Chapter 200: Bringing up old scores Yang Heguang thought the prince was in his eyes...
Yang Heguang thought that the prince had fallen into a trap right under his nose and was almost scared to death. He found out everything that happened tonight with unprecedented efficiency.
"...The wine is brewed using a secret method. The doctor says it's harmless, but has aphrodisiac properties," Yang Heguang reported in a serious tone. "The incense Miss Yunliu wears also has some aphrodisiac properties. When the two meet, the reaction will be even greater."
"The wine probably wasn't specifically targeted at the Crown Prince. As for the incense..." It's impossible to say it wasn't specifically designed for the Crown Prince, but it wasn't specifically developed to target him, either. "...it's commonly used in the market."
Although it was not directed at himself and was harmless to his body, Honghui still looked unhappy. His father and mother paid attention to health preservation, and he was influenced by her since he was a child. He was no less important. Even in the etiquette between him and his wife, he followed the doctor's advice and was quite restrained.
In addition, he has always regarded his father as a role model, and tried to emulate him in everything. Self-discipline, calmness and self-control are his most basic requirements for himself. However, this time he was shaken by some external factors - this is simply a shame for him.
Honghui's face was gloomy: "Who is behind this?"
Yang Heguang replied, "The official boss's surname is Song Bo, but he's never been seen. On a daily basis, the business is managed by a manager named Yuan. According to investigation, this Mr. Song is the head of the Song family business in Yangzhou. He has many relatives by marriage, the most prominent of whom is Wu Cunli, who was promoted to Governor of Jiangsu last year. The Song girl is his concubine."
"Oh, my concubine." Hong Hui sneered, "Let's investigate further to see if Song Bo and Wu Cunli have a deeper relationship."
Although he looked down upon the house today, that was because his family had the Old Summer Palace, and how many families in the capital had a house like that?—Not even his Thirteenth Uncle had one.
Judging from Fashan's performance today, he couldn't even get close to this private residence in the past. This only shows that the guests this private residence usually receives are quite high-end, and this is not something that a single business can do. There must be someone in the court behind it. Now it seems that Wu Cunli is the most suspicious.
"And as for Fashan," Honghui added, "it wouldn't be that easy for him to get that Liu out, even if he used my name. There must be someone else behind the scenes."
Although Fashan said that he wanted to seek a future with him, and perhaps he really had this idea, just based on his eagerness that day, Honghui was sure that this was definitely not his main purpose. In addition, Yunliu's reaction that day also showed that he must have other intentions.
"Keep an eye on these two places."
Yang Heguang agreed promptly, but after finishing the task he did not go out to handle it immediately. Instead, he looked hesitant.
Honghui said unhappily, "If you have something to say, just say it."
Yang Heguang's voice dropped an octave: "I was anxious to verify it just now, and in a hurry, I found Eunuch Lin..."
Honghui: So?
Yang Heguang wished he could burrow into the ground: So the prince and princess must have gotten the news too.
Honghui took a deep breath and pinched his eyebrows: "Go away."
Yang Heguang quickly left before someone came in and said, "Prince, the Crown Princess just sent someone to ask if you'll be there tonight."
Honghui glanced at the dark sky outside. The city gate had already been closed. He thought, "Let's go back to the backyard after finishing the government office tomorrow."
The next day, after leaving the government office, Honghui went straight to the Old Summer Palace. Yinzhen looked surprised and asked, "Why are you here at this time? Has something happened?"
Honghui looked at his father's expression and was sure that there was really no news. How could Lin Changqing not report to his father?
After the father and son had a conversation, Yinzhen finally understood what had happened: "I have something for him to do. Since you have nothing to do here, I think you plan to report together next time."
Then he asked, "Have you summoned the imperial physician to take your pulse?"
Honghui nodded: "On the way back, I went to the residence of a familiar imperial physician."
Yinzhen nodded. "Since you've already made up your mind, I won't bother you anymore. But as for your mother, do you want to talk to her yourself or should I?"
Although this matter did not cause any serious consequences, he had to tell Fu Jin. If he dared to hide it, and the truth was revealed one day, neither he nor his son would have an easy time.
Honghui looked at his father, who never made eye contact with him, and said, "...go by yourself, son."
"Yeah." Yinzhen stood up quickly, "I have something else to do here, so I won't accompany you."
Honghui: ...
Are you walking too fast, Dad? Is this what it means when disaster strikes, everyone runs away? He didn't feel guilty before, but now he feels a little guilty. What should he do?
Honghui moved to his mother at the slowest speed in history. His mother was riding a bicycle. Oh, bicycle was the name given by his mother. Different from the previous hand-cranked two-wheeled carts, today's bicycles have changed a lot. The front and rear small wheels are no longer one big and one small, but the same size. The forward propulsion is no longer hand-cranked, but pedaled.
"Ding-dong, ding-dong." Honghui was awakened by the sound of bells. His mother was riding a bicycle straight towards him, as if she wanted to knock him away.
The servants watching were startled and rushed over while shouting "be careful".
Qi Buchen stopped in front of his son and said to the servants with disdain: "Look at your lack of ability. I can even hit my own son."
Then he turned to his son with satisfaction and said, "Not bad, you remain calm in times of crisis."
Honghui: ...Can he say that he was confused?
Qi Buchen didn't give him a chance to speak: "Why are you here at this time? Is something wrong?"
Such a familiar question.
Honghui let out a breath quietly, calming his pounding heart: "I have something to tell my mother."
"Oh?" Qi Buchen raised her eyebrows. Since her son grew up, he rarely spoke to her like this. It seemed that something really happened.
Qi Buchen lifted his leg, got off the bicycle, and handed it to the servant: "Let's go." As he walked, he said, "This is the latest bicycle made by the mountain house. The balance is much better than before, and the force required is also less. I just tried it, it's not bad, but the brakes are still not good enough. Beginners need help to stop it. Take it with you when you go back later. You are going to the government office, and Zhengya is bored staying at home every day. Let her play with this and exercise her body."
Honghui complained in his heart: I saw you stop just now and didn’t call anyone for help.
When they got inside, the mother and son sat down separately and sent the servants away. Qi Buchen said, "What's the matter? Tell me."
Honghui recounted the story hesitantly, emphasizing that he did not let Miss Yunliu get close to him, and did not touch the wine she offered him.
Qi Buchen couldn't help but see that his son was lacking confidence. He said, "Tsk, look at what you have accomplished."
She took a sip of tea and said, "Am I, your mother, unreasonable? You're on a mission now, so you're bound to have to attend various social events. How can I stop you? I'm not asking you to be a sage in seclusion on a mountain. I'm just asking you to be cautious, not only for your health, but also for the harmony of your family. By the way, have you told Zhengya about this?"
Honghui hesitated for a moment and shook his head.
Qi Buchen said earnestly, "Mother isn't asking you to do this, I'm just suggesting that you tell Zhengya everything about this. And not just this matter, but from now on, all your official duties, interactions, and social events—as long as they don't involve state secrets—can be discussed with Zhengya. You two are husband and wife, and your success and failure are shared. To be frank, even Father and Mother don't spend as much time with you as she does. Think about the rest of your life: is it better to have someone you can talk to, or someone you can just sit there and watch without saying a word?"
"Perhaps Zhengya may not be able to keep up with you at first. After all, she was raised according to the traditional Han education. But as the saying goes, teach your son in public and your wife behind your back. When I first married your father, I knew nothing. If your father hadn't taught me step by step, the mother you know today would not be the one you know now."
Honghui wasn't some ignorant child who took everything for granted. Having studied in the palace for over a decade, even with limited contact with the harem, he could still discern some clues. Then, looking back at his uncles and aunts, how many of them truly got along? Forget about the distant past; just take his tenth uncle and tenth aunt. While they weren't completely disgusted with each other, he could tell from Hongxuan's occasional snippets that they rarely spent time together in the mansion. Unlike his father and mother, who spent most of the day together, Honghui was a bit disappointed.
"By the way, where is your father? Why didn't he come with you?" Qi Buchen asked casually. Honghui must have met Yinzhen first before coming to see her.
Honghui: "...Father has something to do."
Qi Buchen rolled his eyes and guessed what Yinzhen was thinking: "Huh." Forget it, let's save some face for him in front of his son.
"Are you okay? If you are, go back quickly. You still have to go to the yamen tomorrow." Qi Buchen began to chase people away.
Honghui who was driven out: ... His mother wanted to tie her son to her eyes, but why is he despised when it comes to him?
Fan Zhengya was a little surprised to see him come back: "Why are you back so soon? I thought you were going to rest outside the city. Have you had dinner?" Honghui told her last night that he was going to the Old Summer Palace today. She was prepared for him not to come back. After all, the mother-in-law hadn't seen her son for more than half a month.
Oh, by the way, his mother didn't even leave him dinner. Honghui thought expressionlessly, is it true that having more sons doesn't make things any less interesting? Haha.
Seeing that he looked uneasy, Fan Zhengya asked cautiously, "Did Father say anything about you?"
Honghui came back to his senses and relaxed his expression: "No, let's eat first, I'll tell you something later."
Dinner was served at the Old Summer Palace. Qi Buchen looked at the person who came in with a half-smile: "Are you done with your work?"
Yinzhen cleared his throat and sat down beside her, his face serious: "Not yet."
Qi Buchen snorted and glanced at him without saying anything else. This guy is really something. Wasn't it just that she was in a bad mood during her period some time ago and brought up the old incident of him going to a brothel? But today she didn't even dare to come with her son.
"Is there nothing wrong with Honghui?" The two of them had long since stopped talking about food. Qi Buchen asked as he picked up a piece of lettuce for him with his chopsticks. "You said your teeth were a little itchy. I just picked it up today to help with the internal heat."
Yinzhen ate it in one gulp and then said, "It shouldn't be a big problem. Let him handle it first. I'll let Lin Changqing watch over it."
Qi Buchen gave him another bite with his chopsticks before eating his own. "The Emperor should be back by the end of the month. Will there be a conclusion to the maritime ban soon?"
Yinzhen shook his head. "It's difficult. I'm afraid it will take another month or two. We should have a result by the end of the year."
His words came true. It was not until mid-December, when the embargo was about to be imposed, that the court reached a conclusion on the maritime ban. Instead of a blanket ban, they banned trade with Southeast Asia, while allowing trade with the East Asia as usual. This compromise meant that the losses were not that great.
Qi Buchen was not in the mood to be happy at this time, as she had been in the palace to take care of the sick for several days.
The Queen Mother is seriously ill.
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