Inside the Ci'an Palace in the imperial city, Empress Dowager Lu Fengqing leaned against the phoenix throne, her fingertips gently stroking a string of jade Buddhist beads, her eyes fixed on the falling sycamore leaves outside the palace.
"The Emperor has arrived—"
Following the eunuch's shrill announcement, Li Longze strode into the inner hall.
He was dressed in bright yellow casual clothes, and the dragon-patterned jade pendant hanging on the jade belt around his waist swayed gently with his steps, casting fine shadows in the hall.
"Son pays his respects to the Queen Mother." Li Longze bowed, his voice sounding a little tired.
The Queen Mother raised her hand and signaled the palace maids to leave.
After the palace door gently closed, she slowly spoke: "The emperor has been busy with state affairs these days, so I haven't been here much."
Li Longze sat down on the rosewood armchair below the empress dowager, took the teacup offered by the palace maid and waved his hand to let her leave.
"The Northwest Military News keeps coming in, and I'm really busy." He took a sip of tea, frowning slightly. "I came here today because I want to discuss something with the Queen Mother."
The Queen Mother paused for a moment, "But is this about the Xingyuan Marquisate?"
"Mother, you will understand."
Li Longze put down his teacup and tapped his fingertips lightly on the table. "Xue Yuanchu returned from the border after making great contributions. My son deposed him from the position of Crown Prince that day. Now..."
"Does the Emperor think that his title should be restored?" The Empress Dowager's eyes flickered slightly, and the jade Buddhist beads turned faster between her fingers.
Li Longze sighed softly, "Xue Yuanchu has indeed made military achievements and voluntarily surrendered his military power as a token of his loyalty. If we don't appease him, I'm afraid it will chill the hearts of the soldiers at the border."
There was a moment of silence in the hall. The Queen Mother recalled that winter when she ordered people to mix the abortion drug into Jiang Shuxiu's tonic, and her hands were just as cold.
"The emperor will make his own arrangements."
The Queen Mother suddenly spoke, her voice trembling with a barely perceptible tremor, "I am old, and I do not wish for unrest in the court."
Li Longze keenly noticed the Queen Mother's abnormality: "Is your Majesty unwell?"
The Queen Mother shook her head and clutched her Buddhist beads tighter: "I just remembered that the child of the Xue family just had a baby boy, and my heart..." She paused and ultimately couldn't continue.
"Don't worry, mother."
A complex expression flashed across Li Longze's eyes. "Xue Yuanchu, having grasped current affairs, surrendered his military authority upon returning to the capital. As for Nurhadu, he's now living in a villa outside the capital, and seems to be quite content."
Hearing the name of the Xirong Prince, the Queen Mother's expression froze. "This man is a potential threat after all. How does the Emperor intend to deal with him?"
Li Longze stood up and walked to the window, gazing at a dying peony in the courtyard. "The old king of Xirong is seriously ill, and his sons are vying for the throne. If we can reach an alliance with Nurhadu, allowing him to return to Xirong as king, we will never again go to war with our Great Yong..."
"Emperor!" The Queen Mother suddenly raised her voice, "Do you know that Nurhadu and the youngest daughter of the Xue family..."
"Son knows." Li Longze turned around, a mysterious smile on his face. "That's why we must be more cautious."
The Queen Mother stared at her son and suddenly felt that the emperor in the dragon robe looked strange.
She recalled how many years ago, when the late emperor was still alive, the old Marquis of Xingyuan, Xue Yonghuai, had saved the young Li Longze with a single arrow in the hunting ground.
At that time, blood dyed the autumn grass red, and Xue Yonghuai's arm blocked the fatal blow for the prince.
Li Longze's voice brought the Queen Mother back from her memories: "Mother, I can see that you have some grievances against the Xingyuan Marquisate, but you have never thought about its destruction."
The Queen Mother closed her eyes, as if she was feeling unspeakable guilt.
"Since the Emperor already understands, why ask me again?"
Li Longze nodded: "My son just hopes that the Queen Mother understands that there are some things that must be done."
Suddenly, hurried footsteps were heard outside the palace, followed by a cautious eunuch's report: "Your Majesty, the eunuch Chen Jin from the Imperial Household Department requests an audience. He said that he has something to report."
Li Longze frowned: "Announce."
Soon, Chen Jin walked quickly into the hall, and the hem of his dragon robe was slightly lifted due to his quick pace.
As he knelt down to pay his respects, a roll of silk slipped out of his sleeve and was keenly spotted by the emperor.
"Your Majesty, the Chief Clerk of the Linjiang Palace, Yan Boxi, has sent a secret report from Shanzhou."
Chen Jin presented the scroll of silk with both hands and lowered his voice to a very low level, "All the illegal mines at the junction of the three counties in Shanzhou have been investigated."
Li Longze's fingers tightened slightly as he took the silk.
As the map slowly unfolded, it was discovered that there were as many as seventeen marked mining sites, distributed in valleys rarely visited by people. Each site was marked with its production and the number of guards.
"Good job, Li Longjing!" Emperor Li Longze suddenly slammed the silk on the table, making the teacups clink.
"The late emperor, out of consideration for their kinship, spared his father's crime of privately forging weapons, but now he's going even further, mining illegally!"
Upon hearing this, Empress Dowager Lu Fengqing shook her teacup, spilling a few drops of tea onto her phoenix robe. She recalled how the late emperor, in his later years, had held her hand and said, "Fengqing, of all my brothers and nephews, the Linjiang prince's lineage is the most restless."
Chen Jin remained in a bowed position. "Yan Boxi has been secretly investigating for over a month. These illegal mines can produce a thousand kilograms of refined iron every day, all of which is transported to Jingzhou by water."
"Jingzhou?" Li Longze's eyes suddenly sharpened. "Does the Linjiang Palace have a branch in Jingzhou?"
"Your Majesty, Prince Linjiang stays at his Jingzhou villa every autumn hunting season."
Chen Jin raised his eyes and exchanged a knowing look with the emperor. "It just so happens that the armory of the Jingzhou Garrison reported heavy losses last year."
The candlelight in the hall suddenly burst into a spark, casting half of the emperor's face into shadow.
His finger moved slowly along the transportation route on the map, and finally stopped on the cinnabar seal marked "Jingzhou".
"How many people can the Northern Pacification Division mobilize now?"
"Two hundred elite black cavalrymen, ready to set out tonight."
The Queen Mother suddenly coughed lightly: "Emperor, should we investigate this matter again? After all, the Prince of Linjiang is..."
Li Longze interrupted her, his voice filled with unquestionable coldness.
"When I ascended the throne, Li Longjing contacted the royal family to delay the enthronement ceremony. Now privately mined ironware is being supplied directly to Jingzhou. What is he going to do? Forge weapons to reward the army?"
The Queen Mother was choked by these words, and the jade Buddhist beads swayed on her wrist.
She looked at her son's gloomy face and finally nodded slowly: "Since the emperor has made the decision, I will not say anything more. But is Yan Boxi a reliable person?"
Chen Jin raised the corner of his mouth slightly, "Her Majesty, please understand. Yan Boxi is a secret agent that I have planted in the Linjiang Palace. The lives of his parents and siblings back home are still in my hands."
The dusk outside the window deepened, and a gust of wind blew the fallen leaves against the window frame.
Li Longze walked to the imperial desk, picked up the pen, dipped it in ink, and wrote several lines of red comments on the yellow silk.
"Order the Northern Pacification Office to immediately confiscate the illegal mines and bring all miners to Beijing for questioning."
The emperor handed the imperial edict to Chen Jin, who bowed and took it. The gold thread on his dragon robe shone with a cold luster in the candlelight.
"Also! Send more Jinyiwei to keep an eye on the Linjiang Palace. From now on, not even a fly is allowed to fly out of the palace gate." The Emperor said coldly.
"I understand."
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