Song Chengze sat on the armchair in the east wing of the study in the outer courtyard, nodding frequently as he listened to Chu Yong's report on Yue Zhen's preparations.
"Song Lu, go see Hong Liang tomorrow and tell him that I agree with his plan. However, after all, the Crown Prince's men will be accompanying you this time. There are some things, especially those dealing with Lord Qin, that must not be discovered by the Crown Prince's men."
Song Lu stood up and said, "Yes, I will go tomorrow."
Lu Jinzhou stroked his beard and said softly, "Your Highness has been planning for almost a year, and it has finally paid off."
Song Chengze thought about how the Lin family had sent money like water to Beijing this year for the position of Sichuan Governor, and how Yue Zhen had personally made the trip and suffered injuries. With this result, everything was worth it.
Furthermore, when he initially deployed this line, he was forced to go to Yunnan and Guizhou because he had no other places to intervene in the northwest, let alone any available talent. But now, thanks to Meng Qi's reminder, Wu Zhengda was gradually moving closer to him. This was truly a pleasant surprise. Furthermore, the Crown Prince was completely unaware of Wu Zhengda's connection.
Song Chengze had never dreamed of that position. He had always been working hard for the crown prince to sit on that position, because he knew that only if the crown prince sat there would he be safe and could be a leisurely prince in the future.
But this does not mean that he will tell the prince everything about himself, or that all his tasks will be arranged by the prince. The long-standing intrigues and schemes in the palace have taught Song Chengze that he should never trust someone completely, and never put his life and property on the shoulders of another person.
Especially after Meng Qi told him about the dream, he didn't believe that he was really the person sitting in the position in her dream, but he became more aware of the importance of establishing his own power. What others don't know, only he knows. Even if the prince was defeated by others, with such power, he would not lose his life inexplicably.
Song Lu smiled and said, "This Wu Zhengda is exactly our unexpected surprise."
Lu Jinzhou nodded, "Indeed, I now admire the princess very much. She can see so far ahead."
Song Chengze's lips curled up unconsciously when he heard Lu Jinzhou praising Meng Qi. Yes, if Meng Qi hadn't reminded him, he wouldn't have paid much attention to what was happening in the Northwest. After all, there were too many people eyeing that piece of fat in the Northwest, and he couldn't bring himself to take a bite.
"As for the matter of Prince Cheng's Mansion, it's only been a few months, and we've already collected so much important information. That concubine Meng is extremely capable." Lu Jinzhou said happily again.
Indeed, perhaps due to the cold weather, the excavation of Prince Cheng's secret passage had ceased, but perhaps it had already been dug through. Song Chengze had recently arranged for his inner circle in the palace to search for the location of Prince Cheng's secret passage. If they could find it, they would then deliver a fatal blow to him.
The most important thing is that Meng Zhi actually got out a letter between Prince Cheng and Meng Hai. Just based on the content in the letter, if it were handed to the emperor now, Prince Cheng would be imprisoned for sure.
Song Chengze felt even happier when he thought about this. He felt warm inside when he thought all this was Meng Qi's work. Especially since she had been cleaning up the inner chambers with such drastic measures, uncovering truths that he knew but didn't care about, as well as truths that he really didn't know.
How to reward this little girl?
"Your Highness, I wonder if the princess will agree to what we planned in the first month of the year?" Song Lu said uncertainly.
Lu Jinzhou nodded. After all, what he was going to do would affect the princess's reputation, and he was afraid that the princess would have concerns.
Song Chengze was stunned at first, then waved his hand, "So, I asked Hu Changsheng to invite her. I didn't want to inform her after making a decision. I had to explain the whole story to her clearly. Whether to do it or not depends on her opinion."
Everyone understood and nodded.
Meng Qi entered the outer courtyard study and saw Dong Hai standing at the door of the east wing. Dong Hai first stepped forward to greet Meng Qi, then bowed and said, "The prince has ordered that the princess is here, so you can go in directly."
Meng Qi nodded, the corners of her mouth curled up. Hu Changsheng took a few steps forward, lifted the cotton curtain, and said to the east room, "The princess is here."
Meng Qi had just stepped over the threshold when she saw Song Chengze walking out with a smile on his face.
Meng Qi quickly bowed, but Song Chengze said it was unnecessary. Instead, he stepped forward and gently untied the straps of her cloak. Then he shook her hand naturally, "Is it still snowing outside? Why don't you have a hand warmer?"
As he spoke, he took the small hand warmer handed to him by Hu Changsheng and placed it in Meng Qi's hand.
Meng Qi had no time to react to Song Chengze's actions which were so natural that they couldn't be more natural, as he led her into the east room.
Meng Qi looked at Song Chengze's confidants and advisors bowing to her. If it weren't for the inappropriate occasion, she would have wanted to laugh. This was great. This was exactly what she had always wanted, a situation recognized by everyone.
After everyone exchanged greetings, they sat down according to their order of importance. Song Chengze took a sip of tea, thought for a moment, and said with a hint of seriousness, "We asked the princess to come here because we have something to discuss and need her help. I originally wanted to speak to you alone to discuss your opinion, but they said it would be better to ask for your opinion in person."
Meng Qi was confused. Seeing that everyone's smiling faces had serious expressions, she felt unsure what to do.
"Your Highness, please tell me. As long as I can help you and do what I can, I will not refuse."
Song Chengze nodded and glanced at Lu Jinzhou. Lu Jinzhou stood up and bowed to Meng Qi, saying, "This is what happened. The prince has discussed with us and decided to hold a major event at the palace banquet on the fifteenth day of the first lunar month. The rest of the arrangements have been made. I will arrange who will do what later. Now we need an introduction."
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