Murong Xuan was almost buried under the mountain of memorials. He was growing thinner day by day. Such a man who always paid attention to his demeanor didn't even have time to trim the faint stubble on his chin. He was no longer the dashing young man on horseback, full of vigor and vitality.
Wei Dongling's nose felt a bit sour. She murmured, "Brother Xuan... I'm so sorry about the death of Uncle Huang Rui." He must be heart - broken, but he just never showed it in front of others.
Murong Xuan pulled a helpless bitter smile at the corner of his lips. His eyes that looked over were extremely desolate. He said firmly, "It's impossible to say I'm not sad. Although I'm sad, I still know right from wrong." His father, Prince Rui, had caused such a great disaster. According to the law, the whole family should have been beheaded. Wei Dongling had saved the face of the Rui Prince's Mansion in front of everyone. She didn't touch a single member of the family. She even buried Prince Rui with the highest courtesy and pinned all the blame on Murong Yunqian in front of all the ministers.
Although Murong Xuan had never mentioned these things, he was full of gratitude.
"You've had a hard time," Wei Dongling sighed with her head down. "I've had the body of the Ninth Prince temporarily buried in the cemetery behind Lanshan Temple for the time being. But in the end, he should be buried in the imperial mausoleum to return to his ancestors."
Murong Xuan originally only thought that Murong Yuchen was seriously injured and there was no cure for his heart - palpitating poison, so he always sent Luo Xunlong to impersonate him. He never expected that the Ninth Prince was already dead! Murong Xuan was heart - broken. He nodded and said, "It should indeed be so. When do you plan to bury the Ninth Brother in the imperial mausoleum?"
"On the day of your enthronement ceremony."
Murong Xuan was so shocked that his chin almost dropped. Wei Dongling didn't even think about sitting on the throne to become an empress. Instead, she wanted to support him to ascend the throne?
Wei Dongling nodded and said, "Brother Xuan is a role model for the world in terms of character and conduct. For the people to live and work in peace and contentment, Brother Xuan deserves to sit on that throne."
Murong Xuan's scalp went numb and he felt really uncomfortable. These days, he had been biting the bullet to review the memorials. Luo Xunlong was completely unreliable! In the court, they had managed to suppress the various forces in the court with their cooperation. If he were to sit on the throne, he was afraid he would go crazy!
Wei Dongling seemed to see Murong Xuan's worry. She said softly, "I'm just a woman and don't understand the way of governing the country. I can't do anything for the people in the world. I've thought it over carefully. Brother Xuan is the most suitable person to sit on that throne. You don't need to be in a hurry. During the national mourning period, we'll smooth the way for you. You just need to dedicate yourself to the people in the world."
Cold sweat faintly slid down Murong Xuan's forehead. He didn't know whether he should be glad or sad for a moment. If Wei Dongling was willing to ascend the throne, he would be willing to hide behind the scenes to review the memorials for her all his life! However, she was not happy in the palace.
Murong Xuan had never seen Wei Dongling's innocent and carefree smile during the horse - race again. Since the former emperor passed away, the burden on her shoulders had almost crushed her. She was busy with all kinds of trivial matters in the palace on one hand, and on the other hand, she was looking for her Mr. Yu day and night without sleep. Murong Xuan felt heart - ache seeing her growing haggard day by day, but he couldn't do anything for her.
Murong Xuan swallowed hard. He asked softly, "Does the Empress Dowager know about this?"
Wei Dongling shook her head. The Empress Dowager didn't even know the news of the Ninth Prince's death.
After much hesitation, Murong Xuan finally nodded and said yes.
At night, when Wei Dongling returned to Yaoguang Pavilion and fell into a drowsy sleep, she faintly heard some noise by the bedside. She and Cuihuan reflexively sat up and lifted the bed curtain to look out. They saw Lvkou standing by the bedside, looking at her guiltily.
Wei Dongling and Cuihuan relaxed their vigilance and said, "What's wrong, Lvkou? Can't you sleep because you're not used to the bed?"
Lvkou shook her head with tears in her eyes and said, "Princess Five, I've thought about it for most of the night. I really can't share your worries. I think I may never learn how to reconcile accounts... Woo - hoo - hoo..."
Cuihuan looked completely confused.
Wei Dongling laughed out loud and said, "What's there to cry about? Although my Lvkou can't reconcile accounts, you're good at other things! The flowers and plants you take care of grow very well. You can also mend clothes, sew buttons and embroider insoles. I can't do any of these!"
Seeing that Lvkou was still crying, Wei Dongling pulled her hand and sat her down. She comforted her in a low voice, "The real reason I brought you into the palace was just to let you come and relax and enjoy the scenery. I heard that Pinhao took Qi Jinxuan back to the Su Mansion. I was worried that if you two lived under the same roof and saw each other every day, she would annoy you."
Lvkou was stunned. So that was the case!
Wei Dongling said with a laugh, "If you really don't like those account books, just don't look at them. From now on, you can go for a good stroll in the imperial garden every day, plant some flowers and trees. That's great! Otherwise, you can just follow me every day, make some tea and pour some water. That's not bad either."
Only then did Lvkou stop crying and go back to sleep with a smile.
Uncle Li, Luo Xunlong, Commander Fang and Yu Mo led people to raid the homes of officials at night. Overnight, the homes of three former minions of Prince Rui, who held important positions in the Ministry of Personnel and the Ministry of War, were raided, and five more families were still under investigation.
For a moment, it shocked the whole court. All the court officials were like frightened birds, afraid that their own families would be the next to suffer.
Wei Dongling was sitting in the Taiji Hall, flipping through the detailed list of the silver and precious items seized from the raided homes. She rubbed the abacus beads and sneered, "Hey, they're really richer one by one! If we raid a few more families like this, half of the national treasury will be replenished."
Murong Xuan felt dizzy for a moment. Almost all the officials whose homes were raided and investigated had a close relationship with his father when he was alive. They were also on good terms with the prince of Xiliang. Murong Xuan never expected that his younger sister, Murong Wanlin, had such a sharp eye. Just based on the various account books of the Ministry of Revenue, she could accurately find these people!
Luo Xunlong was surprised to find that overnight, Murong Xuan called him "Ninth Brother" in public and "Brother Long" in private! Had his impersonation been discovered?
Just as Luo Xunlong was glad that he didn't have to pretend to be refined in front of Murong Xuan anymore, an official from the Ministry of Justice came to report that General Qi had bitten his tongue and committed suicide in the prison last night. His body was already cold when he was found.
Wei Dongling's heart trembled. On the night of the great fire in the Taiji Palace, Murong Yunqian had killed all the family members of the Qi Mansion in front of General Qi. General Qi must have been extremely heart - broken. He had been deceived by villains and led his troops back to attack the city. Except for himself, all his subordinates had returned to the court. His loneliness was also imaginable.
Now that he had ended up like this, it was also self - inflicted.
Wei Dongling sighed silently and said, "Put this matter on hold for the time being. Don't make it public. Find someone to bury him generously in private."
Early in the morning on the day when General Qi was buried in the cemetery behind Lanshan Temple, Wei Dongling took Qi Jinlan and Lvkou out of the palace to attend the funeral. They were wearing mourning clothes and filial piety cloth. They knelt respectfully in front of General Qi's tomb, offered incense and burned paper money.
Wei Dongling also had someone build a cenotaph for the couple of the Second Master Qi beside it. Qi Jinlan cried until her eyes were red.
Now, only she and Qi Jinxuan, two juniors, were left in the whole Qi family.