"Today, the Emperor has made this spectacle of the Wang family public before all the noble families. I'm sure they will all be much more restrained in their actions from now on," Shu Yun said, sitting on the soft couch that had been specially laid out for her in the carriage. "But they will also be more cautious in their actions, making it harder for the Emperor to find fault with them."
Feng Ziyi nodded, realizing that he had misjudged the situation and never expected His Majesty to be so cunning.
"That's true, but I don't understand. Other things aside, even if the Wang family is stupid, they should know to destroy the evidence of such a confidential matter as smuggling royal salt. How could they have been caught?"
Who knows? Perhaps the Wang family had been infiltrated by the emperor's spies, perhaps the emperor summoned the imperial merchants to interrogate them, or perhaps the imperial merchants who initially appeared in the Wang family's sights and made transactions with them were actually instructed by the emperor.
Human nature and power struggles are truly far too complex.
If it is indeed as the conjecture suggests, then the emperor of the Lan Dynasty has concealed himself for over a decade, causing everyone to lower their guard and believe he is an incompetent ruler, allowing them to act recklessly before swiftly eliminating them.
But the one on the throne is vying with the powerful families, openly and secretly plotting against each other. Moreover, to the south of Lan Dynasty, the newly enthroned King of Chu is ambitious and has repeatedly attacked the borders of Lan Dynasty. A year ago, Lan Dynasty ceded territory to sue for peace and only gained a period of peace. Who can guarantee that Chu will not invade again?
Beset by internal and external troubles, the people suffered terribly. In her eyes, Lanchao was rotten to the core, hollow inside. Even if Feng Ziyi stubbornly stayed, he could not save Lanchao from its fate.
A building is about to collapse; a single pillar cannot support it.
She also needs to think carefully about where Feng Ziyi will go after the fall of the Lan Dynasty. With heroes from all over the country vying for power, she needs to choose a wise ruler.
The fate of the last human emperor is written vaguely in the book of destiny. The emperor of the mortal realm is different from the emperor of the three realms. The secrets of heaven cannot be easily revealed.
Only then did Shu Yun have a real sense of being in the mortal world. This task of translating Fu Fengzi into a prime minister was not easy.
The wheels of the carriage rolled on the stone slabs of the wide streets of Yingdu, making a sound like fine sand and gravel rolling over. On both sides, vendors called out their wares incessantly, loudly proclaiming their own brands.
Shu Yun suddenly remembered something, turned around and asked:
"You should be staying in your county, attending the royal banquet in the capital. Shouldn't you go back to your post as county magistrate now?"
A hint of surprise flashed across Feng Ziyi's handsome face. "I came to the capital not to attend the royal banquet, but because His Majesty ordered me to return to the capital to serve as the Imperial Censor."
Did the Lan Dynasty emperor translate Feng Zi back for him?
Shu Yun's thoughts were in turmoil. She felt that everyone today was a puppet on a string, with a pair of hands lurking in the darkness behind the scenes, driving the events forward.
"Does everyone know that I'm being sent back to the capital?"
Feng Ziyi seemed to have thought of something, and was somewhat dumbfounded. "His Majesty instructed me not to make a fuss when I returned to the capital, so as not to attract the attention of various powerful families and cause them to obstruct me."
They planned ahead for Feng Ziyi to return, and in order to protect Feng Ziyi who was being ostracized by the powerful families, they secretly sent him back to the capital. After the Wang family incident, they made Feng Ziyi's promotion public, so as to ensure that Feng Ziyi could sit in the position of Imperial Censor.
The emperor intended to conceal Feng Ziyi's whereabouts, so how could the Wang family know where he was staying? He had thought it was a warning from the Wang family, but now he realized that the invitation was probably from the emperor.
It was both a way to appease him by eliminating the royal family and a way to intimidate him.
Shu Yun was somewhat worried. It wasn't a bad thing that the emperor was deep in thought. This Lan Dynasty emperor was not weak and valued Feng Ziyi. If he directly supported Feng Ziyi to become the prime minister of the Lan Dynasty, things would be much easier.
Unfortunately, even though the Lan Dynasty emperor has gradually regained power over the years, the national treasury is empty and food supplies are insufficient. The army is lazy and has no chance of defeating the Chu King's elite troops. It is only a matter of time before the Lan Dynasty is swallowed up.
She needs to carefully compare the strengths of the various warlords, and then find a reliable translator for Feng Ziyi.
A familiar fragrance wafted in from outside the carriage curtain. Shu Yun lifted the curtain to take a look, then immediately called for the carriage to stop, "Stop, stop, stop!"
Feng Ziyi's body tensed immediately. "What happened?"
"It's okay, I'm not full. I'll go downstairs and have a bowl of wontons."
"..."
You didn't stop eating at the Wang family's banquet, yet you said you weren't full?
Shu Yun pulled Feng Ziyi downstairs and said, "Boss, two bowls of wontons."
"Okay, please wait a moment."
Thin-skinned and generously filled wontons were quickly served, topped with a layer of scallions, looking very tempting.
"Very good, it's comparable to the one in Pingyang."
"Have you been to Pingyang?" Feng Ziyi had never eaten this before. He scooped the wontons into a spoon and took a long time to eat them.
"Young lady, have you been to Pingyang?" After serving wontons to the other tables, the owner passed by Shu Yun's table, heard her words, and asked with delight.
“Yes.” Shu Yun looked up at the two of them, her gaze lingering on the boss’s face for a moment.
She pointed at the owner, "Ah, you... are the owner of that wonton shop in Pingyang."
The boss nodded with a smile, "It's me, it's me."
No wonder the taste was so familiar. Shu Yun asked, "Business is booming! You've even opened a store in Yingdu."
The shop owner chuckled and scratched the back of his head. "How could that be? It was Young Master Yan who bought the shop for me. His master loves my wontons, and Young Master Yan helped me out of consideration for the old relationship with Master Shu."
His gaze fell on the doorway, and he exclaimed excitedly, "Speak of the devil! We were just talking about Young Master Yan, and here he is!"
Feng Ziyi's expression suddenly turned very ugly.
The curtain hanging at the shop entrance was lifted by a pair of slender, jade-like hands. The newcomer had her hair tied up with a jade crown, her eyes were slanted at the corners, and her skin was pale and cold.
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