Disguised as a man, she became the biggest villain in the book.

The controversy didn't last long.

Royal Palace

Chen Xianlin, dressed in an elegant long dress, lay peacefully asleep in a pavilion in the Imperial Garden, her eyes closed. Chunxiao gently fanned her from the side.

Suddenly, a figure appeared beside Chunxiao. His movements were gentle, as if he didn't want to wake anyone. Chunxiao looked up, about to bow, but was stopped by the man's gesture. He took the fan from Chunxiao's hand and began to fan Chen Xianlin, his movements gentle and meticulous, as if afraid of waking the sleeping beauty.

Chen Xianlin seemed to sense the movement beside her and slowly opened her eyes, immediately seeing Xue Huaiyu standing next to her. She quickly stood up to bow, but Xue Huaiyu reached out and gently helped her up, saying softly, "Didn't I tell you? When it's just the two of us, you don't need to bow to me."

Chen Xianlin smiled slightly, a hint of shyness flashing in her eyes, then obediently sat down in the chair. She looked up at Xue Huaiyu and asked with a smile, "What brings Your Majesty here today?"

Xue Huaiyu's lips curled up slightly, revealing a faint smile, and he replied, "After court, I heard that you were here, so I thought I'd come and see you." His gaze fell on Chen Xianlin, filled with tenderness and affection.

Chen Xianlin felt a surge of sweetness in her heart, and a happy smile spread across her face. She looked at Xue Huaiyu gratefully and said softly, "Your Majesty, you can leave the fanning to the servants. You are busy with important matters every day, so there's no need for Your Majesty to trouble yourself with such a small thing."

Xue Huaiyu shook his head and smiled, saying, "I am very happy to do these small things for you." His eyes revealed his deep love for Chen Xianlin.

The two of them, like an ordinary young couple, were very affectionate in the Imperial Garden.

Suddenly, a eunuch rushed in to report, "Your Majesty, Lord Ye requests an audience."

Xue Huaiyu summoned Ye Churan in. As soon as Ye Churan entered, she saw Xue Huaiyu and Chen Xianlin being all lovey-dovey. Her expression was unreadable, but she respectfully bowed.

Ye Churan gave a signal with her eyes, and the servants all withdrew. At this time, only Chen Xianlin, Xue Huaiyu and Ye Churan remained in the pavilion.

“It’s alright, my beloved concubine is no stranger,” Xue Huaiyu said leisurely.

Nevertheless, Chen Xianlin still wanted to leave first. After all, Ye Churan must have come to see the Emperor because of something important, and it was not appropriate for her to remain. So, she said softly, "Your Majesty, I feel a little tired and would like to go back to rest first."

"In that case, my beloved concubine, please go and rest!" Xue Huaiyu did not insist that she stay.

After Chen Xianlin left, Ye Churan slowly said, "Your Majesty, a righteous army has appeared in Yangzhou."

"What? Has anyone found out what exactly happened?" Xue Huaiyu asked in shock.

Ye Churan gently shook her head, indicating that the source of the problem was still unclear. The most important thing right now was to send troops to garrison the area and eliminate these rebel forces.

Xue Huaiyu did not delay at all and immediately summoned several important officials to discuss strategies for dealing with the matter.

Inside the Imperial Study Room

"Your Majesty, the most important thing at this time is to immediately send people to guard the area. We must also have someone thoroughly investigate why there are rebels in Yangzhou," the Prime Minister said, bowing.

"Do any of you ministers have someone in mind?" Xue Huaiyu asked, his gaze sweeping over the audience below the stage.

"Your Majesty, I believe that Yangzhou is very close to the territory under General Pei's jurisdiction. We can send Pei Wenyu, the grandson of General Pei, to mobilize troops to help suppress the rebellion. As for the person in charge, I think Lord Zheng Luoqi is brave and resourceful. He is already a third-rank official at a young age. He will definitely handle this matter properly. Therefore, I strongly recommend the two of them," said Grand Commandant Wen.

“Oh, I didn’t know that the Grand Commandant had come to admire my son so much,” the Prime Minister said sarcastically from the side. “But since the Grand Commandant values ​​my son so much, why not let his son go along as well?”

"You flatter me, Prime Minister. My son is foolish and incapable of shouldering such a great responsibility," Grand Commandant Wen hurriedly waved his hand and said.

"Hmph, Grand Commandant Wen, why be so modest?" the Prime Minister sneered. "We are both important officials in the court, and it is only right that we share His Majesty's burdens."

"Alright, stop arguing," Xue Huaiyu said, rubbing his temples with a headache. "I think Minister Zheng and Minister Pei are both suitable, but I don't know if they are willing to take on this task?"

Xue Huaiyu then summoned Zheng Luoqi and Pei Wenyu.

"Your Majesty, rest assured, this humble subject is willing to go," Zheng Luoqi said, cupping his hands in greeting.

"Alright, then I'll leave this matter to you two. I hope you can live up to expectations and quell the rebellion as soon as possible," Xue Huaiyu nodded.

“Thank you for your trust, Your Majesty. I will certainly live up to your expectations,” Zheng Luoqi replied.

Since Pei Wenyu does not yet hold an official position, he departed under the pretext of protecting Zheng Luoqi, accompanied by Lin Zifeng.

Lin Zifeng was completely bewildered when he received the imperial decree. Later, he learned that Pei Wenyu had recommended him to go with him.

..........

Imperial Study

"Why did His Majesty send Zheng Luoqi to Yangzhou?" Ye Churan asked, frowning and looking puzzled. He really couldn't understand why the Emperor would send Zheng Luoqi to handle such an important matter.

“He certainly has the ability, and he’s a good candidate. If he can govern Yangzhou well, then he might come back alive; but if he fails, then he’s even less likely to return. After all, Yangzhou is in complete chaos right now, and he might just die on the way.” Xue Huaiyu explained with a slight smile.

Ye Churan was still somewhat confused: "But why would the Emperor suddenly think of sending him? Isn't that risky? What if he fails to eliminate him? And we don't yet know the Prime Minister's true strength. If the Prime Minister's only son dies, and the Prime Minister becomes reckless and does nothing, wouldn't that be very dangerous for us?"

“This is also an opportunity. We can take this chance to probe the Prime Minister’s true intentions,” Xue Huaiyu said.

Since assuming power, the Prime Minister has wielded immense authority, and he and his son have acted with extreme caution, rarely venturing out. Consequently, all the spies sent to the Prime Minister's residence have never returned, leaving no one with any evidence against him. However, now that the Prime Minister has agreed to this trip, it presents an excellent opportunity, as they can begin by targeting the Prime Minister's son, Zheng Luoqi.

Hearing this, Ye Churan remained silent for a long time before speaking, "Isn't doing this too risky? Regardless of how the current prime minister views this matter, how could he not have noticed such an obvious move? I have a feeling that things are not so simple."

"Yes, that's why I also sent Pei Wenyu, the grandson of General Pei, and Lin Zifeng, the son of Lin Zongzheng, to monitor Zheng Luoqi's every move," Xue Huaiyu explained.

Ye Churan frowned and said in a heavy tone, "But I feel this is a risky move. After all, we don't know Zheng Luoqi well enough. I think we should not rush into action. The situation in the court is not yet stable, and the Prime Minister cannot step down. If we alert him now, I'm afraid there will be a lot of trouble."