Dugong

Chapter 45: Favor Account
Zhaoyang Palace.

There was silence.

The eunuchs and palace maids in the hall knelt together, and the female doctor in charge of the delivery collapsed on the ground, begging only that her nine clans would not be implicated.

Imperial Physician Li took the pale-faced Princess Yuan's pulse, and after careful confirmation, he bowed and reported to Emperor Wude.

"Your Majesty, Empress Yuan is fine."

Emperor Wude breathed a sigh of relief and asked in a deep voice, "Dragon's heir died young. Was it an accident or a murder by a traitor?"

"This……"

Doctor Li looked hesitant. He wanted to say it was an accident and that nothing would happen. To be an imperial physician in the palace, one had to learn to play dumb.

However, Princess Yuan's pulse is too obvious. If Your Majesty changes the imperial physician, he will be able to find out the truth.

Emperor Wu De's voice suddenly turned gloomy and cold: "I want you to tell me what happened?"

"Your Majesty, I am guilty."

Imperial Physician Li kowtowed and apologized, "Her Majesty the Concubine Yuan has long suffered from a cold. To stabilize the heir, I recommended that she take more nourishing supplements that warm the yang. However, I don't know where this sinister cold air came from, and it has damaged Her Majesty's health."

Upon hearing this, Concubine Yuan asked anxiously, "Will I be able to give birth to a child in the future?" without waiting for Emperor Wude to speak.

Imperial Physician Li considered the matter carefully and replied, "There are many rare yang treasures in the palace. If Your Majesty takes good care of herself for a few years, perhaps she will be able to conceive a prince."

But I didn't dare tell Princess Yuan that there would be no heir, so I beat around the bush and gave him an imaginary number, three to five years, seven to eight years was also fine. Not to mention whether he could be cured, by that time His Majesty would have passed away.

How could Princess Yuan not hear it? She coughed violently a few times, grabbed the corner of Emperor Wude's clothes, and said with gritted teeth.

"Your Majesty, please make a decision for my poor child!"

"Don't worry, my beloved concubine. I will investigate this thoroughly."

Emperor Wude said angrily, "Whoever dares to murder the heir to the throne will be executed along with his entire clan. "Daban, summon Chang Hong."

"According to the order."

Eunuch Chu bowed and accepted the order. His fat and bloated face showed no emotion. After leaving Zhaoyang Palace, he called over a adopted son.

"Go to the Pacification Office and tell Lord Chang that His Majesty is angry."

……

Kunning Palace.

The queen knelt in front of the Buddha statue, chanting scriptures and praying devoutly.

A palace maid hurried in and whispered, "The Princess Yuan has had a miscarriage and may not be able to get pregnant again."

The queen raised her lips slightly and kowtowed to the Buddha statue.

"Master Honshin of the Vajra Temple is right. As long as I devote myself to worshipping the Buddha, my wishes will surely come true."

The maid said cautiously, "Eunuch Chu's son also said that His Majesty wants to conduct a thorough investigation and execute the murderer's entire clan."

"It's just some angry words. Do you think you can kill me and my son?"

The Queen didn't think she could hide it from His Majesty, and that it wouldn't take long to find the murderer, so she gave the order.

"Send someone to tell the two princes not to cause trouble, not to kill people at will, and not to go to places of entertainment."

Everyone in the capital knew that the Fifth Prince liked to go to Chunfeng Tower. Many wealthy businessmen spent huge sums of money to become his fellow resident and get a taste of the royal nobility.

Chunfenglou was the leading brothel in Kyoto, and many imperial censors were frequent visitors. After hearing about this, they repeatedly reported it to the Fifth Prince.

His reputation as a lustful person spread from then on.

……

All the eunuchs with a little status in the palace sent people to keep an eye on Zhaoyang Palace, and the news spread quickly.

Little Mencius watched from afar for a long time, and came back to report the good news after hearing the news.

"Godfather, let's see how the people from Zhaoyang Palace can show off their power from now on!"

Li Ping'an lowered his eyes, his face showing no sadness or joy, his mind racing as he repeatedly pondered the reasons for Concubine Yuan's miscarriage.

"The most likely person is Your Majesty. If our godfather poisoned us, there might be other means." Not only the Supervisor of Food could plot against the Zhaoyang Palace, but also the Supervisor of Clothing, Supervisor of Palace, Supervisor of Imperial Households, etc. For example, they could poison the clothes worn by Concubine Yuan, or they could start with the hairpin she often wears.

"The second suspicion is..."

Li Ping'an raised his eyes and looked in the direction of Qinzheng Palace. Princess Yuan had no children, so there was no need for a fight for the throne, and there would be no trouble with in-laws.

According to the godfather, whoever benefits is the murderer.

"Your Majesty is doing well. If His Majesty were to resort to such means, I'm afraid it would affect our family!"

Li Ping'an frowned slightly. His Majesty secretly murdered Concubine Yuan. For the sake of his own reputation and to appease the Zhang family, he would definitely catch the "real murderer".

If the godfather poisons people again and again, it is very likely that he will be discovered.

At that time, the empress and the ancestors might not be in any danger, but the godfather, grandfather, and the eunuchs under his command would most likely suffer.

It is only natural that the godson takes the blame for his godfather, and the godfather takes the blame for His Majesty!

Seeing his godfather's expression change, Little Mengzi asked carefully, "Did I say anything wrong?"

“No seats.”

Li Pingan rolled his eyes and coughed, "Our godfather is our ancestor's godson. Our ancestor stands on the side of the Empress. In the future... do you understand?"

Little Mengzi was slightly startled, and quickly congratulated him, "Godfather, with such a background and support, you will surely rise to prominence in the future."

Li Pingan shook his head and sighed, "Unfortunately, the old ancestor has many adopted sons and daughters under his command. My family entered the palace late and is not ranked. It is not certain whether we can be promoted."

Little Yu Zi's eyes lit up at the side: "Godfather, this is easy to handle."

Li Pingan asked: "What should we do?"

"Send silver."

Xiao Yuzi said, "After spending a few years in the palace, I finally understand that nothing is real except gold and silver. If godfather spends more silver, he will naturally win the favor of the ancestors!"

Li Pingan nodded and said, "It's a good idea, but unfortunately our family doesn't have much silver. A few thousand taels would not be acceptable to our ancestors."

Little Mengzi said, "Godfather, we still have some savings. You can use them first."

Li Pingan refused, "How can we use your money? Waiting for the Third Prince... ahem, just wait and see. It will eventually be our turn to get promoted."

"Godfather, you can't just sit there and wait."

Little Yuzi said anxiously, "There are only so many places in the palace. If you just wait, someone else will take them. Besides, if you get promoted sooner, you can help the child."

As he said this, he took out a banknote from his sleeve and stuffed it into Li Ping'an's hand impatiently.

"Godfather, keep it. Let's go back and get the silver."

Seeing this, little Mencius couldn't help but be moved. He knew that little Yuzi was smart. Since even smart people took the silver, he had to follow suit.

Otherwise, after his godfather gets promoted, he might forget to support him.

"Godfather, I'm going back to get the silver too!"

Li Pingan was moved and said, "I will remember your filial piety and will never forget it when I get promoted in the future."

The area of ​​the Tribute Bureau is so small that you can even hear a fart.

The news that Eunuch An had a strong background and would be very successful in the future spread quickly.

Take 1,800 taels of silver now and let Eunuch An remember it, and you will be promoted and rich in the future.

When Xiao Yuzi returned to the main office with the silver, the eunuchs had already lined up in a long queue and handed over the silver they had saved to Eunuch An.

The Tribute Department was lucrative, and even eunuchs without much real power could accumulate a considerable fortune.

Invest 20% to 30% to fight for your future. Even if you are not promoted to an official, it is not a loss to have a big backer.

"Xiao Yuzi, come and help me keep a record of my gratitude. I will repay you a thousand-fold when I get promoted!"

Li Ping'an touched the thick stack of banknotes, and his heart finally settled down. He just didn't know if he could repay the kindness in this lifetime.

(End of this chapter)