Stealing the Pen: Kirin's Primordial Lotus

The full moon banquet of the second son of the Zhuo family came to a close soon amidst laughter and joy. The officials and common people who came to congratulate enjoyed the delicious food and wine to their heart's content. The atmosphere was very warm and everyone was immersed in joy.

The emperor personally visited Zhuo's house and took a quick look at the baby son of Zhuo's house. He was very pleased and gave a lot of gold and silver as gifts. Then he returned to the palace. However, unlike others, Prince Xiang stayed until the banquet was almost over. When other guests stood up to say goodbye, he still sat firmly in his seat, with no intention of leaving.

Seeing this, Zhuo Yuanling thought to himself: What on earth is this Prince Xiang here for? So he quickly ordered his eldest son to see the guest off, and he quickly walked up to Prince Xiang, bowed and asked: "Your Highness Prince Xiang is reluctant to leave, is there something important you want to discuss with me?"

The king pursed his lips slightly and smiled. However, surprisingly, his face was covered with a thick layer of foundation, just like a wall painted with white paint. When he smiled, the powder fell down like snowflakes.

As the foundation fell off like an avalanche, the face that was originally covered tightly was gradually revealed. The few people left in Zhuo's house took a closer look and couldn't help but gasp - they saw that the face was covered with blue and purple, as if it had just experienced a fierce fight and looked extremely embarrassed.

"All this is due to your Majesty! If it weren't for your hard work day and night, how could our Zhuo family have such a respected status now? Now, the wealth and honor enjoyed by our Zhuo family are all due to your grace!" Zhuo Yuanling said with a big smile on his face. He was naturally well aware of the skill of flattery. It's just that he always had a stern face, as if Bao Gong was in the world, making people mistakenly think that he was a ruthless and iron-hearted person.

After hearing Zhuo Yuanling's flattering words, King Xiang couldn't help but look at him twice more. He was secretly surprised: I didn't expect that Lord Zhuo, who was always known for his strict self-discipline, would actually be so flattering. Thinking of this, King Xiang couldn't help but sneered and said, "Haha, Lord Zhuo's loyalty to Your Majesty is really evident to the world! It's a pity..." At this point, King Xiang deliberately kept it a secret and stopped talking. He just looked at Zhuo Yuanling with a smile, as if waiting for his reaction.

How could Zhuo Yuanling not know what the King wanted to say next? The royal brothers always thought they had covered up perfectly, but in fact, their little thoughts were just like Sima Zhao's heart - passers-by knew it! As ministers, who didn't know what the two brothers were thinking? So Zhuo Yuanling pretended to be humble and said, "I hope Your Highness the King can give me some advice."

King Xiang frowned slightly, his face full of sorrow, and he slowly said, "Alas, His Majesty really feels sorry for you, Lord Zhuo! You see, there are endless and difficult-to-eradicate monsters every day that require you to personally go out and worry about dealing with them. This time, I heard that because you were so focused on eliminating monsters, you neglected your wife at home, and even your second son was born in your mother's family. When His Majesty learned about this, he felt deeply guilty! Therefore, His Majesty intends to form a team called 'Chongwu Camp' to help you adults and share some of the pressure." At this point, King Xiang sighed deeply, as if he was really standing up for Zhuo Yuanling.

"How could I have deserved such great love and care from Your Majesty? Yet, Your Majesty feels guilty just because of some trivial matters in my house. I am really uneasy! As a subject, it is my duty and responsibility to slay demons and eliminate evil." Zhuo Yuanling bowed slightly and expressed his admiration and praise to His Majesty with sincere words.

However, he suddenly changed the subject, frowning and looking worried, "However, I have not been feeling well lately. I often feel weak and have trouble concentrating. Thinking about it carefully, perhaps it is because I have been devoted to the cause of exterminating monsters all these years, running around all day and being too tired to take care of myself, so I have developed a chronic illness now. Alas... If there is an elite group like the Chongwu Camp to help me and share some of the burden, I will be so grateful and will never forget it!"

In fact, Zhuo Yuanling was very clear in his mind. Since Xiang Wang could bring up the matter in front of him, it was enough to prove that the matter was a foregone conclusion and was bound to be carried out. If he dared to openly express his opposition, wouldn't it be equivalent to disobeying the imperial edict? At that time, the emperor would be able to hold him in his hands, and the consequences would be unimaginable! Therefore, at this moment, even if he was extremely reluctant in his heart, he could only show an appearance of gratitude and acceptance on the surface.

After Xiang Wang got the answer he had been waiting for, he was extremely happy. He smiled and patted Zhuo Yuanling's broad and strong shoulders vigorously, then raised his head and laughed heartily and boldly, then turned around and strode away.

Soon, Prince Xiang boarded the magnificent carriage parked nearby. After he sat firmly, he could not wait to order the coachman to set off for the palace immediately. Because at this moment, he had something very important in mind, which he needed to report in person to his brother, the king of a country.

Soon, Prince Xiang arrived at the palace smoothly and met with the emperor successfully. After the two met, without much greeting, they waved their hands to signal all the maids and guards in the palace to leave. When only the two brothers were left in the entire palace, a mysterious conspiracy began.

However, no one expected that on the roof of this seemingly heavily guarded palace, there was a figure hidden - Zhang Qiling. He lay there quietly like a ghost, listening to every word of the royal brothers' conspiracy below.

Time passed quietly, and finally, Xiang Wang ended the secret talk and left the palace. Zhang Qiling, who had been lurking on the roof, seized the opportunity and once again used his superb stealth skills to sneak into the emperor's bedroom without anyone noticing.

It was late at night, and the emperor had already fallen asleep in his warm and comfortable bed. But Zhang Qiling would not let go of this opportunity easily. He tiptoed to the bedside and mercilessly dragged the sleeping emperor out of the bed. Then, he was beaten violently. The poor emperor was beaten dizzy, bruised and swollen, but he had no power to fight back.

When the emperor finally came to his senses, he desperately shouted: "There is an assassin! Come quickly! Catch the assassin! Call the imperial physician quickly!" However, it was too late. Zhang Qiling had already left the palace as quickly as a breeze and set foot on the road to the prince's mansion before his shouting.

On the other side, in the magnificent palace of Prince Xiang, candlelight flickered and fragrance filled the air. Prince Xiang was leisurely enjoying the attentive service of a group of beautiful maids. They shuttled lightly in the room, gently sprinkling colorful petals into the steaming bathtub, and suddenly, the whole bathroom was filled with charming fragrance.

King Xiang slowly stepped into the tub, feeling the warm water and soft petals caressing his skin, as if he were in a fairyland. He closed his eyes slightly, relaxed his body and mind, and let the maids massage and wipe his body. After a careful wash, King Xiang got up from the tub, put on a loose robe, and walked to the bedside under the guidance of the maids.

At this time, the bed had been warmed to the right temperature. Xiang Wang lifted the quilt, lay down comfortably, and exhaled a long breath of satisfaction. Just as he was about to fall into a sweet dream, he suddenly felt a strange breath between half asleep and half awake. He opened his eyes in a daze, but suddenly found that there was a person standing at the head of the bed! Moreover, this person was covered in black, and his face could not be seen clearly. He appeared there abruptly like a ghost.

"Ah!!!!!!!" King Xiang was terrified and let out a deafening scream, which was like thunder breaking through the night sky, resounding through the clouds, and instantly spread throughout the palace. When the guards in the palace heard this shrill cry, they immediately rushed towards King Xiang's bedroom as if they were facing a great enemy.

A moment later, the guards fiercely broke open the door and rushed into the bedroom. However, when they saw the scene in front of them, they were all stunned. King Xiang had a swollen face and was curled up in a corner at the foot of the bed, his body shaking constantly. His originally gorgeous pajamas had become tattered at this moment, with scratches all over, and strips of cloth hanging on his body, making him look particularly miserable. Through the weak moonlight coming in from the window, you can vaguely see that the skin of King Xiang, who has always been pampered and delicate, is even whiter and more delicate than that of a maid, and is covered with shocking scars.

The emperor and Prince Xiang were furious when they learned that someone had dared to break into the palace and the palace and commit crimes right under their noses. They stared at the guards with sullen faces and asked them how they guarded this important palace! However, all this was irrelevant to Zhang Qiling, who was hugging Hua Yu and Zhuo Yichen tightly at the moment. He was immersed in happiness, with a satisfied smile on his face, and had already fallen asleep.

Although the emperor and King Xiang sent a large number of people to search for clues, they were unable to find even the slightest clue. It was as if the person who dared to attack them really appeared out of thin air like a ghost, and then disappeared without a trace like a ghost.

The next morning, the sun shone through the window onto Zhuo Yuanling's bed. He got up early, put on his official uniform, and prepared to go to the palace to attend court. When he just reached the palace gate, he suddenly heard the eunuch in front of the emperor shouting loudly: "The emperor is not feeling well today, so he will suspend court for one day!" Hearing this, Zhuo Yuanling's heart was moved. Just last night, in the middle of the night, he got up to go to the toilet because of urgency. In a trance, he seemed to see a black shadow leaping into the courtyard where his ancestor lived like lightning. And now, the emperor has suspended court, and even Prince Xiang has not shown up. With all these signs connected together, Zhuo Yuanling already knew in his heart that his powerful ancestor must have sent someone to teach the emperor and Prince Xiang a lesson. Looking at this posture, it must have been a heavy blow, otherwise why would the emperor suspend court for this reason?