Luoming.
"Master, it's late, time to retire for the night."
The once bustling and prosperous Yun family is no more. Yun Hui did not move to Yun Zhi's former courtyard, but instead moved to the Tea Flower Pavilion.
Yun Hui dismissed more than half of the Yun family's servants and officially took over the Yun family.
"Judging by the days, the Empress Dowager of Dayu should have received the letter by now."
Yun Hui, just like Jiang Yu before her, nestled on a deck chair by the lake, wearing the blue dress that her deceased mother loved most.
"Judging by the days, it should have arrived by now." The maid standing by looked worried. "But you found the contents of that box in the hidden compartment, so it must be something extremely important to the Yun family. You handed it over without even looking at it..."
"It's alright."
Under the moonlight, Yunhui quietly relaxed her brows.
“These days are the best for me now. The Yun family doesn’t want to get involved in those things anymore.” Yun Hui’s voice had a touch of otherworldly charm. “If we can help Dayu, they will treat Mo’er better.”
“But Master, you are in the prime of your life, and you spend all day in the Tea Blossom Pavilion dressed in blue. It breaks my heart to see you like this.”
Yun Hui laughed out loud upon hearing this, "I never dared to even hope for such a good day before."
Hopefully, that letter will be of use to the Empress Dowager of Dayu and the others.
......
None of Jiang Yu and the others slept well that night.
"Gu Lin, do you think what Yun Hui drew in the letter is real or fake?" Jiang Yu was wide awake early in the morning, repeatedly looking at the letter Yun Hui had sent.
"The painting should depict the layout below Fushan Cliff before the flood."
Gu Lin's expression also became more serious. "It seems that Yun Zhi left a contingency plan when setting up the trap, to use it to blackmail other aristocratic families."
"Where there were troops stationed, at least the Qin family was involved."
Jiang Yu carefully examined the drawing on the letter. This vast area must be filled with soldiers and troops. The Great Wei... must be colluding with some aristocratic families.
"Since the Great Wei colluded with the aristocratic families, why did none of them come to the rescue when the Great Wei was destroyed?"
Gu Lin pointed to a spot on the painting, "If I remember correctly, this part of Fushan Cliff is currently empty."
Jiang Yu and Gu Lin exchanged a glance, their eyes both narrowing simultaneously.
"They stole things from the Great Wei."
“Ayu, if that’s really the case, the strength of the aristocratic families must be even greater than we imagined, and there may even be some things we don’t know about.”
After the morning court session, Gu Qingyan also hurriedly arrived at Zhaoning Palace.
"So for many years, aristocratic families have been using various means to acquire resources from other countries." Gu Qingyan's face was ashen. "How could the Qin family possibly accomplish such a massive project?"
Jiang Yu sneered, "To deceive everyone, we need Yun Zhi's mechanical skills. That's why Yun Zhi dared not say much about Fushan Cliff, for fear of bringing up these matters. But Yun Zhi left behind evidence."
What a group of self-proclaimed elegant and refined noble families, aren't they also harboring ambitions to unify the world?
"I wonder which of the four families will become the ruler of the world when that day truly comes?"
Jiang Yu twirled the Buddhist prayer beads in her hand, saying, "We underestimated these aristocratic families before."
......
October.
Jiang Yu's baby was exactly one month old, and Mei Chu came to Zhaoning Palace every day to take Jiang Yu's pulse.
"Is there anything wrong with my health?"
"Your Majesty, the pregnancy is progressing smoothly and there is nothing to worry about."
In just a few months, Mei Chu had already grown some gray hairs. Jiang Yu's eyes flickered slightly when she saw this. "Mei Chu, why are you getting gray hair?"
"Your Majesty..." Mei Chu slowly began, "I cannot sleep soundly until I understand how Your Majesty's illness was cured."
“It’s common for people to have moles. This mole may not be anything unusual, but Your Majesty’s illness has been difficult to treat for several years. Now that it has suddenly improved, I am really worried.”
"Isn't it a good thing that the deficiency syndrome is improving?"
Jiang Yu gripped the prayer beads tightly. "Now that my pregnancy is stable and my pulse is steady and strong, could it be that you have a feeling that this deficiency is improving?"
Mei Chu remained silent for a moment upon hearing this, and it was in those few breaths that Jiang Yu understood something.
"Mei Chu, don't be too nervous, it might be a good thing."
Jiang Yu twitched the corner of her mouth, "I believe in your medical skills, and I also believe that since Heaven has given me a child, it will surely allow me to give birth to the child smoothly."
After Mei Chu left, Jiang Yu remained in a daze for a long time.
Until Jiang He arrived at Zhaoning Palace.
"Your Majesty, I will be setting off tomorrow to investigate the amount of iron ore within the former territory of the Great Wei." Jiang He pursed his lips. "Your Majesty, please take care of your health."
"Brother, you should travel incognito this time and not reveal your identity."
Jiang Yu smiled gently, "I will stay in Zhaoning Palace and be safe and sound."
Jiang He spoke with Jiang Yu for a while before leaving. After Jiang He left, Jiang Yu returned to her desk and kept thinking about the recent events.
"Does Your Highness find anything amiss?"
“Wanji, Chen Ping was promoted to Minister of Works because of his merits in flood control. His wife gave a clue at the chrysanthemum appreciation banquet.” Jiang Yu said to herself, “Flood control… I feel that flood control was mentioned not long ago.”
It's as if there's some unseen thread connecting many things together.
Suddenly, Jiang Yu realized what was happening.
"Bring me the register of women's identities in Lingyun Garden."
When Jiang Yu turned to the page about Guo Siyuan, she shuddered. Guo Siyuan was born in Jingzhou, and Jingzhou was also the place where Chen Ping made his contributions to flood control.
Is this a coincidence?
Thinking of Guo Siyuan's ingenious water control method on her exam paper, Jiang Yu's expression changed repeatedly. "Summon Guo Siyuan to the palace. I want to see her."
......
"This humble woman pays her respects to Your Majesty the Empress Dowager."
Guo Siyuan remained calm and composed, but Jiang Yu stared at her without saying a word. After half an incense stick had burned, Guo Siyuan's expression finally changed.
"Do you know Chen Ping, the Minister of Works?"
"know."
The simple two words made Wanji, who was standing next to him, widen his eyes in surprise.
"Tell me about it."
At this moment, Jiang Yu's face was devoid of the previous amiable expression; she couldn't see through Guo Siyuan at all.
"It was not an intention to deceive Her Majesty the Empress Dowager. Her Majesty the Empress Dowager had previously granted me a favor, and I originally intended to tell Her Majesty the favor at that time."
Guo Siyuan smiled bitterly, "Because I am just a commoner woman right now, my words are insignificant. I think that by then, my words will make the Empress and the Emperor believe me to some extent."
"What you're trying to say is related to Chen Ping."
It's not a question, it's an affirmative statement.
"Your Majesty's conclusion that I am related to Chen Ping based solely on the fact that we both come from Jingzhou is truly admirable."
Guo Siyuan suddenly took a few small steps forward. "If I said that the current Chen Ping is not the same Chen Ping as before, would Your Majesty believe me?"
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