When it came to winning over hearts, Su Rong was second to none.
She was not only generous but also lavish, sparing no expense to ensure that people were truly at her disposal.
Upon hearing this, Shen Yi looked at Su Rong in admiration, "Junior sister, you’re amazing. If Zhou Gu knew that you gave the manuscripts he clenched to others, wouldn’t he be furious?"
"No," Su Rong smiled: "What I gave them wasn’t what I clenched, it was what Fen Ling clenched. He was initially interested in the handwritten notes and strategy discussions, but he has no memory as good as mine, so he clenched and copied everything with a pen to get the gist. When Doctor Zhang called his grandchildren just now, I took the manuscript from Feng Ling."
"I see," Shen Yi realized, but still remarked, "That’s valuable enough though."
"Of course. My sister is very generous after all. Keep in mind that I copied for three days." Fen Ling complained dissatisfied.
Su Rong assured him, "When I have time, I’ll write you a copy personally."
Fen Ling immediately brightened up, "A deal is a deal."
"Indeed. A deal is a deal."
With the rebellion quelled, before the old Duke of Jinglu and his hundred thousand soldiers returned to the capital, urgent news was delivered to the capital first.
The Emperor was still recovering and the Crown Prince was administering the Imperial Court.
The civil and military officials were both shocked and delighted when they heard that the rebellion of Zhang Ping had been quelled. They were shocked at how quickly Zhang Ping’s rebellion had been quelled, and apart from Nanping, the rebel forces didn’t even start to fight elsewhere before Zhang Ping died suddenly. They were delighted that the situation in the Court returned to stability, and they no longer had to worry about the risk of Zhang Ping invading the Capital City, thus threatening their lives.
How exactly Zhang Ping died so suddenly was not mentioned in the report, so people speculated.
Inside the Sleeping Hall, upon hearing of Zhang Ping’s sudden death, the Emperor found it hard to believe, "How did Zhang Ping die suddenly?"
Yan Huisheng shook his head, "It’s not known yet, but we should find out when the old Duke returns to the capital in a few days."
The Emperor nodded, "Zhang Ping died so easily. It indeed made it easier for him."
Yan Huisheng said: "It’s better that Zhang Ping died. Otherwise, how could the internal turmoil be quelled so quickly? If Daliang had prolonged internal strife, it would lead to countless losses."
The Emperor nodded, "Have there been any news regarding Su Rong and Zhou Gu?"
"Zhou Gu has led troops to the border, and Su Rong has gone to Jibei City," Yan Huisheng replied. "Should Dawei take advantage and wage war amid Zhang Ping’s rebellion, Daliang cannot be passive as it was sixteen years ago."
The Emperor agreed wholeheartedly, "You can handle all these matters on your own."
Yan Huisheng nodded, "You need to recover first, Your Majesty."
The Emperor had already been resting for so long that his bones felt numb. All these years, he had never spent so much time in bed, especially now when Daliang was facing internal and external threats. He could rest assured only because he had a competent Crown Prince. Now that he could move around a little, he thought it might be better to continue his recovery and take the opportunity to delegate authority to the Crown Prince.
These days, he had come to a realization - sooner or later, he would have to hand over the foundation of Daliang to his son. It was better to do so sooner rather than later.
In the past, he held all the power and hated letting it go. However, after several bouts of spitting blood due to fury, his body spectacularly failed him. Waking up after fainting several times made him realize how many mistakes he had made in the past. By suppressing a capable Crown Prince and restricting his capabilities led to a heap of mess that still needed to be cleaned up by him, nearly ruining the foundation of the kingdom handed down by the ancestors and nearly becoming a sinner for all eternity. He wouldn’t be able to atone for his sins even if he died a million times over.
He said: "Your fourth brother is not young anymore. Why not find a bride for him before the end of the year and pick a fiefdom for him in the spring of next year and send him away?"
Yan Huisheng looked at the Emperor, "Your Majesty, aren’t you holding selections for the concubines next year?"
"No more." The Empress initially thought that Concubine Zhen was close to him, but to her surprise, she had been deceived, and the face of his beloved wife was lost. At this point, he had no interest in bringing new people into the Imperial Harem, "There will be no more selections held during my reign. What do you think about which daughter from which family is suitable for your fourth brother as a princess? Also, choose a fiefdom for him."
"Your Majesty, you don’t need to worry about these matters for now, just focus on recuperating. Now that the internal turmoil has been completely quelled, there’s only the Dawei border left to worry about. If there are no unusual movements, it’s not too late to discuss other things later." Yan Huisheng hadn’t considered the issues regarding Yan Shen at this moment, otherwise, since Yan Li and Yan Lin had already died, and Yan Shen had pledged loyalty to him, the others posed no threat to him. As long as they were all loyal to him as the Crown Prince, he would be willing to be friendly with his brothers.
"Alright. What I mean is, some things need to be planned in advance." The Emperor waved his hand, "Go on!"
Yan Huisheng nodded, took his leave, and stepped out of the Sleeping Hall.
The Sleeping Hall was warm and comforting within, but the moment he stepped out, a biting cold wind hit him. Even though he was wrapped in a heavy cloak, the cold wind still swept away all the warmth from his body as soon as he left the Sleeping Hall.
The Emperor now seemed more like a father, showing delayed paternal love towards him, the Crown Prince.
He stood outside the Sleeping Hall for a while, then slowly descended the stairs and returned to the Eastern Palace.
At the entrance of the Eastern Palace inner garden, Yuewan was bundled up into a ball, awaiting someone’s return with a brazier in her arms. Seeing the Crown Prince covered in snow, returning to the Eastern Palace, she asked with wide eyes, "Your Highness, didn’t you take the carriage today?"
Yan Huisheng nodded, "I walked back on my own."
Before Yuewan could ask again, he added: "There’s no news from your mistress today."
Yuewan’s face fell, "Not again."
She grumbled, "Did my mistress go straight to Nanchu and leave me and Nurse Zhao behind?"
"The Nanchu King is ill." Yan Huisheng didn’t know if Su Rong would go directly to Nanchu, but he had sent the message that the Nanchu King was sick to Su Rong.
Yuewan’s face crumpled, "The Nanchu King fell ill at a really inconvenient time."
Yan Huisheng didn’t extend the conversation and walked inside at a leisurely pace.
Yuewan caught up with him, "Your Highness, do you think if Nurse Zhao and I went to look for my mistress..."
"No," Yan Huisheng shook his head, "If she asks you to wait, you wait. If she goes directly to Nanchu, she will send someone to inform you. She has a lot to deal with right now, you shouldn’t add to the chaos."
Yuewan conceded with a sigh, "Alright then!"
Yan Huisheng headed for his quarters, and Yuewan naturally didn’t follow, returning to her own residence.
Ya Qiuying was originally practicing calligraphy. Seeing her return, she set down her brush and asked, "Sister Yuewan, is there any news from Miss Su today?"
"No."
Ya Qiuying was filled with worry, "Ever since my uncle left Daliang, I haven’t received any letters from my younger uncle. I wonder if he has already returned to Nanchu."
Yuewan placed the brazier down and removed her thick coat, "Ai, let’s wait. These days have been hard."
Wet Nurse Zhao was embroidering flowers and laughed at their conversation, "I already told you to stop bothering His Highness every day. As soon as there’s news from Miss Qiuying, he’ll send someone over. You, only because His Highness takes you seriously as someone beside Miss Qiuying, can he tolerate you bothering him every day."
Yuewan stuck out her tongue, "His Highness is really nice."
She went to bother him daily, but didn’t see him express any annoyance and insist on her not bothering him anymore. Indeed, a potential monarch would possess a tolerance and refinement that was beyond ordinary.
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