Fabricating stories! Sowing discord! Harbouring ill intentions! All of them deserve damnation...
This was what Liu Zhao explained to the court officials.
"How dare you sow discord among the royal brothers? Do you think I am blind and deaf and can be deceived at will?"
The censors failed to deceive Liu Zhao and were instead left confused.
That's not right!
The emperor didn't have this attitude before.
Is he crazy? Or is he just playing tricks?
Liu Zhao pointed at the court officials and said, "You just can't stand the royal family being friendly and respectful to each other. You've been involved in every tragedy of the royal family throughout the dynasties. None of you have any ability. All you do all day is try to sow discord. You have ulterior motives."
"Your Majesty, please understand!"
"I can't see clearly! You say that Prince Duan wants to rebel, but can you provide evidence? There is no evidence at all, it's all speculation. Aren't you just bullying Prince Duan because he doesn't attend court, doesn't keep retainers, and doesn't collude with you officials? No one in the court speaks for him! If he has rebellious intentions, would you all be the ones to slander him?"
"The Imperial Censor reported things based on hearsay..."
"Then ask the Imperial Censor, where exactly does this wind come from?"
The imperial censors looked at each other in confusion. They had no idea where the wind came from.
Overnight, it seemed as if the entire capital was discussing that Prince Duan had rebellious intentions and was about to rebel.
As an imperial censor, of course I had to take action immediately after hearing such rumors.
Is there anything wrong?
Of course!
This is the job of the censor, how can he be wrong?
The censors couldn't give a single word, but their attitude was very tough, as if they were the most powerful censors.
Liu Zhao sneered.
After ascending the throne for several years, he was already familiar with the tactics of the censors.
He was not angry, but he had to show his attitude and scold the censor severely.
Those who jump the most violently will be arrested and locked up for a few days.
Otherwise, next time, these censors will become even more aggressive.
The censor’s favorite thing to do is not to impeach important officials, but to impeach royal family members and people in the palace.
Because I feel a great sense of accomplishment.
We have finally curbed this trend, and we must never let it revive.
…
At Prince Duan’s Mansion, the sky cleared up after the rain.
The emperor cleared Liu Yi's name.
Liu Yi went to the palace to express his gratitude.
When the brothers met, they were not very friendly or respectful to each other, but there was no tension either. It was just a normal meeting.
Liu Zhao treated Liu Yi like a subject.
Liu Yi couldn't let go.
Liu Zhao snorted, "What a hypocrite!" His expression was filled with disgust.
Suddenly Liu Yi felt unwell.
He was disliked again!
Is he that bad?
He really wanted to question Liu Zhao, is he really that bad?
Why do you despise him?
Liu Zhao really wanted to tell Liu Yi: Don’t you have any idea whether you are good enough or not?
"It's not good for you to stay in the palace all day and waste your time. I have found a job for you. Go to the Ministry of Revenue to gain experience. Do your best and don't let me down."
"Thank you, my royal brother!"
After a pause, Liu Yi boldly asked, "Does Your Majesty really have expectations of me?"
The corner of Liu Zhao's mouth twitched. He had just said it casually, but he took it seriously!
Do you know what polite words are?
However, Liu Zhao did not attack Liu Yi.
Liu Yi is a capable person, but he needs more recognition from others.
Liu Zhao said seriously: "I have always had high hopes for you!"
Liu Yi felt relieved, as if a huge rock had been lifted from his heart. "Don't worry, my Royal Highness. I will do my best and will never embarrass you."
"That's great! Leave now."
"yes!"
Liu Yi left Xingqing Palace in a relaxed mood, and his steps became lighter.
When they returned to the palace, Xiao Qin'er asked him how things were going, and he just kept laughing.
"Are you stupid?" Xiao Qin'er stretched out her hand and waved it in front of him.
Liu Yi took her hand away and said, "You're stupid! I'm just in a good mood."
"Did you take the wrong medicine? I see you're smiling like a fool."
Liu Yi was in a good mood and didn't bother with her.
"My brother has assigned me a job in the Ministry of Revenue, and I will be taking up the position in two days."
"Really?" Xiao Qin'er also laughed foolishly, "Is this a blessing in disguise? If Xiao Shu'er knew, she would probably be jealous to death."
"What do you care what she does?"
Xiao Qin'er laughed heartily, "I'm so happy! If you come across any opportunities when you go to the Ministry of Revenue, don't forget to tell me. Money is needed everywhere in the palace now, and just saving up dowries and betrothal gifts for the children is a headache for me. If all else fails, I can only go to the Ministry of Revenue to ask for money."
Liu Yi was surprised, "I thought you had already gone to the Shaofu to ask for money."
Pooh!
Xiao Qin'er was unhappy.
"As long as the palace can still hold on, I will never go to the Shaofu to ask for money. I won't let people gossip. Don't forget, the Shaofu's head of household is Liu Bao on the surface, but the real head of the household is that eunuch Deng Cunli. If I go to the Shaofu to ask for money in the morning, the Empress will get the news in the afternoon. Don't I care about face?"
Liu Yi laughed, "So you're worried about losing face in front of the Queen."
Isn't this nonsense?
Everyone is afraid of losing face in front of the Queen.
…
Outside the west city gate, a convoy stretching for several miles was slowly heading towards the city gate.
Passing cars and pedestrians all looked sideways and speculated.
Someone brave enough shouted at the top of his lungs, "Hey, where are you from? You look so tired, how long have you been walking?"
"We went to Xiliang and back."
"Back from Xiliang?"
"Exactly!"
"Oh my god, come and see, they are the caravan returning from Xiliang."
For a moment, everyone on the official road was paying attention to the caravan returning from Xiliang.
"Why are there so many people in your caravan? Are several groups merged together?"
"Brother, you have good eyes. There are six of us in total. When we left, we all went separately. On the way back, we encountered heavy snow and the mountains were blocked, which delayed us for a long time. In the end, we all got together for the return journey."
"You're traveling in winter? It's so cold there. You can imagine the mountains being closed due to heavy snow. How can you travel in winter? Sanhe Express is so unreliable."
"Brother, you're joking. How could we not know that we couldn't travel in winter? The earliest of these caravans set out in March, the latest in mid-April. Who could have imagined that in May, it would be so scorching hot here, and there would be blizzards in the west? One blizzard lasted seven days and seven nights, nearly freezing everyone to death. We were all delayed along the way. When the snow melted, the caravans agreed to continue their journey together. Several caravans had already left along the way. Otherwise, our group would be even larger."
"Snow in May?"
"Exactly!"
“Is there a local injustice?”
"Hahaha...that's what we suspected. Local herders say that in previous years, there's been occasional snowfall in April and May. Anyway, the weather there is so unpredictable. It can be midsummer during the day and freezing cold at night. It's scorching hot one day and snowy the next, freezing the cattle and sheep to death. It's completely normal."
"The weather is so severe, it must be an difficult journey, right?"
"It wasn't easy! Fortunately, everyone came back alive."
"Just come back alive, just come back alive."
"Hey, is business good in Xiliang?" The young man sitting in the carriage joined the conversation curiously.
"It's easy to do! West of Xiliang, in the Western Regions, if you're not afraid of death and bring goods over, the profit is even higher."
"Isn't it true that all of you in this caravan are wealthy?"
"Of course not. We are all guys who work for the boss and get some hard-earned money."
"Even if he's a guy, he's a rich guy."
"That's right, that's right! I'll treat you to a drink once we get settled in!"
"Sure, sure!"
No matter how slowly the caravan moves, it will eventually reach the end.
Wang Xiaoxi looked towards the city gate and the huge words on it, and her clothes were wet with tears.
He roared, "I'm finally back alive!"
This trip was not easy.
He caught a high fever on the way and almost died in a foreign land.
He was lucky and had good fortune to meet Taoist Xuanqing and his group from Baiyun Temple.
Taoist Master Xuanqing personally prescribed medicine for him, and he finally saved his life from the brink of death.
On the return journey, the mountain was blocked by heavy snow, which delayed them for many days. Later, they were attacked by a pack of wolves.
The danger of a wolf pack with hundreds of hungry wolves can be imagined.
If a few experts had not appeared, their caravan would have suffered a lot of deaths.
Wang Xiaoxi looked at the carriage next door.
The master is in the carriage next door.
Qian Fu lifted the curtain and looked towards Wang Xiaoxi, "Boss Wang, what's up?"
Wang Xiaoxi was caught peeking and felt extremely guilty.
He smiled awkwardly, "High, high, high, master, we'll be in the capital soon."
Qian Fu raised his eyebrows and smiled, "Yes, we will be in Beijing soon. Boss Wang made a lot of money on this trip. Now that we have the capital, we don't have to travel to the Western Regions anymore."
Wang Xiaoxi nodded repeatedly, "I will never go to the Western Regions again. It's too dangerous."
"Although there were many dangers, fortunately, there was no danger at all and everyone returned to the capital safely. What does Boss Wang plan to do in the future?"
"Of course I will continue to open the shop and do business."
"I heard the Military Academy and Zhixing Academy have already opened, and that area is going to get bustling. Boss Wang, why not invest in some property there? While housing prices are low, buy a few more properties to rent out."
"Thank you for your guidance."
"Don't call us masters anymore."
"Yes, yes! If it weren't for the master's help, I would have died that night when the wolves attacked."
The convoy was disbanded on the spot at the city gate.
Those who want to go into the city can go into the city, and those who don’t want to go into the city can change routes.
Everyone goes back to their own home and finds their own mother.
Qian Fu took a carriage and slowly headed towards the palace.
When leaving Beijing, ride as fast as you can.
When returning to Beijing, he was not in a hurry, so he took a horse carriage.
Qian Fu did not enter the palace immediately.
He first went back to his mansion to wash up, and called his godson to ask him about what had happened in the palace in the capital that year.
It was not until the next day that he went to the palace to report.
…
"Hurry up and call Qian Fu in."
Gu Jiu was particularly excited to learn that Qian Fu had returned safely.
After a trip to the Western Regions, Qian Fu was no longer the fat and white eunuch he used to be, and his face looked very weathered.
There are traces of wind and frost on his face.
Gu Jiu sighed, "Thank you for your hard work on the trip to the Western Regions. Did you meet His Majesty?"
"I came here from Xingqing Palace. Your Majesty knows that Your Majesty is concerned about the situation in the Western Regions, so he sent me here immediately to report the situation."
Gu Jiu smiled and said, "Sit down and talk! What's the current situation in Xiliang? Has the King of Anxi stabilized the situation?"
Qian Fu looked embarrassed.
Gu Jiu's heart sank. "I want to hear the truth, so don't make it difficult for me. If the situation in Xiliang is already deteriorating, you are not allowed to hide it."
"Your Majesty, you're worrying too much! The situation in Xiliang isn't that bad, but it's definitely not good."
"So the situation in Xiliang is very bad?"
"The situation is indeed not optimistic."
Gu Jiu frowned, "What does the King of Anxi do for a living? Did he go on a killing spree in Xiliang, or did he do something that made people hate him, such as massacring a city?"
Qian Fu bowed and said, "The King of Anxi feared a reversal of the situation, so he slaughtered the entire Xiliang royal family from top to bottom. This incident aroused the hatred of the Xiliang people, and the situation became chaotic."
Bang!
Gu Jiu slammed her hand on the table. "Even before the Northwest Army set out for Xiliang, I wrote to Prince Anxi, reminding him to kill only the Prince of Xiliang and spare the lives of the rest of the Xiliang royal family, which would help win over the people. Did he turn a deaf ear to my words?"
"Master Wuwang also advised King Anxi in the same way. However, because someone raised the banner of rebellion in the name of a prince of the Xiliang royal family, the Northwest Army didn't receive the news in advance and was caught off guard, resulting in a number of casualties. King Anxi was furious and slaughtered the entire Xiliang royal family, even sparing no women or children. Because Master Wuwang gave a few more words of advice, King Anxi was furious and almost killed Wuwang as well. Fortunately, Pei Meng stopped him, and the knife strike was deflected, saving Master Wuwang's life."
Gu Jiu was filled with rage, "Has King Anxi lost his mind? He actually dared to chop down the hopeless!"
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