Emperor Zhaoyuan didn't say anything, and Wu Shilu didn't even dare to breathe loudly. Maybe he was overly suspicious, as he always felt that the emperor's majesty had become increasingly unpredictable since the night he summoned Marquis Xinyuan.

Even though I have served His Majesty all my life, I have to be extremely careful now and not be careless at all.

Fortunately, His Majesty came back from outside the palace today and was in a good mood, which allowed Wu Shilu, who had been working hard these days, to breathe a sigh of relief.

He lowered his head, followed the emperor's line of sight, glanced over secretly, and smiled bitterly in his heart.

Ever since His Majesty got this willow branch, he would come to look at it every day, no matter what. This treasure became the lifeblood of all the palace servants, and they were extremely careful when cleaning and tidying up, fearing that they would accidentally break the twig or drop the willow leaves, which would make them cry without any place to go.

The dragon and phoenix embroidered pearl curtain hanging on the side room moved, and a palace maid with handsome eyes and beautiful eyebrows came in from outside, holding a one-foot square ebony treasure tray in her hand.

She came in, knelt down, raised her hands high, and said in a crisp voice: "Your Majesty, Miss Ning's clothes have been packed."

Emperor Zhaoyuan's eyes turned around.

Wu Shilu, relying on the fact that he was standing behind the emperor, hurriedly took a look. Ouch, what was neatly placed on the tray was a set of women's dresses in gray and white tones.

Although it had been carefully ironed, it was still visible that there were some wrinkles from being worn. Wu Shilu quickly looked away, not daring to look at it again.

Emperor Zhaoyuan responded indifferently, and four eunuchs brought over a golden rattan box. He personally placed the treasure into the box, thinking, I'll keep it here for Ning'er and return it to her when the time comes.

Thinking of Ning'er, his expression softened unconsciously. He was tired after a day's work. He wondered if she had rested yet? Maybe she had already taken a nap.

After today, she will be thirteen years old.

Looking at the gentle expression on Emperor Zhaoyuan's face, Wu Shilu silently chanted "little ancestor" in his heart, and once again confirmed that he would worship this little girl who was living in Xinyuan Marquis' Mansion.

Then he heard his master's order, with a smile in his voice, quite happy: "Go and find Lord Shen."

Lord Shen?

The first person Wu Shilu thought of was Xinyuan Hou Shen Chongyan, but he was far away in Daonan now. Could it be that His Majesty was looking for Shen Chengfan, the Left Vice Minister of the Ministry of Personnel?

While he was hesitating, His Majesty looked up at him and said with a smile, "It seems that my newly appointed Right Secretary of the Honglu Temple is not yet in the eyes of Chief Steward Wu."

Shen Chongyao!

Wu Shilu slapped his head in regret. How could he have forgotten about this Lord Shen!

----

When the imperial edict arrived, Shen Chongyao was half drunk. He was sitting crookedly among a group of guests and concubines, holding a purple brush in one hand and stroking his beard with the other, with half a cup of wine spilled on his lapel.

Fei Xing behind him pulled him to the ground and shook his master's shoulders desperately: "Wake up, wake up! The palace has summoned you!"

The palace...summoned!

Shen Chongyao's eyes suddenly widened, and he shuddered. The drunkenness immediately disappeared by 80%. He touched his disheveled clothes and looked at the front of his clothes, which was filled with the smell of alcohol.

His body was shaking like a sieve.

His luck was so bad! The other day, in order to be loyal, he was misunderstood by his wife as having an affair with Doctor Liu. Not only was he severely reprimanded, but the news was also spread throughout the mansion.

But I didn't even dare to give a legitimate excuse, and I didn't get a good response from others for several days.

Shen Chongyao was feeling depressed, and he finally had a day off. He was also invited by his former classmates and current colleagues to a banquet with elegant music, fine wine and wonderful poems, which immediately aroused his literary sentiments.

Who could have thought that he would be caught red-handed by the Emperor due to his momentary indulgence!

Shen Chongyao wanted to cry but had no tears. He could only apologize and drank some strong tea to sober up. He was about to tidy up his appearance. The eunuch who delivered the message had learned his lesson, but he could not wait for him. He invited the man to get in the car and drove him away with his hair and face dishevelled.

This was the first time in his life that he had officially met the emperor. Who would have thought that he would lose face completely before even entering the palace.

Listening to the rumbling sound of the wheel hubs rolling on the tiles of the Forbidden Palace, Shen Chongyao was half nervous and half afraid. A lively young eunuch even reminded him: "Lord Shen is in the emperor's heart. The emperor has personally chosen you to come to the palace to meet him!"

After hearing this, Shen Chongyao's heart, which had risen to his throat, was slightly relieved. Now, he only hoped that the emperor would remember his merits in delivering the message in time and forgive him for his misconduct in front of the emperor.

He obediently lowered his head and stared at the tips of his shoes, following the herald officer step by step.

I felt that the cold sweat on my body was blown away by the wind. The leader stopped and reported to the hall: "Shen Chongyao, the right minister of the Honglu Temple, has arrived--"

As the high notes spread inside, the majestic, magnificent and magnificent palace in front of him seemed to wake up from silence.

The four eunuchs who had led him kowtowed and left, and were replaced by two older eunuchs. After three waves of people, Shen Chongyao finally stood in front of an inner hall with three rooms wide and painted with colorful dragons.

Shen Chongyao knelt down at the foot of the steps, trembling with fear as he waited for the emperor's summons.

Wu Shilu was just coming out of Meiwu holding a jade bottle. When he saw Shen Chongyao, he exclaimed, "Sir Shen, why are you still kneeling here? The emperor is waiting for you to see him!"

Shen Chongyao looked up and saw that the man had a simple and honest face, with a smile on his face. He walked up to him and looked him over: "Sir Shen, you can't meet the emperor like this. Please wait a moment, I will go in and inform you."

He knew in his heart that this person was none other than Wu Shilu, the eunuch who was close confidant of Emperor Zhaoyuan and in charge of the twelve eunuchs in the inner court.

But after a moment, he came out of the palace with a smile on his face: "The emperor is merciful and allows you to clean up and then come into the palace to see him."

He pointed to the eunuch who was following him and said, "Let me, your disciple, serve you, Master Shen. Please!"

Shen Chongyao was immediately flattered, and thanked the emperor with gratitude, and followed the eunuch to a side room outside the side hall. Unexpectedly, the eunuch was very quick, and in less than an incense stick of time, he had cleaned him up inside and out.

This time, Wu Shilu took a look and saw that his eyes were clear, his hair was neatly tied, and his clothes were brand new. He nodded and said, "No wonder people say that Mr. Qingyuan is very handsome. The rumors are really not true."

He waved his whisk and instructed, "Come in with me. If His Majesty asks you anything, Lord Shen must tell you the truth."

----

When Ning Er opened her eyes, the lights were on in the room. She quickly turned over and sat up: "How long have I slept? I'm going to miss dinner!"

Chuncao came over and said, "Don't worry, young lady. The old lady sent a message today, telling you to eat in your room and not to wake you up. We saw that you were sleeping soundly, so we didn't disturb you."

Ning'er finally breathed a sigh of relief. She drank a sip of the white agarwood tea handed to her by Chuncao and became a little more sober, but she felt hungry.

At dinner today, there was a dish of golden fish stew that was extremely fresh and sweet, with a red skewer placed beside the bowl. Ning'er enjoyed the meal and said to Chuncao, "This dish is excellent. How come I haven't seen it before?"

Chuncao said happily: "Miss, you have a very clever tongue. This is the imperial meal! How can you eat it casually?"

What? Imperial meal?

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