Chapter 28: Take Away What You Care About Most

When Cheng Xi came out of the palace, the sky was already pitch black.

The Regent and Li Zhi'an remained in the palace to handle the aftermath; to Cheng Xi, this matter was merely a plot point in a palace drama, but to the Empress Dowager and the Emperor in the palace, it was a genuine catastrophe.

The Little Emperor had always been closer to Li Taifei and had distanced himself from his own birth mother; as it turned out, Li Taifei was the one harboring evil intentions and wanting his life, so the severity of the blow he suffered can be imagined.

The Empress Dowager was slightly better off; those who could survive until the end in a place like the inner palace were always resilient, but the son she had raised for so many years was actually a fake, and the fake son even knew who his real mother was and had colluded with her to harm the Empress Dowager's son—such a blow, even for the most resilient person, required time to recover from.

The blood gu-insect had been killed, so naturally, there was nothing left for Cheng Xi to do.

As she exited the palace, she saw Jiang Boyu coming up to meet her, "Eldest Miss Cheng, the Division Master asked me to see you home."

Cheng Xi was stunned, then nodded and said, "I have troubled you, Officer Jiang."

She truly did not want to walk back by herself; when she entered the palace, people from the palace had come to pick her up, but now, who would still remember to send her back?

Cheng Xi leaned against the carriage, feeling somewhat weary, and heard Jiang Boyu ask, "Eldest Miss, shall we head straight back?"

"Otherwise?"

"Would you like to find a place to eat something first?" Jiang Boyu looked at Cheng Xi's poor complexion.

Cheng Xi was indeed very hungry, so she nodded, "Alright."

Jiang Boyu took Cheng Xi to a rather inconspicuous shop; the two entered the store and found a seat by the window.

The waiter immediately brought over a menu; although Cheng Xi was very hungry, she did not have much appetite and ordered a bowl of small wontons, while Jiang Boyu had a much larger appetite and ordered three flatbreads, a jin of mutton, and a large bowl of noodles.

"Are you very familiar with this place?" Cheng Xi asked.

"We often eat here; the portions are large, filling, and it tastes good," Jiang Boyu said.

Cheng Xi couldn't help but smile, "What, are the Division Guards of your Tongtian Division short on silver?"

"This has nothing to do with being short on silver; when it comes to eating, one must find a comfortable place." Jiang Boyu was certainly not short on silver; the big restaurants all over the capital were practically begging them to come and eat.

But it was boring.

"That makes sense," Cheng Xi laughed.

The food arrived quickly, and as expected, the taste was quite good; Cheng Xi offered a word of praise.

Jiang Boyu's eyes lit up, "Right? I've eaten at so many places, and this is the one that suits my palate the best."

Halfway through the meal, the burning pain of hunger in her stomach had eased significantly; Jiang Boyu looked at Cheng Xi and asked softly, "Eldest Miss, are you going to the Academy?"

"I made a bet with Li Taifei before, but since she is dead now, I suppose no one will care whether I go or not." Cheng Xi looked at Jiang Boyu, "Why do you ask me this?"

Jiang Boyu smiled sheepishly, "I just think Eldest Miss is very capable; since you have the talent, you should move upward."

"Move upward?" Cheng Xi found it interesting, "What does it mean to move upward?"

"Does Eldest Miss not know yet? After entering the Academy, you will learn many different things, and if you want to cultivate, you must have spirit beads; this kind of thing is only available at the Academy, not even the Imperial family has them."

Cheng Xi frowned slightly, "Does the Tongtian Division not have them?"

"We do, but the Tongtian Division doesn't even have enough for its own people," Jiang Boyu said with a pained expression, "For the sake of spirit beads, sometimes the Division Master will even lead us to take on tasks from the Academy."

Cheng Xi:...

"Really?" Cheng Xi was very surprised.

"Of course it's true," Jiang Boyu sighed softly, "The Four-Eyed Demon Fox was a task accepted from the Academy, which allowed the Tongtian Division to make a small profit."

"I thought capturing the Four-Eyed Demon Fox was an order from the Imperial Court."

"That is what is said to the outside world, of course; many things about the Academy are not leaked to the public," Jiang Boyu said.

Cheng Xi found it very strange, "I remember others saying that one can exchange gold and silver for Talisman Beads, it's just quite expensive."

"Those you speak of are merely the lowest-grade Talisman Beads circulating outside, which the Academy has discarded, only to be resold by noble families for profit; they can only fool laymen."

Cheng Xi clicked her tongue, "That's truly black-hearted."

Jiang Boyu said helplessly, "There's no helping it; such matters do not fall under the jurisdiction of the Tongtian Division, so we cannot intervene."

Cheng Xi finished the last of the small wontons, "Urging me to go to the Academy shouldn't be your own idea, right? What is your Division Master plotting now?"

Jiang Boyu:...

He hadn't given anything away the whole time; how did Cheng Xi see through it?

He said with a helpless expression, "Your health is not very good; if you enter the Academy, perhaps it could improve."

"Thank your Division Master for me," Cheng Xi stood up and said.

Jiang Boyu ate the last bite of his flatbread, "I will convey that; I will see you home."

All the way back to Cheng Fu, Cheng Xi got out of the carriage and bid Jiang Boyu farewell; only after she entered the gate did Jiang Boyu drive away.

This was destined to be a sleepless night; Li Taifei plotting against the Emperor was an answer, and everyone related to Li Taifei would be investigated; the Tongtian Division, under the Emperor's order, bypassed the Dali Temple and the Ministry of Justice to take over the case.

The gates of Cheng Fu were knocked open in the middle of the night, and Cheng Zhouxing, Li Shi, and their pair of twins were all taken away for interrogation.

Cheng Xi slept very soundly that night; the Wooden Figurine slipped in through a crack in the window in the middle of the night and lay down beside the couch.

The Wooden Figurine did not need to sleep, but as long as Cheng Xi slept, it would follow suit.

The next day, after Cheng Xi finished breakfast, she learned that something had happened at Cheng Fu.

The steward beside Cheng Zhouxing came to find her, hoping to ask her to help inquire about the news, but Cheng Xi refused.

As for where Li Taifei got the blood gu-insect, even if the Little Emperor wanted to be lenient, the Empress Dowager would not agree; she would definitely investigate to the end.

Furthermore, she had made a deal with the Empress Dowager; she saved the Little Emperor, and the Empress Dowager had to do one thing for her.

Her request was very simple: let the Cheng Family crawl back to wherever they crawled up from.

Cheng Zhouxing and Li Shi had feelings for each other first, yet for the sake of his future and interests, he married the original owner's mother, and after marrying her, he did not treat her well, using others' strength to climb to a high position, only to indirectly cause her death and marry Li Shi.

For such a person, the greatest punishment is not death, but taking away what he cares about most.

What Cheng Zhouxing cares about most is power.

Li Taifei and Li Shi were of the same clan; regardless of whether Li Shi was involved in this matter, the Empress Dowager would use this to punish Cheng Zhouxing.

Moreover, Cheng Xi believed that even if Li Shi was not involved, she would not be entirely innocent; Li Taifei, deep in the palace, could not have obtained something like a blood gu-insect.

Cheng Xi thought it was interesting; if Cheng Zhouxing lost his official position due to Li Shi's involvement and his future was cut off, leaving him to be a commoner for the rest of his life, she was very curious how he would treat Li Shi.

Cheng Xi did not wait long; at noon, people from the Empress Dowager's side sent her a message, asking if she wanted to go to the prison to visit Cheng Zhouxing and his wife.

Cheng Xi agreed without much thought.