Gu Tingyuan sighed, his tone sounding somewhat helpless.
"Your Highness, why do you have to do this? His Majesty is seriously ill. What you said last night..."
"It is the devil who has bewitched me!" Chu Hong suddenly kowtowed heavily, and blood immediately appeared on his forehead. "Please ask Prime Minister Gu to pass the message on for me. I am willing to die to atone for my sins!"
This scene attracted the attention of the surrounding palace people. Seeing this, several old officials not far away could not help but become moved and whispered:
"His Royal Highness Prince Rui has always been kind and filial. I'm afraid he was impulsive last night and disobeyed His Majesty..."
"I heard that it's because of the princess's affairs in Youzhou. The princess is really something. Youzhou is the fief of King Rui. I heard that she is going to take over the troops there..."
"Hush! Keep your voice down. His Majesty is angry. This matter cannot be discussed rashly!"
“…”
Inside the palace, Concubine Xie could see everything through a door.
She turned around and said softly, "Your Majesty, the Third Prince is your own flesh and blood after all. If he really had the intention to disobey you, why would he come here alone last night?"
She brought the medicine bowl closer and said, "The princess is still in Youzhou City, which is the Third Prince's territory. Your Majesty needs to be careful."
The current intention is to remind Emperor Chu to be careful of Chu Hong who may do something desperate.
After all, Chu Hong has been doing business in Youzhou for three years. If he is really punished this time and it gets to the ears of the officials in Youzhou, who knows what kind of changes may arise.
The King of Chu stared at the medicine bowl and suddenly sneered, "What a...benevolent and filial King Rui."
He slowly tightened his fingers on the quilt, veins bulging.
After a while, he took a deep breath and said in a deep voice: "Pass the order——"
"Prince Rui was disrespectful in front of the palace. He is confined to the palace for three months from now on to reflect on his mistakes. The military affairs of Youzhou will be temporarily taken over by the Ministry of War, and all government affairs will be handed over to the governor for handling."
When Concubine Xie heard this, a hint of pride flashed in her eyes, but she pretended to be worried and said, "Your Majesty, is this a good way to deal with it..."
"What? My beloved concubine, do you think that my punishment was too lenient?" The Emperor of Chu glanced over with a sharp gaze.
Concubine Xie quickly bowed her head and said, "I dare not, I am just worried about the princess."
The King of Chu coughed twice more, then slowly raised his head and said, "I want to see if he dares to touch Qing Luan."
Outside the palace, Chu Hong heard the imperial edict and kowtowed respectfully: "I accept your command and thank you."
When he looked up, tears of regret welled up in his eyes. "Please tell my father, Eunuch Yao, that I will reflect on my mistakes behind closed doors and never make the same mistake again."
After the palace servants left, Chu Hong slowly stood up, brushed off the non-existent dust on his robe, and a sneer appeared at the corner of his lips——
…
After the court session, Gu Tingyuan secretly came to Prince Rui's Mansion to discuss the next plan.
“Your Highness, the princess is now in charge of Youzhou to rectify local government and military affairs. I’m afraid Zhao Dequan and his men won’t be able to hold out for long.
Moreover, I heard that Prime Minister Xie is also in Youzhou. With him here, the power you have painstakingly built up for several years may be in vain..."
Chu Hong pondered for a moment, and after a moment, he suddenly smiled, but the smile did not reach his eyes.
"I have my own way to force him to leave Youzhou."
Gu Tingyuan was startled: "Your Highness means..."
"Xie Yunqi has been away from the capital for many days, and the government affairs are piling up. If someone reminds my father at this time that Prime Minister Xie has not returned to the court for a long time, does he have ulterior motives?"
Gu Tingyuan's eyes flashed, and he immediately understood: "But the impeachment of the censor alone may not be enough. Xie Yunqi is a heretic and does not follow the rules. Many people have impeached him over the years, but in the end no one can do anything to him."
Chu Hong smiled knowingly: "Hasn't the Western Region always been in turmoil? If an urgent report suddenly came at this time, saying that there was unusual movement in the Western Region and the Prime Minister had to return to the capital immediately to coordinate military affairs, do you think he can continue to stay in Youzhou?"
The reason why Xie Yunqi left Beijing before was to secretly search for Chu Qingluan's whereabouts.
Now that the princess has appeared in the public eye, there is no reason for Xie Yunqi, as the prime minister, to stay in Youzhou any longer.
"Your Highness, this is a brilliant plan! As the Prime Minister, if Xie Yunqi puts public interests above personal ones, he will be criticized by the court and the public. He has no choice but to go back!
Once Xie Yunqi leaves, the princess will be alone. I believe that Prefect Zhao and the others know what to do."
Incite public resentment, cut off her food supplies, create chaos, etc., so that the princess will be exhausted from dealing with the problems. By then, the Third Prince will be released from the ban and return to Youzhou, and everything can be back under control.
Gu Tingyuan understood and bowed, "I'll arrange it right away!"
——
That night, in the imperial palace, somewhere in the cold palace.
The waning moon is like a hook, and the cold wind blows through the room.
This is the place where concubines who have made mistakes are imprisoned. It is seldom visited by people. The mottled palace walls are covered with dead vines, and the courtyards are mostly overgrown with weeds and have not been taken care of for a long time.
In the side hall, a dim oil lamp was swaying, illuminating the thin figure of Concubine Jiang.
She was kneeling by the windowsill, her long black hair tied up easily with an ebony hairpin. Her plain white dress had become white from being starched, but it could not hide her cold and frosty temperament.
"Your Majesty, it's time to take your medicine." The maid A Ruo held the medicine bowl and advised softly.
Concubine Jiang raised her eyes, revealing a face that was 70% similar to Chu Hong - eyebrows like distant mountains, eyes like cold stars. Even though there were fine lines at the corners of her eyes and her lips were so light that they were almost transparent, she was still breathtakingly beautiful.
“Ahem…”
Before she even took the medicine, she had already covered her lips and started coughing softly, as if she had a cough that had been pent up for a long time.
Ah Ruo's eyes turned red: "My Lady!"
Concubine Jiang waved her hand and was about to speak when she suddenly heard footsteps outside the palace.
"Your Majesty, Your Majesty?!"
Ah Ruo was so frightened that she knocked over the medicine bowl and knelt on the ground in panic.
The King of Chu was wearing a black cloak and standing alone at the door, his face as gloomy as iron.
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