Before dawn, news spread throughout the imperial harem and even to the court: the Empress had kept Yan Zhao for the night.
Yan Yi looked at his young master with heartache. His knees, which should have been beaming with joy, were now swollen and he could barely walk. He grumbled angrily, "How can the Empress be so unfeeling? She actually made Master kneel all night. If Master hadn't had some cultivation, his legs wouldn't have been able to support him for days."
Yan Er, upon hearing this, did not complain like Yan Yi. Instead, he asked softly, "Master, what exactly happened?"
Master was not as impulsive as Yan Yi and had never found himself in such a predicament.
Yan Zhao slowly opened his eyes, his dark pupils clear and cold. "Have you found anything?"
Yan Er replied, "My subordinates discovered that many of these young men were deliberately placed here."
Yan Zhao raised an eyebrow at this. "Who is behind this?"
Yan Er said, "Hua Yunjin."
Yan Zhao's gaze shifted slightly. "What is Hua Yunjin trying to do?"
Yan Er responded, "I haven't found out yet, but..."
"But what?" Yan Zhao inquired.
"These young men are all strong and healthy, and they all seem to have some foundation." Yan Er stated.
Yan Yi said indignantly, "The Empress is selecting consorts, not pretty boys. Of course, the stronger the better, so she can satisfy multiple men at once."
"Mouthy," Yan Zhao said coldly.
Yan Yi obediently shut his mouth, though his dissatisfaction with the Empress grew to its peak.
"Master, these young men are all from Hua Yunjin's clan," Yan Er continued.
Yan Zhao nodded. Such caution and thorough preparation meant it couldn't be as Yan Yi suggested.
Recalling the Empress's chilling gaze from the previous night, the hidden hatred, he looked up and said, "Yan Er, keep watching."
"Rest assured, Master, I will keep an eye on it." Yan Er finished, then hesitated, unsure whether to continue.
Seeing this, Yan Zhao asked, "Is there anything else?"
Yan Er nodded. "Madam, she said..."
Yan Zhao's expression darkened. "Yan Er, I don't want to hear anything about her ever again."
Yan Er froze. "Your subordinate remembers!"
"Young Master Li, you cannot enter..." the voice of a servant was heard from outside the door.
"Get out of the way..."
Accompanied by a figure rushing in, Yan Zhao waved his hand, and Yan Yi pulled down his trousers.
Leaning on the bed, Yan Zhao slowly said, "Young Master Li, why are you in such a hurry?"
Li Chenxuan looked at the man on the bed, his eyes filled with astonishment.
Before coming, he had been furious. Lin Yanzhi, a sickly man, could gain the Empress's favor, yet the Empress had never even glanced at him, let alone visited his palace. He felt like a neglected wife.
His father had said that Grand Tutor Lin Feng had been very imposing in the morning court, opposing the Regent for the first time.
He had also asked how he could gain the Empress's favor.
Favor? He hadn't even seen the Empress's face.
Now, a mere retainer of the Regent could enter the palace and receive the Empress's attention. He was angry, very angry. He wanted to see what kind of person could make the Empress keep him for the night.
Now, he saw him, and was stunned by his heavenly beauty and peerless grace.
"Young Master Li..." Yan Zhao's voice turned cold.
Li Chenxuan smiled awkwardly and scratched his head. "I... I just came to see you..."
To see what right you have to gain the Empress's favor?
"And now you have seen?" Yan Zhao asked coldly.
Li Chenxuan nodded quickly. "Yes."
Unexpectedly.
"An imperial decree has arrived!" a voice announced from outside the hall.