After the banquet, the prime minister returned to his residence with the emperor's rewards, making a great show of it all the way to completely dispel the rumors of discord between the emperor and his minister.
The people looked at the glittering gold with envy, but they knew that the prime minister was a good official and that these were all rewards from the emperor, not ill-gotten gains.
It is said that the Prime Minister punished nearly half of the corrupt officials in Jiangnan. Fortunately, the Emperor allowed him to lead a large number of troops, otherwise, he might have been wiped out there.
"The Prime Minister is a good man. All the disaster victims in Jiangnan have been properly resettled, and apart from those who fell ill, almost no one has died."
How do you know so much?
“My son was a soldier who went with the Prime Minister to provide disaster relief; he saw it with his own eyes, so of course he knows!”
"That can't be faked, it's really impressive."
"That's why the imperial court is now making great efforts to select officials. You should tell your son to work harder; he might just become a high-ranking official!"
"The Emperor is a wise ruler, and the Prime Minister is a good official. We common people can finally live a good life!"
"That's right. Throughout history, how many dynasties have truly cared about the lives of ordinary people? And how many of the government's disaster relief funds have been embezzled?"
"Long live the Emperor!"
The people cheered and this commotion actually reversed Xiao Jin's reputation among the common people, thus establishing his good name that would be remembered for generations.
The Prime Minister listened to the endless discussions among the people, most of which were positive, and nodded in satisfaction. "Hmm, this trip was worthwhile."
He naturally had his own purpose in doing so.
Firstly, he was thinking of the country and its people. With the emperor having his own offspring, the princess's faction would inevitably resort to desperate measures. Promoting Xiao Jin's good reputation would help stabilize the country.
Secondly, he wanted to dispel the rumors of discord between the emperor and his ministers, and at the same time, he wanted to show goodwill to Xiao Jin. He did not want Xiao Jin to really kill his son, and at least spare his life.
Parents who love their children plan far ahead for them. The Prime Minister was actually afraid that the child Song Lingxi was carrying was his own son's. If the Emperor were to be enraged, he would surely want to kill Xie Changling.
Now that he has done everything he could, he can leave the rest to fate.
...
The Prime Minister's Residence.
The Prime Minister's wife, along with her family, greeted the Prime Minister at the gate as he returned home.
Jiang Yudie looked much more haggard than when she first got married, because she was always trying to find evidence of her crimes, but Xie Changling saw through her schemes time and time again.
Xie Changling then had Wang Wu write a letter of denunciation every day and send it to her room, which terrified her so much that she trembled with fear and dreamed every night of her younger sister haunting her and demanding her life.
Jiang Yudie had considered making peace, but Xie Changling simply didn't believe her. How ruthless must someone be to kill their own younger sister when they were young? Only a madman would believe her.
The Prime Minister's wife also blamed Xie Changling for this. She herself was a woman confined to her chambers and also felt sorry for Jiang Yudie, who shared the same plight.
But when Xie Changling presented the evidence to her, the Prime Minister's wife no longer dared to show mercy. It's true that appearances can be deceiving; she looked so gentle and weak, yet she was truly ruthless.
If it weren't for the fact that these are turbulent times and the Prime Minister's residence is a thorn in the Emperor's side, she should have taken the person to the yamen. Fortunately, Ling'er was alert.
As a result, the Prime Minister's wife became more wary of Jiang, making it impossible for Jiang to get close to the mother and son. Jiang Yudie herself was also suspicious and overthinking, which naturally caused her to lose weight.
However, she wasn't the main character today. The Prime Minister's wife looked at the familiar figure outside the door, and her heart, which had been hanging in suspense, finally settled down.
...
The Princess's Residence.
The commotion on the street was so great that the Princess's residence naturally received the news.
As they returned from the banquet, sitting in their carriage, they listened to the people praising the emperor and the prime minister, their teeth practically grinding to powder.
"Bang!"
The princess slammed her hand on the table. She hadn't expected that the old fox that was the prime minister would be so stubborn.
Even though the emperor had taken his daughter-in-law and almost driven his son to his death, this old man was really patient, and even went around promoting a good reputation for Xiao Jin among the common people.
She also planned to go among the common people to ruin his reputation when the power of the eldest princess's faction grew strong and the emperor began to show signs of decline, in order to prepare for her coup.
She kept this whole drama buried deep in her heart, never daring to reveal it to Xiao Heng.
After all, she knew that her son was somewhat foolish, and if she told him, the news would inevitably leak out. Once he showed signs of rebellion, the princess's mansion would not be far from destruction.
The princess grew angrier the more she thought about it. Her original plan was to ruin their reputation first.
Water can carry a boat, but it can also capsize it!
If Xiao Jin loses the support of the people, then the people will naturally follow Xiao Heng's power, and he can quickly gain a large number of followers, and the rebellion will become a way to punish evil and promote good.
She had already planned it all out: Song Lingxi, a married woman, couldn't stand the loneliness and seduced the emperor, which would give her the reputation of a wicked concubine and empress.
In contrast to her was Xiao Jin, who disregarded ethics, seized a minister's wife, and even ignored the Empress Dowager's advice to elevate the wicked concubine to Empress. Wasn't he even more incompetent and foolish?
Unfortunately, her plan was completely ruined by the Prime Minister; that old scoundrel is truly despicable!
The princess's face was terribly dark; this was the first time Xiao Heng had ever seen her with such an unpleasant expression.
Xiao Heng and Song Lingyu exchanged a glance, both seeing confusion in each other's eyes. After all, although the Prime Minister and the Princess were adversaries, they were not at the point of life and death.
So they couldn't figure out why the princess was angry, and whether the force of the slap really didn't hurt her hand.
Finally, it was Xiao Heng who spoke up to comfort her. Although he wasn't very clever, he knew that the princess was wholeheartedly planning for him, and their plan had probably been thwarted again.
“Mother, I don’t know why you’re angry, but it’s not worth it if you ruin your health.”
"Never mind that, let me think about it here. You may leave."
The eldest princess, unusually, ignored her son. She had a terrible headache and didn't want to see Xiao Jin or anyone else.
"Yes, then I will take my leave."
"My daughter-in-law has also retired."
Song Lingyu followed Xiao Heng out of the main courtyard. She was rather petite, and Xiao Heng didn't wait for her, so she was quickly left behind by the man.
Song Lingyu quickly called out to him, "Your Highness, Your Highness, please wait for me."
Xiao Jin stopped and turned around. It turned out to be Song Lingyu. He felt a little disappointed.
What is it that I'm missing?
Of course, it reminds me of that radiant beauty in the palace, with skin as smooth as ice and bones as delicate as jade, a beauty that could rival any other in the world. Such stunning beauty was truly captivating.
"Your Highness, thank you for waiting for me."
Song Lingyu was overjoyed. She thought Xiao Heng was looking at her with a fixed gaze, attracted by her attire.
Song Lingyu's voice brought Xiao Heng back to his senses. Looking at the person in front of him, he could no longer muster any interest.
"I have other matters to attend to, so I will take my leave now."
Song Lingyu was stunned and chased after him, calling out, but the man blatantly ignored her.
She tossed the handkerchief, her eyes filled with resentment, but to no avail. From that moment on, Song Lingyu completely fell out of favor.
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