Chapter 371 The Emperor Investigates the Case
That day, Zhao Yuntong saw someone coming from outside the window. She thought it was someone looking for her, but when she opened the window, she found that it was someone looking for Zhang Jingjing across the street.
She has already given out quite a few gifts, but why is this happening? Are the gifts still too insignificant? Should she give gold and silver jewelry, or something else?
The person who came was a young eunuch. Soon, Zhang Jingjing changed into a proper set of clothes and dressed up again before following the young eunuch.
Zhao Yuntong pulled her personal maid aside and asked, "Who came? Where did they take her? Does His Highness the Crown Prince want to see her?"
Another maid came in and said, "I overheard something just now, and it sounded like a eunuch serving in the Emperor's palace."
"Why does the Emperor want to see her?" Could it be because of her petition to the Emperor that day? But wasn't it said that the Emperor was terminally ill? The Crown Prince is handling all the affairs of the court.
Zhao Yuntong couldn't understand it and just wanted to wait for Zhang Jingjing to return before inquiring about it, unaware that her Zhao family was about to face a great disaster.
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The Qianqing Palace.
Jiang Fenghua, accompanied by her two children, paid her respects to the emperor, saying, "Your daughter-in-law greets Father Emperor."
The Emperor's spirits were increasingly low. Since New Year's Eve, his body seemed to have collapsed in an instant. "No need for formalities. I'm so bored. Fenghua brought the child to keep me company and chat. Now many memorials have been handed over to the Crown Prince, so I've finally found some peace and quiet."
“Yes.” Jiang Fenghua added, “Granny Wang will bring Yan’er and Hongyou before the Emperor.”
She smiled and said, "Father, please hug them. They can't speak yet, so they won't understand what you say to them."
Granny Wang quickly chimed in, "Both of the young imperial grandsons are extremely clever. The Crown Princess should bring them along more often to get closer to the Emperor. Perhaps they'll even start calling him Grandfather."
Privately, they all teach their children to greet people, especially the word "grandfather," which they pronounce very fluently.
My child is over nine months old and has started to walk. He can walk quite a distance while I'm holding his hand.
The Emperor picked up Xie Hongyou and said, "I am your imperial grandfather. It's just a pity that I won't be able to see you grow up."
Jiang Fenghua's heart tightened. "Father will surely live to be a hundred years old."
"I know my body very well." The emperor seemed to have come to terms with many things. He thought back to his youth when he had fought and struggled for the throne. Later, his brothers turned against each other, and the Great Zhou Dynasty fell into his hands, but it was almost destroyed by his own hand.
Xie Hongyou babbled incoherently, a smile spreading across his face.
The Emperor then hugged Xie Ziyan, saying, "This little girl smiles shyly; she will surely be as clever and quick-witted as her mother in the future."
"Father, you may not know this, but Yan'er is usually very quiet. When her daughter-in-law reads poems to them, she listens most attentively."
The Emperor also enjoyed a moment of pleasure with his grandchildren. Jiang Fenghua noticed that he was not in good spirits, so she quickly asked Granny Wang to take the child away and asked with concern, "Father, are you feeling unwell? Please summon Physician Mei."
"No need. I've been getting headaches every now and then lately. It's an old problem, I'm used to it."
A pang of heartache flashed in Jiang Fenghua's eyes. Even the emperor would one day grow old, get sick, and die. At this moment, the emperor was just a sick old man, seemingly beyond saving.
"Don't worry about me," the emperor said again. "I summoned you here today because I have something to tell you."
The emperor sat back down at his desk and took out his pen to write something.
Jiang Fenghua's expression turned serious and respectful, as if she were listening to a lecture.
The emperor smiled and said, "No need to be nervous. I just have a case to assign to you."
Jiang Fenghua was even more terrified. She knew the Emperor and was most averse to interference in politics by the harem or even by relatives of the empress. Was the Emperor testing her? She had no intention of controlling Xie Shang.
"Zhang Qian, the prefect of Yuzhou, has a daughter named Zhang who has entered the palace. I thought that since she was selected by the Crown Princess, I would like to hear the Crown Princess's opinion. Yuzhou has always been a key impoverished area supported by the court. However, the daughter of the prefect of Yuzhou has entered the palace under the guise of being selected for the imperial concubine selection to file a complaint with the emperor."
Jiang Fenghua immediately knelt on the ground to beg for forgiveness, "Please forgive me, Father Emperor. I did not know her purpose in entering the palace. I did make some considerations when choosing a concubine for the Crown Prince. In addition to the major families that would be of help to His Highness, I also chose concubines like Zhang and Shu."
"I don't blame you. I know Fenghua will be a virtuous helpmate to the Crown Prince," the Emperor said gently. "Rise! I've also sent someone to invite Lady Zhang here. I have too many things to do, and I hope the Crown Princess can help me. It's a way of ensuring I haven't let her down..."
The Emperor hesitated for a moment, then changed the subject, "Tell me about the case in Yuzhou. Where should we start? Don't try to fool me by saying you don't know. The fact that you chose Zhang to enter the palace means you've inquired about her situation."
Jiang Fenghua was stunned. It seemed nothing could be hidden from the Emperor. She said, "Actually, I asked my elder brother to help investigate the character of these young ladies..."
Jiang Fenghua shared her thoughts and opinions. According to the emperor, he did not hand over Zhang's case to the crown prince. He wanted to investigate it himself, as if he were giving his last words, handling the last case he most wanted to handle while on the throne. It was said that the emperor had served as the Prefect of the Capital when he was young.
She stared into the emperor's eyes. She felt that the emperor had been emperor for decades, and he must have wanted to be a good emperor. He did not want to encourage people like the Su family and the Yang family to become officials. However, things did not go as planned. Even though he was the emperor and had absolute power, he was still burdened by power.
Thinking about it this way, being an emperor is quite pitiful; they are all like caged birds.
At this moment, Zhang Jingjing was brought into the Qianqing Palace.
When she saw that the Crown Princess was also there, she was stunned for a moment, then quickly stepped forward and bowed, "This concubine greets Your Majesty and the Crown Princess."
The emperor regained his usual coldness and said in a deep voice, "Zhang Shi."
"I am here." Zhang Jingjing became even more frightened and timid. She prostrated herself on the ground, feeling the overwhelming power of the dragon.
Jiang Fenghua thought the emperor was quite kind and approachable just now, so why did he change when Zhang Jingjing came?
Zhang Jingjing had already stated her demands that day, and the next step is further investigation and review of the case.
The Emperor said, "I am an official, and the Crown Princess will be my advisor."
Jiang Fenghua nodded and said, "I know a girl who likes laws. Father Emperor needs to handle a case and asked her to come and help. I think she will definitely be able to help Father Emperor."
"Please come over."
Lu Xuefei arrived soon after.
The Emperor said, "I feel like I recognize you too. You're that audacious little girl from the Lu family." He had also heard about what was happening at the Eastern Palace; it was quite a spectacle!
"This servant, Lu Xuefei, greets Your Majesty." She knelt on the ground.
"Get up. I also need your help today, so there's no need for formalities."
"Yes, thank you, Your Majesty."
After paying her respects to the emperor, she quietly approached Jiang Fenghua and asked, "May I bring the Eighth Prince with me?"
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