12dz Chapter 569 Whimsical
Chapter 569 Whimsical
cough cough-
A few dull coughs were heard from the Yangxin Palace.
Ruan Xinglin, who had just stepped onto the stairs, paused slightly.
He turned to look at the palace maid beside him.
"Is the Queen Mother's illness not cured yet?" Ruan Xinglin asked.
Qingli replied in a low voice, "Your Excellency, the imperial physician said that the Empress Dowager is depressed..."
Ruan Xinglin's eyes darkened.
The stern voice of Mrs. Ruan came from inside: "Come in."
"Greetings, Her Majesty the Queen Mother." Ruan Xinglin raised his eyes and looked at the Queen Mother Ruan behind the desk.
Empress Dowager Ruan was wearing a dark robe embroidered with gold phoenixes and peonies. The loose clothes made her look thin. Her eyes showed fatigue and her lips were a little pale.
"Empress Dowager, please take care of yourself." Ruan Xinglin said in a low voice.
"The Regent and General Zhong captured the King of the Western Regions alive." Queen Mother Ruan placed an urgent report in front of Ruan Xinglin.
"The thief king of the Western Regions is still determined to attack Suzhou." Ruan Xinglin sneered when he heard this.
Queen Mother Ruan: "General Zhong has brought the King of the Western Regions back to the capital."
It was supposed to be the Regent who came.
But Fu Jinyuan still didn't want to return to the royal capital.
"The Regent is really outstanding, right? If he had not been sent away, he would be more suitable to be the emperor than anyone else." A smile appeared on Queen Mother Ruan's lips.
The Regent is truly a son to be proud of.
Ruan Xinglin sighed in his heart, "Everyone has their own destiny. The regent is doing very well now."
Empress Dowager Ruan's smile faded a little.
"How should we treat the King of the Western Regions?" asked Queen Dowager Ruan.
"He has attacked Suzhou, we can't treat him with courtesy." Ruan Xinglin said coldly.
Queen Mother Ruan smiled and said, "Then put him under house arrest in the Siyi Pavilion and ask the Western Regions how many cities they want to give in exchange for their king."
I hope the King of the Western Regions is worth more.
"The King of the Western Regions has only been on the throne for two years, and he has two brothers who are also eyeing the throne." Ruan Xinglin said.
Once the people in the Western Regions know that their king has been captured, the other princes might rebel immediately.
"Then let's make the Western Regions a little more chaotic," said Queen Mother Ruan.
When there is chaos in the Western Regions, the Southern Dynasty will take over the Southern Dynasty.
Before Ruan Xinglin left, he couldn't help but stop and looked back at Empress Dowager Ruan who was still reviewing memorials.
"The Regent and the Emperor never blamed you. The Emperor left Suzhou because he knew what you had done for him and he wanted to help you."
"Please help your two children and stop torturing yourself."
Queen Mother Ruan did not look up. If someone else had dared to say these words to her, she would have probably been dragged away.
"I know, it's just a cold, there's no depression." Empress Dowager Ruan said coldly.
Ruan Xinglin withdrew his gaze, turned and left.
Queen Mother Ruan continued to lower her head, her mood seemed calm.
After a while, Qingli came in quietly.
"Your Majesty, Qingying requests to see you."
Qingying is a shadow guard placed outside the palace by Empress Dowager Ruan to help her find the whereabouts of the orphans of the previous dynasty.
A thin and tall figure walked in.
"Empress Dowager, He Zhitian has been found. His original name was Zhao Chenning. He is the descendant of the concubine of the previous prince. He Zhiyuan has been colluding with him for many years." Qingying said.
Queen Mother Ruan: "Where are the people?"
"died."
Queen Mother Ruan's eyes turned cold, "How did he die?"
"The carriage fell off a cliff, and no one was left." Qingying said.
"Does he have a treasure map on him?" asked Queen Mother Ruan.
She knew what He Zhiyuan wanted to find at sea, and she also had a treasure map, but the people she secretly sent out did not find it.
"Your Highness, there is nothing on Zhao Chenning."
Queen Mother Ruan was silent for a moment, "That's all."
Treasure or something like that, maybe it's just a rumor.
"Go down."
……
The news that the King of the Western Regions had been captured alive quickly spread throughout the world.
This attracted countless merchants to go to Suzhou.
Tianhe City, which once hoped to restore its extraordinary splendor many years ago, had almost no foreign ships docking in just two months.
Tianhe City fell silent again.
Feng Chuankai didn't dare to accept such an outcome.
"It was just an accident. How dare those merchants abandon their homeland and run to the Southern Dynasty?"
"Bring them back to me, I will convict them!"
Queen Mother Yao looked at her son's helpless and furious appearance with cold eyes, and became more and more disappointed.
“If you had sent a boat to rescue people in time, Tianhe City wouldn’t have ended up like this,” said Queen Mother Yao.
Feng Chuankai became even more angry, "A few cheap merchants' lives, do you still want me to admit my mistakes?"
Queen Mother Yao looked at Feng Chuankai's furious expression and recalled that Guangning had once said something similar.
Her two children had no mercy on the people. They were arrogant and treated everyone like ants.
"What charges do you want to convict them of?" asked Queen Mother Yao.
"The two countries have always had trade, unless you want to break the alliance and become an enemy of the Southern Dynasty."
"But don't forget that the rumors about you outside the palace have not died down yet, and the Prince of Zhennan is still waiting for you to make a mistake."
A few words from Queen Mother Yao finally calmed Feng Chuankai down.
"Mother, what should we do?" Feng Chuankai didn't want to admit his incompetence.
He returned to his youth when he always had to ask Queen Mother Yao for advice.
When he was at a loss, he thought that only his mother could help him.
"Return the ships to the Shui family and reduce port taxes. Your Majesty, this is the only way you can recover your losses and reputation," said Empress Dowager Yao.
Feng Chuankai was unwilling to do so, as the profits from the ship trade were huge, enough to enrich his private treasury.
Queen Mother Yao added, "Let the Queen do it. She can help you."
She knew that her son no longer trusted her, so she handed it over to the Queen.
Feng Chuankai finally agreed reluctantly, "I will tell the Queen when I get back."
“You must be alert to the Prince of Zhennan and find a way to improve your relationship with the Prince of Zhenbei. Your Majesty, in the end, the only one who can resist the Prince of Zhennan is the Prince of Zhenbei.” Empress Dowager Yao added.
"Mother, do you want me to show my goodwill to Feng Chuanjin?" Absolutely impossible.
Queen Mother Yao endured and suppressed her anger, "You are the emperor, and the King of Zhenbei is your subject. You should give him something to show your magnanimity. Is this difficult?"
Feng Chuankai only wanted to kill King Zhenbei, otherwise he would not be able to sit in this position in peace.
But he didn't dare tell this to Queen Mother Yao at this time.
"I know what to do." Feng Chuankai said with a frown.
Queen Mother Yao was so tired of talking that she sent him away and asked someone to invite the Queen over.
Yao Xinling's belly is already showing and her face doesn't look very good.
"May your Majesty be blessed with good health and longevity, mother." Yao Xinling bowed.
Queen Mother Yao held her hand. They had not been so close for a long time.
"Empress, now only you can help the emperor. You take charge of Tianhe City again and find a way to contact Shen Sui'an so that Tianhe City can cooperate with Suzhou."
Yao Xinling took a deep breath and slowly stroked her belly which suddenly tightened.
Ah!
How could Queen Mother Yao think that she, who almost harmed Shen Sui'an, could get the other party's cooperation?
"Okay." Yao Xinling smiled, "I will do my best, mother."