allonlinenovel Chapter 181 Chen Fei
Chapter 181 Chen Fei
Thinking carefully about what Concubine Chen had said and done in recent years, there was hardly a flaw. Emperor Shenwu's deepest impression of her was that she was gentle and generous. Concubine Jiang and Concubine Chen had jointly managed the harem for several years, so she must have noticed something. He raised his stern eyebrows and said, "Li Xiang, go and summon Li Zhong to see me."
Emperor Shenwu became wary of Concubine Chen. He directly ordered Li Zhong to clean out the harem's spies once again. This time, the harem was turbulent and countless palace maids and eunuchs broke into the Ministry of Punishment. Most of Concubine Chen's people were eliminated, and Emperor Shenwu unintentionally also removed many of Prince Shen's spies.
In Jiazhou City, Huang Jihong sat in his study with a heavy heart. His trusted subordinate, Yao Qing, hurried into the room. Huang Jihong bowed and said, "Sir, what should we do in this situation? Prince Shen has recruited these strange individuals from nowhere, and all our people have been poisoned by some unknown poison. What should we do, sir?"
Huang Chengshou frowned tightly. "Although Prince Shen is cruel, he's also arrogant. He thinks he can control us by poisoning us, so he doesn't monitor us that strictly. Find two insignificant people and have them secretly reveal what's going on here during their monthly trade with Ningzhou City. Remember to be careful and don't let Prince Shen get suspicious, otherwise hundreds of thousands of people in Jiazhou City will be buried with him!"
Yao Qing's face was filled with sorrow. "Yes, sir. This Prince Shen is truly insane and inhumane. He has already poisoned many civilians and secretly taken them away. Who knows what he plans to do with them?"
Huang Jihong's brows were twisted into knots, "I'm afraid this Shen Junwang is aiming at the Imperial City!"
Yao Qing's heart skipped a beat: "This... this..."
"We have to be prepared!"
Yao Qing gritted his teeth and said, "We can prepare! But sir, our families are also old, young, women and children!"
At this moment, all their families have been controlled by Prince Shen's men.
Huang Jihong's expression flashed with pity and pain: "No matter what, we have to make a living on our own, otherwise we can only sit and wait for death!"
In the Dasheng Palace, in the Suowu Palace.
Lan Qingwu had been recuperating for over three months, and his health was finally improving. On this day, Madam Lan was summoned to the palace to visit Lan Qingwu.
Looking at her daughter's thin face, Madam Lan felt distressed: "My daughter has suffered so much. Now that Concubine Wan has been demoted to Changle Palace, you can breathe a sigh of relief."
Lan Qingwu's white fingers gently teased the Sixth Prince, "Mother, this is just on the surface. I'm afraid there's something else going on. Tell Grandfather and Third Uncle to be careful of Minister Chen and Concubine Chen."
Madam Lan was shocked when she heard this. "Mother knows, but ever since your grandfather arrived in the Imperial City, some old acquaintances have been visiting from time to time, but he has always refused to see them. As the previous Marquis of Wujing, your grandfather has not attended court again. He..."
Lan Qingwu understood: "Mother, tell Grandfather that I will go back to visit him when I have the chance."
Madam Lan couldn't help but be curious: "Can you leave the palace? Well, I'd better hug my little grandson more!"
Lan Qingwu couldn't help but smile knowingly as he watched Madam Lan teasing the Sixth Prince.
The structure of the harem changed again. Emperor Shenwu specially ordered Concubine Yi and Concubine Wen to assist in managing the harem, and divided the power between Concubine Jiang and Concubine Chen. This change dealt the greatest blow to Concubine Chen, as the power in her hands was almost divided up.
In the Yufu Palace, Concubine Chen, sitting on the imperial concubine couch, tried her best to control her expression and calm herself down.
Emperor Shenwu's move was clearly an attempt to suppress him. If that were the case, how could he still hold a place in the harem? There were so many women in the harem, all of whom were quick-witted. How could they respect him anymore?
But why? Concubine Chen asked herself, "On the surface, there's nothing wrong with me. Could it be that I've aroused the suspicion of the Emperor Shenwu?" If this continues, no one in the harem will take her seriously anymore!
And he didn't even have a prince. He had originally thought that Concubine Yi would definitely not make it through this time, and that the prince in her belly would be his. He had never expected her to be so lucky! One wrong step would lead to another!
Although the harem was in turmoil, the former dynasty seemed to have no impact, and daily court affairs were still proceeding as usual.
On a warm spring day, the peach grove planted by the Emperor Shenwu for Lan Qingwu was ablaze with blossoms. Lan Qingwu danced gracefully among the petals, while the Emperor sat beside her, a seven-stringed paulownia xylophone resting on his knees, his bony fingers gently plucking the strings.
After some time, Emperor Shenwu took Lan Qingwu back to the Lan Mansion, and Lan Qingwu met her grandfather who had loved her since she was a child.
After some greetings and greetings, General Lan found an opportunity to speak to Lan Qingwu alone. He asked directly, "Grandfather, it seems that you and His Majesty have known each other for many years. Qingwu, His Majesty is still His Majesty, the Majesty of the Six Palaces. You must grasp the proper balance."
Lan Qingwu knew his grandfather was worried about him. "Qingwu understands, Grandfather. You've been in the Imperial City for so long, haven't you ever gotten together with your old friends? Qingwu even brought Imperial Physician Nie with him today. Qingwu has been concerned about Grandfather's health all these years."
General Lan laughed out loud and said, "Good! Good!"
He added, "Grandfather only met with a few close friends. Your uncle Wei Yanting would come to visit the mansion from time to time."
The two of them then talked about some unimportant things.
Although General Lan still had some doubts in his heart, he did not ask any further questions. No matter what happened, he would support Lan Qingwu and the Sixth Prince behind the scenes. His only regret today was that he did not meet his great-grandson. He believed that he would have a chance to meet the Sixth Prince when he grew up.
In the hot summer, Emperor Shenwu once again ordered the six palaces, royal relatives, and civil and military officials to go to the Miaoling Palace to escape the heat.
This summer was no longer peaceful. Heavy rain had been falling for several days. When the weather finally cleared up, Emperor Shenwu received news that the dam in the jurisdiction of Quzhou City had collapsed due to the continuous heavy rain, and nearly 10,000 people had been affected and left homeless.
In the Qinzheng Hall, all civil and military officials, as well as the imperial family, were gathered. Censor Yan's face was solemn: "Your Majesty, Quzhou City is currently suffering from severe flooding. Some counties within its jurisdiction have been almost completely submerged, and the people have been displaced. The Ministry of Works is guilty of unforgivable crimes!"
Minister of Works Wang Qingjie and Vice Minister of Works Sun Kejun were already kneeling on the ground. Minister Wang spoke, "Your Majesty, please punish us for our negligence. However, there are so many victims now. Please first order them to be resettled. We are willing to atone for our sins and will gladly accept any punishment Your Majesty may give us."
The Left Censor snorted coldly, "Minister Wang doesn't need to remind you of this. Your Majesty must always put the people first. Your crimes are unforgivable."
The Emperor Shenwu's phoenix eyes were unfathomable. "Minister Wang, you and Minister Sun will go to Quzhou City. The Ministry of Justice and the Dali Temple will investigate the matter of the Quzhou City dike!"
Emperor Shenwu made the final decision, stood up and returned to Qingliang Palace.