I became the tyrant's only belief.

Chapter 309

“This…” Xia Qiaoru picked up a piece from the tray next to her and examined it closely. “It seems to be Moonlight Satin.”

Chu Liuzheng craned his neck to look and asked, "What Moonlight Satin?"

"Look, it has colorful lights on it, and the patterns move." Xia Qiaoru held the garment up to the candlelight, turning it over little by little. "Do you see it?"

Chu Liuzheng stared at it, her eyes almost blurring, before she noticed that the half-closed peony pattern on the hem of her skirt was slowly blooming under the changing light, as if it had truly come to life.

Xia Qiaoru smiled and said, "It's clearer under the sun."

Chu Liuzheng closed his eyes slowly and asked curiously, "How do you recognize them all?"

“I learned it by secretly going to the Imperial Wardrobe,” Xia Qiaoru said. “I originally thought that if I couldn’t stay in the pharmacy, I would find a way to transfer to the Imperial Wardrobe, so I made some preparations in advance. I didn’t expect to be transferred to serve the Emperor.”

She reached out and looked through the other clothes, discovering that they were all made of brocade and moon-white satin. She couldn't help but gasp in amazement, and the thought she had just suppressed resurfaced.

She turned to look at Chu Liuzheng, hesitating several times as if she wanted to say something.

Chu Liuzheng didn't notice that she was looking down trying on the two pairs of shoes and found that they were just the right size.

Hey, no need to make shoes anymore! The tyrant has finally rewarded us with something useful.

She was pacing back and forth in her shoes when she suddenly heard Xia Qiaoru call her. She looked up and saw that Xia Qiaoru looked worried, so she asked curiously, "What's wrong?"

Xia Qiaoru didn't know what to say. She clenched her hands together and pursed her lips repeatedly, which made Chu Liuzheng anxious. He sat down next to her and urged, "Just say it already. Is there anything we can't say to each other?"

"You..." Xia Qiaoru licked her lips, reached out and took Chu Liuzheng's hand, and asked softly, "Don't you feel that His Majesty treats you differently from others?"

Chu Liuzheng nodded.

Of course, trusted confidants receive different treatment.

Xia Qiaoru asked nervously, "Then... what do you think?"

Chu Liuzheng blinked.

What should you think about when you go to work? Promotion and a raise?

But she has no room for promotion now; at most, she can only try her best to get a raise.

So she truthfully replied, "I will serve Your Majesty wholeheartedly." And then her monthly allowance increased!

Xia Qiaoru frowned: "Don't you want anything else?"

"Others?" Chu Liuzheng tilted his head and asked, "Others what?"

"It's just..." Xia Qiaoru stammered, choosing a more tactful and subtle way of putting it, "...can't this go on forever? We need some official status!"

"Of course not," Chu Liuzheng said. "I've already made my plans."

Xia Qiaoru quickly pressed, "What are your plans?"

[Naturally, I'll find opportunities to earn more merits and then take the chance to bring up the matter of the palace with the tyrant!]

Chu Liuzheng looked at the person beside him.

[Then we'll plead with the tyrant to take Qiaoru out of the palace with us, away from that family of vampires, so that Qiaoru and her Zhijie can finally be together and live a happy life.]

"I'll tell you when it's done." The palace is unpredictable, and Chu Liuzheng didn't want to give Xia Qiaoru hope now only to have it all end in disappointment.

Seeing that she was unwilling to talk about it, Xia Qiaoru changed the subject: "What about your family?"

If he were to be made a concubine, he would never be able to leave the palace for the rest of his life. She knew that Chu Liuzheng had always longed to leave the palace and reunite with his family, and she did not want Chu Liuzheng to regret it later.

Chu Liuzheng thought she was asking how to get along with her family after leaving the palace, since they hadn't seen each other for many years and it was inevitable that they would feel a little unfamiliar with each other.

She thought for a moment and said, "Take it slow." Family members get closer the more time they spend together.

Xia Qiaoru: ?

"Can this kind of thing be done slowly?" Chu Liuzheng took Xia Qiaoru's hand in return and comforted her, "Don't worry."

The Xia family is indeed a terrible family, but she will definitely help Qiaoru!

How could Xia Qiaoru not be worried?
She even considered staying with Chu Liuzheng, even though there was nothing she could do, at least she could talk to Chu Liuzheng about her feelings.

Chu Liuzheng was unaware that her thoughts had wandered off to the farthest reaches of the world. She let go of Xia Qiaoru's hand, picked out two styles that she would like from the clothes, and handed them to her: "Try them on quickly, and if any don't fit, send them to the Imperial Clothing Bureau for alterations."

Why not take advantage of a tyrant's exploitation?

Xia Qiaoru had no interest in trying on the new clothes. Besides, they were a special gift from His Majesty to Liu Zheng; how could she dare to wear them?
She pushed the clothes back: "I have clothes to wear. You usually don't spend money on new clothes, so you can keep them for yourself."

"Don't talk to me like that, I haven't seen you be that willing to part with it either." Chu Liuzheng stopped trying to persuade her and started peeling it off with his hands.

Xia Qiaoru was tickled and quickly dodged with a laugh, and the two of them immediately started making a ruckus in the room.

In the end, Xia Qiaoru couldn't persuade Chu Liuzheng otherwise and put the clothes on.

"It looks good." Chu Liuzheng smiled and circled around her, reaching behind her to pinch a crease. "It's just that the chest area is a bit big, so it needs to be tightened up. The waist is just right, but it would be more convenient to do things if it were a little looser."

"I'll do whatever you say." Xia Qiaoru nodded and looked at herself in the mirror.

It was the first time she had worn such fine clothes, and she felt they were so light and soft, like clouds, that she didn't want to take them off.

She should have been happy, but when she thought about what these things represented, she couldn't feel happy anymore.

She sighed inwardly. Oh well, there was no point in thinking about it. Who could predict what would happen in the palace? She'd deal with it when the time came.

The following morning, after the court session, Xie Hui brought good news.

The mechanisms inside the tunnel were dismantled, and all the explosives were removed; there were no casualties.

However, there was one unexpected incident.

It was not Huang Enchang who dismantled the government building, but his wife.

Inside the Wenhua Hall, Xie Hui reported, "Your Majesty, I have ascertained that Huang Enchang is completely ignorant of mechanical arts. The one who is truly skilled in mechanical arts is his wife, Madam Yan, and those mechanical beasts were also made by Madam Yan."

Xiao Jingfan asked, "Where is the Yan family?"

Xie Hui replied, "In the imperial prison."

A common woman who knows such essential skills should be questioned carefully.

Xiao Jingfan ordered, "Bring the person into the palace. I want to see him in person."

Xie Hui asked, "What should be done with Huang Enchang?"

"Keep him locked up for now," Xiao Jingfan said. "We'll talk about it after I've seen Lady Yan."

"Yes, sir!" Xie Hui accepted the order and left, bringing Lady Yan into the palace in less than half an hour.

Because she was to meet the emperor, Xie Hui specially arranged for someone to help Yan Shi with her grooming, so she looked fairly clean and tidy.

The woman in blue bowed respectfully: "This humble woman greets Your Majesty, long live the Emperor!"

Xiao Jingfan looked at her and said, "Raise your head."

As instructed, Madam Yan looked up. Perhaps Xie Hui had given prior instructions, because her gaze was fixed on the desk and she did not look directly at the emperor.

This face is so ordinary that you wouldn't notice it in a crowd.

Xiao Jingfan looked at it for a moment and said, "I heard that all the mechanical beasts that Huang Enchang handed over to the Ministry of Works were made by you?"

"Yes." Knowing she couldn't hide it any longer, Madam Yan simply admitted it.

Xiao Jingfan asked, "Where did you learn such essential skills?"

“I’ve loved these things since I was a child. I found some old books and studied them on my own. I never thought I would actually learn a little bit,” Yan replied. “At first, I just thought it was fun. Later, as I made more, I tried to add some ingenuity. With the mechanism in place, they can help with some simple tasks.”