Chapter 266 Single Room

Xiao Jingfan knew that he was asking for this for Jiang Zhou.

The fact that a family massacre occurred in the area under his jurisdiction and was concealed without being reported is enough to warrant the dismissal and investigation of Jiang Zhou.

If Marquis Wen Zhao could really find out the truth and catch the murderer, he might be able to atone for his crime and at least save Jiang Zhou’s life.

Of course, there was also the selfish motive of Marquis Wen Zhao.

He really wanted to give that trouble-making bastard a good beating!
Seeing that the emperor remained silent and did not seem to be willing to agree, Wen Zhaohou quickly added: “I am willing to bear the expenses of this trip.”

Xiao Jingfan considered it for a moment, nodded in agreement, and said kindly: “I will find you a helper.”

Marquis Wen Zhao:?

Xiao Jingfan asked someone to help him up, then turned around and told Zhou Yuande: “Go and invite the Grand Tutor to the palace.”

Marquis Wen Zhao almost fell back.

He he he can do it by himself, he doesn’t need that slippery old fox to accompany him at all!

But there is a kind of need that the emperor thinks you need.

Xiao Jingfan had a secret conversation with Grand Tutor Yan for an hour. Marquis Wen Zhao had no idea what they talked about specifically. Anyway, he felt that when Grand Tutor Yan came out, he looked at him with a sinister look, as if he wanted to sell him by weight.

Wen Zhaohou didn’t understand. Shouldn’t the Dali Temple or the Ministry of Justice be consulted to investigate the murder case? Why was it the Grand Tutor?

But it was obvious that the emperor had no intention of giving him an explanation.

Marquis Wen Zhao had no choice but to disguise himself with Grand Tutor Yan and lead the troops specially allocated by the emperor to rush to Xiancheng overnight, full of questions.

Of course, these things have nothing to do with Chu Liuzheng, a palace maid.

She was learning medical bandaging techniques from Mrs. Li, and she had to move soon.

After consulting the emperor, Zhou Yuande ordered the side room in the rear hall of the Hall of Mental Cultivation to be allocated to Chu Liuzheng.

It was the first time that Chu Liuzheng lived in a single room after entering the palace for so long. He was not used to it and tossed and turned in bed, unable to fall asleep.

The charcoal fire in the brazier was burning brightly. She put on her clothes, sat beside the brazier, and stared blankly with her hands on her cheeks. After a long while, she sighed softly.

“What’s wrong?” Xia Qiaoru heard the noise and lifted the curtain to see.

“I moved suddenly and couldn’t sleep.” Chu Liuzheng patted the seat next to him, “Come and sit down, let’s talk for a while.”

Xia Qiaoru walked over to her and sat down. She looked around and said with a smile, “How many people have tried their best to serve in front of the emperor, but I got the chance. It’s all thanks to you.”

Chu Liuzheng reached out and held her hand, “Don’t say that, I know you don’t want to come.”

Others might think that being transferred to the imperial court is a good thing, but Xia Qiaoru avoids it. Like Chu Liuzheng, she does not seek wealth or favor from nobles. She just wants to live in peace until she leaves the palace and then marry her brother Zhijie.

“It’s really thanks to you. Even if Eunuch Zhou didn’t transfer me to your side, I would have to find another way out.”

Xia Qiaoru leaned her head on Chu Liuzheng’s shoulder.

“I haven’t told you this before. Cai Baolin sent people to look for me twice, wanting me to serve at Chengbi Hall. I refused, and the housekeeper scolded me. If it weren’t for Xiao Yunzi’s cleverness, I’m afraid I would have been beaten. If this continues, I will definitely not be able to stay in the pharmacy.”

Chu Liuzheng was startled, “Why didn’t you tell me?”

“You already have enough troubles. Why should I tell you all this? It’s not like I can’t handle it.” Xia Qiaoru smiled. “I’ve been beaten and scolded a lot in the past few years since I entered the palace. I’m used to it.”

“Qiao Ru.” Chu Liuzheng’s heart ached. He reached out to hug her and buried his face in her shoulder.

Xia Qiaoru raised her hand and patted her back, “Okay, you don’t think I will blame you, do you?” Chu Liuzheng hugged her and remained silent.

She knew Qiaoru would not blame her, but Qiaoru was transferred to serve the emperor because of her, and she was afraid that she could not protect her.

Seeing her like this, Xia Qiaoru sighed softly, “You still have work to do tomorrow. It’s getting late. Go to bed.”

Chu Liuzheng let go of her and took her arm: “I don’t need you to keep watch, we can sleep together.”

“No.” Xia Qiaoru shook her head, pulled Chu Liuzheng to stand up, and pushed her towards the bed. “This is the rule. I don’t want to be punished on my first day.”

“I won’t punish you.” Chu Liuzheng grumbled, but Xia Qiaoru was very persistent and she had no choice but to go to bed.

*
Chu Liuzheng had dreams all night long and was still a little dazed when he woke up.

The oil lamp in the room was already lit. She sat up from the bed and stretched hard.

[The day of the Ox and Horse begins at the hour of Yin.]

Xia Qiaoru heard the noise and brought in hot water to help her wash up.

“No, I’ll do it myself.” Chu Liuzheng walked over in soft shoes. “Eunuch Zhou asked you to help me pass messages and run errands, not to serve me. Don’t be busy with these things in the future.”

Xia Qiaoru felt that Zhou Yuande asked her to serve Chu Liuzheng, but she did not argue with Chu Liuzheng.

The two chatted and laughed as they tidied up. Chu Liuzheng changed Xia Qiaoru’s hairstyle in front of the mirror and pinned two elegant velvet flowers on her hair.

She looked at it with a smile and praised, “It looks good.”

Looking at the person in the mirror, Xia Qiaoru was very uncomfortable and raised her hand to pull it down. Chu Liuzheng held her shoulder and said, “Don’t move. You have to dress like this when serving in front of the emperor. If you don’t wear anything, Eunuch Zhou will definitely scold you when he sees you.”

Upon hearing this, Xia Qiaoru instantly became obedient.

Chu Liuzheng selected a pair of small Hetian jade earrings from his jewelry box and put them on her.

“No need.” Xia Qiaoru waved her hand, worried that she would lose it.

“No, you are mine, so of course I have to dress you up nicely.” Chu Liuzheng picked and chose, and chose a pair of green jade bracelets to put on her wrists.

Xia Qiaoru hesitated: “The jade bracelet is fragile, how can I work while wearing it?” She was really afraid of accidentally knocking it.

“Silly Qiaoru.” Chu Liuzheng bent down and scratched her nose, his eyes slightly curved, “I don’t need you to do rough work here, so if you want to dress up your face, you should dress up your hands, too. You’ll know when you look at others carefully.”

Xia Qiaoru touched the bracelet and sighed, “There are so many requirements for serving the emperor.”

“We’ve only just started.” Chu Liuzheng pulled her up, “Let’s go have breakfast. I’ll talk to you slowly on the way.”

Many people took the initiative to greet Chu Liuzheng along the way, all with smiles on their faces and pleasant words. Xia Qiaoru watched secretly and felt that the atmosphere was very different from that of the pharmacy.

Some people, seeing Chu Liuzheng holding her arm, took the initiative to talk to her, with obvious intimacy in their words.

Xia Qiaoru didn’t want to embarrass Chu Liuzheng, so even though she was a little nervous, she didn’t show it on her face and responded appropriately.

She quietly looked at each palace maid and found that it was just as Chu Liuzheng said. Even if they looked plain, they were carefully dressed up.

Not to mention the makeup, she had at least two or three pieces of jewelry on her body. They were not eye-catching but they would not be ignored either.

She couldn’t help but reflect on why she hadn’t paid attention to these things before. If she had known this would happen, she would have kept a few pieces of jewelry to show off instead of giving them all away at home.

“What are you thinking about?” Chu Liuzheng came back with breakfast and waved his hand in front of Xia Qiaoru.

Xia Qiaoru came back to her senses and saw Chu Liuzheng bringing her her favorite buns. She couldn’t help but smile knowingly and suddenly felt that serving in the imperial court didn’t seem so scary.