Shi An twitched the corner of her mouth. "We've all been through life-and-death situations together. Why is the national advisor still so petty?"
"You'll soon know what the emperor has in mind, Your Highness. Just wait and see."
Watching the man walking farther and farther away, Shi An had no choice but to leave.
Time passed quickly. Neither the young emperor nor Qin Feng made any move, which made some court officials impatient.
"National advisor, perhaps we should go and ask the emperor what his plan is. We can't keep that man in the harem forever. If this gets out, it might damage the reputation of the empress dowager."
Cui Qizhou's gaze swept over their faces indifferently. As he expected, these old fellows couldn't hold their tongues for long. But this was exactly what he wanted.
He hooked his lips slightly. "Since all of you have made up your minds, let's go and ask together."
"Your wisdom is unparalleled, National Advisor."
...
During the court session, several court officials kept winking at the man, hoping that he would speak up.
But the man seemed to turn a blind eye, automatically blocking out their gazes. His attitude of standing aloof and indifferent made everyone anxious.
Finally, the prime minister broke the silence. "I wonder what the emperor's plan is regarding General Qin? Could Your Majesty give us a hint so that we can have a clear idea?"
The young emperor looked at the silent man and understood. "My dear officials, there's no need to be so hasty. I haven't fully thought it through yet. How about you give me some advice first?"
Suddenly, everyone started to buzz with excitement, voicing their opinions.
"Your Majesty, in my humble opinion, we might as well give General Qin some gold, silver, and jewels and let him go back."
As if hearing a ridiculous joke, Ji Heng didn't spare the official any courtesy.
"Do you remember what the punishment is for collaborating with the enemy? General Qin came all the way to the Great Liang and said he wanted to defect. Even if the monarch of the enemy country doesn't mind, can you guarantee that General Qin won't break through our city gates one day?"
Hearing this, the official who had just spoken shut his mouth. He had almost forgotten about this.
"Don't you have any other opinions? Do you really want to let General Qin go back?"
"Absolutely not. I think what the emperor said just now is very right. If General Qin goes back, we'll gain a powerful enemy."
At this moment, the minister of rites, who had been silent all this time, couldn't help but speak up.
"How about we appoint General Qin as the minister of war? There's no other suitable candidate at the moment. Keeping General Qin under our noses might even make it easier for us to test him..."
Before he could finish, panicked shouts suddenly came from outside.
"Your Majesty! It's bad! The Treasure Pavilion is on fire! There are tributes from various countries this year inside, including the most important glass bead."
Everyone, who had been quiet just now, immediately became restless upon hearing the last three words.
"The glass bead? Your Majesty, that glass bead is a priceless treasure. It mustn't be damaged."
"Yes, Your Majesty. Hurry up and send someone to check."
While they were talking, the young emperor had already strode out of the door.
These people were all good at giving orders but useless in doing things.
Cui Qizhou finally couldn't stand it anymore.
"The emperor has gone there in person. Are you all still standing here calmly? Do you want the emperor to come and invite you?"
These words made everyone's faces look unpleasant. One of the officials wanted to say something, but the man had already left the main hall.
The others chose to follow. When they arrived, they found that half of the Treasure Pavilion had been burned down. If it continued like this, the Treasure Pavilion would probably be completely destroyed soon.
The young emperor's face immediately fell. "What are you standing there for? Hurry up and call someone to put out the fire. The glass bead is a national treasure presented by another country. If something goes wrong, it will lead to a war between the two countries."
At this time, everyone didn't care about their usual manners and took the fire-fighting tools from the palace servants.
By the time the fire was put out, the Treasure Pavilion had completely collapsed.
The young emperor immediately ordered, "Hurry up and go in to look for the glass bead. It's a gift from the Western Regions."
Everyone immediately rummaged through the ruins, but by dawn the next day, everyone was exhausted and still found nothing.
"Your Majesty, I'm afraid the glass bead has already been burned to ashes. With so many of us looking, it seems that the glass bead is really gone."
The young emperor shot a look at the official, who immediately shrank his neck.
"Your Majesty..."
"Absolutely impossible. The glass bead might have been taken away by someone during the chaos."
Ji Heng knew very well that when the Western Regions presented the glass bead, they had clearly stated that nothing could damage it. If it disappeared right in front of everyone, it meant that there must be something fishy going on.
But all the officials looked confused. They simply had no idea where the glass bead had gone.
At this moment, there came a piece of news that worried everyone even more.
"Your Majesty, the envoy from the Western Regions is passing by the capital and wants to come and take a look, especially at the glass bead."
"No!"
Almost instinctively, an official refused.
But the envoy had already arrived. It would be inappropriate to turn them away.
Helpless, Ji Heng could only nod slightly.
"First, let the envoy rest at the post station. We'll discuss other matters later when we have time. Someone, clean up this place immediately."
After saying that, the young emperor rushed to the Shoukang Palace. "Mother, something terrible has happened."
Shi Muyuan rubbed her forehead, looking puzzled. "What's the hurry?"
"The glass bead is missing, and the envoy from the Western Regions is coming."
These two short sentences summarized a huge amount of information. Shi Muyuan almost thought she had misheard.
"You mean the glass bead is missing?"
She remembered that thing that looked like a glass ball was a national treasure of that country in this dynasty. Last time they presented it to the Great Liang, they would send people to check on it from time to time.
If they said it was lost at this time, the other country probably wouldn't let it go easily.
Thinking of this, Shi Muyuan felt a little nervous and hoped the news was wrong. But the young emperor's serious face made it impossible for her not to believe it.
She bit her lip. "Don't be anxious, Your Majesty. I'll immediately discuss countermeasures with the Shi family. You should try to stall the envoy first."
The young emperor responded and then withdrew.
Shi Muyuan traveled lightly, only taking Xiao Xiao and a few smart little palace maids with her.
When she entered the door and saw her father, she rushed forward. "Father, I have something important to tell you."
It had been a long time since he had seen his daughter so anxious. The Duke of Shi was a little puzzled.