Chapter 67 - 2#
Jingzhe shook his head: “Liu Fu doesn’t have such patience.”
Huiping also thought so.
Liu Fu’s style of doing things was vigorous and resolute, wishing everyone knew how powerful he was. He wouldn’t engage in such sneaky things.
…Maybe it was really because he hadn’t slept well recently, causing neurasthenia?
Jingzhe patted his cheek.
“Maybe I’ve been sleeping too much.”
He yawned. He really wanted to sleep.
The feeling of being watched was like a shadow, making Jingzhe very irritable, but he couldn’t grasp any evidence.
In the end, he could only attribute it to his own problems.
Huiping looked at him worriedly: “Do you want to rest for a while? I’ll watch over here.”
Jingzhe waved his hand: “No need, I’ll wash my face.”
The cold well water splashed on his face, instantly dispelling the drowsiness. Jingzhe wiped the water droplets off his face, staring at his reflection in the water.
The person in the water looked somewhat pale, with shadows under his eyes.
He looked really haggard.
Jingzhe sighed, poured out the water in the basin, and turned to leave.
…
The appointment for the Manager of the Directorate of Palace Maintenance came down faster than expected.
Just three days later.
When the eunuch from the Supervisor of Ceremonies came to announce the decree with the document, the entire Directorate of Palace Maintenance was boiling.
Everyone put down their work and gathered in the courtyard, waiting for the final result.
Liu Fu stood at the forefront, his face red, looking spirited, as if the position of Manager was already in his bag.
He even glanced at Jingzhe proudly, his eyes full of provocation.
Jingzhe stood in the crowd, his expression calm, turning a blind eye to Liu Fu’s provocation.
Liao Jiang stood beside him, looking nervous, his hands tightly gripping his sleeves.
“The Manager of the Directorate of Palace Maintenance, appointed by the Supervisor of Ceremonies, approved by the Palm Print Eunuch…”
The eunuch announcing the decree dragged out his voice, his sharp voice echoing in the courtyard.
Everyone held their breath, pricking up their ears to listen.
“Appoint… Jingzhe, as the Manager of the Directorate of Palace Maintenance!”
Boom—
As soon as this was said, the crowd instantly exploded.
Everyone looked at Jingzhe in disbelief, their faces full of shock.
Jingzhe himself was also stunned, suspecting he had heard wrong.
How could it be him?
He clearly didn’t do anything!
Liu Fu’s smile froze on his face, then turned into disbelief and anger.
“Impossible! How could it be him! There must be a mistake!”
He shouted out of control, rushing forward to grab the document from the eunuch’s hand.
“Audacious!”
The eunuch announcing the decree scolded sharply, “Liu Fu, do you want to rebel? This is a document personally signed by the Palm Print Eunuch, how can there be a mistake!”
Liu Fu was scolded until his face turned pale, his whole body trembling.
He looked at Jingzhe, his eyes full of resentment and unwillingness.
Why?
He spent so much money, found so many connections, why did he still lose to Jingzhe in the end?
This kid clearly didn’t do anything!
Jingzhe recovered from the shock, stepping forward to receive the decree.
“Thank you for the grace, Palm Print.”
He held the document in both hands, his mood complicated.
He didn’t expect that the position of Manager would really fall on his head.
Was it really because of luck?
Or was there someone helping him behind the scenes?
Jingzhe subconsciously looked towards the direction of the Supervisor of Ceremonies, a figure flashing through his mind.
Could it be him?
But why would he help him?
Jingzhe couldn’t figure it out, nor did he have time to think about it.
After becoming the Manager, there were many things waiting for him to deal with.
First was the handover with Manager Jiang.
Manager Jiang looked at Jingzhe with a complicated expression, but still congratulated him with a smile.
“Jingzhe, I knew you were promising.”
He patted Jingzhe’s shoulder, “Do well, don’t let down the Palm Print’s high hopes.”
Jingzhe responded humbly, “Manager Jiang overpraises, I still have a lot to learn.”
After the handover was completed, Manager Jiang left the Directorate of Palace Maintenance.
Jingzhe officially took office, becoming the new Manager of the Directorate of Palace Maintenance.
This news quickly spread throughout the palace.
Everyone was discussing this new Manager, curious about what kind of person he was.
Some said he was lucky, some said he had a profound background, and some said he relied on ability to rise.
No matter what others said, Jingzhe knew clearly that his path had just begun.
Sitting in the Manager’s exclusive room, looking at the piles of account books and documents on the desk, Jingzhe felt a headache.
Being a Manager was not an easy job.
Not only did he have to manage the miscellaneous affairs of the Directorate of Palace Maintenance, but he also had to deal with the relationships between various parties.
Especially Liu Fu.
Although he failed to become the Manager, his influence in the Directorate of Palace Maintenance was still not small.
Plus his resentment towards Jingzhe, he would definitely cause trouble for Jingzhe in the future.
Jingzhe rubbed his temples, feeling immense pressure.
“Manager, these are the accounts for this month, please review them.”
Huiping walked in holding a stack of account books, putting them on the desk.
“Put them there.”
Jingzhe nodded, “Right, how is Liu Fu recently?”
Huiping hesitated for a moment, then said, “He’s been very quiet these two days, just doing his job, didn’t see any unusual movements.”
“Quiet?”
Jingzhe sneered, “Biting dogs don’t bark. The quieter he is, the more careful we must be.”
“Understood.”
Huiping nodded, “I’ll keep an eye on him.”
“Also,” Jingzhe thought for a moment, “Help me find out if anyone from the Supervisor of Ceremonies has been here recently.”
He still wanted to confirm if the Palm Print Eunuch helped him.
“Yes.”
Huiping accepted the order and left.
Jingzhe opened the account book and began to review it.
Just then, a small eunuch ran in panic.
“Manager, bad news! Something happened at the warehouse!”
Jingzhe’s heart skipped a beat, suddenly standing up.
“What happened?”
“The warehouse… caught fire!”
“What?!”
Jingzhe’s face changed drastically, “Hurry! Go put out the fire!”
He rushed out of the room, running towards the warehouse.
Thick smoke billowed from the direction of the warehouse, with flames flickering.
Jingzhe’s heart sank to the bottom.
The warehouse stored various supplies for the palace. If they were burned, the consequences would be unimaginable.
He arrived at the warehouse, commanding everyone to put out the fire.
“Hurry! Fetch water! Don’t let the fire spread!”
Everyone was in a flurry, carrying buckets, using basins, desperately putting out the fire.
Fortunately, the fire was discovered early and wasn’t very big. With everyone’s efforts, it was quickly extinguished.
Jingzhe breathed a sigh of relief, wiping the sweat from his forehead.
“Check immediately! See what was lost!”
He ordered with a calm face.
Soon, the inventory results came out.
“Manager, only some piles of firewood and sundries were burned, the valuable items are fine.”
Hearing this, the stone in Jingzhe’s heart finally fell to the ground.
Fortunately, it didn’t cause a big loss.
However, the cause of the fire was suspicious.
“How did it catch fire?” Jingzhe asked.
“This…” The eunuch managing the warehouse said hesitantly, “It seems… someone set it on fire intentionally.”
“Set on fire?”
Jingzhe narrowed his eyes, a cold light flashing in them.
“Who was on duty at the warehouse today?”
“It was… Xiao Li and Xiao Zhang.”
“Call them over!”
Soon, two trembling small eunuchs were brought before Jingzhe.
“Manager, spare us! We really didn’t know anything!”
The two knelt on the ground, kowtowing repeatedly.
“Didn’t know anything?” Jingzhe sneered, “The warehouse caught fire, and you were on duty, how could you not know anything?”
“We… we just went to the latrine…”
“Went to the latrine together?”
“Yes… yes…”
Jingzhe looked at their dodgy eyes, knowing they were lying.
“It seems you won’t tell the truth without suffering a bit.”
Jingzhe waved his hand, “Drag them down, hit them twenty times with the plank first!”
“Manager, spare us! We’ll talk! We’ll talk!”
Hearing they were going to be hit, the two were scared out of their wits, quickly pleading for mercy.
“Speak!”
“It was… Liu Fu asked us to do it!”
“Liu Fu?”
Jingzhe’s eyes turned cold.
Sure enough, it was him.
He expected Liu Fu wouldn’t resign himself to failure, but didn’t expect him to act so quickly, and so viciously.
Setting fire to the warehouse was a capital crime!
He really dared to do it!
“Drag them down, lock them up first!”
Jingzhe ordered, then turned to leave.
He was going to find Liu Fu to settle the score!
Liu Fu was drinking in his room, celebrating his “masterpiece”.
Seeing Jingzhe kick the door open and enter, he wasn’t panicked, but smiled proudly.
“Yo, Manager Jingzhe, what wind blew you here?”
“Liu Fu, you have some nerve!”
Jingzhe shouted angrily, “To set fire to the warehouse, do you want to die?!”
“Set fire to the warehouse?” Liu Fu pretended to be surprised, “Manager, you can’t speak nonsense without evidence. When did I set fire to the warehouse?”
“Xiao Li and Xiao Zhang have already confessed, it was you who incited them!”
“Confessed?” Liu Fu sneered, “They are your people, of course they say whatever you want them to say. Do you think anyone will believe it?”
“You!”
Jingzhe was trembling with anger.
This scoundrel!
“Liu Fu, don’t be complacent too early!” Jingzhe gritted his teeth, “I will definitely find evidence to make you die convincingly!”
“Then I’ll wait and see.”
Liu Fu looked fearless.
Jingzhe left Liu Fu’s room with a flick of his sleeves, his heart filled with anger.
He knew that without solid evidence, he couldn’t do anything to Liu Fu.
Xiao Li and Xiao Zhang’s testimony alone was not enough to convict Liu Fu.
He needed more evidence.
Jingzhe calmed down and began to analyze the whole thing carefully.
Liu Fu asked Xiao Li and Xiao Zhang to set the fire, he definitely wouldn’t do it himself, there must be a middleman.
If he could find this middleman, he could nail Liu Fu!
Jingzhe called Huiping over and whispered a few instructions.
Huiping nodded repeatedly and left quickly.
…
Night fell.
A black figure sneaked into Xiao Li’s room.
“Who?!”
Xiao Li woke up with a start and was about to shout when his mouth was covered.
“Shh! It’s me!”
The black figure whispered.
“Liu… Brother Liu?”
Xiao Li recognized the voice, his eyes widening.
“Why are you here?”
“I’m here to save you!”
Liu Fu whispered, “Jingzhe wants to kill you to silence you, you must run quickly!”
“What?! Kill us to silence us?!”
Xiao Li was scared out of his wits.
“That’s right! He’s afraid you’ll talk nonsense and implicate him, so he plans to kill you tonight and make it look like suicide out of fear of punishment!”
“Then… what should I do?”
“Don’t worry, I’ve arranged everything for you. You go to the back door now, someone will pick you up there.”
“Thank you, Brother Liu! Thank you, Brother Liu!”
Xiao Li was grateful, quickly got up, and ran towards the back door.
Watching Xiao Li’s back, a sinister smile appeared on Liu Fu’s face.
“Run, run as far as you can…”
However, just as Xiao Li ran to the back door, he was surrounded by a group of people.
“Take him down!”
With a shout, Xiao Li was pinned to the ground.
Torches were lit, illuminating the surroundings as bright as day.
Jingzhe walked out from the crowd, looking at Xiao Li coldly.
“Xiao Li, where are you going?”
“Manager… Manager…”
Xiao Li was paralyzed with fear, unable to speak.
“Bring him up!”
Jingzhe waved his hand, and two guards brought up a person.
It was Liu Fu!
Liu Fu was tied up, his face ashen.
“Liu Fu, do you have anything else to say now?”
Jingzhe looked at Liu Fu, asking coldly.
“I… I have nothing to say…”
Liu Fu lowered his head dejectedly.
He didn’t expect that Jingzhe had already set a trap, waiting for him to jump in.
It turned out that Jingzhe had expected Liu Fu to try to silence them, so he deliberately let out the news that he was going to interrogate Xiao Li and Xiao Zhang strictly, forcing Liu Fu to take action.
Then, he set up an ambush at the back door, waiting for the hare to run into the tree stump.
Liu Fu thought he was smart, but he fell into Jingzhe’s trap.
“Take him away!”
Jingzhe ordered, and the guards took Liu Fu away.
Looking at Liu Fu’s back, Jingzhe let out a long breath.
This malignant tumor was finally removed.
With Liu Fu’s downfall, the Directorate of Palace Maintenance finally regained its calm.
Jingzhe also completely established his prestige and became a veritable Manager.
However, he knew that this was just the beginning.
In this treacherous palace, more challenges were waiting for him.
…
Inside Qianming Palace.
Emperor Jingyuan listened to the dark guard’s report, the corner of his mouth slightly raised.
“Not bad, a bit of cleverness.”
He played with the jade pendant in his hand, a hint of appreciation in his eyes.
“Continue to watch.”
“Yes.”
The dark guard disappeared into the darkness.
Emperor Jingyuan looked out the window at the night sky, his eyes deep.
“Jingzhe… I look forward to your performance.”