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墨書 Inktalez
"Go, go!" A swift horse galloped towards the capital, the rider wearing a yellow cap and dressed in pale yellow, stirring up clouds of dust behind him.
Upon seeing the towering city gates, he shouted, "Urgent message for Liu Li! Imperial gold medal—anyone who obstructs shall face death!"
In truth, he didn’t need to say much; his attire of yellow was second only to the crimson of an eight-li urgent dispatch.
When the city gate guards saw him from a distance, they didn’t hesitate and quickly opened a small side door at the edge of the wall to let the messenger in, ensuring he wouldn’t be blocked by those entering and exiting through the main gate.
Once the dust settled, the rider had vanished without a trace.
The onlookers whispered among themselves, speculating about what significant event had just occurred. Among them was a servant from the Zhao family, who hurriedly tossed two coins onto a tea stall before rushing away.
The servant made his way to Zhuque Street and circled around to the back door of Zhao Mansion. Still catching his breath, he was pulled inside by an old steward. "What brings you here?"
"Huff, huff." The servant gasped for air before responding, "Urgent news for Liu Li! Heading to the palace!"
The old steward quickly fished out a gold ingot and pressed it into the servant's hand. "You go rest first; I need to report this to the master immediately."
Having been around for a while, the old steward wasn’t as winded as the servant. He maintained an outwardly calm demeanor and called for a carriage driver from the estate to take him to the Ministry of Revenue.
Inside the office where accounts were being organized, Zhao Jue, known as Shang Shu, remained unruffled upon hearing that his steward had arrived. However, internally he was already on edge.
He instructed someone to bring his steward into his office and opened both doors and windows to show that he had nothing to hide before signaling with his eyes for the steward to speak.
Having served the Zhao family for many years, how could the steward not understand Zhao Jue's unspoken cues? He quickly leaned in closer and lowered his voice as much as possible. "Master, while watching the city gate, news came from Zhuque Gate about an urgent message for Liu Li heading to the palace."
"Liu Li?" Zhao Jue's brow furrowed slightly, barely perceptible.
He had arranged for servants to keep an eye on the city gate specifically to catch any urgent dispatches. Yet this mention of Liu Li left him puzzled. If it were news about pirates he had raised himself being exposed—especially concerning Minister of Revenue Zhao Jue—then it should have warranted an eight-li urgent dispatch at least.
Liu Li? It felt somewhat contemptuous towards others. Yet it was also possible that this was meant to deliberately confuse Zhao Jue by opting for Liu Li instead of eight-li urgency.
This was why Zhao Jue hesitated; both lines of reasoning made sense, but no matter how he turned it over in his mind, he couldn’t arrive at a definitive conclusion. He could only assume that whoever had been sent to Xia City was trustworthy enough not to betray him for personal gain.
Liu Li was in a hurry, as it seemed that the report regarding the Second Prince and the Kaihai Division suffering a severe pirate attack had just come in.
Zhao Jue, struggling to calm his racing heart, dismissed the old steward, saying, "You go ahead. And make sure that the spy we have doesn’t leave the estate for a while."
At the Da Qian Imperial Palace, the Old Eunuch hurriedly took the urgent letter and presented it to the Emperor in the study. The Emperor, full of vitality, was reviewing memorials. It must be said that after taking the Yan Shou Dan, he was brimming with energy.
In the past, he would often have to pause to rest while reviewing documents and sometimes would work late into the night. But now? He could review for several hours without feeling tired at all. The former old emperor could only lie awake alone at night, feeling helpless; now he enjoyed lively nights filled with music and merriment.
Moreover, news from the imperial physicians brought even more joy: a newly entered consort had confirmed a month ago that she was pregnant with Longzi, which delighted the Emperor immensely and earned her a generous reward.
With such invigorating days becoming more enchanting, the Emperor grew increasingly eager to find another elixir from overseas to prolong his life. Having already experienced aging once and extended his lifespan once before, he had no desire to endure the torment of growing old again. Thus, he placed great importance on the letter from the Second Prince.
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