Chapter 247: The Hare and the Dog Cook

Chapter 247

At that time, Song Zhao looked at Noble Consort Chen's smug expression, and suddenly understood one thing:

Noble Consort Chen's foolishness was most likely inherited from her father and brothers.

The harem's greatest taboo was for a consort to have ties with a past dynasty. Even letters sent by a consort's family into the palace had to be inspected by the Imperial Household Department before being given to the consort.

If this letter containing the tiger tally had gone through the Imperial Household Department's hands, Xiao Jingheng would have known about it.

But if it didn't go through the Imperial Household Department, how did the tiger tally and letter get delivered in?

Yet Noble Consort Chen dared to brazenly take it out.

This showed that she was either extremely dull-witted, or had become unruly in the palace, discarding all its strict rules.

Yet Xiao Jingheng did not look into this matter, and instead seemed very delighted.

He said that Ning Grand General's achievements were extremely great, and now that the realm was at peace, he should be promoted and ennobled.

Xiao Jingheng also had Noble Consort Chen's desk and chair moved next to his, and sat almost side by side with her.

Noble Consort Chen was elated, and seeing the Empress to the left with a green face, she respectfully toasted the Empress during the banquet,

"Empress, at the beginning of the new year, this concubine offers you a toast with water instead of wine. This concubine is pregnant and unable to stand, I hope the Empress will not blame me for this?"

The Empress forced a smile and said, "My sister's intention is kind, how could I blame you?"

She, the Empress, still had to stand and walk to the Noble Consort's side to clink glasses with her.

It was truly preposterous.

Yet this scene happened right in front of Xiao Jingheng's eyes.

He only busied himself drinking merrily with the princes, willfully ignoring it. Fịndd new updates at novelhall.com

The next day at the morning court session, Ning Bochuan brought his eldest son Ning Xiuqi to hand a memorial to Xiao Jingheng, asking to resign his post and return home.

This completely dispelled Xiao Jingheng's suspicions and apprehensions towards them.

Prince Rui bowed with cupped fists, and loudly said:

"This foolish brother will surely not fail your order!"

In the following days, Prince Rui wholeheartedly carried out this task, privately probing many generals in a roundabout manner.

He sorted through the intelligence he gathered, but the results were vastly different from his expectations.

The generals' evaluations of Ning Bochuan were unexpectedly good.

They said he governed the army strictly but treated the soldiers well, had no airs in daily life, and could get along with even the lowest soldiers. They could find no faults with him.

Regarding Ning Bochuan's resignation, the generals all said that although they felt some regret, they believed the Emperor must have better arrangements, and as the dynasty's generals they would look to the Emperor for guidance.

Prince Rui knew well that reporting this to Xiao Jingheng would make Xiao Jingheng spare the Ning family.

But how could he willingly let the Ning family get away scot-free?

To him, his birth mother had been hounded to death by Noble Consort Chen, and his arm had been broken by Ning Xiuqi.

He would never easily let go of vengeance for his mother's death.

So when replying to Xiao Jingheng, he embellished and exaggerated:

"This foolish brother privately asked the generals, and they universally sang praises of Ning Grand General. They mentioned Ning Grand General treats the soldiers well, viewing them as brothers, and is amiable without airs.

After all, I did not hear anyone speak a single bad word of Ning Grand General, but only extol and laud him ceaselessly. As for Ning Grand General's resignation, this foolish brother heard some vulgar words that I dare not repeat, for fear of sullying Your Majesty's ears."

At this time, Xiao Jingheng's expression had already become extremely ugly.

He angrily rebuked:

"Just say it."

Only then did Prince Rui hesitantly and haltingly say:

"Some generals said Ning Grand General's resignation is because Your Majesty sees the present peace in the realm and wants to forget moral principles. When the rabbit dies... the hound is stewed!"