I became the tyrant's only belief.

Chapter 429 Borrowing the East Wind

The Empress's delivery was somewhat difficult; the baby's first cry was not heard until dusk. Fortunately, Qin Shu and a group of imperial physicians were there, and both mother and child were safe.

The first prince born to Emperor Shunguang was named Dunyan, with the characters "Dun" and "Yu" in his name.

The emperor was overjoyed and bestowed gifts upon everyone in Changchun Palace, with other palace staff also receiving small rewards.

Amidst the cheers of the entire palace, Chu Liuzheng shattered the moonlight beneath his feet and arrived at Jingming Palace, where Prince Rui resided.

"Your Highness, do you still stand by your promise to this servant?"

"Naturally, it counts." Prince Rui lay back in his rocking chair, casually fanning himself. "What do you want?"

Chu Liuzheng: "Leave the palace."

Her clear almond-shaped eyes, reflecting the candlelight, shone brighter than the moon tonight.

Prince Rui paused in his fanning, then looked up into those clear eyes. "Have you really thought this through?"

"Yes." Chu Liuzheng bowed properly. "I beg Your Highness to grant my request."

Prince Rui stared at her for a moment, then nodded in agreement.

Chu Liuzheng was overjoyed, but reminded him, "Two people."

Prince Rui chuckled: "Alright, two people."

Having received this promise, Chu Liuzheng slept the deepest sleep he had since entering the palace. In his dream, he saw his father, mother, elder brother, and younger sister, and the air was filled with the unique fragrance of grass from the countryside.

In the Great Sheng Dynasty, there was an unwritten rule that when the first prince of each emperor was born, the emperor would grant a general amnesty and release a group of palace maids from the palace, in order to accumulate good fortune for the prince.

Following the ancestral law, Emperor Shunguang issued a general amnesty edict on the second day after the birth of his eldest son, and the palace began to compile a list of palace maids to be released.

This list does not need to be presented to the emperor for review.

Chu Liuzheng asked Prince Rui to take this opportunity to add her and Xia Qiaoru's names to the list, so that the two could take advantage of this opportunity to leave the palace legitimately.

Prince Rui did not disappoint Chu Liuzheng; the matter was resolved.

The Imperial Astronomical Bureau selected an auspicious day, and three days later, everything would be suitable.

Chu Liuzheng kept it to himself until the very last moment before telling Xia Qiaoru about it. Xia Qiaoru was stunned and before she could even react, tears were already streaming down her face. Her lips trembled, and she asked almost in a breath, "Really...really can I leave the palace?"

"Yes." Chu Liuzheng nodded vigorously, smiling as he wiped away her tears. His tone was light and quick. "We are granted special permission to leave the palace. We need to go through the Donghua Gate. I'll help you pack your things. Our names are at the end. We'll make it in time."

"Okay, okay." Xia Qiaoru's tears kept flowing, but her eyes were smiling and her lips were parted in a grin. She hurriedly gathered her belongings, then suddenly remembered something, paused in her packing, and turned to look at Chu Liuzheng, "Is His Majesty willing to let you leave the palace?"

"Hmm." Chu Liuzheng smiled. "We're all too young. If it weren't for His Majesty's instructions, how could we be on the list?"

“That makes sense.” Xia Qiaoru was so overwhelmed by the unexpected windfall that she didn’t notice Chu Liuzheng’s somewhat unnatural expression. She muttered, “We still have some time. Let’s go say goodbye to Sister Moxiang and the others, as well as Xia Zi and Xiao Yunzi. They have a hard time working at the pharmacy, and I have some things to leave for them.”

We've spent so much time together, and now that they're leaving, we probably won't have the chance to meet again.

"We can't say goodbye." Chu Liuzheng closed his eyes, suppressing the bitterness and reluctance in his heart, and forced a smile. "Our situation is special, and we can't let too many people know."

Xia Qiaoru was taken aback, and suddenly sensed that something was amiss.

"Liu Zheng, does His Majesty not know that you are leaving the palace?"

She stared at Chu Liuzheng, her heart pounding so hard it felt like it would burst out of her chest, and her fingers unconsciously clenched.

"Of course I know." Chu Liuzheng avoided her gaze, lowered his head to pack his things, and urged, "Pack first, I'll write a farewell letter for everyone later, put all your things together, and that will be a way of saying goodbye to this friendship."

Xia Qiaoru looked at her with some doubt, but in the end, her desire to leave the palace overcame her suspicion, and she also lowered her head to pack. Usually, she felt that she would have a lot to say when parting, but when the time actually came, a thousand words were stuck in her throat, and a few words were enough.

Chu Liuzheng folded the letter and sealed it in an envelope. He then put the things the two of them had left for everyone into a bundle and placed it on the bed along with the letter, so that it would be visible as soon as one entered the room.

"Let's go." Chu Liuzheng slung his bag over his shoulder and took Xia Qiaoru's hand.

"Mm." Xia Qiaoru smiled and squeezed her hand, and together they headed towards Donghua Gate.

At the same time, a tall, thin eunuch ran all the way to Fengtian Hall, hastily wiped away the sweat from his run, and peeked out from the back door.

Zhou Yuande caught a glimpse of it out of the corner of his eye, and his eyelids twitched violently. Why was this brat not staying in the Wenhua Hall? What was he doing in the Fengtian Hall?

He turned his head and winked at Xiao Anzi, signaling him to quickly leave and not break any taboos.

Xiao Anzi was extremely anxious, but had no choice but to leave the hall and pace back and forth anxiously.

Today's court assembly was unusually lively because Imperial Censor Wang stepped forward to present a memorial suggesting a nationwide ban on brothels.

Some agreed, some disagreed, and the ministers argued fiercely over it.

Imperial Censor Wang spoke eloquently, quoting classical texts, and those who disagreed with him were equally assertive, making Xiao Jingfan's head ache. He subconsciously looked to his right, only to find nothing there, as expected.

The familiar faces are gone, there are no whispers to hear, and no gossip to share.

Despite the constant noise in the hall, he felt an unusually quiet surrounding him.

He couldn't help but purse his lips and furrow his brow in annoyance.

Is that woman addicted to sweeping? She didn't even ask him why he punished her, and she didn't ask him for help when she was bullied. She's never around for days. At least she should have cared about whether the wound she bit him had healed!

He was busy dealing with the backlog of government affairs, meeting with ministers, and receiving envoys who came to pay homage on the Emperor's birthday. He didn't have time to stroll in the Imperial Garden. Couldn't that woman have taken the initiative to come and see him?
Xiao Jingfan became increasingly annoyed, and the noise below only added to his frustration.

A memorial was thrown down, and the hall fell silent instantly.

He said coldly, "Minister Wang submitted a memorial explaining exactly how to proceed."

"Your humble servant obeys." Imperial Censor Wang glanced smugly at Grand Secretary Zhang, who had just been arguing most fiercely with him, and happily accepted the order.

Grand Secretary Zhang's eyes were dark, and a sigh escaped from between his lips.

Xiao Jingfan glanced around and asked, "Do any of you ministers have any further memorials to present?"

Anyone with ears could hear the emperor's impatience in his tone. He had already discussed all the urgent matters, and the rest could be discussed with the emperor privately.

So no one spoke.

Xiao Jingfan decisively got up and left.

"Dismiss the court!" Zhou Yuande shouted, and hurriedly followed.

Xiao Anzi, who was lingering outside the door, suddenly lit up. He quickly ran forward, leaned close to Zhou Yuande's ear, and whispered a few words.

Zhou Yuande was startled, and the whisk he was holding fell to the ground with a "thud".

"Is this serious?"

“It’s absolutely true. I saw it with my own eyes. Miss Liu Zheng is on the list of those leaving the palace.”

Xiao Anzi picked up the whisk and handed it to him. He glanced at the emperor who had walked away and asked in a low voice, "Master, should we report this matter to His Majesty?"

(End of this chapter)