They kept talking, even putting on a look as if, should I not heed their advice, they would immediately dash themselves to death against a pillar. Their nagging was so annoying it gave me a headache, and I couldn’t help but start to understand why that guy gave up being emperor—he probably just couldn’t stand being tormented by these people.

Well, forget it. I’m new here, and it wouldn’t be good to get a few veteran ministers killed right away. I just played along and brushed things off, planning to deal with the troublemaker when they weren’t around.

Then, an old minister with a beard as white as snow suddenly stopped crying and put on a serious face: “Your Majesty, this old minister wishes to inquire about the details of the assassination attempt on Your Majesty, so that upon returning to the capital, the Ministry of Justice can immediately investigate the matter.”

My heart skipped a beat. This unremarkable old man actually spoke with such authority. Talking about ordering the Ministry of Justice around—this meant his position was above it. Could he be... the Prime Minister?

“Lord Chancellor speaks with reason.” Another old man with a grizzled beard bowed and said, “His Majesty was attacked, but fortunately, by Heaven’s grace, escaped unharmed. However, this is a matter of great importance to the realm and must be thoroughly investigated.”

So he’s the Chancellor! I glanced at that old guy again, feeling another wave of pity for the emperor. This old man was the most dramatic just now, acting like he was ready to die. Having him as a teacher must have been miserable.

“Mm, what you say makes sense.” I yawned repeatedly and waved my hand. “But I’m really too tired today. I need to get a good sleep first. We’ll talk about this after I wake up.” As I spoke, I put on a weary, listless expression.

With that, those stubborn ministers didn’t dare say more. If the emperor fell ill from exhaustion, no one could bear the blame.

At last, I got rid of that group of old men and insisted on having Brian Bolton accompany me into the bedchamber. I also told him to bring the old monk back.

Brian Bolton was startled at first, looking troubled. “Your Majesty, Lord Chancellor—”

At that, I snorted coldly in my heart. This Chancellor really was influential. My face darkened. “Is he the emperor, or am I the emperor?”

Brian Bolton apologized repeatedly, but in the end, he followed my orders and secretly brought the old monk to the bedchamber. Finally, that scorched, scabby head was successfully shaved. As for whether those old men would try to kill themselves over it, who knows? If they really did, it would actually be a relief—less trouble for me.

I told Brian Bolton to arrange the guards on duty and to get some rest himself. Before he left, I patted his shoulder and earnestly told him not to overwork himself and to take care. This simple gesture of concern nearly brought him to tears.

Watching his shoulders shake with emotion, I thought to myself, is that really necessary? In my time, what leader didn’t know a trick or two like this?

I really was tired. So much had happened today, and I hadn’t had a proper rest. So I headed for the dragon bed. Although this wasn’t the real imperial palace, the living arrangements were quite complete.

Suddenly, I noticed two palace maids kneeling before the dragon couch, not daring to look up at me.

What are they doing here? I wondered. Then another thought crossed my mind—could it be...? Haha, I could barely contain my excitement.

“Raise your heads and let me have a look.” Now that I was an emperor, I couldn’t appear too eager. I had to be dignified—I kept reminding myself of that.

Chapter Two: The Twin Maids Lan and Xing (Part 1)

Sure enough, under the emperor’s authority, the two little maids dared not resist. At my command, the two girls slowly lifted their delicate brows.

Suddenly, I couldn’t help but take a sharp breath. It wasn’t that these two maids were ugly—on the contrary, they were fresh and pretty, with first-rate looks.

I took a few deep breaths to steady myself. I had to remember that I was just a fake emperor. If the previous guy had already favored these two maids, it wouldn’t matter if I was just wearing his old shoes, but if my identity was exposed, that would be a disaster.

The desire that had just welled up in me vanished without a trace once I thought this through. I couldn’t bring myself to do something like silencing them after the fact.

“I’m going to rest now.” Feeling a bit disappointed, I waved for them to leave.

Unexpectedly, the two maids didn’t get up. The older one spoke timidly, “This... this servant is Claire, and this is Grace. We were just assigned to serve Your Majesty today and haven’t yet attended to Your Majesty’s bath. We dare not leave.” As she spoke, fear showed in her brows, and her delicate body trembled slightly.

Ah? I was instantly delighted. Though they were maids, in the palace, every woman was a top choice. These two, even in my previous world, would have been rare beauties.

Thinking of this, I couldn’t help but curse at those old TV shows. When filming palace dramas, the extras playing maids were just pitiful. Sure, it saved money, but it left me with the wrong impression that real palace maids were nothing special. Clearly, I was mistaken.

Now, hearing that both girls had just been assigned here, and judging by how they introduced themselves, it must be their first time meeting the emperor. Naturally, they wouldn’t know that the real emperor didn’t have a birthmark on his chest, right? Doesn’t that mean... heh heh.