Chapter 364: Grasshoppers Can’t Jump After Autumn
A palace banquet ended in a hasty manner.
After this night, all officials knew that the wind direction in the court had completely changed.
Lu Zhiran said goodbye to Xing Chuxue who was sitting next to him and got on his own carriage.
Xiao Yanci got on quickly, and the carriage slowly headed towards Prince Jin's Mansion.
The two looked at each other, both with deep meaning in their eyes, but no one spoke.
It was not until they returned to the palace, entered the bedroom and closed the door that Lu Zhiran spoke.
"Was tonight's incident a plot set up by His Highness?"
Xiao Yanci nodded, "That's right."
He told Lu Zhiran all about his previous arrangements. Lu Zhiran breathed a sigh of relief, but also felt a little scared.
"Fortunately, you made arrangements in advance, otherwise, the consequences would be disastrous."
Lu Zhiran also mentioned the incident where her mother's dress was soiled by a palace maid during the meal. "At that time, the General Zhenxi also left the table. I was worried..."
Xiao Yanci held her hand and said, "Don't worry, they all know what's going on and won't do anything stupid."
After hearing this, Lu Zhiran felt relieved.
She then asked, "Based on your understanding of the Emperor, will he completely let go of his grudge after this incident?"
Xiao Yanci pondered for a moment, then slowly shook his head.
"The heart of an emperor is unfathomable and cannot be judged by ordinary standards."
"Regardless of whether there are any grudges, at least, the emperor will not do anything to Diannan Prefecture now. Diannan Prefecture has made great contributions, and the mining of gold sands also requires the Diannan Prefecture's efforts."
If it has value, it will not be erased.
Lu Zhiran breathed a sigh of relief.
This time, I finally escaped successfully.
"The King of Wu cannot escape responsibility for this matter."
Xiao Yanci's eyes turned cold, "Don't worry, I have a big gift for him."
When Lu Zhiran heard this, she was about to ask for details, but Xiao Yanci had already put his arm around her waist.
"It's late, don't mention other irrelevant people anymore, go to bed."
He began to act clumsily, and Lu Zhiran soon understood his intentions.
The man's hands were a little rough, and when they touched her delicate skin, she couldn't help but shiver slightly.
Her waist was pitiful, less than one hand wide, but her fullness was particularly proud. The lotus pattern embroidered on her blouse seemed to come alive, trembling slightly with her breath.
With a gentle touch, the proud scenery is like a peony with dew and a crabapple with rain. In an instant, the spring atmosphere in the red tent becomes even stronger.
The moonlight outside the window gradually fades, and the red candle sheds tears.
I don't know when everything returned to calm.
Tonight, Emperor Defeng rested in Concubine Rou's Xiyan Palace.
He was old, his skin was loose, and there were fine lines around his eyes. Without his dragon robe, he looked like an ordinary old man.
When it comes to matters between men and women, he is powerless and can only lie side by side with Concubine Rou.
"My beloved, I almost misunderstood the King of Diannan tonight. Do you blame me?"
Concubine Rou sat next to him, speaking softly.
"What happened tonight was an accident. Not to mention Your Majesty, even I thought my father was confused and did something he shouldn't have done. Fortunately, Your Majesty saw through everything and gave my father justice. Naturally, I won't blame Your Majesty."
After hearing her gentle and thoughtful words, Emperor Defeng patted her hand gently.
"The King of Southern Yunnan is loyal to me and the court. I understand his loyalty."
Concubine Rou was very touched.
She didn't say anything else, nor did she take the opportunity to complain about Xiao Yanqing. She just lay down beside Emperor Defeng lovingly and soon began to breathe evenly and slowly.
Emperor Defeng did not fall asleep.
As people get older, they sleep less.
What's more, what happened tonight did not allow him to think too much.
Anyone with a discerning eye could see that someone had tampered with the gift, and their original intention was probably to frame the King of Southern Yunnan and accuse him of treason.
Who did it?
Emperor Defeng has already sent people to investigate.
Even though the results haven't come out yet, he already has a guess in his mind.
His eyes became even more gloomy, and he slowly fell asleep in the second half of the night.
But the person beside him slowly opened his eyes.
Her heart was heavy, she had no desire to sleep, and she didn't dare to sleep, for fear that after falling asleep she would call out the name she dared not call out.
At this time, more than one person had trouble sleeping.
Needless to say, Xiao Yanqing started smashing things like crazy as soon as he returned to the palace, acting like a madman. Everyone in the palace was silent and did not dare to say a word.
In a mansion somewhere on Zhuque Street, Gu Qishan sat in the pavilion in the courtyard for a long time.
This is the mansion awarded to him by Emperor Defeng. It has vermilion lacquer and green tiles, pavilions and towers, and is an excellent location to find peace and quiet in the midst of the hustle and bustle.
Just as Emperor Defeng had said, there was indeed a patch of purple bamboo planted in the house.
Looking at this patch of purple bamboo that is exactly the same as the one in his hometown, Gu Qishan feels neither familiar nor comforted, but only lonely.
His internal injuries had not yet healed, so he shouldn't have been drinking, but he made an exception tonight.
In his drunken eyes, he seemed to see that figure again.
There was only a screen between them, but in reality there was an insurmountable gap and chasm between them.
He only dared to glance at her out of the corner of his eye.
Although he didn't dare to look directly at her, he pricked up his ears and listened to every word she said tonight.
Nearly twenty years have passed, and her voice is still as clear and pleasant as a girl's.
He thought he would never have the chance to see her again in this life, but unexpectedly, God was not unkind to him.
He felt relieved to know that she was the same as before.
Gu Qishan quickly put down the cup.
He needs to recover quickly.
Although the incident at tonight's New Year's ceremony was a thrilling one, it still left a lingering fear.
The situation of the King of Southern Yunnan is probably not optimistic.
He needs to recover as soon as possible so that if southern Yunnan needs him one day, he will not be powerless.
After New Year's Eve, court should have been suspended for ten days, so Emperor Defeng could also take a break.
But the next day, Emperor Defeng went to the Imperial Study again.
Feng Youcai urged, "Your Majesty, today is the first day of the Lunar New Year. You should take a break as well."
Emperor Defeng said calmly, "There is one matter I must attend to."
Feng Youcai stopped persuading him.
Emperor Defeng took out two memorials. Feng Youcai took a quick glance at them and immediately understood.
That was clearly Zhao Shuning's confession reported by Qin Zhongju.
There were two confessions in total, which were submitted one after another.
In the first confession, Zhao Shuning claimed that Concubine Rou and Gu Qishan had an old relationship.
In the second copy, she even hinted that the Diannan Prefecture had long harbored rebellious intentions!
She claimed that many years ago, many people from southern Yunnan gradually poured into Xiping. They were not businessmen, but more like wanderers.
Four years ago, when the locust plague broke out in Xiping, someone from southern Yunnan found her and tried to persuade her to use witchcraft to "save people", but she refused.
This poisonous insect disaster was all the result of deliberate planning by the Southern Yunnan Prefecture, which had been premeditated long ago. Its purpose was to disrupt the political situation so that the Southern Yunnan Prefecture could take advantage of the opportunity.
These remarks are shocking.
She had no evidence and could not be trusted, but her words hit the nail on the head about Emperor Defeng's secret thoughts.
He was already wary of the powerful army of the Southern Yunnan Prefecture and needed a legitimate reason to take action.
However, what happened last night changed Emperor Defeng's mind.
The discovery of rich gold sands in southern Yunnan is a great joy.
There are many tribes and chieftains in southern Yunnan, and the situation is complicated. If the imperial court wants to mine gold sand, it must rely on the king of southern Yunnan, and southern Yunnan cannot be touched.
If that's the case, some people deserve to die.
Emperor Defeng burned the two confessions and issued another decree.
"After the first month of the year, Zhao Shuning and other serious criminals will be executed on a chosen day."
Feng Youcai bowed and said, "Your Majesty is wise."
Some grasshoppers can no longer jump after autumn.
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