The reborn girl always wants to escape, but the abstinent marquis hugs her and coaxes her!

Chapter 420: Public Opinion

As night fell, Mu Rong returned to Weiyuan Marquis Mansion.

He went out alone today and did not have anyone following him, so Mu Yi thought that his lord was just doing his routine work.

When Mu Rong returned, he hurried to the study to report the latest developments in the capital and the increasingly exaggerated rumors.

Mu Rong sneered when he heard this: "Your Majesty may not be able to protect the Queen this time."

"Yes." Mu Yi stood with his hands hanging down. "Not only the Queen, but the 'Panshan Yunhai' clepsydra that the Fourth Prince gave to the Queen to help her sleep is still in her bedroom. And beneath the inner chamber next door is where the 'medicine man' is imprisoned. Even if Your Majesty has sympathy, once you see that clepsydra, you can't ignore the Fourth Prince's allegiance to the Queen." Mu Rong said in a deep voice, "Since that's the case, send a pigeon to Mu Lu immediately. Now that the Fourth Prince's escape route is cut off, he can no longer fulfill his promise to Xu Chaoqian. Tell him to use the identity of the Fourth Prince's close aide to get Xu Chaoqian's trump card before the news from the capital reaches the western border."

Wu Tianqi has always been very shrewd, and the chips that can make him take risks must be very important...

"Yes." After Mu Yi agreed, he went downstairs to prepare.

Mu Rong adjusted his breathing in the study for a while, and when his body temperature returned to normal, he stood up and left the study.

At this moment in Xinghui Hall, the small glowing lights under the eaves are swaying gracefully, as if waiting for someone.

The courtyard was bathed in moonlight, and the breeze rustled through the leaves, creating a tranquility that was isolated from the world. Tomorrow's Great Zhou might be full of changes, but tonight was so peaceful and tranquil.

Mu Rong pushed the door open and walked in. ...

The ninth day of the seventh month is not a grand court meeting.

But the scene in front of the palace was even more lively than on the day of the grand court meeting.

Because today, not only court officials but also royal family members entered the palace.

The upper study was crowded with people, but it was so quiet that you could hear a pin drop. As Eunuch Yao sang his greeting, everyone knelt down and bowed.

The emperor walked in slowly: "Today, everything is in good order."

It was difficult to discern the emperor's emotions in his words, and no one dared to stand up easily.

"Oh? Not all of them are here." The emperor looked at the royal family and ministers and saw that Mu Rong was not there. He turned to look at Eunuch Yao and asked, "Brother Rong is not here?"

"Your Majesty, today, on the ninth day of the lunar month, many officials and their families are leaving for their hometowns. The Marquis is in charge of the defense of the capital... and therefore has not entered the palace today," Eunuch Yao reported. The Emperor smiled slightly upon hearing this. "Didn't they usually return after Mid-Autumn Festival? Why are they leaving on the ninth day this year? They're all... desperate to avoid it."

After the emperor finished speaking, the study room fell silent again.

"Why are you all silent? You came into the palace so early in the morning, and I think everyone must have a lot to say to me. How come you don't dare to say a word when you see me?" The emperor looked at everyone coldly.

"Your Majesty, the affairs of the harem are your Majesty's family affairs. We dare not interfere. However... the rumors in the capital are rampant and need to be quelled as soon as possible." The speaker was Qi Nan, the prefect of Jingzhao Yinfu. Although he was only a fourth-rank official, as the parent official of the capital, he was the most suitable person to break the deadlock. Moreover, no one present had a higher official rank than him, so it was most appropriate for him to act as the vanguard.

"Since it is a family matter, what does Lord Pingyuan think about this matter?" The emperor looked towards the royal family.

Pingyuan Jun had always been a transparent person. When the emperor threw the topic to him, he did not dare to answer it easily. So he answered carefully: "I think the reason why this matter has caused so much controversy is that the truth is unknown... The queen has been in the palace for more than 20 years and is known for her gentleness and virtue. I really can't believe that she would do something unethical!"

The emperor was silent.

Lord Pingyuan kept his head down.

He spent the whole day thinking about countermeasures. Although he was a member of the royal family, he had never had a strong presence. Because of this, he knew that the emperor would definitely ask for his opinion during today's meeting. No matter what opinion he put forward, the emperor could use it to test everyone present.

In the past, he would have been timid and vague in his words. But now...

In the past six months, he had heard his eldest son praise His Royal Highness Prince Ning more than once at family banquets. With his eldest son's personality... he would never praise others so frankly unless he was sincere. From this, it can be seen that the eldest son may have already surrendered to Prince Ning.

Prince Ning and the Fourth Prince have never had any conflicts, but if the Fourth Prince really surrenders to the Queen, then the conspiracy behind it will certainly be detrimental to Prince Ning!

His response today was crucial. He pretended to trust the Empress and urged the Emperor to uncover the truth. No matter how others interpreted it, they would not think he was taking advantage of her misfortune.

However, he knew very well that the key to his words lay in the four words "people were talking about it".

The most important thing for today's emperor is reputation.

However, after more than 20 years of love and affection, I wonder if reputation will be the straw that breaks the camel's heart.

The heart of an emperor is unfathomable. He did not answer, but only asked.

Therefore, after Pingyuan Jun, many ministers also proposed a thorough investigation, but the emperor never responded.

Because the matter involved the Fourth Imperial Concubine Lin Jiaoyue, Lin Zhihen took leave to avoid suspicion when he went to the study to discuss the matter. The highest-ranking official among the court officials was the Minister of Rites Cheng Wenzhi. He looked at the sullen look on the emperor's face and said, "The incident happened suddenly, and it involves the Queen Mother and the prince. I don't think this matter can be resolved overnight. The most urgent thing is, Your Majesty, please take care of your health... The investigation of the harem can be handed over to Zong Zhengchu." "Yes..." The ministers hurriedly followed.

Only Shi Wanghui, the right official of the Zongzheng Department, was sweating profusely, thinking: How can I take on this hot potato?

But since this matter involved the empress and the prince, it was actually the responsibility of his Zongzhengchu.

Just as he was racking his brains to think of an excuse to shirk his responsibility, the emperor came to his rescue.

He waved his hand with a tired look on his face: "I understand, you can leave first."

After all the ministers left, the emperor sighed, turned around and said to Eunuch Yao, "Go and call Ah Jing, who serves the fourth son."

Ajing is the personal eunuch of the fourth prince Wu Tianqi. In fact, he is a spy planted by the emperor for him and has been lurking beside Wu Tianqi since he was a child.

People in the palace openly called Ajing away from the Fourth Prince's mansion. Wu Tianqi witnessed this scene and his face turned as pale as paper.

He never thought that the people around him were actually his father's spies.

Father...when did he start to become suspicious of him?

Are there people like Ajing around other princes?

He didn't have time to think too much, and just ordered his trusted guards: "Go to the inner courtyard and guard the four imperial concubines. If things don't go well, before the Zongzheng Office comes to the mansion to arrest people..."

He made a strangling gesture.

The guard understood what he meant and secretly went to the inner courtyard and ambushed above Lin Jiaoyue's bedroom.

After returning from the Qixi Festival banquet, Lin Jiaoyue would feel nauseous and vomit whenever she looked in the mirror.

She was secretly worrying about this, but she didn't know that her life was hanging by a thread.