kingnovel Chapter 492 Finale (1)
Chapter 492 Finale (1)
After Jiang Wantang left, Ji Wuyuan simply announced to the public that Queen Jiang had gone to the Taimiao to pray for the country and her return date was uncertain.
As soon as the news came out, the whole capital was in an uproar.
If half a month ago, everyone was still marveling at the sea of crabapple blossoms blooming all over the sky, now they are filled with regret.
As a result, all the people in the capital sighed and said that slaving away the emperor's favor would not last long, as it came and went quickly.
However, when the court and the harem heard the news, the thoughts that had subsided before gradually became active again.
Especially the concubines in the harem.
Everyone thought that Queen Jiang Wantang was sent to the Taimiao because she had angered His Majesty.
To put it nicely, it is to pray for the country, but everyone knows that this is a disguised form of disgust and loss of power.
But what they didn't know was that everything in Fengqi Palace remained the same as before. Late at night, the candles in the bedroom would be lit as usual and would not go out all night.
Time passed quickly, and after several days, the rumors in the capital gradually subsided.
At that time, in the imperial palace, in the imperial study.
Ji Wuyuan was hunched over the desk, holding the imperial cinnabar brush in his hand, busy dealing with the mountain of memorials on the desk.
Ever since Jiang Wantang left, he had returned to his former image of a cold and emotionless emperor.
Every day he either attended court or handled government affairs. He can be said to be a very diligent and dedicated emperor.
Whenever I have some free time, I just go to Fengqi Palace and sit alone for a while.
"Your Majesty, it's time to take the medicine."
In the imperial study, Wang Fuhai's hand holding the medicine bowl was shaking slightly - the bowl of medicine for treating angina pectoris in his hand had been heated for the third time.
Ever since the Empress passed away, His Majesty's heart disease has relapsed, and when he misses her too much, he suffers from angina pectoris.
Behind the pile of memorials on the desk, Ji Wuyuan's stern face was split into light and dark by light and shadow, and only the dark color under his eyes became more obvious.
"Let it go first."
His voice was cold as ice.
Wang Fuhai wanted to persuade him a few words, but seeing his frosty eyebrows and focused expression, he didn't dare to open his mouth.
Your Majesty is now fully devoted to government affairs and the people of the world.
At this time, footsteps were heard outside the hall.
It was the secret guard leader Feiyu who came to report.
Fei Yu knelt on one knee and said with a folded hand, "Your Majesty, the Queen has arrived in Jingzhou..."
"There, the queen rescued an orphan girl who was living under someone else's roof and was being beaten and bullied by her uncles and aunts. She took her with her as a maid."
"It's just that the orphan's uncle and his family are in the local area and have some connections with the government. They bully the queen because she came from outside the area alone and want to arrest her..."
Ji Wuyuan paused with his pen tip, and cinnabar spread out red dots like blood beads on the memorial, while his hand holding the pen hung in mid-air.
He raised his eyes and looked at Feiyu with a cold and piercing gaze, and frost had already formed in his eyes.
Seeing this, Fei Yu immediately said, "But the Queen has taken on the entire county government alone."
"The group of yamen runners were beaten black and blue, and the orphan girl and her uncles and their families all knelt at the yamen gate, begging for mercy and calling them aunt..."
At this point, Fei Yu's mouth twitched slightly. "The Queen also... tore off the county magistrate's official hat, making him faint from anger. Finally, she threw a copper coin at each person, saying it was compensation, clapped her hands, and walked away."
Ji Wuyuan was stunned for a moment, then chuckled softly: "It's her unyielding nature that allows her to accomplish something."
Afterwards, he frowned, his eyes darkening as he asked, "Is that orphan girl...well, does she have a clean background?"
Feiyu nodded and said, "The orphan girl's name is Cui'er. She is indeed a poor girl with a clean family background."
As he spoke, he presented a secret report on the orphan girl's life experience.
Ji Wuyuan put it aside after reading it and said calmly, "Then the magistrate of Jingzhou...it's time to replace him."
Feiyu immediately understood what he meant and bowed, "Yes."
"Also," Ji Wuyuan paused, and continued, "The people you send over shouldn't watch her too closely or too frequently. Just make sure she's safe and sound."
"Yes, I understand!" Feiyu accepted the order.
After Fei Yu left, Ji Wuyuan threw the dirty memorials on the table aside and took out a full stack of Jiang Wantang's portraits from the secret compartment in the imperial study, all of which were painted by him.
Whenever I think of Jiang Wantang and my longing for her is overflowing and I have nowhere to vent it, I will start to paint a portrait of her.
......
In the following days, Feiyu would bring news about Jiang Wantang almost every three to five days.
"Your Majesty, the Queen traveled all the way south, disguised herself as a local villager in the Jinzhou area, and went into the mountains to assist the government in eliminating the bandit den in Black Tiger Mountain..."
"Your Majesty, the Queen had shelters built in the areas severely affected by the floods, specifically to take in those orphaned street beggars, and she also hired teachers to teach them how to read and write..."
"Your Majesty, the Queen has opened several free clinics in Jiangnan, recruiting female doctors to treat various difficult and complicated illnesses for poor women free of charge..."
"..."
Every time Ji Wuyuan heard news about her, he would put down what he was doing and stay alone for a while.
He might stay in the imperial study, stand on the city wall and gaze towards the south of the Yangtze River, or look at the crabapple trees on the wall of Fengqi Palace that have not yet bloomed.
Everything Jiang Wantang does represents what she sees, hears, and thinks.
Ji Wuyuan could also roughly guess from these things what she had experienced and what she was thinking.
But he had to admit that Jiang Wantang was growing up.
Without him, and without relying on any man, she could live a good life alone, busy and fulfilling.
Winter goes, spring comes, everything revives...
In a blink of an eye, Jiang Wantang had been away from the palace for more than two months.
In the Imperial Garden, the branches of the peach trees were covered with rouge-colored flower buds as if overnight.
During the morning court session today, Ji Wuyuan displayed his great power for once, causing blood to splatter all over the Golden Dragon Palace and shocking the court and the harem.
The reason was that someone in the court advised His Majesty to visit the harem more often and have children for the royal family as soon as possible.
When the concubines in the harem saw that Jiang Wantang, their strong opponent, was gone, they all began to get restless.
He dreamed of joining forces with the court to put pressure on Ji Wuyuan and make him favor the harem again.
So, this scene happened.
In the Golden Dragon Hall, Ji Wuyuan supported his head with one hand, sitting on the dragon throne with an evil attitude, looking down at the court officials who were kneeling in the hall.
In the center of the hall lay two fresh corpses, their blood still warm as it flowed all over the floor.
"Speak..."
"Why don't you speak?"
"My dear ministers, weren't you all so eloquent just now? Why are you all so silent now?"
Ji Wuyuan looked at everyone with a cold smile. His already deep phoenix eyes were now piercingly cold and full of murderous intent.
The emperor was furious, and all the ministers in the hall knelt on the ground, their backs soaked with cold sweat.
They kowtowed and begged for mercy, "Your Majesty, please forgive us. We deserve to die. Please... please spare our lives, Your Majesty!"
Ji Wuyuan didn't even raise his eyelids and sneered, "Oh, if he deserves to die, why should I spare his life?"