The next day.
Zheng Yi was sitting alone on the Dragon Throne in Qiankun Hall, reviewing the morials sent up by the Cabinet over the past few days.
With the Cabinet present, he didn’t need to look at ordinary morials.
What he looked at were only so important events, those major affairs that the Cabinet had already decided and were just waiting to be finalized.
However, at this mont, his eyes were not on the morials, and he was lost in thought.
Last night, he stayed at Jiaofang Hall, with Noble Consort Cui Xiabing attending to him.
Cui Xiabing, worthy of being a noble lady, was impeccable in both deanor and appearance.
But the strange thing is...
Zheng Yi had no mory of last night at all!
He only rembered that after entering Jiaofang Hall, Noble Consort Cui personally undressed him and embraced him...
Then, nothing!
Yes, nothing.
His mory only went up to holding Noble Consort Cui.
Everything that happened afterward, he had no mory of it.
Strangely, the next day, he didn’t wake up until the sun was high in the sky, and under the care of Noble Consort Cui and her personal palace maid Xiao’er, he got dressed and left.
He walked away with weak legs!
What on earth happened last night?
He had absolutely no recollection.
If Noble Consort Cui had intended to harm him...
At this thought, Zheng Yi imdiately shunned Jiaofang Hall as if it were a poisonous snake or scorpion.
"Noble Consort Cui, Cui Xiabing, the Cui family... what exactly are they up to?"
He felt a tug on his mind, and his thoughts imdiately dived into his consciousness, looking towards the Yin Yang Treasure Mirror.
The Yin Yang Treasure Mirror’s surface was as calm as water.
But there was no writing on it at all.
Which ant, last night, he hadn’t slept with Noble Consort Cui, nor had he engaged in dual cultivation, let alone condensed Innate Pure Yin Qi.
Last night, he simply slept alone until dawn!
"There’s sothing strange... that sandalwood scent?"
He racked his brain, thought of many things, but could only recall the special sandalwood scent he slled when he entered Jiaofang Hall!
At the ti, he thought it was just ordinary sandalwood mixed with the peppery scent of Jiaofang Hall, but now that he thinks about it, it was peculiar.
"Enchanting Fragrance? Or so knockout drug?"
"What does Noble Consort Cui want to do?"
"Doesn’t want to attend to ?"
"But to maintain the power of the Cui family, had to drug ?"
"Or... does Noble Consort Cui have soone in her heart?"
"Or so other secret..."
Zheng Yi’s eyes turned cold. If it were the previous Emperor Zhengyong, he might have been deceived.
But now, with Zheng Yi having the Yin Yang Treasure Mirror, he could tell whether dual cultivation with a woman had occurred at a glance.
Noble Consort Cui’s actions... were indeed, outrageously rebellious!
Zheng Yi was about to call for Liu Cheng’en, but soon thought of sothing else.
"Sothing’s not right..."
"With Luan’er and Bi He, I’ve engaged in dual cultivation, and my Martial Arts Cultivation has reached the First-grade Realm Martial Artist!"
"How could re enchanting fragrance or knockout drug affect a First-grade Realm Martial Artist?"
"If such a Holy dicine truly exists, wouldn’t it an..."
Zheng Yi thought quickly and imdiately made a decision.
"Shadow Guard."
From the dim corners of the grand hall, two eunuchs bowed respectfully.
"Summon two clever won here."
"Yes!"
Soon, two palace maid Shadow Guards swiftly ca over.
"Shadow Guard, Moying/Moi Huan, at Your Majesty’s service!"
"Moying, Moi Huan..."
Zheng Yi tapped the table with one hand and finally made a decision: "I will notify the Imperial Household to send you two to Jiaofang Hall, to serve under Noble Consort Cui."
"You two must not harm Noble Consort Cui but will record her daily activities, what she eats, what she does, who she ets, even when she washes and sleeps, and report everything accurately to , understand?"
"Yes!"
The two won responded respectfully, and Zheng Yi waved his hand, "You may go."
"Yes!"
All four departed in succession, leaving Zheng Yi to exhale deeply as he reclined on the Dragon Throne.
Until the true identity and purpose of Noble Consort Cui were clarified, he was not prepared to return to Jiaofang Hall.
"Jiaofang Hall..."
Zheng Yi muttered, "I must find a way to conceal this from her. We’re at the peak of our initial favor, and if I don’t go tonight and she realizes..."
"Got it! Cheng’en!"
"At your service..."
From outside the hall, Liu Cheng’en hurriedly ca in, ingratiatingly asking, "Your Majesty, how may I serve?"
"Summon Zhao Suling to the palace! Also, prepare for my departure from the palace."
"Yes... huh, departure?"
Liu Cheng’en quickly reacted, "Your Majesty, you intend to leave the palace?"
"Yes, I’m going to Jinghuang Peak to see the Taiyii Dao Grandmaster."
"There’s no need to hide this from others."
"Understood!"
Liu Cheng’en promptly went to deliver the decree, as Zheng Yi picked up the morials on the table.
Since he couldn’t stay in Jiaofang Hall, he might as well find a reason to leave the palace.
A few days ago, he had been thinking of going to Jinghuang Peak to et with the Taiyii Dao Grandmaster, which conveniently served as a reason for his leave from the palace this ti.
"I wonder what surprise the Taiyii Dao Grandmaster will have for ..."
Thinking idly, he looked at the morial in his hand.
"Hmm?"
In Qianzhong, there’s a great drought, thousands of miles of barren land, not a blade of grass grows, and people are forced to eat their children. Chang’an Prefecture Prefect Liu Xiang knowingly failed to report the drought, leading to the disaster’s escalation and the starvation deaths of over thirty thousand people...
"Drought, another drought?"
Previously, there was a great drought in Qingzhou, and now there’s a great drought in Qianzhong.
Damn, am I about to face a Little Ice Age, just like in the late Ming?
Zheng Yi imdiately turned to the Cabinet’s response to this issue.
The Prefect of Chang’an Prefecture Liu Xiang, to be executed on the spot.
Wang Wen, Deputy Minister of the Ministry of Personnel, is appointed as the new Prefect of Chang’an Prefecture.
As for the relief effort in Qianzhong, they will exempt taxes for three years and mobilize grain from Guanzhong, Shu, and other regions for disaster relief.
Looking at this morial, an idea suddenly struck Zheng Yi, and he imdiately penned:
"This year’s first-place Advanced Scholar cohort, to be stationed at Chang’an Prefecture for six months of governance observation. The most capable will be appointed as an official."
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