The emperor summoned the eunuch in charge of writing the imperial edict. He took up his brush and began to draw by the candlelight. Suddenly, he asked, "Duke Yingguo's daughter Yining, why haven't I heard of her before?"
"He was originally wandering around and was found not long ago," said Lu Jiaxue.
The emperor was silent after hearing this, and after a while he waved his hand to let him leave.
Lu Jiaxue emerged from the Qianqing Palace. The sky outside had already darkened. Stars twinkled, and palace attendants, armed with bamboo poles, lit the candles in the lotus-shaped lamp holders one by one. The candlelight from the lotus-shaped lamp holders snaked down the cold steps, flowing like a river in the darkness. A subordinate draped a sable cloak over him and whispered, "My Lord, at the banquet today, why did you speak up for the Duke?"
"If we're helping him, we're also helping the Queen, returning a favor." Lu Jiaxue had already walked down the stairs and said calmly, "The Emperor has begun to lose his mind due to lust. He was more patient when he was a prince. Now he's not as good as before."
After saying that, he walked straight forward and passed by someone on the road.
Lu Jiaxue didn't stop walking, but the man did. He paused and bowed to him, saying, "I'm lucky to have met the Governor-General."
Lu Jiaxue paused and turned to see a tall young man standing beneath a lotus lantern. He was dressed in official uniform and accompanied by two attendants. He recognized him as Luo Shenyuan, who had recently become quite popular with the emperor. Although Luo Shenyuan was an official in the Dali Temple, his proposed measures had helped control the floods in Jiangsu and Zhejiang, saving tens of thousands of lives. Xu Wei was hoping to promote him to the position of Minister of Works.
"It's actually Lord Luo. He came to the palace late at night because of the flood, right?" He had made it this far in just one year. This person was definitely not an ordinary person. Lu Jiaxue gave him a smile.
He also knew a few things about Luo Shenyuan. When he was solving cases at the Dali Temple, his interrogation methods were bizarre and extremely cruel. This man had many tricks up his sleeve, and he was indeed cold-hearted. To survive in this officialdom and reach a high position, only two things were most important: intelligence and ruthlessness.
Luo Shenyuan excels in both of these aspects.
If he were not Xu Wei's disciple, Lu Jiaxue would even have some appreciation for him.
"The emperor's secret decree is unknown to me. However, I heard that the governor has been summoned to the palace," Luo Shenyuan said. "The governor should have been appointed governor-general of Xuanda. I would like to congratulate him."
This man's insight was indeed very sharp. Lu Jiaxue simply said, "Lord Luo still has to go see the Emperor."
"I'm sorry for disturbing the governor's peace. I'll take my leave." Perhaps sensing Lu Jiaxue's displeasure, Luo Shenyuan said no more. He smiled faintly and bowed before leaving.
The subordinates following Lu Jiaxue were extremely suspicious: "My Lord, how dare Luo Shenyuan talk to you on the street, and what he said was so incomprehensible."
"He just wants to know what the emperor said to me." Speaking of scheming, Lu Jiaxue was also a ruthless character in his time, but his strength has become too powerful in recent years. His absolute strength can crush everything, so there is no need for scheming. Lu Jiaxue sneered, "He is indeed very courageous."
Lu Jiaxue was taking a wait-and-see approach to these people; he didn't take Luo Shenyuan seriously yet. He gathered his cloak and continued walking forward against the chilly night wind.
There were no lotus lantern holders on the road ahead, so the palace maids held up a lantern for him and helped General Lu onto the sedan chair parked beside the imperial road.
In the east warm room of Kunning Palace, Xie Yun placed a plate of freshly picked camellia flowers on the golden nanmu wood table and said soothingly, "Don't overthink it. The emperor often has favored palace maids around him, and you have dismissed them one by one. The emperor is busy with all kinds of affairs, and he will forget about this matter in a few days."
The Queen leaned back on the chaise longue, resting her mind. She sighed and said, "I'm afraid he won't forget." But Xie Yun's words did at least comfort her. She sat up straight and continued, "I knew the Duke of Ying was just trying to shirk responsibility. He's quite bold, and any misstep would be treason. Fortunately, he's just made military achievements, so the Emperor won't hold it against him."
"I pity the little girl. She has to get married now, and I'm afraid she won't be able to find a good match in such a short time." The queen sighed. This is also the case when the big ghosts fight, the little ghosts suffer.
Xie Yun sat down next to the Queen: "After something like this happened, the good families will probably stay away from her... She can only marry the sons of ordinary officials."
Choose a young man who has just passed the imperial examination and has become a scholar to marry. If he later passes the imperial examination and becomes an official, it is actually not bad.
Xie Yun took the rose ointment from the maid and applied it to the Queen's hands, saying, "I think you're worrying about the Third Prince's marriage. You might as well focus on his studies. I heard from my grandfather that the eldest prince received praise from the Imperial Scholar the other day, but the Third Prince has always been obsessed with carpentry, and the Emperor is sure he won't like that."
"How can I persuade him?" The Queen shook her head, then suddenly took her hand, paused, and asked with a smile, "Yun'er, your aunt has watched you grow up and loves you like her own child. But you are stubborn and don't like any of the young masters you've mentioned. Do you have a crush on anyone? Tell your aunt, and she will make the decision for you."
Xie Yun blushed at the Queen's question and said, "Please don't make the decision for me. I want to ask him myself! He's the strangest person. If you interfere, he might be disgusted..."
The Empress grew even more curious, and after much probing, she finally managed to get a name from Xie Yun. She nodded, "You're so fond of him! Our Yun'er has the best taste. Not only has he become a Junior Official at the Dali Temple at such a young age. I can also tell you something: the Emperor is considering appointing him as Vice Minister of Works..."
Xie Yun was somewhat shocked when he heard this, but then a feeling of pride and surprise emerged: "Is what you said true? But he has only been an official for a few years, so his qualifications are not enough."
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