I became the tyrant's only belief.

Chapter 467 Raising the Flag is Better Than Me

Pei Yunjian: "No."

Ren Qingxia: "I'd like to."

"No." Yan Chengtong felt a little disappointed for some reason. When he saw Xiao Wangchao and the others waving, he walked over with them.

At this moment, Chu Liuzheng had already bid farewell to his elder brother and climbed into the carriage.

Because of Consort Chun's connection to Chu Shangming, if Young Master Yan were to find out that this wicked concubine was Chu Shangming's sister, he would undoubtedly treat her elder brother with contempt in the future. A broken friendship between the two was a minor matter compared to the greater implications for the overall situation; she had no choice but to come in and hide.

Yan Chengtong, who also failed to connect Chu Liuzheng and Chu Shangming, saw Chu Shangming standing alone and asked him out of curiosity. After hearing Chu Shangming say that Chu Liuzheng had entered the carriage, he didn't ask any more questions, so as not to offend the young lady.

After the two sides parted, King Xiao, carrying a four-tiered food box handed to him by his younger brother the emperor, along with a large sum of approved travel funds, happily set off with his people, eating and drinking... no, that's how his on-site inspection journey began.

[Oh ho, the tyrant actually gave King Xiao an imperial edict, ordering him to speak up against injustice... uh, no, to deal with corruption and wrongful convictions as soon as he sees them, or find a reliable person to do it.]

[Tsk tsk, the tyrant still trusts King Xiao quite a bit, huh.]

Chu Liuzheng was nestled in the carriage, browsing the system and watching the drama unfold, when he suddenly noticed that the carriage had stopped.

【Huh? Back to the palace so quickly?】

She drew back the curtain and looked outside. She didn't see the palace, but instead a grand, imposing mansion. A black plaque bore two large golden characters: Chu Mansion.

Holy crap! Could this be my house?!

She glanced around furtively, her eyes darting left and right as if to confirm something, looking extremely shifty and sneaky.

Seeing that she didn't move, Xiao Jingfan asked in confusion, "Aren't you going down?"

Since they had both left the palace, he thought he would take Chu Liuzheng home to visit her. He thought Chu Liuzheng would be very happy, but why was her reaction so indifferent?

Chu Liuzheng's reaction wasn't indifferent; she simply couldn't believe it. She turned her head, her eyes sparkling, and asked, "Young Master, is this my home?"

"Hmm." Xiao Jingfan nodded. "I have some matters to attend to. I will come to pick you up in two hours."

Two hours later?
Chu Liuzheng calculated the time and realized that lunchtime had already passed, so he did not invite the emperor to dine with him later. Instead, he took Chenxing and Ruyan home as if they were nestling in his arms, and his happiness could be seen even from their backs.

Seeing that she didn't even turn her head, Xiao Jingfan felt a tightness in his chest. After ordering someone to place the prepared gifts at the door, he lowered the curtain, tapped twice on the carriage with his fingers, and said, "Let's go."

Chen Xing, carrying gifts, stepped forward and knocked on the door.

"Dong dong."

"Coming," the doorman replied, opening the door. "Who is it—Miss!"

Chu Liuzheng was startled by his call and asked in confusion, "Are you calling me?"

"Indeed, please come in." The gatekeeper excitedly ushered him in, reaching out to help Chen Xing with his things. "We servants have all seen your portrait before coming to work in this mansion. Even if we don't recognize the master and madam, we must recognize you."

This house was bestowed by the emperor, and the people inside were also bestowed by the emperor. There is no one but the emperor who could do such a thing.

[Tsk, tsk. 】

A smile flashed in Chu Liuzheng's eyes as he followed the gatekeeper inside, hearing the gatekeeper call out, "The young lady is back. Go and inform the master and madam."

Some of the servants ran to report, some stepped forward to help carry things, and some curiously looked at Chu Liuzheng, the young lady they had only seen in portraits.

Chu Liuzheng was used to being seen like this in the palace and didn't care. Hearing that her parents were both there, she asked curiously, "Why didn't you go to look after the general store today? Are you feeling unwell?"

Although they had moved into a large mansion and accumulated some wealth, Chu Qin and Madam Bai couldn't stay idle. They still went to manage the general store every day, thinking about how to expand and strengthen it, so they were quite busy. "Master and Madam are in good health," the gatekeeper replied with a smile, speaking fluently. "In the past, we would indeed go after breakfast, but today we have to see the eldest young master off, so we will rest for half a day and go after lunch."

【So that's it. 】

Chu Liuzheng then asked, "Where is Xin'er?"

The gatekeeper said, "The second young lady went to Lan Hui Academy early this morning and had lunch there. She won't be coming back."

[Wait a minute, I know Xin'er goes to school, but why is it Lan Hui Academy? Isn't that a place only daughters of officials are qualified to attend?]

Chu Liuzheng found it strange. If he asked the gatekeeper, the gatekeeper probably wouldn't know either, so he checked the system himself.

[Oh, so it was the tyrant who had Her Highness the Princess vouch for him and obtained an enrollment card, which he then sent to my house. Anyone holding this card, regardless of status or rank, can choose a date to enroll.]

Seeing this, Chu Liuzheng didn't know whether to be happy or worried.

[The young lady of an official family has been taught music, chess, calligraphy, and painting since childhood, and her food and daily necessities are all exquisite. Will Xin'er be able to adapt? Will she be bullied?]

In an instant, countless scenes of hair-pulling flashed through her mind, and she quickly searched the system to check Chu Yuxin's performance at Lan Hui Academy.

【Uh……】

Looking at the numerous gossip entries in front of him, or rather, records of Chu Yuxin's tricks on her classmates, Chu Liuzheng's lips twitched involuntarily; he could hardly bear to look at them.

My little sister has grown up quickly, and she's even more cunning than me. If Her Highness the Princess knew that Xin'er was using her name to swindle and extort protection money at the academy...

Chu Liuzheng was hesitant to think further and began to consider how to cover up the mess her troublesome younger sister had made.

"Youmiao!" An excited shout interrupted Chu Liuzheng's thoughts. She looked up and saw Bai Shi walking quickly towards her.

"Mother." Chu Liuzheng called out with a smile, took two quick steps and grasped Bai Shi's trembling hand, her eyes crinkling, "Slow down, I'm here, I won't run away."

"Good, good." Seeing that her daughter's complexion was rosy and her face hadn't lost weight, Madam Bai looked behind her and paused, "Just you and Chen Xing came?"

Chu Liuzheng knew what she was worried about, and gently patted her hand, "Young Master has gone to take care of some business. He will come to pick me up in two hours."

"Only two hours?" Bai Shi immediately lost interest in all that and tightened her grip on her hand. "It's rare for you to come back, at least have dinner before you leave."

[Even two hours is considered a mercy from the tyrant.]

"I'll come back later." Chu Liuzheng made a promise, skillfully changing the subject, "Mother, where's Father?"

“He’s in the back.” Bai said helplessly. “When he heard you were coming back, he hurriedly put on his shoes to greet you, but he tripped on the threshold and fell flat on his back. He hadn’t gotten up when I came over.”

There's no need to be in such a hurry.

Chu Liuzheng was somewhat amused and exasperated. "You should at least take a look at your father first."

"It won't break if it falls, we see it every day, what's so special about it?" Madam Bai took her daughter's hand and walked back with a smile. "Come on, let's go see your yard. Xin'er and I discussed the decorations. See if you like it, and if you don't, we'll change it."

"Let's have lunch early in a little while. Tell Mom what you want to eat, and Mom will make it for you."

"Okay." Chu Liuzheng replied with a smile. Just then, Chu Qin arrived late, calling out "eldest daughter" as she ran over. Upon closer inspection, her leg was slightly limping, suggesting she had fallen quite hard.

"Father, are you alright?" Chu Liuzheng looked at his foot, and Chu Qin waved his hand, "It's not broken, it's just swollen from the fall, it'll be fine after a while."

Chu Liuzheng: "..."

(End of this chapter)