Resisting the Wind and Splendor

The Emperor kept his promise to the Fourteenth Prince and did not kill the Empress; he simply imprisoned her in the Cold Palace.

But in reality, whether or not to kill her made little difference to the Empress.

Because the Emperor issued a decree forbidding the Fourteenth Prince from seeing the Empress, and forbidding anyone from relaying the news that the Fourteenth Prince was still alive to the Empress.

The disheartened empress hanged herself the day after she was imprisoned in the cold palace.

As for Lu Fengjin, he was rewarded by the emperor for his meritorious service in protecting the emperor. However, after the battle in the south, Prince Jin seemed to feel disheartened and asked for permission to be stationed on the border of the north. He will soon lead his 60,000 remaining troops to the north.

Consort Rui wanted to go with her son, but the Emperor refused her request, citing the precedent that no consort had accompanied a prince to the frontier.

Consort Rui is still in the palace and seems to have no worries about food and clothing, but everyone knows that Consort Rui lives in the palace to restrain Prince Jin and prevent him from one day becoming king with an army.

"My fifth brother only has 60,000 remnants of his army, yet Father is still so wary of him. Fourth brother, the combined forces of you and your sister-in-law could shake his empire."

The more Lu Yunfei thought about it, the more he felt something was wrong.

Father has not yet made any arrangements for Fourth Prince, Fourth Princess, or the people of the Duke's Mansion. Could this tranquility be the last bit of peace before the storm?

Lu Yunfei had never paid attention to these things before.

But after returning from a trip to southern Inner Mongolia, I began to mature.

Chu Yueli and Lu Beimo exchanged glances.

If even Yunfei can see it, how could they not see it?

The saying "Serving a ruler is like serving a tiger" has been true from ancient times to the present.

"Tonight, His Majesty is hosting a banquet to reward all the meritorious officials. My fourth brother and sister-in-law, as well as Lord Chu, are among them. I'm afraid this banquet is not so simple."

The fact that Consort Rui was kept in the palace made Lu Yunfei somewhat uneasy.

Their mother is still in Qinyang, with the Qin family, which is even more rebellious to the Emperor than Consort Rui.

"I heard that Father has already sent people to Qinyang to fetch Mother and Bao'er."

So now, things have come to a point where a decision must be made.

Lu Yunfei looked at Lu Beimo and Chu Yueli. There were some things he had kept in his heart for a long time, but he had never dared to say them. But now, he had no choice but to say them.

“Once Mother returns, I fear she will never have another chance to leave the palace. Like Consort Rui, she will be trapped inside, never to leave again. And Bao’er…”

The fourth prince and the Duke's mansion have so many soldiers that they could threaten the emperor at any moment.

Prince Jin only had 60,000 troops, yet he was still being guarded against so much. With the Northern Cavalry, the Chu Family Army, the Zhenbei Army stationed in the northern border, and the Ming Family Army in the southern border, totaling hundreds of thousands of troops, which emperor would dare to be indifferent?

I'm afraid that even Bao'er will be left in the palace and used as a pawn to control them!

"Yunfei, don't rush. Sit down and have some tea. We can discuss this matter slowly."

Chu Yueli poured him a cup of tea and said with a smile, "Sit down and rest for a while. You must be very tired after coming back from outside."

"I'm not tired." Compared to my mother and Bao'er, what is this little bit of fatigue?

Lu Yunfei's biggest worry now is whether his mother and Bao'er will encounter another group of his father's men, in which case they will have no choice but to return.

Once I come back, can I leave again?