Before the huge group of people entered the outer perimeter of the upper study, they saw a deep purple figure standing outside the upper study, facing the inside, waiting to be summoned.
Without a close look, one could tell that this person was Chu Feiyang. His tall figure was as straight as a pine tree, and he possessed the perseverance and determination of a soldier. The dark purple prince's robe and the solid gold crown perfectly expressed Chu Feiyang's nobility. Emperor Yugan, who was wearing a dragon robe, couldn't help but frown when he saw him. A hint of gloom flashed in his calm eyes. After a long while, he led the palace people up the stairs in front of the hall and walked along the flower bed on the platform to the study.
Hearing the footsteps, Chu Feiyang retracted his thoughts and turned around, calmly kneeling down to bow to Emperor Yugan, "Your Majesty, I pay my respects to you. Long live the Emperor!"
"Get up quickly!" Despite saying this, Emperor Yugan did not stop Chu Feiyang from kneeling. After Chu Feiyang knelt completely, he gently raised his right hand and made a 'stand' gesture.
"Thank you, Your Majesty!" Chu Feiyang stood up calmly, not caring about the slight dust on the hem of his robe. He retreated to the right side of the palace door and waited for Emperor Yu Gan to step into the study first.
At this time, a young eunuch ran over quietly, whispered a few words in Eunuch Yu's ear, then stepped aside and waited for orders.
After hearing what the young eunuch said, Eunuch Yu frowned slightly, then whispered in Emperor Yugan's ear: "Your Majesty, the body of Concubine Rong has been found!"
Emperor Yugan was about to step into the hall, but stopped after hearing the news. He glanced sideways at Eunuch Yu, his calm eyes gleaming with a frightening coldness, but his tone was extremely calm. "Have you found him? Are you sure you found the right person?"
A chill ran through Eunuch Yu's heart at the sight of Emperor Yugan's sinister gaze. He replied respectfully, "We're having the imperial physician examine her! Judging from the reaction on the corpse we found, she did indeed die from drinking the palace's secret medicine! However, it's almost the hottest days of summer, and Concubine Rong's body has begun to rot. Your Majesty, look at this..."
Having said that, Eunuch Yu deliberately looked up at Emperor Yugan, as if he was very afraid of Emperor Yugan's expression. Then he immediately stopped talking and waited for the emperor's decision.
"I don't have the heart to review memorials right now. My dear Minister Chu, please accompany me for a walk in the Imperial Garden!" Emperor Yu Gan withdrew his gaze from Eunuch Yu and turned to look at Chu Feiyang. He spoke calmly, and his steps had already changed direction, leading everyone towards the Imperial Garden.
"Your humble servant obeys your order!" Chu Feiyang half closed his eyes and followed after hearing what Emperor Yugan said. However, when he passed by Eunuch Yu, his eyes with a faint smile glanced at Eunuch Yu in front of him, and there was a deep sneer hidden in his dark pupils.
"Now the flowers are in full bloom, and the whole palace is filled with birdsong and fragrance. It's a pity that without Concubine Rong, even the Tianshan Snow Lotus has lost some of its flavor!" The emperor and his minister walked silently through the magnificent palace, slowly stood under the corridor of the imperial garden, looking at the flowers in full bloom in the garden, Emperor Yugan spoke with some emotion.
Hearing this, Chu Feiyang's smile deepened. He knew that Emperor Yugan probably had something to ask him to do, otherwise why would he bring him to the Imperial Garden to appreciate flowers for no reason? And why would he mention Concubine Rong for no reason?
"Your Majesty has three thousand beauties in his harem, and there are beautiful women everywhere. Why is he so sad over a concubine Rong? Please take care of your health, Your Majesty!" Chu Feiyang answered evasively while admiring the flowers in the garden, and did not fall into Emperor Yugan's trap.
Emperor Yugan's right hand, which was behind his back, tightened slightly, then loosened in an instant. He then spoke, "Yes, Rong Rong has violated palace rules, so I must punish her! However, the rivers in the south are showing signs of bursting their banks recently, and the national treasury is extremely strained. We still need the Rong family's support! My dear, you are always clever. Do you have any suggestions?"
After he finished speaking, Emperor Yugan turned sideways, staring at Chu Feiyang with his bright eyes, as if waiting for Chu Feiyang's reply.
Chu Feiyang's attention was still on the scenery in front of him. The smile on his lips remained unchanged, but he calmly answered Emperor Yugan's question, "Your Majesty, every year the court allocates a lot of silver for flood control, but the effect is very small! The reason for this, I believe Your Majesty is also aware of it! These silvers are allocated from the national treasury, passing through the Ministry of Revenue, prefectures and counties, and in fact, only a small amount can be used for flood control. How can there be any substantial effect? Moreover, the court's allocation of funds is based on the law. By the time the silver reaches the disaster area, I am afraid that the flood has already overflowed. It is really just treating the symptoms and not the root cause!"
Listening to Chu Feiyang's analysis, Emperor Yugan nodded in agreement, but the look in his eyes became complicated and difficult. He sighed slightly and said slowly: "How could I not know the tricks here! That's why I specially summoned you to the palace today to ask you to go to the Rong Mansion and ask you to open the granaries in the Jiangnan towns to help the people affected by the disaster! As an imperial merchant, the Rong family naturally has to work for the court. The Rong family should contribute to the repair of the dams in the Jiangnan region! What do you think, Chu?"
Seeing Emperor Yugan speak out his purpose, Chu Feiyang still smiled faintly, but a cold light flashed in his half-lowered eyes. He spoke in a very calm tone, "The emperor has thought it over carefully, but he only wants the Rong family to bear it. I am afraid that the people will be dissatisfied with the court!"
If officials are not disciplined and the government is not rectified, and if only external aid is relied upon, sooner or later the people will become disappointed with the government.
"Besides, the court has more income from the Youzhou jade mine this year, so it won't be so embarrassed!" Emperor Yugan's plan is really good. He ordered the death of Concubine Rong without finding out the facts. However, he didn't expect that the flood in the south was about to come and the Rong family would need to contribute money and manpower. So he ordered people to find Concubine Rong's body and wanted to bury her with great ceremony to show the royal family's attention to the Rong family.
However, Emperor Yu Gan's reaction to the discovery of Concubine Rong's body outside the study door just now was somewhat puzzling, as if there were other mysteries hidden in it.
Chu Feiyang's words immediately caused Emperor Yugan's expression to darken slightly, and then he spoke righteously, "Why, are you asking the Rong family to contribute some financial resources and then making things so difficult for them?"
"In that case, I would like to trouble Minister Chu to go to Rong Mansion in person and persuade Rong Yunhe to open the granary to help the people. This is a good deed with infinite merit! As for his sister, Concubine Rong, I will also order someone to bury her properly!" After saying this, Emperor Yugan was about to leave without waiting for Chu Feiyang to speak.
But before he could even take a step, Emperor Yugan turned around, his sharp eyes shooting at Chu Feiyang, who remained expressionless, and asked casually, "The body of Concubine Rong has begun to decompose. King Chu, do you think the Rong family has replaced her with me?"
Staring at Chu Feiyang with eyes as frosty as a knife, Emperor Yugan's expression was extremely cold, with a hint of chilliness that made people terrified.
Chu Feiyang curled his lips into a smile, but the smile on his lips did not reach his eyes. His calm and deep black pupils shone with a resolute light. He answered calmly, "The imperial palace has 80,000 guards. Not even a bird can escape the emperor's eyes, so how could they sneak someone out of the palace under the emperor's nose? What's more, the Rong family has no other honors besides their status as imperial merchants. How could they have the ability to sneak the imperial concubine out of the palace? Even if they had to rely on Concubine Rong Xian, the Concubine is in Puguo Temple, so I'm afraid she can't do it!"
This rhetorical question left Emperor Yugan speechless. He felt like he had been stabbed in the face by Chu Feiyang, but he also knew that Chu Feiyang was not someone who could be manipulated. He nodded slightly with a sullen face, "It seems that the King of Chu has a good relationship with the Rong family and is willing to speak on their behalf like this! As for the disaster relief, I'll have to trouble the King of Chu to personally go to the Rong Mansion. I believe the Rong family will obey the emperor's orders!"
After he finished speaking, Emperor Yugan flicked his sleeves and left the Imperial Garden.
Chu Feiyang watched Emperor Yugan leave with a gloomy gaze, then turned around and left the Imperial Garden, walking quickly towards the gate of the inner palace.
In Prime Minister Chu's residence, Yun Qianmeng ordered Nanny Shangguan to prepare the gifts that would be sent to Prime Minister Han's residence, and then returned to the inner room to rest.
Less than half an incense stick of time after he closed his eyes, he heard Xi Lin's voice outside the door.
Slowly opening her sleepy eyes, Yun Qianmeng slowly sat up, put on a silk outer shirt, and gently gathered her long black hair. Only then did she walk out of the inner room with renewed energy. She looked at Xi Lin in front of her and asked calmly, "What did you find out?"
"Yes!" Xi Lin didn't say much, but just handed a sealed envelope and a jade token to Yun Qianmeng, and stayed outside the main house the whole time, not overstepping the mark.
Yun Qianmeng took the envelope and the jade token, opened it, and pulled out the rice paper inside. She carefully read the contents, her slender brows furrowed slightly, and she had a bad feeling in her heart. She then looked up at Xi Lin and asked, "Is the prince back?"
"Meng'er, you want to be your husband so soon?" Little did Yun Qianmeng know that just as she finished speaking, Chu Feiyang's teasing voice was heard outside the courtyard.
When Chu Feiyang walked into the yard, Xi Lin lowered his head and left the yard, just guarding outside the yard.
Yun Qianmeng stepped forward, handed the letter in her hand to Chu Feiyang, and said softly, "The Emperor summoned you to the palace, is it for this matter?"
Chu Feiyang glanced at the contents of the letter, a sneer curled up on his lips, and then he spoke gently to Yun Qianmeng, "Not only that, the emperor already suspects that Concubine Rong in the palace is a fake! Fortunately, we made preparations in advance and found a death row prisoner with a body shape similar to Concubine Rong. Otherwise, the Rong family would be guilty of deceiving the emperor this time!"
Yun Qianmeng's heart tightened slightly when she heard Chu Feiyang say this, but she calmly analyzed the situation. "Besides us, only Old Lady Chen, Rong Yunhe, and Nie Huaiyuan know about this. The three of them would never reveal such a serious matter that could lead to death. So who else would have the ability to escape our eyes and yet get to the front of Emperor Yugan? I think the chances of the Sea King and Hai Tian interfering are low. After all, Concubine Rong was killed by the Empress herself. Everyone in the palace knows about it. They definitely won't suspect that Concubine Rong is still alive."
"It seems that this time we are in the open while the enemy is in the dark!" Chu Feiyang said slowly, and then called out in a deep voice: "Xi Lin, from today on, triple the number of people will be assigned to guard the Chu Xiang Mansion, and triple the number of secret guards accompanying the princess. There must not be any mistakes!"
"Yes, I obey your command!"
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