Drunk Bamboo

The emperor opened his cold eyes and said, "Han Jian thought he was smart and had the upper hand over Prince Feng. He thought I knew nothing and that I was deceived by the Queen and Prince Feng. But you were on duty that day. How could you have kept it a secret from me?"

"I am loyal to Your Majesty and would not dare to hide anything from Your Majesty."

On the day Hua Qinfeng went to the palace to ask for the imperial physician, after Han Jian left Baoping Hall, Eunuch Dong told the emperor everything. The emperor thought of Hua Qinfeng's contribution in saving the tutor, and the empress did issue an imperial decree, so he did not investigate further.

Eunuch Dong made arrangements for the people on duty outside Baoping Hall that day and ordered them not to say a word.

Unexpectedly, the Minister of Works Han Jian still got the information and used it to sue King Feng.

"The Prince of Feng saved the Imperial Tutor and broke into the palace to ask for the imperial physician. These were minor offenses. I will not hold it against him. Han Jian accused the Prince of Feng in front of all the officials. This is a good opportunity for me to see what the situation in the court is like. I did not intend to punish the Prince of Feng. The twenty strokes of the cane were only to calm things down. My court cannot be disrupted because of this."

While watching the emperor's expression, Eunuch Dong said cautiously, "Lord Han seems to know the situation in the palace very well and has a wide network of contacts. Even I don't know about the palace guards, but he, a minister, knows everything."

The emperor's eyes showed a look of vigilance and displeasure: "The queen is in charge of the harem, and there are many things to do. Please help keep an eye on it. Disloyal servants should not stay in the palace."

"Yes."

He asked again: "What do you think of Princess Feng?"

"Your Majesty, are you talking about Princess Feng's character or background?"

The emperor closed his eyes and said nothing.

Eunuch Dong smiled and said, "Princess Feng was born into the famous Xie family, a family of scholars, so she is a perfect match for the prince. As for her personality, I have only met Princess Feng twice. The first time I met her, she was polite, elegant, and kind. What I saw in the court today is that she has a heroic and bold temperament, which is somewhat similar to the prince."

The emperor was not angry, and had an admiring look on his face: "You only see the surface. She is not as simple as you say. Although she disobeyed me today, she also solved my dilemma. She was willing to be flogged to speak up for Prince Feng. She is a loyal and good wife. Send someone to send some high-quality healing medicine to the palace later."

"Yes. The princess is so courageous and protects her husband so domineeringly. I am so envious of the prince. No wonder the prince knelt down and begged His Majesty for the princess." Eunuch Dong said in accordance with the emperor's wishes.

"Yes, I have never understood Prince Feng. Ever since his mother, Concubine Shu, passed away, he seemed to care about nothing. He was cold and indifferent to me, without any taboos, which made it impossible for me to love him. Sometimes when I look at him, I even think of that person's shadow. Do you think I can like him?" The emperor suddenly sat up.

Eunuch Dong looked frightened and immediately knelt on the ground.

"Your Majesty, please stop talking. That man has been crushed to dust for nearly twenty years. The Wind King is your Majesty's son!"

The emperor frowned, "What are you afraid of? I know he's already dead. I know the Wind King is my son. He has the same natural powers as that man, but he has a weakness. When he knelt down for Xie Yuzhu, there was humility and panic in his eyes. That man would never show that expression."

Eunuch Dong then slowly stood up, bent his back, and continued to massage the emperor.

"Yes. Your Majesty is right. Your Majesty has a keen eye."

The headache was relieved a lot and the emperor's complexion looked much better.

Seeing Eunuch Dong's frightened look, he shook his head and said, "You are getting more confused and timid as you get older. I was a little worried that when Princess Feng came forward, everyone from Baiyun Academy would stand up to defend her. I didn't expect that no one would stand up, even Wu Guanzhong remained neutral."

The dispute in the court just now was a life-and-death decision for Hua Qinfeng, Xie Yuzhu, Han Jian, Qi Imperial Physician... for everyone involved, but in the eyes of the emperor, all of this was just a test.

Test Hua Qinfeng's loyalty to him, test the loyalty of the officials to him, test whether there is anyone who dares to resist him...

Eunuch Dong seemed to have been accustomed to the emperor's ruthlessness, and he still smiled flatteringly: "The world belongs to your majesty, and they are all your majesty's subjects. Naturally, everything is for your majesty's consideration."

The emperor thought for a moment and ordered, "After all, the Xie family has the merit of educating people, and they do not participate in government affairs. It is rare to find a clean family. Prince Feng is reckless and does things out of line, and the princess is smart. Find an opportunity to give her some advice and let the princess help Prince Feng more. I will treat him well in the future."

"Slave understands."

The Fu'an Palace of the Imperial Noble Consort.

"Greetings, mother." Prince Wen Hua Qinming bowed respectfully to the Imperial Concubine.

The imperial concubine, wearing a simple plain long dress, knelt in front of the golden Buddha, holding a string of Buddhist beads in her hand and chanting sutras devoutly.

Hearing Hua Qinming's voice, she slowly stood up from the mat. Her skin was as white as cream, her eyebrows were as long as willow leaves, and she was not wearing any makeup. She had the feeling of a weak and sick beauty, with nothing to conceal her stunning appearance.

"Ming'er came later than usual. Did you go to watch Prince Feng and Princess beat the drum?" Her eyes were very similar to Hua Qinming's, with a light color and long, thick eyelashes.

"My mother is in the palace, so the news is naturally faster than that of me."

"It has been 19 years since the drum was established in the year your majesty ascended the throne, and this is the first time that anyone dares to strike it. This wonder of the world must not be missed." The imperial concubine was served by Xuan'er and sat in the lobby.

Hua Qinming personally poured her some tea and said, "My third brother and Lord Han have been imprisoned in the Ministry of Justice. If the Ministry of Justice conducts a thorough investigation of Lord Han, I'm afraid a lot of things will be revealed."

The Imperial Concubine took the teacup calmly: "The Minister of Justice and Lord Han have some friendship in private. Lord Han has been an official for many years. If he doesn't have the ability to protect himself, he is not worthy of cooperating with us. I will send someone to deal with the two guards at the gate. Ming'er, don't worry."

Hua Qinming treated the Imperial Concubine very carefully and attentively, and seemed to want to get close to her, but the Imperial Concubine just held the Buddhist beads and looked at the trees outside the door.

"Mother, you have thought it all out." Hua Qinming sat down somewhat disappointed.

"The Xie family has produced many scholars, but unexpectedly, something happened to the youngest daughter of the Xie family. No one in the court spoke out. At that time, the old ministers in the court did everything they could to obstruct Ming'er and Xie's marriage. We thought it was a miss, but it turned out that God was helping us. The most important thing at the moment is Ming'er's marriage." She turned her gaze to Hua Qinming and instantly revealed a kind smile.

"It's all up to mother to arrange." He immediately responded with a spring-like smile.

"News came from the west. In the west of the Xiao family, the daughter of General Xiao escaped from her marriage and disappeared. Prince Feng is on good terms with the Xiao family in the west. Where can Miss Xiao escape to after escaping from her marriage?" There was a smile on his face, but his eyes were cold.

"She will come to Zhongdu to find the third brother." Hua Qinming understood immediately.

"Marriage is destined by heaven, but most of the time it depends on human efforts." Turning the Buddhist beads in her hand, the imperial concubine looked into the distance again.