Jia Tong's exit from the palace was not smooth sailing. Before he even reached the palace gates, he was stopped by someone, who told him that the empress had passed away in a funeral, and that no one was allowed to enter.
Jia Tong found it funny, he was not the only one who left the palace, why did he not stop others just because they wanted to stop him? He passed his identity token to the Imperial Guard and said: "Open your eyes wide and look carefully, I am Prince Chu's First Class Guard."
Those people were obviously trying to make things difficult for him. They didn't even look at his identity token as they had a fiendish look on their faces. "Who cares who you are, you're not allowed to come out. If you continue pestering me, then I'll be rude to you."
Jia Tong was helpless, he could only go back and find Morong Gan.
Ning Jiu heard what he said from the side and glared at him, "If they don't let you leave, wouldn't you think of a way to leave by yourself?"
Jia Tong was not in a good mood, "What idea do you have? In broad daylight, if I can't cover them, how can I fly over their heads?"
Ning Jiu still wanted to say something, but was stopped by Morong Gan's hand, "If you trap me here and don't let me out, could it be that the emperor has plans for Zhu Er?" Ning Xuemo thought for a moment. "No, I'll go find the Emperor."
He lifted his leg and left, while Jia Tong muttered from behind: "It's better if we capture him." The Little Princess will be back once we capture him.
Inside the Chengde Hall, the Prime Minister Bai was trying his best to persuade the emperor, "Your majesty, we cannot lose this opportunity, we will not lose it again. You cannot hesitate any longer."
The emperor felt a headache coming on as he rubbed his temples vigorously. "This is the empress's funeral, it's probably not a good time for Hou to make a move, right?"
"It is precisely because of the empress's funeral that the Prince Chu oversees the entire situation. We can use any weakness on him to make use of this opportunity to punish him for his crimes. The palace's manpower has already been arranged, this time, it will be hard for him to escape."
The emperor was still hesitant. "Although he has handed over the military power, his prestige in the army is extremely high. I am afraid that if we make a move on him at this moment …"
The Prince Chu has the military power, and we can already contend against him. Now that he has lost the military power, even more so, the phoenix that shed its feathers is inferior to the chicken. There is no need to rely on him, the Emperor can still start a prosperous era like before.
The emperor still had a headache, he strongly pressed on it and was about to speak when Gao Shenghai hastily came in to inform him, "Your majesty, the Prince Chu is here."
"Why did he come here?" The Emperor impatiently said, "I said that I would not meet with anyone and ask him to leave."
"This servant said that the emperor wants to stay in peace and not see anyone, but the Prince Chu said that if the emperor doesn't see him, he will definitely regret it."
The emperor was startled, he knew Morong Gan's personality, he would not easily threaten him, if he said that, then he must have something important to tell him.
"Send him in." The Emperor turned his head and said to the Prime Minister Bai, "Go in and hide."
Prime Minister Bai was not very willing, but since the Emperor had spoken, he had no choice but to obey.
When he raised his head, his gaze slowly swept across the emperor's face. To the emperor, it was a gaze that could examine a person thoroughly and clearly. He was feeling very displeased in his heart, and also somewhat fearful.
"Sit," the Emperor said calmly, "Are you looking for me at this time for something?"
Morong Gan looked at him. Compared to the night when he seemed to have lost his soul in the Phoenix Cry Palace, the current emperor seemed very normal. Wearing a jade crown and wearing a dragon robe, his expression was calm.
I, your servant, have already been in the palace for three days, so tomorrow is New Year's Eve. Although the empress has passed away, there are still some matters in the palace that I need to take care of personally, and now that the empress has set up the coffin, I can just wait for the legal matters to be completed before entering the tomb. So your servant wishes to take a leave from the Royal Brother.
The emperor raised his teacup and took a sip. He said slowly, "I'm afraid that's not appropriate. This Emperor has handed you such an important matter. It's not good to leave things behind on the way. This Emperor trusts you. Don't let me down."
"This disciple will not let Royal Brother down with his kindness. It's just that this matter regarding brother Chen's return is not normal. If brother does not return, then it might cause some unnecessary trouble."
The Emperor disapprovingly said, "What exactly is it that requires you to go back?"
Although there was no one in the hall, Morong Gan still went up to the emperor and lowered his voice, "The reason why Chendi is going back this time, is because …"
Prime Minister Bai stood in the shadows and perked up his ears, but at the critical moment, he could only hear buzzing sounds. He could not make out what Morong Gan had just said.
There was a period of silence after that, both of them did not speak. Prime Minister Bai felt that the atmosphere was different, and was very anxious, afraid that the Emperor would be moved by the Prince Chu and agree to let him leave the palace.
Just as he was secretly anxious, the emperor's voice finally rang out. "Since that's the case, go back and settle your matters before coming back. You still need to control the empress's matters."
"Yes, younger brother understands. I'll come back immediately after I finish my business."
Prime Minister Bai was dumbstruck, he had guessed correctly, and quickly turned around, but he only saw the Prince Chu's Robe flash, and he had already disappeared from the door.
"Your majesty, you're confused," the Prime Minister Bai cried out anxiously. "Letting him go is letting the tiger return to the mountain! Your majesty …"
The emperor ignored him and called Gao Shenghai in. He asked him to pass the message and send the Prince Chu out of the palace.
Prime Minister Bai chattered on on on the side, "Your Majesty, it's still too late. We still have enough time to seal the palace doors, so we might as well cut down Prince Chu …"
"How dare you!" The emperor was extremely annoyed and scolded him at last, "This Emperor has golden words, how can I go back on my word?"
"But Your Majesty, this subject has arranged so long for the sake of Your Majesty. Prince Chu has done great deeds for the sake of the emperor and does not even place the emperor in his eyes. The citizens all said that they only know that the Prince Chu does not know the monarch …"
I know all about it, "the Emperor sighed, feeling that his head was hurting again. After pressing it for a long time, he seemed to have nothing to do with it, and then called the little eunuch over to invite the Imperial Consort Bai." The Noble Consort Finger is still the best.
If it was a normal day, Prime Minister Bai would naturally praise his own daughter, but right now, his mind was completely focused on the matter of Prince Chu leaving the palace, so he changed the topic, "Your majesty, why is Prince Chu returning to the palace? How did you agree to that?"
The Emperor's face slightly went pale, then he rubbed his forehead in silence, then said after a long time, "Prime Minister, I can't kill the Prince Chu at this time."
"Why?" The Prime Minister Bai was very puzzled. "Your Majesty can't bear to? Even though they are siblings, look at the dynasty, the past generations. For the sake of imperial power, for the sake of consolidating the country, this is nothing. Your majesty, you are the one who has done great things.
The Emperor acted as if he hadn't heard his words. He stared blankly at the door and suddenly said, "Prime Minister, tell me, will the sky change?"
The Prime Minister Bai was confused, he raised his head and looked, the sky was clear, he said, "This subject sees that it will not change."
The Emperor laughed bitterly. "I hope it doesn't change."