"All of you, get out."
The Emperor waved his hand weakly, and the eunuchs and palace maids silently withdrew from the Xuande Hall.
His Majesty covered his face with his hands and sobbed softly.
"It's my fault, it's my fault, it's all my fault."
The current emperor is blaming himself and is caught in endless self-reproach.
An hour later, the current emperor personally went to the Jinyiwei prison to fetch Prince Fu.
"Greetings, Your Majesty."
Prince Fu, standing on one hand and one foot, found it difficult to perform the kneeling ceremony, lost his balance, and fell.
When the current emperor saw it, his eyes widened in horror, his heart ached as if it were being torn apart, and he was in unbearable pain. His beloved younger brother had become such a grotesque and inhuman creature.
“Brother, it’s my fault, it’s my fault.”
“No, Your Majesty is wise; how could you be wrong?” Prince Fu said firmly.
"It was my fault, brother. I shouldn't have listened to slander and harmed you back then." The current emperor shed two crocodile tears.
Prince Fu pressed his head to the ground, saying, "Heaven's sins can be forgiven, but self-inflicted sins cannot be escaped. Everything is the fault of this sinful subject and has nothing to do with Your Majesty."
His Majesty was deeply moved by Prince Fu's thoughtfulness and spared no effort to personally help him out of the Jinyiwei prison.
From then on, Prince Fu continued to bestow his favor upon the prince.
Three days after Prince Fu was released from prison, Ji Xiaoxiao and the others were also released without charge.
After getting rid of the bad luck and having eaten and drunk their fill, the Qiao residence was brightly lit, yet completely silent.
"You must be tired too, go to sleep first," Ji Xiaoxiao said to Zhao Yi.
Zhao Yi yawned and said, "Okay."
Ji Xiaoxiao sat in the main hall, gulping down cup after cup of strong tea.
One quarter past Hai hour.
"I've done half of what you're supposed to do."
A figure gradually emerged from the courtyard; tall and refined.
Ji Xiaoxiao looked up and, sure enough, the person who came was Song Yiru.
"Lord Song, please speak frankly."
Ji Xiaoxiao was still sleepy and had little energy to play Tai Chi with Song Yiru.
Song Yiru stated bluntly, "I need more gold."
Ji Xiaoxiao didn't ask why, "Okay, give me three days."
After saying that, Song Yiru disappeared without a trace.
Ji Xiaoxiao pinched the bridge of her nose and turned to go to the backyard.
True to her word, three days later, Ji Xiaoxiao brought over 500,000 taels of gold.
"The gold is in the City God Temple, ten miles east of the capital," Ji Xiaoxiao said.
Song Yiru clasped his hands and bowed.
"No need to be polite, everyone can take what they need," Ji Xiaoxiao said with a smile. "I hope that when Lord Song rises to prominence, he will not forget this humble woman."
Song Yiru needs a large amount of gold. The person behind him is Prince Fu. Prince Fu needs gold in huge amounts, countless in number. What he is plotting must be earth-shattering.
"Smart people speak frankly," Song Yiru smiled slightly.
Five hundred thousand taels of gold is more than an ordinary person could spend in several lifetimes, but for someone who is destined for great things, it's just a matter of a few days. Afterwards, Song Yiru came to ask Ji Xiaoxiao for more several times, and each time Ji Xiaoxiao gave him more.
Ji Xiaoxiao was busy making gold and couldn't pay attention to Princess Yi'an and Shao Yuan for the time being.
The mansion of the top scholar is deserted and rarely visited.
Shao Yuan had been awake for some time, his cheeks were sunken, his face was sallow and pale, and he looked frightening.
The current emperor harbors deep hatred for the Embroidered Uniform Guard (Jinyiwei) because of the former commander, Zhou Xu, who deceived the emperor, fabricated evidence, and framed Prince Fu. He wants to eliminate the Jinyiwei as soon as possible. Prince Fu was released from the Jinyiwei prison, and subsequently, the current emperor abolished the Jinyiwei with a single imperial edict. The current commander, Shao Yuan, was the first to be affected. Although his life was not in danger, he was confined to his residence.
Shao Yuan walked from the study to the Wutong Courtyard, which was lifeless.
Clang! Clang!
Princess Yi'an flew into a rage, smashing at least nine or ten sets of porcelain today.
"Calm down." Shao Yuan strode in and grabbed Princess Yi'an's hand.
Princess Yi'an raised her head, her face contorted in a terrifying grimace. "Fine, you dare to appear before me again, Shao Yuan! I will kill you today to prove my loyalty to my royal uncle."
As husband and wife, Princess Yi'an's status in the Emperor's heart plummeted because of Shao Yuan, and there was a subtle sense of rejection and disgust towards her.
Her current status and power are all due to her abusing her power and relying on others. Without the Emperor's favor, the more glorious she was before, the more miserable and pitiful she is now.
Princess Yi'an shook off Shao Yuan's hand, bent down with difficulty, and picked up the broken porcelain shards.
"Yi'an, we are husband and wife, do you really want to kill me?" Shao Yuan said weakly.
Princess Yi'an snorted, her emotions running high. "Husband and wife? You, Shao Yuan, are you worthy of me, Yi'an? You come from the countryside, are crude and rude, shallow in knowledge, ungrateful, and morally corrupt. If it weren't for the 'Ode to the Plum Blossom' and 'On the Faults of Qin' that I gave you, do you think you could have become famous in the capital and been personally selected by His Majesty as the 'top scholar'?"
Shao Yuan's face paled, then paled again. Yes, he had received this honor because of Yi An. But his love was genuine, without a trace of ulterior motives.
"Yi'an, I truly love you."
“I don’t need your love,” Princess Yi’an said. “I regret it. I shouldn’t have argued with Brother Xin and married you in a fit of anger.”
It's more like a bet than a battle of wits.
Princess Yi'an was exceptionally talented, and seven or eight out of ten men in the capital admired her, including Yang Xin, one of the prime ministers Yang Yongren. Yang Xin was a true scion of a noble family, gentle and refined, learned and talented, and exceptionally handsome, captivating countless young women.
A handsome man and a beautiful woman fall in love, and everything falls into place naturally. But lovers are bound to have their disagreements. Princess Yi'an was stubborn, and when she threw a tantrum, it was as if the sky were falling. After this happened many times, even the tolerant Yang Xin got annoyed.
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