Wu Junrou was right. Princess Xiangyu in the current palace was already busy taking care of herself at this time, so how could she have the ability to care about Song Wanning's affairs?
Xianfei was once a favored concubine, but who knew that after Yu Meiren entered the palace, she became the exclusive favorite, and the concubines outside could not even compete with Yu Meiren's favor. Some time ago, Xianfei was scolded by the emperor for competing with Yu Meiren for the same piece of cloth. She used to have some power, but now she can only rely on the influence of her sons and daughters to gain any respect in the harem.
Unfortunately, Prince An Xie Ke is no longer as popular as before, and he has suffered repeated setbacks in the court, which gives Concubine Xian a headache.
Princess Xiangyu was also extremely worried about Concubine Xian in the harem. "Mother, what should we do now that he has become like this? My brother was not a favored one in the previous dynasty either."
"We can only take things one step at a time now," Xianfei said slowly, her face gloomy. "Ever since His Majesty got Concubine Yu, he's been like a drug addict. Every day in the palace, he's only focused on talking and doing things with Concubine Yu. His Majesty no longer favors the ministers of the previous dynasty as he did before. Suddenly, everyone is feeling insecure, and I can't help but worry."
"This Concubine Yu's playing is like magic. I was fortunate enough to hear it once, and it truly made me feel like I was there." Princess Xiangyu frowned and looked at Concubine Xian. "I heard that the late emperor also had a concubine who was as favored as Concubine Yu now, but later she left the palace to practice cultivation for unknown reasons."
"Very few people in the palace know about this. Even the Empress in the harem probably doesn't know the inside story. If anyone wants to know the whole story, I'm afraid the only one who can tell is the Empress Dowager." Concubine Xian sighed and said, "The Empress Dowager has gone to Yunxi Mountain to practice cultivation and won't be back for a few months."
"What should I do, mother? Find a fast horse and ask the Empress Dowager what's going on. Father's mind has completely changed. He's not as kind and amiable as before. I'm afraid that Concubine Yu has some sorcery that has bewitched him."
"The most taboo thing in the palace is witchcraft. Don't say such things anymore. Let's hold our ground for now and don't let Concubine Yu get hold of anything." Concubine Xian sighed and said, "When you're out there, don't get into a fight with Concubine Yu. Your father won't side with us."
Princess Xiangyu could only sigh at the side.
The harem was not at peace, and the dynasty was not very stable either. In the court, the emperor scolded Prince An and the crown prince harshly.
"I'm not unaware of your frequent battles, both openly and covertly, between the two of you. But what you're doing now is truly too shameful. It's more trouble than good, and it chills my heart." The emperor said slowly, his voice cold. "Prince An will no longer be in charge of the Ministry of War, and the Crown Prince will no longer be in charge of the Imperial Guards. I'm taking back these powers and asking you to stop stirring up trouble here."
Although Prince An and the Crown Prince were surprised and frightened, they could do nothing but lower their heads and endure the emperor's scolding.
Upon seeing this, the emperor immediately announced, "From today on, the Imperial Guard will be under the full responsibility of Hu Zecheng, the Minister of War. He will be in charge of deploying troops and protecting my safety. As for the Ministry of War, it will be handed over to Chen Lang."
The moment these words came out, the entire court was shocked. After all, such a major matter concerning the emperor's safety as the Imperial Guard was usually entrusted to important officials, so it was understandable that he was entrusted to the crown prince. Who would have thought that the emperor would now give this responsibility to an official like the Minister of War? It was truly incredible.
Although the Vice Minister of War was also an important official at the court, he was only a fourth-rank official, and was not of the same rank as the Crown Prince, who held a legitimate bloodline. The Emperor's decision to entrust his own safety to the Vice Minister of War was truly surprising.
But no one in the court dared to stand up and persuade the emperor. Everyone's eyes fell on Yin Yichen. In the past, only when Yin Yichen spoke out to persuade the emperor would he listen. But now, to the surprise of all the officials, Yin Yichen stood in front of them without saying a word, and no one knew what he was thinking.
After the emperor finished speaking, he immediately announced to the crowd, "Today, another person will be entering the palace to serve as an official. Concubine Yu has a brother who is a capable and useful pillar of the country. From today on, he will serve as an official in the grain department."
After a while, a man came in. He was over eight feet tall and handsome. He looked to be only about twenty-six or twenty-seven years old, and had the appearance of a scholar who had passed the imperial examination. However, there was a certain coldness between his eyebrows, which made people feel distant.
The most important thing is that this man's eyebrows are somewhat similar to the emperor sitting above.
No civil or military official dared to say this. The post of grain commissioner was a lucrative one, which showed how much the emperor valued Yu Meiren's brother.
The man stepped forward, looked at the emperor sitting above, and saluted, "Your humble servant, the grain official Gu Jie, greets Your Majesty. Long live Your Majesty."
The moment the emperor saw Gu Jie, a smile finally broke out on his face. He waved towards him and said, "I've heard that you're handsome, and now I see that you're indeed so. If there's anything you don't like about me when you're an official in the future, just tell me directly."
"Thank you, Your Majesty." Seeing this, Gu Jie bowed to the emperor again.
Everyone left the court, and all the civil and military officials felt insecure, fearing that they would be washed to death on the shore by the wave of the current emperor.
Yin Yichen walked out of the palace with a sullen expression. On the way, Wei Fu came to report and said to Yin Yichen, "Prime Minister, I heard that the virtuous concubine in the palace sent someone to Yunxi Mountain to find the Empress Dowager urgently. I wonder what it is about."
Yin Yichen said to Wei Fu calmly, "Send someone to follow and see why... No, you go yourself."
Wei Fu said yes and walked out.
Yin Yichen left the palace and returned to the Prime Minister's Residence. Song Wanning, who was now showing signs of pregnancy, strode over to Yin Yichen. Seeing his unhappy expression, she asked softly, "What happened in the court? I rarely see you look like this."
Seeing Song Wanning like this, Yin Yichen also relaxed and said slowly, "The enemy in the court is more powerful than I imagined. What's worse is that we still don't know who the enemy is or what means he will use. Today..."
Yin Yichen told Song Wanning what happened in the court and said slowly, "Now that the Crown Prince and Prince An have fallen, I'm afraid it will be my turn soon."
As the prime minister, second only to the emperor, Yin Yichen was in a high position of power and arrogance. He had never felt so threatened before.
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