Chapter 57: Audience with the Emperor

She pulled the sleeping Lazy out of the cloth bag, woke it up, and signaled for it to keep quiet.

Lazy clearly had not had enough sleep, its sleepy eyes dazed as it yawned repeatedly. Yet, not daring to treat Zhao Ertong's words as wind passing by its ear, it covered its tiny mouth with its front paws, struggling not to make the slightest sound.

"Listen, you'll go in for me and see what on earth is hidden inside that black box."

Zhao Ertong's voice was like a mosquito's hum, terrified that Lazy might not have heard clearly. Just as she was about to repeat herself, she saw Lazy dart out of her hand like a swoosh, landing lightly on the ground without making the tiniest sound whatsoever.

She watched as it vanished into the carved red-lacquered doorway with lightning speed. Zhao Ertong's mouth hung wide open. How on earth did this little fellow manage that? Clearly, there was only a tiny gap at the bottom of that door—could it possibly have squeezed through that crack?

Originally, she had intended for it to enter through the small skylight on the roof...

Activating her divine eyes once more, she saw Lazy scurrying all over the room, opening every single box inside. Inside the black boxes were actually white jade bottles, with imperial seals pasted on their bodies, inscribed with the names of various medicinal pills.

So they only contained pills after all! Damn it, making such a grand fuss over them and causing her to waste all her effort for nothing.

Just as Lazy bolted out of the treasure pavilion, the sky was just turning a pale fish-belly white. Seeing that the guards had not yet woken up and knowing she could accomplish nothing more today, she hurriedly departed.

The guards in the elm grove finally regained consciousness. Seeing the armor scattered messily around them and looking at themselves lying half-undressed upon the grass, they secretly thought, "Could it be that I ran into a perverted bandit?"

Taking advantage of the awakening dawn, Zhao Ertong evaded the patrols and finally returned to the Imperial Guards' quarters just before the eunuch arrived to summon her to the imperial court.

Hurriedly changing her clothes, a heavy look of gloom hung upon her face. Since she failed to acquire any martial arts manuals, she would have to perform exceptionally well today, otherwise, she feared she might be driven out of the palace!

Just as she finished dressing neatly in her brand-new first-rank court attire, the characteristic calling voices of the eunuchs echoed from outside: "Oh my, has the newly appointed Lord Zhao not gotten up yet? You are going to miss the time for morning court!"

Zhao Ertong forced a smile onto her face and pushed the door open. "Good morning, Official! This official has been waiting here for a long time." Smiling brightly, she stepped forward and tactfully slipped the small cloth bag she had prepared into the eunuch's hand.

The eunuch weighed it discreetly in his hand, his face blooming into a wide smile as he looked at Zhao Ertong with satisfaction. "Lord Zhao is being too formal. Just call this servant Su Gui. Today is Lord Zhao's very first audience with the Emperor, so you must not be careless in the slightest."

"Many thanks to Official Su for the reminder." The two of them left the Imperial Guards' quarters one after the other. Intending to strike up a conversation with Su Gui, Zhao Ertong quickened her pace to walk side by side with him, chatting idly about this and that.

"Official Su, this imperial palace is truly vast!" Zhao Ertong put on the innocent and carefree demeanor of a young maiden, making it impossible for anyone to suspect the true motive behind her chatting.

"Official Su, with the imperial palace being so enormous, if His Majesty hides his treasures away and forgets where he stored them after a long time, what on earth would happen then?"

Su Gui had already categorized Zhao Ertong into the group of naive young maidens, and naturally answered every single one of her childlike and innocent questions without reservation. "Lord Zhao, there are plenty of officials in this palace. Just like yourself—you are an official specially put in charge of appraising treasures. Naturally, there are also designated people tasked with guarding the palace's treasures. Have you ever heard of the Treasure Hall? Within the Treasure Hall, there are three Hall Masters and six Stewards who manage all the treasures throughout the entire palace. Every single treasure that enters or leaves must pass through their hands, so naturally, His Majesty doesn't need to trouble himself with such worries."