As expected, as they stepped into the deeper parts of the bamboo forest, the guards following behind Luo Wei and Emperor Xing Wu shouted, "There's someone there!"

Luo Wei could also see a wavering figure in front of them, hidden between the bamboos.

As the lanterns lit up, an old servant was pressed to the ground by two guards carrying sabers.

"Your Imperial Majesty," Zhao Fu, the head eunuch of the Hall of Eternal Light, was also accompanying them. He only took one look at this old servant before telling Emperor Xing Wu, "This is an old, close servant of Her Imperial Highness, Consort Liu."

At this, the old servant shook like a leaf in the wind, and almost fainted.

"What's in that basket?" Luo Wei pointed at the basket beside the old servant, "Is she out here digging up bamboo shoots for food?"

Emperor Xing Wu pointed.

A guard approached to check the basket. As he opened the package wrapped in black silk within the basket, the contents startled him enough to make him take a few steps back.

Under the light of the lanterns, everyone present saw what was inside the package that the guard had opened. Unbelievably, it was the remains of a fetus.

Luo Wei shouted, then quickly covered his mouth with his hands, glancing towards the emperor with a fearful expression.

"Don't be scared," Emperor Xing Wu knew that Luo Wei had been frightened and pulled the kid into his arms, giving orders to the guards behind him, "You two, escort Young Master Luo back to the Hall of Eternal Light."

"Y-Your Imperial Majesty?" Luo Wei's tone had completely changed.

"Don't be scared, nothing happened," The emperor's face was dark, but he still comforted Luo Wei with a gentle voice, "Wei Er, you go back first and wait for me, okay? Be good."

Luo Wei was escorted away by the guards.

It was only after this that Emperor Xing Wu put his hands behind his back and looked down at the old servant, laying face down on the ground.

Zhao Fu shouted a question at her, "What are you trying to do?"

The old servant couldn't answer. A guard had already stuffed her mouth with cloth, fearing that she'd kill herself by biting off her own tongue.

"Take her back with us," Emperor Xing Wu said, then added after a moment of thought, "No one is to speak about this with anyone else."

"This humble servant shall obey this imperial decree," Zhao Fu accepted the command.

Luo Wei didn't see Emperor Xing Wu for the rest of the night. He knows that the emperor must be in the prison complex of the Hall of Eternal Light, interrogating that old servant himself. If Luo Wei didn't guess wrong, this old servant would return to the Hall of the Blossoming Beauty and tell Consort Liu that everything had been taken care of. If questioned about why it took all night, the old servant would find an excuse and say that she heard someone outside the bamboo forest, so she hid for the night before coming back. Emperor Xing Wu would want to see how Consort Liu would play the rest of it out. This was a very patient emperor, so he wouldn't burst into a furious rage at the scene, but instead was ready to see the ugliest sides of what went on in the deep palace play out in front of him again.

When the morning came, Emperor Xing Wu arrived at the room Luo Wei stayed in. He sat at Luo Wei's bedside and asked, "I heard you couldn't sleep last night?"

Luo Wei made a face like he wanted to ask but was afraid to.

Emperor Xing Wu sighed deeply and spoke in gentle tones, "Wei Er, just pretend you didn't see anything that happened last night."

Luo Wei quickly nodded.

"Wei Er," Emperor Xing Wu held Luo Wei in his arms, "It had nothing to do with you. To be honest, anything that happens in the Back Palace has nothing to do with you, so from now on, just stay by my side and don't worry about anything that happens in the Back Palace, understand?"

Luo Wei answered, cutely, "Your humble servant understands. From now on, I won't go anywhere else in the palace aside from the Hall of Eternal Light."

"Are you frightened?" The emperor tightened his arms around Luo Wei, "Wei Er... I'll show you all of it."

"Show me all of what?" Luo Wei asked.

Emperor Xing Wu answered, "I'll show you all the ugly things that people stoop down to in this world."

Luo Wei shook his head hard.

But the emperor said, "Wei Er, your father protected you too well, but you'll have to grow up someday."

Last night, Emperor Xing Wu almost died from anger while interrogating that old servant from the Hall of the Blossoming Beauty. He was disappointed, but it wasn't out of his expectations. He'd seen all the plotting under and over the table in these years as emperor. It was only when the most vicious side of humanity showed itself to him again that he understood something, he couldn't protect the son he'd had with Luo Zhi Jin forever. Luo Zhi Qiu couldn't either. Luo Wei must have the ability to protect himself. Luo Zhi Jin had hoped that the father and son would never meet, of course she had, because this Back Palace was a killing field where blood ran like rivers. Why would she ever want her son to sink himself into a place like this, never having a chance to be spared of this life? "But Zhi Jin," In his heart, Emperor Xing Wu said to his deceased lover, "Wei Er needs to grow up someday. He doesn't know how treacherous people could be. How else would you want him to exist in this world? Did you think that the Senior Chancellor's estate was outside of all this strife?"