The emperor was furious.
If the evidence hadn't been right in front of him, he wouldn't have believed that Consort De would dare to deceive him like this!
Prior to this, because of this tiny benefit, even though he intended to deal with the Minister of Personnel, he never considered taking back Consort De's power to manage palace supplies.
But now, he feels it's time to change the person in charge of the palace's finances.
"Father, even the pillars in the Imperial Concubine's palace are made of gold. Is she very rich?"
"But the glittering palace is so beautiful! I wonder if the Imperial Concubine would be willing to have the other palaces gilded as well?"
Ye Jingchen's childlike words suddenly surfaced in his mind.
He had considered having Ji Wushuang take charge of the palace's food supply at the time, but he dismissed the idea after only a moment.
The Consort De, whom I thought was quite dutiful at the time, now seems utterly repulsive.
The emperor thought of Ji Wushuang. Although she was a daughter of the Ji family and a bit spoiled, she was not good at flattery, but she wore her emotions on her sleeve and was a woman who was easy to read.
Although he found it hard to understand how a powerful family like the Ji family could raise a simple-minded daughter like Ji Wushuang, just as Ye Jingchen said, Ji Wushuang was rich and generous, making her the perfect person to manage the palace's food supplies.
Although he was always wary of Ji Wushuang's status as the legitimate daughter of the Ji family, she cared a lot about Jing Yu. As long as Jing Yu was around, she was easy to manipulate.
"It seems like it's been a while since I've seen Jingyu. Let's have dinner at Weiyang Palace tonight," the Emperor said to Zhang Shunde.
Although it's unclear why the emperor suddenly decided to go to Weiyang Palace, for the concubines in the harem, imperial favor is of paramount importance, and the Imperial Concubine would surely be very happy to hear this.
"If the Third Prince sees His Majesty, he will be very happy. This old servant will send someone to Weiyang Palace to inform the Noble Consort!" Zhang Shunde hurriedly sent someone to Weiyang Palace to inform her.
It was still early. After lunch, the emperor instructed Zhang Shunde to go to the Duke of Zhenguo's residence to deliver an imperial decree that he wanted to see Xie Shaoling.
After Zhang Shunde personally led the imperial decree out of the palace, the emperor planned to take a short rest to conserve his energy.
With his eyes closed, he was wide awake, his mind racing with thoughts of how he would use his imperial power to humiliate and torment Xie Shaoling when he arrived, to avenge the shame of the past.
First, make Xie Shaoling kneel outside Chengqian Palace for an hour, and then let him enter the palace to bow down and acknowledge him as a wise and virtuous ruler.
If Xie Shaoling admits it, then he can finally hold his head high and no longer have to hold a grudge against Xie Shaoling for the humiliation he once suffered.
If Xie Shaoling doesn't admit it, he can frame Xie Shaoling for treason and have him killed on the spot!
The emperor was so engrossed in his thoughts that he felt relaxed and refreshed, and eventually fell asleep.
He slept very soundly and had a wonderful dream. Although he didn't remember the details of the dream, he felt a sense of satisfaction.
When he regained consciousness, he still had a feeling of not knowing what day it was.
"Your Majesty, you've finally woken up. Prince Xie has been waiting for you in the palace for a long time," Zhang Shunde said cautiously as he approached.
The emperor watched the clouds drift by outside the window for a while before asking, "How long has he been waiting?"
“One hour and three quarters of an hour,” Zhang Shunde said.
"Will you wait standing up or kneeling?" the emperor asked again.
How could we, as servants, dare to let the young master of the Duke of Zhenguo's mansion, a young general who had fought on the battlefield, stand or kneel while waiting?
Zhang Shunde didn't speak, only kept his head down, and his body trembled when the emperor looked over.
A bunch of cowards; the show of force he had imagined never materialized.
The emperor changed into his most solemn clothes besides his court robes, and had the palace maids re-tied his hair and put on the most precious hairpins to ensure that he was luxurious and dignified from head to toe before leaving his bedchamber and heading to the main hall.
In the main hall of Chengqian Palace, Xie Shaoling and the other emperors, bored out of their minds, simply closed their eyes and began to doze off.
After a long time, so long that he was about to fall asleep, he finally heard the uneven footsteps outside the palace, the sound of pearls and jade clashing against clothes, and even the varying lengths of breathing that were masked by other sounds.
The petty emperor had ignored him for so long, but finally he was willing to come and see him.
Xie Shaoling got up and walked to the palace entrance, just in time to run into the emperor who was walking in with a group of people. The two almost bumped into each other.
In the blink of an eye, Xie Shaoling withdrew his foot in time and stood firmly, while the emperor unconsciously took a small step back.
He hadn't seen Xie Shaoling for many years. In his memory, Xie Shaoling was arrogant, rude, and looked down on everyone.
But this was all just his imagination. He loathed Xie Shaoling and held a grudge about what happened to him back then. So in his memory, Xie Shaoling was always repulsive, to the point that he almost forgot what Xie Shaoling originally looked like.
But in that one encounter, the memories he had deliberately forgotten instantly resurfaced.
Back then, he was willing to listen to his father and take the initiative to befriend Xie Shaoling, naturally because he had a good impression of Xie Shaoling.
A spirited young man like him—who wouldn't notice him at first glance?
Especially for a member of the royal family like him, who has been burdened with heavy responsibilities since birth, making even his steps incredibly heavy.
So many years have passed, and Xie Shaoling, who returned from the northern frontier, still retains that youthful spirit that the emperor particularly admired but never possessed.
However, besides his youthful spirit, he also possessed a peculiar aura that made him seem contradictory and also made the emperor feel very dangerous.
The emperor had seen that same aura in the Duke of Zhenguo many years ago.
The late emperor said that it smelled of blood.
Just as the emperor was filled with doubt and uncertainty, Xie Shaoling took a few steps back, knelt on one knee, bowed his head, and said calmly, "Greetings, Your Majesty!"
"Get up," the emperor said instinctively.
As soon as he finished speaking, Xie Shaoling straightened up, his movements swift and decisive.
The emperor was then somewhat annoyed. He had clearly intended to intimidate the other party and make him kneel for a while longer.
But then he suddenly remembered his father’s admonition: when dealing with military generals, especially those who have been through many battles, one must be polite and humble when facing them. Even the most loyal and patriotic generals, having killed many people, are prone to losing control due to their violent nature.
"Thank you, Young General. It's been a long time since I've returned to the capital. How have you gotten used to being home this time?" The Emperor forced a smile and greeted him.
Xie Shaoling didn't know if the emperor was used to it, but he certainly wasn't used to being insincere with the emperor.
However, before entering the palace, his grandmother repeatedly warned him that the Duke of Zhenguo's mansion was now in turmoil and could be doomed at any moment, and he could no longer act as willfully as before.
Especially his mouth; if he can avoid speaking, he should try not to. It's better for everyone if he's mute.
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