The emperor's face remained somber for a long time before he finally said, "In that case, I will give you three months. After three months, Ning Rong will return to the Crown Prince's residence as a concubine!"
His tone was deep and authoritative.
Yun Zhuo pursed his lips. At least for now, he would refuse Ning Rong's entry into the manor. As for what would happen three months from now—he would figure out a solution then.
When Yun Zhuo returned home, Ye Qingxue was already asleep.
She hadn't had a good night's sleep for many days, and this time she slept very soundly. When Yun Zhuo changed out of his nightgown, got into bed, and pulled her into his arms, she just mumbled something and continued to sleep.
Under the pale moonlight streaming through the window, Yun Zhuo stared at her face for a long time, then couldn't help but kiss her forehead before closing his eyes and falling asleep contentedly.
The next morning, Ye Qingxue was woken up by people from the palace. When she learned that Yun Zhuo had been named the Crown Prince and she had been named the Crown Princess, she was no less surprised than Yun Zhuo.
After receiving the imperial decree and seeing off the palace staff, Ye Qingxue frowned and looked at Yun Zhuo, asking, "What happened? What did the Emperor say to you when you entered the palace last night?"
Yun Zhuo led her back by the hand and told the servants to follow at a distance, not to get too close. Then he told Ye Qingxue everything about his conversation with his father after entering the palace last night.
"I was planning to tell you everything after I got back last night, but you were sleeping so soundly that I didn't have the heart to wake you," Yun Zhuo explained, adding that she had been too tired lately.
Ye Qingxue frowned, recalling the time she saw Liu Qinghe near the Emperor's palace before the Ninth Prince's accident.
I have a feeling that the emperor's appointment of Yun Zhuo as crown prince is a huge trap.
As for what kind of trap it was, she couldn't say for sure. Neither she nor Yun Zhuo lived to this point in their previous lives, and she knew far too little information to make a judgment.
Upon arriving at the dining hall, the two sat down together. Granny Xing instructed the servants to bring breakfast, and Yun Zhuo placed the bird's nest in front of Ye Qingxue before dismissing everyone.
Then he asked, "Do you remember what you said to me the night you and Shen Jiefeng died together? You told me to be careful of the floods in June, and the winter solstice..."
"The floods have already occurred in June, what will happen at the winter solstice? Could it be related to Father's trap?"
Ye Qingxue frowned slightly: "The emperor will offer sacrifices to heaven on the winter solstice, and there will be poison in the burning incense burner, which will poison many people... but I am not sure who did it."
Yun Zhuo said, "It couldn't have been done by Father Emperor, could it? This capital city is full of his subjects."
Ye Qingxue agreed. How could an emperor poison his own subjects? It was absurd, and the emperor had no reason to do such a thing.
However, Ye Qingxue still said, "No matter who did it, it's always good to be more vigilant."
"Okay, there's still some time before the winter solstice, I'll arrange for people to take precautions in advance."
Having reached this point in the discussion, neither of them had any further clues, so they decided to put the matter aside for the time being and eat breakfast first.
The couple enjoyed three peaceful days.
Three days later, Yun Zhuo went to the morning court.
Currently, the personnel situation within the Prince's Mansion is simple, and Ye Qingxue doesn't have many administrative duties to attend to. After Yun Zhuo goes to court, she has some free time.
However, no news of the death has come from the Marquis's residence, so Madam Zhou must still be alive. Ye Qingxue looked up at the sky and thought, "Madam Zhou is really lucky to be alive."
Aside from this slight sense of mockery, Ye Qingxue felt nothing else towards Madam Zhou.
She must have been too tired, sleepy, hungry, and lost too much blood before, and she must have been too worried about Yunzhuo, which is why she lost her temper and her birth mother didn't love her.
Now, things are different; Ye Qingxue's heart is as calm as still water.
The only thing that made her uneasy was that she felt she was being watched by a venomous snake, which was hiding in the shadows. She had been searching for it for days, but hadn't found a trace of it.
Who could it be?
Taking advantage of the free time today, Ye Qingxue toured the inside and outside of the Prince's mansion and got a general understanding of all the personnel. However, as it was getting dark, she hadn't gained anything.
At this moment, Yun Zhuo returned.
"You've been at court all morning, has something serious happened?" Ye Qingxue asked him during dinner.
Yun Zhuo rubbed his temples, dismissed everyone again, and ordered Zhuang Xin to take men outside to keep watch.
"Father's health has greatly improved. Today, when I went to the morning court, I learned that he has taken in several concubines, and it seems that he intends to have more princes."
Ye Qingxue listened quietly to him. This was not surprising. In just one year, so many princes of the Great Zhou Dynasty had been lost. It was not strange that the emperor wanted to have more children.
However, Yun Zhuo also said: "During the morning court session, Father proposed to dig a Grand Canal, from the capital city to Nanming Port, which is about three thousand miles long. The name has already been decided, and it will be called Tianyuan Grand Canal."
"Moreover, this matter has already received the support of the ministers at the morning court session, who all believe it is a good thing that benefits the country and the people. My father said that I had experience in the position of the Director of the Water Transport Office and that I am also the Crown Prince, so he put me in charge of this matter."
Ye Qingxue pursed her lips and said, "If this Grand Canal is successfully excavated, it will be able to smoothly transport cavalry from the north and naval forces from the south; it will also be able to transport countless grains, salt, iron, tea, cloth, and so on, which will greatly contribute to economic development."
Yun Zhuo added, "It can also consolidate the regimes in the North and South and quickly suppress local rebellions. It achieves three goals at once, which is indeed beneficial to the country and the people. So no one objects, and I also agree."
He had this idea after he became the canal commissioner.
Even if the emperor hadn't brought it up, he would have done it anyway.
Ye Qingxue asked, "Then what are you worried about?"
Yun Zhuo said, "My father said he has been feeling unwell lately and wants to start the construction of the imperial mausoleum ahead of schedule. He has already sent people to select a site and asked me to supervise the construction of the mausoleum."
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