"Draft the decree, I want to appoint Prince Xiang as the Imperial Brother."
Although Rong Jing’s voice trembled slightly, it was firm, causing Zhang Fengcai to shudder all over.
Before he could react, Rong Jing had already taken a new Holy Decree from the desk, dipped his brush in vermilion, and said with a light smile, "Never mind, I will write it myself."
Rong Jing’s tone was relaxed and gentle, with a smile at the corner of his lips, like a child eager to share candy with others.
Zhang Fengcai never dread that, after so much turning about, this position would fall into the hands of Prince Xiang.
Recalling everything from the past, he couldn’t help but shiver...
At this mont, an urgent report ca from outside the hall: "Your Majesty, this servant has an important matter to report!"
Zhang Fengcai recognized the voice as belonging to his other adoptive son, Zhang Shi.
A few days ago, Zhang Shi had discreetly asked for leave from him and left the Inner Supervision on his own.
Zhang Fengcai speculated that he was acting on the Emperor’s orders to investigate certain matters outside the palace.
But exactly what the matter was, Zhang Fengcai did not know.
He slightly narrowed his lowered eyes, bitterly feeling the emptiness of his left sleeve.
That day, he had waited with his severed arm for the Imperial Physician, who said that as a practitioner of martial arts and Inner Strength, and given that his arm was freshly cut, it could be reattached.
However, he dared not.
The Emperor had severed his arm as punishnt, and if he went out to have it reattached... he feared that every ti the Emperor saw his arm, it would remind him of his mistakes—he could only let that arm slowly rot and beco useless.
It was also on that day that Zhang Fengcai realized that perhaps soon, the Emperor would choose a new eunuch to replace his position.
Like Zhang Shi, investigating matters he himself was unaware of...
Rong Jing had just written a word on the Holy Decree when he heard Zhang Shi’s voice and raised his eyes, bloodshot, frowning slightly.
Zhang Fengcai knew better than anyone the aning of each of Rong Jing’s movents, so he quickly opened the hall door and let Zhang Shi in.
"Qi, reporting to Your Majesty, this servant has discovered sothing..." Zhang Shi fell to his knees as he entered, his eyes flashing with excitent.
Rong Jing squinted his eyes, the corners of his mouth maintaining an upward arc. He was exceptionally excited now, unwilling even to put down the brush stained with vermilion.
He was eager to appoint Rong Heng.
"You better have really found sothing." Rong Jing controlled his voice, maintaining his usual calm, speaking in a low tone.
On the day Song Zhi lost an eye and Xie Yun got injured, he accidentally discovered that the Sweet Pine Fragrance Su Zhixue gave him years ago and the Sweet Pine Fragrance given by a concubine fawning over him had different scents, so he sent the little eunuch to the secret mansion for investigation.
At that ti, he wanted to test this little eunuch, to see how he could enter the secret mansion without revealing his identity, retrieving the incense... whether he could take over Zhang Fengcai’s role.
Calculating the ti, Zhang Shi’s investigative speed wasn’t fast.
Zhang Shi cautiously glanced around, inadvertently eting the cold and sinister eyes of his godfather Zhang Fengcai, and quickly lowered his head: "This servant did indeed find out, the matter is significant, this servant dares not conceal it..."
Rong Jing waved his hand, and though Zhang Fengcai was unwilling, he still silently retreated.
Monts later, only Zhang Shi and Rong Jing remained in Qianyuan Hall.
"Significant? I do want to know, what have you uncovered." Rong Jing suppressed his eagerness to appoint Rong Heng, speaking lightly.
Zhang Shi took out a palm-sized Brass Pixiu Incense Burner from his bosom, along with two sticks of prepared Sweet Pine Fragrance, his body also carrying the sweet scent of Sweet Pine Fragrance:
"Your Majesty, I have retrieved the Sweet Pine Fragrance that the Empress once gifted you, carefully divided it into several parts, and spent silver to have several independent incense makers examine it separately.
Every incense maker stated that the ingredients’ ratio within this incense showed no difference from the Sweet Pine Fragrance made by Concubine Chen."
Rong Jing’s gaze fell on the incense burner in his hands, recalling that this burner was handed to him by Su Zhixue’s maid, who said that storing it this way would keep the incense’s quality intact. He hadn’t paid attention and used it along with the Sweet Pine Fragrance, leaving them in the secret mansion after ascending the throne.
This matter was sothing Rong Jing had Zhang Shi investigate in a private capacity, not to be known by others. Zhang Shi explained it in detail to demonstrate his capability and ingenuity.
Normally, Rong Jing might have casually praised him for a job well done, but today, he had no mood to listen to these reports.
"Since they’re the sa, what have you discovered?"
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