Hua Yao stood by the doorway, looking at the slightly swaying medicinal soup in the tray. Before she could react, the door in front of her opened, and Lin Jin stood there.
"Miss Hua?" Lin Jin was clearly surprised by the person at the door.
"Oh." Hua Yao snapped back to reality, thrusting the tray into Lin Jin's hands. "Your master's medicine."
After saying that, she prepared to leave.
"Wait!" Lin Jin called out, stopping her.
Hua Yao didn't turn back, merely paused.
Lin Jin glanced at the medicine bowl in his hand, thought for a moment, and asked, "Was this medicine delivered by Miss Hua?"
"No..." Hua Yao's denial was cut short as she suddenly recalled Zhong Li's slightly off-color expression just moments ago. "No... I brought it. Li'er said the Young Master needs another medicinal bath tomorrow, and she's busy preparing medicine right now and couldn't come."
Upon hearing this, Lin Jin took a step closer to Hua Yao. He appeared humble, but his gaze was fixed directly on Hua Yao. "Is that so?"
Hua Yao took a deep breath and met Lin Jin's eyes. "Yes."
Lin Jin pursed his lips and remained silent, watching Hua Yao slowly walk out of his sight before turning and re-entering the room.
Lu Wuxie was still leaning on the bed, his expression unchanged.
Lin Jin brought the medicine to his master's lips. "Master, it's time for your medicine."
Lu Wuxie took the medicine bowl from Lin Jin but did not drink immediately. Instead, he first tested the temperature with his lips. "Hua Yao was lying just now."
"How did Master know?" Lin Jin asked.
Lu Wuxie replied, "The medicine Li'er brings each time is always a bit warmer than this."
"So Miss Zhong was outside just now?" Lin Jin realized and stood up, preparing to go out.
"What are you going to do?" Lu Wuxie asked.
"I'm going to find Miss Zhong and say..."
"Say what?" Lu Wuxie looked up at Lin Jin.
Lin Jin was speechless. For a moment, he didn't know how to answer. What should he say? Should he ask Zhong Li if she was eavesdropping outside, or should he help his master explain the content of the eavesdropping? Either way, the consequences were beyond his ability to bear.
"You may go," Lu Wuxie waved his hand.
"But..." Lin Jin looked at his master, who was lowering his gaze and staring intently at the medicinal soup. A wave of worry rose in his heart. Truthfully, after following Lu Wuxie for so long, he had seen whom his master favored and whom he cared about.
However...
Caught in the treacherous currents of the court, nothing was pure. Yet his master wished to maintain this purity.
"Leave!" Lu Wuxie closed his eyes and commanded again.
Lin Jin bowed and withdrew from the room.
When Lu Wuxie was alone in the room.
He looked at the now lukewarm medicinal soup in his hand and downed it in one gulp, clenching his other hand hidden beneath the quilt tightly.
Zhong Li returned to Dali Temple two days later.
She sat at her desk, organizing the case files of the Divine Maiden Sect and stacking them neatly on the shelves behind her. As she picked up the outer cloak draped over the back of her chair, preparing to blow out the oil lamp, a crisp sound stopped her.
Zhong Li lowered her gaze, following the sound. On the clean bluestone floor lay a single bell.
She squatted down, picked it up, and sat at her desk, examining the bell's design.
Previously, preoccupied with solving the case, she had only glanced at the bell without close inspection. Now, looking again, the bell was not smooth. Through the flickering candlelight, she could faintly see carvings on it.
However, these carvings were neither totems nor patterns, but rather several indentations of varying sizes.
"Why design it this way?"
She bit her lip, pondering for a long time, then walked to another side of the bookshelf and retrieved the evidence from the Divine Maiden Sect that had not yet been stored in the Dali Temple's item repository.
As she had suspected, there were several more bells inside. Zhong Li poured them all out.
Initially, she thought the raised and lowered parts on these bells would be the same, until she discovered that the indentations, and even the sizes, were different on all the bells. A unbelievable thought crossed her mind.
She placed the few bells on the table and struck them with chopsticks one by one. As the bells emitted sounds of different pitches, Zhong Li's eyes slowly narrowed.
-------------------------------------
After the intense heat of summer, Jin Cheng experienced significant temperature fluctuations between morning and evening.
Zhong Li sat in the carriage, wrapping her outer cloak tighter around herself.
The Nan Yue Kingdom's court session began quite early. Around dawn, Eunuch Hua would already be standing at the palace gates, waiting to welcome all the court officials.
Previously, Zhong Li could skip the morning court sessions in the palace due to her low rank and minor influence. Now, holding a fifth-rank position, she was expected to attend court unless there were special circumstances.
She lifted the curtain and looked at the sun, which had not yet risen, and unconsciously yawned. She had been looking at case files late into the night, and now felt a bit sleepy.
A quarter of an hour later, many officials had already arrived at the court. Zhong Li greeted them one by one before standing in a less conspicuous position towards the back.
Just as she was about to steal a moment of rest and close her eyes before the Emperor arrived, a commotion sounded from the entrance.
"You're back?"
"You've just returned. His Majesty was mentioning you a couple of days ago. You're sure to regain your former official position this time."
...
Habitually, Zhong Li turned her head to look towards the source of the voices. She saw Lu Wuxie walking in with a smile. The robe he wore, as was his usual habit, was loose and unpretentious, yet it did not diminish his unparalleled aura.
Her gaze darkened, and a mix of emotions surged within her. She hurriedly averted her eyes, unaware that at the moment she feigned composure, his lazy gaze had already settled on her back.
"Silence!" Eunuch Hua cleared his dry throat, and the surrounding officials immediately returned to their positions.
At the head of the civil officials stood Minister Fu and Crown Prince Lu Yuanhong. At the head of the military officials stood the Shen family, followed by the Hua family.
"Long live His Majesty, ten thousand years, ten thousand years!" Zhong Li, along with everyone else, knelt and paid their respects.
Lu Jing'an raised his hand and said, "Arise."
Eunuch Hua continued, "If there is anything to report, present it. Otherwise, the court is dismissed."
Minister Fu glanced at Crown Prince Lu Yuanhong beside him.
Lu Yuanhong came to his senses and stepped forward. "Father, envoys from Yingzhou will arrive in our dynasty in three days. Your son has made all the necessary preparations. I request Your Majesty's review."
Lu Jing'an cast a look at Eunuch Hua.
Eunuch Hua quickly took the memorial from Lu Yuanhong and handed it to Lu Jing'an.
Lu Jing'an perused it once and said, "That is, less than half a month ago, I believed that my Nan Yue Kingdom was prosperous and its people lived in peace and contentment. I never expected that after experiencing some events, I would realize I had been too idealistic."
"Your Majesty is worrying unnecessarily," Minister Fu said.
Lu Jing'an chuckled, put away the memorial, and said, "I have experienced many life and death situations, and now I understand a principle: what is 'cutting the grass and eradicating the roots'."
As he spoke, his gaze swept past Lu Yuanhong and landed on Lu Wuxie.
"My visit to Qingliang Hall further clarified the meaning of 'brotherly blood'." He raised his hand and handed the memorial to Eunuch Hua beside him. "Lu Wuxie, the Young Master of the Wise Prince's Estate, for his meritorious service in rescuing His Majesty at Qingliang Hall, his original position in the Dali Temple is restored, and he is rewarded with one thousand taels of silver."
"Thank you, Your Majesty!" Lu Wuxie stepped forward and bowed.
Lu Jing'an smiled and slowly sat up straighter, scanning the assembled officials. "Zhong Li, the Assistant Minister of Dali Temple?"
"This minister is here," Zhong Li quickly stepped forward.
"Zhong Li, the Assistant Minister of Dali Temple, for her meritorious service in rescuing His Majesty, for risking her own safety to aid the Sixth Prince, Empress Nangong, and the guards of Qingliang Hall, for apprehending the followers and mastermind of the Divine Maiden Sect, is hereby promoted to the position of Shaoqing of Dali Temple."
As Lu Jing'an finished speaking, the previously quiet hall erupted in murmurs. Most of the discussion was about Zhong Li being a woman and how she had been promoted multiple times within a single year.
Zhong Li remained composed, indifferent to the surrounding remarks.
After looking up at Lu Jing'an, she bowed. "Thank you, Your Majesty. Long live His Majesty, ten thousand years, ten thousand years."
"Hmm!" Lu Jing'an nodded with satisfaction, then glanced at Eunuch Hua.
Eunuch Hua quickly walked up to Lu Wuxie and handed him the memorial that the Crown Prince had just submitted.
Lu Jing'an said, "The envoys from Yingzhou will arrive in our Nan Yue Kingdom in three days. Many events have transpired in Jin Cheng during this period. Entrusting the reception of the envoys and ensuring their safety to the two of you, I am at ease."