The Underground Palace was bigger than Lory initially thought. Zhao Li Xin's quarters were situated on the top of the palace, separate from the rest of the palace. There was only one way in or out of his quarters. The King Palace and the Mong brothers were the only ones allowed to visit that section, with Lory joining in their ranks once she moved into the palace.
Her new room was next to Zhao Li Xin's room once again. This situation baffled Lory as she didn't understand how they could still be stuck next to each other in the massive palace. She was unaware it was deliberate and part of his plan of keeping her close.
Zhao Li Xin's clinginess had reached a new level after falling out with his family. His dotting behavior also increased shocking the other Hei Shen Sect members who had never seen the unofficial couple's interaction while they were staying at Ninjing Manor. They had so many questions about them but no one dared to ask the Demon Lord. Why? because they are not crazy.
The Hei Shen Sect didn't have many complicated rules and restrictions like other sects. The main rules were; do your job, never question your lord, and never betray your lord. The sect also didn't have elders as Zhao Li Xin's position was absolute and above everyone else. Although this was unorthodox, Hei Shen Sect was more peaceful and relaxed compared to normal sects because of having one ruler.
Lory was naturally a curious person and was always eager to explore the palace. Zhao Li Xin accompanied her at first, but Mong Yi the 'professional tour guide' would replace him if he was unavailable. Lory was soon amazed to find Mong Yi was quite a chatty person. Mong Yi would give her a detailed explanation of each place she visited reminding her of museum school trips in her previous world.
"Miss Luo, this treasure was found in Yang Zu, an auction city, by milord when he was only seventeen. It is made from pure honey crystals which are very rare in this world. They say it can blah blah blah…"
'DA*N! He really can talk!'
Lory didn't know how to stop him. It seemed rude to halt him as he seemed so passionate about what he was doing. Lory used telepathy to speak to the bird [Girsha, help me... I don't think he will stop any time soon…]
Lory maintained a polite smile as she nodded at Mong Yi making it look like she was listening.
[Sorry, girl… You are on your own…] Girsha had left the room an hour earlier.
"Uhm… Brother Mong…"
"It's made of pure gold and a hundred precious gems..." He continued passionately.
"Brother Mong… Sorry," Lory tried to interfere but Mong Yi wasn't listening. Lory became impatient and lost it, "MONG YI!"
"Huh?" Mong Yi came back to reality with a confused look. He hasn't reached what he thought was the best.
Lory smiled kindly, "Where is Zhao Li Xin?"
"Uh… Milord is out with Mong Ki. He'll be back tonight."
"Oh, is that so? I've remembered… Li Xin asked me something about...something… I need to go now! Thank you for everything, brother Mong. You are the best!" Lory pretended she had to hurry as she scurried out of the room like a ghost was chasing her. She was scared Mong Yi would start talking before she left. Mong Yi watched her half run with puzzlement. He shrugged his shoulder feeling satisfied that he was great at entertaining her.
The guards at the doors gave Mong Yi stinky eyes as they thought 'Bro, you really can talk...'
Lory managed to get back to her room without a hitch. She glared at Girsha who was nestled comfortably on a soft pillow as he pecked at grapes.
[You made it out alive?] Girsha said in astonishment when he saw her.
[No thanks to you…] She looked sullen.
Girsha was helplessly [I didn't think I would meet someone who could chat more than Jay…]
[Right…] Lory agreed with him. She sat by the table and poured herself some cold water. She wasn't like the people in this world who would only drink tea and wine. Lory couldn't make it through the day without drinking mineral water.
It was a common habit everyone had in her old world. Sick and tired of only drinking team, Lory was overjoyed when she found out there was a freshwater spring in the Underground Palace.
She felt better after quenching her thirst. She grabbed an apple and moved to sit on the window frame while she chewed the apple leisurely. She loved Underground Palace's scenery. The cave ceiling had stalactite on its surface. The stalactite was then covered with glowing bugs which made it look like they were tiny stars in the sky. It was a sight to behold. If only Zhao Li Xin was here… Lory sighed inwardly.
[Miss him?] Girsha perched beside her as he teased.
[I'm not…] She denied.
[You are...] He insisted.
[I'm not…]
[You are…]
[…I'm not!]
[...you are, STUPID!]
[Heyyyyy…]
While Lory and Girsha were having their friendly banter, the Emperor was throwing another fit inside the Imperial Palace in Jiang Wei's capital city. The eunuch was now used to his tantrums as they had become a norm in the last few months.
The Emperor got headaches whenever daily necessities couldn't enter Nan Jing capital. Goods like rice, chili, cloves, and vegetables were either hard to find or too expensive. Many could barely afford the new price. Once the vegetables became costly, the meat prices also rose.
It only took six months for things to get out of hand. The merchant also couldn't also understand why things that used to be easy to find were now rare.
Zhao Yi Chen tried to solve the problem by making deals with merchants from other countries but imported merchandise was more costly and the Imperial court didn't have enough funds to do it for a long time.
The princes were also reluctant to use their personal funds to relieve the country's burden. This was because they need more money to fight for the throne. However, Zhao Yi Chen was smart enough to play the politics game. He created an open kitchen to provide free food to the poor.
He also donated basic necessities to the people who needed it. His actions were praised by the commoners who gave him much support, increasing his popularity.
Zhao Mu Fan and Zhao Qin Feng couldn't let Zhao Yi Chen steal the limelight alone. They reluctantly copied Zhao Yi Chen's actions. Zhao Mu Fan pushed it further by ordering his concubines to personally donate to the commoners.
It was something that had never happened in the Jiang Wei Kingdom. They all tried to take advantage of the situation but they also knew their actions couldn't last long. They need to find a long-term resolution for the problem.
Back to the Imperial palace, the eunuchs could hear things breaking in the imperial study. They didn't have to guess the Emperor, who was alone, was having a tantrum. The Emperor sat in his big chair with desolation. The Jiang Wei Kingdom was known to be a rich country with enormous resources. His country had never had problems with food even during winter.
It was springtime when food was supposed to be abundant but it was scarce instead. The Emperor, Zhao Zi Gen, was never really involved in the country's management as he had two prime ministers and numerous officials who did the hard work for him.
Zhao Zi Gen liked to indulge himself with wealth and beautiful women. He thought his treasury would never run empty but it seemed he was wrong. The first financial crisis that happened in the past should have taught him a lesson but it failed. He went back to his old habits letting everything escalate this far. He pinched his temples as he tried to ease his headache. He didn't know what to do.
"It's only been six months yet you are already having it hard..."
Zhao Zi Gen abruptly lifted his head and saw someone in the corner chair sprawled in a lazy manner. The man wore black robes with golden thread embroidery on his sleeve. He took off his golden mask slowly. His perfect carved appearance stunned Zhao Zi Gen.
"Zhao Li Xin?"