I Became the Devil Queen's Heart Demon-Chapter 72 - 57 Empress: This Dog-like Lackey Is Quite Useful (Please Follow)
Chapter 72: Chapter 57 Empress: This Dog-like Lackey Is Quite Useful (Please Follow)
The eastern sky reveals the pale white of dawn, as the first light of morning spreads its glow and sketches the vast silhouette of the Imperial City.
Deep within the Imperial Palace, surrounded by vermillion walls, lies a luxurious palace.
Ningde Palace.
Inside the palace, ornately carved beams and painted rafters exude grandeur. The floor is paved with white jade, engraved with rivers and mountains; the walls use silk brocade as a base, embroidered with ruyi cloud patterns in gold and silver threads.
In the inner hall, palace servants light the octagonal palace lamps.
Behind the sheer curtains, a graceful figure is faintly visible.
"Your Highness, it’s almost time."
Sun Senior Palace Lady stands with royal garb in hand, bowing deeply.
"Ah, it’s time for court again..."
"Just thinking of those old faces gives me such a stifling feeling in my heart, I really can’t stand it for a moment..."
The Empress’s voice is tinged with displeasure and laziness.
She stretches languorously, her curvaceous figure trembling slightly.
"..."
Sun Senior Palace Lady is used to this kind of "outrageous talk" and silently assists the Empress in dressing.
She knows well that the Empress is merely indulging in words, but in reality, she is diligent in her duties and has not slackened for so many years.
She had worked on petitions until late last night, and with dawn breaking, she had to prepare for court, having rested only less than an hour in between.
If not for her tireless dedication, the balance of power might long have turned the court into a mess.
A quarter of an hour later, the complicated court attire is finally donned.
She is dressed in a bright yellow zhai clothing adorned with five-colored phoenix patterns. A vibrant red cloak drapes over her shoulders; a double phoenix dragon crown secures her three thousand strands of hair, with pearl jade embellishing her temples and golden thread pearl jade dangling from her ears.
Her lazy demeanor vanishes, replaced by an imposing presence in every gesture.
"Any progress on the Demon Clan case?" the Empress inquires.
Sun Senior Palace Lady replies, "The Demon Suppression Department has searched a wide area within the city and has not discovered any trace of the Demon Clan. However, the deceased Lin Huai is somewhat special... According to the investigation, he was one of the officials from the Ministry of Construction who supported Wuwan Temple in array formation back then."
"Oh?"
The Empress pauses, as if something crossed her mind.
A moment later, she continues, "What about Chen Mo from the Sky Scale Guard? I have commanded him to head this case. It has been so many days; why is there no movement at all?"
Sun Senior Palace Lady shakes her head, "It’s said that he stays in the government office all day, never venturing out as if he is not particularly concerned about the case..."
The Empress’s expression darkens, and with a cold snort, she says, "I have always been clear about rewards and punishments. Those who slay demons should be rewarded, but incompetence must be punished! Pass on my message: if he can’t present a resolution within the deadline, I will hold him accountable!"
"Yes."
Sun Senior Palace Lady responds, feeling a hint of strangeness within.
There are no leads in this case, and the Demon Clan is adept at hiding; indeed, there is nowhere to begin.
But as the primary person responsible for the case, shouldn’t he at least make a show of it? Yet Chen, the Hundred Households Officer, does not even bother to feign concern?
Is he arrogant due to past achievements?
Or does he have other intentions?
At this moment, the Empress has already stepped out of the inner hall, and Sun Senior Palace Lady interrupts her thoughts to follow quickly.
...
Frozen Sky Palace.
On the terrace, Yu Youhan sits in a wicker chair dressed in plain regular attire, her legs crossed, the tight skirt highlighting her voluptuous curves.
Xu Qingyi stands by her side and says, "Empress, Yan Liang has been detained in the Imperial Prison until now, and the Gui Water Bureau is under a lot of pressure. Today, the Ministry of Justice and the Ministry of Criminal Justice might jointly challenge you in court..."
The case of harboring Barbarian Slaves implicates quite a number of officials.
As long as the case remains unresolved, they are unable to rest easy and will inevitably exert various pressures.
That Shen Shuqiu has managed to hold out for so long is already no small feat.
Yu Youhan ponders briefly.
She holds definitive evidence of the crime. Once disclosed, it will surely cause an uproar between the court and the officials.
Timing is key in striking while the iron is hot. Acting rashly may not achieve the best results.
"How’s the investigation Chen Mo was asked to conduct? Any progress?" Yu Youhan inquires.
Xu Qingyi shakes her head, "No news yet."
She paused for a moment, then continued, "The Zhou family’s private mining may just be a groundless accusation. Even if the intelligence is true, obtaining evidence in just a few days would be as difficult as ascending to the heavens."
Yu Youhan said indifferently, "Does this palace not know? It’s just a casual move, I harbored no great expectations."
After pondering for a moment, she said, "Well, since that’s the case, let’s proceed with the plan..."
Knock Knock Knock—
At this moment, the door was knocked on, and a palace servant’s voice came from outside:
"Empress, Chen Mo requests an audience, saying he has an important matter to report."
"Hmm?"
Yu Youhan raised her eyebrows slightly, "At this hour, what brings him to the Imperial Palace?"
Xu Qingyi muttered slyly, "Again? It’s not even fully daylight yet, does this man really treat the palace like his own backyard?"
Yu Youhan extended her slender jade hand and beckoned gently.
The void rippled like water, and a figure appeared out of thin air, dropping from mid-air.
?!
Chen Mo was originally waiting outside the Qianqing Gate when suddenly the surroundings changed, and in the blink of an eye, he had arrived inside the sleeping chambers.
At the same time, a strong sense of weightlessness overcame him.
With a glance at Yu Youhan and Xu Qingyi out of the corner of his eye, he tried to make a graceful landing, using the thunderous energy surrounding his body.
The result was that he forgot he had just rushed over and had not yet replenished his True Yuan, his thunderous glow flickered and died, making a "plopping" sound as he hit the ground.
"..."
The atmosphere was dead silent.
Chen Mo did two push-ups on the spot, then got up leisurely and greeted, "This subordinate pays respect to the Empress."
The corners of Xu Qingyi’s mouth twitched, as if she was struggling to hold back laughter.
Yu Youhan gave him a glance and said, "Depleted True Yuan, but vitality undispersed. You killed someone?"
Chen Mo nodded, "Empress is perceptive as always."
"Who?"
"Hundred Household Officer of the Ding Fire Department, Chu Zhuo."
Xu Qingyi’s pretty face stiffened upon hearing this.
Chen Mo actually killed Chu Zhuo?!
Conspiring against a court official is a grave crime, especially since the victim was a Sky Scale Guard Hundred Household Officer!
Without proper justification, even the Chen Family could not protect him!
No wonder he was in a rush to enter the palace; it turns out he was seeking shelter from the Empress... but would the Empress take the huge risk and forcefully protect Chen Mo?
If she did so, she would inevitably be attacked by the other ministers, and the gains would not compensate for the losses.
Knowing the Empress as she did, even if she valued Chen Mo greatly, the chance of her rescuing him was close to zero!
Yu Youhan’s expression remained calm, "The reason?"
Chen Mo presented an Image Stone, "Empress will understand after seeing it."
Yu Youhan took the stone, examined its contents, and her expression grew intrigued, her phoenix eyes full of surprise.
"You actually really..."
"Empress."
Xu Qingyi hesitated for a moment, then murmured softly, "Since things are settled, why not secretly send Chen Mo out of the Imperial City? From now on, let him live incognito as an undercover agent in the Jianghu... A living person is always more useful than a dead one."
After all, with Yanyu Pavilion around, there would always be a place for Chen Mo.
"..."
Facing their strange looks, Xu Qingyi realized something was not quite right.
Yu Youhan handed the Image Stone to her, "You should see for yourself."
Xu Qingyi took the black round stone carved with patterns and immersed her mind into it.
After a moment, her cherry lips parted slightly, her face full of shock and disbelief.
"He not only found evidence of the Zhou family’s mining but also cracked the Demon Clan case?!"
Yu Youhan looked at Chen Mo, her gaze somewhat complex.
Although this dog-like lackey had put her in a difficult position, completely detestable, she had to admit based on these recent events—
He seemed to be quite useful after all?
