They arrived at Qingqian Palace, and Ye Lingfeng and Hai Ling got out of the carriage one after the other.
Because of Hai Ling's poisoning, Ye Lingfeng was afraid that she would get tired, so he sent her to her palace to rest. He also instructed Shi Mei and Shi Lan to take good care of the Empress and not let anyone disturb her. After arranging everything, Ye Lingfeng left.
Inside the palace, Shi Mei, Shi Lan, Fu Yue, and others were all smiling as they served Hai Ling. Hai Ling couldn't help but ask, "What are you all laughing about? You can't stop smiling."
"We are happy for Her Majesty the Empress. Her Majesty and the Emperor are very much in love."
After she finished speaking, the unmarried girls blushed. As Hailing lay down on the bed, she teased them, "If you find someone you like in the future, don't hide it from me. I'll definitely be your matchmaker and I guarantee you'll all be loving and affectionate."
"Your Majesty the Empress."
A commotion erupted in the palace. Hai Ling lay down with a smile, thinking to herself, "Finally, I've gotten rid of these girls for once. They always bring up her affairs."
Although Hai Ling was poisoned by dragon tongue poison, she had only inhaled a small amount, and Ye Lingfeng expelled some of it with his internal energy. She also took some medicinal soup, so she was actually fine. Apart from being a little weak, she was otherwise alright.
After waking up from a nap, she found the palace incredibly boring. Ye Lingfeng had to deal with state affairs and didn't have much time to spend with her, so she decided to find her own entertainment. This reminded her of the white jade Demon King Token that Ye Lingfeng had given her. Before, she didn't want to owe him a favor, but now that they were one, Hai Ling had an idea and summoned Shi Mei and Shi Lan to ask them questions.
"What's the current situation with the Cold Demon Palace? Tell me about it."
Upon hearing Hai Ling's words, Shi Mei knew that her mistress had some ideas, and she couldn't help but smile happily. It would be best to make use of those people. Shi Mei thought she should immediately report the situation in the Cold Demon Palace to Hai Ling.
"The Cold Demon Palace has more than two thousand true followers, not including those who were recruited through expansion, because they are assigned to each individual. Each person manages their own people. Some capable people may have dozens of people under their command, while less capable people may have only a few. However, everyone is of one mind and no one dares to disobey the master. Their main task is to take on missions, which are arranged by the people in the palace. Whoever is sent to take action, the palace takes half of the income, and the rest is half of their own."
Hailin nodded, but the idea was not bad. If the work was divided up to each individual, it would naturally be managed well.
"A while ago, the master transferred about a thousand people from the Cold Demon Palace to form the royal Feather Guard. The rest are currently staying in the Cold Demon Palace and dare not take on missions privately."
Approximately how many people are there?
Shi Mei thought for a moment: "There are five or six hundred believers. If you add up the people under their command, there are probably more than a thousand people."
Hai Ling nodded, having learned some of the situation in the Cold Demon Palace, and then explained her plan.
"I want to reorganize the remaining people in the Cold Demon Palace and start a new organization. From now on, we will no longer take on killing missions."
Hailin isn't interested in fighting and killing, but she is very interested in money.
However, Shi Mei and Shi Lan were astonished: "Master, if they don't kill people, how will they survive?"
"Robbery, specifically targeting corrupt officials. They are all incredibly wealthy, and the court can't catch them or punish them. But we can rob all the official silver they've embezzled and use it for good, either to help the poor or to help soldiers fighting far away. In short, this money must be used where it's needed."
After Hailing finished speaking, she noticed that Shimei and Shilan did not speak. She looked up at them curiously and saw that their eyes were shining brightly as they stared intently at her.
"Your Majesty, you are so clever! We servants have never thought of this before, and neither has the master. We never expected you to come up with such a money-making idea."
Hai Ling was a little flattered by the praise. Is this what you call being smart? She had come up with this idea because she remembered seeing Zhao Zhu in the Red Sleeve Pavilion last time. That man had a fat head and a round belly, so he must have embezzled a lot of things.
Unexpectedly, in the mouths of Shi Mei and others, it became the story of someone who was extremely intelligent.
"Alright, stop praising me and start thinking about how to sort this out. I'm not very familiar with the remaining people, so I need the two of you to handle it. Also, first, let go of those who don't want to do this anymore. In addition, thoroughly check the remaining people and get rid of all the useless ones. We need elites."
"Elite?"
Shi Mei and Shi Lan were stunned by this novel term, not understanding its meaning. Hai Ling explained with a smile: "The so-called elite means the best and the top. You can't put rotten sesame seeds in there, it will ruin things."
"Yes, I understand."
The two maids nodded, exchanged glances, and then Shi Mei spoke up: "I will handle this matter first, while Shi Lan will stay and serve you, Master."
"Okay, you go and take a look first. By the way, don't rush, these things can't be rushed."
Hai Ling didn't forget to remind Shi Mei, who nodded and left. As she reached the door, she remembered something: "Master, if our organization is no longer called the Cold Demon Palace, what will we be called in the future?"
That's a good idea. Hai Ling frowned and pondered deeply. She was determined to choose a name that was both elegant and unconventional to elevate the organization that was about to be established, so that people all over the world would remember it.
"The Shadowless Studio".
"The Shadowless Pavilion," Shi Mei and Shi Lan exclaimed simultaneously. The name itself carried a sense of mystery. Since there was no shadow, it was obviously not something that ordinary people could catch. Shi Mei nodded with a smile and withdrew.
Inside the palace, Hailing spoke a few more words with Shilan before getting up to wash.
The afternoon passed by in a flash. When Ye Lingfeng came over in the evening, Hai Ling still had a happy smile on her face, which made Ye Lingfeng curious: "Ling'er, what's making you so happy?"
Hailing pulled him to sit at the table, and the palace maids began to serve dinner. The two ate while talking about the afternoon's topics. Ye Lingfeng felt that this matter was very meaningful, and that Ling'er's head was always full of clever and quirky ideas.
He had never thought of setting up such an organization before; it was far better than building the Cold Demon Palace.
"Okay, go ahead and do it. If you need me, just let me know. I'll fully support you. Just let me know before you do anything."
"Okay, I'll definitely tell you first."
Hai Ling nodded in agreement. She knew that if anything happened to her, Ye Lingfeng would be the most anxious. So, she wanted to make sure he was aware of what she was doing so that he could truly feel at ease. The situation in Bei Lu was very complicated. Not only were there those ministers in the court, but the matter of who poisoned Ruan Jingyue was still unsolved. There was also the matter of those hundreds of assassins who had simply vanished into thin air. Now that she had married Ye Lingfeng, she would definitely lend him a hand in the future. When the Divine Cat Thief was truly famous throughout the world and had enough wealth and resources, she would return to Da Zhou to kill Jiang Batian and avenge her mother.
After making her plans, Hai Ling looked up and smiled, her delicate face incredibly alluring. Ye Lingfeng's gaze deepened as he stared intently at her, recalling their kiss in the Cining Palace that morning, and his body began to heat up.
Hai Ling was initially unsure what to do, but when the heat slowly spread to her body, she was startled and subconsciously felt uneasy. However, she then recalled the captivating kiss from that morning, the irresistible feeling still lingering on her lips. This made her less resistant, and she slowly lowered her head, revealing a section of her fair neck, with beautiful, delicate, and sexy lines. Ye Lingfeng's gaze grew increasingly intense, like a burning flame, and his breathing became slightly rapid. However, even at this rare moment, he could still ask softly in a hoarse voice.
"Ling'er, are you feeling better?"
He should have kept quiet, because once he spoke, Hai Ling's cheeks burned even hotter, and even her neck was faintly flushed. Who would ask such a question? Was she saying she was feeling better, or that she wasn't quite recovered yet? Either way, she seemed very uncomfortable. However, her shy and bashful appearance had already caught Ye Lingfeng's eye.
Ye Lingfeng reached out and hugged her, eliciting a gasp from Hai Ling. She instinctively wrapped her arms around his neck and pressed her cheek against his chest. Hearing his heartbeat, which was also very rapid, she couldn't help but feel curious. She pressed her face against his chest and listened to his strong thumping. Suddenly, she felt less uneasy. It turned out that Ye Lingfeng was also a little excited and nervous, just like her.
But then she heard a soft, alluring voice whispering in her ear: "Ling'er, tonight is our wedding night."
Hai Ling's head buzzed, everything collapsed, her whole body went limp and powerless, she could only cling to Ye Lingfeng's neck with her snow-white, jade-like hands, and then her brain began to shut down.
Inside and outside the palace, everyone withdrew. Even those with limited knowledge could see the Emperor and Empress's gazes lingering on each other, so everyone kept their distance.