Behind her was the empress dowager's cursing, but Ye Zhen pretended not to hear it. She walked out of the bedroom and came to Murong Ke, tilted her head, showed a shallow smile, and asked in a brisk tone, "Sixth Wangye, how long have you been listening here?"
Murong Ke had a slight smile on his lips. He arrived at the bedchamber as soon as Ye Zhen entered. Originally, he planned to stop Yao Yao from going in to see the empress dowager, but when he saw Xiao Qi beside her, he knew that he didn't have to worry about anything.
He knew that Yao Yao was a kind and soft person. He thought that she would be persuaded by the Empress Dowager, but he never thought that he would see another side of Yao Yao. She was like a female warrior, holding armor and a sharp sword to protect the person she loved, not allowing the Empress Dowager to hurt the Emperor's heart again.
If it were him, would she speak for him like this and feel sorry for him?
He couldn't think about the answer. Thinking about it would make his whole heart ache.
"The emperor knew that the empress dowager wanted to see you. He was afraid that you would be soft-hearted and come to stop you. He didn't expect you to come first. The emperor asked me to watch over you for fear that the empress dowager would hurt you." Murong Ke turned his eyes to Xiao Qi. "However, it is obvious that the empress dowager can't get close to you."
Ye Zhen followed his gaze and looked at Xiao Qi. The smile in her eyes spread like fireworks. "Xiao Qi is bored in the palace. I just took him out for a walk. I didn't think so much."
Murong Ke couldn't help laughing. He felt that Yao Yao was sometimes naughty and cute. "She will be sent away tomorrow. Don't worry."
"I know." Since he couldn't kill the empress dowager, he would send her far away, lest she disgusted herself in the palace all day long. Ye Zhen simply agreed with Mo Rongzhan's decision.
"Then … you go back. I should go back to the emperor," Murong Ke said in a low voice. Even if he wanted to stay a little longer, it would be difficult for him to see her before today. In the future, he could only walk in the front. The harem was not a place he could enter at will.
Ye Zhen frowned slightly and asked, "Is the emperor still busy? Have you all eaten?"
Murong Ke was stunned for a moment. They didn't even have lunch today before entering the palace. It seemed that they hadn't eaten anything until now. Now, even dinner time had passed.
"I know he doesn't remember anything when he's busy," Ye Zhen said angrily. "Go and tell the imperial kitchen to send some food to the emperor and the lords. It must be simple and durable."
The eunuch behind Ye Zhen immediately responded in a low voice.
Murong Ke shook his head and smiled bitterly. "His Majesty is in a meeting with the ministers. He's so busy that he forgot about it!"
"You should hurry over and eat something. What if you get hungry?" Ye Rou snorted. "Is your body more important than your business?"
"Yes, the Empress's decree. This subject will immediately go back and watch the Emperor eat," Murong Ke said, holding back his laughter.
Ye Rou chuckled and suddenly thought of her father and brother. "By the way, how are my father and brother?"
"His Majesty has already released all the officials who were locked up in the prison. Lord Lu is now in the imperial study. Little Lord Lu seems to have received an errand and is working outside with Marquis Jingning," Murong Ke said.
"That's good." Ye Zhen breathed a sigh of relief. Before she came back, she was most afraid that the Empress Dowager would hurt her family. Fortunately, it was all right.
Murong Ke knew that he couldn't stay any longer. He cupped his hands and said, "Yaoyao, I'll go back first!"
Ye Zhen smiled and nodded.
…
…
Mo Rongyi brought over a large pile of account books. Not only the other ministers, but even Mo Rongzhan was shocked. He didn't expect there to be so many account books. Moreover, every loan was clearly recorded, and even the purpose of the loan was marked.
"In the first year of Wenxuan, Nanyue's Prince Tong borrowed five million taels to build his mansion … In the eighth year of Wenxuan, Prince Hao borrowed three million taels of silver …" Mo Rongzhan picked up an account book at random and looked at it. These were old accounts from decades ago.
"Your Majesty, this is a lot of silver!" Xu Lao said to Mo Rongzhan, holding the account book.
"It's a lot of silver. It will not be easy to get it back." Mo Rongzhan snorted coldly. Otherwise, why hasn't a sum of silver been paid back for so many years?
The former Emperor's treasury must have been piled up into a mountain of silver. No one would refuse to borrow silver. It's hard for him to worry about silver now.
"Yes, some people have gone to heaven. How can we get it back?" Huang Chan said.
"It's only right for the son to pay his father's debts," Mo Rongzhan said coldly. "Call the people of the Ministry of Revenue and let them calculate the total amount of this account book overnight."
"…"
In the imperial study, the ministers cried silently in their hearts. I'm so hungry! In the morning, she was still feeling uneasy. She didn't know if the Emperor would be able to eat much. She hadn't eaten anything since lunch. Although there was an endless supply of tea in the Imperial Study, the more she drank, the hungrier she got. Looking at the Emperor's attitude, it seemed like he planned to discuss until tomorrow.
Oh, I'm really going to starve to death!
When Murong Ke returned, he found that there were a lot more people in the imperial study. Mo Rongzhan was still scolding the person who borrowed the silver and didn't notice him.
He went up and saluted. "Your Majesty!"
When Mo Rongzhan saw him, he finally put down the account book in his hand. "It's quiet in the Palace of Benevolence and Peace."
"When this subject arrived, the Empress was already talking to the Empress Dowager." Murong Ke went forward and whispered, briefly telling Mo Rongzhan what Ye Zhen said to the Empress Dowager. "… This subject can't get a word in."
"Why did Yao Yao go to the Palace of Benevolence and Peace? Did the Empress Dowager do anything to her?" Mo Rongzhan raised his eyebrows and asked.
Murong Ke laughed and said, "The Empress Dowager took Xiao Qi with her."
Mo Rongzhan was stunned for a moment. His thin lips were tightly pursed to prevent himself from laughing out loud. His Yao Yao was really clever.
"Let the Empress Dowager leave the palace at dawn tomorrow. I don't want to see her again." After Mo Rongzhan laughed, the smile on his face turned cold.
"Yes," Murong Ke whispered. "Your Majesty, it's getting late. Shouldn't you let the officials eat something and rest first?"
Mo Rongzhan was stunned. Only then did he remember that they hadn't eaten for almost a whole day.
The ministers' eyes were shining, but they didn't dare to look at Murong Ke, afraid that the emperor would see that they really wanted to eat.
"The Empress Dowager asked the imperial kitchen to prepare the meal. If you don't eat, she will probably come to serve the emperor personally." Murong Ke whispered. If he didn't mention Yao Yao, he felt that the emperor might not be willing to stop to eat.
Mo Rongzhan laughed. "Then stop for now. Go to the side hall to eat first. When the people of the Ministry of Revenue arrive, we will settle these account books together."
Everyone, including Elder Xu, breathed a sigh of relief in their hearts. They really didn't know what the Sixth Wangye said to the emperor to make the emperor stop to rest with a smile.
No matter what, they should rest as soon as possible. With so many account books, they didn't know how long it would take to settle them.
(Nine-headed Bird Academy)
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