"They say evil deeds live for a thousand years, I think I can live a very, very long time." Tong Qian chuckled. He had been in this sunless prison cell for too long, and he was starting to feel sluggish. "I am overjoyed that Lord Ye can come and keep me company."
Ye Cang, however, was not in the same state of mind as him. He was still in a state of anger at being schemed against, heartache at losing all his wealth, and fear of an uncertain future.
"First it was You Mingwang, then it was me, and now it's you. Ye Cang, don't you feel like there's a hand pushing us to our deaths?"
Ye Cang looked at him, puzzled.
Tong Qian said, "The people around His Majesty are falling one by one. Who do you think is responsible?"
No sooner had he finished speaking than the jailer slammed his fist on the wooden post and shouted, "No talking!"
After hearing his words, Ye Cang also began to wonder, who had harmed him?
However, many people could do such a thing; it could be one's own political enemies, the crown prince, the Prince of Yan, or even the emperor himself...
Inside the palace, everyone from the Imperial Medical Academy gathered at the Qiankun Palace. They massaged the Emperor to help him breathe easier, administered acupuncture, and prescribed medicine. After a thorough treatment, the Emperor finally calmed down.
His first words after recovering were: "Let King Xuan punish him. I want to know just how much he has embezzled over the years!"
Seeing the emperor like this, Li Wei turned and went out to deliver a message, instructing his apprentice to come in and serve him.
Because of the case of Consort De's death, Song Yaozhu was kept in the palace by Lu Yinghong. She was supposed to leave the palace today, but unexpectedly, the Emperor fell ill again, and all the concubines in the harem had to go to Qiankun Palace to attend to him. She was left behind again.
As the weather grew colder, Song Yaozhu sat in the courtyard of Gyeongbokgung Palace, thinking that this year was going to be a very cold year.
"Granny Qin, please tell the Prince to tell the Peng family to stock up on charcoal, as it may be very cold this year."
Qin Mama responded, feeling that the Princess Consort was truly working hard.
"When can we leave the palace?" Caiyin asked timidly. She really couldn't get used to living in the palace and was uncomfortable with everything about it.
Although they had the best of everything in terms of clothing, food, housing, and transportation, they were careful in everything they did, fearing that the food might be poisoned or that their clothes might get stained with something they shouldn't. They had to be extremely cautious in everything they said and did.
Song Yaozhu said, "Today."
She didn't plan to say goodbye to Lu Yinghong, since they didn't need to maintain a facade of harmony anyway.
"Go and tell Princess Yongle that I want to leave the palace."
Yongle naturally took Song Yaozhu out of the palace without stopping, heaven knows she had been bombarded with love letters from Shen Qingque during this time.
Between the lines, there was a sense of melancholy from being alone in an empty room; it felt like if she didn't go back soon, he wouldn't be able to get out of bed!
When Song Yaozhu returned, Xie Liwei and Liu Jiaci had already calculated the amount of silver the Ministry of Revenue would need. He was still asleep after staying up several nights in a row.
When Qin Yu woke her up, Song Yaozhu was already in the courtyard.
Absence makes the heart grow fonder; Song Yaozhu took off her fox fur coat and nestled into his arms.
"No need to get up, I want to sleep for a while too."
Xie Liwei held her close as they fell asleep.
Having to be extremely careful in the palace during this time, Song Yaozhu hadn't slept well. Now, back in the arms of her husband, she fell into a deep sleep.
When she woke up, Xie Liwei was gone. Caijin had brought out the food she had prepared, her face beaming with happiness. It was clear that going home truly brought joy.
Song Yaozhu thought that she wanted to go back to Chenliu, that was her home.
"His Highness has gone to his study to discuss matters. He asked you to get something when you wake up, and not to wait for him, as it's unclear when that meeting will end."
Song Yaozhu swept her long, black hair that had fallen to her chest behind her head, got up and walked around the room to stretch her body.
"Sometimes I really don't think I'm pregnant."
She's not showing yet, so she can jump around freely, but Granny Qin is too precious to let her do that.
“In another month, you won’t say such things!” Granny Qin smiled.
After finishing her meal, she went to the study. The gentlemen in the study were all advisors employed by the Prince's mansion. They all knew Song Yaozhu and genuinely regarded her as the mistress of the mansion.
Song Yaozhu's arrival did not make them feel awkward. Instead, she continued, "If we dig the canal from Jiangzhou to Yunzhou, it would take at least half a year if we had enough manpower. I'm afraid the Prince of Yan will see this as a good opportunity and be eager to make a move."
"There's no need to worry about the Prince of Yan. With Duke Yu here, he has a way to persuade the Prince of Yan to hold back. What I'm worried about is the winter ice, which makes digging difficult, and the flood season in spring. If the water flow in Jiangzhou gets out of control, I'm afraid there will be more deaths and injuries."
"The Ministry of Works will post notices to visit skilled water conservancy workers in the community. We can take the opportunity to send them in. However, it's hard to say whether they will be given important positions."
"Has there been any news from Chengcheng?"
"The Crown Prince clashed with the Prince of Yong several times in Yunzhou, but failed to gain any advantage. The two brothers are now truly enemies."
Song Yaozhu listened to their conversation and looked at Xie Liwei in surprise. He actually had people in the Imperial Guard. He really hid them well.
"Let the two brothers fight it out. The most important thing right now is this water conservancy project. The Emperor has already made his stance clear by punishing several powerful families. We can move on to the next step."
These people are about to leave the capital and head to Jiangzhou to begin surveying the terrain.
Xie Liwei could not leave the city that trapped him; he could only point out the landscape on a map.
By the time the meeting ended, it was already midnight. Everyone dispersed, and Song Yaozhu was feeling a bit drowsy.
"Let him make a decision sooner rather than later."
Start work as soon as possible, and finish it as soon as possible.
"I'll speak to the Dowager Consort about the Prince of Yan." Song Yaozhu patted his arm. Although Prince Yu was there, the Dowager Consort still needed to keep him calm.
"Then you need to be careful."
"They were just assassinated not long ago, surely the person behind it wouldn't be in such a hurry?"
Xie Liwei's eyes were filled with deep worry. Song Yaozhu pursed her lips. She shouldn't have said such things, making him worry about her for no reason.
"Alright, alright, let's go and rest."
At the same time, several powerful families secretly met to discuss countermeasures.
"The Emperor has made up his mind to dig a canal."
"Are we just going to stand by and watch the Emperor stubbornly stick to his own opinions?"
"If this continues, even if we have a century-old foundation, it will be hollowed out! Great Chen has only been established for a short time. We cannot destroy our home for the sake of the country!"
"Shut up! A country is the foundation of a home. Without a country, your home would have been gone long ago!"
The person who was reprimanded shut their mouth.
"Grand Secretary Wang, you are the most powerful person present. Tell me, what should we do? Even if you don't care about us, shouldn't you at least consider the century-old foundation of the Langya Wang clan?"
Wang Xuan, who had been sitting silently in the main seat, stroked his beard slowly and said, "Is there anything Your Majesty wants to do that you cannot accomplish?"
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