Chapter 107 Chapter 107
When Xiao Yuanxing passed by, Dan Feng was just coming out of the house.
She was surprised to see Xiao Yuanxing coming over: "Why is the prince here?" She said as she walked towards him.
After the fellow bowed and asked if he was okay, he looked at Shi Yu following behind the prince and was even more amazed.
"Your Highness? Why is Shi Yu following you?"
Shi Yu usually talks a lot, but in front of Empress Dowager Zhaoyu and others, he always speaks as little as possible, especially recently.
In order to avoid causing trouble to her master, she wished she could become mute.
Fortunately, Xiao Yuanxing didn't need her to answer, and said for her first: "I just ran into Zhao Zhao on the road, and saw that she was not in good spirits, so I asked her to go back and rest first."
Sure enough, when Dan Feng heard him say this, he no longer had any doubts.
"Your Highness, these days..."
I responded instinctively, but in the end, I stopped talking.
"It's just right. The Queen Mother has also woken up. Please follow me in." Dan Feng said, and did not let Shi Yu follow. She took the lotus seed soup from her hand and said to Shi Yu, "You go and take care of His Highness."
Shi Yu was naturally more than happy to do so. He quickly bowed to the two of them and ran away quickly.
Dan Feng led Xiao Yuanxing in, and on the way he quietly reminded them, "The Queen Mother has had a headache again these days. If there is nothing important or difficult, the Crown Prince should leave it alone for now."
This book is compiled exclusively for you by the LK team. Xiao Yuanxing also knows what is important and what is not.
Of course I wouldn't say these to my aunt at this moment.
Although this matter is urgent, my aunt's health is more important.
He nodded to show that he understood.
But Empress Dowager Zhaoyu knew about him.
If it wasn't something important, why would he come here for no reason considering he's so busy all day?
At that time, she had already taken the lotus seed soup handed to her by Dan Feng and started drinking it. As soon as she took a sip, she knew that it was made by Zhao Zhao.
"Why isn't Zhao Zhao here?" she asked casually.
Dan Feng replied to the others, "Her Highness is not in good spirits. When the Crown Prince just met her, he asked her to rest first."
When Empress Dowager Zhaoyu heard this, she was silent for a while.
She naturally knew the reason. Zhao Zhao had always been careful and thoughtful. It must be because she had a sudden headache in the past few days, which made her worry and blame herself.
I don't know what to say.
Empress Dowager Zhaoyu could only say: "Let her have a good rest and don't disturb her."
After that, Empress Dowager Zhaoyu took another sip of lotus seed soup, then looked at Xiao Yuanxing opposite her and said, "Tell me, why did you come here today?"
Before anyone could speak.
Empress Dowager Zhaoyu then said, "You don't have to hide anything from me, and you don't have to worry that my body can't handle it. My body has always been like this, and it's not that I can't even hear anything."
Xiao Yuanxing hesitated for a moment, but finally spoke up: "Yesterday I punished Yuanfu."
Empress Dowager Zhaoyu raised her eyebrows, not knowing whether to say she was not surprised or she was used to it.
There has always been a world of difference between her two nephews.
But Yuan Xing had never brought up these trivial matters in front of her before. Thinking that Yuan Fu had caused something serious this time, he asked, "Why?"
When Xiao Yuanxing came, he had already prepared what to say when he saw his aunt.
Since we had to go in that direction, we had to keep Xie Qingya's matter a secret first, to prevent our aunt from punishing him directly in a fit of rage.
"Yesterday, I received some evidence of Yuanfu's acceptance of bribes over the years."
When Empress Dowager Zhaoyu heard this, her face turned a little unhappy, but she was also clear about Xiao Yuanfu's character.
I'm not in the mood to drink lotus seed soup anymore.
She loosened her grip on the spoon and asked him quietly, "A lot?"
Xiao Yuanxing didn't dare look at her, he lowered his eyes and replied, "Not a few."
"Who gave it to you?"
If Empress Dowager Zhaoyu and Dan Feng had been more careful at this moment, they would have noticed that Xiao Yuanxing had become even more tense, especially after saying this.
“I’m still checking.”
Empress Dowager Zhaoyu didn't say anything after hearing this, but just asked him, "What do you think?"
Xiao Yuanxing was silent for a moment before he said, "In the past, Yuanfu was just a little bit naughty, and I didn't bother to care about him. But now, since someone has sent me something, no matter what that person thinks, I can't let Yuanfu continue to act so recklessly."
Xiao Yuanxing looked ahead and whispered, "I plan to have Yuanfu come down from the Ministry of Revenue."
Empress Dowager Zhaoyu frowned and said nothing.
Among the six ministries, the Ministry of Personnel and the Ministry of Revenue are the most important. One is responsible for the selection and assessment of officials, and the other is in charge of the national treasury.
Although she knew that Xiao Yuanfu had no ability at the time, she thought that in a place like this, there must be someone from her own family who could be completely trusted, so Empress Dowager Zhaoyu still transferred Xiao Yuanfu over.
This suddenly transferred people away.
It is not easy to arrange for someone to go in who is completely trustworthy and who does not have to worry about betrayal.
Empress Dowager Zhaoyu was indeed a little hesitant.
Although Yuanfu had no special abilities and was a bit greedy, his surname was Xiao after all, and he was her nephew.
"If it were just a small matter, I wouldn't want to do this, but..." Xiao Yuanxing suddenly changed the subject and told others about another matter, "Yuanfu has set his sights on the position of Patrolman of Salt and Fire this time."
At this point, Empress Dowager Zhaoyu's face completely sank.
"Didn't I tell you not to move from this position?"
Xiao Yuanxing explained to others: "He didn't arrange our own people. A man named Quan Fangtong approached him and promised to give him 50% of the profits every year, so he..."
Empress Dowager Zhaoyu suddenly asked, "Who are you talking about?"
Xiao Yuanxing was unable to react for a moment, and only came to his senses after a while, and replied to the others: "Jiangning weaving is Quan Fangtong."
After saying this, seeing that his aunt's face suddenly became even uglier, Xiao Yuanxing suddenly thought of what Xie Qingya had said to him yesterday.
Could it be that...
Xiao Yuanxing's heart suddenly sank.
His heart also began to beat rapidly. Looking at his aunt's face not far away, Xiao Yuanxing subconsciously asked, "...Aunt knows him?"
The hands on the knees had already lost control and clenched tightly.
My heart beats like a drum on a battlefield.
Empress Dowager Zhaoyu said nothing.
She just suddenly pressed her fingertips against her forehead and rubbed it tiredly.
Seeing her like this, Xiao Yuanxing became even more worried.
He didn't dare to think about it. If his aunt was really related to the Battle of Nagano, then let alone his cooperation with Xie Qingya, what would Zhao Zhao do in the future?
Thinking of the smile that I had just regained with great difficulty.
Xiao Yuanxing didn't dare to think about it. If this was true, Zhao Zhao would not only be in a dilemma... With her personality, she might not be able to face Xie Qingya again in this life.
His mind was filled with complicated thoughts, and at once, they all flooded into his heart.
He was so blocked that he felt uneasy.
If he wasn't usually calm, he would have asked directly at this moment.
The room was always quiet with no one talking.
I don't know how long it has been.
Empress Dowager Zhaoyu finally spoke: "You go out first."
These words were naturally spoken to Dan Feng.
Dan Feng also knew what they discussed afterwards, and it was not good for outsiders to know, so he quickly agreed and left.
Wait for Dan Feng to go out and wait outside.
Empress Dowager Zhaoyu then told Xiao Yuanxing: "Quan Fangtong is Cao Da's younger brother."
Even someone as calm as Xiao Yuanxing was stunned when he heard such a sentence out of the blue.
"What?"
He blinked, somewhat unresponsive.
Empress Dowager Zhaoyu really didn't want to mention these two brothers anymore, nor did she want to talk about that incident.
Her face was full of fatigue and impatience.
There were some things that she had thought she would never say in her lifetime, but when she thought of Zhao Zhao's "I like you" that day, Empress Dowager Zhao Yu felt a headache and was helpless...
She put her hand on her temple, sighed, and finally told the others: "There was a problem in the Battle of Nagano."
Xiao Yuanxing's heart sank.
It was exactly what Xie Qingya thought, but seeing his aunt like this, Xiao Yuanxing secretly breathed a sigh of relief.
It seems that my aunt had no involvement in this matter.
If my aunt had been involved, things wouldn't be like this now.
Xiao Yuanxing was obviously a little more relaxed. He lowered his voice and asked, "Is it related to Cao Da?"
Empress Dowager Zhaoyu had a headache, so she didn't notice his abnormality. She just curled her lips and said impatiently, "I don't know whether it has anything to do with him, but it is definitely related to his brother."
"After the Battle of Nagano, I noticed that Cao Da looked strange for a while, so I sent someone to investigate him. I found that he had been meeting with Quan Fangtong frequently, so I sent someone to investigate Quan Fangtong's background."
"At first, I didn't find out anything. I just knew they were all from Shandong. I thought Quan Fangtong was just here to seek refuge with Cao Da. Later, I found out that he was suddenly transferred out of the capital and became the magistrate of a small county in Jiangning. I thought Cao Da had abandoned him, so I ignored him."
"I didn't expect that two years later, I would see him again in the palace."
"He came to honor Cao Da as usual, and even took the position of Jiangning Textile Factory."
“That’s when I realized something was wrong.”
"So I had someone investigate Quan Fangtong again and found out that his last job before he was transferred from the Ministry of Revenue was to transport supplies for the Battle of Nagano."
Thinking of what Xie Qingya said yesterday about the batch of armor having problems, Xiao Yuanxing couldn't help but ask, "What happened to that batch of supplies?"
Unexpectedly, Empress Dowager Zhaoyu shook her head.
"I have no idea."
"Didn't Aunt check it at that time?" Xiao Yuanxing asked.
As soon as he finished speaking, he saw his aunt open her eyes and look at him.
When his aunt's eyes suddenly met, Xiao Yuanxing realized that he had said too much today, so he lowered his head and dared not say anything more.
Empress Dowager Zhaoyu didn't say anything to him.
After glancing at him, she looked away again, and continued to press her temples while saying calmly, "I knew at the time that it had been two years since the Battle of Nagano, the Nan'an Palace had long been defeated, and Liu Yi had died, leaving behind only three children."
"The dead cannot be resurrected. Even if I really find out the truth, what's the point?"
"What's more——"
Empress Dowager Zhaoyu sneered and said, "Why should I check?"
“拿捏着曹達這樣一個秘密，可以更好地讓他為我而用，要不然你以為前些年蕭家在各部安插人手，會這麽容易？”
蕭元星也沉默了。
姑姑之前和曹達利益牽扯太深。
不過總歸長野之戰，與姑姑沒關系，這倒是令他安心不少。
“那元福……”他主動岔開話題。
昭裕太後又沉默了一會，才同人說道：“就按你的意思去做吧，元福這些年的确是越來越沒數了，再這麽弄下去，蕭家跟我遲早都得被他牽連。”
“戶部的人選，你仔細看看，挑個可靠的人放進去。”
“讓你爹娘最近也老實點。”說到自己的兄嫂，昭裕太後臉色又有些難看起來。
蕭元星低聲應是。
又見姑姑面上疲态，不由說道：“姑姑別太勞累了。”
昭裕太後扯唇無奈：“若他們都能像你這樣有本事，我又何至于這般勞累？”
蕭元星正想開口，忽聽姑姑問道：“謝清崖回來沒？”
沒想到姑姑竟然會主動提到謝清崖，蕭元星呆愣了片刻，才回道：“回來了。”
回答得太快，怕姑姑多想。 本書由LK團隊為您獨家整理 他忙又與人說道：“聽說是前兒夜裏回來的，累得昨日都沒能上朝，在家裏休養着。”
“知道了。”
“姑姑怎麽突然問起他？”蕭元星問她。
昭裕太後卻沒有立刻說話，而是過了一會，才開口說道：“……昭昭好像挺喜歡他的。”
蕭元星事先已從昭昭口中知曉了此事，卻不敢表現出來，只拿捏着話，小心與人說道：“也正常，昭昭畢竟也是個姑娘家，那謝清崖生着一張好面皮，兩人又在玉田一道共了患難。”
有些話，昭昭不能說，他卻是能說的。
“姑姑是擔心謝清崖……”他小心說道。
“我能不擔心嗎？劉協如今越來越大，朝野之中讓我放權的聲音，你不是沒聽到。”昭裕太後說到這又有些來氣。
“那姑姑是怎麽想的？”
昭裕太後沉默片刻，才開口說道：“我打算回京之後，找下謝清崖，不管他有沒有問題，只要他願意跟昭昭離開，我就可以既往不咎。”
蕭元星沒想到姑姑會是這樣一個想法。
驚愕過後，卻也知曉，這對姑姑而言，已是極大的容忍了。
他其實也不想讓昭昭參與進這些事。
但謝清崖……
想到昨日情景，還有他的那番話，蕭元星就知道，他不可能這樣走。
至少現在不可能。
他不由問：“倘若他不同意呢？”
昭裕太後一聽這話，便立刻勃然大怒起來：“有他不同意的份嗎？！”
“太後，身體要緊。”
外頭傳來丹楓擔憂的聲音。
蕭元星也忙站起身，賠罪道：“姑姑息怒！”
昭裕太後又喝了一口蓮子湯，沉着臉，沒說話，過了會，才沖着蕭元星說了句“坐下”，又按揉着眉心，與人說道：“你繼續說。”
蕭元星看了她一眼，臉上仍有擔憂之色。
直到昭裕太後說了句“我沒事”，他這才小心斟酌着，與人說道：“侄兒也只是假設，假如他不同意，姑姑會處置他嗎？”
昭裕太後張口便想說“當然”。
但話到嘴邊，瞥見眼前這碗蓮子湯，忽而又沉默了下來。
蓮子湯有安神寧氣的功效。
做起來卻不容易。
得先從蓮蓬裏把蓮子取出來，再把蓮子的外衣，一粒粒剝好，未免蓮子苦澀，還要把裏頭的蓮子芯也給拿掉。
昭裕太後知道。
她的昭昭在她的事情上，從來是不會假手于人的。
這碗蓮子湯，也不知道她從開始準備到熬制好，究竟花了多少時辰。
本來這幾日，她也沒歇息好，偏還要為了這些事情費心……
昭裕太後想想，就覺得心疼。
心裏也清楚，昭昭既然喜歡他，就不可能眼睜睜看着謝清崖出事，所以這幾日，她才會又犯了頭疾。
“那你說怎麽辦？”
昭裕太後最後還是松了口。
蕭元星也沒想到，事情竟然真到了這一步。
他原本還想着徐徐圖之，慢慢來，何況今日姑姑身體還不好。
沒想到說着說着，竟說到了這裏，一時遲疑，不知道該不該說，但這樣話趕話的時機不多。
再等到下次，又不知道什麽時候了。
蕭元星最後還是，小心斟酌着與人說道：“姑姑不過就是擔心他是陛下那邊的人，擔心您放權之後，咱們蕭家會像當年一樣出事。”
“但姑姑何不換位思考？”
“怎麽換位思考？”昭裕太後看着他，蹙眉問。
“若他真是陛下的人，以他與昭昭的關系，必定不會坐視我們出事……”
見姑姑雖然仍蹙着眉。
但并沒有發火，而是在認真思考他剛才說的話。
蕭元星心裏的緊張，稍稍散開了一些，卻仍不敢放松，他繼續與人說道：“陛下不是明帝爺，他沒明帝爺那樣的心性和本事，他想坐穩這個位置，就得依靠我們。”
“何況您總有一日要放權，與其鬧到最後朝野議論不休，不如……”
話還沒說完，蕭元星就接收到了姑姑看過來的眼神，蕭元星知道自己還是着急了，一時不敢再說話。
屋內一時又變得安靜了下來。
蕭元星不敢開口，昭裕太後也沉着一張臉，沒說話。
不知過去多久，昭裕太後才開口說道：“你先回去吧。”
蕭元星這時自然也不敢再說什麽，答應着站了起來。
“那姑姑好好歇息。”
他說完，又與人拱手一禮，準備走的時候，身後忽然再次傳來姑姑的聲音：“……我先想想。”
蕭元星的心跳，忽然，沒有節拍地快速跳動了一下。
這是姑姑第一次這樣松口。
這是好事。
代表姑姑的确有所心動了。
蕭元星怕姑姑察覺出端倪，自是不敢表露出絲毫，只又垂着眼睛，同姑姑答了聲“是”，這才動身離開。
他走後。
丹楓這才進去。
先前兩人說的那番話，她在外頭都聽到了。
剛聽到的時候，她的心快得，都要跳出喉嚨口了，沒想到世子竟然也會勸太後放權。
進去的時候，她先悄悄看了太後一眼。
見她雖然神色淡淡，倒沒有太生氣，便放松了一些。
沒有就着世子的話，繼續往下說。
她只是走到太後身後，替人輕輕按起太陽穴。
主仆多年，她自然知道什麽時候該說什麽，不該說什麽。
“你怎麽看？”最後還是昭裕太後先打破了沉默。
丹楓小聲問：“世子剛才說的那樁事嗎？”
昭裕太後“嗯”了一聲。
丹楓同樣斟酌着話語，小心與人說道：“您要奴婢說，那奴婢就鬥膽說句大膽的話，奴婢覺得世子剛才說得挺在理的。”
“之前我們總想着，南安王要是有問題，對我們不好。”
“卻忘了，他跟殿下的關系。”
“只要他心裏有殿下，就不可能讓蕭家出事。”
昭裕太後沒說話。
過了很久，久到丹楓都以為她不會再開口了，方才聽她說道：“回頭跟昭昭說下，明日回京。”
“等回到京城後，你讓郭天詞去山西跑一趟。”
“山西？”
丹楓不解。
昭裕太後說道：“當年那個女人離開的時候，我記得是帶着孩子走的，你讓郭天詞去看看那孩子，還活着沒。”
丹楓聽到這話，忽然睜大眼睛：“您是說……”
雖然不知道太後要做什麽，但丹楓還是忙答應了下來。
……
翌日。
昭裕太後和徐端宜收拾東西，準備啓程回京。
而原先被她委以重任的喬衷，也查到了一些東西，準備出宮去找碧溪。
而被他調查的曹達，今日卻不在宮中。
而在宮外。
只是誰也不知道，他究竟是怎麽出宮的。
茶樓，喬裝打扮過的曹達，一進二樓一處廂房，就見一個熟悉的身影，正背對着他站着。
陳立沒跟進去，而是在門外守着。
免得什麽不長眼的人過來，聽到了一些不該聽的話。
曹達見男人聽到動靜，也沒轉身，仍背對着他，不由嗤笑一聲。
他也未曾搭理男人。
自顧自走過去，給自己倒了盞茶。
但茶水入口，他就皺了皺眉，似乎不大習慣這個味道。
他拿着帕子抿了抿唇，這才看着那個身影淡淡說道：“說吧，找我什麽事？” 本書由LK團隊為您獨家整理 他今日心情不好。
和男人見完面，還要去找全方同那個混賬玩意。
這混賬居然敢背對着他，想借蕭元福的手，去插手那巡鹽禦史的事！
他看他真是活得不耐煩了，為了錢，連命都不要了！
男人這才轉身。
他看着曹達，直接問道：“謝清崖是什麽情況？”
曹達看着他嗤笑道：“你看到的情況。”
眼見男人擰着眉，似乎對他這番話，并不滿意。
曹達臉上的笑意卻越來越深了，只這笑意，明顯是嘲諷更多一些。
"At first I wanted to send someone to kill him directly, but you refused to let me do that because of the kindness of your good brother. Now, he has regained his strength. Yutian has made such great contributions. Sooner or later, he will reappear in front of us. Who knows, he may even stand in front of you again and call you uncle!" He looked at the man with a gloomy look.
Seeing the man's eyelashes trembling slightly, Cao Da felt angry.
He was now regretting more and more, regretting that he had not taken action against Xie Qingya at the beginning, so that he had lost the best time.
He watched the boy with indignant eyes, and his wings became full again. However, he was warned by the man from Shoukang Palace and could not do anything to him.
How could he not feel hatred and annoyance?
The man walked over and sat down opposite him.
After all, they were on the same boat, and Cao Da didn't want to make things awkward, so he looked at him and asked, "What do you think?"
The man looked at him and said, "Just get rid of him."
Cao Da raised his eyebrows in surprise: "Are you willing to give it up now?" It turns out that people only care about themselves in the end.
He raised his lips to smile.
But thinking of the warning from the one in Shoukang Palace, he said indignantly, "It's probably not a good idea to do it now. The one in Shoukang Palace warned me because of Princess Jiashun. If anything happens to Xie Qingya now, she will definitely not let me go."
He thought about the long-term plan with the man.
Unexpectedly, the man looked at him and said, "I'm not talking about Xie Qingya."
Cao Da frowned.
I subconsciously wanted to reply, but an answer came to my mind first.
Anger immediately welled up in his chest, and Cao Da slammed the table at the man: "What are you crazy about? That was me--"
The man interrupted him coldly: "A half brother."
Cao Da was choked by his words.
His face turned red, but he couldn't utter a word to fight back.
"His death will benefit all of us." The man said as he took something out of his arms and placed it in front of Cao Da.
Cao Da didn't see it clearly at first, he just felt that the thing was a little dazzling.
Only when I looked down did I see clearly what it was.
Immediately.
Cao Da's expression also changed.
"you--"
He looked at the man in front of him in disbelief. He never thought that the safety lock he gave to Zhao'er would be in his hands.
"How did this end up in your hands? You..."
The man seemed a little surprised by his reaction.
Because of Cao Da's performance, he put on a strange smile on his calm and resolute face: "I never thought that one day, I would see such 'love' on Cao Zhangyin's face."
He spoke the last four words one by one to the other.
Seeing Cao Da's ugly expression, a hint of sneer appeared in his eyes again.
He was threatened by Cao Da in the same way, and then he had to embark on a path of no return.
But now is not the time to think about this.
He withdrew his gaze calmly and continued, "Don't worry, the young master is fine. I have someone taking good care of him."
"Letting Quan Fang die together will benefit all of us." He looked at Cao Da and said, "You must have troubled him a lot over the years. I heard that he has recently been planning to become the inspector of the salt and earth department."
"A greedy snake swallows an elephant."
"Master Cao should be happy that such a big problem has been solved."
"Zhangyin, think about it carefully." After he finished speaking, he stood up directly. Before leaving, he said another sentence to others, "But I suggest that Zhangyin should solve this matter quickly. After all, one more day means one more day of trouble." ”
"I'm alone now, so it doesn't matter."
"The palm print probably hasn't lived long enough."
The man stopped talking and prepared to leave.
Cao Da's sinister voice came from behind: "Where is Zhao'er?"
The man said without turning his head: "After the chief seal has dealt with your brother, I will naturally let the chief seal meet the young master."
Cao Da looked at him indignantly, then opened the door and left. He was so angry that he smashed the cup of tea on the table.
As soon as Chen Li came in, he heard the sound of a teacup breaking.
His face changed and he quickly turned around and closed the door behind him.
"Fuck dad."
Chen Li walked over carefully, feeling a little worried that his godfather would take out his anger on him.
really--
When Cao Da saw him coming, he immediately picked up the cake plate on the table and threw it at him, as if he had found someone to vent his anger on. "Didn't I ask you to send someone to look after Hao Zhao'er? Why is she in his hands?"
Chen Li was hit directly on the head by the plate.
He saw stars and his body was shaken several times by the impact.
Not daring to argue, Chen Li knelt down immediately before he could even stand up straight, and started to admit his fault: "It's my fault, please punish me, my godfather!"
Cao Da was still angry.
But after all, we were still outside and didn't want to attract onlookers.
He said with a cold face: "I'll deal with you when I get back!"
After saying that, he walked out with a sullen face.
Chen Li wiped the blood off his forehead with his sleeve and hurriedly followed him out.
Waiting to get on the carriage.
Chen Li knelt in front of Cao Da, with his head lowered and the teacup held high above his head, still not daring to speak.
Until Cao Da wiped his hands clean, he asked him: "Where is Quan Fangtong now?"
"The people my son sent out just now have inquired about this. He has been hanging out in various bars and brothels for a while now. He hasn't left the house today... He must be still hungover."
Finished.
He asked cautiously again, "Does Godfather still want to go and see the adults?"
Cao Da had a gloomy face and said nothing.
The words that person said earlier flashed through Cao Da's mind. He gritted his teeth for a while, and finally said in a calm voice: "Tell Chai Shou to get rid of the man."
Chen Li, who was standing outside, naturally heard what was said inside.
Hearing these words, Chen Li was shocked, knowing that his godfather had already considered this. Although he already knew that his godfather had a cold temper, Chen Li did not dare to say anything more.
"yes."