The fabrics National Master Hall disciples can afford are certainly not ordinary.
The monarch continued to look at the National Master.
The National Master picked it up and sniffed, "It doesn’t have the fragrance of our National Master Hall, not one of our people."
The monarch: Who suspects your National Master Hall anyway?
The National Master looked at Zhang Dequan, "Who in the Imperial Palace wears this kind of kudzu silk?"
"This..." Zhang Dequan couldn’t deduce anything from just a strand of kudzu silk.
The National Master said to a nearby disciple, "Go and fetch a bolt of kudzu fabric exactly the same."
"Yes," the disciple turned and left.
Before long, he brought over a long piece of kudzu cloth.
Zhang Dequan stepped forward, touched it, and exclaimed in astonishment, "The fabric I’m wearing is exactly like this one!"
The National Master said, "It seems it’s one of your Imperial Palace eunuchs, probably one with a rank like Eunuch Zhang."
Wang Xu added, "The culprit didn’t leave any footprints at the scene, so I suspect they have incredible lightness skills."
There aren’t many eunuchs with lightness skills and rank, but it’s possible the culprit has always hidden their abilities.
The monarch said sternly, "I’ll give you one night, if I don’t see the murderer by tomorrow morning, your tenure as Captain of the Guard is over!"
Just one night, isn’t that a bit too—
But the monarch does what he says, and if he really can’t find out by tomorrow, his title will be stripped away.
He bowed and replied, "Your humble servant obeys the command!"
...
It was getting late; the monarch should return.
"Where is the Little Princess?" he asked Zhang Dequan.
Zhang Dequan replied, "It seems she is playing in the Garden with her little classmate, Little Zhengzi is with her."
Little Zhengzi is a skilled fighter within the Imperial Palace.
This is the National Master Hall, so the monarch isn’t worried about the Little Princess’s safety; his concern is that having neglected her for so long, she might feel wronged and sad.
When she gets sad, she cries, and when she cries, it’s earth-shattering.
"And the pastries?" the monarch asked.
"Right here," Zhang Dequan lifted the food box that had been prepared early in the morning.
"Hmm," the monarch took Zhang Dequan and the pastries to look for the Little Princess in the Garden.
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