The guard was taken aback, not expecting He Yunce to get the news so quickly. He nodded: "You already know? It's about the Empress Dowager."
He Yunze's heart began to pound wildly:
"So quickly? The Empress Dowager already knows about this?"
He tried to calm himself down and appear polite, but in his heart he was already thinking about how to thank Song Ruoan that night.
After all, everything he has achieved today is thanks to Zhao Qianlan and Song Ruoan's financial and physical support; they have complete trust in him.
Upon hearing this, the guard frowned slightly, but still replied, "The Empress Dowager is unaware of this matter. This is an order from Prince Ning, and we are all His Highness's men."
He Yunze's eyes widened even more: "It's actually Prince Ning? The news spread so fast? Even His Highness Prince Ning knows about this?"
It must be that Prince Ning has learned of the wonders of that large lacquer mother-of-pearl inlaid birthday gift, and that's why he has sent someone to inquire about it so urgently.
But Prince Ning is fine, Prince Ning is fine... Gaining the favor of His Highness Prince Ning is certainly another path.
He Yunze bowed slightly to the two guards, intending to walk behind them and have them lead the way.
Unexpectedly, the two guards exchanged a glance and then simultaneously gestured for He Yunze to follow.
Out of caution, He Yunze pondered the actions of the two guards for a moment, but he couldn't figure it out no matter how hard he tried, so he let the two guards follow behind him without worry.
It's alright, since Ruo'an and the Zhao family are ahead, nothing will go wrong.
He Yunze calmly followed the guards into the garden, lifted the curtain and stepped inside. Feeling the heat rushing towards him, he saw the people sitting in the pavilion.
He glanced briefly at Prince Ning on the throne, noticing the solemn expressions on the faces of the others, and finally sensed that something was amiss.
He Yunze then quickly shifted his gaze to Song Ruoan, who was seated below.
At this moment, Song Ruoan still had red eyes and looked lost. Feeling He Yunce's questioning gaze, she just shook her head with a wronged expression.
He Yunze had a bad feeling. He looked up and heard the Prince of Ning's authoritative voice, which directly attacked him:
"He Yunze, do you know your crime!"
He Yunze shuddered and hurriedly knelt before Prince Ning, but after thinking for a while, he still looked up blankly and said, "This humble subject does not know what crime I have committed..."
Consort Liang sneered and interrupted, "As an official of the Ministry of Rites, you have failed in your duties and ruined the Empress Dowager's birthday gifts. What is your punishment?"
He Yunze's heart sank. He looked up in disbelief: "Your Majesty, I have been working carefully in the storeroom, yet I had no idea that the Empress Dowager's birthday gifts were destroyed... Is there some misunderstanding?"
"You destroyed a gilded blue-and-white porcelain vase, inside which was engraved a genuine work of Master Yuanhui that had never been shown to anyone before. You say you were careful and cautious?"
He Yunze shuddered, and his whole body went limp.
What happened? What exactly happened?
He did nothing, and he was still patrolling the warehouse. How could Master Yuanhui's calligraphy possibly have been broken?
What He Yunze didn't see was that his two subordinates behind him, upon hearing Consort Liang's words, exchanged a flustered glance, their expressions changing drastically.
Prince Ning clearly noticed the expressions on the faces of the two subordinates behind He Yunce. His eyes narrowed, and he was about to ask a question when the sound of string and wind instruments rang out from outside.
Accompanying the sounds of string and wind instruments was the clearly audible sound of gongs.
Upon hearing this voice, Song Ruoan stood up expectantly and looked towards Consort Liang with pleading eyes.
Consort Liang knew that the voice meant the auspicious time for the Empress Dowager's birthday had arrived, and she signaled the guests to enter one by one.
She received a look from Song Ruoan, weighed the pros and cons in her mind, and finally decided to stand up and speak to everyone:
"The auspicious time for Mother is imminent. We juniors should put aside our current affairs and go to the palace to wish Mother a happy birthday."
As soon as Consort Liang stood up, before Prince Ning could speak, Consort Li stopped her:
"Wait!"
"If we leave now, what will become of the disgraced official He Yunze? We still don't know how this birthday gift was ruined!"
Consort Liang smiled, looking confident: "Dispose of them? Do you intend to dispose of them at the auspicious hour?"
"Or do you want to miss the auspicious time and break a taboo?"
"Anyway, He Yunce won't run away. The Empress Dowager's attitude is still unclear. So, just as I said earlier, put him in the side room and have someone guard him. After the birthday banquet, we will report to the Empress Dowager and His Majesty and ask them to make a decision."
As Consort Liang spoke, her voice gradually lowered: "Does Consort Li intend to bypass His Majesty and deal with the officials of the previous dynasty now?"
Prince Ning did not reply to these words.
The Empress Dowager's birthday banquet was of paramount importance. Upon hearing this, Consort Li rolled her eyes. Seeing that Prince Ning remained silent, she dared not say anything more.
Consort Liang looked at her calmly, her eyes filled with resentment and a hint of smugness.
For over a decade, Consort Li and she have been locked in a power struggle.
The days when a rude, uncouth woman could stand on equal footing with her would soon be gone forever.
The Empress Dowager was fond of Buddhism, and in fact, people all over the world also revered Buddhism. As long as Prince Yu presented birthday gifts, it would be as if the Buddha himself had come to offer birthday wishes, and Prince Yu himself would become the man destined by Heaven.
That's why she didn't mind saying a good word for He Yunce just now.
Consort Liang pondered for a moment, then slowly swept her gaze over everyone in front of her. She made a "please" gesture to Prince Ning and left the pavilion with him.
The court ladies present followed Consort Liang as she left.
Only Song Xizhi, seeing Consort Liang's determined expression, smiled without saying a word.
He Yunze was taken away by the guards of Prince Ning and pushed to a side room where he was kept under strict guard.
Taking advantage of this opportunity, Song Ruoan hurriedly walked to He Yunze's side, her red and swollen eyes filled with anxiety: "Husband...husband..."
He Yunze was in a state of utter confusion, and only Song Ruoan's unwavering support brought him some peace of mind.
He hurriedly grasped Song Ruoan's hand through the two cold-blooded guards, a warmth welling up in his heart. He Yunze instructed:
"Ruo'an, it's alright. Although we don't know exactly what happened, the Empress Dowager's birthday banquet is just around the corner. As long as we have that birthday gift, I'll be fine..."
"Don't be afraid or worried. I will get out and find out the truth. You must keep a close eye on everything for me... just like I'm by your side..."
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
