On the side of Da Chu.
After several days of recuperation, the Emperor of Chu's health had improved considerably. During his recuperation, Chu Qingluan was in charge of supervising the court every morning and handling all matters at court.
Chu Hong had to keep vigil and hadn't been here for the past few days, so almost all the affairs fell on her alone.
But in just a few days, he had lost a lot of weight.
On this day, before daybreak, Chu Qingluan had already put on his court robes and was sitting at the desk in the imperial study, reviewing memorials.
"Princess, it's time to attend the morning court." Zhixia walked in quietly and poured her a refill of hot tea.
"You haven't slept well for several days. You need to rest after the court meeting today."
Zhixia looked at the dark circles under her eyes and felt heartbroken.
Chu Qingluan picked up the last memorial and said without looking up, "It's okay. These are turbulent times, and the Emperor is still recuperating. We can't afford to make any mistakes in court affairs. It's not too late to rest after this busy period is over."
Zhixia sighed in her heart and thought, if only Xie Xiang were here.
These court affairs are boring and tiring, and one also has to compete with a group of court officials in wits and courage.
She felt sorry for her princess.
Soon, the sun rose, and a ray of golden sunlight pierced through the clouds and sprinkled on the earth.
In the Golden Palace, civil and military officials were still standing on both sides.
Chu Qingluan sat upright in the position of regent next to the dragon throne, listening calmly to the reports of the ministers. From the floods in the south, to the mobilization of grain and grass in the north, to the appointment and dismissal of officials in the court, every matter was handled in an orderly manner, with sharp words and clear logic, which made all the old ministers secretly admire him.
"Your Highness, Princess."
The Minister of War stepped forward and said, "News has arrived from the northern border: General Meng and his 50,000-man army have successfully recaptured Yunzhou City. The remnants of the Chen army have fled north, and are currently reviewing their gains and comforting the people in the city."
As the Minister of War finished speaking, a burst of praise rang out in the hall.
A glint of light flashed in Chu Qingluan's eyes. "General Meng, you've worked hard. Pass the order down and reward the Meng family army with a thousand taels of gold and a hundred pieces of silk so that the soldiers can rest well.
In addition, the Ministry of Revenue is ordered to immediately allocate food and fodder to Yunzhou to ensure that the people in the city have enough food and clothing."
"I obey the decree!"
Then someone mentioned the current situation in the Western Regions.
"Princess, the Western Region grasslands are now divided into two, with Amur and Helian Shuo occupying each side. Helian Shuo has sent a letter to us, expressing his willingness to form an alliance with Great Chu to fight against the Amur tribe. How should we respond? Please advise me, Princess."
After those words were spoken, the hall fell silent for a moment.
Because everyone thought of Concubine Jiang who had just passed away recently.
The dispute between her and Amur during her lifetime cast a shadow on the relationship between Da Chu and the Western Regions. Now that Helian Shuo has sent people to propose an alliance, will Da Chu really take the opportunity to send troops to Amur and kill him?
"Princess." The Minister of Rites suggested.
"Amur is a rebellious man who is difficult to tame. He previously tried to force Concubine Jiang to marry him but failed. Now that she has passed away, if he harbors resentment and bears a grudge against the Great Chu, he will probably harm the Great Chu sooner or later."
Others echoed, "Your Excellency, the Minister's words make sense. Rather than taking the risk of helping Amur, it would be safer to form an alliance with Helian Shuo."
"But this is, after all, an internal dispute within the Western Region grasslands. Both uncle and nephew are not easy to deal with. I heard that Helian Shuo had to feign madness and stupidity to escape a disaster. What if he wins and remains stubborn?"
“…”
The sound of quarreling gradually arose in the hall, but Chu Qingluan remained silent.
After a long time, she finally raised her hand and the hall became quiet.
"The affairs of the Western Regions involve a wide range of issues. I need to discuss this with my father before making a final decision. I will adjourn the court for now."
The ministers bowed in response, and Chu Qingluan immediately stood up and left his seat.
…
After the court session, she sent someone to summon Chu Hong to the palace.
Not long after, Little Leo, who came to deliver the imperial edict, came back, but he came back empty-handed.
"Your Highness, I've been to Prince Rui's mansion, but he's not there. The housekeeper said he left the city early this morning."
Chu Qingluan was puzzled: "Oh? Leave the city?"
Little Li: "Yes, the butler said that the prince left in a hurry, and only took one trusted guard with him, and he didn't say where he was going."
Chu Qingluan pondered for a while and thought, could it be that what made Chu Hong so anxious was related to Concubine Jiang?
"Besides guarding the body, has Prince Rui interacted with anyone else these days?"
Little Li thought for a moment and said, "Nothing special. Oh, by the way, the prince went to the Heavenly Prison yesterday and interrogated Princess Wuya."
The Princess Wuya mentioned by Leonardo DiCaprio is the real Wuya who came to the capital with Qi Che.
After the fake Wu Ya was caught, she could not bear the torture and confessed the truth. She was actually a female doctor from the Western Region witch doctor tribe and came to Da Chu under the orders of Amur.
The reason why he took action at the palace banquet was that he was coerced by the real Princess Uya and had no choice but to do so.
In the end, the fake Wuya was executed, and the real Wuya was thrown into death row and beheaded in the autumn.
However, the real Wuya had previously explained that she had a counselor close to her, and that it was that counselor who had led her to the palace to threaten the fake Wuya. Based on her description, the inmates in the cell had hired an artist to create a portrait of the counselor, and a citywide wanted notice had been posted.
I think Chu Hong’s hasty departure must be related to Zhen Wuya’s counselor.
After Chu Qingluan figured it out, she waved her hand to signal Little Li to go down first, then she got up and went to the Yangxin Palace.
Regardless of where Chu Hong went, the most important thing right now is how to respond to Helian Shuo.
——
Meanwhile, in White City, Misty Rain Tower.
This was the largest brothel in Baicheng. Even in broad daylight, the air was filled with the melodious sounds of stringed instruments and the aroma of wine. On the circular stage in the lobby, beautiful women, their clothes half uncovered, were posing seductively, twisting their serpentine waists and dancing.
The air was filled with lascivious music.
Qi Che panicked and sneaked up to the second floor from the back door of Yanyu Tower, stumbling and knocking open a carved door.
"Who?"
In the room, a pair of mandarin ducks were having a good time when they were suddenly interrupted. The man above them issued a warning.
Qi Che suddenly looked up, saw the scene on the bed clearly, and realized something belatedly.
"I'm sorry, I was blind and walked into the wrong room. I'm leaving now, I'm leaving now."
After saying that, he hurriedly got up and left the room using his hands and feet.
However, when he looked down again, he found that he was holding a man's robe in his hand.
Qi Che froze suddenly.
He looked back at the closed door, then gritted his teeth and put his clothes on himself.
His clothes had been discovered by Chu Hong and could no longer be worn. He simply took them off and threw them outside the door.
Just as I finished all this, I heard some noise coming from downstairs.
Qi Che didn't delay any longer and ran towards the backyard again.
Finally, he stopped in front of a house with flowers in front of the door.
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