Murong Ke was indeed not idle. Although Mo Rongzhan did not give him any tasks directly, he gave him bits and pieces of work. He felt that it was better to give him a proper task. If not for Mo Rongzhan's amnesia, he would have left the capital already.
"Sixth Wangye, you were looking for me?" Zhao Ning had been staying in the Sixth Wangye's residence for almost half a month. Although she did not get the news she wanted, she felt that it was not bad to stay in the Wangye's residence. She had food and drinks and the servants treated her like a master. She was no longer in a hurry to find her biological father.
Even if her biological father was living a better life than in the Wangye's residence.
Murong Ke had just come out from the palace. Although he did not have any tasks or positions, he still had to attend morning court every day. Even if he did not attend morning court, he would still go to the Imperial Study to discuss all sorts of matters with Mo Rongzhan.
Today, Mo Rongzhan said that the Qi Kingdom was preparing to send an envoy. If it was confirmed that Zhao Ning was the Princess of the Qi Kingdom, she would be brought back.
If that was the case, he would have to tell her about Zhao Ning's true identity before the Qi Kingdom's envoy arrived.
"Miss Zhao, please take a seat." Murong Ke sat behind the desk and gestured for Zhao Ning to sit on the armchair beside him.
Seeing that Murong Ke's eyes seemed to be a little serious, Zhao Ning became nervous. She sat on the armchair and looked at Murong Ke anxiously. "Sixth Wangye, why are you looking for me?"
Murong Ke said in a low voice, "It's about your background."
Zhao Ning could not help but straighten her back. "Have you … found it?"
"Yes." Murong Ke nodded lightly. "Your dagger has the word 'Yong' on it. This dagger is a famous ancient sword. It was kept by Zhao Yong twenty years ago. Everyone in the Qi Kingdom knows that this ancient sword is Zhao Yong's possession. I have sent people to investigate. Zhao Yong did go missing near Anhe City sixteen years ago. He only returned to the capital a month later. If I am not wrong, you should be his daughter."
"Zhao Yong …" Zhao Ning mumbled this name. Wasn't her father called Zhao Yinzheng?
Murong Ke seemed to know what she was thinking. "Zhao Yong did use the name Zhao Yinzheng, but that was before he ascended the throne."
"…" Zhao Ning felt that his brain was not enough to process this. "Sixth Wangye, are you talking about the coronation?"
"Yes, if there had not been an accident that year, Zhao Yong would have been your biological father. In other words, your biological father would have been the Emperor of the Qi Kingdom." Murong Ke looked at Zhao Ning, wanting to know how she would react.
Zhao Ning did not react for a long time. She was still digesting Murong Ke's words.
Her father is the emperor of the State of Qi, Zhao Yong
Then isn't she … isn't she the Princess of Qi State?
"You said that my father is the Emperor of the State of Qi …" Zhao Ning asked in a low voice, "Then why did he never look for my mother?"
Even if he didn't know about the existence of his daughter, he couldn't have forgotten about her mother, right? She had always thought that it was because he didn't have the ability to find Hua Village, but if Zhao Yong was the emperor, how could he not find it? It was a matter of whether he had the heart or not.
Murong Ke said calmly, "You can ask Zhao Yong about this when you return to the Qi Kingdom in the future. Now, I'm just telling you about your past so that you can be mentally prepared."
Zhao Ning looked at him nervously, "Then … then what should I do now? What if I'm wrong?"
She had hoped that she would be the daughter of a prestigious family, but she had never thought that she would be a princess. She suddenly felt nervous about her future.
"If I'm wrong, the State of Qi wouldn't have sent an envoy over." Murong Ke said. When he heard that the State of Qi had sent an envoy, he knew that Zhao Ning was Zhao Yong's daughter. Otherwise, with Zhao Yong's temperament, he wouldn't have sent an envoy.
Zhao Yong probably remembered his romantic past in the Hua Village, but he didn't expect that he would have a daughter here.
Zhao Ning swallowed her saliva, "Sixth Wangye, then … then should I wait here for the people from the State of Qi to bring me back?"
Murong Ke raised his eyes and looked at Zhao Ning. He could guess the reason why Zhao Ning was nervous. She knew that she was just a fisherwoman and didn't know how to be a princess. If she were to return to the Qi Kingdom, she might not be able to live long. Even if she could survive, she would probably be used more often than not.
According to Mo Rongzhan's intentions, he hoped to bestow kindness to Zhao Ning, so that when she returned to the State of Qi, she could still be of use to him.
"The Emperor wants you to make a trip to the palace tomorrow. Perhaps, you can learn the rules of the palace first." Murong Ke said softly.
Zhao Ning's eyes flashed with joy. If she could really learn the rules of the palace first, it would be good. "Alright."
"Then you can go back first." Murong Ke said. He hoped that the envoy from the State of Qi would arrive quickly. This way, he could send Zhao Ning away as soon as possible.
Only when Zhao Ning was sent away could he truly be at ease. That dream … was still a knot in his heart.
"Sixth Wangye, the young prince is here."
Not long after Zhao Ning left, a servant outside came to report that Mo Rongyi had arrived.
Murong Ke shook his head helplessly. It seemed that Mo Rongyi had failed to collect his debt and came here to complain. "Let the young prince in."
Just as he finished speaking, he saw Mo Rongyi walking in with a bitter expression. "Sixth brother …"
"Looks like today's harvest isn't that good." Murong Ke saw him like this and laughed unkindly.
"Those scammers. They knew that I was coming to ask for money. They actually left the womenfolk behind and disappeared. Those womenfolk were all crying as if their fathers had died. I didn't even have the chance to ask for money!" Mo Rongyi said gloomily.
Murong Ke sighed. "It's been so many days. Can't you see that these people are deliberately reneging on their debts?"
"I can see it. But what can I do? I can't possibly hold a knife to their necks and ask for money." Mo Rongyi shouted. "I was thinking of asking for the money from the capital with Lu Xiangzhi first and then going to Nanyue when I have experience. Now that I can't even get the money from the capital back, let alone the taxes that Nanyue owes."
"You have to act like you're asking for money. They are the ones who owe the national treasury, not the court!" Murong Ke said. "Who are you going to ask for money from today?"
"Prince Wen," Mo Rongyi said, "He is the son of Princess Huiyi. The money was borrowed by Huiyi's husband. Now Prince Wen cried and said that he didn't know about the debt and that he had no money at home. He even asked me to go to his house and take a look. Whatever could be moved away to pay the debt."
Murong Ke asked with a smile, "You're soft-hearted?"
"Am I really going to take their things away to pay off the debt?" Mo Rongyi asked unhappily.
"Why not? If they don't have the things from before, they still have a big house. What can't you take?" Murong Ke retorted. "If you don't suppress them, they will suppress you. Yi, you are a prince. You have to know how to use your status."
Mo Rongyi listened and fell into a thoughtful silence.
(Nine-Headed Bird Academy)
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