Emperor Ren
Baili Hongyuan returned to the princess's residence and strode towards the main hall. He lifted the heavy curtains and was filled with the warm and fragrant air of the room. His mother was sitting at the top of the table, and the person accompanying her was not the princess's lover, but a well-behaved young girl.
"Fish maw and conch soup has the effect of clearing the mind and calming the nerves, nourishing the blood and beautifying the complexion. I also know a few good recipes, and I'll make them for you in the future."
The eldest princess nodded with a kind expression and said, "It tastes very good to me. Thanks to you, I am enjoying this delicious meal. I have been craving something sweet these days. Can you make sweet soup?"
Baili Hongyuan frowned and said, "Don't you have a cook in the mansion? You still have to make it all the way here and send it over. If mother wants to drink it, she can just take the recipe and ask the kitchen staff to make it every day."
The eldest princess rarely saw her son showing such affection, and she found it curious for a moment. She deliberately said, "Miss Sang made this for me with her own hands. It's a sign of her filial piety. Why are you stopping her? Let alone the present, she will show her filial piety to me in many ways in the future."
Hearing his mother's tone as if she was going to set rules for the new daughter-in-law, Baili Hongyuan immediately said, "I'll move out once the Kaichun County Prince's Mansion is repaired."
This means that even after getting married, the mother-in-law and daughter-in-law do not live together.
The eldest princess glanced at him and said unhappily, "How could I have given birth to such a heartless person like you?"
After that, he patted Qin Yousi's hand and said, "It's getting late. It might snow if it's late. Let Hong Yuan take you back early."
Qin Yousi said obediently: "Thank you, Princess."
What else did Baili Hongyuan not understand? The princess had no reason to look for him. It was obvious that Qin Yousi couldn't see him, so she asked the princess for help.
Neither of them said anything and left the main hall one after the other.
After leaving the yard, Qin Yousi said softly, "I didn't mean to hide what happened last night from you. I was planning to discuss it with you, but Miss Bi stopped me on the street, so I was delayed."
When the Bi family's affairs were mentioned, Baili Hongyuan felt somewhat guilty, so he stopped and said, "You've been back from Yangcheng for over a month. If you really wanted to discuss this with me, you should have told me earlier."
Qin Yousi didn't want to quibble, and said softly: "Then I will ask your opinion earlier next time!"
Baili Hongyuan didn't believe her. He had been deceived by her many times.
"First, explain what happened this time. What exactly are you and Jiu Zong planning in the capital?"
Since this matter concerned the emperor, Baili Hongyuan had to be more assertive. He was really afraid that Qin Yousi would lose everything if he made a mistake.
Qin Yousi looked around and realized that this courtyard was not a place to talk, so Baili Hongyuan took her to the courtyard where he was staying temporarily.
After sitting down, Qin Yousi told him everything he and Xia Lieyun had said.
When Baili Hongyuan heard this, he knew that Qin Yousi's words were half true and half false.
The story between Xia Rongyun and the Qin family is true, but the whereabouts of the child is false.
Baili Hongyuan then asked, "Where are you going to find a fake eunuch of the right background and age to help you act?"
Qin Yousi looked at Baili Hongyuan and was embarrassed to speak, but Baili Hongyuan understood her eyes.
No wonder they wanted to discuss things with him now. It turned out that they wanted him to arrange the matter for the little eunuch.
She didn't even ask him beforehand and trusted that he could do it. Baili Hongyuan didn't know whether to cry or laugh.
It has to be said that Qin Yousi's idea of using Jiuzong to instigate the poisoning case is indeed a good one. Both of them can hide behind the scenes and not be implicated. The only thing she is afraid of is that Jiuzong will turn against her and bite her back.
The key to controlling the Nine Sects is to make Xia Lieyun firmly believe that Qin Yousi can decide the life or death of his nephew.
Baili Hongyuan pondered for a moment, forming a plan in his mind. He said, "I'll arrange this person, but you need to discuss everything else with me, no matter how big or small. Otherwise, if the Queen Mother's poisoning case is exposed, there might be mistakes during a thorough investigation."
Qin Yousi nodded repeatedly: "Of course!"
Baili Hongyuan didn't let his emotions get in the way when discussing serious matters. After finishing his discussion, he returned to what happened last night: "Then let's talk about the gambling house. If those reckless men do something to you, how do you plan to save yourself?"
Qin Yousi saw that he couldn't fool people, so he lowered his head and said, "I was careless. I really know I was wrong. I will never do it again. Your Highness, please forgive me this time, okay..."
Baili Hongyuan had no power to resist her show of weakness. He finally reached out and pulled her to his side. He lifted her chin, forced her to look him in the eye, and spoke seriously, word by word, "Have you ever thought about how anxious I was last night when I received the news from Sky Eagle? I only hated myself for not being able to protect you all the time. I wished I could put you in my pocket and carry you wherever I went, preventing you from any danger! I dare not think about what I would do if I lost you again. But you are a person with your own ideas. How can I restrain your fists and feet? I tossed and turned all night, not knowing what to do with you..."
Qin Yousi's pupils flickered. She didn't expect that Baili Hongyuan was so insecure. It was all because of her.
Qin Yousi looked at his worried expression and suddenly made up his mind. He raised his head and said resolutely, "How about we get married?"
Baili Hongyuan was stunned on the spot.
How could a little girl like her get the upper hand in saying such things?
It's not that he hasn't thought about asking for Qin Yousi's hand in marriage, but their great hatred has not been avenged, and everything inside and outside the court has not been settled. All the conditions are not met, so he dare not speak easily.
Hearing this, Baili Hongyuan was shocked and ashamed. He could only hug Qin Yousi in his arms and asked in a trembling voice, "Really? Not just a temporary reassurance?"
Qin Yousi smiled and asked, "When did I become a scoundrel in your heart, where nothing I say counts?"
Baili Hongyuan said happily, "It's a deal! It's a deal! I'll start making arrangements right away and won't keep you waiting any longer."
Qin Yousi blushed a little, as if she was eager to get married.
She was not in a hurry for the wedding date, mainly because she wanted Baili Hongyuan to know her attitude - she would not leave him alone, and would cherish their lives and future.
Baili Hongyuan was a man of swift and decisive action. He took advantage of the clan palace banquet before the New Year to ask for an audience with Emperor Sheng.
Recently, the government has been hotly discussing the issue of reopening border trade.
In fact, this was not the first time that Emperor Sheng received suggestions from the Ministry of Personnel on border trade, but in the past the cabinet would try to guess his intentions and suppress the matter. However, this time, the suggestions from the Ministry of Personnel actually received unanimous support from the cabinet and other senior officials such as the Emperor Song's teacher, making it difficult for Emperor Sheng to reject them directly.
Seeing that the New Year was approaching and there were more places to spend money, the cabinet again brought up the need to increase revenue for the national treasury and secretly urged him to approve the reopening of border trade.
The main reason why Emperor Sheng disagreed with opening border trade was that he did not have any key personnel who were good at trade. If border trade was opened in a hurry, someone would surely enrich himself, and he did not want to feed a few bad apples.
Baili Hongyuan asked to see Emperor Sheng in order to recommend himself for this job.
When Emperor Sheng heard that he wanted to be the special envoy for border trade, he asked in surprise, "When did you become interested in this?"
What he meant was, as a mere military commander, how could you do this kind of work?
Baili Hongyuan said, "I receive the emperor's salary and share his worries. Regarding border trade, matters like commercial tax regulations are handled by the Ministry of Personnel. The special envoy's main function is to monitor the emperor's officials and prevent them from enriching themselves. Isn't this exactly what I've always done? Furthermore, I've heard the ministers say that if border trade is to be opened, it should first be implemented in Beizhou. There are many matters that need to be discussed with Beiliang Kingdom, and I, as an envoy to Beiliang Kingdom, should have an advantage over others."
Emperor Sheng thought what he said made sense, but he was also curious. He asked, "You used to hate it most when people linked you to Beiliang. Why are you bringing it up now?"
Baili Hongyuan replied, "Compared to the interests of the imperial court, my little emotions are nothing to worry about."
Emperor Sheng nodded secretly. The King of Beiliang felt quite guilty towards his son. If Baili Hongyuan were to negotiate, Beiliang would definitely give Dasheng a lot of concessions. From this perspective, Baili Hongyuan was indeed a good candidate.
But Emperor Sheng was very suspicious and worried that Baili Hongyuan was colluding with Beiliang. After all, he was his biological father.
Emperor Sheng then asked bluntly, "What if the King of Beiliang offers you a favor and wants you to serve him? I don't want to lose you, my right-hand man."
Baili Hongyuan said, "My mother gave birth to me and raised me. Your Majesty values and promotes me. What has the King of Beiliang done for me? What benefits can he offer that Your Majesty cannot provide? How could I do such a foolish thing as to seek something far away instead of something near to me?"
What he meant was, my mother is still in your hands, how could I defect?
He was a prince who grew up in a foreign country and could not inherit the throne of Beiliang, so why did he go to Beiliang to become a prince? In Dasheng, he had already become a prince.
Seeing that he spoke frankly, Emperor Sheng laughed heartily and said, "That makes a lot of sense."
Although Emperor Sheng was suspicious, he still had some trust in Baili Hongyuan. After all, he was someone he was used to. So the matter was finalized, and it was only a matter of time before the Cabinet and the Ministry of Personnel came up with specific operational regulations after the new year.
After the emperor and his ministers finished discussing official matters, Emperor Sheng recalled Baili Hongyuan's personal affairs and began to complain, "A few days ago, Cheng Yue came to the palace to pay her respects. She said she was here to pay her respects, but she scolded me harshly, blaming the marriage I arranged for you. It really gave me a headache."
Baili Hongyuan apologized, "I deserve death for causing Your Majesty to worry about me."
Emperor Sheng continued, "I heard from General Cheng Yue that you're actually planning to marry that Sang family doctor. Are you serious? This isn't a good choice for you, and it's also rather disrespectful to the imperial family! If you really like her, you could just take her in as a concubine. Why are you talking about marriage?"
Baili Hongyuan said calmly, "Your Majesty, I have had some contact with the Sang family girl due to my recovery. Although I have a special regard for her, I would not marry her. However, I have recently felt that marrying her might be the best option at this moment."
"Oh? What do you mean?"
Baili Hongyuan analyzed, "First, as a special envoy, I cannot have any ties to aristocratic families, fearing those under me might exploit the opportunity to enrich themselves. Her identity is just right for me. Secondly, she is a daughter of the Sang family, a wealthy merchant family. Although their power has been confiscated, their connections can still be utilized. We can summon her back now to help the court streamline border trade, and we won't feel bad about getting rid of her once the task is accomplished. Furthermore, although I have no intention of interacting with the King of Beiliang, if he insists on a marriage between me and a noblewoman of Beiliang under the pretext of father-son relations, it would be difficult for His Majesty to refuse once the matter is presented to him. Therefore, it is better for me to marry the Sang family daughter first, and then make other plans when the situation improves."
Emperor Sheng felt a little emotional. Baili Hongyuan had such a cruel heart. He schemed against a little girl and even planned to divorce her and marry another woman!
"Your analysis does make some sense, but her status is too low. If they were to get married, even the Imperial Household Department wouldn't know how to write the official document."
Baili Hongyuan smiled and said, "That's easy. She's a female doctor. We can make up a story about her saving the concubines, and then have the emperor grant her marriage. It will be legitimate. Who would actually investigate the matter?"
Emperor Sheng nodded and said, "Let me think about it again..."
Baili Hongyuan did not urge him and took his leave readily.
He walked out of the imperial study, looked at the thick clouds that indicated the coming storm, and breathed a sigh of relief.
What he said was all unkind and unjust, but the emperor actually agreed with it all. It's ridiculous that he usually calls himself the "Benevolent Emperor". It's really ridiculous!
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