Liu Jin's eyes narrowed slightly.

The Emperor had originally suspended the thorough investigation of the Jia-character library.

As a result, the queen was assassinated.

The Gu family's pledge of loyalty, the reorganization of the Beijing army, and even the restart of the thorough investigation of the Jiazi Reservoir were all part of the series of events.

Has the Emperor begun to doubt their loyalty?

The incident of those two censors being publicly exposed to the elements, in particular, remained a thorn in his side.

The Emperor was unaware of this, but the Empress knew it all.

It's obvious that the Empress whispered something in his ear.

Liu Jin narrowed his eyes, a cold glint flashing in them.

Who was the mastermind behind the assassination attempt on the Empress?

...

Prince Rong is finally leaving the capital to take up his fief.

Lu Xingjian rarely attended the morning court session. When the session ended, Prince Rong was to pay his respects in farewell.

Lu Xingjian watched as Prince Rong, dressed in his imperial robes, performed the five-bow ceremony and ordered wine to be served.

"The journey is long and arduous, please take care, Uncle Thirteen."

Prince Rong remained expressionless and said loudly:

"My eldest son has not yet been granted the title of heir apparent, and the royal palace is short of funds. I humbly request that he be granted a title so that he may enjoy the same stipends as his father."

Lu Xingjian smiled faintly.

Without the Prince of Jin's financial support, the man under house arrest in the capital only received 3,000 shi of rice as a stipend, which inevitably led to a shortage of supplies.

"I was thinking of granting my request to my thirteenth uncle out of consideration for family ties, but the ancestral rules for stipends are fixed, and I dare not disobey them. I will reward him with something else."

He summoned the Assistant Minister of Revenue and asked, "Has the investigation of the estates in Changde Prefecture that Prince Rong requested has been completed?"

The Ministry of Revenue official replied: "The seven estates in Xiangluzhou and other places in Changde Prefecture, totaling more than 630 hectares, have been thoroughly investigated. The people have already cultivated them and have not paid taxes as usual."

"It is advisable to allow Changde Prefecture to take full control of the land, recruit people to cultivate it and pay rent, and allow the original settlers who wish to cultivate it to continue to comply with the prefecture's regulations. The officials in charge of the estates should not arbitrarily harass people, and should only collect rent."

Prince Rong was so angry that his face turned ashen.

That brat emperor is going too far!

Although it was said to be a reward of land, he was deprived of the right to manage these estates and was only allowed the right to collect rent.

Once he went to Changde, he could no longer keep assassins on his farm as he did in the capital.

Lu Xingjian smiled broadly, "Uncle Thirteen, is there something you're unhappy about?"

Prince Rong gritted his teeth, but in the end he swallowed his anger and put on a look of fear and trepidation.

"Your Majesty, I humbly request that you grant me a salt permit so that I may support my family."

Lu Xingjian waved his hand and said, "Granted."

He looked at the Ministry of Revenue official and asked, "How much should be granted according to precedent?"

The official from the Ministry of Revenue frowned so much he could have trapped a fly: "The national treasury is empty, and the military supplies for the nine border regions are still hanging by a thread. Just this May, we granted the Prince of Linquan in Shanxi ten salt permits."

"Your humble servant suggests that it would be appropriate to bestow twenty taels upon Prince Rong."

The price doubled by twenty, which is quite generous of them.

Prince Rong was so angry he was about to explode.

Twenty salt permits? Is this some kind of beggar's treat?!

For an emperor to be so stingy, doesn't he feel ashamed?

Lu Xingjian, however, feigned generosity with genuine sincerity: "Twenty salt permits are indeed a bit too few. I will bestow upon Uncle Thirteen three hundred salt permits."

Prince Rong's expression softened slightly.

The Minister of Revenue, Gu Zuo, who was standing next to him, remained silent.

The Emperor is quite the actor.

A few days ago, they forced us to stand up and extort more than a million salt permits from the salt merchants in Jiangnan.

Now he's giving away three hundred salt certificates as a reward to show off his wealth, and everyone else is expected to be extremely grateful and thankful.

They're ruthless killers, and they eat people without salt.

...

Su Wanwan asked He Ying in a low voice, "Is everything arranged?"

He Ying nodded. "The person has arrived. They are at the Fu Bi Pavilion in the palace's rear garden."

Su Wanwan took a deep breath. "Let's go."

Exiting the Kunning Gate, which is located to the north of the Kunning Palace, leads to the rear garden of the palace.

A while ago, she asked Heying to ask Xiao Bin for his opinion. Xiao Bin didn't say anything else, only mentioning meeting.

Once you enter the palace gates, it's like entering a deep sea.

Especially since Lu Xingjian stayed in Kunning Palace every day and never went out, it was harder for her to find time to see him than to climb to heaven.

As for meeting Xiao Bin in front of Lu Xingjian, she would never allow herself to be in such a chaotic situation.

Lu Xingjian rarely attends the morning court now, and he won't be back for a while.

She'll just go and say a few words to Xiao Bin and come back; it won't take up much time.

Below the Floating Jade Pavilion is a rectangular pool that stretches from east to west, with a single-arched stone bridge spanning the pool, and the pavilion situated on the bridge.

The pond is now filled with lotus flowers.

A gentle breeze carries the fragrance of lotus leaves and flowers, enhancing the tranquility of summer.

The cicadas chirped loudly and passionately in the trees, revealing their love for life and their yearning for freedom.

But when you look up, the sky above the Forbidden City is square; where is there any freedom?

Xiao Bin, dressed in a border army uniform, stood quietly by the pavilion, watching Su Wanwan slowly approach, parting the flowers and willows.

Logically, Xiao Bin should have bowed to her.

But he didn't.

Su Wanwan naturally wouldn't hold it against her.

The two looked at each other in silence for a moment.

They both turned to face the pond full of lotus flowers, and neither of them looked at the other again.

Finally, Xiao Bin spoke first:

How have you been?

Su Wanwan breathed a sigh of relief and shook her head:

"fine."

The atmosphere fell silent again.

Su Wanwan began with difficulty, "Miss Zhou, she..."

“I will not marry her,” Xiao Bin interrupted her.

Su Wanwan nodded blankly, her tone sincere:

"I'm just worried about Zhou Jiaqiang."

"If Lord Xiao has a woman he desires, I..."

What did it mean when it was rumored that he didn't reject the Zhou family?

Su Wanwan thought about it with a troubled mind.

"No." Xiao Bin interrupted her again in a cold tone.

The air fell silent again.

Only the sound of cicadas echoed in the scorching hot air.

The sound was deafening.

It is utterly terrifying.

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