Chapter 213 The Art of the Emperor
"That man is among these letters?"
Huo Xingzhi nodded: "Father, you will know who it is once you take a look."
Emperor Showa picked up the letters and opened them one by one. The more he read the contents, the uglier his expression became.
He put down the letter in his hand and slammed his palm on the table.
"I never thought that these people's evil ambitions would soon infiltrate our entire Great Yan royal family."
"I never thought that besides Concubine Gao, even Concubine Shu is also Duke Gao's person!"
"What do these people want to do!"
Emperor Showa was so angry that his face turned purple. He picked up the letters, looked at them for a moment, and then slammed the table again.
"In that case, today's welcoming banquet will mark the death date of Duke Gao and Consort Shu."
"Father, please calm down." Huo Xingzhi said.
"Now that the emperor knows about this, we should make careful plans."
Emperor Zhaohe nodded: "I know. I am the Emperor of Great Yan. I am not that stupid."
"Did you have any contact with the Zhao family during your trip to Qin?"
Huo Xing said: "It's just a few words with the eldest son of the Zhao family."
"However, we were escorted all the way back by the Zhao family's cavalry."
Emperor Zhaohe said, "I didn't expect that Su Yuheng's biological mother is from the Zhao family. I wanted you to marry the Prime Minister's daughter as Su Yuheng's equal wife, but now there is no need for that."
Huo Xingzhi's eyes darkened and an unhappy expression appeared on his face.
He said coldly, "Father, please give up on this idea. Even if Heng'er's biological mother is not from the Zhao family, I will never take a concubine, let alone a wife."
He cupped his hands and said, "Since I have already entrusted you with the task, I will not disturb you any longer."
Huo Xingzhi said this and prepared to leave.
Then he heard Emperor Zhaohe say quietly, "Xingzhi won't ask about the affairs of the Shen and Su families?"
Huo Xingzhi turned his head and looked at Emperor Showa sitting on the dragon throne.
"The male members of the Shen family were exterminated, and the mastermind behind it was the King of Qi."
"What does Father plan to do?"
Emperor Zhaohe: "As for the life of the Prince of Qi, I will naturally take my time."
"As for the rest of the Su family, all the women who knew the truth were exiled, the head of the Su family, Su Yuan, was beheaded, and Su Mingzhe..."
Huo Xingzhi bowed and said, "I beg Your Majesty to give Su Mingzhe a chance to live. He is not aware of this matter."
Emperor Showa put down his pen and said, "I know you are soft-hearted."
"Su Mingzhe was once the General of the Cavalry, a useful talent. I have no intention of killing him."
"Now that his leg has healed, let him redeem himself and return to the barracks. If he can achieve military merit, I will confer him a new title. Would you be satisfied?"
Huo Xingzhi bowed and said, "Thank you, Father!"
"In that case, go down and prepare well."
Huo Xingzhi bowed and said, "Yes, Father."
As Huo Xingzhi walked out of the imperial study, he saw the King of Qi striding in.
The two of them didn't speak, not even a greeting.
Huo Xingzhi left the imperial study directly.
Seeing Prince Qi coming in, Emperor Zhaohe quickly put away the letter sent by Huo Xingzhi, and turned to look at Prince Qi with a smile on his face.
Emperor Zhaohe said: "Now that the border war has stopped, Jing Che has made great contributions. Tell me what reward you need."
Prince Qi walked in and bowed to Emperor Showa.
Then he said, "I am so lucky to be able to devote my life to the Great Yan and die for it. Today I have come here for only one thing."
"What's the matter?" Emperor Zhaohe said
The King of Qi said, "I would like to marry the Prime Minister's daughter as my second wife. What do you think, Father?"
Emperor Showa did not expect that the King of Qi would become restless so soon.
Doesn't this show that he wants to win over the Prime Minister?
He said calmly, "This is not appropriate."
"Why?"
Emperor Zhaohe said: "Now that Princess Qi is pregnant, if you marry the Prime Minister's daughter as your co-wife at this time, Princess Qi will inevitably make a fuss, which will affect her unborn child."
"Let's wait until she's done giving birth."
"What's more, your mother is still in a coma and hasn't woken up yet. If you openly marry a concubine like this, what will the people of Yanjing say?"
The King of Qi was stunned. He had forgotten that Concubine Gao was still in a coma.
"Father, does Mother have no other options now?"
Emperor Zhaohe said coldly, "I've asked the people from Medicine King Valley to examine her. Whether she wakes up or not is up to her luck."
"At the welcoming banquet tonight, I will privately ask the Prime Minister for his opinion. I'll see if the Prime Minister's daughter has been promised to someone else."
"You go down first."
"Yes, father." The King of Qi looked gloomy and turned to leave the imperial study.
After everyone left, Wang Dequan came in from outside.
"His Majesty."
Emperor Showa said coldly, "You go and arrange the welcoming banquet today."
"Don't let anything go wrong."
Wang Dequan said: "Yes, I understand."
"But, if His Royal Highness the Prince of Qi doesn't drink that glass of wine, then..."
Emperor Showa sneered: "Don't worry, I will find a way."
"Yes, Your Majesty."
Prince Li's Mansion,
After Huo Xingzhi told Su Yuheng everything about the imperial study, Su Yuheng could only sigh.
"I didn't expect that His Majesty would deal with the Su family in this way."
"But this is fine."
"It's just the King of Qi..." Su Yuheng sighed.
Huo Xingzhi said, "Don't worry. Since the emperor already knows the identity of the Prince of Qi, he will definitely not keep him."
"It's just that the men of the Shen family were massacred that year. Without any substantial evidence, my father couldn't openly punish the King of Qi."
"The King of Qi has many supporters in the court. It won't be easy to eradicate this cancer."
"Father, you have your own plans."
"I understand." Su Yuheng said.
…
The Golden Palace is brightly lit at night and the music of stringed instruments is melodious.
The air was filled with the aroma of imperial delicacies and the clear scent of wine.
Su Yuheng followed Huo Xingzhi into the Golden Palace.
Dozens of military commanders were sitting in the front seats of the hall. They were wearing armor, and their faces were dark, rough, and weathered.
These dozens of military commanders have all made military achievements.
Emperor Showa issued an imperial decree to reward them, and today, he specially summoned them.
On the imperial throne.
Emperor Showa looked down at the generals and ministers in the court, as well as Prince Li, Prince Rui, Prince Qi and others.
His eyes fell on the glass of wine in King Qi's hand, and a cold arc appeared at the corner of his lips.
He stood up, raised his glass, and said, "This time, we, Great Yan, won a resounding victory in our battle against the State of Qi. This was in no small part due to the contributions of our princes and soldiers."
"Your contributions cannot be rewarded with gold or jade, nor can they be fully expressed with titles. The peace of this country and the peaceful sleep of its people are all built with your flesh and blood!"
"Today's banquet is not a reward from me, but a thank you from the world! Please drink this cup to the full!"
Emperor Showa was the first to raise the golden cup, his eyes shining as he scanned the crowd, and glanced at Prince Qi.
Everyone stood up and said: "Congratulations to His Majesty! Congratulations to the country!"
The ministers and soldiers shouted like thunder.
Emperor Showa raised his head and drank the wine in the glass in one gulp, the spicy liquid going down his throat.
He watched the King of Qi drink the glass of wine in one gulp, and then he felt relieved.
"Everyone, please sit down."
"Yes, Your Majesty!"
After Emperor Showa finished speaking, everyone in the Golden Throne Hall slowly sat down in their seats.
Below, Gao Guo and the King of Qi looked at each other and nodded.
Seeing Emperor Showa looking down at him, Duke Gao quickly looked away.
He picked up some dishes with chopsticks and put them in the bowl, then saw a little palace maid holding a wine pot walking towards him from not far away.
The maid approached him, filled his glass with wine, slipped a note into his hand, and left.
The little palace maid walked away. Gao Guo opened the note under the table and saw familiar handwriting.
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