A Three Inch Adorable Wife Hidden in the Sleeve of the Chu King

Chapter 81

Until Xie Xun left with Jiang Xiaoxiao, the others did not dare to whisper their discussions.

"Hey, Qin Fengmian, was our eldest senior brother really severely injured by that girl when he went to Yunzhou?"

The speaker was the sixth senior brother, Yu Tianlang, with a disbelieving expression on his face.

Qin Fengmian snorted, although it was his fellow senior brother questioning him, the thought of someone doubting the little girl's strength annoyed him.

"Why don't you challenge her yourself one day, sixth senior brother?"

Yu Tianlang recalled the miserable state of their eldest senior brother Zhu Yan when he was sent back to the capital, barely clinging to life. Even now, he still couldn't leave his bed.

He shuddered involuntarily.

"What kind of cultivation does she practice?" Yu Tianlang asked again. "I heard she broke the eldest senior brother's Qimen Formation. Does that mean she also cultivates the Qimen Divination Technique?"

Qin Fengmian had no idea about that. He only knew that the little girl was very mysterious, and he hadn't seen her use any real techniques since meeting her.

Glancing at Yu Tianlang, Qin Fengmian said, "Why are you asking me? If you have the guts, go ask her yourself someday!"

When Xie Xun and Jiang Xiaoxiao arrived home, it was still early. Madam Song personally made them ginger soup to prevent them from catching a cold.

Everyone sat around the charcoal brazier.

Yang Ershun was extremely curious about the Yin Yang Office and kept pestering Jiang Xiaoxiao to tell him about it.

Jiang Xiaoxiao briefly described it to him.

Yang Ershun was full of admiration. "Sister Jiang, if I study hard, can I join the Yin Yang Office like you in the future?"

"Yes," Jiang Xiaoxiao said. "With your talent, you could join after studying for ten or twenty years."

"Huh?" Yang Ershun's face turned pale with fright, prompting Dean Gu to burst into laughter beside him.

Ten or twenty years? By then, the cabbage would have wilted!

Yang Ershun cried and stood up, "I'm going to start cultivating now."

He just couldn't believe that Sister Jiang became the Chief of the Yin-Yang Office at sixteen, while he would need twenty years just to reach the threshold.

Not long after, a messenger from the palace arrived, none other than the imperial steward Du En.

Knowing the prince's foul temper, Du En didn't dare ask Xie Xun to come out and receive the imperial decree. Instead, he slipped in with the gatekeepers.

Then, standing in the front hall, he shouted in a loud voice, "Imperial decree!"

Dean Gu hurried to kneel on the ground with Madam Song and a few servants.

Xie Xun leaned against the armchair, unmoved.

Jiang Xiaoxiao tried to stand up, but he pulled her back down.

Du En's mouth twitched slightly, but he didn't dare say anything and pretended not to notice, continuing to read the imperial decree.

The decree stated that since the Prince of Chu had just arrived in the capital and was unfamiliar with the affairs of other government offices, he would first manage the Western Outskirts Stables.

Dean Gu was taken aback.

The Western Outskirts Stables housed war horses, each one carefully selected and prepared for battle at any time.

Although the title of managing the stables didn't sound as prestigious as overseeing the capital's government offices, it was an extremely important task.

Emperor Hongtai had given the prince such an important task upon his arrival, which surprised Dean Gu.

However, Xie Xun didn't even raise an eyebrow, dismissively saying, "No interest."

"This... Your Highness..." Du En was at a loss for words.

No matter how Du En tried to persuade him, Xie Xun remained indifferent and even radiated a chilling aura of displeasure.

Du En didn't dare bother him any further and took the imperial decree back to report the truth to Emperor Hongtai.

"What?" Emperor Hongtai, who was reviewing memorials in the imperial study, frowned upon hearing that Xie Xun refused to take charge of the Western Outskirts Stables.

"What did that ingrate say?"

Du En didn't dare hide anything and lowered his head, his voice growing softer. "The Prince of Chu said he has no interest."

A vein throbbed on Emperor Hongtai's forehead. "Then what is he interested in?"

Du En hesitated, not daring to speak.

Emperor Hongtai shouted, "Speak!"

Du En said, "This servant heard that the Prince of Chu wants to accompany a girl surnamed Jiang. That girl is the newly recruited Chief of the Yin-Yang Office, who has just arrived in the capital."

So he was infatuated with a woman!

Emperor Hongtai's eyes turned black with rage. "Despicable wretch!"

With that, he smashed the precious inkstone on the imperial desk.

Coincidentally, Crown Prince Murong Yuan entered and was startled by the spilled ink on the floor. "Father Emperor, why are you so enraged? Has the third brother angered you again?"

Emperor Hongtai snorted coldly.

Murong Yuan bent down to pick up the shattered pieces of the inkstone and approached. "Father Emperor, the third brother has lived in a small place like Yunzhou for many years, so it's no surprise that his words and actions may seem uncouth. Why should you bother with someone of his caliber?"

Though his words seemed persuasive, he was subtly implying that no matter how highly titled the Prince of Chu might be, he couldn't conceal his rustic background.

Du En glanced at Murong Yuan with mixed feelings.

Emperor Hongtai was clearly still fuming as he spoke to Murong Yuan with a hint of irritation. "What brings you here?"

Murong Yuan cleared his throat.

Du En took the hint and withdrew.

Once only the father and son remained in the imperial study, Murong Yuan cupped his hands and said, "Father Emperor, regarding my previous suggestion to renovate the Former Empress's mausoleum, have you considered it?"

Emperor Hongtai asked him, "Aren't you getting married by the end of the year? Why trouble yourself with matters of imperial mausoleums?"

Murong Yuan smiled, "This matter pales in comparison to the Former Empress's affairs. The mausoleum guards have reported strange occurrences within the mausoleum recently. They have carefully inspected the exterior and confirmed that there are no signs of grave robbers, so the only possibility is an internal problem, perhaps due to the failure of the mechanisms after all these years. Therefore, I suggest opening the mausoleum and renovating the mechanisms."

Since the passing of the Former Empress, Yan Country has not had another empress.

It's obvious that His Majesty cherished the former empress deeply.

It was precisely because of his deep love for her that he harbored such resentment towards Xie Xun, who was responsible for her death all those years ago.

Murong Yuan was certain that upon hearing of issues with the mausoleum, his father would be distressed due to his affection for the Former Empress.

Indeed, Emperor Hongtai frowned. "The mausoleum was just built fourteen years ago, and it's already having problems?"

"The workers who built the imperial mausoleum must have cut corners!" Murong Yuan expressed indignation. "Father Emperor, I will thoroughly investigate this matter and provide you and the Former Empress with an explanation."

"However, the mechanisms inside the mausoleum are complex. Without a map of their layout, no matter how well-intentioned I am, I fear I will be powerless."

"I understand. You may leave now."

"Father Emperor..."

Murong Yuan wanted to say more.

But Emperor Hongtai looked at him sternly.

After all, he was a ruler who had governed the realm for many years, and his commanding presence exuded an aura that made one shudder without anger.

Murong Yuan immediately lowered his head, "Yes, your son takes his leave."

Upon returning to the Palace of the Crown Prince, Murong Yuan's first action was to find the person in black robes.

The person in black robes asked him, "What progress has been made?"

Murong Yuan was full of resentment, "The Emperor still refuses to relent. I don't understand what he is hesitating about."

The person in black robes said, "We don't have much time left to wait. I have a plan that will surely make your father agree to open the Tomb of Ling."

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