Chapter 349 How can he be above all officials?
"Your Majesty, we will arrive in Lizhou at about 5 p.m., and arrangements have already been made at the Lizhou Palace."
Jun Liluo was feasting with the ministers in the cabin. He listened to the report from Li Zongguan and said "hmm" indifferently, "There is still more than an hour left. Let the people from the Music Bureau come in to perform."
Although there are many beautiful places to visit during the southern tour, it is inevitable to get tired after seeing too much scenery, and most of the time on the imperial ship is still rather boring, so watching singing and dancing performances becomes a good way to kill time.
Manager Li quickly brought the dancers and musicians selected by the Music Bureau into the cabin.
As the melodious sound of stringed instruments rang out, the beautiful dancers began to dance slowly.
There was nothing else for everyone to do at this time, so they all focused on enjoying the singing and dancing.
At the lower right corner of Jun Liluo, Concubine Shu, Concubine Life and Concubine Zhen were sitting side by side.
Zhen Fei had no interest in the singing and dancing performance in the center of the imperial boat. She just fiddled with a plate of melon seeds in front of her silently.
Seeing this, Concubine Li said to her, "Sister Zhenfei, it's rare for you to leave the palace to relax and see scenery different from the palace. Why are you still so depressed?"
"Are you referring to the landscapes along the way? What's so good about them?" Zhen Fei murmured. "Even if we arrive at the temporary palace, we can't go out and wander around. We won't feel comfortable doing anything anyway. What's the difference between going out for a southern tour and staying in the palace?"
Upon hearing this, Concubine Li stopped talking and just sighed.
Since the death of Concubine De, Concubine Zhen has been depressed for quite some time. She is always unhappy and has no interest in even playing mahjong.
Initially, His Majesty's decree was that only the four concubines could play mahjong and it must not be made public. After Concubine De died, there was one less person at the table, so His Majesty asked Li Zongguan to pass on the message that their personal maids could take the vacant positions. After all, the personal maids were all trusted concubines and their mouths were relatively tight.
Zhenfei had no objection to this, and she and the other two told each other that they would temporarily leave the card table and let their respective palace maids play cards with them.
She still can't accept someone else taking the position of Concubine De.
Concubine Shu and Concubine Li were somewhat worried about her mental state.
They were equally sad about the passing of Concubine De, and as Concubine Zhen was a cousin who had known Concubine De since childhood, it was naturally more difficult for her to get over this grief than them.
They understand that it is useless to persuade them, and perhaps only time can dilute the sad emotions.
Song Yunchu was sitting opposite the three of them, but with just a casual glance, he could see the expressions of the three of them.
She knew this situation would happen as early as when she planned to let Concubine De leave.
But it doesn’t matter, the sadness is only temporary. They will gradually leave the cage of the harem and reunite with Huo Lan in a different way.
The sounds of stringed instruments in the air seemed much more cheerful, and the dancers waved their sleeves and spread out to the rhythm of the music.
A dancer came to Song Yunchu's table while circling. Suddenly, she lost her balance and seemed to slip. She screamed and fell straight towards Song Yunchu.
Song Yunchu quickly grabbed her shoulders and prevented her from falling.
"Be careful."
"Thank...thank you very much, Your Highness Prince Ning! I am sorry for being rude." The dancer responded in a panic, holding onto Song Yunchu's desk and trying to stand up.
But before she could stand up, Song Yunchu saw her face change, and there seemed to be pain between her brows. Then her body softened again, and she fell into his arms.
Song Yunchu's eyebrows moved slightly, and he caught her body steadily again, holding her shoulders with both hands to prevent her from falling on his chest.
"Your Highness, I didn't mean it! I just... probably sprained my ankle."
The dancer seemed extremely embarrassed and wanted to get away from Song Yunchu as soon as possible. She put her hands on Song Yunchu's arms in panic, and when she stood up, she casually reached out to her chest.
Song Yunchu frowned. Of course he couldn't let her touch him, so he grabbed her hand and stared at her fiercely.
Receiving Song Yunchu's gaze, the dancer's heart tightened and she quickly lowered her head, "Your Highness, please forgive me. It was all my fault. I am willing to accept the punishment."
Song Yunchu slowly put her down next to the chair and said, "It was an unintentional mistake on your part. I will not blame you. Since you sprained your ankle, there is no need to perform anymore. I will ask the imperial physician to come and see you later."
"Yes, thank you for not blaming me, Your Highness."
Sitting on the first seat, Jun Liluo noticed what was happening on Song Yunchu's side and narrowed his eyes.
The people around also witnessed what happened after the dancer fell. Some of them were not surprised, while others were laughing and talking in low voices.
"Would a dancer selected by the Imperial Music Bureau be so clumsy? Why did she have to fall on Prince Ning? It seems like she was deliberately trying to get close to Prince Ning."
"If you really want to get close to Prince Ning, this trick is too old-fashioned. It's not too much to punish her for such a misconduct. His Highness Prince Ning really has compassion for her by not making a fuss about it."
Listening to the teasing remarks of the crowd, Song Yunchu remained calm and was too lazy to say anything.
People from the Jiaofangsi have always been humble in the eyes of ministers, so it is no wonder that they would not think too deeply about it.
Sitting on the other side of the seat, Prime Minister Liu stared at Song Yunchu steadily, his hand holding the wine glass tightening.
He just saw clearly that when the dancer got close to him, Song Yunchu always subconsciously protected his chest.
If you were a man, would you care so much if a woman touched your chest?
Recalling Mr. Zheng's previous speculations, Liu Xiang felt that they made more and more sense.
If Song Yunchu was a woman disguised as a man, many things would make sense.
Thinking that he might have been suppressed by a woman for such a long time, Liu Xiang felt indignant and humiliated, but more surprised.
He had to admit that Song Yunchu had considerable abilities, but——
Secular rules do not allow her to be so rebellious and disregard the law!
How can a fake man be above all officials? !
Liu Xiang's heart was filled with emotions. After thinking for a long time, he finally calmed down.
Scholar Zheng said that the people from the Palace Affairs Office embroidered dragon patterns on the python robe made for Song Yunchu, which was instructed by His Majesty.
The dragon pattern that belonged to the emperor was placed on the body of a king of a different surname. He really felt that His Majesty had lost his mind.
Song Yunchu's arrogance seemed to be tacitly approved by His Majesty. Whenever His Majesty had given him a warning, these old ministers would not always be humiliated by Song Yunchu.
To expose Song Yunchu's affairs, someone else has to be asked to do it.
…
At the hour of You, the sky becomes dark.
The southern tour team stopped at the bank of Lizhou River, and the Yulin Army escorted Jun Li Luo all the way to the palace.
The officials rested at a nearby post house.
Seeing that it was time for dinner, Song Yunchu was unwilling to eat the food prepared by the inn, and instead went out for a walk with guards such as Bai Zhu and Hong Lian.
Before leaving, she read Jun Li Luo's guide to the southern tour. In Lizhou, grilled fish and beggar's chicken are the most delicious. Qianweilou, which is half a street away from the post station, is a good choice.
The group arrived at Qianweilou, and Song Yunchu asked for two private rooms. The delicacies mentioned in the guide were among the signature dishes, so she ordered all the signature dishes twice.
After all the dishes were served, Zhong Nanyue, who was disguised as an attendant, took out the silver needle she carried with her and checked each dish.
After confirming that the dishes were non-toxic, the accompanying secret guards tasted the dishes one by one.
Bai Zhu walked to the window, opened it a little, and carefully observed the pedestrians on the street.
"Don't worry, they won't do anything at this time."
Song Yunchu picked up the chopsticks and said leisurely, "In order to suppress the rumors, I claimed that I had lost my inner strength and my strength had greatly decreased. Even if General Ye had tested them on the spot, they would still be suspicious of this matter. If they sent someone to assassinate me when I was out, and the operation failed, wouldn't it alert the enemy?"
not to mention--
In this southern tour team, only a small number of people are targeting her, and most eyes are on Jun Li Luo.
The time has not come yet, so she doesn't need to worry about being assassinated.
"Well, it's a rare trip, so we should eat and drink to our heart's content. You can also go next door and enjoy the signature dishes here."
After sending the guards away, Song Yunchu picked up his chopsticks and while eating, he did not forget to add food to the bowl next to him.
Soon, the door of the private room was pushed open and a light gray figure stepped in.
Song Yunchu raised his eyes and smiled faintly, "You are dressed so plainly today."
"Why, doesn't it look good?" Jun Li Luo came and sat down beside her.
He changed clothes with a secret guard and went out through an inconspicuous door on the north side of the palace. Except for the secret guard, no one would know that he had left the palace at this moment.
Going out so quietly can save you a lot of trouble.
Seeing the food in the bowl steaming, he picked up a piece of fish and put it into his mouth.
"It seems that this strategy is correct." He turned to Song Yunchu and said, "It's a pity that we can't eat the delicacies in some places later this time."
Song Yunchu just smiled calmly when he heard this: "Then we'll eat next time."
At the same time, in the restaurant on the other side——
Some people were not satisfied with the food at the inn and chose to go out to taste the local cuisine.
"Your Majesty, perhaps your previous plan does not need to proceed as usual."
Prime Minister Liu looked at the person sitting opposite him, pondered for a moment, and said, "Mr. Zheng and I may have something on Song Yunchu, so we can force him out of the court."
"What do you mean?" King Kang looked puzzled. "Yes, yes. No, no. Why say maybe?"
"Because we haven't got the definite evidence yet, but we are almost certain that Song Yunchu is not a man, but a woman disguised as a man to deceive the world! How can the court allow a mere little woman like her to show off her power? If the news gets out, it will be ridiculous!"
Liu Xiang's words made King Kang unbelievable for a moment.
He almost suspected that there was something wrong with his ears.
"Lord Liu, this matter is not to be taken lightly." Prince Kang stared at Prime Minister Liu's face, "You just said that Prince Ning Song Yunchu, he... is a woman?"
"Yes, this humble official and Scholar Zheng have found a lot of clues. Now we just need someone to expose Song Yunchu."
Seeing that Prince Kang didn't believe him, Prime Minister Liu told him about the dragon-patterned python costumes made for women by the Palace Affairs Office and the dancer's test of Song Yunchu.
"Your Highness, you might as well think about it. If Song Yunchu's true identity is revealed, why should we worry about not being able to deal with her? There is really no need to start a war and bring people to fight her. It is undoubtedly a waste of manpower and energy. Now that she has not been exposed, she is still an official appointed by the court. If we fail or it is discovered later, won't we bear the bad reputation of persecuting officials?"
"We just need to gather all the officials and write a joint letter to put pressure on His Majesty. Even if His Majesty favors Song Yunchu, he cannot abandon his own reputation."
"So, Your Majesty, we don't have to go to the point of fighting with Song Yunchu. Once we go to war, we will have to involve a lot of people. I prefer to solve the problem in a peaceful way. Song Yunchu is arrogant and heretic. It is only natural and reasonable for us to expel her from the court."
King Kang lowered his eyes, his face tense and he remained silent.
Liu Xiang had lost power because of Song Yunchu, and Liu Xiang's party had also been suppressed many times by the Song Party. He concluded that Liu Xiang hated Song Yunchu so much that he would spare no effort to deal with that guy.
He had previously discussed with Prime Minister Liu about taking advantage of this southern tour to get rid of Song Yunchu, because the father and son of the Wu family in Prime Minister Liu's camp had a lot of troops and would definitely be able to help.
Of course he would not tell Prime Minister Liu that he wanted to get rid of more than just Song Yunchu.
So what if Song Yunchu died? The emperor would still investigate the matter of the Worry-Free Pill himself.
Just as Jun Tianyi said, only when the emperor is gone can he feel completely at ease.
But now things have changed. Song Yunchu might be a woman... Prime Minister Liu actually backed down and was unwilling to use military force.
Without the help from Liu Xiang, it would be a bit troublesome for him.
"Master Liu, have you ever thought about this? According to your and Scholar Zheng's analysis, His Majesty knew Song Yunchu's identity long ago and was willing to help conceal it. In this case, Song Yunchu's crime of deceiving the emperor is not established. Even if Song Yunchu deceived the entire court, so what? The power to deal with her is in His Majesty's hands. If His Majesty insists on protecting her, we, as ministers, may not be able to change His Majesty's mind even if we use all our words to persuade him."
"This person is a woman but she wants to control the court. It's really abominable! I think that no matter whether she is a man or a woman, our original plan should not be changed. Keeping her will eventually cause trouble. What if you reveal her identity to her face? Can you be sure that His Majesty will abandon her for the sake of honor? His Majesty even made a dragon-patterned python robe for her. It's clear that he has been deceived by her!"
Seeing King Kang speaking with indignation, Prime Minister Liu's face couldn't help but become solemn again.
Indeed, Your Majesty knew everything about Song Yunchu, but he helped conceal it and allowed Song Yunchu to expand his power.
Maybe... even if Song Yunchu's identity was exposed in public and His Majesty faced the resentment of all officials, he would still choose to protect her.
"I know that Lord Liu is not a violent person, but we should not back down from dealing with Song Yunchu, not only for ourselves, but also for the court, so that the people around us will no longer be oppressed by the Song Party. Think about it, how much injustice have those officials who have followed you wholeheartedly suffered for a long time? Don't you want to seek justice for them?"
King Kang sighed when he reached this point.
"Your Majesty is on Song Yunchu's side. We can't count on His Majesty to make decisions for us. This southern tour is our best chance to destroy the Song thief. If we miss it... Oh!"
Prime Minister Liu was silent for a long time, and finally raised his head and responded, "Then let's do as the prince said, and everything will proceed according to the original plan."
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