In the Forbidden City, all the paths that people walk on are paved with stone slabs, and the eunuchs who carry palanquins have all undergone professional training.
Although it didn't sway or rock, it was much more comfortable than the carriage ride back from the Old Summer Palace.
So when Sun Miaoqing was carried to the Hall of Mental Cultivation, she fell asleep right there.
Su Peisheng bowed his head, urging her to alight from the sedan chair, but there was no response. Looking up, he saw Linglan bending down and quietly pressing Consort Cheng's arm, whispering a reminder.
"Your Majesty, we have arrived at the Hall of Mental Cultivation."
Sun Miaoqing was dreaming that she had become the world's richest person and was enclosing Europe to herd sheep.
Then, the wool products are sold enough to circle the equator two hundred times a year. Before I could even feel happy, I was pulled back to reality.
My feelings are like surging waves, rising and falling, unpredictable.
Sun Miaoqing said with some regret, "We've arrived, so let's go in. I don't know what the Emperor is busy with; he doesn't seem to care about such an important matter at all."
If such blasphemous words came from someone else's mouth, regardless of whether Su Peisheng would feign panic or fear, he would certainly think in his heart that this person probably didn't want to live anymore.
How dare he, a mere eunuch, complain about the emperor right in front of him at the entrance of the Hall of Mental Cultivation?
However, if it were Consort Cheng, it would be perfectly normal. The Emperor himself doesn't care at all and even enjoys it, so why should a mere eunuch care?
However, we should still offer some advice. If he doesn't explain anything, and it gets back to the emperor, he'll be blamed for not being a good servant.
Su Peisheng said, "Your Majesty has misunderstood the Emperor. During your stay at the Yuanmingyuan, the Emperor mentioned it several times a day."
"I originally planned to personally greet you at the palace gate today, but I couldn't get away due to matters concerning the previous dynasty."
“At this moment, Prince Heng and Prince Zhuang are still inside and haven’t come out yet.”
Sun Miaoqing frowned. Several princes were inside. Could it be about Prince Dun?
Although she was at the Yuanmingyuan Garden for over a month, busy with wool processing, she was not entirely unaware of the affairs of the previous dynasty.
Big Fat Orange, through the business of Honey Shop, as well as the issues of smallpox and medical reform, drew the attention of the court officials to the capital.
With lightning speed, Guangdong Governor Yang Wengan, together with naval commander Fan Huai, almost wiped out all smuggling operations in Southeast Asia.
After Emperor Gaozong ascended the throne, he summoned Nian Xiyao to the capital and appointed him as the Right Vice Minister of the Ministry of Works. The purpose of sending Yang Wengan to Guangdong was precisely for this day.
After arriving in Guangdong, Yang Wengan presented himself as upright and incorruptible.
He was neither greedy for money nor lustful. He would not refuse all invitations from local officials and powerful families, but he would only attend once or twice out of ten. This made those officials even more cautious and rack their brains to curry favor with him.
Later, he let his wife, Tian, inadvertently reveal some flaws, which were then discovered by local powerful families. They thought they had the upper hand and began to offer her benefits in a targeted manner.
Having been "successfully corrupted," Yang Wengan arranged for his unmarried youngest son to marry the daughter of the powerful Wang family in Guangdong. He also betrothed his youngest daughter to the eldest grandson of the Han family.
In this way, Yang Wengan and the local officials could be considered to have become one family.
This time, thanks to the secret order from the big fat orange, the reason why it was able to be handled quickly and cleanly without causing any major trouble was that.
The reason was that the day Yang Wengan took action happened to be the same day his youngest son married Wang.
The guests who came to offer their congratulations were drugged and, when they woke up, they were all locked in the dungeon.
When Sun Miaoqing heard about this, she couldn't help but admire Yang Wengan's abilities. He was certainly capable enough, but he was also truly ruthless.
They'll stop at nothing to achieve their goals, even betraying their own children. Let alone their sons; in this day and age, the standards for men are much lower than for women.
But Yang Wengan's daughter had been married into the Han family for a year when suddenly her husband's entire family was beheaded, and it was her own father who did it...
This incident immediately caused a sensation, and now even beggars in the capital who lie on street corners begging for food can't help but gossip about it.
Compared to Yang Wengan, Zhejiang Governor Li Wei's methods in cracking down on smuggling and purging local corrupt officials seemed rather unremarkable.
He was a confidant of Da Pang Ju, and Zhejiang's importance far surpassed that of Guangdong. Da Pang Ju entrusted him with both military and political power, allowing him to make decisions independently.
With centralized imperial power and an emperor who is not confused about politics, as long as military power is firmly in hand, no matter how much the civil officials clamor, they cannot play a decisive role.
Originally, it was estimated that the fat orange cat would have more than a year or even two years to deal with Prince Dun.
In order to mislead him and Nian Gengyao, he deliberately indulged them, and in some places, he even compromised.
Only after everything was prepared could they capture the person.
Upon returning to the capital, Nian Gengyao's first act was to voluntarily hand over his military seal.
After the Mid-Autumn Festival, his old injury flared up, and he had been recuperating at home. After examining him, Physician Lu said that Qinghai was a bitterly cold place, and General Nian had developed a chronic illness from it before, but had never paid attention to it.
This time, the old wound hadn't healed before a new one appeared, and the cold seeped into my bones. I need to rest properly for a while. If I don't take it seriously, in a few years, I might never be able to get out of bed again.
Hearing what Physician Lu said, Big Fatty Orange felt sorry for Nian Gengyao, but also breathed a sigh of relief.
Without him lifting a finger, Nian Gengyao was already incapacitated; this was Heaven's help! In that case, he would treat the Nian family well, allowing Nian Gengyao to spend the rest of his life recuperating in peace.
In the future, everyone will only know that he treated his ministers well, and no one will know that he killed his meritorious officials.
Big Fat Orange truly believes that Nian Gengyao's illness is a good thing, an incredibly good thing!
On one hand, they showered General Nian's mansion with gifts, and on the other hand, they directly pinned the coastal smuggling incident on Prince Dun.
Everyone in Prince Dun's mansion was confined inside. Prince Dun himself, like the eighth and ninth princes, became a prisoner.
Such a swift and decisive action sent shockwaves through the hearts of the other noble princes and civil and military officials.
Even though the fat orange cat produced evidence that he had prepared long ago and charged Prince Dun with hundreds of crimes.
However, the three judicial departments should conduct a joint trial, and the Imperial Clan Court should also intervene. Although the result would be the same, at least the process would be followed.
Otherwise, the remaining brothers would be even more uneasy, and the royal family would inevitably become a laughing stock in the eyes of outsiders.
The chubby orange cat understood their purpose, and after thinking carefully for a moment, replied,
"Don't rush this matter. I have my own plans for the Tenth Prince."
"Many details are still under investigation, and we must get to the bottom of things before making any statements. If he didn't do it, I won't let him be wronged, but if he did, I will not tolerate it either!"
Prince Heng and the others could only cup their hands in agreement. Serving under their elder brother was definitely not as comfortable as serving under their father, the Emperor.
Their Emperor, why did you leave us so soon!
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