Upon hearing Emperor Yugan mention the events leading up to Emperor Xijing's death, the Empress Dowager's hand holding the teacup tilted slightly, but she was able to steady it immediately, preventing the tea from spilling. The Empress Dowager's eyes were half-lidded, their irises obscuring the light within, obscuring her thoughts. She gripped the lid of the bowl with her right hand, gently scraping the rim as she spoke calmly, "Why do you ask about this? Your father was merely leaving a few last words. If Concubine Yuande hadn't been vying for the throne with us, I wouldn't have allowed you to seize the main hall, control the court, and make the courtiers submit to you! Otherwise, you wouldn't have been able to see your father one last time!"
As she spoke, a trace of sadness gradually appeared between the empress dowager's eyebrows and eyes. It seemed that she regretted that Emperor Yugan did not see Emperor Xijing for the last time, and she seemed to be missing the late Emperor Xijing, and a lot of sadness arose in her heart.
Upon hearing the Queen Mother's words, Emperor Yugan's face also showed grief. He spoke to comfort the Queen Mother, "Mother, please accept my condolences! Father has passed away many years ago. I only hope that our country of Western Chu will be peaceful and the people will be safe, and that you, the Queen, will be in good health. Please do not be sad anymore, otherwise it will be my fault."
After a pause, seeing that the Queen Mother's expression had eased slightly, Emperor Yugan continued, "Your Majesty, you know that in recent years, the power of the Sea King and the Chen King has grown stronger, and I am already unable to suppress them! In addition, the Chu King's temperament is now unpredictable, and I am extremely worried! The only ones who can truly be loyal to me are the palace guards! But these guards are not only responsible for protecting me, but also for protecting the concubines in the palace! If we use them to fight against the Sea King and the Chen King, I am afraid they will be stretched to the limit! I still can't understand why my father gave the Sparrow Talisman to the Chen King in the first place?"
After hearing this, the Queen Mother understood what Emperor Yugan meant!
However, Emperor Yu Gan mentioned one key point and introduced a person whom both of them disliked, that is Yun Qianmeng.
It seems that the person Emperor Yugan mentioned just now was only Chu Feiyang, but the current Princess Chu is actually Princess Yun Qianmeng.
As the Empress Dowager is the most senior concubine in the palace, and Emperor Yugan is the current emperor, how could they not understand the power of pillow talk?
Especially since the Princess of Chu was originally the one that the King of Chu had asked for in marriage, he would naturally cherish Yun Qianmeng even more. The couple is now deeply in love and is a good story in the capital.
But the Queen Mother didn't like Yun Qianmeng. To be more precise, she hated her. A girl from a family that had escaped her control, a girl who had repeatedly violated her wishes, naturally, the Queen Mother wouldn't like her.
Unfortunately, Yun Qianmeng was extremely lucky. Not only did she gain the admiration of Chu Nanshan, she also caught the eye of Chu Feiyang, becoming the high and mighty Princess of Chu. Now, if anyone wanted to touch her again, they would naturally have to be able to withstand the wrath of the King of Chu.
But now, the Sea King and the Chen King have revealed their ambitions and are gradually becoming like wild horses that are no longer under the control of the royal family. If Yun Qianmeng is dealt with now, they will probably have another enemy, the King of Chu.
The Chu family is different from the Hai family and Jiang Muchen. The Chu family is the most trusted courtiers of three generations of monarchs. Chu Nanshan has always been conscientious and knows how to retreat in time. Even though he has hundreds of thousands of troops under his command, he is still loyal to the court. Therefore, monarchs of all generations trust the Chu family the most and give the Chu family glory and power that others cannot achieve.
But now it seems that such power and such confidence could also be a hidden bomb. Especially since Yun Qianmeng wasn't close to the royal family, and instead had a lot of rifts due to certain things, this was a very bad omen and could very well become a flashpoint.
Therefore, the only way to deal with the Chu family at this time is to appease and deter them.
The Hai family, however, was different from the Chu family. While the Sea King also knew how to keep a low profile, his ambition was clear to everyone. Hai Quan, seemingly indifferent to everything, was one of the people who had the clearest understanding of the direction of government. He promoted Hai Chenxi to the position of Prince of Shanghai, meticulously nurturing him to be both a civil and military talent, and even allowed him to receive tens of thousands of battle-hardened troops from Emperor Yugan, clearly demonstrating his intentions.
The Palace of the King of the Sea was built on Yangming Mountain, which is the most picturesque and mysterious mountain range in the capital. The Palace of the King of the Sea is surrounded by mountains on three sides and has a water source. It is a great place where one man can hold his own against ten thousand.
What's more, according to the description of the Sea King's Palace given by the prince when he came back, I'm afraid there won't be so many rare and precious things in the Imperial Palace. I'm afraid even the Imperial Palace is not as exquisite and grand as the Sea King's Palace!
Hai Quan has been patient for so many years, but in the past two years he has held two wedding banquets in a row. What is his intention? I am afraid only he himself knows.
As for Prince Chen, missing out on the throne back then was not only a pain in Prince Chen's heart, but also a pain for the Duke of Han's Mansion that supported him. If they don't make a comeback, Prince Chen and the Duke of Han's Mansion will probably fight to the death.
"The late emperor's intention was probably out of pity for his young son!" The empress dowager did not say much, but just avoided the main point and picked out irrelevant words to comfort Emperor Yugan.
However, the Empress Dowager's gaze toward Emperor Yugan seemed loving and concerned, but beneath it lay a deep coldness. If Emperor Yugan claimed that he only had tens of thousands of imperial guards at his disposal, no one would believe it. An emperor who could only barely protect himself would have long been mauled to death by the wolves lurking outside. Perhaps Emperor Yugan had other motives for coming to Fengxiang Palace today!
After hearing the Queen Mother's reply, Emperor Yugan's attention was only on his sleeves. He was seen adjusting his slightly wrinkled sleeves before he softly asked, "Really?"
The Empress Dowager saw Emperor Yugan's cold reaction, but she was not afraid at all. She asked calmly, "What's wrong with the Emperor? Is there any problem in the court that has troubled the Emperor recently?"
As she spoke, the Queen Mother took a sip of tea. Beneath her caring words was a calm expression, as if it had nothing to do with her.
Emperor Yugan sighed softly, his once relaxed brow furrowing slightly. He flicked his sleeve and picked up the teacup before him. He scraped the lid gently, as if about to take a sip of hot tea, but suddenly slammed the lid down onto the cup. Then, he placed the cup heavily on the table and spoke gravely, "It's almost summer, and the rivers in the south are rising. I'm afraid a flood is imminent, Princess Chu. The riverbanks can't withstand the onslaught of the floods, and I'm afraid they'll burst. I was planning to have more sandbags prepared to hold back the flood, but the Minister of Revenue claims the treasury is tight. So, I've come here today to ask, Queen Mother, if my father mentioned the treasure before his death."
'Pah!' Little did she know, the Queen Mother had actually thrown the teacup onto the table with such force that not only was there a loud noise, but the clear tea in the cup also spilled out, soaking the brocade on the table.
"Your Majesty, you are truly confused!" The Empress Dowager's face was already filled with coldness, and her eyes were filled with extreme disapproval. Before Emperor Yugan could speak, she scolded him, "That is the royal family's life-saving treasure. If you take it out, we will have no one to rely on in the future! There are so many civil and military officials in the court. When did you ever need Your Majesty to use your own money? Even if the officials don't agree, don't we still have the Rong family? The Rong family is the richest in the world, and Concubine Rong has committed a crime. Even if Your Majesty doesn't ask for it, the Rong family should have thought of this and prepared the silver for us. How could Your Majesty worry about such a thing?"
After she finished speaking, the Queen Mother sat in the distance, sulking, her expression becoming increasingly grim.
Eunuch Qu and Eunuch Yu, who were serving in the palace, had never seen the empress dowager so angry in front of the emperor, so they had already lowered their heads and remained silent, so as not to make their master even more angry.
Emperor Yugan listened attentively to the Empress Dowager's instructions and reproaches. After a long while, a helpless smile appeared on his face. He slowly said, "Rong Yunhe loves Rong Rong very much. I'm afraid he has already been cruel to us! Besides, I also want to know where the treasure left by my father is hidden! Concubine Yuande will naturally not tell me, so I ask my mother for instructions!"
When the Queen Mother saw that Emperor Yugan kept talking about the treasure, she knew that the flood in the south was just an excuse, and what Emperor Yugan really wanted to know was the whereabouts of the treasure.
However, Emperor Yugan made things difficult for the Empress Dowager regarding this matter.
At that time, the Empress Dowager and Concubine Yuande were guarding Emperor Xijing's bedside. It was natural that the two enemies were extremely jealous of each other when they met. If Emperor Xijing really told the whereabouts of the treasure, I am afraid that the two would have started fighting each other in front of Emperor Xijing's bed.
Unfortunately, Emperor Xi Jing died before he could even finish his words, which is a real pity.
The Queen Mother shook her head helplessly and said regretfully, "I really can't help Your Majesty with this matter. The matter was given to the Princess of Western Chu before the late Emperor even mentioned it!"
Emperor Yugan kept staring at the Queen Mother's expression. His deep but sharp eyes closely watched every expression on the Queen Mother's face. But to his disappointment, even though he did not miss any details, every movement and expression of the Queen Mother revealed her true feelings, which made Emperor Yugan very depressed.
His thick eyebrows finally furrowed deeply, and Emperor Yugan spoke solemnly, "Is there no one who knows the whereabouts of the treasure? In this case, even if our royal family has the treasure, what difference does it make whether we have it or not?"
Suppressing the anger in his heart, Emperor Yugan tried his best to remain calm, but the volume of his voice rose slightly, and he still revealed the urgency in his heart.
The Empress Dowager looked at the people serving in the palace and saw that there were only Eunuch Qu and Eunuch Yu. Then she said, "I'm afraid even the late Emperor doesn't know!"
Otherwise, why would Emperor Xijing not have spoken out? Didn't he want his descendants to be blessed with great fortune and enjoy wealth and glory?
No, as an emperor, he values his kingdom above all else, and this kingdom needs his descendants to inherit it! Emperor Xijing was also a wise ruler, and he had long understood this truth. There was absolutely no reason for him to keep this matter secret until his death!
The only explanation is that even Emperor Xijing himself does not know the whereabouts of the treasure.
This was a question that had troubled the Queen Mother for years. No matter how many people she sent out to investigate, they always returned empty-handed. Even after searching the entire harem, she still found nothing.
Upon hearing this reply, Emperor Yugan's hands on his knees tightened slightly, and a sharp light flashed in his dragon eyes. He looked at the Queen Mother with a hint of suspicion. However, when he met the Queen Mother's calm eyes, he could not point out any faults. He could only continue to ask: "Did the Ancestor Emperor not tell my father? I wonder if my father has any other instructions?"
The Queen Mother just shook her head, and with a slightly tired look between her brows, she said to Emperor Yugan, "I am tired. I am old and often feel tired after sitting for a while. Princess Chu! Lan'er hasn't come back yet?"
When Eunuch Qu heard the Queen Mother ask him, he immediately stepped forward, hunched over, and replied, "To answer your question, Sister Lan is probably almost well. Perhaps Sister Lan felt that the ginseng cake was not fresh, so she ordered the imperial chef to remake it!"
"I remember that I have something to do in the previous court, so I won't eat here! Queen Mother, please rest well. I will return to the study first!" How could Emperor Yugan have the heart to wait for cakes? He just stood up, bowed slightly to the Queen Mother, and led Eunuch Yu out of Fengxiang Palace.
How could Eunuch Qu not understand the Empress Dowager's intention? He used the excuse of waiting for cakes to get Emperor Yugan to leave. How could an emperor wait for a palace maid? I'm afraid the servants in the upper study had already prepared cakes and tea.
"Empress Dowager?" However, seeing the Empress Dowager standing up from the couch, Eunuch Qu immediately stepped forward and let the Empress Dowager take his arm, looking at his master with some confusion.
"Don't you think the emperor is a little strange today?" However, the empress dowager couldn't tell what was strange.
Watching Emperor Yugan leave, the Queen Mother felt a little uneasy. She wondered why Emperor Yugan had mentioned Emperor Xijing for no reason. And why had he mentioned the treasure for no reason?
"The Empress Dowager is referring to the treasure that the Emperor mentioned?" Eunuch Qu was also a little confused.
The current emperor had registered the property nearly twenty years ago, so why would he bring it up again today? Furthermore, the treasury is probably not as strapped for cash as the Minister of Revenue claims. Why would the emperor even consider using the treasure? This is money that will protect the lives of the royal family in the future. How can he use it so carelessly?
The Queen Mother shook her head, her delicate brows slightly furrowed, and she sighed softly before saying, "I'm afraid the Emperor doesn't really want to know about the treasure!"
Emperor Yugan controls the Rong family, a family rich enough to rival a country. I'm afraid the treasures they have are no less than those of the royal family. How could Emperor Yugan be so anxious to know the whereabouts of the treasure at this time!
He brought up the topic of treasure today, probably just to stimulate discussion and to know other things about Princess Chu.
I'm afraid that Emperor Yugan is just testing whether I know what he wants to know.
"Send someone to keep a close eye on the emperor, including who he contacts and any secret moves, and report them all to me!" The empress dowager relaxed her brows slightly, retracted her gaze to the outside, and with a firm and persistent look and a hint of coldness in her eyes, she whispered to Eunuch Qu.
"Yes, I understand!" Eunuch Qu also lowered his head and replied in a low voice.
"Your Majesty, the King of Chu has been waiting in the upper study for a long time!" After leaving Fengxiang Palace, Eunuch Yu whispered in Emperor Yugan's ear.
"Really? Then let's go back!" The footsteps that were originally heading towards the harem changed direction, and Emperor Yugan led the palace servants behind him to the study.
－－－－－－Digression－－－－－－
The physical book of "Princess of Chu" will be on the market in two weeks. After more than half a year of hard work, mixed with my blood, sweat, and sweat, the physical book is finally going to be on the market!
This time, "Princess of Chu" was planned by Yuedu Ji and published by Qingdao Publishing House. It consists of two volumes and is available on Dangdang.com at a 37.89 yuan discount!
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