The peerless and dark princess

Chen Yan listened to the story of this man who had just returned to Beijing to take up his post. He felt a surge of anger in his heart. As the emperor, how could he not know that his sons were plotting to take the throne? He just didn't expect them to dare to act like this, disregarding the lives of the people. These court officials...

"Bastard!"

Chen Yan's face turned ashen with anger, and no one below responded. They felt like a kitten curled up to avoid being noticed, and suddenly felt powerless.

"Du Yuanhuai, how do you know about this Moon City incident?"

"This……"

"I'm sorry, just tell me the truth."

"Your Majesty, I just arrived in the capital yesterday. On the way back, I met some people who had escaped and learned about this incident. ... I think Your Majesty should send officials to deal with it..."

"Then where is that person?"

"It is my students who have done a poor job. I and others are not aware of this matter. If I knew, it would be..." An old minister under Chen Yunfeng knelt tremblingly in the hall. It was obvious that he was the one who was abandoned. Of course, many people in the hall knew it.

"You don't know, you don't know, how can you plot against me, plot against me..." Chen Yan was furious.

Chu Lianyue looked at the angry Chen Yan with some contempt in his heart. At this time, he was still concerned about those who were plotting against his throne, instead of worrying about the common people of Yuecheng. However, he had to speak out.

"Your Majesty, please calm down. Right now, we should find a way to resolve the issue in Moon City."

"Let's talk about how to resolve the Moon City issue and who to send to Moon City?"

Chen Yan's words were met with a momentary silence. The Second Prince dared not speak out, fearing the consequences would be felt even if he did. They knew full well the state of Moon City. They wanted to conceal some of the truth, but were afraid to speak out.

Crown Prince Chen Yunjie did not dare to get involved in the Yuecheng affair. If he did well, he might not get any credit, but if he made a mistake, it would be difficult to explain. Although he could suppress the Second Prince, there was no need to kill a thousand enemies and lose eight hundred of his own.

"Your Highness, I do have a good candidate. How about Lord He?"

"Humph!!"

The Second Prince Chen Yunfeng and the Crown Prince Chen Yunjie were both unable to reach a settlement in their dispute. Du Yuanhuai frowned deeply as he listened. He had only been away from Kyoto for a few years, so how come the court had become so chaotic?

"Your Highness, I have a suggestion, but I'm not sure if I should state it or not."

"Lord Chu, what do you say?"

"Since the lords can't agree, why not let Prince Heng Zuo Ci visit Yuecheng, with Lord Du and Minister Du assisting him? This way, Your Majesty will show that you value the Yuecheng matter, and Prince Heng will also feel Your Majesty's support for him."

Aside from Du Yuanhuai's slight displeasure, everyone else felt quite pleased with Chu Lianyue's words. The princes felt they hadn't been wronged. Everyone knew about the "dandy," and while they hadn't been able to control him, at least they weren't on his side, so they were giving him face. Emperor Chen Yan, on the other hand, felt it was a good idea. With Du Yuanhuai around, the Yuecheng issue was likely resolved, and the people would feel they valued him, which would make Zuo Ci feel even more devoted to him. Furthermore, if anything did go wrong, Du Yuanhuai could simply be punished slightly, and the blame placed on Zuo Ci, the dandy, for not listening to his advice.

"My dear ministers, what do you think of Lord Chu's proposal?"

"Very good."

"Lord Du, I will not issue any further decrees in the palace today. You will take the imperial edict to Prince Heng's mansion to announce it and choose a day to depart for Yuecheng."

"Your Majesty, take the order."

Du Yuanhuai cursed Chu Lianyue in his heart, suggesting that it was nothing for him to go to Yuecheng. He was an official and should do practical things for the people. As for that Prince Heng Zuo Ci, he had only been back in Kyoto for a day and he had already heard all kinds of rumors about him. This was... Oh, I really didn't know what Chu Lianyue was doing...

Chu Lianyue knew this would displease Du Yuanhuai. He acted this way because he had watched the court arguing, their faces red and ears red with embarrassment. If he hadn't known Chen Yan didn't want him to leave the capital, he would have wanted to go. Zuo Ci had already decided on this course of action. This would allow him to interact with the common people and understand their suffering. He also wanted to win over this old-fashioned man. Although Du Yuanhuai was old-fashioned, he wasn't stupid and would achieve great things in the future. So, after much deliberation, Chu Lianyue made this proposal.

Zuo Ci never thought that after telling Chu Lianyue about this, he would be dragged into it. This was not Zuo Ci's original intention, so when he received the imperial edict, he was really unprepared. Of course, he did not miss the disgust in Du Yuanhuai's eyes.

"Sir Du, since this is His Majesty's order, I have no choice but to leave. Alas, what a pity for the fairy sisters in the capital..."

As soon as these words came out, Du Yuanhuai almost threw the imperial edict in his hand at Zuo Ci's face, but fortunately he knew it was an imperial edict so he managed to hold back.

"Prince Zuo, since His Majesty has sent you and me, we will leave for Moon City tomorrow. Please be on time tomorrow..."

"I know, I know." Zuo Ci looked nonchalant, even muttering under his breath, "Why did this uncle take me to those places..."

Du Yuanhuai could only pretend he hadn't heard this, and hurried away to make arrangements on his own. He didn't expect this gentleman to prepare anything, as long as he stayed quiet and didn't cause any trouble. He could handle the rest himself. He was just afraid that this gentleman would use chicken feathers as a token of authority...

"Haha, I'm afraid the second brother is going to fall this time. He actually hid such an important matter from the emperor."

"Your Highness is right. But why did Chu Lianyue propose Zuo Ci?"

"Everyone knows that the Chu family is loyal to my father. They never get too close to us brothers, naturally for my father's sake. Don't forget five years ago..."

"I haven't forgotten. I just feel that now, we have no way to get the Second Prince to..."

"What's the rush?" Chen Yunjie stood by the window, looking outside. "We have Du Yuanhuai. He's no pushover. Haven't you seen him governing the region for the past six years? And as others have said, if he investigates thoroughly, the second brother will definitely be in serious trouble... Hmm, I didn't expect the third brother to be so low-key, but now he's here... Ha, it really is true."

"Then should we???"

"Just monitor him secretly. Let him fight Yun Feng. Isn't it better for us to sit back and watch the fight?"

"Your Highness the Crown Prince is intelligent, and we are dull."

"Well, you guys go down and deal with those who were almost exposed earlier. Don't let them get caught. I'm afraid the capital city is going to..."

"Yes, Your Highness the Crown Prince."

When Chu Lianyue returned to Prince Yan's Mansion, he immediately found Old Man Chu and told him what had happened today.

"Hmm? You're a little hasty, but that's okay. Although Du Yuanhuai is a bit stubborn, he's a talented person. Let's see what Zuo Ci does when the time comes. If he does, you can just give him some advice from the side."

"Well, I'm afraid Du Yuanhuai is also annoyed by the chaotic atmosphere in the palace today. However, this is more beneficial to us..."