Lion laughed and scolded: "Zack, it's because of what they call 'eating without talking, sleeping without making a sound'! You're in such a hurry to eat your meal that you don't need to talk! You need to eat a little more to have the energy to work, you know?"
"Okay, young master!" Zack happily replied.
"And you, Little Thuy, don't be too polite with me!" Lion said again.
"Yes, great sir!" Little Thuy said with a smile.
Taking the opportunity, Lion turned to the beautiful Ly Su Su and said: "The hospitality may not be perfect, compared to Bach Hoa Phuong, but I hope you don't hate it!"
Ly Su Su smiled, like a hundred flowers in bloom: "Great sir, you're joking! You used the best things to entertain me, even a proud little girl like me couldn't keep up. How could I hate it?"
Ly Su Su picked up her chopsticks and gave Lion a piece of chicken, saying: "Great sir, let's eat together!"
Lion nodded and smiled: "Good, let's eat together!"
Both of them started eating with their chopsticks.
He ate at a normal speed, but Ly Su Su chewed slowly and swallowed. She noticed that the flavour of the vegetables was not as good as Bach Hoa Phuong, but there were many "meat flavours" in the dish, which made her mouth widen and eat more than usual.
In ancient times, there was no nightlife. After finishing dinner, people would go back to their rooms to rest, without any further work.
Ly Su Su was no different. After finishing her meal and drink, she would immediately return to her room to prepare for bed.
Yet, all the events that happened today still feel like a dream.
It all started when she met a stranger in Bach Hoa Phuong, who suddenly bought her over, without much explanation. She thought she had jumped into a deep pit, bringing with her the most hated companion for sightseeing.
But as they spent more time together, Lion made her feel comfortable and respected. He smiled genuinely and spoke kindly, unlike anyone she had met before. His eyes were pure and not tainted by any arrogance, and he treated her with equality, without any prejudice.
As she thought about their time together, Ly Su Su found herself restless.
"Sir, who are you exactly?" she asked.
Meanwhile, in the palace, the Empress finished reading the latest chapter and couldn't help but look out the window, realizing it was already dark outside.
"Your Majesty, would you like some tea?" an old eunuch offered her a cup of hot tea."
"Good!" The Empress nodded lightly, stood up and stretched her bones a little, then sat down and sipped her tea while saying: "Is there any interesting news from the capital lately? Tell me!"
As the Emperor, she was always busy with official duties and couldn't leave the palace regularly.
Therefore, during her free time, she always wanted to hear about the situation outside, to ease her boredom and sadness.
This feeling was somewhat similar to that of a later generation scrolling through headlines.
"Your Majesty, an interesting event happened today, related to the newly appointed magistrate, Lion!" The old courtier said with a smile.
"Related to Lion?" The Empress was surprised: "What did he do? Please tell me in detail!"
"Yes, Your Majesty!" The old courtier whispered the details.
After hearing it, the Empress couldn't help but shake her head and laugh: "You naughty Lion! I praise you, you rested well at home, yet still have the heart to take a stroll in the Flower Palace! Walking around the Flower Palace, you even brought back the number one beauty of Bach Hoa Phuong! What a playboy! Even if I personally inspect the new magistrate, I cannot make an exception!"
"Indeed, Your Majesty!" The old courtier said with a wry smile: "It is said that at that time, the new magistrate didn't want to take her, but Ly Su Su insisted on following him, not hesitating to use her own money to redeem herself, which made many men jealous and curse her while getting drunk at night! She even left a poem, which resounded throughout the city, making many women lose sleep!"
"Oh? What kind of poem did he write, to create such a commotion?" The Empress was curious.
The old courtier had already prepared the poem and recited it.
The Empress listened carefully and remembered it immediately, and even said: "Silent tower with no words spoken, moon like a hook, serene and deep, spreading its clear essence! Farewell without an end, a world in chaos, witnessing the separation! Parting with the most beloved, starting from the heart! ... What a beautiful poem!" with a few scattered lines, depicting the image of the Green Tower Girl in a tragic way, it can be passed down for eternity! No wonder he is the new magistrate of talent!"
"Your Majesty is absolutely right!" The old courtier bowed in agreement.
"However, this woman named Ly Su Su... What is her purpose in approaching Lion?" The Empress frowned.
It should be noted that although Ly Su Su is from a high-ranking official family, she comes from a mixed background and is also known as the top beauty of the capital. She is definitely not a simple person.
Such a woman, with various talents and skills, must have met many heroes and knights. How could she still have feelings for Lion?
At the same time, she doesn't hesitate to follow Lion, but her purpose remains unknown!
However, Lion highly regards her and has entrusted her with expectations. If something were to happen because of this, it would be over!
"Investigate Ly Su Su and her purpose in approaching Lion!"
"Yes, Your Majesty!"
The Emperor wants to investigate an ordinary person, it's very simple.
In less than an hour, all the information related to Ly Su Su converged in the hands of the Empress.
"Ly Su Su, just turned 20, from Bach Hoa Phuong, residing in the Green Tower!"
"She has a beautiful appearance, skilled in calligraphy and painting, and was honoured as the first beauty of capital!"
"She is originally the daughter of the divine minister Ly Quang Dao. . ."
. . .
After reading all the information, the Empress nodded lightly: "So she chose Lion to escape from the entanglement of Cao Thien Vu. In the end, the new Imperial scholar can be compared to the two great masters of low martial arts!"
The Empress put down the documents and sighed: "This is also a type of self-defence for a girl from the Green Tower! Born from a noble family but with a humble identity, she can only seek a good place to rely on to maintain her innocence!"
"However, this woman has a good eye, and she chose the new Imperial Scholar. Haha! Her life can be considered lucky and miserable at the same time!"
"But, what should we do with Ly Su Su?" The chief eunuch asked.
The Empress pondered for a moment and said: "Observe her for a while longer, and if there are no issues, consider it done!"
"Yes, Your Majesty!" The chief eunuch bowed respectfully, and secretly glanced at the Empress's expression, cautiously saying: "The new Imperial Scholar may have a grudge against this Ly Su Su due to some conflicts with Cao Thien Vu. Do we need to. . ."
Hearing the three words "Cao Thien Vu", the Empress's face revealed a deep sense of disgust and disdain. Honestly, she was uneducated and lacked any knowledge in these matters, relying on her high status to borrow the prestige of the imperial family, making the descendants of officials disgusted.
You have no real ability yet you still cause chaos, is it really necessary?
However, although these internal officials were doing things improperly, they did not commit any major offences. Small mistakes should not be stopped, but the Empress was not good enough to surpass the status of these officials and collect these useless descendants.
The Empress waved her hand, saying, "There is no need to worry about any of this, leave it to the officials to handle themselves! If even these small internal officials cannot collect them, how can they be held responsible?"
"Yes, Your Majesty!" The head eunuch bowed his head.
One night passed quickly.
On the second day, Ly Su Su woke up early because she didn't sleep well the night before and looked a bit tired. She had planned to pay respects to Lion based on etiquette but found that the other party had already left.
Looking around at the trash bin, she shouted, "Zack!"
Zack bowed respectfully and asked, "Madam, what do you need?"
Ly Su Su asked, "Where did the young master go? How come I don't see him?"
Zack replied without hesitation, "When Madam said it earlier, the young master went out to play!"
"Went out to play?" Ly Su Su murmured.
"Yes! The young master said that the Empress only granted him a three-day vacation, and if he didn't take advantage of this time to play, he wouldn't have the chance later! So he left early!" Zack laughed and said.
After hearing Zack's words, Ly Su Su didn't know why but suddenly burst into laughter.
It was a good day off, not intended to deal with work later, but to think about going out to play.
Isn't this the same as the innocent and humorous behaviour in school?
Excuse me! You are a newly appointed official with a bright future, a member of the court, and close to the Empress. You don't need to be cautious but rather work diligently and repay the court's trust. Why do you still think about playing around? This contrast is too great! Suddenly, you seem to be flying without wings while looking sad.
Ly Su Su became more and more curious about Lion as time went by. She waved to Zack and asked him to tell her about the great man passing by and what kind of person he was. However, Zack hesitated to say, as it would take three days and three nights to describe everything about his young master.
Ly Su Su was even more confused after listening to Zack's explanation. She couldn't figure out why there was such a stark contrast between the rumours she heard and the person she saw in front of her. Lion appeared to be a simple and humble man who didn't care about fame or wealth. However, the rumours outside said that he was extremely greedy and corrupt, accumulating wealth and power in just a few days.
Ly Su Su couldn't help but become more and more curious about Lion. Two days quickly passed, and Ly Su Su spent her time peacefully without any worries. She played some music and helped Lion with some household chores, and she even gave up her position as the manager to show her goodwill. At the same time, she and Lion's relationship progressed rapidly, and she noticed that he was very natural around her.
Lion noticed that there were many women in the house who didn't look alike, and many of them had problems that Ly Su Su had to deal with. One day, he put on his official uniform and went to court early in the morning.