Chapter 206 "Meng Bin"

Due to the vast difference in strength, Uya Zhaohui's sudden attack caught them completely off guard, and the battle was decided in a short time. In addition, the return from this voyage brought in a large sum of gold and silver, and wartime supplies were continuously being supplied, making this battle easier than the one against the Dzungars.

If Uya Zhaohui was somewhat apprehensive when he attacked the Dzungars, after all, he wasn't sure if his method of fighting, which could be described as annihilating a race, would be acceptable to everyone. However, at that time, he wasn't just young and impetuous; during the years he had been stationed in the Dzungars, he had witnessed far too many ugly faces of foreigners.

Princess Chaogui was a princess of the Celestial Empire, with her own princess residence and thousands of "servants," but she couldn't shake the personality of someone raised deep in the palace, and she still couldn't be assertive. If it weren't for the various policies laid out by the Crown Prince, she would have been completely exploited and stripped of her last bit of value long ago.

Even with thousands of guards watching over them, those barbarians were so unrestrained. It's hard to imagine the suffering that unarmed civilians on the border endured when facing such a group of ruthless invaders. From that moment on, Uya Zhaohui secretly vowed that one day he would have his iron cavalry wipe out the Dzungar royal court.

Indeed, he had annihilated the Dzungar Khanate to the point that only a place name remained. On the way back, after the initial unease, all that remained was a sense of peace, a clear conscience, and resignation to fate.

However, the Emperor and the Crown Prince did not punish him for this, not even reprimand him. They even rewarded him with an official position. From then on, he knew that he had done the right thing.

This time was no different. He could see the intense hatred the Crown Prince harbored deep within his heart towards Japan. He didn't know what this tiny island nation had done to offend the esteemed Crown Prince. But he didn't need to understand any of that. All he needed to know was that without the Crown Prince, he wouldn't be where he was today.

If you've offended someone you shouldn't have, you have to bear the consequences.

Hongzhao carefully examined the battle report sent back by Zhaohui. The battle situation was basically settled, and that small Japan could no longer cause any trouble. All that was left was for Zhaohui to "clean up the battlefield." Hongzhao was not in a hurry, as he always trusted Zhaohui to do this kind of thing.

“Xiao Dezi, come here. I’ll tell you to write this down. Let’s write a reply to Zhao Hui.”

Hongzhao supported himself on his knees with one foot on a footstool to elevate his leg, and held the battle report in his hand while instructing Xiao Dezi to grind ink.

"Hmm... I remember that although that island nation is small, it has several exceptionally rich gold and silver mines. Tell him to clear out those dwarves, and even if we want to mine them, we won't need them. Our Fu Yu is currently training a group of tall and strong men. We can pack some up and send them over to mine them."

Hongzhao swung his other leg slightly as he thought of the Filipino maids Fu Yu had brought back. Fu Yu had said that the purpose was to ensure that the leader of the group could understand Mandarin, or at least understand the most basic instructions. So he brought them back to broaden their horizons and teach them a thing or two.

It's said that to catch a thief, you must first catch his king. Since their leader was under the unified management of the Qing Dynasty, their subordinates would naturally be kept in check by their leader. This would make it much easier to trace responsibility level by level when things were going on.

That's what they say, but when it came to actually taking action, they were stuck at the very first step, completely blocked.

The tongues of those Filipino maids seemed to have been branded with a hot iron; they couldn't bend down or straighten up. It had been months and they still couldn't utter a complete sentence, which worried Fu Yu so much that she would scratch her head every time she saw them.

Xiao Dezi watched as his young master suddenly let out a soft, enigmatic chuckle. Though he didn't know why, he still grinned back.

His subordinates quickly stamped the Crown Prince's private seal on the letter and carefully sealed it. While they were busy, they didn't forget to tell the Crown Prince, "Your Highness seems to be in a good mood today, probably because of the hot pot dinner at the Empress's palace tonight. I'm also really looking forward to it."

Hongzhao glanced at him, his smile widening. He pretended to be angry and threw the battle report at him. "You glutton! When have I ever let you go hungry? Today I'll serve you a big portion. Don't even think about leaving Yongshou Palace until you finish it."

Xiao Dezi quickly took the battle report with both hands, looked up and hurriedly admitted his mistake—"Your Majesty, please calm down. This servant knows he was wrong. Today, Her Majesty the Empress finally had some free time and held a small banquet in the palace. It's rare to have so many people gathered together. It's not just this servant who was looking forward to it; everyone is grateful for Her Majesty the Empress's kindness."

Although there weren't many children in the palace, there were plenty of companions for Hongzhao and Hongjin. In total, there were more than a dozen of them who had entered the palace at a young age. The Empress was a kind-hearted woman and naturally took care of them all. They had also often enjoyed meals and banquets at Yongshou Palace since they were young.

It's just that everyone is getting older now, so we have to be more discreet. Now that the Empress has graciously hosted a small banquet, it's a rare opportunity for everyone to get together and have some fun.

Xiao Dezi's statement, "It's finally not busy anymore," naturally has a story behind it.

Meng Jingxian, the eldest daughter of the Duke of Pei's mansion, is about to enter the palace.

Hongzhao was also baffled by this matter. Not only him, but everyone in the capital knew that this eldest daughter of the Duke of Pei was infatuated with Prince Guo and would not marry anyone else. She even begged her father to skip the emperor's selection of concubines, and waited foolishly until she became an old maid.

But on that day, the Duke of Pei suddenly came to the Hall of Mental Cultivation to request an audience. He entered with a bitter face, and without saying a word, he bowed deeply to the Emperor.

"This sinful subject pays respects to Your Majesty! Long live the Emperor!"

Hongzhao was in the inner palace at the time. Because of his slender figure and the fact that his clothes matched the bright yellow background, the Duke of Pei was preoccupied with his own thoughts and did not notice him. This gave Hongzhao an even better chance to watch the drama unfold up close.

"A guilty subject?" Yinzhen asked, puzzled. "Why do you say that, my dear minister? What crime have you committed?"

The Duke of Pei was quite old, with white hair and a white beard. The bitterness on his face was almost tangible, as if he found it extremely difficult to speak. But having been forced to this point, he had no choice but to speak.

"Your Majesty, this old minister has followed you since the time of the late Emperor. Over the years, even if I have not made any great contributions, I have never made a mistake."

Yinzhen raised an eyebrow and nodded – “Yes, I know everything you’re saying.”

Having received the Emperor's approval, the Duke of Pei sighed and continued, "Your Majesty, my only regret is that I should not have spoiled this daughter!"

He straightened up and spoke of his daughter with a tone full of disappointment, clenching his fist and slapping it hard against his palm—"This child is my only daughter. She is so willful because I have spoiled her too much. Your Majesty is probably aware of the rumors circulating in the capital over the years. Back when the imperial concubine selection was being held, this old minister even swallowed his pride and came to beg for your favor."

Yinzhen naturally remembered this matter, but he didn't take it too seriously at the time. The title of Duke of Pei was bestowed by the late emperor, and for a Han Chinese to be granted the title of Duke was already the highest honor. Yinzhen did not make things difficult for him when he specially came to the palace to ask for this favor.

When the Duke of Pei spoke of this, he became even more emotional—"But who knew that this child, she...she has changed now. A few years ago, she happened to see Your Majesty returning from an incognito visit when she left the manor. From then on, she fell ill, constantly saying that Your Majesty is heroic and extraordinary, not comparable to ordinary people. She blames herself for being blind in the past, and even more so for me, her father, for letting her miss the imperial concubine selection."

He knelt on the ground, clearly at a loss for what to do with his daughter, and could only plead with the Emperor: "This child is stubborn and has lost her appetite ever since. Now I see her getting thinner and thinner, and I really can't bear to see my daughter like this. Please, Your Majesty, understand my love for my daughter and have mercy on her."

Hongzhao could tell from his father's smug and vain expression that this matter was probably true.

Sure enough, the palace will soon have another "Consort Meng".

And there was only a year and a half left until Hongzhao's sixteenth birthday.