"You have indeed worked hard these past years. Would you be willing to return to Beijing to take up your post?"
"I am willing, but I am afraid I do not have the ability."
The Emperor chuckled.
“If you don’t have the ability, then all these officials in the capital should go home and farm.”
The Emperor had the Grand Eunuch help him sit up.
"That's settled then. Go back and take care of things in Xichang Prefecture, then come to the capital. The Crown Prince is short of manpower, and I think the Dali Temple would be a good fit for you."
Zhao Fen looked delighted.
"Thank you, Your Majesty!"
Just then, someone came in to announce that the Crown Prince had brought soup, and the Emperor sent someone in.
The Crown Prince entered, bowed and greeted the Emperor, and then presented him with the soup from the food box.
"Father, drink it while it's hot."
The Emperor waved his hand.
"No rush, come over and get to know Zhao Fen."
Then the emperor took the opportunity to say he had a headache and asked the crown prince and Zhao Fen to go outside to talk.
Who couldn't see that the Emperor was intentionally cultivating power for the Crown Prince?
The two walked out of the palace and exchanged a glance, a sudden realization dawning on them.
"I wonder how things are going with the new laws?" Zhao Fenxian asked.
"It was handed over to Mian'er to handle."
“The Eighth Prince is a responsible person and will surely be able to handle this matter well.”
The crown prince nodded, exchanged pleasantries with Zhao Fen, and saw him out of the palace.
That evening, the Crown Prince sent someone out of the palace to investigate the past affairs of Zhao Fen, the Emperor, and the Zhong family at the Wind and Rain Tower.
Also sent was a handwritten letter from Zhao Shi'an, saying that Zhao Fen was a trustworthy person and that the Gao family had already started mining gold.
The prince burned it after reading it.
Everything is under their control, which is good.
The next day, the Crown Prince took two memorials to the Emperor's bedchamber.
The first report was an urgent message from the Northwest, saying that the eighteen tribes in the north were acting unruly again, and that the nomads from there had raided several villages in the Northwest last month.
Another memorial was from Fang Zhu, who requested to return to the Northwest.
The memorial was handed to the Emperor.
"Has Fang Zhu not returned to the Northwest yet?"
"Yes, the mighty general has been guarding the city gates for nearly two months. Your subject believes the punishment has been sufficient."
The emperor did not speak.
The Crown Prince glanced at the Emperor discreetly and said, "However, it's not necessary to go to the Northwest without Fang Zhu. A few days ago, after the martial arts examination, I heard that a young man who is exceptionally skilled in troop deployment emerged."
The emperor became interested.
"Whose child is this?"
"He's not from the capital. I heard he's from the southwest, and he's a relative of the eldest daughter-in-law of the Gao family."
The emperor, who had been quite interested, turned cold the moment he heard that the person was a relative of the Gao family.
He waved his hand.
"Children of this age are usually impatient. Let him gain more experience in the Beijing garrison. As for Fang Zhu, let him go back to the Northwest. And you all, I have a bad memory, why didn't you remind me? How can the mighty general whom I personally appointed be guarding the city gate?"
Upon hearing this, the chief eunuch hurriedly stepped forward.
"It's my fault, I completely forgot about it."
"Alright, Your Highness, go and handle this."
"Your subject obeys the decree."
The Crown Prince left the Emperor's bedchamber.
The emperor withdrew his gaze from him.
What do you think of the Crown Prince?
"Oh my, His Highness the Crown Prince is His Majesty's own son, so naturally he has the appearance of a dragon and phoenix."
"Don't play dumb. What I'm asking is, what if I hand over the throne to the Crown Prince in the future?"
"You flatter me, old servant. How dare I, a eunuch, speak so presumptuously about state affairs?"
The emperor glared at him.
"You didn't speak when I told you to. I used to think the Crown Prince was dull-witted, but now I see he's the one who's wise in disguise. On the contrary, I think the Third Prince is the most like me... Never mind, even if I hand over the country to that fool, it will belong to someone else sooner or later. He's not even as good as Wu'an. It's just a pity that Wu'an is a princess."
Judging from the Emperor's tone, he was still not entirely satisfied with passing the throne to the Crown Prince.
The chief eunuch served with his eyes lowered.
*
Fang Zhu's request to return to the Northwest was immediately approved, and the next day, as soon as Fang Qing got up, Fang Zhu came over with large and small bags of things.
"Brother Fangzhu, are you leaving?"
Fang Zhu looked refreshed, as if something good had happened.
"I am leaving, but these things are for you."
As she spoke, Fang Zhu carried the things into the house and opened them one by one.
"Here are some silks from the palace last time, and some things I bought myself. Take them with you when you go back."
Zhao Shi'an changed into his court robes and came out of the room to take a peek.
"Fang Qing doesn't lack this..."
"You just think you don't need it, right? Fang Qing is already a grown woman, what's wrong with having a few more new clothes?"
Zhao Shi'an kept a straight face.
"Thank you very much, General Fang."
"Don't be so polite, it's not a gift for you anyway."
Zhao Shi'an really wanted to just walk away, but he didn't want to upset Fang Qing.
"Thank you very much, Brother Fangzhu. When are you planning to leave?"
"His Majesty has ordered me to depart today. I will bring you these things and then leave."
"Are you in such a hurry? I'll take you."
"Don't bother, everyone's waiting outside. I'm leaving now. You can write to me anytime, whether you need anything or not."
"good."
Fang Qing and Zhao Shi'an still escorted him to the door, watching him and several of his men mount their horses and leave the alley.
"Brother, you should go ahead and get busy too."
Zhao Shi'an looked at Fang Qing, wanting to say something but holding back.
Fang Qing understood what he meant.
"Don't overthink it. I'll make you a dress from the fabric Fangzhu gave you. When Fangzhu gets married in the future, you can return it to him for me."
This explanation pleased Zhao Shi'an, who squeezed Fang Qing's hand.
"I'm leaving. If you need anything, contact Seventeen."
Fang Qing watched Zhao Shi'an leave the alley.
She went back and packed up the things Fang Zhu had sent. She didn't know how to make clothes, so she took the fabric and went out to find someone to make clothes. Seventeen followed her.
Fang Qing found a clothing store, told the tailor Zhao Shi'an's size, and then went out with Seventeen. Unexpectedly, they ran into Zhao Fen, who was wearing casual clothes, just as they stepped out of the store.
"Lord Zhao?"
"Miss Fang?"
Both of them were surprised.
"What is Lord Zhao going to do?"
"I'm buying some things, and I also have some good news to tell Miss Fang: I'm being transferred to the capital."
Fang Qing could hear the barely suppressed joy in his voice.
His grand ambitions and revenge finally had a chance to be realized.
"Congratulations, Lord Zhao! I knew you could do it."
This is good news not only for Zhao Fen, but also for her.
Zhao Shi'an was created by the system to repair this world. With him in the capital, Zhao Shi'an's path will be easier.
"It's all thanks to Miss Fang's help, otherwise I don't know how long I would have continued to waste my time."
"You flatter me, sir. It is your unwavering devotion to the people and the nation that will ensure your continued success."
Zhao Fen was very happy. Seeing that it was getting late, he was about to say goodbye when he heard a commotion coming from the street.
Fang Qing looked over and saw guards clearing the way, and in the distance she could see signs that read "Silence" and "Retreat".
"Whose formation is this?" Fang Qing asked curiously.
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