Xi Liang smiled happily. She didn't know how to tell her father and mother about this, but she unexpectedly met Ling'er. It seems that God is still kind to her. Xi Liang looked at Hai Ling while thinking and found that Hai Ling was really beautiful. She and the Emperor of Bei Lu were a match made in heaven.
"Xi Liang, come to the palace to see me whenever you have free time. I get very bored in the palace."
"Okay, if you want to do anything naughty in the future, just come to me, and I'll help you do it."
Xi Liang laughed, and the two of them kept whispering in the pavilion. At noon, Hai Ling asked Xi Liang to stay at the palace for lunch before letting her go back.
After Xi Liang left, Shi Lan and Fu Yue kept staring at Hai Ling, and then asked curiously.
"Your Majesty, you and the young princess of the Cang Prince's mansion seem to get along quite well."
Hai Ling smiled, not saying much. She and Xi Liang had been friends for many years, and now that they had met in another world, how could she not be happy? She was extremely happy today.
When Ye Lingfeng returned in the evening, he noticed that Hai Ling was unusually happy and asked her with concern what had made her so happy.
Hai Ling then told Ye Lingfeng about Xi Liang's arrival, but she didn't mention that Xi Liang, like her, had transmigrated from the modern world. She only said that she liked the little girl very much and got along extremely well with her. She would invite her to the palace to play whenever she had free time. Ye Lingfeng was naturally very happy to have someone to keep her company. It seemed that this little princess of the Cangwang Mansion was also an extraordinary woman, because Ling'er rarely revealed her true feelings at first glance.
On the large bed, Hai Ling was still talking enthusiastically when Ye Lingfeng's large hand gripped her waist, hot and burning. His lips suddenly blocked Hai Ling's lips, and his tongue skillfully slid in to tease her tongue. He didn't want to talk about an outsider with Ling'er all night. They were newlyweds, and it was more important to be intimate.
"Hmm."
Hai Ling's lips were kissed, and she couldn't help but let out a soft moan. The palace was filled with heat. Ye Lingfeng had already gained experience from the initial exploration, so wherever his hands touched, Hai Ling trembled. Her whole body turned into a pool of water, clinging to the man on top of her, lingering and intoxicated.
After a few tender moments of intimacy, the two fell asleep in each other's arms. In the middle of the night, urgent cries came from outside the palace.
"Your Majesty, Your Majesty."
Ye Lingfeng's eyes snapped open, deep and cold. His first instinct was that something was wrong; otherwise, Xiao Luzi wouldn't have dared to startle him in the middle of the night.
Ye Lingfeng got up, glanced at Hai Ling beside him, and seeing that she was about to wake up, he quickly patted her back, then quietly put on his clothes and went out: "What is it?"
Seeing the Emperor's gloomy and icy expression, Xiao Luzi dared not delay and quickly replied, "Something has happened at the Ministry of Justice. I heard that the Minister of Revenue, Zhou Nian, and the Vice Minister of Revenue, Zhao Zhu, were murdered in the Ministry of Justice's prison overnight."
"What?"
Ye Lingfeng wasn't just angry at this moment; he was ready to kill. These despicable fellows were clearly afraid that Zhou Nian and Zhao Zhu would reveal something, so they were trying to silence him by killing him, and doing so right in the Ministry of Justice. How hateful!
Xiao Luzi helped the Emperor dress, and then the two walked outside, with Ye Lingfeng giving orders as they went.
"Immediately summon the Ministers of Justice and the Minister of War to the palace. I want to ask them what else they can do?"
"Yes, Your Majesty, I will take care of it right away."
Xiao Luzi immediately accepted the order and sent someone out of the palace to deliver the imperial decree.
When the Minister of Justice and the Minister of War entered the palace, both of them were ashen-faced. They knelt in the study, trembling, unable to utter a single word.
They never dreamed that the Minister of Revenue and the Vice Minister of Revenue would die in prison, and that they would be murdered. In fact, they had sent a large number of soldiers to guard the Ministry of Justice prison, but they still managed to break in. The reason was that there was a traitor within the Ministry of Justice. The two traitors were already dead. The people outside pretended to break in, and the people inside entered the Ministry of Justice prison and killed the two officials in prison.
When something like this happened, the people from the Ministry of Justice and the Ministry of War were the first to be affected, so the two ministers knelt on the ground, trembling and pleading.
"Your Majesty, spare our lives, and we will find out who killed Zhou Nian and Zhao Zhu."
The Ministers of Justice and War kowtowed repeatedly. Although Ye Lingfeng was angry and wished he could kill these two useless people, he couldn't take them all down at the moment, otherwise the court would be in chaos. So he decided to take a break first.
"Investigate immediately. If you can't find out, you can forget about your heads."
At the emperor's command, the ministers of the Ministry of Justice and the Ministry of War left with tears in their eyes.
The thought of losing their heads if they couldn't find out made their legs go weak, and they had to lean against the wall to walk outside.
Unexpectedly, the emperor was more powerful than anyone else. These people were either dead or severely injured, and there were probably quite a few who died.
In the Imperial Study, Ye Lingfeng dismissed the Ministers of Justice and War, then summoned Shizhu and ordered her to lead the Feathered Guards to investigate.
"Find out who killed Zhou Nian and Zhao Zhu. Also, keep an eye on the movements of the Zhou and Zhao families and see who is getting close to them."
Zhou Nian and Zhao Zhu were not incompetent; they were able to thrive in the officialdom, so they must have been cunning. Now that they had been murdered, what would happen to their families? They must have made arrangements beforehand. So he wanted to see who was behind this.
"Yes, I understand," Shi Zhu led the men away to carry out their tasks. In the study, Ye Lingfeng frowned, his eyes flashing coldly, a chilling smile playing on his lips. He refused to believe that he couldn't find out who this old fox was behind it all, who dared to kill an official of the imperial court.
When Hailing woke up in Qingqian Palace, she felt a sense of oppression in the palace. When she got up, she asked Shilan about it.
"What happened?"
Shilan dismissed the palace maids in the bedroom and carefully reported the situation.
"I heard that last night, Minister of Revenue Zhou Nian and Vice Minister Zhao Zhu were murdered in prison."
Hai Ling's expression froze slightly. It seemed that this was a case of murder to silence witnesses, fearing that Zhou Nian and Zhao Zhu would reveal things that would be detrimental to her. So she killed them to cover it up. Who exactly was this person? How dare he kill someone in the Ministry of Justice? If he were caught, it wouldn't be an exaggeration to tear him to pieces.
"The Emperor left long ago."
Hai Ling asked, and Shi Lan nodded. There was no sound from the palace. Shao Ling got dressed and got up. There was no use in rushing this. She believed that Ye Lingfeng would definitely be able to handle it. It was better for her to worry less.
However, after breakfast, the Empress Dowager sent someone from Cixi Palace to summon her.
"Your subject greets Your Majesty."
Hai Ling greeted the Empress Dowager at the head of the table, wondering why her mother had sent someone to invite her over. Her face remained impassive and respectful. The Empress Dowager gestured for her to rise and sit beside her.
"I'm in good spirits today, so I called you here to ask about the palace maids and eunuchs who were released from the palace a couple of days ago. I hope they've been properly arranged."
"Everything is fine. About two hundred palace maids and nearly three hundred eunuchs have been released. Although there are still quite a few palace maids and eunuchs in the palace, there's nothing we can do about it. We can't just kick them all out properly. So, Ling'er has instructed them to manage them well. Don't worry, Mother."
"Okay, that's good."
The Empress Dowager smiled and breathed a sigh of relief, then looked at Hailin.