Yun Xiao spoke, and Shangguan Yin nodded forcefully, his brows furrowed. Indeed, these were the 'corpse worms that grow rich without dying'. If they dared collude with merchants, channeling the nation's wealth into their pockets before transforming it into their own, what courtesy should be extended to them?
"Hmm, this first move should be to clear the stage and purge the rotten."
Shangguan Yin's pupils were bloodthirsty and murderous, his expression dark and somber. He raised his head to look at Yun Xiao, but his demeanor was as gentle as a spring breeze, "Xiao'er, you are truly intelligent."
"With me being so clever, I'm already entangled by the Emperor. What else does His Majesty have to worry about?"
Yun Xiao spoke playfully, and Shangguan Yin immediately smiled. At least when faced with such matters, he had someone who genuinely helped him. No, a faction within the court stood with them, so there was nothing to fear.
"Yes, Xiao'er is right."
Shangguan Yin, in a rare moment of childishness, leaned down and ruffled Yun Xiao's hair.
At this, both of them laughed. Yun Xiao raised her eyebrows and spoke at an unhurried pace.
"I have already ordered the Imperial Household Department to send back the older palace maids in the palace. Firstly, to allow them to reunite with their families, and secondly, to save some expenses. Times are not what they used to be, and there are no surplus concubines in the palace. Those people are idle anyway, so it's better to let them go."
"You handle this matter, Xiao'er."
This was naturally the Empress's prerogative, and Shangguan Yin was unwilling to interfere. After Yun Xiao finished this, she did not forget to remind Shangguan Yin.
"Your Majesty, don't be anxious. The most urgent matters to resolve are the Skull Blood Bandits of Xishan, and secondly, those maggots in the court. Let's handle these two matters first, and then move on to others."
"Mmm," Shangguan Yin released her hand, turned to look at Yun Xiao, his deep black eyes shimmering with captivating waves. He reached out and pulled her into his embrace, pressing close to her ear, and said softly, "Xiao'er, last night was our wedding night, but I saw you were tired, so tonight, let's have our wedding night again. Let's ignore those matters."
Before Yun Xiao could say anything, Shangguan Yin had already scooped her up, causing her to let out a delicate cry. She reached out and tightly clasped his neck.
In the sleeping chambers, the lights were bright, and the golden silk dragon-fish scale gauze curtains were gently lowered, obscuring the vibrant and sensuous scene within. Only the sounds of soft panting and murmurs could be heard.
Outside the window, the moonlight was like a silver clear lake, soaking the lush green canopy of the trees. The cold wind blew past with a mournful hum.
After a period of passionate entanglement, they both fell asleep, nestled against each other.
In front of the palace gates, eunuchs Fu Hai and Wan Wan, among others, took turns keeping watch. No one dared to say much, serving with great care.
At the first quarter of Yin hour, before dawn broke, Shangguan Yin awoke. His eyes were fixed on the dragon-playing-phoenix motif above his head, quietly awaiting news. He was waiting for word from Lan Qinglun, the Minister of War, wondering if the Skull Blood Bandits of Xishan had been captured.
As expected, a eunuch's soft call soon echoed from outside the hall door: "Your Majesty?"
Shangguan Yin rose quietly, reached out to take his dragon robe from the screen, and walked out. The rustling of clothes immediately followed. A eunuch attended to him while whispering, "Your Majesty, Lord Lan has arrived."
Shangguan Yin nodded and walked out with Fu Hai, instructing Qiao'er to take good care of the Empress, before heading to the main hall.
In the main hall, Lan Qinglun was pacing back and forth. Upon hearing the footsteps of the Emperor emerging, he quickly knelt to pay his respects.
"Your humble servant greets His Majesty."
"How is it? Have they been captured? How many people came?"
Shangguan Yin asked several questions. Lan Qinglun was momentarily stunned, but quickly recovered, realizing that His Majesty was too anxious. He quickly reported.
"Your Majesty, please rest assured. We poured boiled aconite saltwater into the tomb. The Xishan blood bandits indeed did not dare to pass through underground. We dispatched a large number of men to encircle and capture them. This time, we captured three alive, with over a dozen dead or injured."
"Good, this is truly excellent," Shangguan Yin exclaimed, clapping his hands in delight upon hearing this. His peerless face was illuminated by a resolute glow, his eyes dancing with charming laughter. This could be considered a piece of good news.
Although there were still many matters to attend to, he believed that he and Xiao'er would overcome them together.
"These three live captives must be interrogated thoroughly. Find out how many people from our Dong Qin are involved. This matter is entrusted to you personally for interrogation. Ensure that others do not find out, and absolutely do not let them die, but use whatever methods necessary to make them confess."
"Yes, Your Majesty."
Lan Qinglun retreated. Shangguan Yin watched him leave. For now, it was not advisable to alert too many people, as news of bandits like the Xishan Blood Bandits would undoubtedly cause panic and disrupt the court's order.
Even if Wen Jia Nian was one of the Xishan Blood Bandits, did he have accomplices? If those people were alerted, the trouble would likely be even greater. Therefore, this case must be solved in the shortest possible time...
At the morning court, three matters arose. Firstly, Lü Yichun and others, led by the Vice Minister of Works.
They submitted a petition stating that the Empress had already been married into the harem and requested His Majesty to take more concubines as soon as possible to produce imperial heirs.
Shangguan Yin understood the true intention behind this seemingly righteous statement. These individuals, seeing his intention to move against those in power, had conspired all night and finally presented him with this proposal.
He wondered if they intended to distract him with female beauty, or if they hoped he would be constrained by familial ties, thus hindering his actions.
Secondly, Prince Lin reported that Wen Jia Nian, the Minister of the Imperial Sacrificial Court, had committed numerous crimes and was currently imprisoned in the Ministry of Justice.
The hall erupted in an uproar, and everyone's faces turned pale. Wen Jia Nian had, in the past, been quite close to them. Although his official position was not very high, he had always maintained excellent relations with these senior officials, especially in his ability to win people over. He had often bestowed favors upon them. Therefore, upon hearing this news, they all broke out in a cold sweat.
Thirdly, the marriage alliance documents from the Northern Dynasty had arrived, and the welcoming procession would follow shortly. The fifth prince of the Northern Dynasty, Prince Xiang, would personally marry Princess Anle of Dong Qin, signifying a friendly alliance between the two nations.
Among the three matters, only the last one brought joy; the other two caused concern.
In the imperial study, Shangguan Yin's face was grim, and he remained silent. Standing below him, Prince Lin, seeing his imperial brother's displeased and gloomy expression, respectfully inquired, "Imperial Brother, what about the matter of taking concubines?"
"This is absolutely out of the question. If I were to fulfill their wishes, and besides Xiao'er, I have no intention of taking any more concubines."
As soon as the Emperor finished speaking, Shangguan Lin's eyes widened in disbelief. It was unheard of for an emperor to take only one consort.
However, given Yun Xiao's personality, it was unlikely that he would be allowed to marry many concubines. If his imperial brother had taken more, she might not have agreed to marry in the first place. It was probably because his imperial brother had promised to take only one wife before she agreed to marry him. xxs1
In fact, Shangguan Lin did not object to taking only one wife. However, he believed that for himself, taking only one wife was acceptable because he was merely a prince, and deep marital affection was normal.
But his imperial brother was the ruler of a nation. Taking only one wife was not in accordance with propriety, and the royal family needed to produce many princes and princesses. If the Empress remained childless for a long time, what then?
"Imperial Brother, I fear those people will raise this matter again. This is their bargaining chip right now."