Approximately seven or eight days later, Nangong Liuyun entered the palace. He had two main purposes for this visit. One was to report to Helian Qi his specific plan for renovating the imperial mausoleum, and the other was to visit Concubine Chu in the harem.
When the court session ended in the early morning, all the ministers left the court one by one, but Nangong Liuyun stopped.
"Your Majesty, I have something to discuss with you," he said, bowing to the man at the highest seat in the court.
"Okay," Helian Qi replied, then got up and walked towards a side hall. Nangong Liuyun quickly followed.
After they were seated in the side hall, Nangong Liuyun squinted his narrow eyes and lifted his extremely ugly face, saying, "Your Majesty, I've already arranged the specific matters for renovating the imperial mausoleum."
"Good. Well done," Helian Qi said with praise, curving his lips.
The imperial mausoleum was located in the area between Dongguan and Nanwu, a desolate mountainous region. It was built between the mountains.
The previous generations of the royal family had invited a feng shui master to assess the area. The master said, "Surrounded by mountains and rivers, it's a place with good feng shui. The continuous mountain range is conducive to protecting the imperial lineage."
Upon hearing this, the then - emperor immediately ordered this place to be the site of the imperial mausoleum. Over time, with the advancement of the era and the prevalence of the royal family's emphasis on extravagance, the imperial mausoleum had been expanded and became more and more luxurious.
However, due to its location in the mountains, the terrain was steep and inaccessible. The royal family rarely visited it except during the annual sacrificial ceremonies.
This place's privacy and the fact that it was out of the emperor's direct control perfectly met Nangong Liuyun's requirements for his evil plans.
"Your Majesty, this is my plan. When I go out of the capital to the imperial mausoleum this time, I plan to take my two sons with me. I'll also post notices locally to recruit strong men as laborers and promise them a generous reward after the work is done," he said with a glint in his eyes.
Helian Qi frowned slightly after hearing this, looking thoughtful. Then he continued, "Half of the laborers should be transferred from the palace army, and the other half should be recruited by posting notices starting from the capital. As for the reward, it should be paid in advance before they start working."
Hearing his suggestion, Nangong Liuyun's heart skipped a beat. He didn't expect this young emperor to be so considerate. He began to doubt his own plan for a moment.
But Helian Qi's next words completely dispelled his concerns.
"Of course, you, Prime Minister Nangong, will be in full charge of all these matters. If you have any problems, just discuss them with Ru Yi. Ru Yi will help you plan the renovation of the imperial mausoleum," he said.
Hearing this, Nangong Liuyun immediately felt relieved. He sneered at the man in front of him in his heart. He thought the emperor was really young and naive. Such an important matter was only entrusted to a mere guard. How could a guard compete with him? How stupid!
Thinking of this, he couldn't help but burst into laughter. When he noticed the man in front of him looking at him in confusion, he quickly stopped and pretended to be respectful, flattering, "Your Majesty is wise. I will surely live up to your trust."
Then he looked at the man in front of him firmly.
Helian Qi was about to say "You may leave if there's nothing else" when Nangong Liuyun interrupted him.
"I have another matter," he suddenly bowed and pleaded.
"What is it?" Helian Qi frowned and asked in confusion. He couldn't help but wonder what else this man could want.
"I have another request. I hope Your Majesty will grant it!" he continued to bow, looking as if he wouldn't get up unless the emperor agreed.
"Dear minister, please rise. I'll grant your request," Helian Qi said a bit unhappily. He hated it most when someone coerced him into doing something in the name of a request, but now he had to endure it.
Hearing this, Nangong Liuyun straightened up and sat back on the chair beside him. Then he began to say with a sorrowful face, "Your Majesty, I'll leave the capital half a month after the Mid - Autumn Festival banquet and will be away for more than a year. My family members at home are fine since I see them every day, but my adopted daughter in the palace... I miss her so much."
As he said this, his narrow eyes seemed to be filled with real longing and reluctance, as if a great separation was really coming.
Helian Qi looked at this hypocritical man in front of him and couldn't help but snort in his heart. His disgust for this man increased.
But on the surface, he pretended to be as sorrowful as Nangong Liuyun and replied, "This is really a trivial matter. It's only natural for you to miss your adopted daughter. How could I stop you from seeing each other? I'll send someone to take you to Concubine Chu's palace later."
Nangong Liuyun didn't expect his request to be approved so quickly and that he could see Concubine Chu so soon. His eyes involuntarily turned to the man in front of him.
Normally, ministers were not allowed to enter the harem casually. Even the biological fathers of the harem concubines had to submit a memorial and get permission before they could enter. Moreover, he was just an adoptive father with no blood relation, but he could get the approval so easily.
Thinking of this, an indescribable sense of pride welled up in his heart. He felt as if he had already played this emperor in the palm of his hand. The sense of superiority almost went to his head.
Helian Qi stared at the man in front of him without blinking. The man's ugly face was glowing with a happy red light. Helian Qi could almost guess what he was thinking.
He couldn't help but curve a meaningful smile on his lips, and his eyes shone with confidence.
Who would play who in the palm of their hand?
"Ru Yi," Helian Qi called out towards the outside of the side hall.
Soon, a young man in black appeared in their sight. His lips were tightly pursed, looking completely at their service.
"Ru Yi, take Prime Minister Nangong to Concubine Chu's palace later," Helian Qi said.
Ru Yi hesitated for a moment, then said, "Your Majesty, have you forgotten? You asked me to go out of the palace to post notices later."
Helian Qi let out an "oh" and sighed as if he was a bit regretful.
Nangong Liuyun was secretly delighted when he saw this. He thought that if Ru Yi accompanied him, it would be difficult for him to say what he wanted. It was just right that Ru Yi had something to do.
Thinking of this, he couldn't help but laugh twice. Pretending to relieve the emperor, he said, "It's okay. Let Eunuch Li take me there."