The weather was fine and the afternoon was pleasant. Emperor Yugan took Princess Yao to appreciate the flowers in the imperial garden. The father and daughter asked and answered each other, and laughter filled the entire imperial garden, creating a scene of complete joy.
At this time, Eunuch Yu walked in quickly from outside. Seeing Emperor Yugan holding Princess Yao and playing the simplest magic game, he stood aside, but a hesitant expression appeared on his face.
"What's the matter?" Although Emperor Yugan was playing with Princess Yao, he had already noticed the hesitation on Eunuch Yu's face from the corner of his eye, so he asked.
"Your Majesty, Prince Chu and Rong Yunhe request to see you." Eunuch Yu instantly hid the unnecessary expression on his face and replied humbly.
Upon hearing Eunuch Yu's reply, Emperor Yugan's hand, which was originally flat in front of Princess Yao, immediately clenched into a fist, but in the blink of an eye, he slowly opened his five fingers in front of Princess Yao.
"Ah, why is it gone?" Princess Yao stared at Emperor Yugan's empty hands with her big, watery eyes, full of disbelief.
A pair of small hands turned Emperor Yugan's hand over and over for no less than ten times, but still couldn't find the jade pendant. Princess Yao snuggled close to Emperor Yugan's arms and said coquettishly, "Father, where is the jade pendant? Why did it suddenly disappear? Father, you'd better quickly change it back. That is Yao'er's favorite jade pendant, Father..."
The sweet and tender voice of the little girl immediately melted Emperor Yugan's heart. He smiled heartily and stretched out his other hand in front of Princess Yao. He waved it in front of her eyes for a few times and then spread out his five fingers. The jade pendant was lying in his palm.
"Wow..." Princess Yao exclaimed in admiration, then immediately grasped the jade pendant tightly in her hand, carefully touching it again and again to confirm that it was her original piece. Then she smiled and said, "Thank you, father. You are the most amazing!"
Emperor Yugan was very pleased and tapped Princess Yao's nose. Then he handed Princess Yao to the wet nurse beside him and asked them to leave first.
The smile on his face gradually faded as Princess Yao walked away. Emperor Yugan said to Lord Yu calmly, "Let them in!"
"Yes, Your Majesty!" Eunuch Yu immediately turned around and left the Imperial Garden. A moment later, he was seen leading Chu Feiyang and Rong Yunhe in quickly.
"Your humble servant pays homage to the Emperor. Long live the Emperor!" Seeing Emperor Yugan sitting on a stone bench in the Imperial Garden, the two men immediately knelt down and saluted.
"Everyone, get up. Why are you coming to the palace together today?" Emperor Yugan spoke solemnly, but his eyes were looking at Chu Feiyang and Rong Yunhe, and he was guessing the true relationship between the two.
"Your Majesty, I have completed what Your Majesty asked me to do a few days ago. But Young Master Rong wants to thank you in person for your grace." The two men stood up. Chu Feiyang glanced at the stone table in the imperial garden and saw all kinds of precious cakes and soups on it. This meal alone would be enough for the middle-class families in the capital to live on for two or three years, but Qu Yan said that there was no money in the treasury. Emperor Yu Gan even forced the Rong family to contribute money and effort. It was really ridiculous.
Rong Yunhe also noticed everything on the table. Having grown up in a wealthy family, he was naturally familiar with these things. A hint of sarcasm flashed across his half-closed eyes. Then, following Chu Feiyang's words, he took a step forward, knelt down and said, "I bow to thank the emperor for his grace."
When Emperor Yugan saw Rong Yunhe step forward to pay his respects, a flash of anger flashed across his relatively calm eyes, but he spoke calmly, "What are you doing? You are Concubine Rong's younger brother, and the head of the Rong family. Naturally, I value the Rong family the most! Get up!"
Hearing this, Rong Yunhe insisted on kneeling where he was, kowtowed heavily to Emperor Yugan, and said in a cold voice, "Your Majesty is wise! Precisely because the Imperial Concubine is my biological sister, the Rong family should be even more loyal to the court and the Emperor! Therefore, after the Imperial Concubine was sentenced to death by the Emperor, although the Rong family was heartbroken, they will comply with the Emperor's request! Firstly, I don't want the people to think that the Rong family hates the Emperor because he sentenced the Imperial Concubine to death! Secondly, the Imperial Concubine acted uprightly during her lifetime. The Rong family has nothing to fear from the shadow of others, so they should assist the Emperor and share his worries!"
Eunuch Yu was terrified by these words, and he couldn't help but silently curse the Rong family's eldest son for his audacity. These words, both overtly and covertly, accused the Emperor of wrongfully accusing Concubine Rong and causing her death. If one were to investigate further, one might even question the Emperor's judgment, as he had sentenced Concubine Rong to death without even conducting an investigation.
However, Chu Feiyang stood there calmly, allowing Rong Yunhe to speak freely without stopping him.
Emperor Yugan's originally relaxed expression suddenly darkened because of Rong Yunhe's words. Anger instantly emanated from his entire body. However, due to Chu Feiyang's presence, he did not lose his temper immediately. He suppressed the rage that kept boiling in his heart and asked in a cold voice, "Are you saying that I wrongly killed Concubine Rong?"
Hearing Emperor Yugan's question, Rong Yunhe knelt upright, his clear, wind-like eyes meeting his, and he spoke in a tone neither humble nor arrogant, "I dare not! However, I have always harbored a question in my heart. The Imperial Concubine was raised in seclusion and married into the palace. Apart from her family, she has only ever seen the Emperor. Why doesn't the Emperor give the Imperial Concubine a chance to explain? Although the Rong family is a humble merchant, they have wholeheartedly nurtured the Imperial Concubine. I believe the Emperor can also understand this from his past interactions with the Imperial Concubine. The Imperial Concubine's every move is filled with dignity and nobility. How could she be 'lacking in virtue' as the Emperor's edict mentions?"
"Hmph! Concubine Rong has a good brother who is loyal to her and protects her!" Emperor Yugan sneered, with a cold light flashing in his eyes, like a sword stabbing at Rong Yunhe.
However, Rong Yunhe's expression was calm and his eyes were as still as a thousand-year-old well, making it impossible to guess what he was really thinking.
Looking at Rong Yunhe's unyielding appearance, Emperor Yugan said softly, "It seems that you are here today to complain about the grievances of Concubine Rong!"
Who would have thought that after saying this, Emperor Yugan's voice suddenly rose. He stood up with great anger, pointed at the tip of Rong Yunhe's nose and shouted angrily: "How dare you! Rong Yunhe, you don't even consider your own status, yet you dare to openly accuse me? How many lives do you have in your Rong family to withstand such treason? Are you so bold? Come, take Rong Yunhe out of the Duanmen Gate and behead him!"
"Your Majesty, wait a minute!" Chu Feiyang saw Rong Yunhe angering Emperor Yugan, and knew Rong Yunhe's stubborn temper would definitely come out again, so he immediately spoke out to stop him and quickly explained, "Your Majesty, Rong Yunhe's only legitimate sister is Concubine Rong. The two siblings have had a deep relationship since childhood, so it is indeed difficult for him to accept the news of Concubine Rong's death! Moreover, the matter of Concubine Rong is indeed strange, but now that Concubine Rong has passed away, there is no way to investigate anything, which is really a pity!"
"King Chu, are you accusing me of arbitrary judgment?" Emperor Yugan responded with a cold glare, his words laced with sarcasm. However, Chu Feiyang's reckless act of standing up for himself revealed the relationship between the Chu and Rong families. It seemed the Rong family was no longer content with the title of imperial merchant, eager to achieve greater success.
"Your humble servant dare not. I am just expressing my feelings! If Your Majesty feels that I have committed treason, please punish me as well as you. I have no complaints!" As he said that, Chu Feiyang knelt down with Rong Yunhe, but he kept his back straight and his face was honest, showing no fear of the imperial power at all.
"You..." Emperor Yugan was speechless, looking at Chu Feiyang and Rong Yunhe kneeling on the ground. One held military power, the other controlled half of Xichu's wealth. If he dealt with both of them at once, he would lose two pillars of support in an instant. But if he only punished one of them, given their temperaments, they would probably not comply.
He felt angry, but Emperor Yugan knew that he couldn't touch these two people now. He slowly withdrew his hand pointing at Rong Yunhe and said coldly, "It seems that you are not here just to express your gratitude today! I'm afraid you have other ideas!"
"Your Majesty is wise!" Rong Yunhe shouted loudly, causing Emperor Yugan to frown and look at him, not understanding what he was up to.
"I heard from the prince that the emperor has ordered the imperial concubine's body to be transported back to the palace and is planning a grand funeral. I wonder if this is true?" Rong Yunhe said indifferently, but his eyes, which had been calm just now, concealed a deep calculation.
When Emperor Yugan heard the words "grand funeral," he couldn't help but frown again. "I did have Concubine Rong's body brought back to the palace, but..."
"Your Majesty, the Rong family has devoted all its resources to assisting you, simply because we hope that our daughter in the palace can live a peaceful life!" Rong Yunhe interrupted Emperor Yugan disrespectfully and spoke directly, "Since Your Majesty has changed his mind and wants to give Concubine Rong a grand funeral, please clear her name and restore her innocence!"
"What if I don't want to? The Rong family is unwilling to contribute money and effort? Rong Yunhe, you are so bold, how dare you threaten me!" Emperor Yu Gan didn't expect Rong Yunhe's request to be so outrageous.
He was the one who personally wrote the imperial decree that granted Rong Rong death, but Rong Yunhe now wanted him to clear Rong Rong's name. Wouldn't this make Emperor Yugan lose the trust of the world and contradict himself?
"Your Majesty, please calm down! How dare I threaten you! Even if Your Majesty does not clear the imperial concubine's name, the Rong family will remain loyal to Your Majesty. I will personally go to Jiangnan to provide disaster relief and flood prevention. Please rest assured, Your Majesty!" At this time, Rong Yunhe suddenly changed the subject and cooperated with Emperor Yugan very well.
Seeing Rong Yunhe's sudden change in attitude, Emperor Yugan was slightly stunned. He looked deeply at the young man kneeling in front of him, and felt that the calmness in him was really rare. It would be good if he could use such a person, but if he didn't, then...
"Xiao Yuzi, pass on my decree to posthumously confer the title of Imperial Noble Consort on Consort Rong and bury her on the west side of the imperial mausoleum!" Having made up his mind, Emperor Yugan stared at Rong Yunhe and spoke word by word.
"Your Majesty..." Eunuch Yu was shocked, but he also understood Emperor Yugan's temperament, so he could only swallow all his words.
"Thank you for your grace!" At this time, Rong Yunhe stood up with Chu Feiyang, and the two left the imperial garden together.
Emperor Yugan waited for the two to leave with a look of anger in his eyes. He grabbed the teacup at hand and smashed it hard to the ground, scaring the palace maids serving in the imperial garden to kneel down and dare not make a sound.
"Let General Guangwei come to see me!" After saying this coldly, Emperor Yugan stood up and left.
"You are so bold today!" After leaving the palace, Chu Feiyang looked at Rong Yunhe solemnly, his serious eyes filled with dissatisfaction with Rong Yunhe's handling of the matter.
"Thank you very much, Your Highness, for saving my life!" Rong Yunhe knew that he was too bold and reckless just now. If Chu Feiyang had not been holding him down, he would have been killed by now. Therefore, Rong Yunhe was sincere in his thanks.
It was not difficult to see from Rong Yunhe's overly clear eyes that although the young man sincerely thanked him, he was still unwilling to accept it in his heart. Chu Feiyang sighed slightly and slowly said, "I know you are eager for revenge! But he is the current emperor, not an ordinary citizen. His joys and sorrows all affect your life. Old Lady Chen has already lost Miss Rong. Do you still want her to lose you? You must know that there are others in this world who hate more than you. He has a large army but can still control his temper. Why can't you? Rong Yunhe, you are now the helmsman of the Rong family. Your words and deeds will affect the fate of the Rong family. Do you hope that when Old Lady Chen wakes up, she will see the devastated Rong family?"
"Your Highness..." After listening to Chu Feiyang's analysis, Rong Yunhe's eyes gradually showed shame, and he lowered his head to think deeply about his behavior just now.
"Although the emperor didn't touch you just now for the sake of my face, the look in his eyes when he looked at you was filled with murderous intent! Rong Yunhe, you must be careful when you go to Jiangnan! Many things that cannot be solved openly are very easy to solve in secret! Don't put yourself and the people around you in danger just because of a momentary pleasure of talking! Remember, the Rong family is just a merchant family. They have no one in the court or the army. The emperor didn't deal with you today because he didn't want to cause too many rumors and turmoil, but this does not mean that he will tolerate you. If he wants to kill you at all costs, it will be easy!" Since Yun Qianmeng regarded Rong Yunhe as a good friend, Chu Feiyang naturally didn't want Yun Qianmeng to be sad. It was also a special care for Rong Yunhe, so he said so many words.
"I was reckless!" The stubbornness in his eyes faded away, and there was a clear look in Rong Yunhe's eyes. It seemed that he had regained his previous calmness under Chu Feiyang's guidance.
"You are going to Jiangnan in person this time, I believe it is not just for disaster relief and flood prevention!" Seeing that he was awake, Chu Feiyang did not delve into the matter any further and changed the topic to ask Rong Yunhe.
"Your Highness is truly a man of foresight!" Rong Yunhe smiled faintly, mounted his horse with Chu Feiyang, and whispered his plan.
－－－－－－Digression－－－－－－
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