The emperor was dumbfounded: you want me to send troops against my son over a pile of shit?
She suddenly asked.
Gu Moran paused for a moment.
"You, the eldest daughter of a high-ranking provincial inspector, care about the same things as ordinary people."
I'm afraid Sister Su will think I'm wasting money.
Su Yao stood not far away, holding an account book in her hand, and looked up when she heard this.
"It's alright, I'll put it in the tab."
Yun Shuyue immediately tensed up.
Su Yao opened the account book and slowly said, "One bolt of snow rabbit fur, twelve feet of Shu brocade trim, and half a day's work for embroidery. It will be deducted from your monthly salary later."
Yun Shuyue was taken aback.
Gu Moran looked at Su Yao.
"You actually keep accounts?"
Su Yao closed the ledger.
"She needs to remember everything that needs to be remembered. She gets paid and receives dividends; sooner or later she'll be part of the household, so she should know how the Prince's money is spent."
The Yun Shuyue clung tightly to its cloak.
"I'll deliver more orders and make more trips in the future to earn the money back."
"The most important thing right now is the fireworks display that night."
Those who are just watching should be stopped from leaving; those whose behavior seems suspicious should be remembered first, but don't try to be brave.
The Yun Shuyue nodded.
She turned and took two steps, then turned back.
"Your Highness."
"Um?"
"Can I stand closer to watch the fireworks when they're at the very end?"
Her eyes held a hint of anticipation.
Gu Moran glanced at the snowman hat on her head, then looked towards the riverbank.
"Can."
Yun Shuyue's ears burned, and she quickly nodded.
She ran out of the front yard clutching her cape, the pom-pom on her snowman hat bouncing.
Gu Moran stood there, watching her run away.
Lin Qingdai stepped out from behind a pillar and whispered, "The person in the reeds last night was indeed Chen Qing."
"I know."
"He released carrier pigeons; several letters have already been sent. What about Prince An?"
Gu Moran raised his hand and caught a drop of snow water falling from the eaves. His fingertips felt slightly cool as he looked north.
"If Second Brother really delivers the letter to Father, things will escalate in the capital."
After so much time, the Empress, the Eastern Palace, Anyang, and those who are eyeing Yi Prefecture should all reveal some of their true abilities.
Uncle Fu, standing behind, asked in a low voice, "Your Highness, will the fireworks display proceed as planned?"
"As usual."
Gu Moran withdrew his hand and turned to walk towards the study.
"And it should be even more lively."
On the desk in the study, the design for the final fireworks display has already been drawn.
The wind outside the window gradually stopped.
Along the riverbank, new bamboo tubes are being installed on racks.
Even before the lantern market in Yi Prefecture City opened, people from all directions had already begun to flock here.
Chen Qinglan sat in the side hall, a thin blanket covering her lap.
The burn on my left leg had been dressed, and the gauze was wrapped from my ankle all the way up to my calf. The seeping ointment stained the hem of my skirt yellow.
She looked down at her bandaged legs, put the prayer beads back on her wrist, and turned to instruct Caiwei.
"Please pass a message home for me, saying that my leg injury has recurred and I am unable to move around easily these days. Please ask my father to offer incense at the family shrine on my behalf, so that I may be safe and sound."
Caiwei felt a chill run down her spine upon hearing this.
The Crown Princess never allowed her family to burn incense for her unless there was an important matter.
"This servant will go right away."
As Caiwei turned to leave, Chen Qinglan added another sentence.
"The door is locked; it won't be opened for anyone today."
Hall of Supreme Ultimate.
The emperor's head started to ache again.
Since I stopped taking the elixirs offered by the Second Prince and started taking Elder Shen's Toxin-Clearing and Essence-Fortifying Decoction, my head has indeed become less swollen than before.
But on cloudy or snowy days, I get a dull, throbbing pain on both sides of my temples, like someone is tapping them with a small hammer.
Chen Dehai stood to the side of the imperial desk, holding a cup of ginseng tea. As he watched the emperor open the first memorial, his brows furrowed.
This memorial came from Yi Prefecture, jointly submitted by Prince Yi Gu Moran of Yi and the Prefect Si.
The emperor first read Si Renyou's report. The wording was proper, and it used the formal format of an official document. It reported that a Tubo spy from Silver City had been captured in Yi Prefecture City. A short blade, rope knots, and Tubo coded messages were found on the body. After interrogation, it was learned that the Tubo Chisang Tribe planned to launch a surprise attack on Yi Prefecture after the snow melted, with the goal of capturing the Prince Yi to coerce Great Yan into opening the Ancient Tea Horse Road.
After reading this passage, the emperor picked up the ginseng tea, but before drinking it, he put it down again.
He turned to Gu Moran's document.
His wording was shorter and his tone was softer than Si Renyou 'Si Renyou.
"Your subject, Prince Yi Gu Moran inquires of Your Majesty's well-being. Recently, the defenses of Yi Prefecture City intercepted a Tubo spy who confessed that the Tubo intended to kidnap your subject in order to seize the Tea Horse Road."
Your Majesty, I am filled with fear and know that I am physically weak. I dare not act rashly, for I fear the enemy's situation will spread. I humbly beseech Your Majesty to grant me the authority to take command of the defenses of Jiannan Circuit, and to coordinate the supply lines, post roads, and passes, so as to ensure the safety of Yi Prefecture..."
The emperor closed the memorial and tapped the cover twice with his finger.
If it's true that the Tubo wanted to take his son hostage, then this is no longer a minor border skirmish.
But can Gu Moran, this frail and sickly third son, really lead troops?
Is he also supposed to guard the nation's borders for me?
The slogans were shouted really loudly.
The emperor rubbed his temples, about to have Chen Dehai summon the Ministry of Ministry of War to inquire about the defenses of Jiannan Circuit, when Gao Fu strode in from outside the hall, holding a wax-sealed letter tube in both hands.
"Your Majesty, an urgent dispatch from Anyang, traveling 800 li."
The emperor took the letter.
A secret letter from Prince An Gu Mochen.
He broke the wax seal and unfolded the letter.
The first paragraph is relatively normal, stating that Yi Prefecture has recently been undertaking large-scale construction projects and recruiting a large number of displaced people, which may indicate some unusual activity.
Upon seeing this, the emperor frowned—it was another case of brothers attacking each other.
He continued reading.
"Another secret report claims that Prince Yi has set up brick pits throughout the city, ostensibly for public toilets, but in reality, to collect the filth of the people. At night, these are transported by special carts to work sheds, where they are then refined using celestial fire..."
The emperor's hand stopped.
He brought the letter closer, thinking he was seeing things.
"... Suspected of using sorcery to gather evil soldiers, and using heavenly fire to refine dung into a poisonous concoction..."
The hall fell silent for a moment.
Chen Dehai stood to the side and watched as the emperor's expression changed from solemn to confused, and then from confused to an indescribable expression.
The emperor read that passage aloud again.
I'm sure I didn't misread it.
His second son, Prince An Gu Mochen, a prince, sent him a letter by express courier, traveling 800 li at breakneck speed, to tell him this.
Prince Yi is refining excrement, and he wants to rebel using excrement?
The emperor placed the letter on his desk, pressed his palm against the paper, and remained silent for a long time.
Chen Dehai cautiously approached.
"His Majesty?"
The emperor raised his head, his expression complex.
"Dehai."
"Your servant is here."
"Tell me, has my son... wasted all his education?"
Chen Dehai dared not answer.
The emperor turned to the last page of the letter and saw the end of that line.
" Yi Prefecture has likely become a haven for witch soldiers; I urge Father Emperor to quickly dispatch a large army south."
A surge of emotion welled up in his chest, and he slammed the letter onto the table.
"A large army marching south?" The emperor's voice was laced with suppressed anger, the words squeezed out between clenched teeth.
"He made me send troops to attack my own son over a pile of shit?"
Chen Dehai took half a step back.
The emperor leaned on his desk to stand up, his temples throbbing again, his mind a jumbled mess.
The eldest son was confined to his quarters and spent his days smashing cups in the Eastern Palace.
The second son went to Anyang to practice human pyramids, and now even his secret letters are incoherent.
The third son did repair the irrigation canals and open the trade routes, and the taxes from Yi Prefecture were paid as usual. However, the second son accused him of using the money to produce excrement.
The emperor walked to the window, and the cold wind blowing in made him feel a little clearer-headed.
"Is the undercover agent Chen Qing mentioned in this letter one of Lao Er's men?"
Chen Dehai nodded.
"Has this person been in Yi Prefecture all along?"
"Your Majesty, this man is indeed a strategist from the Prince An's Residence, and he has been infiltrating Yi Prefecture for several months."
The emperor closed his eyes briefly.
An advisor, upon seeing the repair of latrines, immediately suspected it was the practice of concocting poisonous insects.
What kind of strategists did the second prince have by his side?
What can possibly be accomplished with this plan!