bayedsolid Chapter 268 The Princess Has a Bad Temper (6)
Chapter 268 The Princess Has a Bad Temper (6)
Emperor Qianlong also began to take action. On the surface, he ordered Fuheng to stay at home to reflect on his failure to protect the security, but in reality, he sent Fuheng to the coastal areas to investigate the matter of opium.
Wangyou also sent two people to assist, to seize all the Fushou Ointment if necessary.
Then Wangyou started looking for people to investigate Heshen. It is said that after Qianlong died, Heshen was purged by Jiaqing. The silver confiscated from his home was enough to fill two national treasuries and still have some left over. It is certainly not that much now, but it is definitely still a lot.
Wangyou had no intention of fattening up Heshen before killing him. After all, if he were to become even more corrupt, countless people would be killed. She was not short of money, so why leave a menace behind? Therefore, Heshen was doomed.
Wangyou was very serious, so with irrefutable evidence, Heshen was imprisoned and his family property was confiscated by the national treasury, which immediately made the national treasury rich. Then Qianlong felt uneasy.
Wangyou preemptively listed a series of areas where the court needed to spend money, such as the need to start repairing the southern river dams, to allocate funds for the research of firearms, and to increase the army's military expenditure.
Looking into Wangyou's clear eyes, Qianlong was too embarrassed to say that he wanted to go to the south of the Yangtze River, and could only continue to bury himself in reviewing memorials.
After arranging everything at hand, Wangyou also thought of that commoner woman, and Qianlong also made time to inquire about her.
As usual, Wangyou took Yongji's hand and followed her mother to Yanxi Palace to listen to stories. After all, that love story was truly "moving and touching"!
Xiao Yanzi's injuries have almost healed. Now, whatever Qianlong asks, will Xiao Yanzi hide anything? After all, the current Qianlong is not as gentle as he is in the drama. His imperial aura is not something a street urchin can withstand.
Having learned the name Ziwei from Xiaoyanzi, Emperor Qianlong immediately sent people to verify it. Coincidentally, the people he sent to investigate in Jinan also returned.
The two sides confronted each other, and Ziwei's birth date and time matched up. Qianlong looked at this girl who looked very similar to Xia Yuhe, and his fatherly feelings welled up for a moment.
"Before my mother passed away, she told me to ask my father a question that even Little Swallow didn't know: 'The cattail is as tough as silk, and the rock is immovable!'"
Lost in thought, Wangyou was startled by this mournful greeting and shivered. This girl must have been spoiled rotten!
This house has both a legal wife and concubines, and their love is as deep as the sea!
Wangyou couldn't help but look at the delicate and frail Ziwei. The girl's eyes really wanted to ask Qianlong a question, but Qianlong was now only left with embarrassment.
When she turned her head and met the eyes of her sixth daughter, the words "I have failed your mother" that were on the tip of her tongue could no longer be uttered.
"Ahem!" The Empress coughed lightly twice, tugged at Wangyou's sleeve, and then said, "Now that it's confirmed she's the Emperor's daughter, then the Emperor should acknowledge her!"
"The Empress is absolutely right. This child has had a very difficult journey. So, she shall be made Princess Mingzhu and granted residence in Shufangzhai." With this opportunity, Qianlong readily accepted the offer.
"emperor!"
"You still call me 'Your Majesty'? You should call me 'Father Emperor'!"
"Father, Xiao Yanzi and I are like sisters, we have long been sworn brothers, I..." Ziwei didn't know what to say for a moment, she had no relatives or friends in this palace.
"Ziwei, you've already acknowledged your father, I'm fine. I'll go back to the tenement. After all, I belong there. Liu Qing and Liu Hong are still waiting for me." Xiao Yanzi smiled, and this was her true feeling.
If she had known that Ziwei's father was the emperor and had seen so many rare treasures in the palace, she would have felt resentful. However, after living in the palace for a month before finally meeting the emperor, she was no longer envious. The palace was not suitable for her.
Consort Ling initially wanted to win over Xiao Yanzi, but when Xiao Yanzi woke up the next day, Consort Ling sent someone to inform the Emperor. At that time, Wangyou had just discovered the matter of the longevity balm, and Qianlong was busy, so he forgot about this daughter who had come from nowhere.
After waiting a month without receiving any greetings from the Emperor, Consort Ling lost all interest in currying favor, and Xiao Yanzi also suffered a lot of cold treatment.
The imperial palace is a place where one can endure countless hardships in ways that are hard to describe; what is depicted in TV dramas is merely the tip of the iceberg.
Therefore, Xiao Yanzi has absolutely no idea of rising to a higher social status and becoming a phoenix. Although life outside the palace is tough, the hardships within the palace are indescribable.
This is the real world, not a TV series. Although this world is broken and dilapidated, it can still be pieced together into a world.
"Little Swallow, you are chivalrous and righteous, and you don't covet rewards. Since you are Ziwei's sworn sister, then I will bestow upon you the title of Princess Huanzhu, and you will live with Ziwei in Shufangzhai." Emperor Qianlong waved his hand, since he was recognizing two adopted daughters anyway, it wouldn't make a difference.
Wangyou looked at the cardamom on her nails. The color wasn't very nice. She'd go back and change it to a nicer color.
Little Swallow didn't even have time to refuse, her eyes widening involuntarily. But in the past month, she had learned a saying: "Thunder and rain are both the emperor's grace," and she had no right to refuse.
Xiao Yanzi glanced at her happy best friend beside her and thought, "Fine, I'll just keep Ziwei company. This palace is really a den of thieves; I won't feel at ease leaving Ziwei alone."
Wangyou had noticed the subtle tension between the two women out of the corner of her eye. Now, she realized they were indeed good sisters with deep affection and loyalty. She could only hope that they could always keep their original intentions.
"Father, I'm tired and must take my leave." The play was almost over, and the story was finished, so she went back to catch up on her sleep. She hadn't had a moment's rest in the past month, and she was exhausted.
"Alright, go back now!" Emperor Qianlong said affectionately, but when he saw that the girl had already walked outside the door, he felt a pang of heartache.
It's okay, I've gotten used to heart attacks.
"Father, I shall also take my leave." Yongji bowed respectfully, and after receiving Qianlong's permission, he walked out of the hall and then ran off to catch up with his sister.
But Yongji couldn't catch up. When he reached Chaoyang Palace, Wangyou had already finished washing up and gone to bed.
"May the Twelfth Prince be blessed!"
"Is something the matter, sister?"
"Before the princess went to sleep, she said you would definitely come back, and instructed me to tell you to write a letter to the Fifth Princess, writing down in detail what has happened recently," Qingzhi said with a smile.
"Your Majesty understands!" The Twelfth Prince turned and went to his study to write a letter.
When Wangyou woke up, the sun was already high in the sky the next day. Yongji had already finished his training, and the letter that Wangyou had entrusted to him had been written the night before, just waiting for Wangyou to wake up and check it.
"Qingzhi!" Wangyou called out to the outside, and the palace maids filed in. After that, Wangyou washed and dressed.
After washing up, Wangyou sat down at the table to enjoy her breakfast, and only after finishing her meal did she go to find her younger brother.
"Sister, I've finished writing the letter. Please check it." Yongji said, his eyes sparkling as he handed the letter to Wangyou.
"Well done!" Wangyou rubbed his little bald head and then began to read the letter Yongji had written.
"His handwriting is quite good now, but his brushstrokes are still lacking. The content, however, is quite good. He wrote about all the recent events, and didn't write anything he shouldn't have. My Yongji has grown up."
"It's all thanks to my older sister's excellent teaching. I used to wear sandbags on my wrists when I practiced calligraphy, but now I can get new sandbags," Yongji said happily.
"Yes, don't overwork yourself. You're still growing!"
"Don't worry, sister, I know what I'm doing." Seeing Yongji say this, Wangyou didn't say anything more. She knew the child she had raised very well. Besides, Yongji had the secret guards she had sent. If anything important happened, they would tell her.