CH 41

Ch 41 “I want you to be unable to unravel this Gu for the rest of your life.”

King Xun Mansion.

Xie Chaorong listened to the words of the prostrate man, his expression gradually becoming ugly. This man was not from his, King Xun mansion, but was the servant beside Xie Chaoyi.

“You mean, the crown prince is alive and well, not in the East Palace, but by King Ke’s side? That person who was caught by the king in the palace that day and then asked to leave by the King Ke, was the crown prince?”

Such unimaginable things, Xie Chaorong almost bit off his tongue, is this possible? … it does seem possible?

No wonder he felt that there was something wrong with that person at the time!

“It’s true, this servant would never lie to Your Highness! His Highness the Seventh Prince went to the State Duke’s mansion to pay New Year’s greetings a few days ago, but this servant was not able to get close to serve him, so I only heard a few words. It seems that His Seventh Highness wanted to persuade the Duke and Shizi for his use.”

This person was given to Xie Chaoyi by Concubine Zhao, who took the initiative to come to  Xie Chaorong to seek refuge. Xie Chaorong gritted his teeth when he heard the words: “Okay, what a Good Old Seven, this king really didn’t expect that even this little b*stard would have such an ambitious heart to have some thoughts that he shouldn’t have, and dare to fight with this king!”

He swept his eyes away, and then asked: “What did uncle and cousin say?”

The servant replied with a low brow and pleasing eyes: “The Duke and Shizi seemed to have not taken a stand, but they seemed to be shaken.”

Xie Chaorong suddenly got up and took two steps back and forth. Thousands of thoughts flashed through his mind, no matter how clever Xie Chaoyi is, he is just a kid, he doesn’t need to pay attention to him, but the crown prince who is still alive… 

It’s a pity that he didn’t take him away and kill him that day!

Finally, Xie Chaorong slapped the table and shouted, “Someone!”

He was not stupid, Old Three was the most proud son in the eyes of their father and that person must not want to see the crown prince come back even more than him, so he should have Old Three to resolve it!

After the beginning of the new year, the political affairs of the court and the central government have just resumed. In previous years, at this time, all the ministries and government offices would have no major affairs, and they would usually be able to be idle for more than a month, but this year was an exception.

After the twenty-first day of the new year, when the ministries opened their seals, a small head of the Ministry of Revenue department handed over a memorandum to the emperor through the cabinet officials on duty, saying that he had checked the accounts with the Left Minister before, and found many problems on it. He was terrified and dared not report.

Emperor Qianming read the memorial, and then sent people into the palace for face-to-face questioning, and then ordered a thorough investigation of the Ministry of Revenue and the Guangchu Division. The chief must have his brain dunked in water because the question were listed out, but they were read through in public when the matter was brought up at the subsequent court meeting without even telling the emperor.

This time, the hornet’s nest was completely stabbed, and even the emperor was taken aback. He thought that there was a problem with the Ministry of Revenue and the Guangchu Department, but he only thought that the officials below were doing some stealing and pocketing things, he didn’t expect it to involve himself.

The year before last, he just ordered the construction of the Tangquan Palace at the junction of the capital and Jizhou, and spent two million taels of silver. At that time, he was quite proud that he didn’t spend a penny from the treasury, and it was all his own money. Now it has been exposed in public, in fact, the money was withdrawn from the account of the Ministry of Revenue, even taking up the originally reserved disaster relief money.

Emperor Qianming’s face couldn’t be more dark.

The official in charge was still reading the account book in his hand aloud. From the emperor to the princes of various clans, noble families, and then to the high-ranking officials and ministers in the court, they were all on the list. The court was silent, everyone’s back was seeping with cold sweat. An official from the Ministry of Revenue tried to interrupt the chief officer to shut up, but the man seemed to be ignorant. As long as Emperor Qianming kept quiet, he would keep reading, vowing to read the thick stack of books.

It was not right for Emperor Qianming to speak and not speak. If he did not let that person speak, at this time, it would be read as a guilty conscience, but if he continued to read, he may really lose face.

The emperor on the throne was sitting on pins and needles, unable to suppress his anger, his vicious eyes swept across the courtiers in the palace, and finally fell on his good sons. He was so angry that he wanted to vomit blood.

When the court adjourned it was already past Chen Shi. Not mentioning how Emperor Qianming was furious, Xie Chaoyuan saw Xie Chaorong grinding his teeth in anger, Xie Chaohui frowning and Xie Chaoqi having a gloomy face, and wanted to laugh. It had to be said that he really admired his crown prince elder brother.

Xie Chaorong’s previous suspicion of stealing the Eastern Palace’s warehouse had not been cleared up. Now that he was involved in this matter, he will be hated by the emperor. Not to mention, among the people who owed tax money to the Guangshu Division, His Highness King Xun, also was one of the people who owed the most and was mentioned several times by the chief officer in a very rude manner.

Because of Xie Chaohui’s close relationship with Zhong Liang, the head of the Guangchu Division who died for no reason, the accounts of the Guangchu Division were found out. The “sufferers” including the emperor’s suspicion and anger, unfortunately, he would have to bear this huge burden, enough for him to drink a large jug.

As for Xie Chaoqi, who told him to cling to the Ministry of Revenue from the moment the firearms depot was bombed? In the end, he got into the other person’s trap to harm others and did not benefit himself. If he is not hated by others, who will be hated?

Anyway, it had nothing to do with him, King Ke.

Xie Chaoyuan saw the joke, turned around and left.

The weather finally cleared up today. When he got up early, he sent someone to break the frozen river on the manor to catch fish, and when he returned at noon, he could have fresh fish soup with Xie Chaoling.

Before leaving the capital, Xie Chaoyuan ordered someone to go to Nanshi. Xie Chaoling liked the cakes in that pastry shop, and he planned to buy some to take back.

The carriage stopped on the side of the street, and the servant went shopping. Xie Chaoyuan opened half of the carriage window, looked out absently, his eyes froze for a moment, and he ordered the guards outside the carriage in a deep voice: “At the corner of the street ahead, someone is staring at us secretly. It seems that he has been following for a long time, go arrest and interrogate him.” 

The guard followed the order and left.

Two quarters of an hour later, he came back.

“Your Highness, the person has been arrested, he was from King Xun’s residence.”

King Xun’s residence? Xie Chaoyuan frowned when he heard that, why did Xie Chaorong send someone to follow him ?

He ordered the person to pull the carriage to the corner of the street, and personally interrogated the sneaky man who was detained: “Tell me, what exactly did King Xun ask you to do when he asked you to follow the king?”

The man who was prostrated on the ground had his head held by two long swords and said with trepidation, “His Highness King Xun said to follow you to find where His Royal Highness the Crown Prince had been hidden by you.” 

Xie Chaoyuan frowned fiercely.

After a quick turn of his mind, he ordered the people: “Go and arrest this man.”

The man kneeling on the ground was shocked when he heard this: “Your Highness, spare my life! Your Highness, spare my life! Please let my family members go!”

Xie Chaoyuan asked in a low voice, “How did King Xun know about the Crown Prince?”

“Yes, it was someone from His Highness the Seventh Prince who told him that the Seventh Prince sent someone to follow you in the palace that day, and saw…”

A chill has already appeared in Xie Chaoyuan’s eyes: “What else do you know?

“This little one really doesn’t know anything! His highness King Xun saw that you were not in the residence for a period of time, and only had me follow you, I really don’t know anything else!”

“Go back and tell him that you lost track of me, don’t mention anything else. Help me keep an eye on King Xun if you want your family to live. Make sure you are honest for this king.” 

In the villa, when Xie Chaoyuan came back, Xie Chaoling was sitting on the couch by the window making wine. The room was filled with the aroma of wine.

Xie Chaoyuan lifted his clothes and sat on the couch. Seeing peach petals floating in the jug, he asked Xie Chaoling, “Why are you in such a good mood today?

“There were several peach blossoms blooming in the courtyard, so I had some people pick some and placed it in the wine to cook together. Didn’t Your Highness ask someone to catch fish and stew it? You can eat fish soup in a while.”

During these days, Xie Chaoling seemed to be more and more peaceful, and all his leisure time was spent on cooking wine, flowers and burning incense. He no longer asked about foreign affairs.

Xie Chaoyuan looked at him and nodded lightly: “Okay.”

He handed the snacks he bought from Nanshi to Xie Chaoling, and Xie Chaoling smiled, “Thank you, Your Highness.”

He ate a piece, then smiled and signaled Xie Chaoyuan: “Your Highness, open your mouth.” When the

The pastry was fed to his mouth, Xie Chaoyuan took a bite from his hand, and Xie Chaoling tossed the remaining half into his own mouth with great ease: “Sweet.”

Xie Chaoyuan looked at him, and there was also a smile in his eyes.

Xie Chaoling continued to eat snacks, and gave Xie Chaoyuan a bite from time to time: “I was wondering why Your Highness came back so late today, so he went to buy this snack specially for me.”

Xie Chaoyuan didn’t say that Xie Chaorong sent someone to follow him, but just casually mentioned the event from court: “Because I left late from court, so I came back a bit late.”

Xie Chaoling put his chin on his hand, and smiled again: “Well, when did the memorial of the Ministry of Revenue be handed to His Majesty and by whom? Does Your Highness know?”

Xie Chaoyuan looked at him calmly. Xie Chaoling’s words seemed to mean that the head of the Ministry of Revenue was not arranged by him, and that someone did it first.

“The cabinet officials who are on duty every day, besides the elders, there are also scholars, wanna be scholars, servants, dozens of people. As long as they have the heart, there is always a way to bypass others and pass the memorial to His Majesty. Of course, this cannot be hidden from the eyes of those servants serving His Majesty.” Xie Chaoyuan said.

“So others don’t know, but Your Highness knows?”

Xie Chaoyuan nodded: “It’s not unrelated to the Zhao’s.”

Xie Chaoling was not surprised: “They have thoughts towards the Ministry of Revenus. It was heard that back then, the Zhao’s took advantage of the Ministry of War having a mishap and planted their own people inside and took control of the entire military department as they wished. Now they are just repeating the old tricks, the Zhao and son are not afraid of being known by His Majesty to stir up trouble behind their backs.”

Xie Chaoling seemed to have completely forgotten his identity at this moment, and talked about court affairs with ease. Or maybe he didn’t bother to pretend in front of Xie Chaoyuan at all, just laying the facts bare.

“Can they get what they want?” Xie Chaoyuan asked.

“It’s different today, naturally they can’t.” Xie Chaoling smiled contemptuously.

“Linlang doesn’t have to worry about this,” Xie Chaoyuan said in a low voice, “These things are too much work, why worry about it.”

The wine in the pot was already boiling, and the aroma of the wine was even stronger.

Xie Chaoling poured out a glass and handed it to Xie Chaoyuan: “Then Your Highness will drink with me.” 

After the lunch was delivered, they ate it on the couch.  The fish soup was white and fragrant, and the fragrance of peach blossom wine mixed with it, refreshed the nostrils.

Xie Chaoling took a sip of the warm wine, feeling comfortable all over, and said with a smile: “Your Highness, life in this villa is really comfortable.”

“Then stay.”

Xie Chaoling paused slightly with the hand holding the wine glass. Xie Chaoyuan chucked the meat on the fish belly into his bowl, as if casually saying, “Stay all the time.”

Xie Chaoling was stunned for a moment, then didn’t answer, and lowered his head to eat.

Xie Chaoling drank a lot of wine and got drunk when eating lunch from noon to late afternoon.

His drinking capacity was actually not bad, and he had always been very restrained in the past, so he had never been drunk in front of others. But today, in this villa of King Ke’s Mansion, there were no longer those annoying worries, and there was no need for restraint. Xie Chaoling took one cup after another, and finally passed out drunk in Xie Chaoyuan’s arms.

His body was curled up, forehead resting against Xie Chaoyuan’s lower abdomen. Xie Chaoling’s eyelashes drooped, and his long loose hair covered half of his face, as if he was in a dream.

Xie Chaoyuan poured the last sip of wine into his mouth and stroked his cheek gently.

Feeling hot, Xie Chaoling grabbed his mischievous hand and clasped it lightly.

Palms pressed together, Xie Chaoling stared at the hands of the two and murmured to himself: “Your Highness is obviously younger than me, why does this palm seem to be wider than mine?”

He vaguely thought that this man was tall. Was it because his biological father was actually from Xirong?

“Brother is drunk.”

“No,” Xie Chaoling muttered in a low voice, “I won’t get drunk.”

“No matter how good a drinker is, people sometimes get drunk. Why can’t one get drunk?” Xie Chaoyuan asked in a deep voice.

After a moment of silence, he heard a low laugh from Xie Chaoling in his bosom, and he climbed up with his fingers and touched his chest: “I’m not drunk, it is you, you little b*stard, who put a Gu on me, and your Gu is so powerful.”

“How is it powerful? “

“I can’t tell,” Xie Chaoling covered his heart with the other hand, “Here, it feels so obvious.”

He raised his eyes to look at Xie Chaoyuan again: “Is there really no way to undo it?”

“There is.” Xie Chaoyuan stared at him with unclear black eyes.

Xie Chaoling looked at him blankly.

“I will not tell you.”

Xie Chaoling frowned, and Xie Chaoyuan rubbed the center of his brows with his fingertips, until it slowly opened up.

“You really can’t say it?”

“I can’t say it,” Xie Chaoyuan bent down, his voice deep in his ear, “I want you to be unable to unravel this Gu for the rest of your life.”