☆, Chapter 259 Could something have happened in the capital?
During his routine inspection, he discovered a place called Yongning Village. Most of the villagers knew how to make porcelain themselves. The porcelain they made had a smooth surface and exquisite designs, showing that their skills were very proficient.
Surprisingly, there was a fairly large folk kiln here. After inquiring, I learned that the porcelain used by every household in Yongning County came from this kiln!
After discussing it, Zhao Yunjing and Li Changyi decided to invest in the kiln and expand its scale. This expansion created thousands more jobs, and various related industries also sprang up. In no time, Lingnan was bustling with activity, and it had become a hotbed of activity in the Great Liang Kingdom.
When Zhou Mujiao's Tea Boat Ancient Road and the Lingnan Navy were established, Lingnan's grain output ranked first in the country for three consecutive seasons, and industries such as fruit, fruit products, flowers, and flower products also accounted for a large portion of tax revenue.
In just a year and a half, Zhao Yunjing and his promotion team transformed Lingnan. Even Li Changyi, the Prince of Anding, was frequently mentioned, and people spoke of him with admiration. Many young officials applied to come to Lingnan, and the enthusiasm of young officials was greatly increased.
"Brother Zhao, this is the eighth letter from the capital in the past three months."
They were all written by the emperor himself, with the purpose of urging Zhao Yunjing and Zhou Mujiao to return to the capital. He said that Chief Minister Su would retire at the end of the year and that he should come back quickly because there were many things to hand over, which would take at least eight months to complete.
The first three letters contained many polite and complimentary words, but the later ones became increasingly less polite. By the last two letters, it was clear that they went beyond being polite; they were downright rude.
The current message contains only two words: 【Reply immediately!】
Zhao Yunjing asked, "How is the Emperor's health? What's the situation in the capital? What has the Crown Prince done? And what is the Sixteenth Prince doing?"
The subordinate answered in detail, and everything was as expected. Finally, he said, "Her Majesty the Empress sent the old lady to the palace to teach her how to grow vegetables. She has been there for a few days now, and I heard that the old lady and Her Majesty the Empress hit it off immediately."
He wrote eight letters in three months and has now even summoned Aunt Zhao to the palace. There must be something big happening in the court. Could it be that the emperor is unwell and will abdicate in favor of the crown prince earlier than originally planned?
Zhao Yunjing and Zhou Mujiao exchanged glances and, without hesitation, sent someone to deliver a message to Li Changyi while leaving the capital without even taking any luggage.
Li Changyi asked Meng Jingjing, "Your Highness, Zhao Yunjing and his wife left in such a hurry. Do you think something happened in the capital?"
"Your Highness already has the answer in your heart, so why ask me?"
"After all, you are the princess. All the decisions I make directly affect you. Princess, we share both honor and disgrace."
“Since you say that I share the same fate as Your Highness, then I dare to ask Your Highness to stay in Lingnan with peace of mind. No matter what terrible thing happens in the capital, Your Highness should not enter the capital without your decree.”
"What if I insist on going to the capital?"
"Then please grant me a letter of divorce, Your Highness. Neither I nor the Meng family generals behind me wish to share your fate."
Li Changyi laughed, and after laughing, he sighed, "I really envy Zhao Yunjing. Whether it's his colleagues or his wife, they have never abandoned him."
"Indeed, Lord Zhao's sincerity is not so easy to obtain."
Li Changyi didn't say anything more.
Meng Jingjing waited for two days, but he didn't return to Beijing, nor did he receive the letter of divorce. She wondered, did Li Changyi really intend to keep her there until she was thirty before setting her free? Or had he accepted something and started to want to live a real life with her?
If it's the latter...
Meng Jingjing thought, "Ha, she can even write a letter of divorce!"
Traveling at breakneck speed, Zhao Yunjing and his wife arrived in the capital half a month later. Before them, the tea and lychees from Lingnan arrived in the capital.
The couple returned to their residence, changed their clothes, and had a meal before submitting their credentials to enter the palace. When the emperor arrived, the couple was leisurely admiring the flowers in front of the palace.
The emperor was furious: "Zhao Yunjing!"
Zhao Yunjing patted the eighteenth girl beside him, and the little girl ran over and exclaimed, "Grandpa Emperor, the eighteenth girl missed you so much!!"
One cannot hit a smiling face, especially a lovable young girl. The emperor managed to put on a smile instead of a stern face. Only after the eighteenth girl was sent to the empress's Chang Le Palace did the emperor's face darken.
"Zhao Yunjing, you finally know how to come back! Why didn't you wait until I was dead to return?!"
The emperor was very resentful and cursed Zhao Yunjing for a long time. Afterwards, he was calmed down by a cup of Liubao tea from Zhou Mujiao. He snorted and said, "This tea is the improved variety you made? The taste is not very good. But it does have a unique flavor."
"To perfect its taste, it would take at least five years. It's only been less than a year, and the current taste is already quite good. However, I think that taste is subjective. Some people like it refreshing, some like it sweet with a hint of bitterness, and some like bitter tea. This cup, for example, is refreshing with a hint of bitterness, but it has a sweet aftertaste. I personally think it is a top-quality tea."
The emperor was speechless. He had never seen anyone so boastful. However, he did like the tea. He guessed that the crown prince and the others probably couldn't stand such bitter tea.
"Life is too good, we don't know what hardship is like anymore."
Zhao Yunjing replied, "With the Emperor backing him up, the Crown Prince has the capacity to make mistakes."
"I'm old and useless now. I don't know how many more days I have left to live." The emperor coughed repeatedly as he spoke. "Tomorrow you will go and hand over the reins to Chief Minister Su. Half a month later, I will abdicate in favor of the Crown Prince."
Seeing that Zhao Yunjing and Zhou Mujiao didn't seem too surprised, the emperor sighed again, realizing that he was getting worse as he got older and couldn't hide his thoughts anymore.
"The Crown Prince will be a very good emperor, and the Emperor will live a long and healthy life."
"What's so good about living to be a hundred? Be careful you don't die a peaceful death."
The matter of abdication became an unspoken secret among the emperor, Zhao Yunjing, and the crown prince. The crown prince was also very patient. Over the past year, he did more and said less, and handled many things remarkably well. His reputation in the court and among the people soared. However, he also managed to keep quiet, never mentioning it to the emperor or allowing his subordinates to do so, and even intentionally having people suppress the praise from the outside world.
The Sixteenth Prince had been pondering this for over a year without realizing it, until Zhao Yunjing returned and rose directly from a lowly sixth-rank official to the Grand Secretary. Only then did he belatedly realize that the court was about to change, but it was too late. He had less than five days left—enough time for him to do anything.
Three days later, the seventeenth prince returned from the border, weary from his journey, with 30,000 elite troops. The sixteenth prince was startled, wondering if the seventeenth prince was planning a rebellion.
As it turned out, the seventeenth prince was also unaware of the situation. He had returned to the capital by imperial decree, and these 30,000 elite troops were also ordered by the emperor.
The two brothers drank and whispered among themselves, neither of them knowing what was going on. So they went to find Princess Jinling, who had just returned to the capital. Princess Jinling was even more clueless. Her mind was full of medical cases. What the court was, what men were, had nothing to do with her.
It wasn't until three days later, when the emperor announced his abdication to the crown prince in front of the entire court, that the sixteenth and seventeenth princes finally realized what had happened.
It turns out that the emperor risked using Zhao Yunjing in order to leave a capable person for the crown prince!
The Sixteenth Prince thought, "The Emperor is truly a good Emperor, the most benevolent Emperor in the history of the Great Liang!"
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