The day after Ye Jinyun gave birth to the child, Mo Qiyuan issued an edict to appoint Ye Jinyun as queen and announced the news that she had given birth to a prince to the world. Immediately, the whole country of Da Qi celebrated.
For a while, people in all the major restaurants and teahouses in Da Qi were discussing this matter.
"Have you heard? The emperor has a son. It's not like the rumors said before that the emperor is infertile."
In a restaurant, Zhang San pinched the peanuts in front of him, took a sip of wine and said this to Li Wu.
Li Wu also took a sip of wine and replied:
"How could I not have heard of it? It was born to the previously favored Concubine Yun, and the Emperor even made her the Empress."
"Hey, let me ask you something. I heard someone say that this Concubine Yun... no, the Empress was once an ugly woman, but she suddenly became a great beauty and was favored by the Emperor. Is this true?"
"Yes, that's true. My cousin's great aunt's youngest son works in the palace, and as he said, it's true. Not only that, it's said that the queen is blessed by the Buddha. She fell off a cliff in Yunwu Mountain while pregnant, but she was fine."
Zhang San opened his mouth wide when he heard this:
"Really? This queen is truly extraordinary. No wonder she was able to give birth to a prince for the emperor. She is truly blessed."
Li Wu chewed some peanuts and nodded in agreement: "Who says it's not true? I guess when her son grows up, the emperor will make him the crown prince."
"That's right, that's right. The Emperor finally had a son like this, and he will definitely make him the Crown Prince..."
In the second floor box
When Prince An heard the people downstairs repeating these conversations, his fists clenched tightly and the veins on his neck bulged.
But even though he was so angry, he didn't make a sound.
Seeing his master so angry, his personal guard said, "Master, please tell the shopkeepers to kick everyone out so they don't disturb your peace."
Upon hearing this, Prince An closed his eyes, shook his head, then picked up a pen and wrote a few words on the paper in front of him.
After reading it, the guard replied, "Master, the north has sent a reply. They are willing to lend a hand and will launch an attack on Da Qi in three months."
Upon hearing this, Prince An's eyes, which had been closed, finally opened, filled with calculation and pride.
…
Inside the Palace
Wei Lingfeng is reporting to the emperor on Prince An's recent movements.
"Your Majesty, according to the intelligence I received today, Prince An should be preparing to take action soon. His private soldiers in the deep mountains of the southwest are beginning to sneak into the capital in batches by infiltrating the merchant caravans to conceal their presence. Do you want me to capture these people in advance?"
When Mo Qiyuan heard this while sitting in front of the dragon table, he pursed his thin lips and curled up a smile with an ambiguous meaning.
"No rush, let's keep them for two days. You can take a look at this first. After you finish, I want to hear your opinion."
After Mo Qiyuan finished speaking, he handed him a secret report in front of him.
"The Northern Rong are preparing to send 100,000 troops to attack the border of the Great Qi in three months?" Wei Lingfeng said as he looked at the contents of the secret report in his hand.
"Indeed, this is the news sent back by the spies General Lin had planted in Northern Rong territory after he defeated them. This indicates that Northern Rong has agreed to Prince An's request and will launch a coordinated attack. How do you, Lord Wei, think we should respond?"
Wei Lingfeng clasped his hands and said:
"I believe that this 100,000-man army is merely a way for the Northern Rong to divert our attention to the battlefield, thereby reducing the military strength in the capital and giving Prince An an opportunity to rebel.
Given the Beirong's current food and national conditions, they simply wouldn't dare to start a war. On the contrary, General Lin's army has been stationed in the northern border. If we take this opportunity to launch a counterattack, it shouldn't be a problem to capture a few of their cities."
Mo Qiyuan nodded.
"Indeed, the Northern Rong have had very poor food and fodder harvests since last spring due to weather conditions. Many cities within their borders are suffering from famine. They simply cannot afford to wage war against the Great Qi at the moment. They are merely feigning an attack to divert forces. Why don't we strike back and wipe them out completely? As for Prince An's rebellion, I have my own countermeasures."
After saying that, he waved to Wei Lingfeng and whispered a few words in his ear.
"Your Majesty, is this inappropriate..."
After hearing what the emperor said to him, Wei Lingfeng frowned and looked a little worried.
Mo Qiyuan looked at him steadily and said lightly:
"Wei Qing, you have to believe her."
Wei Lingfeng paused and replied sullenly, "Yes, Your Majesty, I understand."
Seeing him like this, Mo Qiyuan knew that he was still worried, but he no longer forced him to agree with his ideas. He talked to him about the previous investigation of the Beirong spies.
When Wei Lingfeng heard the emperor ask him this, he immediately reported the latest information he had found:
"Your Majesty, after this humble servant's close surveillance of Prince An's mansion and his investigation of loopholes in the events of that year, I believe that Prince An must have contacted the Northern Rong through these spies.
It's highly likely that one of these spies is a high-ranking official, but I haven't yet discovered who they are. I only know that Prince An always gives out gifts when he meets with court officials, sometimes with rare treasures and tonics, presumably meant for the spy.
After saying this, Wei Lingfeng took out a list from his sleeve.
"Your Majesty, this is one of my men. He's been following Prince An's family for a while now, and he's obtained a list of rare treasures they've been purchasing. Prince An has prepared it with exceptional care, not only antiques and paintings, but he's also taken care of his female relatives. He's invested a fortune in this."
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