Ling Xiao promptly saluted, yet the Emperor turned a blind eye towards him.
Directly bypassing him and instead, turning to the five people kneeling behind him.
Ling Xiao held back the frown in his eyes, as he saw off the Emperor and rose.
Seeing the Emperor this time, he only saw the outline of his back and didn't even see the front.
Ling Xiao frowned, slightly at loss as he returned to his room. His whole brain was full of thoughts on how he could get the Emperor to see him.
However, halfway there, he discovered that there was smoke floating up from the place where he lived.
Ling Xiao stared blankly, then quickly lifted the bottom of his robes and ran back.
At the entrance of his palace, there were already many eunuchs running around and busily putting out the fire.
Ling Xiao frowned and pulled on a passing eunuch, "How did it suddenly catch fire when it was just fine earlier?"
"This servant also don't know, it suddenly caught on fire. The fire started on the inside." The little eunuch answered while trembling with fear.
Ling Xiao angrily pushed him away and clenched his teeth as he grabbed a bucket of water and dumped it over himself. Then, he got a cloth to cover his mouth and nose and ran in.
That youngster Lan Wei was still below his bed, Ling Xiao had wanted to give him a lesson these past two days, so he didn't give him anything to eat and only gave him some water to drink. He hadn't let him go and just had him stay under his bed.
That person yesterday was being nice and obedient, Ling Xiao had thought that he had learned his lesson. However, the result was that he was restless today. This fire definitely has something to do with him, no question about it!
However, Ling Xiao couldn't let Lan Wei die. Whose fault was it that he was the Prime Minister's only son!
While thinking this, Ling Xiao cursed Lan Wei in his mind, yet his actions remained cautious. He ducked left and dodged right until he finally arrived at his room where he saw Lan Wei on the ground, powerlessly struggling.
The fire had already spread to his side. He had fallen beside the table, and a candlestick on its side was by it.
Looked like Lan Wei wanted to use the flame on the candlestick to burn the rope and run, but the result was that he had accidentally set the whole palace on fire.
He was really a fool.
Ling Xiao cursed and ran over. Because Lan Wei's mouth was blocked, he could only use his nose to breath. However his nose had inhaled too much smoke, so now his young and tender face was twisted in pain.
Ling Xiao quickly took out the cloth blocking his mouth, and Lan Wei gasped as he took in air, violently coughing.
Ling Xiao quickly gave him his wet cloth to cover Lan Wei's mouth and nose, then untied him.
Even so, the fire had already set fire to Lan Wei's clothes.
Ling Xiao frowned and, in a single breath, took off Lan Wei's outer clothing, draping his own over Lan Wei's shoulders. In his haste, the list he had prepared for the Emperor fell from his embrace and rolled into the fire.
Ling Xiao wailed in anguish, having no choice but to go under the bed where he kept another copy of it
Luckily, he had used an iron case to hold this copy, so it wasn't burned.
However, the iron case had long turned red, burning Ling Xiao's hands when he grabbed it.
Ling Xiao didn't have much time to be careful, so he just clenched his teeth and used the sleeve of his garment to wrap up the iron case, holding it in his hands. Next, he grabbed the half-conscious Lan Wei and ran out.
Suddenly he remembered that Lan Wei couldn't be exposed, so he stopped midway and ran towards a window.
His back window was linked to the outskirts of the Imperial Garden. Since Lan Wei could not be found out by the others, Ling Xiao could only move him there.
Quickly helping Lan Wei through the window, Ling Xiao dragged him to a concealed area and laid there, gasping for breath.
He had used up all his physical strength of this life and his hand was still hurting. Ling Xiao took a look and became aware that the sleeve was stuck to his wound, that iron case somewhat embedded into his flesh. Ling Xiao painfully pulled on it, but he couldn't pull it out. Ling Xiao bit his lip, he could only bear with the iron case for now. Recalling Lan Wei's presence, he turned back to look and found him motionless.
Startled, he checked his breathing. Finding that it hadn't stopped, Ling Xiao relaxed a bit and stretched out a hand to slap him twice, calling out twice.
Lan Wei frowned in pain, but there wasn't any sign of him waking up.
Ling Xiao thought a bit, then got up again. By now, a large portion of the people ahead were trying to put out the fire, so the defense of the Imperial Garden was at its lowest. Dragging Lan Wei along the whole time, Ling Xiao evaded the people in the surroundings and brought him to the hidden side of a lake. With his uninjured hand, Ling Xiao sprinkled some water on Lan Wei's face, and dripped some on his dried lips so that it went into his mouth.
"Your Majesty, please walk a bit slower and watch your step." Just when he felt Lan Wei's complexion was somewhat better, he suddenly heard a very familiar voice carry over. Just what was said was enough to completely frighten Ling Xiao.
Ling Xiao immediately stopped breathing and took Lan Wei with him as he hid by the lakeside.
The voice was Xiao Lizi's, meaning that the Emperor was not too far from them.
Fuck.
Ling Xiao grew nervous. Luckily, the Emperor was very impatient and did not even notice Ling Xiao and Lan Wei.
Ling Xiao quietly sighed in relief and slowly crawled away from the lakeside. He then discovered that the direction the Emperor was going was his burning home.
Ling Xiao was astounded, perhaps this Emperor was trying to find him?
Ling Xiao calmed himself, it didn't matter whether he was or wasn't. If he wasn't at the scene when he got there, it would be too suspicious.
He thought it over a bit and dragged Lan Wei over to a place in the rockery to hide him, then ran back toward his own palace.
However, because Ling Xiao had ran from the front into the fire, it would be hard to explain if he suddenly appeared from another direction, especially in front of the keen Emperor.
Thinking this and that, Ling Xiao stopped behind his palace, the raging fire in front of him.
The terrain here was rugged, making it difficult to put out fires. As a result, there still weren't any people here.
The fire in front of him had already grown big, so if he were to rush in now and go back out the entrance he used, it would be too difficult.
However, he had no other choice! Ling Xiao tightened his fist, took a deep breath, clenched his teeth, and rush into the fire again.
When the Emperor arrived, the palace in front of him had already been half-burned. He glanced around the group of people and confirmed that Ling Xiao among them.
The Emperor frowned, disdainfully looking at the eunuch crawling on the ground, and asked, "Where's Ling Xiao?"
The small eunuch bowed his head and answered while trembling in fear, "Stew... Steward Ling just... just rushed in."
"He rushed in?" The Emperor raised an eyebrow and gazed at the blaze in front of him.
His deep eyes didn't show any fluctuation of his emotions, but the corner of his mouth curved down, clearly showing them that the Emperor was displeased.
"Put out the fire." The Emperor didn't pause for long, before he immediately passed down an order.
The kneeling eunuch did not dare to waste time and hastily got up. One bucket after another was taken and delivered to pour over the raging inferno.
The Emperor restrained himself and waited, but the hands behind his back were held together tightly.
Suddenly, a sorry figure ran out from the fire. As he coughed and gasped for breath, they were unable to make out his appearance.
He then staggered over to the Emperor, but was blocked by the five guards who had remained by the Emperor's side.
Ling Xiao swallowed a bit of his pained throat, hoarsely and weakly calling out, "Your Majesty, it's me."
After he finished saying that, a burst of dizziness caused him to fall.
The Emperor walked in front of him, and Ling Xiao managed to raise his head to look at him, his lips slightly moving as he falteringly raised the iron case in his hand.
"Your Majesty... the list... the... list..."
Failing to finish his sentence, Ling Xiao fainted.
∩ ∩