dognovel Chapter 540 We Have Left the Palace
Chapter 540 We Have Left the Palace
Concubine Shu stood up and said, "Yes."
"Aunt, please take good care of yourself. I'll take my leave now."
She couldn't help but feel a little lucky now. Fortunately, her aunt was only paralyzed physically, and her brain was fine. Otherwise, she would have a hard time in the harem...
Perhaps it is because of this that Xiao Yueying treats her aunt like this.
This way, I can take revenge on my aunt without affecting her ability to continue planning for the third prince.
But... no matter how much they hate Xiao Yueying, they can only seize the throne for the Third Prince!
Thinking of what her aunt had told her, Concubine Shu sniffed and said, "Make preparations for me. I will go to the Yangxin Palace to plead guilty."
"Yes!"
As Empress Dowager Liu had guessed, not long after Concubine Shu left, Nangong Xuanyu came to visit the Cining Palace.
Empress Dowager Liu knew that since she raised the emperor, there was only use between them and no real feelings. The emperor had been afraid of the Duke Dingguo Mansion for a long time, and he was probably happy to see her paralysis.
The emperor also knew that Empress Dowager Liu understood what he was thinking.
But the two of them still pretended to be nice to each other, acting like a loving mother and son, and talked for a long time before Nangong Xuanyu left the Cining Palace.
Nanny Yuan comforted her, "...Empress Dowager, no matter what, you are the queen mother. For the sake of public opinion, His Majesty can only be filial to you."
Empress Dowager Liu's eyes sparkled with a sharp light: "Back then, there were so many children in the palace who had lost their mothers, but I could see at a glance that the emperor was smart and ambitious, and ultimately chose him."
"I never thought... the emperor not only did not disappoint me, but also defeated all those who competed with him for the throne. After ascending the throne, even the Duke of Zhenguo and the Duke of Dingguo were no match for him!"
"Ah……"
If she had chosen a prince of mediocre qualifications at that time, with the full support of the Duke Dingguo's Mansion, she might have been able to push him to the throne.
By then, he can only be a puppet of Duke Dingguo's Mansion!
It was because of this lesson that when Empress Dowager Liu asked Concubine Shu to raise the third prince, she did not mind that the other party had poor qualifications. She even hoped that the third prince would be mediocre and stupid.
This way it’s easier to control!
……
The Hall of Nourishing Heart.
Nangong Xuanyu was reviewing memorials when Li Changde suddenly came in and reported, "Your Majesty, the Minister of Revenue wants to see you."
Since ancient times, imperial merchants have always been extremely wealthy families.
After the Fang family was dealt with, all the money obtained from the confiscation of their property was turned into the national treasury.
The Ministry of Revenue is responsible for this matter.
Nangong Xuanyu said: "Send him in."
"Yes."
The Minister of Revenue was over forty years old, rather plump, and looked full of joy.
Just by standing there, he gave people a feeling of being very rich, like the God of Wealth in New Year pictures.
It was just that… because he was a little fat, it was very difficult for the Minister of Revenue to kneel down, and every time he saluted, he gave people a breathless feeling: "Your Majesty, I pay my respects to you. Long live Your Majesty!"
Nangong Xuanyu said: "No need to be polite."
"My dear, why do you want to see me today?"
The Minister of Revenue usually has a smiling face, but this time, no one knows what he was thinking about, his face was full of bitterness.
He raised his hand to wipe the cold sweat from his forehead and said, "Your Majesty, I was ordered to search the Fang family, but I found... found... that the Fang family was just an empty shell. The huge amount of money that the Fang family earned from their business has disappeared..."
The emperor frowned: "What did you say?!"
The Fang family has been an imperial merchant since the time of Emperor Taizu.
Although merchants were of low status and could not make much of a splash, after hundreds of years of accumulation, it was no exaggeration to say that the Fang family was as wealthy as a country.
The previous emperor was foolish and indulged in pleasure, which had emptied the treasury. After ascending the throne, Nangong Xuanyu had been dealing with the mess left by the previous emperor.
But is it so easy to replenish the depleted national treasury?
This time, the emperor wanted to take advantage of this incident to target the fat sheep of the Fang family!
But unexpectedly, the Fang family’s huge amount of money disappeared!
Such a huge amount of wealth, even if it cannot shake the foundation of the country, will have a huge impact on the Great Zhou!
Understanding the seriousness of the matter, the Minister of Revenue hurried over to report it as soon as he discovered it.
Nangong Xuanyu asked in a deep voice: "Where did the Fang family's money go?!"
The Minister of Revenue said respectfully: "Your Majesty, after investigation, I found a part of it and sent it to the palace to Xiao Shuren."
"But compared to the huge wealth of the Fang family, the money given to Xiao Shuren is just a drop in the bucket."
"Where did Datou go? I and the people from the Ministry of Justice are investigating..."
Nangong Xuanyu's eyes were gloomy: "I know."
"When there is a result, report it immediately."
Everyone knows that if one has enough wealth to rival a country, he can support a large number of soldiers, prepare a large amount of food, and produce a large amount of armor.
"Yes!"
The Minister of Revenue looked at Nangong Xuanyu's face, cupped his hands and said, "I will definitely fulfill your mission!"
"If Your Majesty has no other instructions, I will take my leave."
Not long after the Minister of Revenue left, Li Changde came in again and reported, "Your Majesty, the Concubine Shu requests an audience."
During the time when she was the most favored concubine in the harem, whenever the emperor asked for an audience with Concubine Shu, no matter how busy he was, he would put down what he was doing and see her.
But at this moment, Nangong Xuanyu was in a bad mood, and he was not as friendly to Concubine Shu as before. There was only impatience on his face: "No!"
"Yes."
Unlike those servants in the palace who flatter the powerful and bully the weak, even though Concubine Shu had lost power, Li Changde's attitude towards her did not change much. He said respectfully, "Concubine Shu, His Majesty is busy with state affairs and has no time to meet the ladies in the harem."
"It's freezing cold, why don't you go back first? I will report to you when Your Majesty is done with his work."
Shufei had been turned away quite a few times, and her expression looked a little ugly.
But now, she no longer has the capital to be willful: "...Then I'll have to trouble Eunuch Li."
Li Changde bent his waist and said, "Your Highness, you are too kind."
"You walk slowly."
……
After all, Xiao Yueying was once the emperor's woman, and the Ministry of Punishment gave her the last bit of dignity.
Dagger, poisoned wine and white silk, let her choose one.
Xiao Yueying finally chose Bai Ling.
Li Cairong followed her and also hung on the beam.
After confirming that the two were dead, the Ministry of Punishment carried their bodies out of the palace and sent someone to report to His Majesty.
Xiao Yueying had been demoted to a commoner, so naturally she could not be buried in the imperial mausoleum. She was thrown into a mass grave together with Li Cairong.
After a long time, the sky gradually darkened and the cold moon hung in the night sky.
Li Cairong woke up first and found Xiao Yueying's "corpse" in a mass grave.
They have severed their relationship with the palace and can no longer call her "young master". Li Cairong then said, "Master, Master! Wake up!"
After an unknown amount of time, Xiao Yueying finally opened her eyes weakly, still a little dazed: "Where is this?"
Li Cairong cried with joy: "Master, we succeeded! This is a mass grave, we have left the palace!"