Once the news of Gu Qingchen's full moon celebration spread, all civil and military officials began preparations in advance.
Almost everyone knew that this was their best chance to be seen by the Emperor, as long as their full-moon celebration gifts were outstanding enough.
Therefore, almost all the rare items in the entire Da Yu region were snapped up by these people as soon as the news spread, and even Gu Qingyan was "deeply affected".
The Hall of Supreme Harmony.
"Your Majesty, the pearl you requested has been bought by someone at a high price."
At first, Gu Qingyan simply smiled. He understood that good things weren't just something he liked.
"Your Majesty, the warm jade bracelet you requested has also been bought at a high price."
The second time, Gu Qingyan raised his head and said it was alright. He said that the lady must have been cold-sensitive, which was why she bought the warm jade bracelet at a high price.
"Your Majesty, the finest jadeite you requested has been bought at a high price."
Snap—
The vermilion pen in Gu Qingyan's hand was snapped in two, and the smile on his face began to turn chilling. "Investigate for me! Who is deliberately opposing me?"
"Your Majesty, it shouldn't be that someone is deliberately opposing you, it's just that..." Yingzhi looked troubled, unsure of how to say it.
"What is there that you dare not say?"
"With His Highness Prince Chen's full moon celebration approaching, almost the entire court is searching for rare items to present as a gift to His Highness. So recently, anything of value is being fought over."
After hearing the whole story, Gu Qingyan was so angry that he laughed. He said in a low voice, "It seems that my ministers still have quite a bit of gold and silver in their pockets."
Upon hearing this, Yingzhi bent his back even more. As a eunuch, he dared not respond to the emperor's words, for they were implying that the court officials were suspected of corruption.
Gu Qingyan stopped talking and continued to review the memorials with a different red pen.
Yingzhi never expected that after reviewing the memorials, Gu Qingyan would go directly to Zhaoning Palace and file a complaint against the court officials who had "stolen" his things before the Emperor Emeritus and the Empress Dowager.
"Father, Mother, you don't know!"
Gu Qingyan looked so wronged that Gu Lin felt a pang of sympathy and wanted nothing more than to kick him. "Speak properly."
"The pearl I wanted to give to Mother was stolen, the jade bracelet I wanted to give to my aunt was also stolen, and the jadeite I wanted to make a hairpin for Mother was also stolen."
"In this whole world, would anyone dare to steal your things?" Jiang Yu was clearly skeptical. If it were an ordinary robbery, given her son's personality, he would have already sent someone to deal with it by now. Why would he come to her?
"Those courtiers bought up almost every rare item that appeared in order to prepare a full moon celebration gift for Achen. I was shocked. They seemed to be richer than me."
With just one sentence, Gu Lin's eyes immediately sharpened.
Yingzhi, standing to the side, clicked his tongue in disbelief. The retired emperor despised corrupt officials the most, and the emperor's accusation was truly...
"That shows how foolish you are as emperor." Gu Lin gave Gu Qingyan a flick on the head without any politeness. "Don't worry about it for now. We'll investigate those who gave rare gifts at the full moon banquet. It'll be a good opportunity to punish corrupt officials."
"Father is right, but I..."
"Useless."
Gu Lin strode out, while Gu Qingyan grinned from ear to ear. His father's words meant he had agreed to help him!
Very good!
......
"You still insist on having your father help you."
Jiang Yu smiled and gave Gu Qingyan a light tap, but Gu Qingyan looked self-righteous and said, "Only when Father Emperor intervenes can no one dare to object to these offensive matters. If I were to handle them, I would be driven crazy by those people during the morning court session."
"You know it's something that will offend people." Jiang Yu was both amused and exasperated. This father and son really couldn't stay on good terms for more than a few days before they started their love-hate relationship again.
"Hasn't Father offended many people?" Gu Qingyan stared at Gu Qingchen. "Achen, nowadays, even children will wail at the mere mention of your father's name, and those old fogies in the court won't dare utter a word. If you are ever bullied in the future, just go to your father."
Listening to Gu Qingyan's serious "instruction," Yingzhi was almost petrified. So the emperor was planning to accept congratulatory gifts while simultaneously settling accounts with the family property.
this......
Meanwhile, the courtiers, completely unaware of how things were unfolding, were still focused on collecting rare items. Only Wei Ruo and Zhuo Yi were leisurely drinking tea in a teahouse in the alley.
"It's been a long time since I've had such a leisurely tea."
Zhuo Yi took a sip of the cool tea. Everyone's attention was focused on the full moon banquet. Even the old folks who usually argued over trivial matters had quieted down.
"Yes, now that the world is unified, Zhuo Xiang's original wish has been fulfilled."
Upon hearing this, Zhuo Yi's smile deepened. His lifelong wish was to meet a wise ruler so that he could realize his ambitions. Now that the world is unified, the emperor is his master.
"Speaking of which, has Prime Minister Wei decided what gift to give His Highness Prince Chen for his full moon celebration? I see that everyone else has made ample preparations; we're going to be outdone."
Upon hearing this, Wei Ruo simply drank her tea. "I don't have that much money to compete with them. I can only write a piece of calligraphy myself and then have it consecrated at a temple to ensure His Highness Prince Chen's safety."
"The palace must be extremely satisfied with the scholar's calligraphy and painting as a full moon celebration gift."
These two old foxes, who had been around for a thousand years, had obviously anticipated Gu Qingyan's possible reaction, and they both tacitly agreed not to make a scene.
"Recently, there have been more people in the capital, and the shops are doing incredibly well," Wei Ruo exclaimed. "Especially the antique shops; I wonder who owns these shops."
If one is intelligent, one should have already checked with the authorities beforehand.
“The Marquis of Dingyuan has been extremely busy lately, and just ensuring the safety of the capital has given him a huge headache.” Zhuo Yi looked worried for Jiang He, but he didn’t move at all and continued to drink his tea.
"His Majesty relies heavily on Marquis Dingyuan, so such matters should naturally be entrusted to him."
Kui Ruo was not much better than Zhuo Yiliang. The two prime ministers of Dayu were leisurely enjoying tea and chatting idly, quite content.
Suddenly, Wei Ruo's eyes flickered as she looked out the window.
Zhuo Yi followed Kui Ruo's gaze and exclaimed, "Hey, isn't that Lord Guo?"
Guo Siyuan, dressed in women's everyday clothes, walked into a cosmetics shop.
"Tsk, this Lord Guo debated with the scholars in the court, but today he came to a rouge shop. Could it be that Lord Guo is also looking for a son-in-law at His Highness Prince Chen's full moon banquet?"
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