Dress up as a sickly person to capture the villain princess!

After listening to this, Lin Deming looked embarrassed.

He shook his head, made himself another cup of tea, and put the teapot back.

"Shao Xiu, it's not that I don't want to tell you this, but His Majesty's affairs really can't be told to others."

The mist is floating.

Old Master Gu's heart felt as if it had sunk into an icy cave. Even though Lin Deming didn't say a word, he could still see him sighing.

It is not difficult to guess that there was indeed news from the court that His Majesty was in Longcheng.

He made up his mind, opened his official robe, bent his knees and knelt down.

With a thud, the young man from a noble family, who used to be so powerful and influential, knelt in front of him.

"Deming, just watch... our former classmates and colleagues, and tell me about His Majesty..."

"If...if..."

When he said this, he burst into tears.

He wiped the tears from his cheeks with his sleeve, feeling so sad.

"If His Majesty wants to deal with the Gu family in the future, I will definitely not... implicate you, Deming... You know where I am..."

Listening to such a sad voice.

Lin Deming stood up anxiously. He was about to support Gu Shaoxiu, but... his fingers were clenched on the official uniform, and as soon as he touched it... Lin Deming was stunned.

Now that he has been demoted, Gu Shaoxiu is no longer the powerful official he used to be. Even his official robe does not feel as smooth as before.

How could he not be sad in his heart?

Those who grew up together and studied together are now having their homes confiscated or being punished. They all came from the same academy, but are now scattered all over the world.

I don't know how I'll have the chance to see you again.

"Forget it... Forget it, Shao Xiu, please get up first and I will tell you... But don't tell anyone else about it."

"As for today's incident, just say you came to me to handle official business."

Hearing that Lin Deming finally let go, Gu Shaoxiu stood up, his eyes still red.

His body was shaking and he looked like a dying tree, completely devoid of energy.

After taking a sip of hot tea, Lin Deming spoke slowly. He whispered, "In the court a few days ago, it was the Queen Mother who was in charge of government affairs."

"The Queen Mother has always been a reasonable person. She has also explained clearly to the ministers the comings and goings of His Majesty."

"As ministers, how can we not worry about His Majesty? Shao Xiu, tell me... why did he abandon all the ministers and go to see that woman..."

"What's this?"

"I think building the Grand Canal is a foolish plan that will waste people's money and time... So what if the canal is dug through?"

Seeing that Lin Deming was about to digress, Gu Shaoxiu finally spoke up and got to the point.

"These are not a big deal. Your Majesty is in Longcheng... Is there anything unusual?"

Looking back at Gu Shaoxiu's appearance, Lin Deming naturally knew what he was worried about, so he could only stop talking.

He continued, "Now that you mention it, I really remember it. Although the Queen Mother did not mention it directly in the court... But the incident in Longcheng could not be hidden... It spread like wildfire."

"Everyone in the court already knows about it."

“What… is it?!”

His throat moved, Gu Shaoxiu's eyes widened, and he stood up, a little trembling.

Seems like he can't wait to know the answer.

"Your Majesty, a large number of officials in Longcheng were dismissed and investigated. I heard that... Your Majesty found out that someone was secretly mining iron ore."

"Although the mine is not large, it produces only top-quality iron. If it is used on the soldiers of the imperial court, it will be a powerful weapon..."

At this point, Lin Deming glanced out the window suspiciously, only to see that the half-open window was still drizzling.

Only then did he feel relieved.

She covered her lips with her fingers and moved close to Gu Shaoxiu's ear.

"This whole world belongs to the king. How can Your Majesty not be angry?"

"What's more, I'm afraid there are only a few people in the entire court who can understand the skills of finding mineral veins and determining gold and stone."

"I just don't know... who is the rat who dares to be so bold as to mine iron ore privately."

My heart, which had been hanging in the air, gradually sank.

Gu Shaoxiu dug his fingers into the table and his whole body went limp. No wonder... no wonder... His Majesty would come back to investigate Zhao'er's affairs.

I'm afraid it has something to do with this iron mine!

.........

Fengcheng, at the gate of the government office.

Bright lights.

Even the constables who had not received new clothes for a long time had now changed into a new, well-fitting constable uniform.

They held their long swords and did not dare to relax even a little.

I heard that Your Majesty will arrive at Fengcheng in just a moment.

Even all the high-ranking officials in Fengcheng were wearing official robes, standing properly with their hands in front of them.

We are waiting for Your Majesty's arrival with the etiquette of paying homage to the emperor.

The people of Fengcheng had heard long ago that His Highness would be here on tour, so they were very excited and many of them stood at the entrances of the long streets, looking up.

I just hope to see what the emperor looks like sitting on the dragon throne in the imperial city.

Ever since Princess Changyi ascended the throne, they had only gotten a glimpse of the Emperor's appearance and great achievements from storytellers.

The sound of horse hooves approached and the city gate creaked.

It reached everyone's ears.

The people held their breath and knelt down.

With their hands on the ground, they looked up out of curiosity and saw soldiers wearing black armor with long swords on their waists.

They pulled the reins and surrounded the woman riding the horse.

The ponytail was blown by the night wind, and the lit lanterns on the pavilions and towers fell down and blended with the night.

Zhao Changlin's eyebrows were sharp, and her black eyes were looking straight ahead. She hugged the person in her arms tighter.

"Do you feel cold?"

"The troops that came ahead should have prepared a place to rest for the night."

"Wait a minute, I'll ask someone to prepare hot water."

Soft and gentle words.

Xia Zhiyuan looked at the people of Fengcheng kneeling on the ground thoughtfully. Compared with the people of Longcheng who had patches all over their bodies, the people of Fengcheng obviously had a much better life.

Most of them wore coarse linen clothes, and some even had small, exquisitely crafted purses hanging around their waists.

At first glance, there is a small amount of silver.

Zhao Changlin also followed Xia Zhiyuan's line of sight and immediately understood. She explained: "Although Fengcheng is also located in the mountains, this kind of terrain is suitable for planting a kind of tree. The tree takes only a dozen years to mature."

"They plant trees and use mules and oxen to transport them out of the city, and they can earn a lot."

No wonder, when Xia Zhiyuan looked up, he saw that Fengcheng was indeed a continuous stretch, planted with neatly arranged trees.

This is obviously not wild.

"But Your Highness, if we plant without restraint like this, the soil will lose too much fertilizer in a short time. By then, not to mention trees, even grass won't be able to grow."