Nan Jihan turned to his personal eunuch, who knelt down and told him how the maids and servants had been treating Jun Huang. Nan Jihan scowled and kicked the eunuch in the chest. “Useless thing! Stay on your knees and think about your mistakes.”

He rushed to the side building with Oleg Cragfiend. When they arrived, the maid happened to be leaving the room. She greeted them respectfully and said, “She’s asleep.”

“Why didn’t you tell me?!” Nan Jihan growled. He was so angry he’d snap at anything that moved.

Before the maid could say anything, Oleg Cragfiend retorted in a steely voice, “Who do you think she is, Your Majesty? She’s only a maid. How could she possibly reach you when you were avoiding them? If you have time to waste on casting blame, it’s better served dealing with the matter at hand.”

Nan Jihan quieted down. The poison master was right. He cupped his hands and bowed slightly to express...