Kunde Palace.
The Crown Prince and the Empress were playing chess, with black and white pieces fiercely contending on the board.
The Empress picked up a piece, without raising her head, and asked, “Has everything been arranged with the Internal Weaving and Dyeing Bureau?”
The Crown Prince replied, “Tong Gaozhuo has handled things well. Even if the matter reaches Royal Father, the Internal Weaving and Dyeing Bureau won’t dare to speak carelessly.”
The Empress smiled slightly, her tone relaxed, “Eight hundred thousand taels of silver, even if the Duan family contributes four hundred thousand, it’s still no small amount. Breaking their business this time, let’s see how they’ll make money in the future.”
The Empress felt a surge of frustration when thinking about this.
“Royal Mother, do you really think Royal Father won’t care about the Internal Weaving and Dyeing Bureau?” The Crown Prince asked.
The Empress chuckled, “This matter belongs to the harem’s internal affairs, so I’ll handle it, and His Majesty won’t interfere. Moreover… Duan Wang has made such a big name for himself in the capital, even though the Duan family is just a merchant, do you think Royal Father will be happy about that?”
Maybe when the Emperor first heard about the military funds being secured, he was quite pleased. But once the matter passed and he reflected on it, what would his opinion be?
The Emperor had always been suspicious, and having vast wealth wasn’t necessarily a good thing.
The Duan family, being short-sighted, thought they could buy glory with silver, not realizing they might be adding poison to honey.
After all, they came from a small family and couldn’t think of these things.
Look, she only mentioned a few words in front of the Emperor, and the Emperor handed this matter over to her, easily finding an excuse to make Duan Pingchang sink deeper into trouble.
Three large ships of fabric in their hands, even the Duan family, after giving up four hundred thousand taels, probably couldn’t withstand such losses.
The Crown Prince placed a piece on the board and smiled, “Mother, you’ve thought this through. Will the Internal Weaving and Dyeing Bureau’s business be handled by the Feng family from now on? Xu Donglin might not be willing; this time, he was caught off guard.”
When the topic was brought up, the Empress slightly retracted the smile on her face, “Xu Donglin still hasn’t taken a stance?”
The Crown Prince shook his head, “As you know, the people from the Twenty-Four Bureaus have always only listened to Royal Father.”
The Empress had spent years cultivating Lu Zhiliang in the Imperial Horse Bureau, but unfortunately, he had a short life. After Huang Shao took over, things changed.
Recalling the losses the Empress and the Crown Prince had suffered due to Lu Zhiliang’s matter, the Empress’s expression darkened further.
“If he can’t be used by me, then eliminate him,” the Empress coldly said, “Have someone investigate Xu Donglin. As soon as we find his weaknesses, we won’t hold back.”
“We are already investigating, but Xu Donglin has always been cautious. We haven’t found anything yet.”
“He is so close to Duan Pingchang. If there’s no benefit, would he run around for him like this? It’s not that there’s no weakness; it’s probably that we haven’t found it yet.” The Empress was displeased as she looked up at her son. “The people under you are not diligent enough. As the Crown Prince, you cannot ignore it.”
“I know, Royal Mother,” the Crown Prince said helplessly, “When Liang Xun was around, he handled these things, and he always did it very well. Now there’s only Chen Chang, and he can’t handle everything.”
“Have you considered picking a few more people to work in the Eastern Palace?”
“Finding strategists is not that easy. I’ve already had people inquire about it,” the Crown Prince replied.
The Empress frowned, “I’ll have your uncle help inquire.”
The Crown Prince immediately responded, “No need to trouble Uncle, I’ll handle it myself.”
The Crown Prince didn’t trust his uncle’s methods. After all, it was through him that Lu Zhiliang’s incident had occurred, and it dragged even him down.
The Empress didn’t expect her son to have such a low opinion of her brother. She thought the Crown Prince would have his own ideas, so she nodded, “Then pay more attention. The Eastern Palace is vast, and only one Chen Chang won’t work. It’s a pity that the timing isn’t right; otherwise, bringing Liang Xun back would work.”
The Eastern Palace indeed had its own servants, but the Crown Prince was suspicious. Although they were technically part of the Eastern Palace, they ultimately answered to the Emperor, so he didn’t fully trust them.
“How is the matter with Yu Wangfei?” the Empress asked again.
“The Crown Princess has already visited. Yu Wangfei isn’t in good health. She’s been staying indoors to protect the pregnancy, so it’s hard to get her to do anything.”
“Then bribe people from Yu Wang’s household to do it. Until the Crown Princess gives birth to the Emperor’s first grandson, no other child can be born,” the Empress said with a harsh tone.
The Crown Prince lowered his head and made his move, causing the situation on the chessboard to change instantly.
When the Empress saw this, she threw down her piece and lost.
“The Crown Princess said that Yu Wangfei is very cautious. When she visited, she wanted to take a walk in the garden of Yu Wang’s residence, but she refused. Moreover, the people around her never left her side.”
“What about the imperial doctor who examined Yu Wangfei?”
“Royal Mother, Royal Father appointed him. If he acts, no one can escape investigation, and even offering a large sum of money won’t work.”
“If he doesn’t like silver, what about the lives of his family?” the Empress asked coldly.
The Crown Prince was stunned.
The Empress looked at him, “What? Don’t you dare?”
The Crown Prince frowned.
The Empress, displeased, said, “If you don’t act decisively, by the time Yu Wangfei gives birth to the Emperor’s first grandchild, Yu Wang might even return to the capital. What will you do then?”
The Crown Prince knew in his heart that if Marquis Xingan supported the Eastern Palace, then the matter with He Wanyi would likely have raised Yu Wang’s suspicions.
“I understand, Royal Mother.”
The Empress nodded in satisfaction, “You may leave now. Remember, both of these matters must be handled swiftly.”
The Empress would have liked to expel the Duan family from the capital immediately. Just thinking about how Duan Wang had someone behind him who knew how to make money made her uneasy.
After the Crown Prince left Kunde Palace, his expression darkened. As he walked down the corridor of the palace, he saw Consort Shu and Consort Xian drinking tea in a stone pavilion in the distance. Both were smiling, looking very pleased with each other’s company.
His footsteps faltered slightly.
He remembered that Consort Xian had once been closer to Kunde Palace. It seemed his mother’s words were right—he couldn’t afford to be soft-hearted.
After returning to the Eastern Palace, the Crown Prince immediately sent for Tong Gaozhuo to report back.
Tong Gaozhuo arrived quickly, avoiding others. He entered the palace and bowed, “This humble official greets His Highness the Crown Prince.”
“Rise,” the Crown Prince said, looking at Tong Gaozhuo. “Now that the Duan family has lost the business with the Internal Weaving and Dyeing Bureau, what has Duan Pingchang’s reaction been?”
Tong Gaozhuo knew the Crown Prince would ask this and immediately replied, “Your Highness, Duan Pingchang is just a merchant. Even if he suffers a loss, he won’t dare to make a scene. Moreover, even if it’s exposed, so what? The Feng family has already received the documents with the modified seal from the Internal Weaving and Dyeing Bureau.”
“What about the document the Duan family has? Have you recovered it?” the Crown Prince asked.
Tong Gaozhuo froze, and his expression slightly changed. He had forgotten about this matter.
“I will handle this when I return,” Tong Gaozhuo said immediately. “I’ve been busy with the Feng family’s fabric shipment, and I haven’t had time to take care of it.”
The Crown Prince’s face darkened, “Go now.”
Duan Mingxi is such a clever person; she cannot be allowed to get ahead of us.
