Her guards

Chapter 149 Something's Strange
"Father."

Chai Yuan was waiting outside the palace gate. When he saw Marquis Yichun come out, he quickly went forward to help him up.

Many officials entered and exited through the imperial city gate, and they all bowed respectfully to the Marquis of Yichun.

Marquis Yichun smiled and nodded in response, then followed Chai Yuan into the carriage. Through the curtain, he could see the officials discussing the matter curiously.

Although the quarrel between the emperor and empress took place deep within the palace, it must have spread throughout the palace overnight.

At this time, the Marquis of Yichun entered the palace early in the morning, further confirming the news.

"How is it?" Chai Yuan asked anxiously from inside the car.

Marquis Yichun withdrew his gaze and smiled: "That's good. I just came out and the Emperor went to see Ah Feng right away."

Chai Yuan spat, "He's always been the kind of person who won't act until he sees a benefit." He then looked at Marquis Yichun, "Father, has he granted your request for punishment?"

Marquis Yichun replied calmly, "Yes, reduce the marquis's salary from 50,000 shi to 10,000."

That would be almost equivalent to having no salary.

Although the Marquis's household did not live off a salary, it was a symbol of status.

Without a salary, having only a title is neither fish nor fowl.

This is a slap in the face.

Chai Yuan gritted his teeth in anger: "He actually agreed! That ungrateful scoundrel—"

Seeing his father come to confess his guilt, that was enough; he should have let it go. But he actually went for it!
Marquis Yichun glared at him: "Shut up."

Although the Marquis of Yichun's carriages and horses were well-prepared, he was still near the imperial city.

The emperor has set up various spies over the years, including the Embroidered Uniform Guard in the open and the secret guards and eunuchs in the dark, making it impossible to guard against them all.

Chai Yuan knew his limits and kept a straight face, still angry.

"It's not a big deal," Marquis Yichun reassured him. "The matter of Ji Ying covering up Baima Town is indeed related to me. I will apologize to His Majesty, and let's leave it at that. As long as he and your sister are well, and the Prince of Donghai is well, we will all be well."

The Empress and the Prince of Donghai were their true support. Chai Yuan understood this and agreed, but as he looked at the swaying carriage curtain, a thought inexplicably flashed through his mind.

Is this really the end?

I feel like something's been going on lately.

……

……

Inside the Empress's palace, the eunuchs and maids all withdrew, but this time there was no arguing or the sound of tables being overturned and dishes breaking.

The emperor sighed softly, "Ah Feng, your father-in-law has indeed come to apologize."

The Empress smiled slightly: "Of course, my father values ​​my position as Empress."

She emphasized her words from her position and continued.

"Am I right? As long as His Majesty says he will depose the Empress, he will know that he must apologize this time."

The emperor looked at her and bowed: "Ah Feng deceived my father for me. It is I who have made Ah Feng unfilial."

The Emperor and Empress did not quarrel last night.

When the Empress suddenly came to the Hall of Diligent Governance, the Emperor was indeed reluctant to see her, but he still let her in.

"Ah Feng, thank you for the soup." The emperor explained to her, "But I'm not in a good mood right now and really can't eat."

The Empress said, "Let me relieve His Majesty's worries."

After saying that, he picked up the bowl and smashed it on the ground, thus creating the illusion of an argument.

The Emperor looked at the Empress: "I understand why the Marquis instructed Ji Ying to cover up the incident at Baima Town. It's not because of her..."

Before he could finish speaking, the Empress interrupted him.

“Your Majesty, I am not unfilial. It was my father who was wrong. He failed the monarch and the people.” She said, “He deserves to be punished.”

The people, the emperor looked at her.

The Empress smiled and said, "She once competed with me for a husband, which I naturally could not tolerate. But now, in my eyes, she is just a commoner. As the Empress, I cannot truly turn a blind eye to the unjust deaths of commoners."

The emperor, his expression agitated, grasped her hand: "Ah Feng, Ah Feng, I am just like you, you, I..."

The Queen said softly, "My family expects me to be a good queen, but I also have my own expectations. I expect my husband to treat me as a wife, not as a transaction with someone else."

Therefore, she deliberately pretended to quarrel this time to force the Marquis of Yichun to take the initiative to apologize, because she wanted the emperor to see her sincerity and that she and the emperor were of one mind.

The emperor gripped the empress's hand tightly once more: "Our marriage was indeed due to circumstances, but after so many years together, you are still just my wife in my heart."

It seems she has made up her mind at this point.

"There's something my father-in-law and I have been keeping from each other..."

"Your Majesty, it's best not to talk about some trivial matters," the Empress interrupted him. "Especially those involving people and things from the past; let them be."

She looked away.

"I don't want to hear it." If the Empress says something like that, it means she knows something...

The emperor gave a self-deprecating laugh.

Yang Luo's affair could not be kept from Marquis Yichun, nor from him. Although the Empress was in the deep palace, she was not an ignorant woman. Marquis Yichun had personally gone to the palace to settle the Yang family's daughter. How could she not guess?

Yes, no wonder Consort Li said that the Empress's blow at the Imperial Academy was particularly vicious; it was delivered with hatred...

"Very well." The Emperor patted the Empress's hand. "That's enough. Let's leave it at that."

……

.......
"Go and tell Qin Fu to inform Father."

After the emperor left, the empress summoned a palace maid and gave her instructions.

"His Majesty and I have reconciled; tell him not to worry."

The palace maid responded and turned to leave, but was stopped by the Empress.

"Remember to ask if there's anything else you're hiding from me."

That way, she would appear as a figurehead who knows nothing, only knows how to throw tantrums, and can only rely on her family to secure her position as empress.

The palace maid responded and went out.

The Empress looked at the palace gate. Her grandfather had married her off to Deng Shan, betting that Deng Shan could conquer the world.

Deng Shan conquered the land, and she, as empress, gave birth to a prince who inherited the throne. The emperor, with the blood of the Chai family flowing through his veins, was the true backer of the Chai family, a noble clan for centuries.

Her grandfather and father treated her as a tool, and she could also use her father and the Chai family as tools to secure their favor, to do what she truly wanted, and to live a carefree and unrestrained life...

The Empress walked to the flowerpot, and a trusted maid handed her a pair of scissors.

"Did Yang Luo send someone to keep an eye on things?" she asked in a low voice.

The trusted palace maid replied, "Your Majesty, please rest assured."

The queen picked up the scissors and cut off the blooming flower branches.

This matter is not over yet.

……

.......
The emperor announced the reduction of the Marquis of Yichun's title and salary at the morning court session the following day, and also ordered a thorough investigation of all officials involved in the Baima Town incident, making the capital bustling once again.

Yang Luo walked down the street carrying a basket full of papers and books, and heard people talking about it in the restaurants and teahouses.

"...The Marquis of Yichun is being wronged. His relationship with Ji Ying was merely one of recommendation..."

"...His Majesty is truly enraged this time..."

"...The Marquis of Yichun, with his profound sense of righteousness, took the initiative to shoulder the responsibility..."

"...The Empress even had a fight with the Emperor..."

"...His Majesty was helpless; such a terrible thing had happened..."

"...Such a big matter actually has nothing to do with Marquis Yichun..."

Yang Luo walked calmly through the bustling street and entered a bookstore. She handed the basket and the shopping list she had written in advance to the shop assistant who greeted her. The shop assistant responded loudly, "Please have a seat inside, young lady. We'll pack it for you right away."

Upon entering the inner room, the old man was already standing there, greeting her with a smile. Yang Luo smiled back and sat down directly.

“Young lady, it seems this matter is over,” the old man said. “There was no mention of Miss Yang.”

He looked regretful as he said this.

“Your young master is too cautious. This kind of thing should be exposed directly, leaving the emperor with no way to avoid it.”

“I suggested it from the beginning. It shouldn’t just be written that Ji Ying blamed himself for the Bai Ma Town incident. It should be written that Ji Ying was ordered by the Marquis of Yichun to massacre Bai Ma Town.”

He did make the suggestion at the time, but the maid, whether out of pettiness or arrogance, refused to listen and insisted on doing it this way.

It was all for nothing.

Such a good opportunity was used by the emperor and the Marquis of Yichun to reach an agreement, making it difficult to reveal their identities later.

The old man stroked his beard slightly, thinking, "It's difficult, but I still have to ask them for help."

If we ask again, one maidservant won't be enough; this young prince Mo should also make an appearance himself.

Yang Luo said, "Don't rush, it's not over yet."

"Not over yet?" The old man looked at the maid as if he was about to say something, when a shop assistant rushed in from outside.

"Master, the Dali Temple has uncovered new confessions concerning Ji Ying."

A new confession? The old man was taken aback and subconsciously looked at the maid.

Yang Luo picked up the teacup on the table, gently swirled it, and raised an eyebrow at him with a smile: "Here, let's begin."

(End of this chapter)