Rong Yuan had also heard about what happened at Liuyun Palace, and was currently in the Imperial Study asking Hong Fu about it.
"Hongfu, who do you think designed this Flowing Cloud Palace?"
Hong Fu sighed. Every time His Majesty asked him a question, he didn't know how to answer. Like this question—speaking of anyone would be inappropriate. Hauntings were the most taboo thing in the palace; wasn't the Emperor digging his own grave?
Rong Yuan heard him sigh and turned to look at him: "What's wrong? Is it hard to answer? Why are you sighing?"
Hong Fu, his eyes still dim from age, darted around and said, "Hehe, Your Majesty, this old servant truly doesn't know. Perhaps Liuyun Palace really is haunted."
Rong Yuan looked at him with annoyance: "Hmph, you don't know? You probably know better than anyone else, you just don't want to offend anyone."
Hong Fu massaged Rong Yuan's shoulders: "Your Majesty, you know best in your heart who did it. The reason why that person only targeted Consort Li and even provoked the haunted palace was probably just to make Consort Li calm down, not to think about things she shouldn't think about, and not to covet people she shouldn't touch."
"Hmph, Li Wanyue deserves it. Didn't she ever consider that if the Kingdom of Tianzhu found out about what she did, they would have a reason to start a war with us? She only cares about her own selfish interests and doesn't care about the feelings of others. This time she even dared to joke about the diplomatic relations between the two countries. Let her enjoy her old age in Liuyun Palace."
Rong Yuan felt he had already tolerated Li Wanyue enough. If it weren't for Rong Mian, the Third Prince, he probably would have buried her long ago, given what she had done over the years.
"Your Majesty, please calm down. Whether Consort Li will be able to sober up after this is another matter, let alone do anything else."
Hong Fu was also puzzled. Why was Li Wanyue causing all this trouble, and why did she fail to please the Emperor in every single one of them? In such a short time, she had already been demoted from Imperial Concubine to Noble Lady. If she continued to cause trouble, the Third Prince might lose his mother.
As Rong Yuan flipped through the memorials, he said, "She had better stay like this, otherwise if she does something outrageous again, she can't blame me for being ruthless."
"Then the Third Prince..."
Rong Yuan turned to look at him: "The third brother is already quite old, and he has several wives and concubines. He has plenty of people to take care of him, so there is no need for Li Wanyue at all."
Hong Fu was also startled by Rong Yuan's words. It seemed that Consort Li had truly offended His Majesty this time, for even His Majesty harbored such intentions. He hoped she would think twice before acting, after all, it was all her own doing.
Hong Fu: "This old servant was just thinking, if it weren't for Consort Li, would the Third Prince...?"
"What if he rebels? If he harbors such thoughts, then I have underestimated him. Look at what Li Wanyue has been instilling in him all these years. Assassinate Aqi? Seize resources from other countries? Or, like some corrupt officials, send him to provide disaster relief, hide all the grain, and spend his days indulging in debauchery?"
Don't think that just because Aqi didn't tell him these things when he came back that he wouldn't know. He just didn't want to bring things into the open and wanted to give Lao San a chance to change his ways. But Lao San is increasingly disappointing him.
Hong Fu sighed inwardly. He wanted to say something nice about the Third Prince, but he couldn't bring himself to do it. The Third Prince had indeed done many outrageous things over the years. His Majesty, out of consideration for their father-son relationship, hadn't banished him and had been constantly guiding him back to the right path, but the Third Prince had only gone further and further astray.
He knew what His Majesty wanted him to know. What His Majesty had just said, if it were any other emperor, would likely have resulted in severe punishment for their son's actions. But His Majesty only gave him a minor punishment, requiring him to report to the Imperial Study daily. This was His Majesty's benevolence.
Rong Yuan finished reviewing the memorial, placed it aside, and got up from the dragon throne: "Alright, give instructions that if anyone inquires about this matter, ignore them. Also, tell the kitchen to prepare some pastries that the Empress likes, and go to Kunning Palace at noon today."
"Yes, Your Majesty."
Rong Yuan suddenly remembered something: "Have anything been sent from the palace to the Prince Feng's residence these past few days?"
"Your Majesty, rest assured, in order to lower our guard, we have changed the delivery schedule to once every three days. It was just delivered yesterday."
Rong Yuan nodded: "Alright, as long as it's delivered on time, otherwise that little girl will complain to Xiao Jiu again."
After Rong Yuan finished speaking, he took the lead and walked out of the Imperial Study, heading towards Kunning Palace.
Hong Fu, who was following behind him, couldn't help but tremble violently. Was the Emperor afraid the young princess would scold you, or was he afraid the Ninth Prince would blame you? What a hypocrite!
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