Pei Xiaoyuan suddenly rushed to Ziyun Palace to ask for an audience. His purpose, as the emperor had expected, was for the young painter who was summoned into the palace.
After Xuyu was taken away by Cao Huan, Qingtou, who had received instructions before, immediately went out in a hurry to find him and tell him the news.
He didn't know why the emperor had suddenly summoned her. Was it related to the search for Li Yan that day? Was he questioning her for the Qujiang Banquet? Or did the emperor know her identity? It was precisely because he knew nothing that he was even more worried.
He had long experienced the unpredictable temper and difficult methods of the current emperor. He was afraid that the emperor would harm her if he did not know the truth, and he was even more afraid that she would be stubborn and unwilling to yield, which would cause irreparable consequences. The more he thought about it, the more anxious he became, and he insisted on asking for an audience regardless of everything. At this moment, he was finally allowed to see the emperor. He was led by the palace supervisor and strode into the West Hall. He saw the emperor sitting alone on a seat in the hall, with the eunuch Yang Zaien standing beside him. He quickly looked around, but there was no sign of her. He didn't know where the emperor had sent her and how he had dealt with her. He began to panic.
At this moment, he met the two cold and heavy gazes cast at him by the emperor, and tried his best to resist the urge to ask her where she was going immediately, and went forward to greet her as usual.
The emperor ordered him to stand down.
"What's the big deal? Why do you have to see me?" he asked calmly.
"Your Majesty, I have been in office for several months and have received your majesty's deep grace. However, due to my incompetence, I have never been able to achieve any achievements. Your Majesty has not abandoned me, so I dare not slack off. In order to facilitate my work, I plan to recruit another group of strong men from the streets for other purposes. Please be informed, Your Majesty."
After hearing this, the emperor glanced coldly across his face and nodded.
"Great! It is indeed a big deal! No wonder Pei Qing didn't leave and insisted on seeing me. I think if I hadn't seen you just now, you would have forced your way into the inner palace?"
Pei Xiaoyuan suppressed his boiling anxiety and knelt down: "Your Majesty, please forgive me. This time, I selected the athletes based on their abilities, so many of them may have been involved in lawsuits or have a bad reputation. Our department is the guardian of the emperor and we celebrate his honor. I am afraid of tarnishing the emperor's name. This is no small matter, so I dare not not report it. Please allow me, Your Majesty."
The emperor seemed to be choked by something. He paused for a moment, his face becoming increasingly gloomy. Finally, he hummed coldly through his nose: "I understand! You can go down!"
Pei Xiaoyuan finally got in, but he was unwilling to leave without achieving his goal. After hesitating for a while, he finally couldn't help but said, "Your Majesty, I heard that the painter Ye Xuyu from Zhiyuan was summoned to the palace today?"
The emperor glanced at him and said, "Why can't I summon him to paint for me?"
Pei Xiaoyuan kowtowed hurriedly, "How dare I be so arrogant. The painter is an old friend of mine, like a brother. She bravely saved the two princesses yesterday when the boat capsized, but she herself was soaked in water and drifted all night. She was exhausted and very weak. The court sympathized with her and allowed her to take a three-day leave. Today is only the first day. I am a little worried, so I dared to ask, if Your Majesty is fine here, I will take her back so that she can continue to recuperate."
The emperor let out a strange laugh, turned to the eunuch standing beside the bed, pointed at Pei Xiaoyuan and said, "Is Pei Jia'er scolding me for not being sympathetic and forcing people to do things? Is he asking me for people? Yang Zaien, listen, am I hearing it right?"