In the Imperial Garden, Bai Chuxiao was taking her usual stroll with Emperor Wenxuan when the Crown Prince and Prince Qi approached.
"Greetings, Father Emperor"
Emperor Wenxuan responded calmly, "Why did you all come together?"
Chu Tianyou smiled and said, "Your subject came to pay respects to Your Majesty, and happened to run into my sixth brother at the palace gate."
Chu Tianling cupped his hands and slowly spoke, "Father, it is truly inappropriate for me to linger in the capital for so long. Today, I have specifically requested to return to my fiefdom."
Emperor Wenxuan's eyes darkened slightly. "Why did you suddenly decide to go back?"
Chu Tianling smiled and said, "Your subject originally intended to request the Emperor's decree together with Fifth Brother, but it was delayed because of sending Second Sister to a marriage alliance."
Chu Tianyou smiled and said, "Sixth brother, why don't you stay in the capital and keep Father company?"
Emperor Wenxuan was slightly surprised; the Crown Prince had suddenly become enlightened today.
Bai Chuxiao smiled slightly, "Yes, the war is currently at a critical juncture. Perhaps His Highness Prince Qi should remain in the capital."
Liangzhou is located in the north, making it the closest fiefdom to the capital among the vassal kings. This shows that Emperor Wenxuan really liked this son and trusted the Wei family. Liangzhou and Bingzhou are not far apart, and Wei Junyan holds military power in the north. If Chu Tianling wanted to rebel, besieging the capital would be easier than the Xuanjia Army...
A flicker of displeasure crossed Chu Tianling's eyes. Wasn't the Crown Prince eager for him to return before? Now that he wanted to go back, he wouldn't let him. However, he showed a troubled expression on his face, "Father..."
Emperor Wenxuan's eyes flickered slightly. After a moment's thought, he slowly spoke, "I have seen Ling'er's two previous requests to join the battle. She is a filial son. Let her stay in the capital for now. It will not be too late for her to return after the war has subsided."
Chu Tianling lowered his eyes and said, "Yes." A strange smile flickered across his face as he looked down, but it quickly vanished.
The war in the Northwest is becoming increasingly tense. Although Chu Tianze arrived with reinforcements in time, he was still struggling against the 600,000 troops of Xiyue. Unlike the hasty reinforcements from the Great Xia, Xiyue had made ample preparations and was clearly planning a protracted war.
Decades ago, when the world was in chaos, Gu Songyue, the Prince of Huainan, though young, was a brilliant strategist, his fame rivaling that of the Duke of Dingguo of Great Xia and the Pillar General of Northern Yan. This is why he was granted the title of a prince of a different surname. Even now, with the Prince of Yan and Murong Yuan combined, it would be difficult for them to subdue him in a short time.
The capital city had already turned cold in November, and Emperor Wenxuan had caught a chill and coughed for several days without getting better. Coupled with his worries about the war on the border, his health was deteriorating, and he now truly looked like an old man in his twilight years.
In the imperial study, Bai Chuxiao and Cheng Song stood like door gods behind Emperor Wenxuan. Emperor Wenxuan clearly intended for her to be his bodyguard, just like Cheng Song.
Emperor Wenxuan slammed a memorial to the side, his face turning ashen as he began to cough uncontrollably.
Jinzhong hurriedly handed over a cup of water, his expression flustered, "Your Majesty..."
Bai Chuxiao's eyes flickered slightly. After thinking for a moment, she stepped forward and said with some concern, "Father, has something happened at the border? No matter what, don't upset yourself..."
Emperor Wenxuan's anger had not subsided. "Look for yourselves at the mess the Crown Prince has made. How can I not be furious? At such a critical juncture at the border, not only has he failed to offer any help, but he has also caused a ton of trouble."
He then angrily ordered, "Jinzhong, go and bring that rebellious son to me!"
"Yes," Jinzhong quickly withdrew.
Bai Chuxiao then picked up the document from the ground, glanced at it quickly, and then silently placed it on the table. The Crown Prince had been tricked by Prince An...
The Crown Prince quickly entered, glanced at Emperor Wenxuan's grim face, and cautiously began, "Father..."
Emperor Wenxuan grabbed several memorials from the table and threw them at the Crown Prince, saying, "You unfilial son! I originally thought it was one thing for you to secretly plunder some gold mines, but I never expected you to be so ruthless and depraved!"
The Crown Prince's expression changed drastically. He quickly flipped through the documents, which contained a memorial written by the Governor of Yunzhou and an impeachment from the Imperial Censor: an epidemic had spread through the gold mines of Mingyue Mountain in Yunzhou, and the Crown Prince had ordered the mountain to be set on fire. Now, Yunzhou was filled with refugees, and public resentment was rising... The Crown Prince was too cruel to be the heir apparent...
The crown prince, looking flustered, immediately knelt on the ground. "Father, I am truly innocent! This was not done by me. Yunzhou is my uncle's fiefdom; how could I possibly order him to do it?"
Emperor Wenxuan said sternly, "The magistrate of Qing County in Yunzhou all said he was acting on the orders of your Crown Prince, and the gold mines all ended up in your Crown Prince's pocket. There are also your correspondence as evidence. How can you explain your innocence to the court officials and the people?"
After finishing his sentence, he couldn't help but cough again. The Crown Prince quickly said, "Father, please calm down. Your health is of utmost importance..."
Emperor Wenxuan's face turned ashen. "You rebellious son, you've done these troublesome things; you're clearly trying to drive me to my death. How can I appease your anger?"
The Crown Prince cursed inwardly. That old scoundrel, Prince An, was clearly using him as a pawn. He couldn't hide the mess he'd made, so the blame was all on Prince An. Prince An had only taken half the gold mine; he knew nothing about the rest. He was more wronged than Dou E! However, the evidence all pointed to him, and since he had indeed taken the gold mine, he was now utterly unable to defend himself.
Bai Chuxiao's eyes flickered slightly, and she spoke in a deep voice, "Father, right now it's more important to control the epidemic and appease the refugees. The war at the front is already critical; we can't afford to let things get chaotic again."
Emperor Wenxuan pressed his temples. "You're right."
He then glared at the Crown Prince and said in a deep voice, "I'll cover this up for you this time. Go to Yunzhou and calm the people's hearts as soon as possible. If you cause any more controversy, you'll lose your position as Crown Prince."
The Crown Prince's face was grim. "Father, I will certainly handle this well."
Emperor Wenxuan gradually calmed down, and looking at the Crown Prince who was about to leave, he said in a deep voice, "Wait, Princess Changning will go with the Crown Prince."
The crown prince was stunned for a moment, "This..."
Emperor Wenxuan slowly spoke, "Alright, you may leave now. You will travel with your brother and sister-in-law later."
Bai Chuxiao was also incredulous. What did this have to do with her? She didn't want to go at all. She knew that Prince An had an iron mine, but the sudden revelation of a gold mine was really strange. It couldn't just be a ploy to trick the Crown Prince, could it? Besides, Lin Huai hadn't sent any more messages. Going to Yunzhou now would surely not bring anything good...
"Father, you yourself said that I am a woman, and it is really inappropriate for me to handle this matter."
Emperor Wenxuan glanced at her, "You were able to take the head of an enemy traitor amidst ten thousand troops in Bingzhou, and I believe you can handle the current turmoil in Yunzhou as well."
Bai Chuxiao smiled slightly, "Father, the identities of the Princess Consort of Yan and the Princess are not effective in the face of public resentment, and the officials of Yunzhou will not listen to me. It is enough for the Crown Prince to go."
Emperor Wenxuan said irritably, "Alright, I don't believe you didn't realize that it was those people from Yunzhou who were behind this. However, now that everyone is pointing to the Crown Prince, he has to go in person. I'm sending you there to secretly investigate the truth, and most importantly, to protect the Crown Prince's safety."
Bai Chuxiao rolled her eyes inwardly. So this meant she was being asked to be the Crown Prince's bodyguard? Wasn't she afraid she'd kill him in a fit of rage?
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