Chapter 60, the capital city, Yang'an Palace...

Chapter 60, the capital city, Yang'an Palace...

The capital city, Yang'an Hall

The current emperor reclined on a bright yellow couch, wearing only a loose-fitting dark blue casual robe. The robe was made of excellent material, but the embroidery was only average, suggesting it was the gift of some concubine. He was not wearing a crown at this time, but his hair was loosely tied in a bun, adorned with a fragrant, golden osmanthus flower.

Twenty years ago, this would have been considered extremely dashing and debonair, but now he is over fifty years old. Although his deep-set eyes and high nose bridge still faintly reveal the handsome features that once captivated countless women, while his bone structure remains, his skin has gradually deteriorated.

His once tall and upright figure had become bloated, his slightly puffy skin pale with a hint of sallowness, and deep-set, dark circles under his eyes. His once jet-black hair was now frosty, and the sight of a fresh, fragrant osmanthus flower adorning his black and graying bun seemed somewhat incongruous.

Unlike the gradually aging Emperor Guangwu, the decades of imperial life, which held the power of life and death, made this monarch's aura increasingly powerful.

Although he was just casually flipping through the documents while leaning back on the couch, if he lingered on a particular document for too long or if his expression turned serious, all the eunuchs and maids serving him would become on edge and tremble with fear.

At this very moment, the emperor opened a black satin-covered folding book, and as he looked at it, he frowned and stopped for a long time.

The eunuch Bai, who served the emperor closely, appeared to be holding his breath and keeping his head down, not saying a word. However, he had actually been stealing glances at the emperor's expression at least five times. Of course, they would never let their master notice their stealth glances; this was an essential skill for survival in the palace.

Each time he peeked, Eunuch Bai's heart would pound even higher. Based on his understanding of the Emperor, the news reported in this secret report made him very unhappy.

As the atmosphere above grew increasingly gloomy, Eunuch Bai felt cold sweat gradually seeping down his back. He was terrified that he might offend the Emperor in the next second for reasons such as being unsightly, breathing too loudly, blocking the light, or standing too close or too far away, and then be dragged out and flogged.

You must understand that this emperor is not the kind of person who keeps his emotions to himself. If he has anything unpleasant in his heart, he will vent it.

When he's in a stable mood, he's not too difficult to please, but if he's in a bad mood, even if you're very careful, you might still offend him easily.

At this moment, such an aura and expression were, in the eyes of Eunuch Bai, who had served him closely for many years, a dangerous signal that a thunderous rage was about to strike.

Stealthily reaching out his hand, Eunuch Bai made a subtle gesture. In an inconspicuous corner of the hall, a young eunuch saw Eunuch Bai's gesture, his pupils trembled, and he then moved out with extreme care.

This is a secret hand gesture that all the servants in the palace understand. As soon as the head eunuch or the head palace maid makes this gesture to the servants, they must rush to the inner palace and try their best to invite the emperor's recently favored concubine over.

As for whether the Empress eased the Emperor's bad mood or whether she offended him while he was still angry, well... that's up to fate. Anyway, someone has to take the fall.

In any case, in the Emperor's eyes, being an empress always has more face than being a servant like them, right?

"Xiao Bai, go and fetch Xiao Anzi." But this time, before the eunuch could go to the inner palace to invite Consort Wang, who was quite favored by the emperor, the emperor gave other instructions.

Upon hearing this cold command, Eunuch Bai immediately knelt down and replied, "Yes," before quickly retreating towards the Emperor with small, quick steps.

Only after leaving Yang'an Hall did he finally let out a deep breath. With a wave of his hand, without him even needing to speak, a young eunuch quickly went to summon Eunuch Anping, who was not supposed to be on duty that day.

"What did that old codger Anping do? Where did this secret report come from that made His Majesty so displeased? And what does this have to do with Anping?" Leaning against the shadow of the dragon-carved pillar outside the hall, Eunuch Bai kept pondering.

It is said that spying on the emperor's mind in the palace is a capital offense, but in fact everyone in the palace knows that not understanding the emperor's mind is the real capital offense, and many times people don't even know how they died.

“Anping, the secret report, could it be because of that person?” Eunuch Bai suddenly remembered the Prince who had disappeared from the capital for a long time, but had suddenly become very prominent in the court in recent months.

...

“Anping, I remember you were the one who went to Jiangzuo City a few years ago?” In the empty Yang'an Hall, only the Emperor and Eunuch Anping were sitting and kneeling.

“Yes, two years ago His Majesty sent me to Jiangzuo City. It was about the marriage of Prince Cheng, but His Highness has not yet chosen a consort.” Anping knelt with absolute humility, her tone respectful, steady, and clear.

"I vaguely remember..." The emperor paused as if he couldn't remember clearly, then continued after recalling for a moment, "When you come back, tell me that he insisted on marrying a merchant's daughter. He didn't like any of the ladies on the list I gave him."

"Yes, His Highness did say at the time that he already had someone he loved. Prince Cheng, using the identity of Qin Ji, married a woman from the Xiao family last year." Although this matter had already been reported at the time, Eunuch Anping brought it up again.

"That's right, I remember now." After answering this, the emperor immediately let out a cold laugh.

"How could he have gotten married without my permission?"

Upon hearing the Emperor's words, Eunuch Anping immediately slapped himself twice across the face: "This servant was wrong, this servant misspoke."

"Hmph, the one who should admit his mistake is not you, but that unfilial son. Once we leave the capital, he dares to make all the decisions on his own. I'm not even dead yet, and he's already running the household."

Upon hearing this, Eunuch Anping dared not say anything more, only kowtowing heavily before collapsing to the ground. How could a servant like him dare to listen to the conflict between the Tian family father and son? At this moment, he only wished he possessed the skill of the collarbone technique, so he could simply shrink into a crack in the ground and disappear.

Moreover, as a eunuch with some influence in both the imperial court and the inner palace, Anping was well aware that the Emperor's current temper was not at all due to the marriage of Prince Cheng.

The rebellion in Yunzhou has been bringing good news for the past few months, and it seems that it will be quelled soon. However, some turmoil has recently arisen in the court, with several officials from the Ministry of War and the Ministry of Revenue proposing to reward Prince Cheng, who was appointed to the post in a time of crisis, handsomely.

However, many officials criticized Prince Cheng, whose fief was in Jiangzuo, for going to Yunzhou. They argued that his intentions were despicable, as he had not only failed to achieve anything but had also made a mistake. The court was thrown into chaos.

Judging from the meaning behind the Emperor's words, was he actually dissatisfied with Prince Cheng?

Eunuch Anping lay prostrate on the ground, his mind racing, trying to decipher the Emperor's true intentions. But before he could come up with anything, the person above spoke again.

"Two years have passed, and I imagine the ladies I chose for him back then are all married by now. There has to be a limit to his willfulness. I've already indulged him for two more years; this time, I can't let the position of princess remain vacant." After a moment's thought, the emperor instructed, "First, select some suitable women. Tomorrow, I want to see eligible young women who are a good match for Ji'er. Remember, carefully select daughters from prominent noble families who are a good match for Ji'er."

Upon hearing the Emperor's words, Eunuch Anping knew that the candidates chosen this time would be of higher status than those chosen two years ago.

"Yes, Your Majesty, I obey."

"Alas, I once heard a saying among the common people that disobedient children are the ones who cause the most worry and the ones who cannot help but care for them constantly. I used to scoff at this saying, but now that I have met such a child... I understand that it is true."

By this time, the emperor's temper seemed to have dissipated. Not only did his tone of voice become much calmer, but it even sounded like he wanted to chat.

"This is all thanks to His Majesty's loving fatherly heart," said Eunuch Anping, forcing a smile as he held the emperor in his hands.

"I hope he understands. Well then, since you went to Jiangzuo two years ago, you should make the trip again this time. Take the imperial edict and tell him... I am summoning him back to the capital. Since he has made such a great contribution, I am not one to fail to reward merit. After he returns to the capital, it is time to promote his title."

Anping originally thought the imperial edict was about marriage, but he never expected it to be an edict summoning Prince Cheng back to the capital. And after returning to the capital, it turns out... judging from the Emperor's words, he actually plans to not only arrange for Prince Cheng to marry a noblewoman, but also to promote him to the rank of Prince? He's already a Prince, and the next step up would be Prince of the First Rank.

However, none of the princes in the court have been granted the title of Prince yet. If this news gets out, wouldn't it cause a huge upheaval in the court?

In fact, if the title of Prince of the Second Rank were simply raised to Prince of the First Rank based on merit, even if there were controversy, the title of Prince of the First Rank would be conferred sooner or later, so it wouldn't be a big deal. The most important issue is that the Emperor wants to summon Prince Cheng back to the capital.

After all, both the court and the harem had tacitly agreed that only the princes residing in the capital were qualified to compete for that position. Previously, no one thought that Prince Cheng, who had been sent to Jiangzuo early on, had any competitive advantage. So, was His Majesty's action today an implication...?

Anping dared not think any further.

However, the emperor at the head of the table seemed completely unaware of the thunderous impact of his words. After quickly moving on, he continued to ramble on about the marriage of Prince Cheng.

"And bring that merchant's daughter back with us too. After all, it's someone he likes. We can't let her follow him without any status or title. Bringing her back and making her a concubine would be a way to fulfill their relationship." As if recalling his past regrets, the emperor sighed softly again.

"Who told me to be a loving father? I do love my own child." After saying this, the emperor seemed quite moved by his own feelings.

He looked down at Anping, who was lying on the floor of the cabinet: "I gave you this task two years ago, and you failed to do it well." It was a statement, but also a heavy threat weighing on Anping. He naturally understood the implication: if he failed again this time, he would have to answer to the consequences.

At this moment, Xiao Yan Hui was completely unaware of the turmoil in the capital, nor did she know that her identity had been completely overturned by the Emperor's words. In fact, she had no idea that Qin Ji was Prince Cheng.

Completely unaware of the situation, she was still studying the ledger in her hand.