Chapter 36
Wei Lian's carriage drove away, and Ji Ping got on his own carriage. Song Fuyu was already waiting in the carriage.
Ji Ping bowed, "Your Highness."
Song Fuyu nodded indifferently, "If Chun Hongfang is sealed, then seal it. If it is useless, then discard it."
"If you lose a child, you can catch another one. If he dies, you can bury him. Do you need me to teach you this?"
"Since the capital has been conducting strict inspections recently, you should send a few girls to Jiangnan Liyuan. Remember not to make any more mistakes, otherwise you will no longer be able to serve as prime minister."
Ji Ping's back was covered in cold sweat, and he answered yes repeatedly in fear.
Song Fuyu asked again: "Have all the arrangements been made?"
Ji Ping replied, "Third Prince's side has made all the necessary arrangements, and the scapegoats have been silenced, ensuring that Fifth Prince's investigation stops here."
"Be careful, don't let anyone die. If anyone has to die, wait until that loser goes to the border town and dies in a riot by refugees." After saying that, Song Fuyu got up and got off the carriage.
He was determined to obtain the throne and would not allow any mistakes to occur.
He would kill anyone who was qualified to compete with him, no matter what means were used.
——
In the Zichen Palace, Song Fuyu was kept by Emperor Chongde.
"Come, tell your father what happened at the banquet. Which girl did the imperial concubine and Lan'er like?"
"Lan'er is old enough to leave the palace and start her own household. With the princess serving her, I feel at ease knowing that someone will take care of her outside the palace."
Song Fuyu omitted some unimportant things and recounted the story of falling into the water at the banquet with exaggeration.
"That's the thing. Imperial Concubine Rou favors You Miaoyan, the eldest daughter of the You family and the daughter of Imperial Concubine Liu's elder sister. And in my opinion, my fifth brother seems to favor You Yang, the second daughter of Lord You."
Emperor Chongde stroked his chin and asked, "I've heard of the talented You Miaoyan before, but who is this legitimate daughter, You Yang? When did Shangshu You's family have such a legitimate daughter?"
Song Fuyu sorted out what he heard at the banquet in his mind, "I heard that You Yang, the second daughter of Minister You, was raised in a remote countryside since she was a child and was neglected."
"Although Miss You grew up in a remote area, she is truly stunningly beautiful. Even my third brother couldn't resist the urge to marry her back home. It's a pity that the Empress Dowager doesn't agree."
When Emperor Chongde heard that she grew up in the countryside, he felt that she must be very vulgar and it would be useless even if she was beautiful.
After hearing the Queen Mother's criticism of You Yang, he thought about it again and again and came up with an idea.
His mother was the adopted daughter of the Xuan family. She doted on the son born by that bitch the most and sent all the good things to him. Now she disliked the second daughter of the You family so much. Her character must be very bad.
The Queen Mother wanted to help her useless son to rise to a higher level, but he just didn't do what she wanted.
Since she didn't like it, he had to make this marriage happen.
It just so happened that his son also liked her. This marriage would not only relieve the Queen Mother's annoyance, but also show in the court how much he loved his children, which would be of great benefit to consolidating the people's hearts.
Then, she gave the person the Queen Mother liked to her most beloved child, and everything happened naturally.
Song Fuyu stood silently behind Emperor Chongde. Seeing that he was lost in thought, he began to guess what was in Emperor Chongde's mind.
"Father, my fifth brother is still waiting for you outside the palace. I think it would be best to let him discuss his marriage himself."
Emperor Chongde thought about it and gave instructions to the eunuch not far away.
"Let him in."
After a while, Song Yunlan was led into the hall by Zhou Xiangzhong.
Emperor Chongde glanced at Song Fuyu and said, "You should go down first. You should pay more attention to the disaster relief work. Don't make any more mistakes."
Song Fuyu nodded gently, "Yes, I will take my leave."
The palace door closed again, and Song Yunlan knelt anxiously on his knees, "Your Highness, I pay my respects to you, Father."
"Your Majesty, I beg you to make the decision for me."
Emperor Chongde waved his hand to stop him from speaking.
"Your eldest brother has already informed Father Yu of your purpose of coming."
"You like the second daughter of Minister You?"
"Yes." Song Yunlan knelt down and kowtowed fiercely on the cold, flawless gold brick, expressing his resolve. "I am attracted to the Second Miss You, but I absolutely cannot marry the First Miss You."
Seeing that he was determined to do so, Emperor Chongde frowned and said, "You and Miss You have already had physical contact in the water. If you don't marry her, how can you expect Minister You to agree?!"
"Besides, your mother also thinks that the eldest daughter of the You family is a good person. If you marry her back home, you will have a good wife to help you, which will be of great benefit to you."
"Now that you are old enough to enter the court, do not disappoint your father's expectations of you."
"And what's so good about the second young lady of the You family? No matter how beautiful she is, she's just a vase. She grew up in the countryside and may not have read many books. How can she help you in the future?"
"How can you compete with your eldest brother?"
As he said, Zhou Xiangzhong came into the hall to report, shaking off the dust.
"Your Majesty, Minister You has arrived and is waiting outside the palace. I heard he is here regarding Miss You's matter."
"And..." Zhou Xiangzhong swallowed the saliva stuck in his throat. It was particularly difficult for him to report even the smallest things.
"What else?" Emperor Chongde asked angrily, "You can't even report anything properly. I think you've had enough of being the chief eunuch."
Zhou Xiangzhong hurriedly knelt down and glanced hesitantly at Song Yunlan beside him.
"And Concubine Rou has invited the emperor to have dinner at Jingyang Palace later..."
As soon as I heard it, I knew it was also about marriage.
Emperor Chongde waved his hand in annoyance and asked Zhou Xiangzhong to leave. "I understand. Tell the imperial concubine that I will be there later."
"Let You Aiqing come in."
"Your Majesty, I, You Guolin, am here to see you." You Guolin appeared in the hall wearing a crimson court robe, a wide-legged hat, and holding an ivory tablet.
"What brings you here at this time, my dear Lord You?" Emperor Chongde asked knowingly, and also gave You Guolin the opportunity to speak.
"Your Majesty, I was at home today when I heard my wife crying, saying that her eldest daughter had nearly died after falling into the water while attending a banquet at the palace. After asking a few more questions, I learned that it was the Fifth Prince who risked his life to save her."
You Guolin's square face turned red from holding back his emotions, and his eyes were filled with tears as he spoke.
He turned to Song Yunlan and bowed solemnly, "This old minister and my family are extremely grateful for your kindness, Your Highness. Please accept my greetings."
Song Yunlan repeatedly said he dared not, and helped him up, "Lord You, you are too kind. This is what I should do."
After a tearful speech, You Guolin clenched the ivory tablet in his hand and said, "To be honest, I am ashamed to say that I have come to the palace this time because of my eldest daughter's marriage."
Emperor Chongde stepped down from the dragon throne and came to him. "My dear minister, please feel free to speak."
You Guolin lifted his robe and knelt, pleading sternly and solemnly, "This old minister is unfortunate. I have no sons. At my age, I only have two frail daughters at home. I am afraid that if something happens to me in the future, I will not be able to protect them."
"I only ask that the Fifth Prince take in the eldest daughter of your family, even as a concubine. It is better than having her live in poverty in a Buddhist temple."
"No." Song Yunlan was the first to object after hearing his words, "Father, Lord You, I already have someone in my heart. If you must marry someone, I would like to marry Miss You."
You Guolin was very surprised.
When did You Yang become involved with the Fifth Prince? Could it be love at first sight at today's flower viewing banquet?
He had his own standards in his heart. Although Youyang was also his biological daughter, she was raised in the countryside since she was a child and their relationship was not very close. In the final analysis, he still had higher hopes for his eldest daughter.
"Your Highness the Fifth Prince is pleased with my second daughter, and I am so lucky. But my eldest daughter is so innocent. She fell into the water and lost her innocence. Now, who else would dare to marry her except Your Highness the Fifth Prince?"
"Your Majesty, please make the decision."
Song Yunlan refused to give in, so You Guolin turned to Emperor Chongde for help.
Emperor Chongde looked at Song Yunlan for a long time, then sighed.
"My dear Lord You, my son will be leaving the palace in a few months to establish his own residence. How about we arrange this marriage first? When that time comes, I will issue an imperial decree to grant the marriage to the two of them?"
You Guolin was afraid that if this matter dragged on for too long, it would end up in vain, and if things got worse, he would say, "But Your Majesty..."
Emperor Chongde understood his worries, and he had to comfort him.
"In addition, I have heard that my third son has shown great affection for the second daughter of Lord You. Therefore, I will grant their marriage today. The second Miss You will be the Princess of Xuan, and the wedding will take place on a chosen date."
You Guolin came here to listen to the news that Concubine Liu brought from the palace. He entered the palace to add fuel to the marriage of Song Yunlan and You Miaoyan, but he didn't expect that he would gain something else besides this.
He felt complacent and was even more glad that he had decided to let You Yang return to Beijing.
Although Prince Xuan has not made any achievements in the court, he is still a prince after all. When You Miaoyan and the fifth prince are successfully married, he will have two princes behind him in the You Mansion. Wouldn't he be able to do whatever he wants in the court in the future?
Song Yunlan's mind suddenly went blank, his dark eyes trembled, and endless regret eroded his mind. His heart felt unprecedented pain.
He shouldn't have let go and left.
"Father, you can't do that."
"Please ask the emperor to revoke his order."
He had no choice but to repeat these pale and powerless words over and over again and kowtow again and again in an attempt to make amends.
But this time, his father, who always went along with him, showed him a serious look. "My words are golden. Once I say them, I will never take them back. This matter is settled. You cannot object. Go back and make good preparations for leaving the palace and setting up your own residence. Do not leave the palace for the next few days."
Emperor Chongde ignored Song Yunlan's persistence and summoned Zhou Xiangzhong, "Send the Fifth Prince back."
"I beg you, Father, to revoke your order—"
Zhou Xiangzhong called over his godson and carried Song Yunlan out with great difficulty.
Song Yan heard that he had just experienced an assassination on his way back home.
Seeing that the other side had a large number of people, about ten or so, all with ferocious looks, it looked like they would be difficult to deal with if they started fighting, so Youyang ran away.
That's right, when she sensed murderous intent, she abandoned her employer and ran away without hesitation.
She ran far away and hid in the alley to feel at ease. Risking her life was not her style.
Thinking of Song Yanting who might still be harassed by the tough assassin, You Yang felt like laughing.
She gloated to herself, "May the best of luck to you. I'm going to slip away first~"
The assassination lasted only a quarter of an hour from the beginning to the end. The assassination team of more than ten people was completely eliminated by the Xuanyou guards who were hiding in the dark to protect them. Song Yan obeyed from beginning to end and sat firmly in the carriage. He only lifted the curtain and showed his face when he asked the Xuanyou guards to deal with the corpse.
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