No Dietary Restrictions

"The Inner Document Hall... I know of it."

Luo Zhao finally spoke: "That was established under the personal supervision of Emperor Luo in his early years. It is a place dedicated to handling confidential documents and auditing the inner treasury. Nominally, it belongs to the Internal Affairs Department, but in reality, it reports directly to the Emperor and is entirely controlled by Lu Fang."

"It gathers many eunuchs who are proficient in mathematics, paperwork, finances, and even penal laws. To think that Emperor Luo would tacitly allow the use of this force..."

A brilliant light flashed in her eyes, containing the sharpness of seeing the key to breaking the deadlock, mixed with wariness toward Emperor Luo and a trace of cold gratitude.

"Excellent! With the assistance of the Inner Document Hall, the mountain of messy accounts in the Ministry of Revenue will no longer be an insurmountable obstacle!"

Luo Zhao suddenly stood up, her tone urgent. "There is no time to lose! I will go arrange it personally right now, and immediately begin opening the corresponding secret passage entrance within the Crown Prince's Palace. This matter must be flawless; not a single word can be leaked!"

Having said that, she turned to leave, her steps carrying a resolute and vigorous momentum.

"Wait."

Gu Chengyin's voice suddenly rang out, clearly halting Luo Zhao's footsteps.

Her figure paused, and her heart gave an inexplicable, violent jolt.

She slowly turned around, maintaining a calm facade, but a trace of tension and wariness flashed deep in her eyes.

At this moment... there were only the two of them in the hall.

The sunlight slanted in, stretching their shadows on the ground where they intertwined.

But it could not dispel the sudden chill that rose in Luo Zhao's heart.

This audacious fellow, stopping her at this moment...

Was he trying to do something offensive again?

However, Gu Chengyin neither stood up nor approached.

He remained seated in his original position, but his expression carried a bit more contemplation. His brows were slightly furrowed, clearly showing some trouble.

Seeing Gu Chengyin like this, Luo Zhao's tense heartstrings relaxed a fraction, but her wariness did not completely dissipate.

She stood where she was, separated by a distance of several steps, and asked in a somewhat stiff tone, "What else is there?"

Gu Chengyin pondered for a moment before speaking. "There is one more matter to report to Your Highness, and it also concerns Lu Fang."

He recounted exactly how Lu Fang, at the very last moment, had entrusted that young eunuch named Li'er to him.

This included Li'er's self-described bizarre background, Lu Fang's so-called selfish motives, and his own decision to temporarily agree in order to maintain their cooperation.

"That is roughly the gist of it."

After Gu Chengyin finished, he looked at Luo Zhao and directly voiced his doubts. "Your Highness has lived in the palace for a long time and is far more familiar with the inner court's personnel than I am."

"Have you ever heard of this Li'er? Is there truly such a special existence by Lu Fang's side?"

This was the point Gu Chengyin wanted to confirm the most right now.

Li'er's appearance was too abrupt, and the claims about her background were too legendary. If even Luo Zhao, the Crown Prince, had never heard of her...

That would mean either Li'er was hidden extremely deeply by Lu Fang, or her background story was entirely fabricated.

Her true identity and purpose might be even more complex and unpredictable.

Luo Zhao's attention was immediately drawn to this, temporarily casting aside her wariness toward Gu Chengyin.

A look of deep thought appeared in her clear phoenix eyes as she began to search the depths of her memory for relevant information.

However, after carefully sorting through her thoughts for a moment, Luo Zhao slowly shook her head, her tone certain.

"I... have never heard of this person."

She looked at Gu Chengyin, her eyes also carrying a hint of doubt. "As for the capable eunuchs by Lu Fang's side, Yunying and I basically have a grasp of anyone with a name."

"Most of them are older individuals. Someone like this, adopted since childhood and cross-dressing as a man... is absolutely unheard of."

"At least, in the public records and known intelligence, such a person does not exist."

This answer did not surprise Gu Chengyin, but it made the doubts in his heart grow heavier.

If even Luo Zhao had not heard of her, it either meant Lu Fang's secrecy was taken to the extreme.

Or it meant that Li'er herself was a new pawn temporarily placed by Lu Fang specifically for this cooperation—or rather, specifically targeted at Gu Chengyin.

Seeing the undisguised conflict and deep thought on Gu Chengyin's face, a strange emotion suddenly surged in Luo Zhao's heart.

At first, she felt that this matter was indeed fishy and required careful handling, but immediately after, another thought uncontrollably popped up:

Gu Chengyin cared so much about this woman entrusted to him by Lu Fang, even specifically asking her about it. Could it be because this Li'er was young and beautiful, thereby piquing his interest?

Thinking of the faint ambiguity between Gu Chengyin and Shangguan Yunying, as well as his offensive actions toward herself, Luo Zhao felt a bit stifled in her chest.

He really wasn't picky at all! To actually care so much even about a little eunuch sent by Lu Fang!

This inexplicable emotion came quickly and left just as fast, but it was enough to make Luo Zhao's already taut face turn a few degrees colder.

Looking at Gu Chengyin's thoughtful appearance, her mind suddenly stirred, and an idea flashed through her head.

Luo Zhao cleared her throat, her face returning to its usual calmness and detachment, and her tone became businesslike.

"Since Lu Fang uses this woman to show goodwill, aiming to stabilize the cooperation between both sides."

"And right now we indeed need the full support of the eunuch faction; there can be no mistakes in auditing the accounts..."

She paused slightly, her gaze looking straight at Gu Chengyin. "Then you should keep this Li'er by your side and use her as a personal maid."

"Personal maid?"

Hearing this, Gu Chengyin looked up at Luo Zhao, a trace of surprise flashing in his eyes.

Luo Zhao seemed not to notice the surprise in his eyes, continuing calmly, "As for her origins and motives, there is no need to delve too deeply into them at present, nor is there a need to alienate or deliberately guard against her because of them."

"Remember." Luo Zhao lowered her voice slightly, carrying the insight of a superior. "For a person like this, you don't need to listen to what she says, but rather look at what she does."

"Observe what she does every day, who she meets, what messages she passes on, and how she chooses in critical moments. Actions are always more truthful than words."

These words were concise, sharp, and struck straight to the heart.

It completely bypassed the pointless entanglement over the authenticity of Li'er's background, directly providing the most effective coping strategy from the perspective of control and counter-control.

Gu Chengyin listened, his gaze full of appreciation.

As expected of someone who could be established as the Crown Prince. This decisiveness to see through phenomena straight to the essence was indeed extraordinary.

Even though the relationship between the two of them was so delicate and complex, Gu Chengyin had to admit that in some aspects, Luo Zhao's insight and methods were truly worthy of her position.

Gu Chengyin's undisguised, bright gaze, carrying both inquiry and approval, made the slight strange feeling that Luo Zhao had just managed to suppress faintly surface again.

Being looked at so intently, Luo Zhao felt a sudden, inexplicable wave of panic in her heart, afraid that her disguise would be seen through, and even more afraid that this guy would think of something he shouldn't.

She abruptly shifted her gaze away, no longer making eye contact with Gu Chengyin, and said indifferently:

"Alright, the matter is settled then."

"I need to go arrange the secret passage reception immediately; this matter brooks no delay."

"You go handle that Li'er first, settle her properly, and then come find me to discuss our affairs."