The princess was ordained by Heaven.

"No, Mother," Zheng Jiao crawled to her knees, "Let's discuss this..."

"Not negotiable."

"Mother! Thankfully, Father told me that you are the mother of the nation and the most sensible person, so he would definitely agree to my request."

The emperor, who was engrossed in reviewing memorials, paused, and a look of bewilderment gradually appeared on his face.

Good, good, so that's what his dear daughter said about him behind his back?

The Empress asked skeptically, "Did he really say that?"

Zheng Jiao nodded frantically.

The Empress picked up her teacup, took a small sip, and then said, "Is he mentally unstable, or is that true for you?"

Zheng Jiao: ...

Emperor: Is it possible that Zheng Jiao is the only one with a problem with his brain?

The Empress put down her teacup, the soft "clatter" sound barely noticeable, yet it sent a shiver down Zheng Jiao's spine.

"I said it, it's impossible, and that's that."

Zheng Jiao still wanted to try, but the Empress's eyes immediately reddened: "Jiao Jiao, is it because after A Jin was found, you feel that your mother has neglected you?"

Zheng Jiao shook his head repeatedly.

"Jiaojiao, your mother might be a little slow-witted. If you're unhappy or dissatisfied with anything, you must tell your mother, okay? That way, your mother will know how to change."

"No, Mother, that's not the reason!"

Zheng Jiao scratched his hair in dejection.

The Empress stopped trying to persuade her. Whenever Zheng Jiao brought up the matter again, she would cry and apologize repeatedly.

Zheng Jiao's head was spinning from crying, and in the end, he had no choice but to return defeated.

Zheng Xun watched this scene with a sigh, unable to help but mentally complain.

[Father is so shrewd! He clearly doesn't want eldest sister to go to Liaozhou, but he insists on acting magnanimous and passing the buck to the Empress.]

He got to play the good guy, but the Empress got all the role-playing nonsense.

The emperor turned his head to look at Eunuch Li and asked in a low voice, "Am I really that irresponsible?"

"His Majesty bears the weight of the people's fate and bestows blessings upon all. With the Empress and you each fulfilling your respective duties, the Great Yong Dynasty will surely prosper!"

Actually, what Li Xiaojun really meant was: Have you finished reviewing the memorials? Have you dealt with all the affairs of state? Don't you have enough to worry about? No? If not, then get to work. What are you thinking about?

The emperor was unaware of his subordinates' grumbling, and after figuring it out, he continued to act as a donkey handling official business.

……

Two flowers bloom, one branch each.

Meanwhile, the Minister of Personnel carried a pot of wine to Liao Hongsheng's residence.

He was a regular at the Liao residence, and in the past, the gatekeeper was always very welcoming to him, letting him in with just a word of thanks.

But this time, the doorman was much colder.

The doorman could not possibly know the grudges between the master and the guest, but the most important thing for him was to be observant.

Therefore, from his attitude, the Minister of Personnel could foresee that the trip would not go smoothly.

As expected, he was left standing outside the mansion for a full quarter of an hour before being invited inside.

Liao Hongsheng appeared very apologetic, saying that he had been too busy and had forgotten that Liao was waiting outside.

Minister of Personnel: I've fallen for your nonsense.

In fact, Liao Hongsheng wasn't lying; he really was busy.

One by one, the spies from the Brown Kingdom revealed themselves. These people were difficult to interrogate, and he couldn't get anything out of them by handing them over to others, so he had to take matters into his own hands.

Even so, the results were still minimal.

Despite his presentable appearance, he often carries the stench of blood and the putrid smell of wounds from his time in prison. His wife won't let him into bed unless he takes three baths every night.

"Brother Lü, is there something important you need to discuss with me so suddenly?"

"I've acquired a jug of fine wine and would like to share it with you, my worthy brother," the Minister of Personnel said, raising the jug he was carrying. "What? Can't I visit Grand Secretary Liao's door for no reason?"

"That's not true at all," Liao Hongsheng laughed heartily. "Since you've prepared the wine, I'll prepare some good food for you today. We brothers won't leave until we're drunk!"

Liao Hongsheng was convinced that he had ill intentions, and he wanted to see what his purpose was.

The two people, each with their own thoughts, took their seats together. The atmosphere was quite nice, but their interactions were filled with polite formalities and insincerity.

Liao Hongsheng was always the one with a low alcohol tolerance. When he was almost drunk, Minister Lü squinted, a glint of shrewdness flashing in his eyes: "Brother, I'm feeling rather uneasy..."

Liao Hongsheng's cheeks were flushed, and his voice was already somewhat slurred. He patted his chest and assured him, "Brother, if there's anything you need, just tell your brother. Your brother will definitely listen carefully."

Minister Lü cursed him inwardly, calling him an old fox. Even when drunk, he was so cautious with his words. What was there to listen to? Anyone with ears could hear it; did he need to say it out of the blue?

He continued, holding back his anger, "You don't know, the court has changed. The emperor's thoughts are becoming more and more unpredictable, and my colleagues are becoming more and more strange. Do you think I did something wrong, brother? Why am I being ostracized at my age?"

Liao Hongsheng's face turned serious, and he leaned closer with a solemn expression: "Do you want to know why? I know!"

Minister Lü rubbed his hands together and nervously leaned closer to listen.

Liao Hongsheng chuckled, opened his mouth as if to say something, but accidentally put Liao Hongsheng's earlobe into his mouth.

Liao Hongsheng: ...

"What are you doing!" Minister Lü roared, retreating in a panic.

He rubbed his ears, frantically wiping away the drool, and looked at Liao Hongsheng as if he were some lecherous scoundrel.

He had been feigning friendship with Liao Hongsheng for so long, never knowing that the other was actually a pervert!

He's tainted.

Liao Hongsheng's toes were already clenched tightly, and he cursed his bad luck in his heart.

He just wants to go back to his wife for comfort. Waaah, he's not clean anymore, will his wife despise him?

Minister Lü was terrified; at that moment, he really wanted to turn around and leave.

But remembering his purpose for today, he let out a long breath, made thorough preparations, and cautiously approached.

"Brother Liao, what exactly is wrong with Princess Yuanjia? What are you hiding from me?"

Liao Hongsheng blinked, seemingly pondering the meaning of his words.

Just as Minister Lü was growing impatient, he suddenly spoke up: "Actually..."

"Actually what?"

Liao Hongsheng chuckled: "Brother Lü, do you know that different people all die?"

He spoke in a very high-pitched voice, with a somewhat androgynous and eerie quality.

The moon seemed to sense something was wrong and secretly retreated behind the dark clouds.

The night was deep and dark.

Minister Lü felt a chill run down his spine; he felt as if he must be covered in hair.

"what are you saying?"

Liao Hongsheng tilted his head, his lips parted in a sinister smile: "Different people must die! Brother Lü... what makes you different from the others?"

Minister Lü stammered in his defense: "Different? There's no difference."

"But you did something wrong..."

For some unknown reason, Minister Lü's face suddenly turned deathly pale.

Do you know how those different people died?

Minister Lü: I don't want to know.

But if Liao Hongsheng wanted to speak, he had no choice but to listen.