Chapter 126 Request
In the afternoon, a minister asked to see her, so Yueli left on her own.
As soon as Wei Chengdong arrived at the Imperial Study, he saw her leaving and frowned slightly. Recently, he always saw the Imperial Noble Concubine in the Imperial Study. His Majesty even allowed her to enter and leave the Imperial Study at will. He couldn't help but feel worried.
"Your humble servant pays respect to Your Majesty."
"No need to be so polite, Grand Master." He Yanchen picked up a letter from the table and handed it to him, saying casually, "Zihui discovered Yuan Zhang's hiding place in the Jiangning area."
It's a coincidence. If Yuan Zhang hadn't been unable to let go of Concubine Rong, he wouldn't have been exposed so early.
In the past, the Rong family and the Yuan family had no apparent contact, but tracing back to the previous generation, the two families were related by marriage, so Concubine Rong had a close relationship with Yuan Zhang's youngest son since childhood.
Later, Concubine Rong was selected into the palace, but she still kept in touch with Yuan Zhang's youngest son through letters.
Seeing that He Yanchen ignored the affairs of state, they decided to win over the virtuous king, and Concubine Rong was the one who passed the message to them from the palace.
Yuan Zhang could not be killed on the night of the coup, and he fled to the Jiangnan area where all kinds of people mixed together.
The correspondence between Concubine Rong and the Yuan family had stopped, but Yuan Zhang met a girl who also came from Chunfeng Pavilion in a brothel in Jiangnan. The girl knew Yueli and knew that she had entered the palace and was favored. After getting drunk, she said some sour words and also told the past of Su Huai and Yueli. Yuan Zhang then wrote a letter hoping that Concubine Rong would use this incident to disrupt the harem.
Yuan Zhang was already at the end of his strength, but he was unwilling to give up and tried every possible way to cause trouble. The noise was so loud that he was naturally discovered by Wei Heci's men.
Wei Chengdong quickly finished reading it and couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief. "Now that we know where they're hiding, I'll write to Zihui and tell him not to act rashly. We'll wait until they let their guard down and then catch them all in one fell swoop."
He Yanchen smiled and said, "Grandmaster, I think the same as you."
"I have ordered troops to support Zihui. I think good news will come soon."
Now that Yuan Zhang is dealt with, there is no need to keep Concubine Rong any longer. It is time to free up her hands to deal with the Jiang family.
"Your Majesty, I heard that Commander Jiang's son is still in the Dali Temple. I wonder what he has been able to reveal through torture."
He Yanchen raised his eyes and looked at Wei Chengdong. The man was neither humble nor arrogant and did not dodge.
"His son hasn't committed any major offenses, but he's constantly making minor ones. If we follow the law, he could be locked up for a while."
"I thought Your Majesty detained him just to deal with the Jiang family."
He Yanchen smiled softly and said, "Taifu is right. I have been dissatisfied with the Jiang family for a long time."
Wei Chengdong admitted it like this. He was silent for a long time before he said, "The Queen is your Majesty's first wife. I shouldn't interfere in your Majesty's family affairs. But your Majesty is the emperor, and family affairs are also state affairs. I dare to ask if your Majesty is dissatisfied with the Queen?"
He Yanchen avoided answering and only said, "I still remember that when I was young, the mothers of several of my brothers all wanted the Grand Secretary to be their tutor. Unfortunately, my biological mother was not powerful, and the Grand Secretary looked down on me, a poor prince."
"So Your Majesty came to me for help." Wei Chengdong closed his eyes and recalled the past.
The late emperor favored the virtuous prince and didn't bother to care about the other princes. The candidates for tutors had been chosen early on by those whose biological mothers were of high status and good family background. Only He Yanchen was left, as his biological mother was not favored and his adoptive mother did not care about him. He could only plan for himself.
At that time, Wei Chengdong was already serving in the cabinet, but his position was far less powerful than it is today.
But He Yanchen came to him and begged.
When he asked why, He Yanchen fluently recited the fu on governing a country he had written when he was the top scorer in the imperial examination. He said, "Master Wei governs the country and maintains peace. His judgments are as clear as flowing water. I admire you deeply. I beg you to accept me as your disciple."
At this moment in the imperial study, He Yanchen stood up and walked in front of him: "I know that the Grand Tutor has always placed high hopes on me, so even in the early years when I was not in power, the Grand Tutor and Zihui always stood behind me."
Wei Chengdong sighed and said, "Yes, Your Majesty has never disappointed me."
"No, Grand Tutor was disappointed." He Yanchen looked at him and said word by word, "In the first few years after I ascended the throne, Grand Tutor must have been very disappointed."
Wei Chengdong's expression was a little stiff. If he said he wasn't disappointed, he would be lying. Back then, the Wei family and everyone else who supported He Yanchen had wholeheartedly supported him, thinking good times were coming. But after He Yanchen ascended the throne, he acted uncharacteristically, leaving everyone disheartened.
"Taifu, do you know why?"
Wei Chengdong frowned and was a little surprised. This was the first time he heard He Yanchen talk about this.
"Because the late emperor favored the virtuous king and hated me, his son who had usurped the throne. He didn't want me to live, so he cast a spell on me."
He Yanchen had never told anyone about this, but now, he told Wei Chengdong everything, word for word.
Wei Chengdong frowned tightly, he couldn't believe what he heard.
Even though I knew that the late emperor and the empress dowager were partial to each other, to this extent was simply unheard of.
"Your Majesty..." Wei Chengdong's eyes were filled with distress, "Your Majesty, why did you tell me only now..."
"I thought I would live my life in a muddle. If I couldn't get this kingdom, I wouldn't just give it away like that."
So he promoted Yuan Zhang and others to disrupt the court. Even if he died, the wise king would take over a mess.
"But later, she saved me."
Wei Chengdong knew who he was talking about and understood the purpose of his words today.
He was silent and didn't speak for a while.
He Yanchen turned to him and said, "This is the only wish I have in this life. I also wish to promise you, Grand Tutor, that I will serve the people diligently and serve the people. If I break my oath, I will not die a good death."
"His Majesty!"
Wei Chengdong was startled and hurriedly stopped him, saying, "Your Majesty, please don't talk nonsense!"
"Grandmaster, now I am only asking you as a student, asking you to stand behind me like you did when we were children." He Yanchen's eyes were sincere, "Without her, I wouldn't be who I am today. She is my salvation and my life."
"I regard the Grand Tutor as my teacher and my father, so I want him to recognize her and acknowledge her standing beside the student."
As the Son of Heaven, only the parents of Heaven and Earth can bear his request, but for Yu He Yanchen, Wei Chengdong is the person he trusts more and expects to be recognized more than his parents.
Wei Chengdong closed his eyes and sighed heavily.
How could he not know that the Wei family was very powerful in the court now? If the imperial concubine had the support of the Wei family, the opposition from the court officials would be much smaller, and it would be much easier for her to sit in that position.
"Your Majesty, fifteen years ago, I was destined to stand behind Your Majesty forever."
"I only hope that Your Majesty can become a wise ruler." Wei Chengdong helped him up. "If so, I will die without regrets."
He Yanchen smiled and said, "I will definitely not disappoint the Grand Master's expectations."
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