I became the tyrant's only belief.

Chapter 427 Aura Can't Be Imitated
【Hey, it's someone I know.】

Chu Liuzheng looked at the group of people walking towards him.

The woman in the middle was dressed in a magnificent smoky purple gown, adorned with jewels, and much thinner than before. Her fox-like eyes were alluring and captivating. She walked gracefully, her elegance undiminished. She was none other than Consort Dou, who had been ordered by the emperor to remain in the palace for self-reflection.

Minister Dou contributed manpower, resources, money, and grain, handling the snow disaster relief task exceptionally well. After his repeated pleas, the emperor finally granted his request and lifted the ban on Dou Jingwan three days ago.

"May you be blessed with good fortune." Everyone bowed in greeting.

"Get up, all of you." Dou Jingwan looked at the head eunuch, her delicate brows slightly furrowed. "The Imperial Garden is a quiet place for enjoying the scenery, why is it so noisy?"

The head eunuch glanced at Chu Liuzheng standing in the crowd and briefly recounted what had just happened. Of course, his words mainly favored Chu Liuzheng, shifting all the blame for the noise onto the little eunuch.

The young eunuch dared not speak out in anger, but Chu Liuzheng remained expressionless.

Dou Jingwan's eyes flickered, and she gave Xianglu a wink.

Xianglu immediately demanded, "Which one is Chu Liuzheng?"

Chu Liuzheng stepped forward and performed a proper curtsy: "This servant, Chu Liuzheng, greets Your Excellency. May Your Excellency be blessed with good fortune."

"So it was you. You really are a troublemaker." Dou Jingwan looked Chu Liuzheng up and down, and a hint of regret flashed across her eyes when she saw that he was dressed neatly. She looked at the head eunuch and said, "The rules in the palace are the fairest. If two people cause trouble, there is no reason to punish only one person."

[Tsk tsk, they were definitely after me.]

Chu Liuzheng was not surprised at all. No matter how stupid the people in the palace were, they would have observed her for a few days before trying to bully her, a newcomer. How could someone act like a little eunuch and just want to cause trouble from the start?
They even pulled her hair and tore her clothes. If that little eunuch succeeded, and her masters saw her disheveled and unkempt, she would immediately be charged with another serious offense of disrespect. At best, she would be slapped and flogged; at worst, she would be demoted to the laundry department and forced into hard labor for life.

The head eunuch secretly groaned. He dared not punish the person Zhou, the chief steward, had personally instructed him to take care of. Yet, he dared not disobey Dou Jingwan's orders. Although a noblewoman was not a threat, Dou Jingwan's father was the Minister of War, who had just rendered meritorious service and was now in the Emperor's favor. He had to consider this.

Just as they were in a dilemma, Chu Liuzheng suddenly knelt down before Dou Jingwan and respectfully said, "Please allow me to speak, Your Excellency."

Dou Jingwan looked at her, a cold smile appearing in her eyes, "You want to exonerate yourself?"

"This servant dares not," Chu Liuzheng said. "There is something Your Excellency does not know. The garment I am wearing is a gift from the Emperor. This little eunuch's attempt to destroy such a gift is truly audacious. He deserves to be beheaded."

Everyone was startled upon hearing this and turned to look at Chu Liuzheng's clothes.

Sunlight filtered through layers of leaves, dappling the flared hem of the skirt. The seemingly ordinary moon-white fabric unexpectedly refracted rays of light, making the subtle silver patterns appear to come alive, and the half-closed peonies slowly bloomed, exquisitely beautiful.

It was actually Moonlight Satin.

Only ten bolts of Yun brocade are produced each year, and Yuehua satin is even more precious. In the entire harem, only the Empress Dowager has three bolts, and the Empress and Consort Shu each have one. Even the favored Consort Chun Zhao does not have one, yet now it is being worn by a servant girl.

Dou Jingwan's eyes widened, her sharp nails piercing her palms, and she was so angry that she almost spat out blood!
His Majesty actually bestowed upon this lowly maid a garment made of Moonlight Satin, something even she didn't receive!
At the time, she was still a Noble Consort. She was dissatisfied with this matter and insisted that the Emperor reward her with Moon-Colored Silk. However, the Emperor said that the Empress was the head of the six palaces, and that Consort Shu had made a contribution by giving birth to the princess, so this was a special reward. She brought it up twice, but the Emperor did not budge, so she had to give up.

Fortunately, neither the Empress nor Consort Shu wore Moon-Colored Satin to offend her, and her resentment gradually subsided. But now she saw it on a hateful, lowly maid; how could she bear it?

That lowly servant deserves to die!

The head eunuch was secretly pleased. Although there were many imperial gifts in the palace, and even more in the empresses' palaces, such as clothes and jewelry, if there were any damage, no one would really hold a grudge against the person for damaging imperial gifts and accuse them of being beheaded.

But this is an excellent excuse.

He immediately said, "Chu Liuzheng has done a good job in protecting the imperial gifts. Although he has also made some noise, his merits and demerits can be offset. What do you think, Your Excellency?" His words were tantamount to giving Dou Jingwan a way out. As long as Dou Jingwan accepted the offer, the matter could be dropped.

But Dou Jingwan snorted coldly: "One thing at a time. Merit should be rewarded and wrongdoing should be punished. They should not be confused!"

Everyone could tell that she was determined to make Chu Liuzheng pay.

Chu Liuzheng sighed inwardly; this matter was indeed not so easily resolved. However… she secretly checked the system; enough time had been spent.

To demonstrate her fairness and impartiality, Dou Jingwan also punished Chu Liuzheng by making him slap himself thirty times; if he didn't hear a loud slap, it wouldn't count, and if the sound was too soft, it wouldn't count.

"Yes, ma'am." Chu Liuzheng raised her hand, her slender fingers closed, and slapped her right cheek.

Just as the hand touched the cheek, a loud shout rang out: "His Highness Prince Rui has arrived!"

"Snapped!"

Chu Liuzheng gently swatted a mosquito that was trying to bite her face, then scratched her skin with her fingertips, feeling a little itchy.

At this moment, everyone's attention was no longer on her, but on the young man who was walking slowly towards them.

After more than half a month of careful recuperation, and with the help of the miraculous Heavenly Lotus Fruit, Prince Rui was no longer the frightening skeleton he once was, but had regained some of his former charm. He stood tall and straight, and a soft, azure silk robe accentuated his jade-like complexion. His eyes were smiling, and he appeared approachable.

He held a landscape fan in his hand, the white jade fan pendant swaying gently as he walked, the cloud patterns on his robes fluttering, carrying a faint medicinal fragrance, as he slowly walked to the crowd.

【Wow~】

Chu Liuzheng couldn't help but starry-eyed.

Even if a fake garment is made with seven or eight layers of gauze, it can't compare to the elegant and graceful look of a simple silk blouse from the real thing. True elegance is something you can't imitate.

"What's going on here?"

The voice, as clear as dew in the rain, brought everyone back to their senses, and they all bowed in unison: "Greetings, Your Highness Prince Rui."

Dou Jingwan curtsied and said, "May Your Highness enjoy boundless blessings."

Prince Rui gently called for everyone to rise.

Dou Jingwan felt a tightness in her chest. When she was still a Noble Consort, Prince Rui had to return half a courtesy to her.

When everyone else was standing, Chu Liuzheng and the little eunuch, who were kneeling, stood out conspicuously.

Prince Rui seemed to only then notice the two men and asked, "What wrong have they committed? Why are they kneeling here?"

Dou Jingwan said, "The two of them abandoned their posts and chased and fought in the Imperial Garden, which violated palace rules. This palace maid went even further, deliberately injuring someone; her intentions were truly malicious. I punished her with thirty slaps as a minor punishment to serve as a warning. I did not mean to disturb Your Highness, so please forgive me."

“Liu Zheng is always meticulous in his work, so your words are probably biased.” Prince Rui smiled at Chu Liu Zheng. “Get up first.”

"Thank you, Your Highness." Chu Liuzheng immediately stood up, bent down to pat the fallen leaves clinging to her skirt, and secretly gave a thumbs-up in her mind.

(End of this chapter)