I became the tyrant's only belief.

Chapter 308

Huang Enchang was burning with anxiety, watching Cai Xin's figure disappear through the door, wishing he could sprout wings and fly home.

Now only his wife can save him. Hopefully, his wife can be clever and find an excuse to come with Cai Xin.

Xie Hui secretly observed his expression, then suddenly turned to Lü Fei and said, "I have some things to take care of; I'll leave this to you."

Lu Fei, holding the knife, glared at him: "If you dare to sneak back to sleep like last time, I'll tear your house down."

Xie Hui: "..."

How can you just demolish a house like that? It's expensive to repair.

"It's important business." He reached out and patted Lü Fei on the shoulder. "Let's go."

The night was quiet, with a few stars shining.

Inside the Hall of Mental Cultivation, candlelight blazed brightly. Chu Liuzheng, who should have been off work, was dealing with a surprise inspection from the big boss.

She set up the chessboard while inwardly grumbling.

[This tyrant is so fickle! He said he'd only check two people randomly! This is the fourth one already!]

Fortunately, she memorized as much material as possible just in case, otherwise she definitely wouldn't have been able to pass the emperor's test.

Xiao Jingfan sat opposite Chu Liuzheng, playing with a jade pendant and glancing at the chessboard from time to time. He finally called a halt when Chu Liuzheng finished setting up the sixth chess game.

"Well done." He handed over the jade pendant. "Here you go."

Wow, that's so generous!

"Thank you, Your Majesty." Chu Liuzheng was afraid that the stingy emperor might suddenly change his mind, so he didn't hold back and quickly took the gift, giving a proper curtsy.

This jade pendant is worth at least twenty taels of silver, that's two months' salary! Hehe, I'm rich!

Xiao Jingfan: "..."

He didn't know whether to call the woman greedy or blind; putting aside the jade itself, the carving alone was worth more than twenty taels.

Chu Liuzheng stroked the jade pendant twice, then happily put it into the pouch hanging at his waist. Even his eyes were brighter than before, as if he could stay up another night with the big boss.

Xiao Jingfan glanced at her, resting his chin on his hand, and instructed Zhou Yuande, "Bring the things in."

"Yes, sir." Zhou Yuande accepted the order and left.

Chu Liuzheng was in a good mood after receiving the reward and was not in a hurry to leave work. She planned to see what the emperor had asked Eunuch Zhou to fetch. If it was something rare, she could also broaden her horizons.

Not long after, Zhou Yuande led five palace servants in.

These people were all carrying a large tray.

On the left, three trays held clothes, which were clearly made of light and soft material with elegant and beautiful patterns, and seemed to have colorful light flowing under the candlelight.

The other two trays held two pairs of shoes on one tray and hairpins and jewelry on the other.

Chu Liuzheng immediately understood.

[The tyrant is going to reward the naive princess again; this act of doting on her is quite expensive.]

She silently calculated the emperor's rewards to Shaoliyi these past few days and suddenly realized that she might be too attached to appearances.

[Oh my god, he rewards her every few days! This naive and innocent princess is almost as much favored as Consort Wen was back then. Could the tyrant have really fallen for her?]

Hmm...that's very possible!

With that pretty face and unique charm, the naive and innocent princess shines brightly among the many beauties in the harem. It's no wonder she attracts the tyrant's attention. I'd like her too.

[But while the two beauties together are pleasing to the eye, what about the young man from Helan? If things continue like this, won't a chaotic love triangle unfold when he returns from his mission?]

With his limited skills, could Helan boy possibly defeat the tyrant, that evil dragon, and reclaim his princess?

Thinking of this, Chu Liuzheng cautiously glanced at Xiao Jingfan. Tsk! That's risky.

Very suspenseful.

I really want to light candles for the young man from Helan in advance.

Xiao Jingfan, the Evil Dragon, felt a throbbing sensation in his temples.

What kind of nonsense is this? What is this woman thinking about all day?
Chu Liuzheng said that he had a lot on his mind, and was extremely busy.

Her thoughts had wandered far away when she suddenly realized something was amiss.

[Um... I remember the night Helan boy left, the tyrant specifically made him say goodbye to the naive and innocent princess. Given the tyrant's personality, if he really took a liking to the naive and innocent princess, he probably wouldn't willingly cuckold him, right?]

Xiao Jingfan: "..."

Chu Liuzheng pondered for a while, then browsed through the system again, and realized that he might be overthinking things.

She looked at the trays again, this time not just glancing at them but examining them closely, and as she looked, she noticed something was wrong.

In the palace, there were strict regulations regarding what items were used according to rank.

The clothes were folded so that their style was not discernible, but judging from the two pairs of shoes and the hairpins and jewelry, they did not seem to be a gift for Shao Liyi.

She boldly speculated in her mind: "Could it be that the tyrant has a new love interest?"

Having clearly heard Xiao Jingfan's thoughts, he suddenly choked on his saliva and coughed repeatedly with his head down.

Chu Liuzheng immediately disregarded the question of who the emperor's new favorite was and stepped forward to serve tea.

Xiao Jingfan took a sip of water to calm down, then pointed to the items on the tray: "You have made a contribution by discovering that Shen Shi was plotting against Consort Shu and the Princess, and you deserve a reward."

He didn't mention the tattered cloth, and Chu Liuzheng didn't connect it to the skirt he had cut.

She was completely flattered.

[Oh my god, so the tyrant's new favorite is me... Pshaw! I just blurted it out! So many rewards! Long live the big boss!!]

Zhou Yuande smiled and said, "These clothes were specially ordered by His Majesty to be made by the Imperial Wardrobe according to the young lady's preferences. If there is anything you are not satisfied with, please send them back and let the embroiderer alter them until you are satisfied."

He meant to emphasize how much the emperor cared about Chu Liuzheng, but Chu Liuzheng automatically interpreted it as: "Work hard, the big boss values ​​you highly, and you'll be rewarded if you do well!"

Chu Liuzheng: Received, she will definitely do her best!

Meeting her determined gaze, filled with a passion for her work, Zhou Yuande was like: ? ? ?
Is something wrong?
Chu Liuzheng didn't care what he was thinking. He happily thanked the emperor, went home cheerfully with the reward, and left work in high spirits.

[Get rich! Get rich!]

The situation is different now than when she was a tea-serving maid. She is now a royal attendant appointed by the emperor himself, and she is not afraid of offending anyone even if she receives many rewards.

This shows how important it is to find the right powerful backer.

Chu Liuzheng pointed to the table in the room: "Put everything here, thank you."

Five palace maids placed the tray down one by one, congratulated Chu Liuzheng, and then left.

Xia Qiaoru had been sent back to rest by Chu Liuzheng early on, unaware of the reward she had received. Now, looking at the things on the table, she couldn't help but gape in surprise, staring at Chu Liuzheng: "You've been promoted..."

"I helped uncover the truth about Shen's plot against Consort Shu and the Princess, and His Majesty rewarded me for that." Chu Liuzheng removed his earrings in front of the mirror, not having heard what Xia Qiaoru said, and turned to look at her, "What did you just say?"

"N-nothing." Xia Qiaoru swallowed her words, secretly slapping herself for thinking such nonsense all the time!
“This looks like Yun brocade.” She reached out and picked up the garment in front of Chu Liuzheng, gesturing to it. “I saw Consort Dou wear it before. I heard that she only gets ten bolts a year.”

Chu Liuzheng recognized Yunjin, but she only knew that Yunjin was expensive, without knowing exactly why it was so expensive.

Hearing Xia Qiaoru say this now, I can't help but feel a sense of感慨 (gǎnkǎi, a feeling of mixed emotions, including admiration and regret).

[The tyrant's sweet talk is truly something else; he's treating his confidants way too well!]