Tang Ji noticed that Mu Xi's face looked unusually pale, as if he was lost in thought. So she asked with concern, "Mu Xi, are you feeling unwell?"
Mu Xi only wanted to leave the palace as soon as possible and return home to inform her mother of the decision made by the emperor in the palace. So she pleaded with Chu Fan on the grounds of feeling unwell:
"I feel a little unwell. I beg Your Majesty to allow me to take my leave and go home to rest."
Seeing Mu Xi's pale face, Chu Fan also showed concern. He suggested, "Should we call the imperial physician from the Imperial Hospital to diagnose you?"
Mu Xi quickly waved her hand to refuse. She replied, "I just feel a little unwell. I can go home and rest for a while. There is no need to trouble the imperial physician."
Mu Xi was well aware of her own health and the palace's rules and taboos. She knew that asking the imperial physician to diagnose her when she wasn't ill would not only be disrespectful to the doctor but would also likely leave the impression of lying in the emperor's mind. Despite his tolerance, such behavior was ultimately inappropriate.
Seeing that Mu Xi insisted on her position, Chu Fan stopped insisting and just told her to be careful on the road. He also asked Qiu Ya to arrange for several palace maids to escort her back to the mansion safely.
Tang Ji was filled with worry when she saw Mu Xi leaving. She wanted to follow him back, but Mu Xi stopped her. Mu Xi knew that this was the imperial palace, with strict rules and etiquette, and that she couldn't act arbitrarily. Moreover, she had more important matters to attend to when she returned home.
After Mu Xi left, Chu Fan, worried that Changsun Pinqing and the other women might also catch a cold, stopped what he was doing and summoned them back to his bedroom to play mahjong. After all, Chu Fan's bedroom had a fireplace, making it a warm place to escape the cold.
Mu Xi returned home and immediately told his mother, Xi Xueyi, in detail about what he had seen and heard in the palace. Xi Xueyi's opinion coincided with Mu Xi's. They both believed that as the leader of the Mu family, Mu Yunfeng should voluntarily give up some military power to demonstrate the humility and modesty of the Mu family.
After all, the Mu family's power in Wei State is already at its peak. If they don't know how to restrain their edge in time, it will easily arouse suspicion and dissatisfaction from the royal family.
They also clearly understood that His Majesty's mention of Mu Yundian's appointment as Minister of War in front of Mu Xi was actually a way for the Mu family to step aside. His Majesty was using this method to hint that the Mu family should take the initiative to adjust the family's power structure to avoid unnecessary turmoil.
If the Mu family waited until His Majesty personally proposed to take back Mu Yunfeng's military power, it would put the Mu family in a very embarrassing situation. Therefore, the Mu family must learn to keep a low profile and take the initiative to cater to His Majesty's intentions.
In addition, in the past year, the Mu family has not only achieved many military exploits under the favor of His Majesty, but also gained a lot of wealth.
Although the ministers of Wei now all expressed their loyalty to the country and their love for the monarch, this did not prevent them from harboring strong hostility towards the Mu family. Once they found any impropriety in the Mu family, they would not hesitate to attack and expose the Mu family's mistakes.
Mu Xi and Xi Xueyi were both well aware of this, so they decided to communicate with Mu Yunfeng as soon as possible, so that he could clearly understand the current political situation and the true intentions behind His Majesty. Only in this way could the Mu family consolidate its position in the political arena of Wei and maintain its glory and splendor.
However, all of this was their own thinking. Chu Fan had no such thoughts at all. Chu Fan was still in the palace, anxiously waiting for the Mu family to rebel.
At the end of the discussion, Xi Xueyi asked Mu Xi a crucial question: "Did His Majesty ever mention when he would marry you?"
Mu Xi felt very embarrassed when he heard his mother's question. After all, His Majesty had always maintained an ambiguous relationship with them, but had never clearly stated when he would officially marry them.
Mu Xi could only answer helplessly: "No."
Xi Xueyi looked at her daughter as if she were an innocent person. She sighed and said, "Why don't you learn from the Third Princess of Shu? With someone as honest as you, when will you truly win the heart of His Majesty?"
Mu Xi was stunned by her mother's surprise at the unreliable suggestion. In this world, having an intimate relationship with a man before marriage was unacceptable to her.
Mu Xi sighed and said, “The situation of the third princess Liu Xueyu is different from ours.”
Xi Xueyi, a warrior by nature, didn't value traditional concepts. Furthermore, her daughter was interested in His Majesty, so it didn't matter if things happened prematurely. She believed that as long as she could establish a relationship with His Majesty, the safety of the Mu family would be further guaranteed.
However, Xi Xueyi also understood that her daughter was not a bohemian person, so she did not force Mu Xi to do anything she didn't want to do.
After hearing his mother's words, a seed seemed to sprout in Mu Xi's heart. After all, His Majesty's attitude towards Liu Xueyu was well known. In order to save Liu Xueyu's family, he had unhesitatingly given up the benefits of five million kilograms of refined salt and even sent two hundred thousand civilians to the border to support them. This was something that made people very envious.
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Mu Yunfeng at the border received the news from Mu Xi. He frowned and felt the complexity and subtlety of the situation.
Mu Yunfeng knew that his prestige and military achievements at the border were a solid foundation for his family, but he also understood that the concentration of power would easily arouse the imperial family's fear. After a long period of contemplation, he finally decided to follow the advice of his daughter and wife and offered to reduce his military power as a demonstration of the Mu family's loyalty and support for the imperial family.
Of course, Mu Yunfeng would not be so foolish as to go directly to His Majesty and say that he was willing to hand over part of the military power. This would be a completely suicidal act.
You must know that Mu Yunfeng had just achieved great military exploits not long ago, and just a few days later he returned to Kaifeng City and went to the palace to find Your Majesty and said that he would hand over his military power. Where do you want Your Majesty to put his face?
After all, Mu Yunfeng was a great hero. If he surrendered his military power at this moment, it would undoubtedly be questioning His Majesty's incompetence and jealousy. Furthermore, His Majesty had clearly handed this matter over to the prince of the Royal Government Affairs Office, clearly giving the prince of the Royal Government Affairs Office full responsibility for the matter.
If Mu Yunfeng handed over some of the military power to the princes of the Royal Government Affairs Office, he could also win the friendship of some royal family members. This was undoubtedly a strategy that had the best of both worlds.
Mu Yunfeng immediately found Chu Yuanju, who was still doing construction in Lin County, and expressed to him his idea of handing over most of the military power to the Royal Government Affairs Office.
This made Prince Chu Yuanju extremely happy. After completing his mission, Chu Yuanju did not immediately return to Kaifeng City. What was he afraid of? Wasn't he afraid that Mu Yunfeng would become so powerful? Now that Mu Yunfeng had taken the initiative to hand over some of his military power, Chu Yuanju could be considered relieved.
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