The night was deep.
Yun Zhuo told Ye Qingxue everything the little eunuch had told him, and then asked her, "After you entered the palace, did you notice anything unusual about Father Emperor?"
Ye Qingxue shook her head: "I didn't find anything unusual. His words and actions are like those of a normal person, and his eyes are clear. There are no signs of poisoning."
Yun Zhuo pondered for a moment: "Father values reputation the most. If there were no abnormalities, he wouldn't treat you like this!"
"Even if he truly wanted you to be his concubine, he would first issue an imperial decree summoning you to the palace, and then..."
Yun Zhuo didn't say what came next, but Ye Qingxue understood.
Yun Zhuo asked, "Do you remember what we heard on the roof of the Liu family's back house that night?"
Ye Qingxue said, "At that time, the Empress said to ask Physician Liu to prescribe a medicine so that the Emperor could establish Prince Ding as the Crown Prince as soon as possible."
Yun Zhuo nodded: "That's exactly what I meant, which is why I suspect that Father Emperor was poisoned and manipulated."
"I wonder what kind of poison it is that is so potent, making him appear no different from an ordinary person, so that even the imperial physicians cannot diagnose it!"
Ye Qingxue asked, "Could your informant in the palace have investigated anything?"
"I'm afraid that before we can find out anything, Father will take action against us. Perhaps tonight is just a test."
As Yun Zhuo finished speaking, both of them fell silent, with only the candlelight still burning silently.
As it turned out, Yun Zhuo's concerns were not unfounded.
Two days later, the emperor sent someone to the Marquis's residence to deliver an imperial edict, stating that, under the pretext of replenishing the national treasury, the court would fund the purchase of Ye Qingxue's properties, including shops, estates, and so on.
Yes, they will only purchase properties under Ye Qingxue's name; properties under the names of other members of the Marquis's family will not be touched, and the price offered will be less than one-tenth of the market price!
This was outright robbery, and it was targeted solely at Ye Qingxue, leaving her with no further income.
For a time, everyone in the Marquis's mansion thought that Ye Qingxue had offended the emperor, and no one dared to approach her. Even the servants she had once subdued were not very obedient to her now.
"His Majesty has always valued reputation above all else, why is he acting this way?" Qiu Shen asked, puzzled. "Miss has not done anything wrong, and you have even performed three great feats. Yet he treats you like this. Isn't he afraid of being impeached by the censors?"
Ye Qingxue said, "You and Dongbai go out and wander around the capital city to see what the wind is blowing."
Qiu Shen nodded, and after going out with Dong Bai, they went their separate ways.
When they returned that evening, they both looked terrible.
Qiu Shen said first: "Today, His Majesty summoned Prince Jing to the palace and said that he had worked hard in arranging the transportation of grain to the Heavenly Eagle Holy Kingdom and had saved the Great Zhou 50,000 shi of grain. He wanted to reward him!"
“When Prince Jing went to receive his reward, the Emperor said that he looked disrespectful when he received the reward and punished him by making him kneel outside the Zichen Palace for an entire afternoon. He was only allowed to leave when it got dark.”
Ye Qingxue's eyes turned cold.
This is the power of the emperor; when they want to get rid of you, they can even come up with a reason like "disrespectful gaze."
Dong Bai said, "These past two days, His Highness Prince Ding has visited the homes of many officials. The vacant position of Vice Minister of War has been filled by his people, and that person is now extremely grateful to him."
"Furthermore, a minister's son committed a crime and was waiting to be sentenced and imprisoned. However, with just one word from Prince Ding, the man was released from prison, and the minister also followed Prince Ding's lead."
Dongbai mentioned several people in one breath.
These were all tactics used by Prince Ding to win people's hearts: promotions and wealth, marriage alliances, buying people's hearts, and coercion and control. He used different methods to deal with different people.
Qiu Shen was terrified: "So, if that's the case, then most of the officials in the Great Zhou court are now part of the Prince Ding's faction."
Dongbai: "Yes, he had his ministers who were unwilling to follow him assassinated. They appeared to be accidental deaths, but many ministers knew that it was Prince Ding's men who did it."
Qiu Shen said, "Most of the officials are loyal to Prince Ding, and the Emperor completely obeys Prince Ding's orders... Miss, what should we do?"
Ye Qingxue remained silent. The Prince of Ding had come with great force this time, and he was using the emperor to command the other lords. His first step was to harm her and Yun Zhuo...
What should I do?!
New news arrived the following day—
Previously, Yun Zhuo had suggested to the Emperor that, in order to avoid serious casualties from the floods in June, he advocated starting now to dredge the river channels and reinforce the dikes.
The emperor granted permission at the time.
But now, the emperor suddenly brought this up, saying that in the decades since he ascended the throne, the Great Zhou had never experienced a flood in June, and that Yun Zhuo was cursing the instability of the country!
So they stopped him from continuing to lead people to dredge the river and reinforce the dikes, and confined him to the palace, forbidding him from going out!
"Miss, this world now completely belongs to Prince Ding!" Dongbai stamped her feet anxiously, gritting her teeth in hatred.
Just then, the steward came to report that His Highness Prince Ding had arrived.
Spring, summer, autumn, and winter all glare angrily.
How dare Prince Ding come to our door at this time?
The steward weakly added, "Miss, His Highness Prince Ding has ordered that you personally go to receive him."
Spring, summer, autumn, and winter were all on high alert, and even Bai Qi immediately stood in front of Ye Qingxue, ready to pounce at any moment!
Ye Qingxue stood up from her chair and said, "What is meant to be will be, let's go take a look."
She was the first to walk out.
In the front yard, not only the members of the third branch of the family had arrived, but Ye Yabing was also dressed neatly and nestled in Yun Chi's arms.
Yun Chi had his arm around her shoulder, and the two were chatting and laughing.
When Ye Qingxue arrived, she noticed that the smiles of the engaged couple were becoming increasingly blatant.
"Why did you take so long, elder sister? You made His Highness Prince Ding wait for so long," Ye Yabing said.
Ye Qingxue thought that regardless of whether she and Yun Zhuo were right or wrong, Yun Chi would confront them head-on. There was a deep-seated hatred between them, so she was too lazy to be polite and bowed to him.
My dear reader, there's more to this chapter! Please click the next page to continue reading—even more exciting content awaits!
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
