Chapter 1 "Hey, big oaf, do you think there's something wrong with this prince's taste? Entertaining guests is one thing, but why put a big plate of cornbread in the middle?"

The tea was good, and the fruits were plentiful, but that big plate of cornbread seemed out of place.

Fan Li didn't mind. He kept grabbing the cornbread and stuffing it into his mouth. He had a big appetite and got hungry quickly. Eating small fruits was too much effort, so he found the cornbread more satisfying.

Hearing Jian Bi's question, Fan Li replied:

"Back when Sixth Prince was so poor he almost couldn't survive, the Lord sent us to give him a whole cart of cornbread. That's what helped him get through that crisis."

"Oh, is that so? So, this cornbread is a symbol of the friendship between our Lord and Sixth Prince?"

Fan Li hesitated for a moment, then nodded earnestly.

At this moment, a woman walked out from the inner room. Her belly was slightly swollen, she wore cloth shoes, and her hair was styled up. She looked charming and exuded a sense of freedom.

Fan Li was only focused on sitting on the ground and continuing to munch on his cornbread. Jian Bi was quicker to stand up, apparently already guessing the identity of the woman before her. She must be the He family woman whom the Sixth Prince was about to marry.

"Are you people sent by the Count of Pingye?" He Si Si asked with a smile.

"Yes," Jian Bi nodded.

"My prince often tells me that he and the Count of Pingye are brothers in arms. When I heard from the servants that the Count of Pingye had sent someone, I couldn't help but come and see."

Saying this,

He Si Si reached out and grabbed Jian Bi's fair wrist,

felt it,

and praised:

"So young, yet so beautiful. In another two or three years, wouldn't you be a heartbreaker? I wonder which talented young man will get lucky."

He Si Si came from a common background, and her speech was friendly, like chatting with sisters on the street.

"Wow, how old is the little baby?"

Jian Bi was more interested in He Si Si's belly.

He Si Si reached out and touched her belly, saying:

"It's still early. They say it takes ten months of pregnancy."

"Mm."

"Are Zheng Fan's people inside?"

Ji Chengjue's voice arrived before he did.

Fan Li silently picked up another piece of cornbread and put it in his mouth to chew.

"Are you Fan Li?"

Ji Chengjue looked at Fan Li and asked.

"That's me."

"Quite burly, with the bearing of a fierce general."

Ji Chengjue then looked at Jian Bi, his first thought being whether this girl was a gift that Zheng Fan had sent him.

Such a custom was actually quite normal at the time, and gifts were usually sent when the recipient was still young.

But looking at the short sword hanging at Jian Bi's waist and the ornaments on her body, Ji Chengjue realized he was overthinking it.

Right,

there was no way that Zheng would do something so tasteless just to curry favor with him.

"What's your name?" Ji Chengjue asked.

"Jian Bi," Fan Li helped answer.

"Hmm, a very unique name."

Fan Li added, "Our Lord gave it to her."

"Sounds like something he'd do."

Fan Li clapped his hands, wiped the cornbread crumbs from his mouth, and said, "Your Highness, the Lord knows you're getting married, so he sent us to congratulate you. The gifts are in the courtyard."

"Oh, that. I saw them."

Ji Chengjue said to Zhang Gonggong beside him,

"Arrange for them to rest properly."

"Yes, Your Highness."

Fan Li and Jian Bi were led away to rest.

Ji Chengjue stood up, walked to He Si Si, reached out to hold her hand, and said,

"I told you to rest at home, no need to come out and greet guests."

"Yes." He Si Si didn't argue, nor did she say that she was bored.

"Oh, right, guess what that Zheng sent as a wedding gift?"

"What did Lord Zheng send?"

"Three pigs with red ribbons tied around their necks."

"Pfft, pigs again."

"Hehe, you know what's even funnier?"

"What is it?"

"These three pigs were bought by Zheng Fan's subordinate from your father's shop. Bought from my father-in-law, sent by my brother-in-law, delivered to my manor."

"Hehehe."

He Si Si covered her belly and bent over laughing.

"Sigh."

Ji Chengjue also didn't know whether to laugh or cry, and couldn't help but sigh:

"I said before, that Zheng is a very interesting person, but I didn't expect his subordinates to be so interesting as well."

"It's a pity that Lord Zheng is guarding the border and it's hard to see him. I also want to meet the famous Count of Pingye."

"He has his things to do, and I have mine. Si Si, this wedding, your father and brothers can't come. Will you blame me?"

"I'm just a commoner girl. To be able to marry a prince is already a great honor. How can I ask for more? Husband, if you ask me about these things, it will only make me feel that you lack ambition."

"Hahaha, it's not about ambition. It's just that my wedding, Ji Chengjue, can't be shabby or compromised."

Saying this,

Ji Chengjue reached out and stroked He Si Si's belly,

and said:

"I'm not alone anymore. Si Si, please forgive my selfishness. I'm walking a road of no return.

We, and our child, including your father and brothers, have no retreat.

Either,

our whole family will be beheaded at the execution grounds;

or,

the child in this belly will one day sit on that chair."

For many men, the watershed moment is the birth of their child.

You will instinctively want to win more, fight for more, for your child. You want to take all the best things in this world and give them to him.

And that chair is the best gift that Ji Chengjue can think of.

He Si Si wasn't frightened by these grim words, but instead covered her mouth and laughed.

"What are you laughing at?"

"I'm laughing at the fact that a year ago, I was just a butcher's daughter helping my father and brothers with business. Now, the child in my belly has the chance to sit on the throne."

"Are you afraid?"

"What do I have to be afraid of? Life is but once. Since there's this opportunity, why not bet everything?"

After all, she was the He family girl who had held a hairpin to her neck and insisted on delivering meat herself at night.

What she showed at this time

was a kind of boldness that surpassed ordinary people.

Perhaps, this was her true nature. Dragon and phoenixes can indeed be born from humble beginnings.

Ji Chengjue looked at his wife.

To be honest,

if the origin of everything was his fleeting glance that day, seeing the butcher's Xi Shi behind Old He and finding her pleasing to the eye, then her personally coming to his door at night to offer her virginity had given Sixth Prince Ji a deep infatuation.

His woman, the mother of his child,

could be a commoner, whether a butcher's daughter or a fisherman's daughter, it didn't matter;

but she had to have a fiery personality,

otherwise, life would be too bland.

"Even today, my eldest brother is leading troops outside, helping me clear trade routes. None of my other brothers have even come to offer a word, saying they'll come help on my wedding day.

They are all waiting to see me make a fool of myself. They all think I'm just duckweed, sinking and floating, with no real shape.

This time,

I'll really open their eyes,

let them see clearly, let them understand,

as long as Father doesn't interfere,

my brothers,

aren't even qualified to stand before me!"

…

Lakeside Pavilion.

This was a desolate place. The perimeter was patrolled by armored soldiers, while the interior was empty, without even a single servant.

Daily meals and supplies were delivered by two deaf-mute people. What the person inside needed would be written on a piece of paper, which the two deaf-mute people would take out. The items would be prepared the next day and then brought in.

It was said that life in the Lakeside Pavilion was hard;

but in reality, compared to the loneliness of this isolation from the world, this bit of hardship was nothing.

"Clang!"

The iron door's lock was opened.

Ji Chengjue carried a food box and, under the gaze of the two deaf-mute servants, walked toward the Lakeside Pavilion.

Inside the Lakeside Pavilion was a man in white clothes. The clothes were still clean, but his hair had grown ridiculously long.

He wasn't writing poetry in the Lakeside Pavilion, nor was he playing the zither.

Instead, he was squatting on the bluestone bricks, watching the ants move.

When Ji Chengjue walked over, he noticed someone approaching, looked up in confusion, and after a long while, said in surprise:

"Sixth!"

The loneliness of the Lakeside Pavilion had long worn away most things, including hatred.

In fact, apart from the fact that Zheng Fan, who had made the first move, had initially risen to prominence because of Sixth Prince Ji, the Third Prince and Ji Chengjue didn't really have any deep hatred for each other.

"Third Brother."

Ji Chengjue simply sat down on the ground,

opened the food box,

and took out a pot of wine, a plate of stir-fried loofah, a plate of stir-fried garland chrysanthemum, and a plate of braised pork.

The Third Prince also sat down on the ground, a smile on his face, and said:

"Did Father ask you to come see me?"

Ji Chengjue shook his head, saying:

"Brother, you know in your heart that as long as the Marquis of Jingnan isn't dead, you can forget about leaving this Lakeside Pavilion."

The Third Prince paused, then let out a bitter laugh, saying:

"Why have you become so blunt?"

To outsiders, the Third Prince's situation was because he had made a mistake and was being punished by the Yan Emperor.

But in essence, he had run into the Marquis of Jingnan's knife, because the same night he was deposed, the Marquis of Jingnan had slaughtered his entire family.

In essence, he had been used by the Yan Emperor as a vent for the Marquis of Jingnan's anger.

For the Yan Emperor, a son was nothing compared to a Tian Wu Jing.

Therefore, if the Marquis of Jingnan didn't die, the Third Prince couldn't leave the Lakeside Pavilion.

Ji Chengjue sighed and said, "Because I don't want to pretend anymore."

"Oh?"

The Third Prince raised an eyebrow, then picked up his chopsticks, picked up a piece of braised pork, put it in his mouth, and chewed as he said:

"The taste is very good, rich but not greasy."

"Your sister-in-law made it herself, eat more."

"Okay."

The Third Prince began to eat very seriously, while Ji Chengjue silently drank his wine.

The two brothers hadn't been close before, and even now, there was still no warmth between them.

Finally, after most of the food was gone, the Third Prince let out a satisfied sigh and said:

"It's been a long time since I've eaten so much, my stomach will hurt again tonight."

His body had been damaged, and the Lakeside Pavilion wasn't a place for recuperation, so it had left him with lingering illnesses.

In fact, he looked much older than his actual age.

"Do you have confidence?" the Third Prince asked.

"How can you talk about confidence in this kind of thing? Father is the sky. No matter how much we brothers fight, we're just crickets in a bamboo basket in front of Father."

"I can't help you with anything," the Third Prince said.

This prince, who had once been called the inheritor of the Great Yan's literary tradition, had been basically ruined since he was imprisoned in the Lakeside Pavilion, not only his body but also the forces he had originally commanded.

"Brother, even if you weren't here, in my eyes, you couldn't help much either."

"Your words are so hurtful."

"Sorry."

"In this Lakeside Pavilion, I can actually read some of the imperial court's gazettes, so I have a rough idea of what's been happening outside these past few years."

"For example, our Great Yan's Count of Pingye?"

"Are you deliberately trying to needle me?"

"Just wanted to see your reaction. After all, you know, we brothers have never been used to playing the game of brotherly love since we were kids. Only Second Brother is the Crown Prince now, so he'll make a special effort to show it."

"I know, the Count of Pingye is your man."

"Aiyo, aiyo, Brother, I'm really embarrassed to say that. He's now the Count of Pingye, the garrison commander of Xuehai Pass, the Marquis of Jingnan's favorite.

He's not my lackey."

The Third Prince looked at Ji Chengjue, remained silent for a long time, seemingly thinking about something, and finally smiled freely, saying:

"I wasn't planning to say this, afraid you'd think I was trying to sow discord, but I'll say it anyway, because you know that I have no need to sow discord now. In my current situation, I no longer hope to leave this place. It would actually be a relief to be simply and decisively executed.

I still remember the look in Zheng Fan's eyes when he attacked me that day."

"Please speak."

"In his eyes, I didn't see the slightest bit of respect. He simply doesn't revere the imperial bloodline in our bodies."

Not revering the imperial bloodline

meant, in essence,

not respecting imperial power.

Ji Chengjue smiled and said, "I knew it long ago."

"Mm."

"But, Brother, what's so special about the bloodline in our bodies? Brother, do you know why you brought this upon yourself? Those Confucian scholars kept spouting orthodoxy, righteousness, and the king being the subject's master in your ears all day long, and you actually believed it."

The Third Prince hesitated.

Ji Chengjue raised his wine cup, drank a mouthful by himself, and said:

"To put it bluntly, if it weren't for our Father sitting on the dragon throne right now, tell me, who could suppress the Marquis of Zhenbei and the Marquis of Jingnan? They might have already marched their troops straight into Yanjing and changed the dynasty long ago.

What bullshit imperial bloodline. People are prone to this problem. When life gets a little better and they sit a little higher, they always think they're different from others and naturally superior.

The century-old clans of our Great Yan have also been weathered away. Saying they care is a fake care. Others can say they care to your face, but you can't really think they care.

So, the wife I just found is a commoner. My father-in-law is a butcher, and my brother-in-law is also a butcher. Their butchering skills are really something."

"Heh... Hehehe."

The Third Prince laughed, and as he laughed, it seemed that tears were falling.

"Sixth Brother, I'm a little younger than Eldest Brother and Second Brother, and I remember things a few years later. I seem to have heard an old minister say in the early years that Father was very fond of you when you were little.

But I've always dismissed it, because at that time, in my eyes, you were just a leisurely prince, eating, drinking, and muddling along.

Thinking about it now, my vision was indeed shallow."

"Don't mention it. Even Second Brother, who remembers things earlier, doesn't look at me properly now, let alone Third Brother."

"So, you're planning to change your life?"

Ji Chengjue nodded and said:

"Change my life, bet my wealth, my life, my wife, my children, and formally declare to the world that I, Ji Chengjue, am going to fight for the throne, to compete with Second Brother for the position of crown prince."

"Since your wedding is coming up, Second Brother's wedding should also be continuing, right?"

"Hehehe."

Ji Chengjue raised his head and laughed continuously, laughing until he coughed.

"What's wrong?" the Third Prince asked.

In the Third Prince's opinion, the reason why he had no hope of leaving the Lakeside Pavilion, or even of getting a clean break, was precisely because it involved the Marquis of Jingnan.

And once the Crown Prince and the Marquis of Zhenbei's family formed a marriage alliance, it would be like adding another layer of protection.

Ji Chengjue put his finger to his lips and said:

"I dare not say."

"Why don't you dare to say?"

"Or, it's that I don't want to say."

Ji Chengjue stood up, didn't pack up anything, and prepared to leave.

From beginning to end, the Third Prince didn't ask Ji Chengjue why he had come to the Lakeside Pavilion to see him, and Ji Chengjue didn't want to explain it.

When Ji Chengjue turned to walk out,

the Third Prince called out:

"When your child is old enough to practice writing, ask me for copybooks. I'll start preparing them today."

Ji Chengjue didn't stop, didn't turn around, didn't even look back,

just raised his hand and waved,

"Thanks, Brother."

…

Two days later, in the morning,

Chen Ziyou, a board member of the Ministry of Rites, wore his official uniform, carrying a basket of red eggs in his left hand and a stack of new clothes in his right hand, and came to the entrance of the prince's residence.

He didn't seem to be planning to go in, but put the basket of red eggs on the ground first, then leaned against the stone lion with the stack of new clothes to rest.

About a quarter of an hour later,

Ji Chengjue walked out from inside, followed by Zhang Gonggong behind him.

The Sixth Prince was wearing court clothes today, with a red flower pinned to his chest, and Zhang Gonggong also changed into a new eunuch's uniform, and specially matched it with a new duster.

Chen Ziyou was already dozing off against the stone lion, and Zhang Gonggong stepped forward to gently wake him up.

"Sir Chen? Sir Chen?"

"Oh, ah, ah!"

Chen Ziyou reached out and wiped the saliva from the corner of his mouth, his eyes first looking at Zhang Gonggong, then falling on Ji Chengjue.

Then, he picked up the eggs and hurried over, saying:

"Your Highness, this basket of eggs was painted red by this humble official and his wife and daughters last night. This new clothes were sewn by this humble official's wife and daughters, given to Your Highness, wishing Your Highness a happy new marriage and an early birth of a noble son!"

Ji Chengjue looked at Chen Ziyou, nodded, and said:

"Sir Chen, you've put your heart into it."

Zhang Gonggong immediately stepped forward and took the things.

Chen Ziyou then bowed again and said:

"Your Highness, please bring out Lady He."

Hearing this, Ji Chengjue said: "My wife hasn't been here since last night."

"This……"

Chen Ziyou was a little shocked.

According to the original etiquette process, a team of imperial guards should be sent from the palace, together with the yamen of the capital, to escort the wedding sedan and the Sixth Prince from Baihua Street, and then enter the palace to meet the emperor.

The ceremony was simple, even monotonous, but this was the most that Chen Ziyou could fight for.

He was just a board member sitting on the sidelines, how much face could he have?

Moreover, those real bigwigs of each department were also very tacit in turning a blind eye to this matter, and even His Majesty did not issue a formal decree on the wedding.

"What, where is there a marriage, letting your own wife come out of your own home, turn around and go back?

Sir Chen, is that the process when you got married?"

"Your Highness, but, but Lady He is a commoner woman."

"What about a commoner woman? Since she is my wife, I will not let her suffer this grievance. According to Great Yan custom, when a married couple has one who marries far away, they should choose a relative or friend from the husband's family and recognize their home as the place of lodging, and then the groom will pick up the bride from there.

When my eldest brother got married, didn't my sister-in-law also recognize Madam Zhao Jiulang as her godmother, and didn't my eldest brother also pick up my sister-in-law from Zhao Jiulang's mansion?"

"But, but, but..." Chen Ziyou took a deep breath and still said what he wanted to say, "Your Highness, the Prime Minister's acceptance of the Grand Princess as his goddaughter was His Majesty's decree, but you don't have it here.

If Your Highness wants to, you should have asked His Majesty to issue a decree a few days ago, and today is the day of the wedding, Your Highness should follow the rules."

"Rules?"

"It's the regulations that this humble official sent to the mansion a few days ago."

"Oh, I didn't read it."

"…………" Chen Ziyou.

"Whether the rules are rules or not, it doesn't mean anything. In addition, this humble official also sent a message to the imperial guards last night, telling them to rest today and not to come.

Second Brother's wedding last time had a total of ten imperial guard units dispatched, but here at this humble official's place, there's only one unit. A comparison is like no comparison, it's just too shabby here.

This humble official also sent someone to inform the yamen of the capital, and they don't need to come either."

"Your Highness, then what should we do? The auspicious time is very near. This humble official will go and notify them immediately, and let them..."

"There's no need, Sir Chen, you are the master of ceremonies that Father appointed for this wedding, with you, it's enough. Now, accompany this humble official to pick up the bride."

Only then did Chen Ziyou remember that the Sixth Prince said earlier that Lady He had been sent away last night, and immediately asked:

"Your Highness, may I ask where Lady He is now?"

"At the place of the Fengxin Madam."

"Fengxin Madam?"

The Fengxin Madam was the current Majesty's wet nurse. The Majesty grew up drinking her milk. After the Majesty ascended the throne, he bestowed upon her a title and a mansion. At the same time, the son of the Fengxin Madam, the Majesty's milk brother, has long been working in the Secret Intelligence Department, surnamed Lu, named Lu Bing.

It can be said that among the dignitaries in the capital, if judged by pure nobility, the Fengxin Madam's mansion is the first.

Because after the suppression of the aristocratic families, in Great Yan, in Yanjing, the only person who can truly make the current Holy Emperor bow his head and recognize as his junior is she, when the Majesty sees her, he must respectfully call her "wet nurse."

And the Lu family has always been extremely low-key. The Fengxin Madam usually recites scriptures at home and does not ask about external affairs. Lu Bing has a high position in the Secret Intelligence Department, but he is extremely modest.

What surprised Chen Ziyou was that Sixth Prince's wedding had actually been tacitly cold-processed by the bigwigs of the various departments of the imperial court, under the premise that His Majesty had not spoken.

One reason was that some of the recent events in the Ministry of Revenue had made many courtiers feel disgusted with the Sixth Prince's strong methods, and the other was that the Crown Prince had not come forward to really help organize it, so how could others join in the fun?

"Lu Wangshi has already taken He shi as her goddaughter, and today, the Lu family is He's family."

Lu Wangshi is Lu Bing's wife. Accepting her as a goddaughter means that she has a temporary family name.

Chen Ziyou opened his mouth,

and could only say:

"Your Highness, what about the wedding sedan and the red ceremony team?"

Before the Crown Prince's wedding, both the national treasury and the inner treasury allocated funds, and every piece of jewelry on the Crown Prince and "Crown Princess" and the layout of the Eastern Palace were meticulously re-arranged, which can be described as quite exquisite.

However, Ji Chengjue's side was going to use the wedding sedan from the Zongzheng Mansion. Generally, the children of the imperial family would borrow from the Zongzheng Mansion for their weddings.

After all, the wedding sedan is similar to the wedding dress of later generations, and most people only use it once, so few people will buy it, and it is basically rented.

Of course, it is really embarrassing for a dignified prince to borrow a wedding sedan from the Zongzheng Mansion.

But on the one hand, the Yan Emperor did not speak, and on the other hand, Ji Chengjue himself did not make any trouble or make any demands, so everyone from top to bottom could be "thrifty" if they could be "thrifty."

Originally, when the unit of imperial guards came out of the palace, they would bring the wedding sedan. At the same time, they also had the costumes to act as the red ceremony team, that is, the honor guard.

But since the Sixth Prince sent a message to the imperial guards last night, telling people not to come, the wedding sedan would naturally be gone.

Ji Chengjue put his hands on his hips,

and said:

"How can this humble official's princess will be allowed to compromise."

As soon as he finished speaking,

the sound of gongs and drums came from the street outside the prince's mansion, causing the soldiers guarding here to quickly make preparations.

Soon,

a group of men and women dressed in festive red clothes walked towards here. The leader was an old man with white hair, whose body looked still very strong. He led a white horse with colorful edges.

And in the team behind him, there was a thirty-two-carried large wedding sedan.

The corners of the upper end of the wedding sedan were inlaid with Eastern pearls, and the red silk that draped down like a waterfall was also inlaid with gold edges. Although there were special requirements and restraints in some places because it was necessary to avoid violations, under the existing conditions, it had already presented a kind of shocking extravagance.

The white-haired old man walked to the steps and knelt directly to Ji Chengjue:

"Ning Derong, the helmsman of the Ning'an Escort Agency, pays his respects to the young master!"

The main helm of the Ning'an Escort Agency is in Tu Man City. It is said to be an escort agency, but it is actually more of a caravan. They are active in the desert and on the road to the west. Without enough strength and ability, it is absolutely impossible to eat this bowl of rice.

In the past few years, because the Min family was destroyed, the Ning'an Escort Agency was suppressed by the Beifeng Liu family, an aristocratic family in Beifeng County, but even so, it still firmly held half of the share, and after the suppression of the aristocratic families, the Beifeng Liu family was directly crushed by the Zhenbei Army, and the Escort Agency quickly seized the previously lost market share and re-strengthened.

When Ji Chengjue and Zheng Fan met outside the Marquis of Zhenbei's mansion, in fact, at that time, Ji Chengjue had a force under his command in Beifeng County that had been discovered by Si Niang, which came from the Ning'an Escort Agency.

"Uncle Ning, please get up."

Ji Chengjue personally stepped forward and helped Ning Derong up.

Ning Derong looked at Ji Chengjue and said with a smile:

"Today the young master is getting married, and the master and miss must be extremely happy if they are alive.

Young master, this wedding sedan is modeled after the one Miss used to sit in when she married into the palace."

In the past, Concubine Min married into the palace sitting in a sedan exactly like this one. At that time, the Majesty was just a prince.

Ji Chengjue looked at Chen Ziyou and said:

"Please trouble Sir Chen to take charge of the situation and accompany this humble official to pick up the bride."

After speaking,

Ji Chengjue jumped on the horse.

Chen Ziyou only felt a little muddled, but still walked to the front of the team and began to lead the way.

The wedding sedan got up,

front and back, gongs and drums were noisy.

Ji Chengjue's eyes couldn't help but glance in the direction of the imperial palace,

He was very curious,

very curious about his father,

if he saw this scene, saw this wedding sedan,

what would he think.

…

"Ning'an Escort Agency."

"Yes, Your Majesty." Wei Zhonghe replied.

"Hehe, Liang Ting once wrote to me, asking me whether I want to cut off the Ning'an Escort Agency and the Beifeng Liu family together."

"It is Your Majesty's benevolence."

"No, Liang Ting would not ask such a question, his asking means that he does not want to cut it off. You must know that when the old Patriarch of the Min family created this Escort Agency, he gave the Marquis of Zhenbei's Mansion, that is, Liang Ting's father, 40% of the dry shares."

Wei Zhonghe was shocked in his heart. The Secret Intelligence Department had never known about this.

Of course, you can't blame the Secret Intelligence Department for not doing its job well, because the Marquis of Zhenbei's Mansion is a forbidden area of the Secret Intelligence Department. Without the current Holy Emperor's explicit decree, the Secret Intelligence Department's spies cannot truly investigate the Marquis of Zhenbei's Mansion.

But who would have thought that the old Patriarch of the Min family would actually join forces with the Marquis of Zhenbei's Mansion to do business.

"My milk brother, didn't go to work today?"

"Returning to Your Majesty, Lu Bing has asked for leave today."

Now it seems that this leave of absence was clearly to go back to arrange the wedding. After all, even if it is a temporary family, there are still many matters that need to be prepared. At the same time, Lu Bing and his wife will become the elders of the He family and receive Sixth Prince's tea.

"Are you also unclear why my wet nurse would support Chengjue in this way?"

"Your Majesty, this servant really doesn't know."

"Because Chengjue is likable, if he really wants to please someone, it is difficult for anyone not to like him. When I went to visit the wet nurse at the beginning of the year, the wet nurse told me that over the years, whenever it was the New Year or holidays, as long as Chengjue was in the capital, he would come to visit her, and if he wasn't, the gift would never be missed.

Among my seven sons, only Chengjue does this."

"Your Majesty……"

Wei Zhonghe didn't know how to respond, saying that the Sixth Prince was purely filial? Wouldn't that be lying through his teeth? But could you say that he was calculating?

However,

the Yan Emperor's next sentence directly frightened Wei Zhonghe to kneel on the ground.

The Yan Emperor said:

"Just like so many great eunuchs in our palace, usually they are the ones who receive money from others to show their respect, but each of them is willing to take the initiative to send money and food to Chengjue, and they are still happy in their hearts.

Wei Zhonghe, how about you, do you like Chengjue?"

"Your Majesty, this servant is loyal to Your Majesty, and has absolutely no second thoughts!"

"Get up, just saying it casually, I still trust you."

"Thank you, Your Majesty."

Wei Zhonghe slowly got up, his back already soaked with cold sweat.

Because he determined today that in addition to the Secret Intelligence Department, His Majesty also had another intelligence department that was so mysterious that even he, Wei Zhonghe, didn't know about it.

"This is just the beginning, and there are many more families next, hehe, each of them is usually inconspicuous, they are really hiding deep enough."

Hearing this, Wei Zhonghe said with emotion: "I didn't expect the Min family to have accumulated so much power back then."

The Yan Emperor snorted coldly,

and said:

"The Min family has been destroyed by Wujing for so many years, even if a centipede is dead but not stiff, it wouldn't be to this extent.

Do you know, who is the one who has taken in the most land and tenant farmers after I suppressed the aristocratic families?

Do you know, who is the one who hoarded grain and sold it to the imperial court in advance when I ordered Wujing Liangting to send troops into Qian?

Do you know, who else is following up when Wujing destroys Jin?

I am doing things in front,

and my son is making a fortune behind me!"

Whenever the Yan Emperor wanted to do something,

his son could often foresee it in advance, and then make arrangements in advance and follow up in time, naturally eating his fill.

This made the Yan Emperor feel like he was working for his son!

Back in Beifeng County, when the entire Great Yan aristocratic powers were waiting for the imperial court and the Marquis of Zhenbei's Mansion to split up and go to war, Xiao Liuzi had frankly said to Zheng Fan that this was a charade.

Wei Zhonghe's body began to tremble slightly, and it was only then that he realized that the Sixth Prince, who always looked so harmless when he smiled, actually had this appearance.

He had always thought that because of his relationship with the Secret Intelligence Department, his understanding of the Sixth Prince should be much deeper than others, but he was only on the third floor, while the Sixth Prince was on the fifth floor.

The Yan Emperor continued:

"Why have the two Ministers of Revenue collapsed, but I haven't said anything? Because the Ministry of Revenue is full of nothing but wine bags and rice sacks, I ordered the Ministry of Revenue to take away the industries in Chengjue's hands.

Well,

the adults in the Ministry of Revenue didn't find a single one of the real industries in Chengjue's hands. What did they do for me? They just brought me a roast duck restaurant!"

The midday wind blew, but it didn't make people feel hot. Instead, Wei Zhonghe had a sense of coldness, and the relationship between this heavenly family pair made him a little scared.

Wei Zhonghe even worried, worried that the next moment, His Majesty would issue an order, asking him to lead people to arrest the He family and execute them directly on the wedding day.

Because he knew this Majesty that he had served for so many years very well, His Majesty's heart was sometimes as cold as an ice block.

And today,

although the wedding has just begun,

but it can be imagined that

Sixth Prince's uncharacteristically high profile

was equivalent to declaring to his father face to face that the suppression you have imposed on me in the past has not really hurt my foundation.

This was the son challenging his father.

However,

soon,

the tone of His Majesty's words suddenly changed,

becoming very angry,

becoming extremely angry,

becoming unimaginably angry,

but this anger,

was not directed at his son who was making a declaration to him today.

"Wei Zhonghe, did you see it, did you see it, I didn't say anything, but even if I didn't say anything, the imperial court, from the prime minister to the ordinary