As Xing Ruolan read on, her eyes widened. She increasingly felt something was off about this story.
But this was a book Her Majesty had asked her to read. How could she possibly stop?
To stop before Her Majesty commanded it would be an act of profound disrespect. As the Chief Palace Steward, she absolutely could not be so discourteous.
So Xing Ruolan could only continue reading aloud.
“The Seventh Princess summoned her favorite palace maid, Little Peach. Little Peach had been with her for five years and was slightly older. She had grown to be quite full-figured, every curve of her body perfectly proportioned, outlining an alluring grace that made many Imperial Guards swallow hard just looking at her. The Seventh Princess hadn’t paid Little Peach much attention before, but now that she noticed, she realized how beautiful Little Peach was. Thus, in the dead of night, she called Little Peach into her bedchamber…”
Xing Ruolan slowly recited the words.
But what followed was utterly indescribable content. As she read, her cheeks flushed involuntarily.
Di Lingwei listened, somewhat baffled.
Why hadn’t her Chief Steward stopped? Did she actually enjoy reading stories like this?
She could naturally call a halt, but after opening her mouth, Di Lingwei closed it again. Strangely, she found herself wanting to hear the rest of the story.
Though as she listened, her gaze unconsciously drifted to Xing Ruolan.
The Chief Palace Steward’s uniform was a long-sleeved, round-collared black top embroidered with complex patterns. The lower garment was a black Mamian skirt, also intricately embroidered. This attire exuded an air of nobility, markedly different from the ordinary palace maids’ clothing.
But like the other maids, Xing Ruolan’s hair was styled into a double-loop hairpin bun, giving her a delicate and charming appearance.
Beneath her smooth forehead, a pair of beautiful, dewy eyes glistened. The little mouth reciting the story now opened and closed, plump and tender, carrying a deep allure.
Di Lingwei, however, failed to notice that Xing Ruolan’s hands had tightened their grip on the book.
Xing Ruolan was a little nervous.
She noticed Di Lingwei staring at her. She also knew the story she was reading was reaching a major climactic point. A point that was truly too embarrassing to speak of.
“That night, the Seventh Princess came of age…”
The story could not continue any further.
Because Di Lingwei finally couldn’t resist calling a halt.
“That’s enough for now. Zhen merely pulled a random book from the shelf. Zhen didn’t expect its content to be so… peculiar.” Di Lingwei spoke with feigned composure.
She was the Heavenly Mandate Empress, after all. For someone of her status to become immersed in such a story would seem very strange, wouldn’t it?
Hearing Di Lingwei’s words, Xing Ruolan let out a long breath of relief.
So Her Majesty truly just picked a book at random. She wasn’t intentionally making me read this story. I thought…
Xing Ruolan relaxed considerably.
Time quickly passed into the afternoon.
Xing Ruolan had already dispatched someone with Di Lingwei’s verbal decree to notify the Ministry of Justice: they were to swiftly convict Zhao De and dispose of him. However, that very day, news came back from the Ministry of Justice.
Zhao De was dead. He had died within the prison!
It wasn’t the Ministry of Justice’s doing. They still had some procedures to complete and wouldn’t have executed him so quickly. When they went to his cell for a scheduled interrogation, they found him collapsed on the ground. He appeared to have been strangled to death by hand.
Who was the killer?
This was impossible to determine. A prisoner of Zhao De’s level was naturally held in solitary confinement. There was no one else around, making the killer’s identity an immediate mystery.
When this news reached Di Lingwei, she immediately furrowed her brows.
Why would someone kill Zhao De?
What matter was so critical that Zhao De absolutely had to be silenced?
Upon receiving the news, Di Lingwei was still in the study. She turned directly to Xing Ruolan and asked, “Ruolan, what is your assessment of this matter?”
Xing Ruolan was also somewhat shocked by the news. She shook her head and replied, “This servant does not know what to make of it.”
Zhao De’s death left her with an empty feeling inside.
She had certainly wished for Zhao De to die, but for him to die so inexplicably brought her little joy. Instead, she felt a sense of loss.
“Everyone knows Zhen was determined to have Zhao De killed, yet someone still killed him before that happened. What does that suggest?” Di Lingwei mused aloud.
“Could it be that Zhao De possessed some secret, and someone feared he might use it as a bargaining chip to save himself before death? So they killed him first to prevent certain matters from being exposed to Your Majesty?” Xing Ruolan quickly arrived at this conclusion.
“Zhen thinks so too. But now that Zhao De is dead, any secret he held will never be known. For now, the priority is to find out who killed him.” Di Lingwei’s delicate brows were knitted together.
At this moment, Di Lingwei did have a suspect in mind: the Peerless General, Wu Jitian.
After all, Zhao De had originally been his steward. If Zhao De was privy to any unspeakable secrets, then logically, they would be Wu Jitian’s secrets, wouldn’t they?
So had Wu Jitian silenced Zhao De?
Wu Jitian had also specifically requested Zhao De’s transfer earlier. He had claimed Zhao De was nothing more than a dog to him, yet he displayed significant interest in preserving Zhao De’s life. Could that also prove something?
Because she had refused, had Wu Jitian found a way to eliminate Zhao De to cut off any loose ends?
But was that really the case?
If it was Wu Jitian, didn’t he know he would be the prime suspect?
Yet, if not Wu Jitian, then who else could it be?
Furthermore, who could have carried out the deed?
That was the Ministry of Justice Prison. Not just anyone could get in.
Regardless, Di Lingwei issued a command for a thorough investigation. The hidden truth must be unearthed.
It wasn’t just an internal investigation of the Ministry of Justice. She didn’t overlook Wu Jitian, her primary suspect, either. She ordered discreet surveillance on his side to see if he would make any moves soon.
One advantage of being an emperor was that many tasks could be delegated to others; she didn’t need to handle everything personally.
After assigning all the necessary tasks, Di Lingwei sat back leisurely in the study, letting Xing Ruolan read to her.
This time, Di Lingwei deliberately chose a book explaining the customs and landscapes of the Phoenix Dynasty for Xing Ruolan to read. No more stories with awkward content. Xing Ruolan dutifully recited in her gentle, soothing voice. Every word uttered in her soft tones was pleasing to the ear and mesmerizing.
Just as she was about to have Xing Ruolan switch to another book after this one was finished…
【Xing Ruolan Intimacy has reached Level 1, unlocking Hidden Trait: Intimacy!】
When this information surfaced in her mind, Di Lingwei felt a surge of joy. She hurriedly used her Mystic Left Eye to examine Xing Ruolan. But upon looking, she couldn’t help but be startled.
Xing Ruolan’s hidden Intimacy trait was indeed unlocked, but it was different from Wang Feifei’s.
