After failing the imperial examination, he began to wield immense power after entering the palace!

Li Fan strode forward, cupped his hands in greeting, and spoke with utmost politeness:

"Sister Ginkgo, I'm so sorry to bother you so late at night."

"This servant has urgent business and wishes to see Her Majesty the Empress. Could you please inform her?"

Yinxing hesitated for a moment, then nodded.

"Please wait a moment, Eunuch Gao, I'll go in and inform them."

"Thank you, sister."

Ginkgo turned and went inside.

Her two long, straight legs crossed as she walked, the light green skirt swaying gently with her steps, her waist graceful, and her hips rounded.

Li Fan stood under the corridor, hands behind his back, looking at the facade of the Qianqing Palace.

It is more magnificent and imposing than Chengqian Palace.

The vermilion gate was nailed with copper nails the size of bowls, and the gold-lettered plaque above the gate gleamed under the lamplight.

This is the residence of the true ruler of the harem.

After a while.

Ginkgo came out from inside, stepped aside, and whispered:

"Eunuch Gao, Her Majesty requests your presence. Please follow me."

"Thank you for your trouble, sister."

Li Fan followed her into the Qianqing Palace.

Passing through a hanging flower gate and around a screen wall, we arrived at a study.

Yinxing stopped at the door and gently knocked twice.

"Your Majesty, Eunuch Gao has arrived."

"Come in."

A soft voice came from inside the door, neither too loud nor too soft, yet it carried an undeniable air of authority.

Yinxing pushed open the door and gestured for Li Fan to enter.

Li Fan took a deep breath and stepped inside.

……

The study is very large.

Several landscape paintings hung on the four walls, their brushstrokes bold and powerful.

A rosewood desk was placed in the center, with a thick stack of memorials piled on it.

Empress Yang sat behind her desk, holding a vermilion brush in her hand, writing something on a memorial.

Today she was wearing a moon-white dress with a light purple veil over it.

A few strands of her dark hair hung down beside her ears, making her fair and jade-like face appear even more delicate and beautiful.

Her waist was slender, and the sash was tied very tightly, as if trying to squeeze the juice out of her mature body.

She lowered her head, her eyelashes casting a faint shadow on her face, her lips slightly pursed, exuding an air of quiet authority.

"This servant, Gao Jin, greets Your Majesty the Empress."

He knelt down, lifting his robe, his voice respectful.

Empress Yang did not raise her head, but spoke calmly:

"Please sit here for now and wait for me to finish processing these three memorials."

"yes."

Li Fan stood up, walked to the chair next to him, and sat down properly.

The study was quiet, with only the soft scratching of Empress Yang's brush on paper and the occasional sound of turning pages of a memorial.

Li Fan sat for a while, then couldn't help but secretly lift his eyelids and glance at Empress Yang.

The candlelight fell on her profile, making her elegant and noble face almost transparent.

He had a high, straight nose, full lips, slightly drooping phoenix eyes, and thick eyelashes that looked like two small fans.

That face was as exquisite as a meticulous painting.

Mature, dignified, and unparalleled.

That old man, the Chu Emperor, has an excellent eye for women, to say the least.

Consort Xie was aloof and beautiful, Empress Yang was dignified and graceful, Consort Xiao was gentle and refined, and Consort Li was alluring and seductive...

The women in the imperial harem were all incredibly beautiful.

A while later.

Empress Yang finally put down her vermilion pen, closed the last memorial, and set it aside.

"Isn't today your first day at the Eastern Depot? What do you want to tell me?"

Li Fan stood up, took a few steps forward, and knelt down again.

"Your Majesty, I encountered a troublesome matter at the Eastern Depot today."

"Feng Bao has assigned me a case to investigate..."

After Empress Yang finished listening, her fingers paused slightly on the teacup.

"Feng Bao assigned this case to you to put you in a difficult position."

"That old bastard, he's quick on his feet. What are you planning to do?"

Li Fan didn't hesitate and got straight to the point:

"Your Majesty, this servant has already persuaded Consort Xie to give up on Zhou Wenyuan."

Empress Yang's phoenix eyes lit up slightly.

"Zhou Wenyuan is a senior official in the Ministry of Justice, a fifth-rank official appointed by the imperial court."

"Consort Xie must have gone to great lengths to win him over."

"How did you convince her?"

After a brief rehearsal, Li Fan succinctly recounted what he had said to Consort Xie.

"This servant tells Your Highness that the Eastern Depot has completely obtained evidence of Zhou Wenyuan's crimes..."

After listening, Empress Yang remained silent for a moment.

The light in those phoenix eyes shifted from surprise to admiration, and then from admiration to a profound meaning that was difficult to explain.

This little eunuch was even more formidable than she had imagined.

Who was Consort Xie?

She was a woman who rose from a lowly concubine to the rank of Imperial Concubine in just three years.

Deeply scheming and ruthless, he never suffers a loss.

But this little eunuch was able to persuade Consort Xie to give up an important piece of her chess game with just a few words.

This thoughtfulness, this eloquence, this understanding of people's hearts...

not simple.

"You're right."

Empress Yang nodded, her tone now showing more approval.

"However, you didn't come to tell me all this just to report, did you?"

Li Fan raised his head, his gaze open and honest.

"Your Majesty is wise."

"This servant does indeed have selfish motives."

He paused, his voice turning somber:

"This servant captured Zhou Wenyuan not merely to establish authority within the Eastern Depot."

"Moreover, it is to prove to Your Majesty my loyalty."

Empress Yang narrowed her phoenix eyes slightly, and a faint smile curved her lips.

"oh?"

Li Fan continued, "Zhou Wenyuan is Consort Xie's man. If I investigate him, it's like stabbing Consort Xie in the back."

"This servant wishes to take this opportunity to express my loyalty to Your Majesty."

"From this day forward, whatever Your Majesty commands, this servant will go through fire and water, even unto death."

These words were spoken with utmost sincerity, each one seemingly uttered from the depths of the heart.

Empress Yang looked at Li Fan kneeling on the ground, a hint of satisfaction flashing in her phoenix eyes.

really.

All the gifts I gave before weren't wasted.

Tiger and Leopard Pills and Golden Silk Armor—these things may seem insignificant, but they are enough to make a lowly eunuch deeply grateful.

Moreover, he had exposed the fact that there was a mole in Chengqian Palace, putting invisible pressure on him.

Use both kindness and severity to win people's hearts.

She's been using this method for decades.

"Get up."

Empress Yang's tone softened somewhat, even becoming warmer.

"I am very pleased that you have this intention."

"Go ahead and do it. Investigate Zhou Wenyuan's case however you see fit."

"I'm here to protect you."

"From now on, if you encounter any problems at the Eastern Depot, feel free to come to me, and I will take care of them for you."

Li Fan immediately kowtowed.

"Thank you for your grace, Your Majesty!"

Empress Yang glanced at him, then suddenly thought of something.

She turned her head and glanced at the display cabinet next to her, then said to Ginkgo:

"Go and fetch my box of Black Jade Bone-Mending Ointment."

Yinxing responded, turned around and walked to the front of the multi-treasure pavilion, took down an exquisite sandalwood box, and presented it to Empress Yang with both hands.