Ying Shuo was shocked upon hearing this. Was the Marquis of Yongding hinting that he was willing to send his eldest son to the palace as a guarantee of his loyalty to the emperor? The deeper meaning behind this was undoubtedly a battle of wits. He became even more vigilant, knowing that in this silent confrontation, every detail could be the key to victory or defeat.
The emperor glanced at her and rebuked her with displeasure, "Go, go! I only have a slight advantage over you when playing chess. Do you still expect your eldest son to avenge your shame? It is truly puzzling that a man as uneducated as you could have such a talented and beautiful man in his palace."
In comparison, his princes and princesses were all mediocre and often made jokes.
Ying Shuo was shocked. The emperor was indeed wary of Marquis Yongding, and even guarded against the outstanding descendants of the marquis.
Marquis Yongding is indeed a powerful official who has experienced many battles and hardships. He can still chat and laugh at this moment.
Jiang Dinglian chuckled and said, "Perhaps this is because my wife comes from a prestigious family that has a long tradition of poetry and literature."
"Indeed, the Xu family originated from the Taifu Mansion."
The emperor nodded slightly, as if he understood something, but suddenly frowned: "It's just that your sister-in-law..."
"Xu Shixin used witchcraft, causing my wife endless headaches and suffering for many years. I have been filled with resentment in my heart for a long time. I beg the emperor to severely punish the Taifu Mansion." A cold light flashed in Jiang Dinglian's eyes.
The emperor glanced at him sideways, "After all, it's your Yue family. Can you really not be partial?"
Jiang Dinglian pondered for a moment and replied, "Your Majesty, please use the fine as military pay for the Flying Dragon Armored Army."
Hearing this, Ying Shuo's heart beat faster and he was terrified.
This powerful official who controls the military power dared to mention military power and military pay when he was alone facing the emperor and his mansion was under a strict search. This was undoubtedly a blatant provocation to the majesty of heaven!
The emperor smiled lightly and replied calmly: "Yes."
Jiang Dinglian glanced at the dusk outside the window, picked up a piece of cake, and gobbled it down, bite after bite. He felt a strange tinge of sickness lingering within the sweetness. He asked bitterly, "Your Majesty, how long will your Imperial Guards continue this search? I long to return home and have dinner with my family soon."
Ying Shuo frowned, but his ears couldn't help but stand up.
Is this confrontation finally reaching its climax?
Marquis Yongding possesses special skills. If he really tries to kidnap the emperor later, wouldn't he, as a eunuch, have to step forward and block the way?
The emperor raised his eyelids slightly, his deep and unfathomable gaze falling on Jiang Dinglian, and he sneered contemptuously, "Why are you so anxious? Is your wife waiting for you to come home for dinner?"
Xu certainly wouldn't.
But at this moment, she might have been frightened by the shocking display of the Imperial Guards and lost her appetite.
"Ying Shuo, serve the meal. Ask the imperial kitchen to send the best wine and food to the imperial study." The emperor instructed Ying Shuo lightly.
Food and drinks?!
Ying Shuo raised his eyebrows slightly, thinking to himself, the emperor's mind is really hard to understand. Is the wine and food sent here poisonous wine with hidden murderous intent, or just ordinary delicious food?
The emperor seemed to have a deeper meaning and actually arranged a feast with hidden murderous intentions in the imperial study. Was he intending to kill the Marquis of Yongding without announcing it?
Ying Shuo seemed hesitant and hesitated to move forward. The emperor glanced at him and said with an unquestionable indifference in his tone: "Are you still waiting for something?"
Ying Shuo cautiously asked, "Your Majesty, what kind of wine would you like to drink at this banquet?"
The emperor pondered for a moment, then slowly spoke, "Then let's take Jiannanchun. I remember that the Marquis of Yongding is quite fond of this wine. What do you think, Marquis of Yongding?"
Jiang Dinglian turned his gaze and caught a glimpse of Ying Shuo's deep and unfathomable eyes. He leaned lazily on the back of his chair and said in a frivolous tone, "I will do whatever you wish. As long as you don't poison me secretly, it will be fine."
These words are surprisingly straightforward.
Upon hearing this, the Emperor frowned, a hint of anger flashed in his eyes, and he asked angrily, "Poison? Who dares to do such a thing to my wine?"
Ying Shuo couldn't help but feel suspicious that the contest between these two people was not as simple as it seemed.
He cautiously stood guard beside the emperor, slightly opening the door to the imperial study and whispering orders to the outside. Soon, the palace maids and eunuchs entered one after another, carrying exquisite meals in their hands.
Jiang Dinglian was uninhibited. Without waiting for the Emperor to raise his chopsticks, he rolled up his sleeves and devoured a plump roasted pig's trotter. With a hint of reproach in his voice, he said, "The Imperial Guards, believing rumors, dared to break into the Yongding Marquis's residence and conduct a search. My family members are as timid as mice. If they are frightened by this, the Emperor must punish them severely."
"Ji Cheng has absolutely no silver to offer you as military pay. Most of the huge amount of silver confiscated from the home of the new Jinyiwei commander has already been allocated to your Flying Dragon Armor. And yet you still covet this newly sharpened sword of mine?"
The emperor's eyes were as sharp as a torch, and he instantly understood his thoughts.
Jiang Dinglian was enjoying a sumptuous feast, a serious expression on his face. "The border states harbor ulterior motives. Dongling and Beizhai are both ambitious and restless, repeatedly invading the border and engaging in looting and harassment. I am merely preparing for the worst. Even the Crown Prince narrowly escaped death at the hands of enemy spies."
When mentioning this matter, the emperor's eyes became more profound.
He slammed the table and shouted angrily, "When I find out who is behind this and expose the conspiracy to frame and slander you, I will confiscate his property and use all of it as your military pay."
"good!"
Jiang Dinglian was extremely excited.
I thought to myself, it would be better if we could have more Jinyiwei searches like this!
It would be better if there were a few more people trying to frame him!
Soon, the Jinyiwei sent the evidence they found to the imperial study.
The emperor knew that what he found would not be good, but he was still shocked when he saw the filthy and evil things. Especially those made of baby bone powder, they made him so disgusted that he could not even eat breakfast.
His face was as gloomy as the sky, "The Duke of Protectorate's Mansion? This is outrageous. How dare Hao Ren be so audacious."
The Jinyiwei who came to submit evidence had never expected that such heinous items would be found in the Yongding Marquis's mansion. However, the emperor, sitting opposite Jiang Dinglian, had no suspicion at all, as if he had directly concluded that this was a deliberate frame-up by the Huguogong Mansion.
Looking closely at Jiang Dinglian opposite him, he seemed to be really hungry, yet he was still enjoying the food at this time, but there seemed to be a hint of disappointment in his eyes.
"How could it be the Protectorate Palace?"
Ying Shuo, who was standing by, finally figured out what was going on.
In today's situation, it is probably difficult to see the dramatic scenes of the emperor and powerful ministers turning against each other as in history.
Even if their emperor found the dragon robe in the Yongding Marquis's mansion, he would probably mistakenly think that it was embroidered by the Yongding Marquis to express his loyalty, and would be deeply moved by this loyalty.
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