RPAGF Chapter 383
Chapter 383
"Yes!" This was exactly what Xu Heming had intended all along.Hearing Zhu Jingchen's words, he had no objections.
He only thought of using the deed to the manor to deal with Prince Lanhuai for the time being.
However, he didn't plan to go immediately.
Otherwise, Prince Lanhuai would think the deed was too easily obtained.
"What else does he want you to do?" Zhu Jingchen asked with some displeasure.
"Your Majesty, currently he only asked this humble subject to retrieve those two deeds! But he doesn't know the deeds are in your hands; he assumes they are still with the Second Miss of the Cheng family," Xu Heming said after a moment of thought.
"Give him the manor's deed in a few days," Zhu Jingchen said.
"Your Majesty, you must quickly send someone to investigate Yutu Mountain." Xu Heming thought to himself that if there was nothing on Yutu Mountain, he would just return it to Prince Lanhuai.
"What's the rush? That was clearly lost by his secondary consort to Qingli, and now he wants it back. Isn't this just being a sore loser?" Zhu Jingchen said with a look of disdain.
"Your Majesty, this subject heard that Prince Lanhuai once wanted Princess Fuan to marry the Fourth Young Master of the Cheng family!" Xu Heming added.
"When did the Cheng family get a fourth young master?" Zhu Jingchen was taken aback at first. He thought for a long time but couldn't recall where Grand Tutor Cheng's family got a fourth young master.
Didn't they only have three young masters?
Could it be that his father-in-law had an illegitimate son on the outside?
This was a shocking piece of gossip.
Did the Empress know?
"Your Majesty, who do you think that fourth young master is?" Xu Heming didn't believe for a second that Zhu Jingchen didn't know. Outsiders all thought the Cheng family had four young masters.
"I have never heard of this! It seems my old father-in-law has hidden this quite well! When did this happen?" Zhu Jingchen asked, his face full of gossip.
Hearing this, Xu Heming unexpectedly didn't know how to respond.
He wondered to himself, was there anyone who would badmouth their own father-in-law like this?
If he dared to think of Li Tianyou this way, he probably shouldn't even dream of marrying Li Zhiwei and bringing her home in this lifetime.
He probably shouldn't even dream of marrying Li Zhiwei and bringing her home in this lifetime.
"Your Majesty, the fourth young master Prince Lanhuai mentioned is actually the Second Miss of the Cheng family. But aren't you curious as to why Prince Lanhuai wants to marry his daughter into the Cheng family?" Xu Heming thought to himself, just how much did the Emperor trust Prince Lanhuai?
The man had already done such things, yet the Emperor didn't even suspect him.
He didn't know how the Emperor managed to sit so securely on his dragon throne.
"Then why didn't he marry Princess Fuan over?" Zhu Jingchen breathed a sigh of relief upon hearing this, and then teased.
"Then you'll have to ask Her Majesty the Empress to go and inquire!" Xu Heming refused to play along with the joke.
"Your Majesty should quickly send someone to investigate Prince Lanhuai. This subject always feels that Prince Lanhuai seems to be plotting something!" Xu Heming said with a frown.
"I know what I'm doing," Zhu Jingchen said with a grave expression.
He was the Emperor, and he did not like others coveting what was his.
Xu Heming had said what he needed to say and asked for what he needed to ask, so he prepared to leave.
"My dear Minister Xu, there is a memorial here. Would you like to take a look?" Zhu Jingchen deliberately waved the memorial in his hand, which contained the wedding dates chosen for Xu Heming by the Imperial Astronomy Bureau, and asked.
"Your Majesty, this subject will not do this on your behalf for such matters!" Xu Heming glanced at the memorial and quickly shook his head.
He thought the Emperor just wanted him to help review the memorials.
He was already busy enough and didn't want to add to his workload.
"Are you sure you don't want to look?" Zhu Jingchen was in a very good mood hearing this.
What he wanted to see most was Xu Heming's look of regret.
After all, this was about his wedding date.
If he looked at it, he could choose the date he liked best.
If he didn't look, the date would be chosen however the Emperor pleased.
Hearing this, Xu Heming left without looking back.
"Liu Xi, put this memorial away carefully!" Zhu Jingchen wasn't annoyed watching Xu Heming leave.
After all, he wouldn't be the one regretting this matter.
Jubao Pavilion
"Shopkeeper, when should we go collect the silver for this IOU from Prince Lanhuai's manor?" A servant boy asked as he walked up to Shopkeeper Xu, holding the IOU signed by Huo Yunzhi.
"What's the rush? We'll go in a couple of days!" Shopkeeper Xu glanced at the IOU, a malicious smile appearing on his lips as he spoke.
Didn't that Secondary Consort of Lanhuai act all high and mighty?
He just wanted to deliberately delay it for a few days so they would have to pay more silver.
Who told Prince Lanhuai's manor to actually try and come to their door to demand back what they had lost.
Since it was something they had won, there was no reason to give it back.
"Shopkeeper, aren't you afraid that secondary consort might run away?" the servant boy asked anxiously.
"What's there to be afraid of? The monk can run, but the temple cannot. If that secondary consort runs away, isn't there still Prince Lanhuai's manor? It's impossible that a massive place like Prince Lanhuai's manor couldn't produce three thousand taels of silver, right?" Shopkeeper Xu felt that Prince Lanhuai's manor was a royal residence after all, and Prince Lanhuai was the Emperor's biological uncle. Even if they had no power, they definitely had money.
Otherwise, how could he take in so many concubines?
"But, will Prince Lanhuai acknowledge this debt?" the servant boy said with some worry.
After all, going to Prince Lanhuai's manor to ask for the silver in a few days wouldn't be as simple as one thousand taels anymore.
The servant boy was afraid that when the time came, Prince Lanhuai's manor would deny the debt, and they would be the ones to suffer the loss.
Most importantly, the servant boy worried if they wouldn't even be able to recover their principal.
"Alright, this isn't something you need to worry about." Shopkeeper Xu certainly wasn't going to tell the servant boy that the boss behind them could cover their losses.
Although the servant boy had doubts, since the shopkeeper had said so, he didn't say anything more.
Meanwhile, in the imperial palace of the Qinling Kingdom.
"What is the word on the tribute from the Lannuo Kingdom?" Shangguan Lie asked as he held a wine pot in one hand and embraced a concubine with the other, looking at the Third Prince, Shangguan Mu, who stood to the side.
"Imperial Father, no news has been sent back from the Lannuo Kingdom." Thinking of this issue, the Third Prince also frowned deeply.
In the past, the Lannuo Kingdom had never dared to delay in sending their tributes.
This time, it seemed as if they hadn't taken the matter to heart at all.
Furthermore, the spies they had originally placed in the Lannuo Kingdom hadn't sent back any information either.
"Your Majesty, could it be that the Lannuo Kingdom has not yet received the letter?"
A eunuch standing nearby asked in a low voice.
"Impossible. We had someone deliver the letter to the Lannuo Kingdom a month ago. By this time, they should have received it long ago," Shangguan Mu said without a second thought.
"We signed a hundred-year treaty with the Lannuo Kingdom, and now, this hundred-year treaty has expired. Third Son, you will personally make a trip to the Lannuo Kingdom later." Shangguan Lie thought for a moment; they still needed to sign the hundred-year treaty with the Lannuo Kingdom once more.
Although, he didn't think the Lannuo Kingdom had the ability to rebel against them.
"Imperial Father, what if the Lannuo Kingdom refuses to sign?" Shangguan Mu asked, somewhat troubled.
"Take Yun'er with you," Shangguan Lie finally said, lightly tapping the table.
Shangguan Yun was his legitimate daughter, and also the most beautiful princess in the Qinling Kingdom.
By having Shangguan Mu take Shangguan Yun along, he also had the intention of sending Shangguan Yun to the Lannuo Kingdom for a political marriage.
"Imperial Father, but the Emperor of the Lannuo Kingdom already has an Empress, and he has no suitable adult princes of his own..." Shangguan Mu was unwilling to let his own sister be placed at a disadvantage in the Lannuo Kingdom.