My wife has a secret

Chapter 187 Mission
Anyone with a little bit of insight can sense the oppression of a superior from this middle-aged man.

As veterans in the court, Liao Yue and Gao Huai would naturally not be unfamiliar with him, because this was a big shot who had been sitting at the head of the palace for many years, Shen Nianyan.

Shen Nianyan was previously involved in the Dongwan Prince case and was suspected of supporting the royalist party. Therefore, although Shen Nianyan held the position of Prime Minister, his power was hollowed out by the Empress Dowager, and he had been recuperating in his mansion in Kyoto.

He didn't even attend the ceremony of offering sacrifices to heaven, and people in the court believed that the Shen family had lost power.

"The sage summoned all the officials. Why did he also call the prime minister?"

The topic that others were discussing was also a question for everyone present, but Liao Yue still habitually gave way to them and bowed.

Shen Nianyan entered the hall and walked all the way to the first seat under the throne stairs without stopping, but after catching a glimpse of Liao Yue's fat figure out of the corner of his eye, he suddenly stopped.

"Liao Yue."

Although he didn't know why Shen Nianyan was summoned to the hall by the Empress Dowager, the alert Liao Yue still spoke calmly and showed an extremely humble attitude.

"Master Shen, please speak."

"Thank you for taking care of my daughter earlier."

Liao Yue hurriedly bowed and said politely: "Master Shen, you are joking. I am just handling the case according to the law and the rules."

Others were confused, but Liao Yue knew clearly that the other party was referring to the Ministry of Justice's leniency towards the Shen family after he lost power.

After the turmoil in the capital, the Chief Justice was killed by the rebels, so it was the Ministry of Justice that convicted the royalists who supported Emperor Xuan and the Prince of Dongwan.

Originally, according to the Queen Mother's indifferent attitude, this was a good opportunity to add insult to injury to the Shen father and daughter, but Liao Yue not only did not fabricate charges, but also removed Shen Shuangxu from the list of those who did not perform their duties well.

Shen Nianyan said a few simple words, then continued to walk in front of the officials, stood motionless behind the pear wood chair, held the tablet in front of his chest, closed his eyes and waited.

Seeing that the Prime Minister was so well-behaved, the remaining officials did not dare to act rashly and stood in the hall in order of their official rank.

But because there were so many officials summoned, they walked along the polished floor tiles of the hall and stood at the junction of the door and the steps.

"Da da……"

From deep within the empty imperial palace hall, there were sounds of footsteps.

The tall and sharp-eyed Lord Lianhua stood behind the drawn curtain and looked into the distance. After making sure that all the civil and military officials in the hall were standing in line, he turned back behind the curtain, rolled up his sleeves and squatted down.

She said in a respectful tone, lowering her brows and saying, "Saint, everyone is here."

"The Shen family has arrived too?"

"The Prime Minister is already beside the throne. Miss Shen will enter the palace immediately. She just passed the palace gate three quarters ago."

Opposite to Lianhua Jun, a slender figure was swaying slightly.

Her figure was exquisite and graceful, and her bright yellow dress was majestic and bulging with beautiful peaks. She raised her legs slightly and walked forward, stepping onto the stairs, and you could see the collar jump with each step, which showed how soft and plump she was inside.

The empress dowager, who was over thirty years old, was still extremely beautiful. Even without showing any expression on her face, she was still charming and attractive.

After she walked slowly to the throne, all the civil and military officials in the hall knelt down to pay homage and recited loudly.

"Long live my emperor."

The officials' shouts were deafening, echoing throughout the Golden Palace.

But Empress Dowager Xu summoned all the officials to the palace to meet her today, not to listen to them sing praises and brag about their own reputation.

She sat on the magnificent dragon throne that shone with dazzling golden light, closed her eyes and calmed her mind, while Lord Lianhua beside her spoke for her.

"At three quarters of an hour, the imperial mausoleum collapsed."

Lianhua Jun's voice was neither salty nor bland, but it had a rather domineering aura.

The noise that resounded through heaven and earth could also be felt in all parts of the capital, but many officials did not know that it was caused by the collapse of the imperial mausoleum.

Gao Huai, the Minister of Works, was the first to step out, holding up his tablet and saying, "The Emperor Heng's mausoleum was built under the supervision of the Ministry of Works. If this mistake was made, the Ministry of Works cannot be held responsible."

Lord Lianhua stood beside the dragon throne and asked in a deep voice, "Is it to blame? Do you want to take the responsibility of damaging the dragon vein on your own shoulders?"

"This……"

Gao Huai, who stood up, was stunned when he heard that the collapse of the imperial mausoleum was related to the dragon vein, and he didn't know how to answer.

The dragon vein is closely related to the destiny of a country and is extremely mysterious. Thinking of the consequences of taking responsibility rashly, the white-bearded old man in his fifties broke out in sweat on his forehead and his whole body stiffened.

"Sage, calm down."

Shen Nianyan, who was sitting next to the throne, said this in a gentle voice, and all the officials knelt down and repeated, "Saint, please calm down."

Lianhua Jun continued to speak on behalf of the emperor, "The dragon vein was destroyed by a landslide. This is a serious matter that must be taken care of. Before you come to see the emperor, the empress dowager has ordered the chief of the imperial guards, Shi Chen, to lead a team to Qinling to investigate the matter... The Ministry of Works needs to be responsible for the repair of the dragon vein. The Ministry of Works' assistant minister Ao Yichang and the chief Fan Changyi are specially ordered to receive the order and rush to the damaged imperial mausoleum immediately after leaving the palace."

Two officials from the Ministry of Works stood up and lined up behind the Minister of Works Gao Huai, and responded in unison: "Your humble servants accept the order."

"The dragon vein collapsed the night before the coronation ceremony, which is an ominous sign. Therefore, the saint decided to increase taxes throughout the country, collect 3,600 pieces of tribute cloth and 300,000 taels of tribute silver, and give them to the Liao Kingdom in the near future to show the prosperity of our Qi Kingdom and the courage of the new emperor."

After these words were spoken, His Highness fell silent, and after a few breaths there was an uproar.

An imperial censor stepped forward first and said loudly, "Your Majesty, although the destruction of the dragon vein is an ominous sign, how can we show the demeanor of a great country by handing over cloth and silver to others? The envoys from all over the Nine Provinces, don't they think that our Great Qi is afraid of the Liao Kingdom and is their vassal state?"

Before Lord Lianhua behind the curtain could speak, a fifth-rank official stepped forward with his back hunched and head lowered.

"I have something to say."

"explain."

The man straightened his back and said solemnly, "Your Excellency, have you ever heard of driving a tiger to devour a wolf, or letting the snipe and the clam fight, and then the fisherman will reap the benefits? Your Majesty's true intention is not to show weakness to the neighboring country? Right now, the Jin and Liao countries are at war on the border, and the battle is in full swing, but everyone knows that the Liao country has suffered a great loss and has lost three battles in a row."

The fifth-rank official was spitting and defending Queen Mother Xu, saying, "If we ignore the Liao Kingdom now, do we have to wait until the Jin Kingdom destroys them and poses a threat to the northern border of Great Qi before we regret it?"

The Imperial Censor snorted coldly and said, "As the ancients said, man proposes, God disposes, and it cannot be forced... Liao has always coveted our Great Qi, and what we are doing now is just courting disaster. It's a waste of effort. When Liao has recovered from this and stabilized the situation in the north, the next country they will target will be us."

Seeing that the tension between the two was growing stronger and stronger and they were about to quarrel in the hall, the slender figure hidden behind the golden screen on the throne spoke softly.

"enough."

As soon as these words were spoken, all the officials were immediately shocked and no one dared to disrespect him.

"The delegation sent to the Liao Kingdom has a heavy task and will be responsible for the specific matters of the negotiations between the two countries... Do you have any good candidates?" This beautiful female voice spoke personally, and the kneeling ministers and officials were so frightened that they trembled, and no one dared to look up and look at her.

There is no need to discuss whether what Empress Dowager Xu has already decided is right or wrong.

After the Kyoto Incident, only the old stubborn people who were deeply rooted in Confucianism dared to criticize the new empress.

So the entire court may seem bustling with people, but the empress has long since become the one who has the final say, and few people dare to risk their lives to disobey her.

"Minister, I have an idea."

"explain."

The people in the court looked sideways and saw Liao Yue step out and said righteously, "Your Majesty, in terms of seniority and experience in the court, no one can be compared with Prime Minister Shen."

Everyone looked at each other, but no one dared to make a sound in the hall.

Although Shen Nianyan's power was stripped away, he was the prime minister and knew a lot about Qi. How could they send such an important person to the Liao Kingdom?

But what no one expected was that the empress on the throne actually thought for a moment and asked, "Prime Minister Shen, what do you think?"

Shen Nianyan immediately stepped out, bowed to the throne and said, "It is my duty to serve the country with all my heart. I beg Your Majesty to allow me to do so."

"That's right."

"Thank you Lord for your grace."

Among the ministers, no one expected this outcome.

During this audience with the emperor tonight, apart from the sudden collapse of the dragon vein and the diplomatic envoy to the Liao Kingdom, no other matters were emphasized.

But after the meeting, there was almost no time left, so officials from the Ministry of Works and the Honglu Temple had to withdraw to do their work. After shouting "Long live the emperor", the others retreated to the blue-white marble steps and waited in front of the Golden Throne Hall for the coronation ceremony to begin.

Gao Huai, who had luckily escaped the disaster, seized the opportunity and came to Liao Yue's side and asked, "How did you know at the meeting just now that the emperor was going to send Shen Nianyan as an envoy to the Liao Kingdom?"

"Liao didn't know at first, but the emperor summoned Prime Minister Shen from his home to see him. She must have her reasons."

Gao Huai continued to ask in confusion, "The Saint gathered all the officials in the middle of the night just to talk about this?"

Liao Yue stood still, looked around and lowered his voice after seeing that there was no one around.

"Old Gao, Old Gao, the current saint outlasted the previous emperor, personally supported Emperor Xuan and the royalists, and then wiped them out. Is it true that the sons of high-ranking officials who died in Wangyue Tower alone cannot explain the saint's character?"

When Gao Huai heard Liao Yue mention this, he was also silent, and his old body, which was over fifty years old, could not help but tremble slightly.

Part of the cause of the unrest in the capital was related to the sudden death of many playboys in Wangyue Tower. Those people were all the legitimate sons of the current aristocratic families and high-ranking officials.

Who would have thought that they all died in an inexplicable fire.

Although the Prince of Dongwan tried his best to prove that this matter was related to the Queen Mother, now that Queen Mother Xu was in power and on the throne, who would dare to think about it too much?
"The saint is not such a simple person, so we should not guess too much about what he is thinking... otherwise it will only bring trouble upon ourselves."

Gao Huai nodded repeatedly.

At the same time, inside the Golden Palace.

The palace maids around closed and sealed the doors and windows of the hall, and then filed out through the back door of the hall, leaving Lord Lianhua and the Empress alone inside.

The magnificent palace with carved beams and painted buildings, and golden statues that have gone through several dynasties is filled with the splendor of a thousand years.

Countless candles illuminated the entire hall. After a while, a woman with eyebrows like crescent moons and clear, bright eyes as deep as lake water stepped into the hall.

Her temperament is like a crescent moon, gentle, smart and pretty.

"I, a commoner named Shuang Xu, pay my respects to the Saint."

Lian Huajun said calmly: "You have now returned to the position of the owner of Chengxuanfang. You are no longer a commoner. Stand up and speak."

"Thank you Lord for your grace."

Shen Shuangxu stood up, her raised lips were as soft as petals and had a charming cherry pink color.

Queen Mother Xu didn't want to hide her thoughts, and directly raised her hand to ask Lian Huajun beside her: "The maid should have informed you of what happened in the palace just now. Is there anything else you don't understand?"

Shen Shuangxu, who was extremely intelligent and insightful, naturally understood the empress dowager's implication.

She nodded and said, "Shuang Xu understands. The Saint asked my father to be an envoy to the Liao Kingdom because he wanted me to take this opportunity to travel and find out about my husband in the Liao Kingdom."

"After so many days, Shuang Xu is still so smart."

These words were spoken by Empress Dowager Xu herself, praising the other party.

If someone doesn't know about Marquis Guangping's disappearance, they will definitely be puzzled by Empress Dowager Xu's sudden behavior today.

But on the way here, Shen Shuangxu read hundreds of news reports about her husband's whereabouts. She learned that the tomb had been submerged by the underground river and countless corpses had been washed into the river.

As long as you have studied the waterway in the middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze River, you will know that the river has many branches and it is very easy to deviate towards the territory of the Liao Kingdom.

However, Shen Shuangxu was still a little confused.

"Your Majesty, the Imperial Guards are working hard near the Imperial Mausoleum, but what they have dug out is less than a fraction of the entire collapsed and damaged ancient tomb... How can Your Majesty be sure that Marquis Guangping has been swept into the territory of the Liao Kingdom?"

The main stream of the Changhe River was still in Qi State, and how long had it been since the accident? It would take at least several months to clean up the area and investigate whether Xu Qing was buried in the mountain.

The empress on the throne was silent for a long while, and finally said faintly: "This news was given to me by the White Lotus Sect. Do you think I believe it or not?"

Shen Shuangxu bowed his head and admitted his mistake, indicating that his previous question was disrespectful.

The White Lotus Sect had been causing chaos for a long time and was a thorn in the side of the Great Qi.

The news coming from there was certainly problematic, but Xu Qing was the nephew of the empress dowager and the only male heir of the Xu family, which led the new empress to believe it rather than not.

It has to be said that the White Lotus Sect took control of Empress Dowager Xu just right and hit her sore spot.

"Saint, there are some things Shuang Xu shouldn't say. 3,600 pieces of tribute cloth and 300,000 taels of tribute silver are too much. I'm afraid that it will take time for the Liao Kingdom to replenish its depleted national strength and stir up trouble again."

Although Shen Shuangxu valued Xu Qing, she had been the owner of Chengxuanfang for so many years and was well aware of the military secrets and backgrounds of various countries handled by thefang.

Although the Liao Kingdom was at war with the Jin Kingdom, the lavish gift from the empress upon her accession to the throne was almost equal to the total annual silver paid for three years, which really posed a risk of nurturing a tiger that would harm the country.

(End of this chapter)