I became the tyrant's only belief.

Chapter 366 Imperial Envoy
The sun sets and the moon rises, a cool breeze blows.

"Young Master says he has no appetite and won't eat dinner." Chen Xing brought back the untouched food, propped her cheek on her hand, and looked at Chu Liuzheng. "Sister, why don't you go and persuade Young Master? He'll listen to you."

Chu Liuzheng would be a fool to try and get close to them, so he mumbled, "Butler Zhou is here."

“That’s right, the young master will eat when he’s hungry.” Feng Jing glanced at her, picked up his bowl and called to everyone, “Come on, let’s eat quickly, we still have things to discuss later.”

Chu Liuzheng was the first to respond. She was now completely focused on eating as much as possible, thinking that she could only endure the punishment if she was full.

The others were also really hungry, so they all picked up their chopsticks and started eating.

After the meal, a maidservant came forward to clear the dishes. Thinking that there were many things to discuss later, Chu Liuzheng went to the kitchen to make tea, with Siyue accompanying her.

When the two returned with the tea, a group of people were already sitting in the courtyard, including Xiao Jingfan.

After taking a bath, he changed into a moon-white long robe. His eyelashes were half-closed as he leaned back in the middle chair, his well-defined hands opening and closing a folding fan as if he were pondering something.

The stone lamp on one side cast a warm yellow light around him, making his pale skin appear jade-like and softening his slightly sharp features.

At first glance, he doesn't look like a majestic emperor, but rather like a pampered young master.

Chu Liuzheng paused, silently recited a few words to calm his mind, and then walked over as usual. He first placed the teacup beside him, then stepped aside, placed the teapot on the stone table, and poured tea for the others.

Zhou Yuande glanced at her sideways, his eyes carrying a hint of reproach, but Chu Liuzheng pretended not to notice.

Siyue placed two trays of freshly baked pastries on the table next to Xiao Jingfan, one sweet and one savory, just right to accompany the tea.

Xiao Jingfan was the only one present who hadn't eaten dinner, so he was the only one with some snacks.

Everyone else had no objections, but Feng Jing took the tea and looked at Chu Liuzheng with a resentful expression.

That means I could eat another dessert.

Helpless, Chu Liuzheng could only take out two pieces of milk candy from his purse to appease him.

Dr. Feng didn't mind at all; as long as there was food, he was happy.

The candy made a small bulge in his cheek.

Lu Fei, who was sitting next to him, turned his head to look at him. Feng Jing didn't eat it all by himself and handed him the remaining piece of candy.

Lu Fei had heard a little about the fried meatball incident, glanced at Xiao Jingfan sitting at the head of the table, and did not reach out to take it.

Feng Jing was happy to eat two pieces, thinking that he would ask Chu Liuzheng where he bought them later, so that he could buy two catties as well.

Du Qian rushed over, bowed to Xiao Jingfan, and then sat down.

Once everyone was present, Xiao Jingfan closed his folding fan, glanced at the crowd, and then looked at Du Qian, asking, "How is the situation at the government office?"

"All is well." Du Qian took a sip of tea. "The news of Jiang Zhou's death has not spread, and the government office is not in chaos."

Last night, when Xiao Jingfan led his men to infiltrate the government office, he did something on a whim: he sent his secret guards to kill the fake Jiang Zhou who was lying in bed pretending to be sick.

"Nothing's wrong." Xiao Jingfan rested his chin on his folding fan, thought for a moment, and asked, "What was that Master Liu's reaction?"

“He has been in the government office the whole time and hasn’t come out.” Du Qian took out two slips of paper from his sleeve and handed them over respectfully. “These are intercepted carrier pigeon messages. Please take a look.”

The two notes contained the same word: change.

Xiao Jingfan casually handed the note to Lü Fei, who was sitting on his left, and passed it around for everyone present to see.

"Change?" After reading the note, Jiang Yao handed it to Chu Liuzheng beside her and tilted her head to ask, "What does it mean?"

Chu Liuzheng didn't know how to answer. Just as he was about to check the system, a cold voice came, "The literal meaning."

Both of them turned to look.

Xiao Jingfan didn't look at them, as if he was just answering casually, and looked up at the sky: "We should be there soon."

No sooner had he finished speaking than the butler rushed in to report that a guest had arrived. Du Qian asked, "Who is it?"

The steward said, "He claims his surname is Liu and he is a clerk in the government office."

Everyone was taken aback. Why would Master Liu come?

Xiao Jingfan had anticipated this, and said to the steward, "Please come in."

The steward knew that the real decision-maker was this master, so he didn't ask Du Qian and hurriedly ran to the front to invite someone.

A short while later, he led in a person wearing a black cloak.

Chu Liuzheng turned his head to look at the newcomer.

He was around forty years old, of medium height and build, with a decent appearance and a small mustache that looked carefully trimmed.

He glanced at the crowd and took out a token from his sleeve: "May I ask which one of you is the Imperial Envoy?"

Everyone:? ? ?
"Me," Xiao Jingfan said calmly.

Master Liu scrutinized him for a moment, then knelt down, presented the token with both hands, and said, "This humble official, Liu Du, greets Your Excellency the Imperial Envoy."

"No need for formalities, please rise." Xiao Jingfan waved his hand, and only after he sat down did he ask, "How did you know I was at the Du residence?"

"Your Excellency has given such a clear hint. If I still can't guess it, how can I sit comfortably in the government office?" Liu Du said, taking out a handkerchief from his pocket.

Upon closer inspection, everyone discovered that the handkerchief contained a wilted azalea.

Lu Fei suddenly realized that the azalea that the young master picked in the garden last night was used here. He had thought it was picked to give away.

“His Majesty is already aware of the incident in Sishui Town. Sishui Town is under the jurisdiction of Xiancheng, but the prefect of Xiancheng has not submitted a memorial, which suggests that something has happened. Therefore, His Majesty has specially dispatched us to investigate.” Xiao Jingfan used his own title very smoothly.

Liu Du was just a secretary and had never seen the emperor before, so naturally he couldn't recognize him as the emperor.

Judging from his extraordinary demeanor and the fact that he was entrusted with such an important position by the emperor at such a young age, he must be a favorite of the emperor. He might very well be Xie Hui, the infamous commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard.

Thinking of the fake Jiang Zhou whose throat had been slit, Liu Du felt more and more certain that his guess was correct.

But just in case, he still cupped his hands in confirmation: "May I ask if you are the one who caused the disturbance at the government office last night?"

Xiao Jingfan nodded, admitting it very readily.

He gestured to Liu Du, "Tell me in detail about the situation at the government office."

"Yes." Liu Du briefly sorted through the events in his mind and slowly recounted the things that had happened in the past few days.

He spoke for nearly an hour, and to summarize briefly:

Jiang Zhou was on a routine patrol in Sishui Town when he discovered the existence of Gu people. He wanted to report the matter to the imperial court, but Yin Lanci's men found out and threatened him with the life of Prince Rui. Jiang Zhou had no choice but to compromise and decided to rescue Prince Rui first before making any further plans.

Unfortunately, Jiang Zhou made a miscalculation in his dealings with Hong Ying and the others, not only failing to rescue Prince Rui but also losing himself in the process.

The imposter Jiang Zhou usurped power, replacing some of the officials with his own people and taking control of the government. Liu Du, assessing the situation, pretended to side with him, outwardly cooperating with the imposter Jiang Zhou, but secretly investigating the whereabouts of the real Jiang Zhou and attempting to contact the imperial court.

The arrival of the Imperial Guards was a perfect opportunity, but unfortunately, the guards didn't understand his hints, and he was being monitored, so he couldn't give any more obvious hints. He could only continue to act as a double agent in the enemy camp, hoping that the court would send some smart people.

When he woke up this morning and saw the imperial envoy's token on his pillow, he thought he was dreaming. He even bit it to make sure it was real, almost breaking a tooth in the process, and his tooth still hurts now.

Everyone: "..."

You don't need to tell us about biting the token or anything like that.

The thought that Liu Du's saliva might be on the token made Xiao Jingfan's face turn green, and he almost threw the imperial envoy token away.

Just as I was about to look for a handkerchief to wipe my hands, a white, damp handkerchief was handed to me at the right time.