Chapter 93 – Drive Out the Unwanted by Borrowing Something they Fear

Over at Prince Sui’s side, he should have gone to the Capital by now. But now his wife and children have been kidnapped halfway. If he still goes to the Capital, he seems to have no feelings for his wife and children.

 

He doesn’t know why, the news of his wife and children being kidnapped spread widely. It is only said that the bandits in the State of Dong robbed his Princess Consort to be the wife of the bandit leader.

 

The head of Prince Sui is covered with grass… But even without the reputation of his wife, he must redeem them wholeheartedly. Otherwise, it will be said that Prince Sui only wants money and no one, regardless of the couple’s relationship for many years. He will then have to pay off for the good name he has accumulated from eating vegan, chanting Buddha, and practicing the culture.

 

So when the bandits asked for money, Prince Sui had to bite his teeth to get it and redeem his wife and children as soon as possible, so that he could enter the Capital as soon as possible.

 

Now Liu Dan’s throne is also secure. After all, his hands were stained with blood when he took the throne, and most of those who were not convinced was there. At this time, the Capital lacked a wise king who could balance the forces of all parties.

 

The reason why Liu Pei held Liu Dan to the top was that he wanted to use his hand to eradicate the dissidents first. Compared with the Royal Prince who has been wandering outside the palace since childhood. Liu Pei’s identity as the Imperial Uncle is beyond doubt.

 

In the study of the imperial palace, someone is earnestly exhorting not to let Prince Sui enter the Capital.

 

The person who advised him was naturally Shi Yikuan, who was familiar with the character of Prince Sui. Now he has changed into the identity of the Emperor’s father-in-law, he also hopes that his son-in-law will secure the throne. His mind has gradually abandoned the old master and focused on his own gains and losses.

 

Liu Dan listened to the advice of his father-in-law and sighed slightly, “Among the six departments, except the Ministry of Work, all of them were placed by the Empress Dowager. I can’t control them. Previously, because of the changes, I deployed my own troops to Sanjin, which stabilized the situation in the Capital. But now, Sanjin is surrounded by more troops, but all of them are trusted generals of the Empress Dowager. Now Empress Dowager misses Liu Pei and lets him enter the capital. I can’t stop him…”

 

He was able to overthrow the Wu family and the former little emperor because of the bad customs of the evil queen. He was also in a bad position at the beginning. He always used to make excuses by pulling the flag.

 

However, the empress dowager, who has been living in seclusion behind the scenes, is highly respected by the old ministers, and he can’t make a move on them already. His empress went to the empress dowager to pay her respects every day, maintaining a superficial harmony. But these days, the empress dowager thought too much about Prince Sui, and no one could stop her.

 

However, Liu Dan knew that once Prince Sui entered the Capital, the political situation would become more difficult, and it would be difficult to control the power of Prince Sui by himself.

 

But now the court is like cooking a fragile fried fish. If the action is too big, the fish will break up. If it doesn’t move, it will burn the bottom of the pot.

 

Liu Dan, like walking on thin ice, can only keep the surface calm carefully.

 

Shi Yikuan also knew Liu Dan’s difficulties. He said to Liu Dan, “If there is a mouse in the rice barn, you must put a cat in it to cure him. If you don’t do anything, the mouse will naturally open its stomach and eat fat. But if you put a cat that he is afraid of, how can he think of harm?”

 

Liu Dan frowned, “Who do you mean by the cat?”

 

Shi Yikuan looked up and said, “Prince Sui is in the State of Hui, but he and Prince Huaiyang are choking each other hard. According to the spy who stayed in the State of Qing, it seems that the wife and son of Prince Sui were kidnapped by the people sent out by Prince Huaiyang, disguised as bandits… I think that only the evil cat, Prince Huaiyang, can control the evil rat!”

 

Liu Dan listened and his face was expressionless. He said coldly, “Father-in-law should know that Cui Xingzhou is not close to me.”

 

Shi Yikuan certainly knew, otherwise he would not recommend Prince Huaiyang. Only those capable ministers who will make the emperor feel ill are the best option. Even if they come, they will not be favored by the emperor.

 

“Prince Huaiyang is rebellious and unruly, and naturally he is not a good minister. But his surname is Cui after all, and he is not as malicious as Prince Sui. As long as his majesty controls properly, you can use the sword of Prince Huaiyang well…”

 

Speaking of this, Shi Yikuan paused for a moment and said, “Prince Sui will come to the Capital sooner or later. Now the forces he secretly cultivated are intertwined, and even my mansion got his informer. This is why I asked you to hold him back. Please make a decision as soon as possible to avoid being hampered by the fawning courtiers!”

 

Liu Dan was silent, and his hand was already in one place. If he can seat on the throne stably and his order is beyond doubt, the person he wanted to kill most was not Prince Sui, but Cui Xingzhou who owns Liu Miantang!

 

Shi Yikuan carefully looked at the emperor’s expression, and said again, “Your majesty should be more tolerant. He is just a servant of yours now. Even if there was something unpleasant in the past, your majesty will certainly find a way to resolve it, and let him be willing to accept your trend and work for you…”

 

When Liu Dan heard this, he took a slow breath and said to Shi Yikuan with a pleasant face, “I know your painstaking efforts to send Prince Huaiyang to the capital to report his duties. I will consider it… The queen has recently conceived a child and often misses her mother. I also ask you to allow her mother to visit her in the palace.”

 

Only then did Shi Yikuan know that his daughter was pregnant. He smiled and accepted.

 

Nowadays, there are many beautiful women in the harem. Just the new concubine, Imperial Concubine Sun Yunniang, was more beautiful than the Queen. It is rare for the emperor to favor his fat daughter. So Shi Yikuan naturally wants to make his son-in-law’s life stable, so that he can enjoy his success.

 

When he retreated, Liu Dan sat in the study for a while, then stood up and pulled out a scroll of paintings on the bookshelf.

 

The picture shows a woman wearing a hunting suit and holding a bow and arrow, but her eyebrows and eyes are smart, like a blooming lotus.

 

He has only recently heard about the news in the State of Zhen. Liu Miantang went to the State of Zhen alone to save Old Princess Consort Chu. The spies he set up also reported to him.

 

Even if Miantang has lost her memory, she was still a brave and resourceful woman. He will never meet a second Liu Miantang again in his life.

 

But it happened that he lost Miantang.

 

Liu Dan has been suffering from severe insomnia these days. In addition to the intrigues of the court, his yearning for Miantang also keeps him awake at night.

 

It’s good to call Cui Xingzhou into the capital. At the very least, he can look at her from a distance. Even if she can’t remember him.

 

The candle in the imperial study flickered. Liu Dan looked at the portrait in the painting, and his eyes became more and more fascinated…

 

Some people in the capital can’t sleep at night, but Liu Miantang has been sleeping very well these days. After all, the soft bed of the Marquis Residence was much better than the door plank.

 

The state is full of waste, so Cui Xingzhou has to stay in the state to deal with complicated business. And he didn’t allow Liu Miantang to go too far, even in Lingquan Town.

 

So Liu Miantang simply lived with the Old Princess Consort in the Marquis’s Residence. When the bandits entered the city, although they also invaded the Marquis’s Residence, they later escaped from the city because they were searching for the Old Princess Consort. They didn’t have time to smash and rob, so they left.

 

The Old Lady of the Marquis Residence was shocked to think of the situation at that time. She held the hand of the Old Princess Consort and said it was dangerous. Then she asked about the repair of the Prince’s Residence.

 

The Old Princess Consort turned to Miantang and asked, “How much does it cost to repair our house?”

 

Miantang took out a golden abacus the size of a palm, which was made of pearls, and fiddled with it, “If the money was used properly, it would be about the amount of 1 hand.”

 

The Old Lady of the Marquis Residence asked tentatively, “500000 silver taels?”

 

Miantang smiled and said, “Because we still need to pay for the dead servants for protecting the courtyard, and the Prince wants to take advantage of the opportunity to widen the house… It will take about five million silver taels.”

 

The Old Lady of the Marquis Residence thinks the number is very large. As usual, it was nothing for a rich family like the Huaiyang Royal Residence. After all, the Huaiyang Royal Residence has always been extravagant, and its annual cost is comparable to that of the Princes in the capital.

 

However, she also knew that the Huaiyang Palace had been ransacked. Even if the other courtyard still had the benefit of tenant silver, it could not be helped for a while. So she asked, “Do your family have enough money, do you want us to help out?”

 

The Old Princess Consort listened but did not immediately answer. She looked at Miantang eagerly and waited for her reply.

 

Miantang looked at the Old Lady of the Marquis Residence and smiled, “Thank you for your help. The Old Princess Consort and I have been staying here for a long time. How can I let you spend money again? I paid for it with my own dowry, and I don’t need to be seconded for the time being.”

 

The Old Lady of the Marquis Residence knew the origin of being the future Princess Consort.

 

To be honest, the Old Lady of the Marquis Residence, like other people, was also a little contemptuous of the Huaisang County Mayor. She also told her son Zhao Quan that if he learned the way how Prince Huaiyang looked and took a cold shoulder to get a dirty woman back to be his wife, she would immediately lie down in the coffin.

 

As a result, his son became tired of his untidy temper again and even exclaimed that if he could marry a woman like her, he would be willing to lie down in the coffin as a bridegroom for only one day.

 

The Old Lady of the Marquis Residence was so angry that she nipped her son’s ear and gave him a beating.

 

But now it seems that Prince Huaiyang has really picked up the treasure. The advance of five million silver taels, the small county mayor of civilian origin, said that she could take it out, and was even more generous than some of the Ladies.

 

It is no wonder that Old Princess Consort Chu has no authority of being a mother-in-law at all. She was looking at her future daughter-in-law eagerly and waiting for her to make the decision.

 

Hearing the Old Lady’s words of admiration for her extravagance, Miantang said modestly, “I have given everything I have. But the Prince said that he would pay me twice in the future, and would also give me 3 percent of interest!”

 

The Old Lady laughed at the news and said, “You young people are ridiculous. You will all be husbands and wives in the future…

 

Miantang also smiled and stopped talking. She could not say that she was bargaining with Prince Huaiyang again and adjusted the profit to four percent!

 

There is no way she can do it. Besides the inexplicable number of four loyal brothers, she also has the Old tribe from the Mountain of Yang, which has not been gathered yet.

 

Every mouth has to eat. Being the in-charge of the family is not for nothing. She must swallow all her sins. She always needs to settle these people well, and can’t let them fall into becoming bandits.

 

After hearing the story of how the Old Princess Consort escaped that day, the old lady’s eyes at Miantang changed.

 

This woman who looks petite is so brave at critical moments!

 

In this way, she is still the lucky star of the royal family. The mayor of Huaisang County is more reliable than Lady Lian, the former fiancee of Prince Huaiyang.