"Your Majesty, during my investigation of this matter, I discovered that one of the concubines in the Yang State Duke's household was from the Southern Frontier." Lin Yu'an wasn't intentionally accusing anyone; he was simply stating what he knew, which still greatly alarmed the Emperor.
The Emperor knew that Lin Yu'an would never falsely accuse someone without solid evidence, which showed that this matter was indeed related to Duke Yang.
"That old scoundrel Yang Mu, I don't know what he's up to," the Emperor said angrily. Yang Mu was once one of the Emperor's most promising court officials when he was young, but after going to the Southern Frontier, he seemed to be controlled by someone, and his ambitions grew.
This greatly displeased the emperor, but he could not find a reason to punish him.
"How many people still know about this?" the Emperor asked, since the appearance of people from the Southern Frontier almost always foreshadowed a bloody storm.
"Not many people know about this matter. It took me a lot of effort to investigate it thoroughly. Moreover, that concubine has been dead for many years. Now Your Majesty has no reason to directly take Yang Guogong's life. If you just barge into the mansion and find nothing, Your Majesty will probably be unable to stop the rumors circulating among the people."
"Yu An, what are your thoughts?"
"I have heard that Duke Yang has already begun preparations for the chrysanthemum appreciation banquet."
In this era, countless banquets brought together different people, and many noblewomen were proud to host a banquet in their own homes. Most of these banquets were held under the guise of flower appreciation, with the four most typical banquets being the Peach Blossom Banquet, the Lotus Appreciation Banquet, the Chrysanthemum Appreciation Banquet, and the Snow Plum Banquet.
The Peach Blossom Banquet was hosted by the eldest princess of the royal family. Even if there was no eldest princess, it should have been hosted by one of the princesses of suitable age.
The lotus appreciation banquet was hosted by the Lady of the Prince's Mansion, and there were no specific rules for this every year.
The chrysanthemum appreciation banquet has always been exclusively controlled by the Yang family, and it has never been able to fall to anyone else.
The first three all have a touch of ancient matchmaking, while the last one, the Snow Plum Banquet, is simply a day for literati to enjoy poetry, books, tea, and wine. On this day, countless masterpieces are always produced and widely praised.
"Chrysanthemum Appreciation Banquet." The Emperor knew the purpose of this banquet, but he also instantly understood Lin Yu'an's plan: "You want to take advantage of that time to infiltrate the Yang residence and investigate?"
"Your Majesty, please rest assured, I will be careful," Lin Yu'an assured him repeatedly.
"The Yang family's defenses have become increasingly sophisticated in the past two years, and it's hateful that their influence is growing so strong that even I can't do anything about it for the time being. Yu An, you must be careful." Perhaps it was due to his age, but the Emperor had also become somewhat sentimental.
Realizing what he had said, the emperor joked, "Alright, take the imperial decree of marriage bestowed upon you and hurry up and leave."
Lin Yu left the palace with the imperial edict, satisfied, and headed to the Su residence. However, upon arrival, she encountered Lin Ke at the entrance of the Su residence.
At this moment, Lin Ke was vastly different from the image of a refined and gentle gentleman that people had previously held of him. Perhaps due to lack of rest in the past few days, Lin Ke's hair was somewhat disheveled, and his eyes were a little red.
"Second Uncle." Lin Ke quickly bowed to Lin Yu'an and then complained, "Second Uncle, the people from the Su family actually stopped me from going in."
Lin Yu'an glanced at him: "Even if you were allowed in, who would you have the face to see?"
I used to think this nephew was alright, but now the more I look at him, the more annoyed I become.
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