“The biggest commonality among the disappeared mansions is that most of them were the mansions of exiled officials.”

"I am the son of heaven, and I do not believe in those strange and supernatural things. But if there is a strange phenomenon, it must be someone with ulterior motives doing it behind the scenes. I also think that the matter of the imperial city is closely related to the Su Wang family."

Emperor Mingde looked at Gu Tai, their eyes met, and they both felt that this matter was inextricably linked to the Su family. But if they really said that it was done by the Su and Wang families, they couldn't find any useful clues.

"Everyone else's family lost something, but the mansion was fine. Only our Gu Mansion and the Prime Minister's Mansion disappeared."

“And this!”

Emperor Mingde took off the dragon crown and pulled off his wig, revealing a bald head in Gu Tai's shocked eyes.

Gu Tai felt warm in his heart, and he knelt down in front of Emperor Mingde, hugged his thighs and shed tears.

"Your Majesty's love for me will never be forgotten."

"Gu Lao San, when I was not yet on the throne, you and I, brothers, worked together for many years. Now I feel lonely. If there is anyone in this big world who can comfort me, it can only be you, Lao San."

"Your Majesty, Song Lao Er he——"

For a moment, Gu Tai really wanted to say that he suspected that when Su Chengyi married Song Jinhe, the son Su Zhenbei that Song Jinhe was pregnant with might be the emperor's dragon seed.

But only for a moment, he bit his lip again and forced the words back.

The emperor is the emperor. If he can kill his father and son, how can we talk about the loyalty between the emperor and his subjects? When the emperor heard Gu Tai mention Su Chengyi, he couldn't help but think of the time when the three of them traveled together before he ascended the throne. But it was just a thought, and then he said with a sinister look, "Gu Tai, send someone to follow, and after reaching Xiangqiao, get the Su family army token. Directly wipe out the entire Su family. Leave no one alive."

Overnight, so many incredible things happened in the imperial city. All of them pointed to the Su and Wang families. But there were no clues.

If you can't find it, don't look for it. Don't even bother to guess. The only way to make yourself feel at ease is to make the person who makes you feel uneasy disappear.

"There is also the matter of the Prime Minister's Mansion. I have something to say but I don't know whether I should say it or not."

"speak!"

"I just ordered my subordinates to secretly investigate the theft at the Prime Minister's ancestral temple. They discovered that they seemed to have lost a batch of grain."

food?

Emperor Mingde narrowed his eyes.

The prime minister lost grain but didn't report it to the authorities? What was the connection between grain and the theft of the ancestral hall? If there was a lot of grain, then what on earth did the prime minister want to do? Everything was self-evident.

"If the Prime Minister doesn't report it, should Zhaowei still investigate?"

"No need to check. Since the Prime Minister has the whole world in his heart and the people in his heart, I will ask him to go south to provide disaster relief, which will naturally please him the most."

Emperor Mingde sneered.

The prime minister, he, and Gu Tai conspired to create the Donggong case, execute the crown prince, and destroy the Su Wang family. Then what? The crown prince is gone, so naturally all the princes are eyeing the crown prince's position. What about the prime minister? How much has he secretly made over the years? I'm afraid his wealth is more than the national treasury. That's not all, he even had his eyes on food.

Sima Zhao's intention is really known to everyone.

Since the Prime Minister cares so much about the world and wants to be the master of the people, then let him go to provide disaster relief and serve the people.

Otherwise, how could he justify all the efforts he had made over the years? "All missing persons cases should be handled by Zhao Wei. Send people to investigate secretly. Since the thief has stolen so many things, he must have used them. As long as he uses them, he will be found sooner or later."

The king and his ministers had another secret conversation for a while.

Gu Tai said goodbye and was going to send the third prince to the northern border.

As soon as Gu Tai left, the Queen Mother and her entourage arrived at Zhengtai Palace.

The Queen Mother frowned and sat on the upper seat.

"No one can cure the plague, and the Prince of Yan will surely die if he goes there. My son, the late emperor left a will, you cannot kill the Prince of Yan."

The Queen Mother looked at her son. Ever since he ascended the throne, in the past ten years, she really couldn't understand him more and more.

"The Prince of Yan is not the blood of the late emperor. The late emperor left the Prince of Yan as the greatest life-saving talisman for our royal family. The Prince of Yan must not die in the Eastern Expedition."

Emperor Mingde looked up at his mother, secretly mocking in his heart: Are you my mother or the mother of the Prince of Yan? "Mother, if the Prince of Yan does not go on the expedition to the east, shall I go on the expedition myself?"

The Queen Mother's expression changed immediately.

"Has it really come to the point where there are no more generals available in the court of Great Qi except the King of Yan?"

Alas, my son, you are really confused. The Duke of Zhenguo has so many loyal ministers and generals, why do you have to kill them all?

When your father was alive, our Great Qi was so powerful and majestic. Has it come to the point where we have no generals left to use now?

"The Prince of Yan is on an expedition to the east, the Prime Minister is on a tour to the south to provide disaster relief, the Third Prince is heading to the northern border, and the Second Prince is repairing the imperial mausoleum. Mother, do you think this is okay with my arrangement?"

The Queen Mother was startled, and looked up at the expressionless Emperor Mingde. She felt sad.

Does the emperor think that her harem is interfering in government affairs? "Or, does my mother think that the prince of Yan is not suitable for the eastern expedition? It would be better if I lead the expedition myself?"

This question was a bit aggressive.

No matter how many ideas the Queen Mother had, she had to swallow them down at this moment.

Yes, after all, the emperor has been on the throne for ten years, and he is no longer the mediocre prince who relied on his maternal relatives to ascend to the throne.

"My dear, you are my biological son. Between Prince Yan and you, mother will naturally choose you."

The Queen Mother sighed, "It is better for the Prince of Yan to go on the Eastern Expedition. This man's life and death are determined by fate."

The Queen Mother returned to the palace with a sigh.

As soon as she returned to the palace, the Queen Mother immediately sent a trusted eunuch with a box to chase after Prince Yan.

In the box, she put a life-saving pill.

That was the birthday gift given to her by Master Guiyi when the late emperor was still alive.

The Queen Mother asked her trusted eunuch to deliver life-saving pills to Prince Yan, and reminded the eunuch that it was impossible for Prince Yan to say anything more, especially the matter of plague, which must never be mentioned in front of Prince Yan.

The Queen Mother only asked the eunuch to bring one message to the Prince of Yan: Only the Prince of Yan can fight for the Great Qi, and for the sake of the country and the people, the Prince of Yan is requested to save his own life first no matter what the circumstances.

Without mentioning the harem, as soon as the Prince of Yan returned home, he immediately told Yan Xiao,

"Get the two gentlemen exiled identities, send them there by fast horse, and hand them over to Zhou Fuan. Tell him that these two were sent by the Right Prime Minister to secretly protect Chu Mingyang."

Yan Xiao complained in his heart: You are using the right prime minister's guise again. I saw it with my own eyes. When you were leaving the court just now, you stopped the right prime minister and threatened him again. Chu Mingyang is really useful.

The two imperial doctors beside him had bitter faces, but dared not speak. They cried in their hearts: "Prince Yan, you are such a dog? You threatened us with our family members and insisted that we follow him to treat the young Duke. But, can you give us the identity of officials? Why do you have to give us the identity of exiled prisoners? Yan Xiao beside him was also in a bitter mood: "Alas, we just sent away a ghost doctor, and now we have to send two imperial doctors over. Does the master really think he is so secretive? He simply wanted to announce to the whole world that he was determined to protect Su Zhenbei, and whoever dared to touch Su Zhenbei would have a hard time with him."

Master, you are making things difficult for the Emperor.

Master, you really think your life is too long!