiu gently tugged at Ying Chun's sleeve and gestured toward their young lady with a slight nod.
Ying Chun nodded in understanding, signaling for the others to leave first. She went to fetch hot water for the young lady to warm her hands, then knelt beside her and carefully applied hand cream, massaging gently as she spoke softly, "Young lady, this servant doesn't quite understand..."
"You don't understand why I had Liu Juan deliver food to Lu Xiansheng?"
"Yes." While others might not be aware of Lu Xiansheng's feelings toward their young lady, those who followed her daily could see it clearly and were happy for her.
They were naturally willing to accompany their young lady for a lifetime, but if possible, they still hoped she would meet someone who cherished and loved her. Their young lady was so wonderful, deserving of the best treatment in the world.
Yet the young lady's previous behavior had clearly indicated she had no such intentions, which was why Ying Chun couldn't comprehend this sudden gesture.
"Because without making this trip, I wouldn't know how far the events in the capital have progressed." Seeing her maid's surprised expression, Hua Zhi smiled. Did you think I'd suddenly taken a fancy to Lu Xiansheng?
Even Shaoyao had been summoned. This suggested the Emperor's actions weren't merely suspicious intentions but had already been carried out—and successfully at that.
She had long known she was being watched, which was why she dared to send Liu Juan into the city alone. She also knew that once in the city, someone would inevitably bring Liu Juan to Lu Xiansheng.
As expected, Liu Juan encountered no obstacles.
Has the Seven Constellation Bureau already revealed its leader's identity and begun arresting people openly? Hua Zhi thought to herself. This matter is no small affair and certainly won't be handled with much noise but little action. While the Hua family isn't involved, as long as the Zhu Family remains unharmed, it has nothing to do with her. In fact, she secretly hoped the situation would escalate further.
Weren't you all quite pleased when the Hua family fell from grace? Now she was quite pleased too.
The affairs of the Seven Constellation Bureau had always been shrouded in secrecy, with very few knowing that its headquarters was located in a corner of the imperial palace.
Now, with the Bureau opening its court for a public trial, even those who had initially considered avoiding it changed their minds. While they didn't believe the Bureau's leader would dare to take serious action against them, this might be their only chance to witness the Bureau's true operations.
So when Gu Yanxi arrived, every expected attendee was present without exception.
"Chief."
Gu Yanxi took his seat at the head of the room, his gaze sweeping across the assembly. "Begin."
One by one, formerly influential figures were brought forward in disarray. As their numbers grew, everyone present turned pale. What was the Seven Constellation Bureau Chief planning? If all these people were convicted, how would the court function tomorrow?
Just as everyone expected the interrogations to begin, Chen Qing stepped forward and unrolled a memorial, announcing: "Chen Anjun, Tong Yang... convicted of colluding with the Celestial Master to present the Golden Elixir to the Emperor. Sentenced to fifty lashes and immediate execution. To be carried out in three days."
First execution order: seven individuals.
"Yu Fengchu, Shan Zhen... convicted of aiding and abetting evil. Sentenced to fifty lashes and immediate execution. To be carried out in three days."
Second execution order: eleven individuals.
"Xie Shipeng, Feng Zheng... convicted of involvement with the imperial harem. Sentenced to fifty lashes and immediate execution. To be carried out in three days."
Third execution order: fourteen individuals.Chen Qing set down the final memorial in his hand and stepped back to his original position.
By now, the assembled crowd was utterly dumbfounded. How... how could a death sentence be pronounced so abruptly? Where was the evidence? What had they even done? Even the charges were so perfunctory—how could this command public respect? Did the Emperor know the Seven Constellation Bureau was abusing its power like this?
Before they could process the situation, the officials in charge of the punishment hall silently stepped forward, each holding a long whip. The whips of the three judicial offices were barbed.
PS: Kongkong admits the updates are slow, ladies. You can let the chapters accumulate before reading. The more you rush me, the more anxious I become, and the worse I write—which in turn requires more time for revisions. It’s a vicious cycle. The fact that you follow along at least means Kongkong’s writing appeals to you. But do you know that verifying a single term or a small piece of information might take an hour? To write well and write fast—sorry, Kongkong truly can’t manage both.
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