Four Harmonies and Good Fortune

Chapter 275 Not That Person

The Prince of Huai did not return to his residence, but went straight to the palace to take up his post.

Inside the Yanhe Hall, the current emperor sat on his throne, coughing with his head bowed, while eunuchs and palace servants attended to him.

Seeing that Wang Bingchen had also stood up, the Emperor quickly gestured for him to sit down.

When the prime ministers and the emperor of Daliang discussed matters, there was always a chair.

"It's nothing," the official said, panting. "It's just an old ailment."

The weather didn't warm up, and the Emperor's condition showed no signs of improvement. In particular, the recent events in Daming Prefecture had enraged him, and he spent the entire night reviewing official documents without rest.

The more they investigate, the bigger the problem becomes.

When Xu En's memorial was sent back, it startled the Emperor, who then coughed all day again.

“They don’t just sell goods,” the official said, raising his reddened eyes, “they even dare to touch the military equipment of the Great Liang. Who gave them the audacity to do this?”

"The official documents all say that the military funds provided by the court are insufficient, and they have no choice but to do this, but now they are even selling off military equipment."

At this point, the Emperor grabbed the petitions pleading for the military officers and threw them on the ground.

One of them fell into the charcoal brazier, startling Jiang, who hurriedly squatted down to pick it up, fearing it would burn.

The Emperor has been on the throne for so many years and has never dismissed a minister's memorial. If this were to get out, it would inevitably raise questions, and those civil officials whose memorials were dismissed would all come to request to resign, requiring the Emperor to go to great lengths to appease them.

Wang Bingchen, however, was thinking about something else. Given Wang Yan's personality, he shouldn't have left this matter to Xu En, but should have investigated it himself. Or rather, Wang Yan's memorial should have arrived in the capital before Xu En even reached Daming Prefecture.

What exactly happened that made Wang Yan hand over the case to Xu En? It's impossible that Wang Yan did this so that Xu En would take some of the blame for him.

If Wang Yan knew how to protect himself, Wang Bingchen wouldn't be worried about him, so there must be something he doesn't know.

Wang Bingchen thought of Wang Zheng, who was being held captive at home. After the incident in Daming Prefecture, he and his second brother summoned Wang Zheng and questioned him.

Wang Zheng's hesitant manner revealed that he was hiding something, so they immediately lowered their faces. Wang Zheng was genuinely afraid, but he refused to say another word.

The more this was the case, the more worried Wang Bingchen became. Just how big of a secret was this? What could possibly make Wang Zheng react like this?
“Your health is important,” Wang Bingchen advised, “but the government affairs can still be handled by the two ministries.”

"Spring plowing is coming soon," the official finally stopped coughing. "Year after year, the new policies you mentioned to me have never been implemented."

Wang Bingchen said, "After the market was opened, more people in the city started doing business, and they had more money in their hands, all because of the benevolent policies of the court."

The official nodded in agreement.

Wang Bingchen continued, "The case in Daming Prefecture has also been solved, which is a good thing."

What is hidden in the shadows and unknown to others is even more terrifying. Wang Bingchen could not say this directly, otherwise he would easily be caught with a pretext to accuse him of deliberately provoking conflict.

With the political situation in chaos, some people are taking advantage of the confusion.

"So we have to do it slowly." The emperor understood, but unfortunately his health was deteriorating, and the thought of it made him anxious.

Ultimately, it was because he had no sons. He selected several candidates from the imperial clan, and the final choice fell to the Prince of Qin. If he could live a few more years, he could have made some more careful plans.

After discussing state affairs with Wang Bingchen, the Emperor had the carriage carried to his bedchamber. On the way, they happened to see the Prince of Huai on duty. The Emperor beckoned to the Prince of Huai, took him into the palace, and served him a bowl of hot tea.

The Emperor is very fond of Prince Huai.

"Have you visited Xie Shumi's home recently?" the Emperor inquired.

The Prince of Huai dared not conceal the truth: "I just went there." The Emperor relaxed and leaned back on the couch: "Did you see anyone?"

Aside from handling government affairs, he would call those around him to say a few words, and in the Prince of Huai, he seemed to see his younger self.

Back then, he also had a woman he admired and tried every means to meet her.

The Prince of Huai said, "I looked at it through the screen, but it wasn't very clear."

"That's good enough," the Emperor said with a smile. "If it weren't for the Empress Dowager's intention to bestow a marriage upon you, would the Xie family allow you to visit the inner quarters so often?"

As he spoke, the official sighed, "Back then, Old Madam Xie often visited the palace of the Imperial Concubine. The two of them were aunts and cousins, and they would often chat together."

When the Emperor was young, the Empress Dowager was strict, and he often hid by the side of the Dowager Consort, thus becoming close to her. After the Dowager Consort passed away, the Emperor was truly saddened for a long time.

"I heard that the jade pendant that the Dowager always wore was also given to the second daughter of the Xie family."

The Prince of Huai responded, "Second Madam has always been with Old Madam Xie. When Old Madam Xie passed away, she gave her the jade pendant as a keepsake."

The Emperor was still somewhat sentimental. In truth, the imperial family should not have arranged a marriage between a daughter of a military officer, lest it cause any trouble. However, the Prince of Huai was seeking to marry Lady Xie, and the Emperor, being benevolent and filial, and thinking of the Empress Dowager, was inclined to grant the request.

The Prince of Huai was also deeply infatuated; he was beaten at the Prince of Qin's residence for this, and even knelt in the palace for a day and a night. He went to great lengths to find his savior.

"Your temperament still needs careful tempering," the Emperor said. "Don't do anything outrageous again, or you'll be impeached again."

The Prince of Huai smiled and said, "Your grandson wouldn't dare."

"It was right to marry her sooner and have children sooner." Every time the emperor mentioned having offspring, he would feel sad. If he had put in more effort back then, he might have been able to have children.

After saying this, the Emperor added, "If the Ministry of State Affairs sends a letter tomorrow, pick out theirs first. The envoys from the vassal states will be arriving soon, and the affairs of the border markets cannot be neglected."

The eunuch noted it down.

The Prince of Huai also slowly withdrew.

He is now the emperor's favorite junior, and his temperament seems to resemble the emperor's. However, only those close to him know that the prince cannot tolerate any imperfections.

He didn't say anything, but that didn't mean he was fooled. For example, that Xie Er Niangzi wasn't the person he met at all.

"When will He Tan and Wang Yan return to the capital?" Prince Huai asked in a low voice. "It's not quite the same without them."

……

Daming Mansion.

Yang Family Porcelain Kiln.

Wang Yan dismounted at the entrance, had the back door opened, and headed towards the porcelain kiln.

Several rooms were set up in the courtyard of the porcelain kiln for everyone to discuss matters.

The innermost room is off-limits to outsiders because Madam Xie has been coming here frequently lately.

Madam Yu greeted Wang Yan at the door, but did not open the door for him directly. Instead, her eyes flickered as if she wanted to say something but hesitated. However, after meeting Wang Yan's deep gaze, the upright-looking Lord Wang gave her enough trust, and she did not delay any longer and went forward to lift the curtain.

It's warm inside.

Wang Yan glanced at her and immediately understood why Madam Yu had hesitated earlier: Xie Yuyan had already curled up asleep on the bed.

Mother Yu bowed to Wang Yan, but Wang Yan waved his hand and did not walk forward. Instead, he moved a chair a little distance away and sat down. Although he was far away, his gaze still fell directly on her face.