In Baohe Palace, a long-waited new life was born safely. Although he came in haste and came over too many unpredictable dangers, his loud cry still uttered in this world at night.

Listening to this very loud cry, Emperor Jingxiao lighted up. He straightened his back and raised on his feet, looking far into the distance with his hands behind, and let out a long breath.

Around him, officials' deferential congratulation was loud and clear,

"Congratulations to Your Majesty! Congratulations to Your Majesty! Long live the Emperor! Long live the Emperor! Long live the Emperor!"

Gu Yunxi was slightly relaxed at this moment.

On the way here, Gu Yunyao and she had got a general picture of the assassination this time from the maid.

Gu Yunxi's thought was simple. After the safe labor of Concubine Xu, the Emperor would no longer be angry and would have the tolerance to look into the assassination. Leng Qingtang won't be blamed indiscriminately.

She turned her head to have a look at Leng Qingtang only to find that he still didn't look good. The edge of his hat embroidered with silver clouds had been wet by the sweat, which was dripping off his temple.

Judging from his official experience and his knowledge of Emperor Jingxiao, Leng Qingtang knew that his trouble had just begun and wouldn't come to an end soon.

Concubine Xu went through delivery smoothly. It was good news, however, to the Emperor, it made him fear after the assassination. If Concubine Xu had been badly injured and hurt the baby, the royal family would have lost a child again.

So Leng Qingtang knew that Emperor Jingxiao, who had received such good news, would hate him more.

As an Emperor, he would vent his anger of the assassination and the torment and scare he suffered when waiting for Concubine Xu's labor on Leng Qingtang.

"Slam"

A clear slam on the ground shut all the officials' mouths. Baohe Palace fell into deadly silence again.

This sudden sound shocked Gu Yunxi to a tremble as a clap of thunder.

After a hard slam on the table, the burning pain of his palm added fuel to Emperor Jingxiao's rage. He clenched his fist, staring at Leng Qingtang under the platform and let out an angry roar in the silent palace hall.

"Commander-in-chief of the Eastern Depot, you instructed damsels to assassin me. You deserve execution! Bring him out of the Meridian Gate and behead him, now!"

"It's not fair,"

Under the platform, Gu Yunxi let out a cry.

When Leng Qingtang was wrong and faced execution, Gu Yunxi forgot all about the rules and courtesy in the Palace. She yelled at above the platform,

"Your Majesty, Master Leng is wronged! He won't instruct the damsels to assassin you! He won't do anything rebellious like this."

"Yun Guaner."

Leng Qingtang paled. It was too late to stop her. Words could not be withdrawn, just like spilled water that could not be gathered up again.

Emperor Jingxiao was surprised. He looked sharply at the bold young guard below with anger and curiosity.

Beside him, Gu Yunyao was scared out of her wits by her sister's rashness. She crumpled on the chair, not knowing what to do.

"How dare you."

Wan Yuyao, the Imperial Noble Concubine, shouted with hideous features. There seemed to be flames burning in her red eyes,

"What are you? Who gave you the guts to yell here and see His Majesty's face?"

Leng Qingtang was in a blue funk. Both palms sweated, he bowed and begged in a trembling voice,

"Please forgive him, Your Majesty. This is my apprentice. It's his first visit to the Palace. He didn't mean to offend you. Please forgive his rudeness!"

Wan Yuyao smiled coldly. She came up, maintaining her aggressiveness,

"It doesn't matter if he doesn't follow the rules. If he doesn't know the rules, we can teach him. Ming Lan..."

"I'm here."

Ming Lan saluted Wan Yuyao on the platform.

Wan Yuyao lifted her chin and said arrogantly,

"Go and give him some slaps. Let him know he should obey the rules in the Palace!"

"As your command, Your Grace."

Ming Lan nodded and bowed. Then he landed as light as a ghost in front of Gu Yunxi, rolling his sleeves in a leisure manner, and fixed his greedy and malicious eyes on her.

Between him and her, him and Leng Qingtang, and him and the Eastern Depot, lay deep hatred. Today, there was a chance for him to revenge for what had happened in Qingfeng Temple.

"Disrespectful flunkey, let me teach you a good lesson!"

His vicious voice came along with a slap in Gu Yunxi's face.

It was a loud slap.

Ming Lan was not skillful in martial arts, but he used all his force. He lay all his hatred and grudge on that slap and made it a hard one.

Gu Yunxi was stroke down to the dust. Her cap fell, and the bun on her head loosed because of this strike. The smooth black hair poured onto the ground like a jet-black waterfall.

Ming Lan kneaded and moved his wrist, appreciating the delicate body grovel on the ground, and smiled with satisfaction.

Wan Yuyao could see clear from the high platform. She felt the young guard in a mess had an idiosyncrasy of charm that couldn't be described with language. She narrowed her eyes and thought. Suspicion arose in her mind.

Gu Yunxi got a roaring in her ears and giddiness from this slap out of revenge. A corner of her lips was broken. Numb had faded, and pain occupied half of her swollen face, on which the mark of five fingers was quite obvious.

She couldn't control the tears that flew out of her eyes. Regardless of the blood on the corner of her mouth, she straightened her upper body, swaying, in plain sight.

"Master... Master Leng... is wronged."

Gu Yunxi lowered her head to take deep breaths. She uttered this broken sentence in a low voice.

Her voice was weak but clear that Ming Lan could hear. A cold light flashed in his eyes, and he threw a slap on her another cheek.

Next to her, Leng Qingtang was shocked but kept groveling still on the ground.

He was a sinner. If the Emperor hadn't asked him to get up, he couldn't have, and everything around would have had nothing to do with him. According to the Palace rules, he could do nothing but kept groveling and bear his deep anxiety.

The beating heart felt pain for her, and was also moved by her insistence.

He hated hard at those who framed him and afflicted his girl.

Boundless rage and resentment surged in his black eyes, which became colder and darker like night.

After two slaps, Ming Lan turned to watch Leng Qingtang's reaction with a pair of shrewd eyes, provoking.

For him, to slap Gu Yunxi was to slap Leng Qingtang.

A vicious smile emerged at the corner of his lips and then disappeared, following by dozens of slaps on Gu Yunxi.

On the platform, both Gu Yunyao's body and her heart trembled. She couldn't bear to see this anymore. She straightened her back and was about to rise to her feet when Zhao An uttered a series of coughs to warn her that she could not act on impulse.

She had to sit straight and clench her fists in the sleeves.

Ming Lan was too tired to move. He stopped and gasped.

Gu Yunxi collapsed onto the ground again.

The general of the Honour Guards came in and reported Emperor Jingxiao on the high platform,

"Your Majesty, we found out the identities of the assassins. All seven bodies had red wolf-head patterns on their backs, so they must belong to the Tulu Country to the north of Dayi. As for how they infiltrated into the Palace as damsels depend on the following investigation."

The northern countries rose in rebellion not long ago. Although they failed, it seemed that they didn't quit.

Emperor Jingxiao grasped the emerald cup on the table and threw it on the ground, outraged.

"Please calm down, Your Majesty!"

The officials knelt at the same time, keeping quiet out of fear.

Gu Yunxi lifted herself from the ground with two arms, feeble. Due to the slaps, she held a mouthful of blood.

She couldn't feel her lower jaw. It was numb as if it didn't belong to her. It was extremely difficult to move, let alone uttering a whole sentence out clearly.

But she was stubborn enough to carry on the defending. She was unwilling to yield. Swallowing the blood, she looked down in tears and shouted again,

"Your Majesty, I served in the Garden since childhood, so I know clearly that no foreign women have ever stayed in the Garden. Your Majesty, Commander-in-chief of the Eastern Depot is framed! He is wronged!"

Her hoarse voice sounded shrill in the silent Baohe Palace, lingering among the resplendently carved beams, magnificently painted rafters, and everyone's heart.

Yu Xuanji, the High Priest, stood in the first row of the line of civil officials. He wore a bright red priest robe embroidered with golden lotus, which made him looked every inch a gorgeous immortal.

Emperor Jingxiao exalted Taoism. He even granted the High Priest the privilege of free from kneeling when paying respect to the Emperor under whatever circumstances.

His elusory eyes rested on the stubborn guard without attracting any notice. From above, he looked at her swollen and deformed features in calm and saw all of her unreconciled intention, her obstinacy, and her determination.

With the head aslant, a smile that indicated "interesting" revealed his young and refined face.

Her insistence and stubbornness made Ming Lan crazy. He made threatening gestures and yelled hideously,

"Hey! You need more lessons and more slaps! "

He lifted his arm, but Yu Xuanji saluted to above the platform, speaking aloud,

"Your Majesty, time is up. Please go to the elixir chamber to take the elixir."

Emperor Jingxiao always followed High Priest's advice. He estimated that it was time for him to take the elixir, but today there was unfinished business. He hesitated.

Next to him, Zhaoyi Yu, Gu Yunyao bent her head to beg him, quivering,

"Your Majesty, I plead for your mercy. Today, the young prince was just born, so I plead you not to kill anybody, Your Majesty!"

Emperor Jingxiao was touched. He bent down to held Gu Yunyao. Looking at her wet cheeks and holding her cold hands, Emperor Jingxiao thought this delicately pretty beauty had quite a scare.

He humphed in anger and looked down at Leng Qingtang below, speaking in a cold voice,

"Dismiss Commander-in-chief of the Eastern Depot from the position of the seal keeper of Imperial Ceremony Office because of his malpractice. Flog him by eighty. Put him in imperial edict prison with that guard to wait for execution! The Western Depot takes over the Youzhu Garden. Ming Lan, you go to supervise the flogging later on."

"As your command, Your Majesty."

Ming Lan bowed with full respect and revealed a vicious smile as he bent down.

Leng Qingtang drew a blank. He came up with no ideas. He kowtowed and spoke with his forehead against the ground, frustrated,

"Gramercy... Your Majesty..."

Emperor Jingxiao yawned twice, looking drooping-spirit,

He was sure it was the time for the elixir, so he waved his sleeves and pulled Gu Yunyao to go outside. Yu Xuanji the High Priest followed them.

They passed by Empress Qian. She asked with anxiety,

"Your Majesty, don't you go to see the little prince?"

Emperor Jingxiao frowned and didn't stop. His attitude was as determined as a gust of cold wind,

"I'll see him some other time! I'm going to the elixir chamber!"