"Zhao Zhongquan, have Duoduo come over tomorrow and help me look at the memorials."
Yun Beiye was so tormented by the mountain of memorials piled on his desk that he was going bald, and his eyes were getting blurry from looking at them so much.
He remembered that his daughter had said she would help him review the memorials before she went to Shu. Now, so many days have passed, and Yun Duoduo has hardly come to Zichen Palace, let alone helped him review the memorials.
My daughter has really painted a huge pie in the sky for me!
"Yes, Your Majesty."
Zhao Zhongquan originally wanted to ask if it was inappropriate to let the princess read the memorials, but seeing Yun Beiye's tired expression, he swallowed his words in the end.
"Oh, right, and also, have the second prince come over tomorrow to help me review the memorials."
Zhao Zhongquan nodded without speaking. In fact, having served Yun Beiye for so long, he could tell that Yun Beiye was grooming the Second Prince, Yun Yizhong, as the crown prince.
"Your Majesty, the Prince of Jibei requests an audience," Xia Zi, a servant, reported as he entered the Zichen Palace.
"Oh? Let him in quickly."
A hint of joy finally appeared on Yun Beiye's weary face.
[As expected of the King of Jibei, he's incredibly reliable!]
"Greetings, Your Majesty." Jin Jinzhi entered and bowed.
"Please take a seat."
Jin Jinzhi sat down in front of Yun Beiye: "Your Majesty, I led men to the Xie residence and indeed found the tools used to make counterfeit money."
"A lot of unfinished counterfeit currency was also found in the basement."
"So, Xie Jun is indeed manufacturing counterfeit money."
Yun Beiye clenched his teacup in anger. With several days of torrential rain, the crops had suffered a major disaster, and this year's food supply might be in jeopardy. These ministers, instead of offering advice to the court, showed no concern for the people's basic needs as local officials.
When it comes to personal gain, they all become incredibly clever and efficient.
"Hmph, these bastards..."
"Thank you, you have quite the nerve!"
"Your Majesty, what are your plans for handling this..."
Jin Jinzhi saw that Yun Beiye was very angry, and she knew in her heart that Xie Jun was probably not going to make it.
"By imperial decree, Inspector Fan Fu shall assist the Prince of Jibei in interrogating Xie Jun, arresting all the masterminds Xie Jun has confessed to, and beheading them on a chosen day!"
"Those who participate in minting coins will be exiled to the northern frontier, and those who know about it but fail to report it will be confiscated and enslaved in the palace!"
Yun Beiye slammed his fist on the table and announced Xie Jun's punishment.
"This matter is entirely in your hands; there's no need for you to report back."
"Yes, Your Majesty."
Jin Jin bowed and left the Zichen Palace.
Night had fallen, but he knew that the capture of Xie Jun could not be delayed.
[If there's any delay, unforeseen circumstances will arise.]
He strode toward the palace gate, intending to order someone to knock on the door of the Fan residence, drag Fan Fu, who was fast asleep in bed, and go with him to interrogate Xie Jun.
As she approached the palace gate, Jin Jinzhi glanced in the direction of Fu Shuang Palace, a bitter feeling welling up inside her.
I wonder how that little girl is doing.
These past few days, I've been busy with planning and haven't been able to visit you.
Don't worry, I will absolutely not let you marry Xi Jing.
Even if he were the king of Western Chu, even if he had a massive army, it wouldn't matter.
If you wish to take you away, you must first step over my corpse.
Jin Jinzhi clenched his fists. He trained his troops every day so that he could protect his beloved in critical moments.
It was precisely because of King Xi Jing of Western Chu's marriage proposal that he realized how important Yun Duoduo was to him and what his feelings for her truly were.
...
The next day at noon, after having lunch, Yun Yishu and Yun Duoduo decided to take a stroll around the Prince Rui's mansion.
"Wow, I'm so full!"
Yun Duoduo ate heartily, but A Xiang looked gloomy.
She couldn't understand why the princess could still eat. As long as the matter of the King of Western Chu's marriage proposal remained unresolved, Ah Xiang's heart would never be at ease.
"Aunt Xiang, smile!"
"Don't always look so gloomy."
Yun Duoduo poked Ah Xiang's cheek, then turned around and spread her hands, asking Yun Yishu, "Third brother, are we just going to go empty-handed like this?"
Although Yun Yibo was their elder brother, visiting the Prince Rui's residence did not require the same level of formality as visiting other people's homes.
However, after all, there were still their two young nephews in the Prince Rui's mansion. Yun Duoduo felt a little awkward that the two elders went there empty-handed.
"Do you even need to tell me?"
Yun Yishu looked at Yun Duoduo smugly: "I was prepared before I came."
Just then, Stone came running up to the two of them, breathless.
"Master, Ninth Princess."
Shi Tou bowed and then handed the box in his hand to Yun Yishu.
"Duoduo, this is a sample from my brother's breakfast shop. It's perfect for my eldest brother and sister-in-law to try."
Yun Duoduo paused for a moment, swallowed hard, and was very worried about her third brother's food. Would it cause diarrhea?
After all, she had tasted the breakfast samples made in her third brother's palace two or three times, and the taste was really not good.
"Okay, let's go."
...
The group boarded a carriage and traveled through many twists and turns until they arrived at Prince Rui's residence.
When Yun Duoduo walked in, she saw Yun Yibo sitting at his desk writing.
"Elder Brother!"
"Eldest brother."
"Little Nine, Third Brother!"
"Please sit down."
Yun Yibo gestured for the two to sit down, and his servants went to brew tea and prepare refreshments for the guests.
Yun Duoduo leaned back in her chair, while Yun Yishu paced back and forth in the room, curiously flipping through the books and pamphlets on the bookshelf.
Looking at Yun Duoduo with concern, Yun Yibo said, "Duoduo, the eldest brother is planning to go to the palace this afternoon."
"Look, this is a memorial written by my eldest brother."
The memorial essentially stated how inappropriate and unsuitable it was for the Ninth Princess of Nanyang to marry into the Western Chu, and hoped that her father, the Emperor, would make a careful decision.
"Actually, there's nothing wrong with the neighboring country proposing marriage; we can just refuse."
"However, there is some trouble with Western Chu. If we refuse, they probably won't let it go easily."
Yun Yibo frowned. He had read a lot about the Western Chu in various unofficial histories and storybooks. The current king of Western Chu was no pushover. Anyone who offended him would definitely seek revenge.
"Moreover, the ministers in the court also had many complaints about this."
Yun Duoduo sighed. It seemed that her situation had caused her family a lot of worry.
"Elder brother, you don't need to worry about this. Duoduo will never marry into Western Chu."
Yun Yibo nodded.
“I heard that the King of Jibei has recently been training his troops, and it seems that he is secretly transporting troops, provisions and weapons from the northern frontier.”
"What?!"
"The Prince of Jibei is going to rebel?!"
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