God is going to kill him.
Emperor Mingde pondered for a moment, then reluctantly agreed, saying with a heavy heart, "Since you two ministers have pleaded for me, fine. Minister Yang, go and investigate. I will give you a month. I hope that Minister Yang can give me a satisfactory answer by then."
"Yes, thank you Your Majesty, thank you both." Yang Zhong's heart was bleeding at this moment. He had not spent the past month investigating the case, but lobbying. Many people of unknown identity had come to the capital, as if two forces had been twisted into one. Emperor Mingde had asked him to separate these two forces.
How insidious and ruthless!
"You're welcome, you're welcome. We're all colleagues, it's only right that I speak the truth," Yan Shiren said.
Qiu Tang also followed suit with a polite clasped-fist salute.
Yang Zhong cursed inwardly, "To hell with your words of justice! Is this how you speak of justice?"
Emperor Mingde successfully shifted the blame onto Yang Zhong. After waving Yang Zhong away, he said to Yan Shiren, "Minister Yan, could we discuss this matter a month later? Tell me about the situation in Jiangnan first."
Yan Shiren handled the situation well. With Yang Zhong's matter resolved, there was no harm in dealing with Zhao Bi's matter, and he said, "Your subject obeys."
Emperor Mingde instructed Liang Yunsi to provide seats for the two men, and then took away the fake Zhao Bi and Ouyang Bufan before listening attentively to Yan Shiren's report.
Yan Shiren naturally embellished the report, "Your Majesty, you didn't see it. Starving corpses littered the fields, countless dead and wounded. It was so tragic... I couldn't bear to look..."
Just moments ago, the Emperor and his ministers in the Taihe Hall were at each other's throats, but now they are in harmony. However, the situation is not the same in the Weiyang Palace and the Fengqi Palace. In the Weiyang Palace, Yide is unaware of the matter of the fake Zhao Bi, but the Empress already knows. At this time, she is acting in a calm and steady manner, without any haste or panic.
"Sister, look, this soft gold pillow is the best I could find in the storeroom. And this tall vase is from the Jingdezhen Imperial Kiln. There's only one like it in the entire palace. Consort De begged me for a long time, but I couldn't give it to her. The most precious thing is this double-sided embroidered screen. The outer side has a picture of ladies, and the inner side has a picture of clouds. It's perfect for displaying in the house in the summer. It's not only pleasing to the eye, but it also has a cool feeling. If you don't believe me, feel it. The material is silk from the north. The inscriptions on the side are by Fei Chang, a master from the previous dynasty, and the painting is by Yan Youlong of the Yan family. They are all famous masters. Their original works are priceless."
Yi De was aloof and indifferent, but the Empress was very warm and welcoming. Although she was warm, she was not humble. She introduced the entire Weiyang Palace to everyone. All of Consort Shu's things had been moved away, and not a single thing was left. All the ornaments had just been moved from the storeroom. Everything was in good condition, except that the dust had not yet settled.
Just then, a palace maid rushed in and knelt down in alarm upon seeing the Empress. "Your Majesty, please forgive me. I am Que'er. I was granted permission by Your Majesty to leave the palace to visit my family a few days ago and have only just returned today. I originally intended to kowtow to Consort Shu first and then go to Fengqi Palace to kowtow to you."
The Empress raised her hand to stop her, her gaze falling on her backpack. "Alright, alright, now that you're back, serve her well. You've already kowtowed today, so you don't need to go anymore. The journey is long and tiring. Go find Consort Shu. Oh, by the way, she's moved to Xinyue Palace and isn't here anymore."
"Thank you, Your Highness, thank you, Your Highness." The palace maid kowtowed three times, stood up, and left Weiyang Palace.
The Empress looked at her with envy. "She's blessed, she still has family to look after, unlike me... Why are you saying all this?" She looked at Yi De and found her face ashen, her eyes seemingly filled with venom. The Empress quickly smiled and said, "I'm sorry, sister, I was just being sentimental and misspoke. Let's continue walking in, I'll take you to your bedchamber."
"No need," Yi De said coldly, then turned and left.
The Empress watched her leave with a smile until she could no longer see her figure, then her smile faded. "Zhiliu, I am younger than her, but I really do feel like an older sister to her."
"Your Majesty, you are the elder sister. No one can surpass you. There are many beautiful women. Wasn't Consort Hao of Chonghua Palace so beautiful that she outshone the other concubines? But so what? She still had to kowtow and pay her respects to you. It seems good now, but without children to rely on, who knows how destitute she will become in the future," Zhi Liu comforted her.
The Empress smiled self-deprecatingly, "I don't care about anything. I'll be content as long as Yi'er can ascend the throne smoothly."
"Your Highness is truly remarkable. Not only has he found a gold mine, but he has also managed to control floods and cure plagues. Everyone is praising our Your Highness now. Lord Yan has returned. Shouldn't Your Highness put the matter of choosing a consort on the agenda?"
Originally, the selection of a consort for the crown prince had been arranged, and the date had been chosen, but two floods and a plague occurred, forcing the process to be postponed until now.
The Empress shook her head upon hearing this, "It's not the right time yet. When choosing a wife, one should choose a virtuous one. When I see this one, I can't help but worry that someone might steal Yi'er's heart in the future."
"Look at what Your Highness is saying, how could His Highness not be filial to you?"
As they were talking, Emperor Mingde arrived at the palace gate. Not seeing Yide, he was somewhat displeased and asked, "Where is Aqing?"
Liang Yunsi shook his head at the Empress behind him, meaning that the Emperor forbade the report.
The Empress reacted quickly and immediately curtsied, saying, "Your Majesty, please forgive me. Just now, a young maid came to Consort Shu's palace. Due to the tight schedule, she did not know that Consort Shu had moved to Xinyue Palace, so she came looking for her and let her sister know that Consort Shu had lived in Weiyang Palace. She was probably feeling uncomfortable and told me not to go in with her. It was my fault for not managing the palace properly. I beg Your Majesty to punish me."
Emperor Mingde glanced around and found that the ornaments and bonsai had all been replaced with the best ones. The entire Weiyang Palace was magnificent and there was not a single flaw to be found. Moreover, time was short, and to achieve such results in such a short period of time was not only without fault, but also meritorious.
"Your Majesty, rise. It is not your fault. It is Consort Shu who has failed to properly discipline the people in her palace. Guards, punish Consort Shu by confining her to her quarters for three months."
The Empress knelt down this time. "Your Majesty, that palace maid has just returned from visiting her family. She is unaware that Consort Shu has moved away. Please forgive Consort Shu."
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