Chapter 459: Eunuch Feng is cautious and saves his life
Liu Tong'en bowed and said goodbye. Eunuch Feng stood in front of the door and watched him disappear into the night with a smile. The smile on his face disappeared in an instant and his eyes suddenly became gloomy.
He was panicked. Why would His Majesty let Liu Tongen go to see Doctor Jiang?
Could it be that he discovered something?
But the Lu family's affairs have been settled, Xiao Yan has returned to the capital, and even Lu Chongyuan died in the imperial prison tonight. The Lu family has no power to turn things around.
The Zhao family, who had joined forces with the Lu family, were convicted and exiled. The incident in which Doctor Jiang was forced by him to deceive the emperor and cover up Xiao Yan's departure from the capital should have been over long ago.
It is very likely that Liu Tong'en is more trusted by His Majesty than Yu Yanfeng, and he may even be His Majesty's trump card hidden in the dark. If there was no reason, why would His Majesty let Liu Tong'en see the imperial physician and ask questions?
Feng Lai felt uneasy, fearing that Emperor An had noticed something. He turned around and wanted to call the eunuch not far away to pass a message to Xiao Yan, at least asking him to find a way to stabilize Jiang Ji so that Liu Tong'en would not ask him anything. However, when he turned around and was about to speak, he stopped forcibly.
wrong……
Feng Lai frowned.
Something is wrong!
Liu Tong'en has never been a talkative person. He rarely spoke to the emperor before he went in and out. If His Majesty really realized that Doctor Jiang had deceived the emperor that day, why would Liu Tong'en wait until tomorrow to go to the Imperial Physician's Office? Moreover, how could he escape suspicion when he followed Doctor Jiang to Jiyun Lane that day?
Feng Lai's heart began to beat violently. Liu Tongen told him on purpose that the emperor was suspicious of him.
He felt a chill rising up his spine. He suppressed the paleness in his face, held the whisk tightly and breathed for a moment, then walked quickly into the hall.
When he saw Emperor An in the inner room, Eunuch Feng rubbed his face and hurriedly walked aside to close the window.
"The weather is getting colder with each passing day. Your Majesty just had a bowl of ice. You must not be exposed to the cold wind any more, or your body will catch a cold."
The window fell, and Eunuch Feng finally walked over to Emperor An and said, "It's almost midnight, Your Majesty, do you want to rest?"
Emperor An looked at Feng Lai intently: "Is Liu Tongen gone?"
Feng Lai smiled and said, "He's leaving. He was just chatting with me outside. He said Commander Yu is still injured and he has to go to the Forbidden Garden to take over Commander Yu's guard for a few days."
"I see that Commander Liu seems to be feeling much better. I wonder what has happened to his previous injuries. Commander Liu just said he would go to the Imperial Medical Bureau to find Doctor Jiang. Doctor Jiang is very skilled. Perhaps after receiving his treatment, Commander Liu could share the responsibility of the Imperial Guard with Commander Yu and protect His Majesty."
Feng Lai didn't look panicked when he spoke, and his eyes were as respectful as before. When he talked about Liu Tongen and Doctor Jiang with a smile, there was no trace of guilt.
Emperor An frowned slightly. Was he overthinking it?
"Your Majesty?" Feng Lai saw him looking at him and asked hurriedly, "But what did I say wrong?"
Emperor An didn't answer him, but lowered his eyes: "What do you think of Xiao Yan?"
"Lord Xiao?"
Feng Lai's heart skipped a beat, but his face showed only confusion: "Why is Your Majesty asking about Governor Xiao?"
Emperor An looked at him and said, "I just mentioned this to Liu Tong'en. I feel that I may not have seen him clearly over the years."
Feng Lai looked surprised, perhaps because of the vague suspicion in Emperor An's words. He restrained his smile and frowned, thinking for a moment.
"Everyone in the palace says that Governor Xiao is very capable. When he was serving before the Emperor, I noticed that he has a strong temper. He is very clear about favors and grudges and will always seek revenge. He only cares about the results. Apart from this, I am not very familiar with Governor Xiao."
Upon hearing this, Emperor An leaned back on the stool and said, "He is indeed petty and vindictive. Sometimes he even ignores me."
Feng Lai quickly said, "Your Majesty, you are joking. You are the Son of Heaven. Who in this world dares not take you seriously?"
"Lord Xiao is where he is today thanks to Your Majesty's support. Sometimes, Juan Kuang is also indulged by Your Majesty. And you haven't seen that when Lord Xiao interacts with other princes and emperors, he always makes sarcastic remarks after every three words. When he talks to the officials in the court, he can make them angry to death with just a few words."
"I still remember that years ago, when Governor Xiao executed the officials of the Southern Region, there were only a few officials in the court who hadn't impeached him. The impeachment memorials nearly flooded your majesty's case. If it weren't for your majesty's unwavering protection, how could Governor Xiao have remained in the court?"
When Emperor An listened to Feng Lai's words, he remembered that when the grain tax case broke out, Xiao Yan angrily beheaded the officials of the grain tax office and returned to the capital covered in wounds.
The memorials impeaching him were delivered to the emperor like snowflakes, but Xiao Yan was stubborn and went against all the ministers in the court. If someone said a word to him in the court, he would retort ten times and even expose their skin and bones, from the ministers from aristocratic families like Liang Guangyi and Lu Chongyuan to the upright officials like Cao Dejiang.
He was so arrogant that he could argue with everyone. He could scold a group of officials so much that their faces turned pale and they were almost choked to death. He would pick on those who offended him one by one and find fault with them, and none of them had a good ending.
He had offended everyone in the Wei court. He had never been close to any prince or royal family member, and he was even more dismissive of the royal family. However, Xiao Yan was always respectful in front of him, and even if he occasionally offended him, he never went against the emperor's will.
Xiao Yan never left himself a way out. Emperor An dared to use him because he knew his reputation in the court and knew that he could only survive by being loyal to the emperor. If he lost the emperor's favor, he would have no way out based on the people he had offended in the past and what he had done.
Eunuch Feng watched as the gloom in Emperor An's eyes faded away, and he did not mention Xiao Yan again. He suddenly said:
"By the way, Your Majesty, the Consort Xian asked about the Mid-Autumn Festival banquet yesterday. Mid-Autumn Festival is in three days, and I don't know what Your Majesty means. Besides, there have been two fires in the palace, and many people outside are talking about it... Are we still going to hold a banquet this year?"
Emperor An's face was gloomy. The matter between Lu Qingfeng and Prince Cheng had already been announced, and he knew how many people outside were laughing at the royal family.
He had not originally planned to hold a Mid-Autumn Festival palace banquet this year because the Queen's incident was really embarrassing. However, after hearing what Feng Lai said, he changed his mind. There had been two major fires in the palace and people had died one after another. If even the annual palace banquet was cancelled, he didn't know what people outside would say about him.
"If it is, why not?"
"But in previous years, the palace banquets were all handed over to the Empress, and now there's no one in the palace..."
"If there's no one in the Central Palace, there are always people in other palaces. Even without the Empress, there are still Concubine Yu and Concubine Xian." Emperor An originally wanted to let Concubine Xian take charge, but suddenly remembered Cui Lin, his "father-in-law", and said directly: "Go and tell Concubine Yu to host this year's Mid-Autumn Palace Banquet, with Concubine Zhao Gui's assistance. Tell them to make sure the palace banquet is lively and exciting for me."
Feng Lai bowed his head and said, "I obey your order."
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