In Taiji Palace, Emperor Jian'an has woken up.
Concubine Lai sat beside the dragon couch with a worried look on her face.
"I'm fine, you don't have to worry." Emperor Jian'an coughed and his face turned red.
"Imperial Physician, Imperial Physician..."
Emperor Jian'an grabbed Concubine Lai's hand and said, "I am fine. My beloved concubine, please return to the palace first."
Concubine Lai had been docile all her life, and she obeyed Emperor Jian'an's orders and left Taiji Palace.
After Prince Rui left, she felt disheartened. Even though the Eighth Princess was still around, she would have hated going with Prince Rui. Now, the bloodline left behind by Prince Rui was her only hope for the future.
"How is my health?" Emperor Jian'an asked. Without waiting for the imperial physician's reply, he issued a forceful order: "Guarantee that I will be in good health within three years."
Emperor Jian'an had tried his best to win the favor of the previous emperor when he was young but never succeeded. Later, he and the empress dowager were displaced. After he entered the capital and took control of the Wei Dynasty, he worked diligently to consolidate power and imperial authority. In order to prevent his beloved woman from being persecuted in the harem, he restrained himself for many years. He wanted to leave the Wei Dynasty to the son born to his beloved daughter, but an accident happened. Even though he knew it was extremely inappropriate to leave the country to the young master, he made up his mind.
He has no control over his life and he has to accomplish something.
The imperial physician has determined that the concubine is pregnant with a boy. Within the next three years, he must deal with everything that needs to be dealt with thoroughly without leaving any hidden dangers.
The Prince of Qi's mansion was empty, and suddenly it lost all sense of humanity overnight.
There were no other servants except Chuntao who insisted on following Wan Jinlan back, the housekeeper Wang, and a cook and a servant that the housekeeper Wang left behind yesterday.
Things have come to this, Wan Jinlan can only eat and drink calmly and wait for the results.
"Master, the silver charcoal in the house is only enough for two days." Chuntao fiddled with the charcoal basin and said worriedly.
Fortunately, there was enough food in the kitchen to last for several days. There were only a few servants left, and it was cold in winter, so they could eat for a few more days.
Wan Jinlan was packing up her jewelry box and found needle and thread to sew a lot of light things for her inner clothes.
She didn't know whether Xiao Feng's plan would succeed, but it would always be a good idea to hide some money.
"Wear more clothes. If you use less charcoal, you can last a few more days. If it's not enough, we can wait. It's time to make the medicine. Go ahead."
Chuntao responded, dusted off her hands and went to the kitchen.
Wan Jinlan felt dizzy from sitting there sewing, so he simply got up and went to find Xiao Feng.
She walked lightly, and when she heard the sound coming from the inner room, she hummed inwardly, walked in quickly, and snatched the "letter of divorce" from Butler Wang's hand.
"I hope that after we part, my lady will comb her hair and eyebrows again, show off her graceful figure, marry a high-ranking official, play with her shadow in the courtyard, and imitate the harmonious rhythm of the zither."
Wan Jinlan finished reading slowly, raised an eyebrow and looked at Xiao Feng, "Although it doesn't have the official seal yet, I will accept the letter of divorce. It is effective in my case."
She folded it and put it in her purse.
Butler Wang couldn't help but explain: "Princess, the prince is doing this for your own good."
Wan Jinlan nodded, "I understand, and I accept it. I think your prince has a conscience. When the situation becomes clear in the future, I will find a husband of my choice to marry."
Butler Wang glanced at Xiao Feng cautiously, and when he saw his eyebrows twitch, he shook his head and left the inner room.
Wan Jinlan snorted coldly and walked out.
Ever since yesterday, the atmosphere between them has been a little weird. Sometimes they are harmonious and can sit at the same table to eat, but sometimes she feels inexplicably uncomfortable and is unhappy to see him, just like now.
"Jinlan"
The shouts behind her did not stop her.
Xiao Feng looked at her back and rubbed his eyebrows.
The relationship between him and her was already a foregone conclusion. Since he could no longer leave her behind, she would have to be his wife from now on.
The silver charcoal in Prince Qi's mansion was used up after three days, and the mansion only had ash charcoal for the servants.
Although charcoal was used by servants in the royal palace, it was affordable for ordinary people, especially those of middle class families.
Compared to the silver charcoal, the slight smoke still made Wan Jinlan unable to sit still in the room. It was more comfortable to do some boxing in the yard to get warm.
Five days later, the court reached a conclusion on how to deal with the King of Qi.
Xiao Feng had handled many major cases for the emperor over the years, and had made many enemies. Although the ringleader and his family had been dealt with, many of his remaining in-laws were eager to see him suffer, and they were willing to step in and do their best to harm them.
In the end, the emperor was "magnanimous" and pardoned his death penalty, sentencing him to exile.
A few days later, the door of Prince Qi's mansion was pushed open again. The sound was particularly harsh and everyone in the mansion heard it at the first moment.
"Prince Xiao Feng of Qi harbored evil intentions, attempting to assassinate the emperor. He maintained close ties with the rebel leader, intending to disrupt the government. He also exploited his position to embezzle 100,000 taels of gold. The evidence is irrefutable, and he deserves death. However, out of consideration for our compatriots, I have pardoned his death sentence and demoted him to a commoner, exiling him to Fangling."
Wan Jinlan breathed a sigh of relief when he heard that it was exile.
As long as you are not trapped in Kyoto, there will always be a way forward.
But as for Fang Ling, I don’t know whether I should say that the emperor is still quite loyal.
The one who came to deliver the decree was Li Fu, the imperial steward. Wan Jinlan bowed and said, "The servants in the palace are innocent. I have already returned their bonds to them. I hope that the eunuch will be lenient and allow them not to accompany us to the place of exile in the future."
Li Fu had served the emperor in the palace for most of his life, and he could best understand the difficulties faced by servants. They were just insignificant servants, so helping them was a good deed.
"The escort will arrive at dawn tomorrow, and the officials will also come to take inventory of the palace's belongings. Those who need to leave should leave today. I have matters to attend to at home, so you two can handle them yourselves."
Li Fu turned around, waving his whisk.
There was still more than half a day left to deal with the matter, and she had driven away the servants, the cooks, and Wang Chuntao, the housekeeper.
The house was becoming increasingly empty. It was so cold tonight that there was no one to light charcoal and cook.
Xiao Feng made some medicine himself, cooked some chicken porridge, and cut some beef.
The two were too lazy to bother, so they simply sat at the low table in the kitchen and ate across from each other by candlelight.
The wind was biting cold outside, but Wan Jinlan felt warm all over and started sweating as he drank the steaming soup.
After the meal, the two walked silently on the snow back to the inner room. Xiao Feng lit the charcoal brazier, and she went to the study and brought back a map.
The candlelight flickered, and Wan Jinlan sighed.
Xiao Feng cleaned his hands and sat opposite her, "Do you think Fang Ling is not a good person?"
The two of them have a silent understanding and know what the other is saying without having to say it clearly.
Fangling is located in the southeast of Kyoto, less than a thousand miles away from Chang'an City.
There are also requirements for the place of exile, such as less than 1,000 miles, 1,500 miles, 2,000 miles, or 3,000 miles.
The farther away, the colder it gets.
Compared with Ningguta in the southwest, which is plagued by miasma and bitterly cold, and the barren northwestern frontier, Fangling can be called a treasure land, and not everyone can go there.
Xiao Feng said, "He wanted to demonstrate his benevolence, but also wanted to keep me firmly in his hands. Keeping me in Kyoto felt like a lump in his throat, and perhaps he still felt a trace of guilt. Exiling him to Fangling might have relieved him, or perhaps he still had the desire to kill me."
That’s enough.
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