Palace Fighting Naive Concubines’ Ascent to Power
Chapter 198: Fatal Acupoint

Chapter 198: Chapter 198: Fatal Acupoint

In the court meeting.

The Emperor sat at the head, listening to the people below reporting.

He had gradually developed a habit of fondling a small, round jade pendant during court meetings, carved in the center with a blooming little lotus flower.

The court officials below were reporting on a recent flood disaster in Jiangnan, which had now been resolved, and all troops had returned to the court. They were requesting approval for various matters.

The Emperor, always composed, sat with a calm demeanor facing the court officials, his gaze constantly resting on the ministers below, putting immense pressure on the reporting officials.

In reality, he was very distracted; after all, the reports at the court meeting were merely routine. The actual reports had already reached his desk. He was well aware of what needed to be known and had already drafted the decrees for rewards, simply waiting for the procedural walkthrough before issuance.

Last night, his Little Concubine had shared her feelings with him, so he was in a very good mood today. Thinking of her, his usually stern face softened, and the corners of his mouth slightly curled upwards.

He and his Little Concubine were indeed smitten with each other. True affection was a luxury for an Emperor, and he was fortunate to have the whole-hearted devotion of his Little Concubine. This filled him with joy and an unstoppable surge of love.

The reporting court official, after finishing, quietly waited for a while, observing that His Majesty’s gaze had never left him. He felt a bit apprehensive. Had he misspoken?

The Emperor sensed the unease of the minister below, withdrew his gaze, and signaled for the eunuch to begin reading the prepared decrees.

After the reading was finished, the Emperor encouraged the court officials with a few words and then declared the meeting adjourned.

After the meeting, a Young Eunuch came to report that Cao De was seeking an audience and had been waiting in the Star Palace for a long time.

The Emperor had an idea what it was about. Considering the affairs of the previous day, this follow-up was uncharacteristically quick and efficient.

Entering the palace, the Emperor saw Cao De sprawled in a chair, head down, sound asleep, unaware of his arrival, as if he had made the main hall of Star Palace his bedroom.

The Emperor ignored him and walked straight to the desk, picked up the tea cup, nudged the foam on the tea with the cup’s lid, and before drinking, he airily said, "The bed curtains have gathered dust, they need a shake."

The volume was just right, loud enough for the person below to hear.

Startled awake, Cao De jumped up, flicking his sleeves and brushing off his clothes, goosebumps all over him.

He was most afraid of people shaking beddings and cleaning curtains; the dust flew everywhere, dirtied the entire room, was disgusting and pervasive, causing him to sneeze continuously, with his hairs standing on end.

The Emperor, calm and composed, enjoyed his tea, taking pleasure in Cao De’s panicked demeanor.

Since he was young, Cao De always preferred cleanliness. Although he appeared careless and frequented filthy and squalid places and sometimes got his hands dirty, if one thought he was accustomed to filth, they would be mistaken.

It was a necessity; when there was no choice, he would endure it as if he were dead.

However, when conditions allowed, Cao De was very particular: he needed the chair cleaned several times before sitting, his beddings changed daily, and he bathed several times a day. Otherwise, he would feel uncomfortable all over.

He was good at hiding this aspect of himself; most people didn’t know about his love for cleanliness, but the Emperor, who had grown up with him, knew this fact very well.

Since they were young, whenever the Emperor wanted to tease him, he would mention shaking the beddings, which always got a big reaction from Cao De.

For Cao De, the worst punishment was to tie him up and shake a dust-laden bedding in front of him. That would surely make him feel like dying and coming back to life.

Cao De patted his body for quite a while, looking around in a panic, and breathed a sigh of relief when he saw that there was no quilt nearby.

Then he looked at the royal desk and saw the Emperor watching as if he were enjoying a play, utterly relaxed, taking advantage of him as if he were a monkey handler.

Unable to contain his anger, he roared out, "Yuchi Zhao, are you still human? I worked all night to interrogate people just to help you clear up the recent incidents, just to protect your Little Beauty, and you still deceive me?"

The Emperor, still composed, replied, "My loyal subject, you have worked hard. I am indeed concerned for you, seeing that you are so tired. I simply wanted to help you refresh yourself."

"You you you..." Cao De, pointing at the Emperor, was so angry he couldn’t speak.

Is there such a thing as awakening someone by targeting their vulnerable point? Is that a thing?

Yuchi Zhao, this schemer, has a heart as dark as his liver, and even his intestines are black, always manipulating him tightly, each and every time tricking him, and yet he falls for it every single time.

Cao De was so furious he could burst, angry at his own inability to compete and unlucky in his association with someone even more ruthless than himself. He could only let his tears flow inwardly as he had no recourse against those above him.

The Emperor had enough entertainment and, worried that Cao De might actually die from anger, leaving him without someone to do his tasks, said, "Enough. Pointing at me and directly calling out my name, referring to yourself as ’I,’ any of these would be enough for you to get in trouble if any court officials saw this. Let’s talk about the important matters."

It was only here in the Star Palace that the two of them were not so particular in private.

If it were outside, the two of them would abide by the protocols—sovereign is sovereign, subject is subject, and crossing the boundaries was not allowed.

Cao De sat down again, still furious, "I’m hungry, I’m thirsty, summon someone to bring me food. I want the finest, most expensive teas and the most luxurious desserts, or you can forget about finding out what I discovered."

Saying this, he started ordering desserts—White Jade Eight Treasures Cake, Gold Thread Thousand-Layer Crisp, and others, all made of the most precious ingredients.

In the past, the Emperor, to curb extravagance, rarely indulged himself, and seeing this, the Imperial Concubines also dared not be too lavish, rarely placing such orders, so the Imperial Kitchen seldom made them.

The Emperor knew this man was temperamental, and noticing the unusually vivid blue-black circles under his fair skin, realizing he had indeed not slept all night, decided the joke had gone far enough.

He let the man have his way and called someone to order two servings of each dessert.

His Little Concubine hadn’t even tasted them yet, so it was perfect to let his Little Concubine have a taste.

He had been too busy recently and had forgotten to let his Little Concubine try the imperial-made desserts. She had been satisfied with just a bowl of Cow’s Milk yesterday, and it was truly his fault she had to live so meagerly.

If his Little Concubine tasted the imperial-made desserts, she would surely be very happy.

Thinking of his Little Concubine nibbling on the food, savoring it, her cheeks puffed out like a little squirrel, a tender warmth surged to his eyes.

Cao De still wore a stern face, but his anger had dissipated, and he was secretly satisfied inside, acknowledging Yuchi Zhao, this stingy ghost, did have a conscience after all and was quite thoughtful in preparing two portions of the luxurious desserts for him, not in vain was his toil throughout the night.

He might as well eat one portion now and take another portion home. These desserts were not available outside the palace; taking a portion back to slowly enjoy seemed ideal.

Cao De was calculating this in his mind when he saw the Emperor looking at him with a gentle demeanor, and he felt even more pleased.

In the past, when the Emperor had tricked him, he always wore a cold expression that seemed untouchable. But now that he seemed ready to make amends, Cao De thought he might as well grudgingly forgive him.

Since these luxurious desserts would still take some time to prepare, he decided to start reporting on the recent incidents.