The prime minister immediately stepped forward to comfort him, saying, "Your Majesty, your health is of utmost importance. Do not let this treacherous minister upset you."
The Emperor's eyes instantly turned cold as he coldly asked, "Is the rebellious minister you're referring to the Regent?"
Realizing his mistake, the Prime Minister immediately knelt down and explained, "Your Majesty, please calm your anger. I was merely stating a possibility. After all, the news has already spread throughout Chang'an, and..."
"Alright, that's enough." The Emperor rudely interrupted the Prime Minister.
He stood up, paced back and forth a few times, and said:
"Listen up, everyone. The Regent will never betray me or the country behind me. Anyone who dares to speak ill of the Regent again, don't blame me for turning my back on them."
“From the spot where the Regent fell off the cliff, people must be sent to search within a radius of fifty miles. We must find him alive or dead.”
"A royal proclamation was posted to arrest Maimaiti. Anyone who reports his whereabouts will be rewarded with a hundred gold pieces. Anyone who brings him back, whether dead or alive, will be rewarded with a thousand gold pieces and granted the title of Marquis of Ten Thousand Households, which can be inherited for life."
Just as the Prime Minister was about to speak up and try to persuade His Majesty again, Marquis Ningyuan tugged at his sleeve and whispered, "Just let the Emperor do what he wants. He's in a bad mood right now. If you say anything more, you might lose your life."
The Prime Minister wanted to say something more, but Marquis Ning looked into the distance and ignored him. He felt awkward and simply remained silent, waiting patiently for the court session to end.
After the imperial edict was drawn up, the emperor read it over himself. Once he confirmed that it was correct, he affixed the imperial seal and then announced the end of the court session.
However, he left behind the Minister of War and the Minister of Justice. These two were Qi Guze's backup plans, so that if he were to pass away one day, they could share the Emperor's burdens.
The emperor jokingly remarked at the time, "I hope I'll never need to use this backup plan."
I never expected to need it so soon.
After the court session, the Prime Minister and the Marquis of Ningyuan went boating on the lake. They were worried that someone might be overheard, and the lake was the safest place for them, since they were discussing things that could cost them their lives.
"Brother, what do you think of this matter?" After the two reached the center of the lake, my Prime Minister spoke first.
"No need to think about it. Qi Guze personally oversaw the peace negotiations. He wouldn't bother to negotiate first and then unilaterally tear up the agreement. Wouldn't that be pointless?" Marquis Ningyuan saw things clearly.
"In your opinion, the real situation is that the Mingyue Kingdom is feigning peace talks, but in reality, their aim is to target Qi Guze. Now that he has fallen off a cliff and his fate is unknown, they are smearing him and clearing themselves of any wrongdoing." The Prime Minister immediately understood the situation after hearing what Marquis Ningyuan said.
"Tsk tsk tsk, it seems you're not stupid. So why do you insist on going against the grain in court?" Marquis Ningyuan sneered. "The matter of the Mingyue Kingdom will be exposed sooner or later. Now that this kid is here to take the blame for us, it's a fitting end for him."
"Isn't it because I was disgusted by that grandson Qi Guze? He suppressed us at every turn. Now that his wall has collapsed, I naturally have to step on him a few times to vent my anger, which is why I spoke without thinking," the Prime Minister explained.
“You should be more careful with those kinds of words next time. You know how much His Majesty values him. His attitude in court today proved that. No matter what the rumors are, he will protect Qi Guze,” Marquis Ningyuan said, stroking his chin.
"Now is the perfect opportunity to bring down Qi Guze. This is a once-in-a-lifetime chance, and we won't get another one like it," the Prime Minister warned, fearing that Marquis Ningyuan might hesitate and miss the opportunity.
“I know we need to be decisive, but the waters aren’t murky enough right now,” said Marquis Ningyuan, looking at the calm lake surface.
"Then let's make it even muddier."
"That suits me perfectly."
"This time we must eliminate any future troubles and absolutely not let him make a comeback."
"And Xu Yuehuai from Tianxiang Tower, we must get rid of him as well."
...
Marquis Ningyuan and the Prime Minister quickly came up with a ruthless plan after exchanging words.
And at this moment, the news finally reached Xu Yuehuai's ears.
Xu Yuehuai was researching new dishes when she heard the news. She was stunned for a long time before immediately summoning all the staff for a meeting. Even the little orphan was brought over by Third Sister.
"A holiday?" Everyone said in unison.
Xu Yuehua nodded.
"Ah Yue, why give us a holiday out of the blue? Everyone's working so hard, and we've finally gotten things on track. If we give us a holiday, won't everything be ruined?" Third Sister put down the account book in her hand and said anxiously.
"Everyone, you all know what's been going on outside, right?" Xu Yuehuai said, looking around at everyone.
"I heard about it, Manager Xu. That can't be true, can it? Anyone who dares to say that the Prince is a traitor, I'll be the first to bite him!" Zhao Ping said viciously.
“He is certainly not a traitor, but the key issue now is not whether Qi Guze has betrayed us, but whether anyone believes him,” Xu Yuehuai explained.
"Does anyone believe he has any connection with us?" Zhao Ping asked, scratching his head.
"The Emperor naturally trusts him, which is why he sent many people to search for him and posted an imperial edict to arrest Maimaiti," Xu Yuehuai explained.
“Those in the court who do not believe him will take the opportunity to overthrow him and eliminate everything associated with him, leaving him no chance to recover,” San Niang explained another possibility for Xu Yuehuai.
“And you will become the target of everyone’s criticism. This is what is meant by ‘when the city gates catch fire, the fish in the moat suffer.’” Xu Yuehuai sighed and said, “That’s why I gave you a break. Whether you run back to your hometown or hide in another country, just don’t come back before this storm passes.”
"Manager Xu, I can't bear to part with you," Zhao Ping said with a sullen face.
"This is not the time for sentimentality. You should hurry up and leave, or it may be too late," Xu Yuehua urged.
"And what about you, Manager Xu? Are you leaving or not?" Third Sister asked the question everyone wanted to ask.
“I can’t leave. If Qi Guze comes back, I’ll have to give him a place to stay. The Regent’s Palace must already be under the watchful eyes of hundreds of people,” Xu Yuehuai said resolutely.
“If Manager Xu doesn’t leave, we won’t leave either,” Zhao Ping shouted first.
"What's all this fuss about? Is your life more important than mine? If you lose your life, you lose everything. Now get out of here right now. I promise you I'll be safe and sound, but you have to put my mind at ease. After you've hidden yourself, you absolutely must let me know you're safe."
Xu Yuehuai rarely lost her temper, but everyone was determined to live and die with her.
Seeing that he couldn't persuade Xu Yuehuai, he gave up the idea and repeatedly told everyone to be careful and keep a low profile recently.
She silently prayed in her heart: Qi Guze, you must come back safely. We are waiting for you here.
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