Chapter 295: Chapter 295: The Shameless Eagle

The Emperor’s expression was fierce and hostile, radiating intense displeasure.

He pointed at Consort Rong. "I trusted you. That is why I placed the management of the Six Palaces in your hands."

"But look at you, running amok and doing as you please the moment I was away from the palace."

"Grand Tutor Ye is a pillar of the state, a veteran official who has served two reigns. How could you be so cruel as to lock his granddaughter away in the Sunlight Tower?"

"But your gravest mistake was punishing Shen Ningning as well!"

"Do you not know how much my Ling Wei cares for Shen Ningning? The moment he heard she was in trouble, he was prepared to rush back to the palace all by himself."

"I had arranged for a high-ranking local monk to pray for him, but your foolishness forced us to travel back through the night. If Ling Wei suffers a relapse because of this, I will not spare you!"

Consort Rong clutched her swollen cheek, her tears flowing endlessly.

She did not try to defend herself, only saying with a haggard look, "Your Majesty, I have sinned. I beg Your Majesty to punish me."

However, Consort Rong’s Chief Palace Maid, Jin Zhen, quickly knelt to plead for mercy.

"Your Majesty, Her Ladyship has been wronged! A month ago, the Ninth Prince and Her Ladyship began copying Buddhist scriptures to pray for the Crown Prince’s health."

"But just as the scriptures were to be sent to the Sunlight Tower, Lady Ye lost them. All of Her Ladyship’s and the Prince’s heartfelt efforts went to waste."

"Her Ladyship feared this was an inauspicious omen that had offended the Heavenly God, so she had Lady Ye kneel outside the hall for a short while. However, Her Ladyship herself suddenly fell ill. She only just regained consciousness before Your Majesty’s return."

As Jin Zhen spoke, she wiped away her tears, her heart aching for Consort Rong.

The Emperor’s expression remained grim. "If it is as you say—that you only made Ye Shangyi kneel outside for a moment—then why did the two of them end up locked in the Sunlight Tower?"

Consort Rong choked back a sob. "The fault is mine. When Changyi lost the scriptures, it suddenly began to snow heavily."

"I feared it was an unlucky omen, so I sent her to the Sunlight Tower to pray to the gods. But my frail body failed me, and I suddenly fainted from illness."

"The palace attendants panicked and completely forgot they were in the Sunlight Tower."

"Your Majesty, if someone must be punished, let it be me. I was the one who failed to manage things properly and betrayed Your Majesty’s trust..." At this, her tears fell anew, and she began to sob uncontrollably.

Still kneeling, Jin Zhen hastily retrieved the scriptures the Ninth Prince had copied from a nearby bookshelf.

"Your Majesty, it truly isn’t Her Ladyship’s fault. We servants knew the scriptures were to pray for the Crown Prince’s health and to beseech the Heavenly God to end the harsh winter. So, we searched all night and finally found them."

Jin Zhen unrolled the scroll. The crisp calligraphy upon it belonged to the very same Buddhist scripture, copied by the Ninth Prince, that Ye Shangyi had lost.

Upon hearing they were copied for Mo Lingwei, the Emperor’s expression softened slightly.

"Changli is very thoughtful," the Emperor praised in a deep voice. "Brotherly affection and respect—this is precisely what I wish to see."

With that, he reached out and pulled Consort Rong to her feet.

"The Ye family’s girl was careless and deserved to be punished. But next time, you must be more mindful of your methods. You cannot be so merciless."

Consort Rong meekly lowered her head. "I know I was wrong."

The Emperor hummed in agreement and walked into the inner hall with Consort Rong to discuss Buddhist principles.

Jin Zhen breathed a silent sigh of relief and went to prepare some hot tea.

「Meanwhile.」

Shen Ningning, who had been sleeping soundly at the Xie family’s home, suddenly woke up in a groggy daze.

"Ngh... potty, I need to go potty..." The little girl rolled over, blearily sticking her little bottom in the air as she climbed out of bed.

Draping a robe over her shoulders, she pattered out of the room.

The moment she stepped outside, a blast of cold wind fully roused her.

Fortunately, she had eaten a Spirit Grass just yesterday, so all she felt was an icy coolness on her cheeks.

Carrying the small rabbit lantern Xie Mingxu had made for her, Shen Ningning ambled unsteadily down the long corridor toward the outhouse.

Suddenly, she heard a pattering sound from behind.

Shen Ningning whipped her head around, but there was nothing there.

The long corridor was deserted, with only a few lanterns swaying in the wind.

’I must have misheard,’ the little girl thought.

She took two more steps, and the sound came again from behind, just as if someone was following her.

When she walked, it walked. When she stopped, it stopped!

Muchun and Wanchun lived in the side house of the courtyard. All Shen Ningning had to do was shout, and they would come running.

’But,’ the little girl worried, ’if it’s a bad person, shouting rashly might just get me caught.’

Shen Ningning’s eyes darted about for a moment, and then an idea struck her.

She continued walking, then suddenly broke into a quick little run until she rounded a corner in the corridor.

Sure enough, the pattering sound from behind her changed into a frantic rustling.

It sounded as if it was now running after her.

However, just as the shadow flitted past the corner, the little girl lying in ambush whacked it hard with her small rabbit lantern.

Right on the head!

A dull THUD echoed.

The pitch-black thing collapsed to the ground.

Shen Ningning’s little round face was stern. But when she took a closer look, she froze.

"Huh? It’s Pei Yin’s eagle."

The eagle on the ground, Mengyi, lay with both wings limp. Shen Ningning’s whack on its head had nearly cost it its life.

When Shen Ningning returned from the outhouse, the eagle was still lying on the ground.

The little girl had no choice but to carry it back to her room for the time being.

After she warmed it by the brazier for a while, the eagle gradually came to. It shook its wings and finally managed to stand up.

"Did you follow me back here? If you understand me, nod."

The eagle nodded.

Shen Ningning pouted. "You have a master, so why are you following me?"

The eagle opened its beak as if to cry out, but then restrained itself.

It just stared at the little girl with its beady eyes, trying to make her remember on her own.

Shen Ningning paused for a moment, and then it dawned on her.

"Are you looking for something to eat?" She remembered now! She had promised the eagle that if it delivered a letter for her, she would give it beef jerky!

The eagle excitedly spread its majestic wings, giving Shen Ningning an affirmative response.

Shen Ningning casually took out two pieces of beef jerky and placed them on the floor, and the eagle began to peck at them.

After it finished, it was apparently still not enough. It continued to stare at Shen Ningning.

In the end, the little girl had no choice but to take two chicken legs out of her Immortal Realm and place them on the floor.

They were raw, but to the eagle, they were even more delicious.

After it had eaten its fill, it seemed to have no intention of leaving. Flapping its wings, it flew up to a roof beam, tucked in its neck, and prepared to sleep right there.

Shen Ningning tilted her little head back, her eyes shimmering. "You can’t stay here. I have a Lang Si at home, and his favorite thing to do is catch and eat birds."

The eagle ruffled its feathers, unconcerned.

Seeing its attitude, Shen Ningning realized she’d probably been saddled with this freeloading eagle.

’It’s not that I can’t feed it,’ she thought, ’but it can’t be for free.’

’Even the wolf at home helps Grandma with things.’

Shen Ningning rubbed her little chin, thinking for a moment.

"I’ve got it!" Her eyes lit up.

’I’ll have the eagle deliver a letter to Qi Xiuwei!’

It was Qi Xiuwei who had previously arranged for a handmaid to tip off Shen Ningning, which was how the little girl learned of Ye Shangyi’s punishment.

’Qi Xiuwei must be very worried about the outcome.’

’If I have the eagle take her a letter to put her mind at ease, it could also help deepen her friendship with Pei Yin.’

’Qi Xiuwei will definitely be very happy.’

All sleepiness gone, Shen Ningning ran to the table, picked up a brush, and began to write.

Perched on the beam, the eagle watched the cunning glint that flashed in the little girl’s eyes and tilted its head in confusion.

「The next day.」

Xie Ming’an went to the Ministry of Justice to attend to his duties, but before he could even enter, he was stopped by a worried-looking Chen Weiji.

Chen Weiji followed Xie Ming’an all the way into the Ministry of Justice government office.

"Lord Shaoqing, must you punish me? I am willing to repay the silver I owe. Please, don’t make things so difficult for me!"

At these words, Xie Ming’an stopped in his tracks and looked at him coldly.

"Chen Weiji, accepting bribes is a grave taboo among officials. If not for my thorough investigation, I would never have discovered that you’ve been skimming silver from every case you handle. The total amounts to over a thousand taels."

"I advise you to not only repay the silver, but also to write a memorial to the Emperor confessing your crimes. Otherwise, I will not hesitate to present this evidence before His Majesty."

With that, he flicked his sleeve and turned to leave.

Seeing how unyielding he was, Chen Weiji grew furious. "Xie Ming’an! You are far too arrogant."

"I have no quarrel with you, yet you’ve targeted me the moment you returned. Since you accepted my gift, why are you being so merciless? Or was it that I didn’t send enough?"

Xie Ming’an’s brow furrowed deeply. He turned back to face him. "Who accepted a gift from you?"

The sound of their argument drew the attention of the other officials and guards at the Ministry of Justice.

Chen Weiji let out a dry laugh. "Why pretend to be so noble and righteous? As for whether you accepted my gift or not, just go home and ask! You’ll find out then!"

"You say my accepting bribes is improper, but what about you? What does that make you, taking my gifts?"

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