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Chapter 547 Still Needs to Spend Money
Xu Yuan had consulted His Majesty beforehand about the plan for Imperial Censor Dai to fake his death and lure the enemy out, and requested His Majesty to send the Imperial City Guard to assist him.

Xu Yuan felt that the mastermind behind it all was not His Majesty—it was still the same reason why His Majesty had no need to smear himself like this.

He has other means to achieve his goal.

If the mastermind is very cautious and doesn't take the bait, then the Imperial City Guard will have to step in and imprison you to bring you to justice.

As expected, the person behind the scenes lowered their guard when they saw that Xu Yuan had been arrested, and walked right into the trap that very night.

Xu Yuan was escorted back to Beijing, which was, of course, part of the whole plan.

When acting, you have to do the whole thing.

Xu Yuan had no idea that His Majesty would bring him directly into the imperial city and even personally summon him.

Last time you came, Your Majesty wanted to test me, but you failed.

His Majesty must have lost face, so he refused to see me and sent me out to investigate the case.

Xu Yuan thought that His Majesty would never see him again.

The emperor's heart is truly unfathomable.

After giving Xu Yuan a "not bad" assessment, His Majesty returned to the dragon throne and gently waved his hand.

The old eunuch in charge of the seal then shouted in a shrill voice, "Kneel before His Majesty—"

Xu Yuan was then sent away...

Xu Yuan really wanted to ask His Majesty: Now that the mission is accomplished, will there be any reward?

Can the label of "criminal subject" be removed from my mind?
However, after a brief encounter and the Emperor's previous probing, Xu Yuan could not yet fully grasp the temperament of this aging emperor, but he could at least be certain that the Emperor had an extremely strong desire for control.

So in the end, I refrained from asking.

This kind of emperor is very particular about "what I give you is yours," and you can't ask for it unless I ask.

After leaving the Imperial Study, Xu Yuan returned to the same courtyard to wait until dawn when the palace gates were unlocked before he could leave.

Not far from where they had gone, the old eunuch in charge of the seal caught up with them: "His Majesty has instructed that you go to the Observatory tomorrow."

Xu Yuan's heart stirred: "As you command."

His Majesty's permission for me to meet Princess Ruicheng is tantamount to tacitly approving my relationship with her.

The old eunuch in charge of the seal conveyed His Majesty's decree, but did not rush back. His eyes were fixed on Xu Yuan.

Xu Yuan took a moment to react before realizing he had pulled out a few silver notes from his sleeve and handed them over.

"Thank you for your hard work, Father-in-law."

The old eunuch in charge of the seal flicked his fingers, separating the several silver notes. Seeing that it totaled two thousand taels, his old face broke into a wide grin: "Your Highness Ruicheng has excellent judgment! Lord Xu has a bright future ahead of him, hehehe..."

Xu Yuan was also reluctant, but once he entered Beidu, he would be bound by Beidu's rules.

When have I, the law magistrate, ever given money to anyone while I was in Jiaozhi? I was always the one receiving money…

Seeing that the old eunuch was in a good mood, Xu Yuan's heart stirred again. He stepped forward and took out several silver notes from his waist: "Eunuch, please put in a good word for me with His Majesty..."

The old eunuch in charge of the seal twitched.

These banknotes have a face value of ten thousand!
Xu Yuan immediately spent 50,000!

"Not bad, very generous," the old eunuch said with satisfaction, but he didn't take it immediately. Instead, he said, "I know about your affairs."

Xu Yuan added, "There will be a generous reward after the matter is accomplished."

"Hehehe!" The old eunuch smiled like a chrysanthemum again, took the 50,000 taels of silver notes from Xu Yuan with his delicate fingers, stuffed them into his sleeve, and turned to leave: "Go back and wait for news."

Xu Yuan secretly breathed a sigh of relief, finally seeing a glimmer of hope.

He suddenly felt a sense of absurdity: he had taken a huge risk by accepting the emperor's assignment to investigate the case of Consort Yi.

But in the end, the "success" came from sending money to the chief eunuch!

Is this a characteristic of my Ming Dynasty? Of course not just the Ming Dynasty. Xu Yuan knew very well that in fact, almost every dynasty in history was like this in its later stages.

After watching the old eunuch enter the imperial study, Xu Yuan turned around and followed the eunuch who had led the way.

But they hadn't gone far when the old eunuch in charge of the seal hurriedly caught up, shouting in a shrill voice, "Xu Yuan, Xu Yuan, wait a minute!"

Xu Yuan stopped and turned around in confusion.

The old eunuch's expression was strange—Xu Yuan was actually very afraid that the old eunuch would suddenly return the silver notes and say, "This matter is not easy to handle."

The old eunuch stared at Xu Yuan and asked, "Did you bring your goose into the palace as well?"

Xu Yuan made an "uh" sound, then his mind raced and he said, "When I came in, Commander Sang Jiu searched me, but he didn't tell me I couldn't bring it."

The old eunuch twitched his lips, flicked his whisk, and said, "Come with me."

Xu Yuan, concerned for Dafu, took two quick steps to catch up and whispered, "Father-in-law, did that beast cause trouble...?"

The old eunuch's lips twitched again. For the sake of the tens of thousands of taels of silver, he said, "Don't worry, although we've caused trouble, it may not be a bad thing."

Thinking about what that goose had done, the old eunuch was both amused and exasperated.

He had just sent a message back to Xu Yuan when he entered the Imperial Study and saw a plump, orange-yellow imperial cat jump from the roof beam onto His Majesty's desk with a meow.

Several patches of fur were missing from its body...

Then, it cried and complained to His Majesty, meowing loudly.

These imperial cats were not His Majesty's pets, but His Majesty, with his stern and austere nature, often fed them.

These imperial city cats are quite magical; with them around, there are basically no minor evil spirits appearing in the imperial city.

But it was precisely because His Majesty favored them, and because these little things had also contributed, that they became the tyrants of this imperial city!
The palace maids and eunuchs were often tricked by them.

They grew bolder and bolder, even daring to openly snatch food from the servants' hands.

His Majesty is of course aware of this.

His Majesty is also one of the "victims".

The Western Regions once presented six pairs of parrots as tribute.

Its fur is bright and beautiful, and it can say six auspicious phrases, such as "May you live ten thousand years."

Now only two remain.

The rest were eaten by these imperial city cats.

His Majesty loves cats and can't bear to punish them, but sometimes he still gets a headache from it.

As a result, this "local tyrant" got beaten up tonight.

And it looks like he was beaten pretty badly.

They may even need to ask people for help to get revenge.

……

Dafu went out looking for food and inexplicably got into a fight with a group of cats.

It chased away the group of cats, but wandered further and further away, and gradually... it got lost.

After wandering around for a while, I ran into the same group of cats again.

You managed to escape just now, let's see where you can run to this time!
Dafu let out a triumphant roar, spread its wings, and pounced.

This time the beating was even more severe, and two of them were captured, forcing the Imperial City Cat to seek help from the Emperor...

The old eunuch led Xu Yuan through a maze of streets in the imperial city until they arrived at the gate of a courtyard. Xu Yuan looked up and saw a sign on the gate:

Imperial Room.

The old eunuch didn't say anything, but he felt a sense of satisfaction that the cats had learned their lesson.

Look where they got beaten up.

Imperial kitchen!
These guys are stealing fish from the imperial kitchen again.

The amount of ingredients delivered to the imperial city each day is limited.

Especially the ingredients supplied to His Majesty and the empresses.

The fish were stolen, and the Imperial Household Department had to report the loss, which was actually quite troublesome.

His godson at the Imperial Household Department also complained about this matter frequently.

Now, finally someone can take care of these "little tyrants".

"Come in," the old eunuch beckoned to Xu Yuan.

Xu Yuan walked in and saw Dafu perched in the yard, with a cat pinned down under each of its two large webbed feet.

"Dafu!" Xu Yuan shouted hurriedly, went over and grabbed Dafu by the neck to lift it up.

But Dafu's two big webbed feet gripped the two cats firmly, and he was also lifted up.

Xu Yuan: "Let go!"

Dafu stared with his goose-like eyes, refusing to let go.

Xu Yuan looked at the old eunuch with some embarrassment.

The latter asked, "What's wrong?"

Xu Yuan said awkwardly, "This beast is hungry, could you find it something to eat, Father-in-law..."

Xu Yuan's voice grew softer and softer as he spoke.

The old eunuch was both amused and exasperated. He waved his hand and ordered his godson behind him, "Go find something to eat."

The little eunuch ran into the room, and after a while, he threw a few steamed buns in front of Dafu.

Dafu looked disgusted—even the little eunuch could tell.

"Oh ho, you're complaining about plain white steamed buns? Do you want to eat meat instead?"

Dafu nodded repeatedly.

"Oh my!" The little eunuch looked on with great interest. The imperial chef from the kitchen followed him out and, finding it amusing, cut off some meat and threw it over.

Dafu sighed; it was far less delicious than the evil spirit.

But I was really hungry, so I'll just eat whatever's convenient.

It released the two cats and ate them with smacking sounds.

The two imperial cats meowed and ran away with their tails between their legs.

Xu Yuan's face turned bright red; he had lost face right here in the capital!

The old eunuch laughed and said, "Alright, take it back."

Xu Yuan quickly thanked him, and after Dafu finished eating, he grabbed the idiot by the neck and dragged it away.

After finishing his errand, the old eunuch returned to the imperial study.

His Majesty, however, was very interested in this matter and took the initiative to ask, "What is it?"

The old eunuch spoke while laughing.

The emperor even managed a rare smile: "This goose is quite interesting."

He then instructed, "Once Zhao Beichen has found out the results, report them to me immediately."

"According to the order."

……

The Guantiantai (Observatory) is located twenty li northwest of Beidu (Beijing).

There is a "Longevity Mountain" here.

The Observatory of the Imperial Censor was built on the highest peak of Shoushan Mountain, "Wanxiang Peak".

Even if an ordinary person enters Shoushan and searches every inch of the mountain, they still cannot find the "Viewing Platform".

Let alone ordinary people, even Zang Tianlan and his group cannot find the Observatory if the Supervisor does not wish to see them.

Princess Ruicheng was extremely nervous when she arrived that day.

If we can't find the observation deck, then we're completely hopeless.

Because of her declining skill level and extreme weakness, she walked in the mountains for a full four hours!

Tears were streaming down my face uncontrollably.

She held on for another two hours, but she was too exhausted to walk any further. When she collapsed to the ground, she looked up and saw a huge, towering mountain in front of her.

At the summit, a high platform floats amidst the clouds and mist.

Princess Ruicheng was overjoyed. Suddenly, boundless strength surged through her body. She no longer cared about her appearance and crawled over on her hands and feet while wiping away her tears.

Then, in three steps, you arrive at the foot of the observation platform.

But the supervising official wouldn't let her in.

No matter how much she cried out and begged from below, there was no response from above.

Similarly, no one can enter unless the Superintendent opens the "door".

Then, she knelt motionless at the foot of the observation platform.

“Since you let me in, you can’t really be heartless.” Princess Ruicheng was convinced of this, and remained kneeling there.

Then, exhausted, hungry, and thirsty, he slumped over and fainted.

I don't know how much time passed after I fainted.

She was awakened by the rain.

She blinked, her eyelashes wet with rain, but her first instinct was to open her mouth to catch the rain.

Vientiane Peak and the Sky-Viewing Platform stand quietly in the misty, vast drizzle.

It was as if there was no one at all on that high platform where one could pluck the stars from the sky.

Princess Ruicheng had drunk her fill and moved around, looking for a place to take shelter from the rain.

She walked around the observation deck and found a small archway.

Under the rain, she couldn't see clearly what was inside, but she shrank inside.

A voice rang out: "Don't go any further in."

“If you come any closer, you’ll have to come and keep me company.”

Princess Ruicheng was startled. She wiped the rain off her face before she could see that there was a fence inside the archway.

But the fence looked like it was just some dead branches propped up haphazardly; it could be smashed with the slightest touch.

Princess Ruicheng suddenly remembered: "You are... Senior Duan Fake?"

Wenren Luo's master was Duan Fa Ke, a martial arts practitioner who was imprisoned by the Supervisor of the Imperial Censor under the Guantiantai.

Princess Ruicheng tried hard to look inside, but it was all dark and she couldn't see anything clearly.

Suddenly, an oil paper package was thrown out and landed with a thud at Princess Ruicheng's feet.

"Eat or not?"

A meaty aroma wafted out of the paper package.

Princess Ruicheng picked it up and opened it; inside was a roast chicken.

Princess Ruicheng was very hungry, but had no appetite whatsoever.

Duan Fake's voice came again: "Don't think too much. Since your teacher has let you in, the things you're worried about will surely be resolved."

My teacher believed in following the will of Heaven.

If you're facing a dead end, there's no way you'll reach the foot of the observation deck.

Princess Ruicheng thought the same thing.

But she couldn't help worrying: "Why is the Imperial Censor ignoring me?"

Duan Fake laughed loudly: "He let you in because he decided to help."

Since he's willing to help, that's his business; let him worry about it.

You should eat and drink as you please.

Princess Ruicheng stopped crying and started laughing.

Duan Fake was imprisoned here for some reason, but his voice was rough and carried a kind of power that could make people feel relieved.

His words of comfort suddenly made His Highness less worried, and he began to eat the oil-paper package, which he held on his lap.

The more she ate, the more delicious it became. Princess Ruicheng suddenly asked from behind the fence, "Senior Duan, would you like some?"

"Me..." Duan Fake cried out in anguish, "That damned old man sealed off my sense of taste and smell, and he won't let me eat anything until I can smell the aroma again."

And that old man is wicked; he keeps throwing out roast chicken, roast goose, braised pork hock, sweet and sour fish, and all sorts of fine wines every day…

I can only look and not eat!
How can I possibly smell the fragrance? That old man just doesn't want to let me out; he's deliberately making things difficult for me!

He dared only murmur these complaints quietly, not daring to shout them out loud.

Princess Ruicheng ate with relish and dared not join Senior Duan in gossiping about their master.

"Then... I'll eat it and you can watch?"

"If I eat with more relish, maybe you'll be able to smell the aroma."

Princess Ruicheng did indeed feel that something was watching her in the darkness.

But after she finished eating, a long sigh came from behind the fence: "I still didn't see it."

Princess Ruicheng chatted with him for a while longer, then her eyelids drooped and she leaned against the wall and fell asleep.

"Your Highness, Your Highness..." In my dream, that annoying guy was calling out to me affectionately.

Princess Ruicheng felt as if she were on a boat, her delicate body swaying with the boat.

She pouted and complained, "You stubborn little brat, you're clearly lusting after him, but you insist on pretending you're not interested..."

"Your Highness, Your Highness!" The small boat rocked even more violently.

Princess Ruicheng opened her eyes groggily.

A figure appeared in front of me, slowly becoming clearer; he was gently shaking my arms.

Princess Ruicheng's eyes widened suddenly, then she screamed and lunged forward, hugging the other person tightly, as if afraid that if she let go, the other person would fly away like a bird.

"Your Highness..."

Princess Ruicheng's tears fell like beads from a broken string, one by one, onto the back of Xu Yuan's clothes.

"You're alright..." His Highness murmured over and over again.

As soon as it was light, the palace gates opened, and Xu Yuan was escorted out.

He went straight to the observation platform.

Zang Tianlan served as the guide.

Xu Yuan was initially a little embarrassed, but His Highness simply refused to let go.

Then His Highness suddenly freed one hand, grabbed Xu Yuan's hand, and pressed it forcefully against his back.

Xu Yuan hesitated for a moment, then finally hugged her from behind.

"Hmph!" His Highness was a little smug.

This time, I'm in a terrible situation.

If you can't even get a hug, then you've really lost out.

After a long silence, His Highness asked softly, "Is the case finished?"

Xu Yuan thought for a moment and said, "I guess the investigation is finished."

The claim that Consort Yi had been married was a frame-up orchestrated by Prince Yong.

That would clear Consort Yi's name.

His Highness said, "Your Majesty... didn't make things difficult for you? I really want to tell you that Your Majesty intends to use this case to kill a lot of people and suppress the voices in the court about establishing an heir."

But once she left Beidu, Princess Ruicheng finally understood.

Xu Yuan could guess what was going on in his mind.

But if it was something the old prince had guessed, she told Xu Yuan in private that neither of them, nor even the old prince, would have a good ending!

Upon hearing this, Xu Yuan suddenly realized, "No wonder it's only 'not bad'."

"What's not bad?" His Highness asked, puzzled.

Xu Yuan then offered an explanation.

The emperor wanted to use the case of Consort Yi to kill a group of people and suppress the voices calling for the establishment of an heir apparent.

But when the case was finally investigated, it was discovered that the culprit was not one of the various factions in the court, but rather one of the Yong Prince's men.

Punishing the incompetent king and his subordinates can serve the same purpose of making an example of them.

However, the effect will be less.

However, from another perspective: if the emperor were to kill all the important officials in the court as he did when he deposed the crown prince, it would be too cruel.

It may not necessarily be the best.

Therefore, the final blow fell on the Yongwang faction, a "compromise" result that the emperor could accept.

Xu Yuan then recounted the events in Chang County and Quyang Prefecture to His Highness in detail.

This satisfied His Highness's curiosity.

After listening, His Highness suddenly asked a question: "Who exactly created that auspicious golden rooster?"

Xu Yuan's heart stirred.

According to the results of the soul-searching conducted by Yong Wang's subordinates, they only sensed an opportunity after Imperial Censor Dai went to Chang County.

In other words, this auspicious golden rooster event was not their doing.

Xu Yuan sighed inwardly and shook his head, saying, "Don't think about it. If His Majesty wants me to continue investigating, then I will. If he doesn't want to mention it anymore... then so be it."

Xu Yuan had a guess in his mind: if His Majesty didn't mention it, then it was most likely that he had instructed someone to do it.

Xu Yuan gently patted His Highness's back: "Let's go, I'll take Your Highness back."

Just as the two stood up, Duan Fake's voice suddenly rang out from behind the fence: "Hey kid, wait a minute!"

Then, with a thud, an oil paper package fell to Xu Yuan's feet: "Are you hungry? Want something to eat?"

"Hmm?" Xu Yuan asked, puzzled.

Princess Ruicheng immediately picked it up and opened it; inside was a braised pork knuckle.

She told Xu Yuan about Duan Fake's situation, and Xu Yuan smiled and said, "Alright, I'll eat it. Senior, try to see if you can smell the aroma while I'm eating it."

In truth, Xu Yuan felt he owed this senior a favor.

The gold originally belonged to him.

Xu Yuan took a bite—he really wanted to make it obvious that this stuff smelled delicious.

But when I tasted it, the flavor was just so-so.

Xu Yuan's appetite has been spoiled by Liu Hu.

Xu Yuan managed to eat half of it before he couldn't eat anymore.

Behind the fence, Duan Fake sighed, "Forget it, there's no point in eating it."

Xu Yuan put down the oil paper package and said, "Senior, have you ever considered that the reason you haven't been able to smell the aroma might be that these foods aren't particularly fragrant?"

“Hmm—” This idea immediately piqued Duan Fake’s interest: “Kid, go on.”

“I don’t find the food appetizing because one of my subordinates has mastered the ‘Ghost Feast Technique.’ He’s only an eighth-rate cook right now, but if his skill were higher, would the food he cooks be able to smell the aroma directly?”

"That's right!" Duan Fake suddenly saw hope: "Go find Wenren Luo, he's my apprentice. Your subordinate who practices the Ghost Banquet Technique, just ask him for whatever he needs to improve his skills!"

"You must raise his Ghost Banquet Technique to the fifth rank as soon as possible, then bring him to see me!"

"Junior, please obey!"

Xu Yuan chuckled inwardly; Liu Hu's "Noble Bamboo" destiny was working its magic again.

This senior, Duan Fake, was the fourth benefactor Liu Hu had encountered.

Xu Yuan bid farewell to Duan Fake and left the Observatory with Princess Ruicheng.

The two turned around, and behind them stretched a vast expanse of mountains.

The Vientiane Peak and the Observatory have disappeared.

After the two left, Duan Fake, behind the fence, burst into loud laughter: "Teacher, you can't go back on your word. If I really saw the fragrance, you have to let me out."

A moment later, a voice seemed to float down from the heavens: "I always keep my word."

"Gagaga!" Duan Fake laughed again.

But the voice came again: "You're celebrating too soon."

“If I don’t let those people who use the Ghost Banquet Technique in, you still won’t be able to see the aroma.”

Duan Fake's laughter abruptly stopped halfway through, and after a long while, he said quietly, "Teacher, you can't do this..."

The Superintendent roared, "That brat is stupid too! Helping you cheat to curry favor with you is nothing compared to directly currying favor with me, the Superintendent!!"

……

With the northern capital in sight, Xu Yuan and Princess Ruicheng sat on the "Dream Come True" carriage, with Princess Ruicheng holding Xu Yuan's hand tightly the whole time.

Xu Yuan broke free twice, but His Highness glared at him and pulled him back each time.

Lord Xu resigned himself to his fate and let her go.

Outside the west gate of Beidu, Mr. Cao and Mr. Lan were waiting respectfully at the gate.

His Highness instructed, "I don't want to go back to the palace. Find a house in the city and we'll move there."

"This..." The two exchanged a glance, then bowed and accepted the order: "Yes."

(End of this chapter)