Chapter 205 Keeping Hostages
After listening to this, Xiao Fuguang pondered for a moment.
"Your Majesty, I have to go there myself."
When he looked up, his eyes were full of determination.
Xuanyuan Jing quickly denied it.
"no."
"Fu Guang, Wen Ying, and Xiu Ming are the best assassins I have. They can go."
Then he walked over to her and held her hand.
"Su Yan is very cunning. He must have made some preparations when he went to Yongcheng. If we were not in the Imperial City, Su Yan would have been in trouble, which would have given Prince Rong an opportunity to take advantage of. Prince Rong is ruthless and has many aides, otherwise he would not have such a great influence in the court."
Xiao Fuguang was silent for a moment after hearing this.
"I'll go find Master and tell him that I've been in seclusion with him. Your Highness, you also said that Su Yan is very cunning. Last time on the battlefield, the thunder didn't kill him, and he even changed his identity, catching us off guard. This time, I will make sure he dies completely."
Looking at the determination in her eyes, Xuanyuan Jing pondered for a moment.
"If you insist on going in person, I'll go with you."
Xiao Fuguang looked up in surprise after hearing this.
"But didn't you just say that if we leave the Imperial City..."
Xuanyuan Jing lowered his head in thought.
"I'm going to the palace."
Prince Rong's Mansion.
Su Yan bowed to Prince Rong.
"Your Majesty."
Prince Rong looked at him and nodded slightly.
"Are you getting ready to set off?"
Su Yan still bowed.
"Yes, we'll leave tomorrow."
Su Yan is an aide to him, but he is the most capable one, Prince Rong reminded him.
"Be careful on your journey. I will wait for your triumphant return and then report to my father to have you promoted."
After hearing this, Su Yan spoke with gratitude in his eyes.
"Thank you, Your Majesty."
Then he took out a few letters.
"Your Highness, these were found in the Regent's fiefdom. It's clear that the Regent's fiefdom has been recruiting soldiers and hoarding food and fodder over the years."
Prince Rong took it and looked at it with joy.
"If this thing is given to Father..."
Su Yan continued speaking.
"Your Highness, we can't do it so quickly. We need another opportunity."
"An opportunity to convince the Emperor that the Regent will commit regicide."
Prince Rong nodded after hearing this.
"I understand. I will continue to have people investigate the palace."
"It just so happens that I went to the palace to visit my mother."
Su Yan listened and gave the instructions.
"Your Highness, you must remember this: first, make the Emperor think that the Regent will rebel, and then let the Emperor see these clues of rebellion."
"I'm going to Yongcheng to suppress bandits, and I don't know if I can return safely. If I can't come back, Song Guang, who is by your side, is thoughtful and considerate, and he is a useful person. Zhou Chi was trained by the Yao family for your Highness, so you can discuss things with him if you have any questions."
"Although nearly one-third of the ministers in the court still support Your Highness, with the Fifth Prince showing his true colors in the court, many have begun to waver. The Regent Palace is also planning a marriage with the Fifth Prince. If necessary, Your Highness can take measures to ruin this marriage."
Listening to Su Yan's instructions one after another, Prince Rong frowned at him.
"Aren't you just going to suppress a bandit? Even if the bandits in Yongcheng are more ferocious, it will only take you a little longer. Why are you talking like you're leaving a last will?"
Su Yan smiled helplessly after hearing this.
"Your Highness, Su Yan is not afraid of bandits. I share the emperor's worries and eat his salary. The rampant bandits are a disaster for the people. What's more, the bandits in Yongcheng wiped out the Yao family. When Duke Yao was here, he gave me guidance and promotions many times. I will never forget this kindness. Being able to wipe out the bandits is a good thing that benefits the country and the people, and it is also an opportunity to avenge the Yao family."
"But Your Highness, I'm confident I can wipe out the bandits, but I'm not sure I can escape the schemes of those people in the Imperial City!"
Prince Rong's expression became serious after hearing this.
"Are you saying that the Fifth Prince will plot against you?"
"Or the Regent's Palace?"
Su Yan nodded.
"It's all possible, Your Highness. Given their abilities, they should have already figured out that I'm your subordinate. Otherwise, they wouldn't have fanned the flames in the court and insisted on sending me to suppress the bandits. Their actions in the court today seemed to be an attempt to send me to suppress the bandits, but in reality... I'm afraid they're trying to use this opportunity to get rid of me."
No wonder so many people in the court today suddenly recommended Su Yan to suppress the bandits. If someone really wanted to harm Su Yan, they would be cutting off his own left and right arms.
“They dare…”
After hearing this, Su Yan looked at King Rong.
"Your Highness, I will be leaving tomorrow. I don't know if I will be able to see you again in the future. They say honest advice hurts, so today I will say a few words that will be very kind."
"They dared to attack the Yao family. Lord Yao was forced to death by them, let alone His Highness?"
"The Prince Regent holds military power. Although he only began to work at court in the past two years, he has gradually established himself. The Fifth Prince usually has a gentle smile on his face and looks like a very elegant gentleman, but the salt tax incident shows that the Fifth Prince is usually low-key, but when he strikes, he will take people's lives. Your Highness must be more careful in the future and never let these two people plot against him."
Thinking that the Yao family was destroyed by the fifth prince, Prince Rong's face became even uglier.
"The Fifth Prince has indeed surprised this King."
"I didn't expect he had been pretending all these years."
Su Yan frowned slightly after hearing this and continued speaking.
"And Xiao Fuguang, she knows some special magic, Your Highness must be more careful with her."
"When I was by your side, I was able to keep an eye on their movements for you. During the days I'm away from the Imperial City, the people monitoring them will send you any useful information directly. I hope that even if I can't return, I can still do something for you."
Su Yan had indeed helped him a lot, Prince Rong looked at Su Yan and spoke.
"Don't say anything unlucky. You will definitely return safely. You are right. The Regent and the Fifth Prince may take this opportunity to plot against you and cut off my right-hand man. But I am not someone they can provoke at will."
"Grandfather left some people for me. I will arrange for them to accompany you to Yongcheng. By then, you will be surrounded by experts. Even if they try to assassinate you, they won't be able to succeed. Who knows, we might even have a chance to defeat them."
After saying so much today, he finally waited for this sentence. Su Yan hurriedly bowed with a look of gratitude.
"Thank you, Your Highness. Su Yan swears to follow Your Highness until death in this life."
In the palace.
Xuanyuan Jing entered the imperial study at the behest of the eunuch.
"Your humble servant pays homage to His Majesty."
Emperor Xuanyuan looked up at Xuanyuan Jing.
"Why is the Regent here?"
Xuanyuan Jing took out a memorial from his sleeve.
"Winter is almost here. The grain in my fiefdom is not growing well this year, and I have been unable to collect taxes. I would like to ask your Majesty to allow me to return to my fiefdom to take a look."
Emperor Xuanyuan took the memorial from his hand and took a look at it.
"Indeed, taxes from other places have been collected this year, but the taxes from your fiefdom have been nowhere to be seen. In that case, you should go back and take a look. Collect the taxes as soon as possible. As the prince of Xuanyuan, you should do more to commend us in this regard."
After hearing this, Xuanyuan Jing lowered his head and a gloomy look flashed in his eyes. He was really an old fox. He had already said that the harvest was not good, but he was still thinking about the taxes. If he really collected so much taxes, how would the people in the fiefdom live next year?
"I understand. I will handle this matter as soon as possible and will not bring shame to my royal brother."
Upon hearing this, Emperor Xuanyuan glanced at him. He had seen that he had been quite obedient over the years, always standing up in every war and paying taxes from his fiefdom on time. He would not have tolerated him for so many years.
"Since you are not in the imperial city, and the Queen has always been on good terms with your Princess, then let your Princess come to the palace often to accompany the Queen. This way, your Princess will have a companion."
"And An Ning, how has her health been these years? If she's recovered, we can start planning a marriage. If she has someone she likes, I, the Emperor, can decree the marriage for her."
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