After Yu Zixi went to the Xing Sheng Palace last night, he secretly visited Concubine He in the Cold Palace.
Under the moonlight, he took off his hairpin and bun. When he stood in front of Concubine He's bed, she hesitated for only a moment before recognizing him!
With tears in her smile, Concubine He rushed over and hugged him, sobbing uncontrollably.
Yu Zixi tried hard to suppress his bitter emotions and wanted to take her away. But she shook her head firmly, afraid that her son would take risks for her. If he was discovered, he might be deliberately harassed and even killed.
Yu Zixi sighed silently. He really couldn't implicate Wei Dongling. She was already seriously injured, and that dog emperor had punished her to be under house arrest and copy books. If something happened to him at this time, she would surely come out to look for him regardless of the risk of falling out with the emperor.
After staying in the Cold Palace for a while, Yu Zixi turned around and left. He felt a bit cold inside. In the end, he was just too useless. He couldn't protect any of the women he wanted to protect.
Wei Dongling noticed that Yu Zixi was in a low mood. She reached out and pulled him into the quilt, lying on top of him and sighing softly, "Husband, I miss Grandpa Su. I want to leave here and wander the world with you."
Yu Zixi kissed her lips gently, then hugged her soft and slender waist tightly. His hands began to wander restlessly on her body.
Wei Dongling's heart skipped a beat. She was both excited and shy. She leaned over and kissed his chin tenderly.
Suddenly, there came a series of voices from the door. It was Yue'e calling her, "Princess Five! Princess Five! Are you in there?"
"Not here!" Wei Dongling growled through gritted teeth, clutching Yu Zixi's arm tightly and refusing to let go.
Yue'e was taken aback. She withdrew her hand that was about to knock on the door and said carefully, "Princess, the emperor has summoned you! He wants you to go there immediately!"
Wei Dongling got angry. First he punished her to be under house arrest, and now he summoned her. How annoying! She was still waiting to dote on her handsome man!
Yu Zixi's face darkened. He pinched her waist and pulled her out of the quilt, shooing her away.
Wei Dongling put on her clothes and tied her belt pitifully. She quickly put on the shoes that Yue'e handed her and went back to the bedroom to dress up.
In the side hall of the Taiji Palace, the emperor was reading memorials. Seeing Wei Dongling bow and then stand obediently aside without saying a word, he felt a bit depressed. He coughed lightly and said, "Is Wanlin still angry with me for punishing you?"
Wei Dongling rolled her eyes in her heart but said respectfully on the surface, "I wouldn't dare."
The emperor laughed and snorted, "Is there anything you wouldn't dare to do?"
Wei Dongling kept silent.
Seeing that she didn't speak, the emperor asked helplessly, "Are you blaming me because I won't let you deal with Yun Qian?"
Wei Dongling still didn't say a word.
The emperor sighed deeply and said gloomily, "I don't have many sons left. I saw and knew all the things your fourth elder brother did before his death. But after all, you are all my children. How could I be willing to see you brothers and sisters fight and kill each other?"
Wei Dongling stared at the tip of her nose and ignored him, not saying a word.
The emperor said speechlessly, "The reason I've been reluctant to depose the crown prince is not only because there's the Xue Family Army backing your fourth elder brother. What I value is his unyielding ambition. I've never seen this in other princes. It wasn't until recently that I saw this trait in the tenth prince, Yun Qian. So, I still want to train him. If he really proves to be incompetent in the future, then there's nothing I can do..."
Wei Dongling stared at the mountain of memorials on the table and said coldly, "Father! What if the remaining Zhao family members really collude with Xiliang secretly?"
The emperor couldn't help coughing continuously. Wei Dongling quickly stepped forward to rub his back and massage his neck gently.
No matter how much she disliked it, she was still the younger generation after all. Wei Dongling sighed and said, "Father, you shouldn't overwork yourself. You should take care of your health!"
The emperor said helplessly, "There have been many troublesome things recently. I don't want to see you siblings turn against each other. I have my own plans regarding Xiliang."
Wei Dongling said speechlessly, "Yes! Your child won't argue with the imperial brother anymore." Anyway, even if there's a dispute, you won't side with me. I'd better stay away from that mad dog to avoid getting bitten!
Suddenly, the emperor said, "Yun Qian's leg was inexplicably broken last night. Wanlin, did you do this?"
Wei Dongling was shocked and said, "Father! Your child doesn't know martial arts! Cheng Hao, the only one in Yaoguang Pavilion who knows martial arts, still has old injuries and hasn't recovered. How could he possibly attack the tenth imperial brother?" Don't you have some misunderstanding about your good son? He's highly skilled in martial arts. Would I be so stupid as to go and offer myself as a target?
It was indeed her man who did it, but would she admit it?
The emperor sighed and said, "It seems there are quite a few hidden forces in this palace. Poor your tenth brother. I don't know how long it will take for him to recover!"
Wei Dongling curled her lips. Her man didn't kill him. He was really lucky!
Seeing that Wei Dongling didn't respond, the emperor said unhappily, "Are you still angry with me? I only punished you to be under house arrest and copy books. Did I ever cut your allowance?" Who doesn't know that you love money so much? Did I touch your lifeblood?
Only then did Wei Dongling smile flatteringly and say, "No, no. Your child knows that Father dotes on me."
The emperor snorted and didn't comment.
While massaging the emperor's shoulders, Wei Dongling pointed to an attached volume of a memorial and said, "There are obvious problems with these two accounts. They don't match."
The emperor turned his head to look at Wei Dongling's face and asked in surprise, "How did you notice?"
Wei Dongling waved her hand and said, "Hey, when your child was in General Qi's mansion a few years ago, I was in charge of all the accounts, big and small. I can spot any problems at a glance."
The emperor stroked his beard and said with a gentle smile, "I didn't know my daughter was so capable!" Then, the emperor took out the memorial and its attached volume and handed them to Wei Dongling, instructing, "This year's natural disasters have emptied the national treasury. Wanlin, help me take a detailed look and see where we should investigate carefully."
Wei Dongling smiled and said, "If your child does a good job, could Father reward your child with something?"
The emperor laughed and said, "You! Whenever you ask for something, when have I ever refused you? By asking for a reward like this, you make me seem stingy."
Wei Dongling pursed her lips and smiled, "The feeling of getting something through one's own efforts is different from asking Father for it, isn't it?"
The emperor laughed heartily upon hearing this.
Soon, Wei Dongling had circled all the inconsistent words in the attached volume with a red pen and handed it to the emperor.
Surprised, the emperor asked someone to bring the detailed account books of the national treasury and handed them to Wei Dongling.
Wei Dongling's face darkened. Looking at the thick account books, she pouted and muttered, "You gotta pay more!"
The emperor couldn't help laughing and said, "There will be a generous reward if you do it well!"
Only then did Wei Dongling willingly pick up the account books and the abacus.
Two hours later, Wei Dongling, with a sore back, handed in the account books of the national treasury. Seeing the emperor still bending over to review memorials, she sighed secretly. These days, even being an emperor is not easy!