It was already half a month later that King Duan learned the news.
The imperial guards led by General Hu were completely cleared by Yan Ling, and his news lagged behind Jiang Yi.
It was not until the envoys from each family returned that what happened at the birthday banquet was revealed.
King Duan didn't even have time to control his remarks. The news that "thieves disguised themselves as angels and were discovered by Longxiang Guard Lieutenant General Lang Jiangyue" had spread throughout the world.
At this point, he would have to take the loss if he didn't want to.
Because the Yan family also let out word that this marriage had already been reported to the late emperor. Compared with intending to rob the minister's wife, it is better to admit that the angel is a fake, otherwise the loss of face will be even greater.
With such a rational mind, how could Prince Duan be able to swallow this sigh of relief?
When Mr. Jiang arrived, the floor of the royal study was full of broken porcelain. The palace servants knelt on the floor, lowering their heads and even breathing carefully.
"Your Majesty." He looked calm and bowed to salute.
The anger on Prince Duan's face faded slightly: "Mr. Jiang is here! Take a seat."
The chamberlain quickly stood up and brought the brocade stool over.
Prince Duan glanced at the study and frowned: "Are they all dead? You don't know how to put things away even if they are broken?"
The palace servants kowtowed repeatedly: "You deserve to die, I will take care of you now."
Under the power, the palace officials moved quickly, and in a short time they were cleaned up, and the imperial study room returned to tidiness and dignity.
King Duan waved his hand, and everyone else retreated, leaving only him and Mr. Jiang.
"Mr. Jiang, have you heard everything?"
"yes."
"I really underestimated Xu Huan. He knew clearly that he was one of my men, yet he dared to do such a treasonous act and even framed it for Governor Jiang!"
Anger appeared on King Duan's face. This was specifically for Mr. Jiang, and he told him: I believe Jiang Yi and did not fall into their scheme.
As expected, Mr. Jiang's expression became much gentler, and he replied with a smile: "Don't be upset, Your Majesty, we really didn't expect things to come to this point, but in general, we didn't suffer any loss, right?"
King Duan was displeased when he heard this. Princess Changning was not dead, but a number of his close guards died. It also made the Xu family's reputation greatly increase. How can this be called a loss?
But he knew that his foundation was not stable and he still had to rely on Jiang Yi for many things, so he hid his true emotions and humbly asked for advice: "I would also like to ask Mr. Jiang for advice."
"Your Majesty has your orders and you must serve them."
Mr. Jiang stood up and bowed, sorted out his words, and explained to him in detail: "When Your Majesty sends people to Nanyuan this time, the first priority is Princess Changning, right or wrong?"
King Duan nodded. Keeping Princess Changning would be a big hidden danger. Firstly, she would be a witness to his regicide and seizing the throne. Secondly, he might not let anyone use her name to cause trouble.
"I think that Your Majesty doesn't need to worry about this problem. Although we don't know what happened at the birthday banquet, the Xu family never let a word out from the beginning to the end, which shows that they have no intention of pushing Princess Changning out. Otherwise, through the birthday party,
The opportunity of the banquet, using His Majesty’s intimidation as an excuse, is the best time for Princess Changning to appear in front of the world.”
King Duan was worried: "Isn't it a rare thing to live in? Is there another plan?"
Mr. Jiang shook his head: "Your Majesty, the incident in Beijing has not been long now, and many people can prove the identity of Princess Changning. But if it drags on, it may not be possible. There will be fewer and fewer witnesses, and there will be more and more doubts. Therefore, the longer the time, the more likely Princess Changning is.
The less valuable your identity is. Just imagine, in a few years, someone will come out to cause trouble in the name of Princess Changning. Who in the world will believe it?"
This is true. When the time comes, using the name of Princess Changning is not as good as using the name of Prince. There are many such tricks in the history books, and few people will believe it.
"So, if Xu doesn't announce it this time, you don't have to worry."
Gu Yi
King Duan nodded and relaxed slightly.
"Secondly, you want to prevent the marriage between the Yan and Xu families. With all due respect, this matter is inherently difficult to handle. If it fails, you don't think about punishing it, right?"
King Duan thought about it and finally sighed: "Having said that, it's a pity..."
"Originally, the possibility of success was very small. For us, but everything has returned to the starting point. We just made a casual move and we have nothing to lose."
King Duan could only admit it: "Okay! I will spare them first!"
"Your Majesty is wise."
The two talked for a while longer before Mr. Jiang said goodbye and left.
When he reached the palace gate, he saw an old man waiting to be summoned. When he saw him, he snorted coldly and looked very disdainful.
It's Mrs. Lu!
Mr. Jiang smiled and helped his entourage get into the carriage.
Ever since King Duan usurped the throne, Taifu Lu had never worked. I heard that he wanted to enter the palace to cause trouble on the day of the coronation ceremony. He was hit by a carriage and broke his leg on the way, so he could no longer be a critic. It was a pity. Today he comes again
Asking for a meeting, does this mean you won’t give up until you scold me?
These thoughts passed through Mr. Jiang's mind and he put them aside. He had more important things to do.
Returning to the mansion, the clerk greeted him: "Sir, there is a letter from Jiangbei."
Mr. Jiang nodded, reached out to take it, and started looking at it in the lobby.
The letter was quite long, and the more he read it, the tighter his frown became. When he finished reading it, he couldn't help but let out a long sigh, and his face was full of worry.
He pretended to be calm in front of King Duan, but in fact he was very worried.
No loss at all, they were all fooled by King Duan. This time they suffered a big loss!
"Ah Yue is finished! How sad the governor must be!" Mr. Jiang sighed.
The document was also Jiang Yi's confidant. He had already read the letter first and nodded in agreement: "I didn't expect that things would turn out like this. Ah Yue was always angry before, but this time he is despairing."
Mr. Jiang tugged at the corner of his mouth and laughed: "Killing kills and destroying the heart. This Miss Xu San really understands this principle."
"Moreover, the Xu family has become powerful." The clerk said with a wry smile, "We were dragged into the trap by that person, and we already had a bad reputation. Now we ask the Xu family to bribe people. We will be surrounded by powerful enemies in the future, how difficult it is!"
Jiangbei is a good land, but it is surrounded by powerful enemies. There is the Dongjiang River in the south, Nanyuan in the southwest, and Hexing in the northwest. In addition, bandits are rampant in the north... Now that there are powerful enemies, Jiangbei will find it difficult in the future.
"Mr. Jiang, is there any point for us to stay in the capital? The wind is going in the wrong direction. If a spark ignites, it will spread into a sea of fire. Now the world thinks that we are a party of King Duan. By then..."
"It's really meaningless." Mr. Jiang thought for a while, "We have suffered a big loss, so it is best to hide our capabilities and bide our time."
"Then let's go back to Jiangbei?"
Mr. Jiang thoughtfully said: "Of course I have to go back, but before going back, maybe we can light up this spark, so that we can shift our focus and develop with peace of mind."
"How? Do you have an idea?"
After thinking about it, Mr. Jiang suddenly had a flash of inspiration and smiled: "Don't you want to summon Miss Xu San to the palace? It's really shameful to have a harem without a master. Now Miss Xu San can't come, but the queen still has to be established.
Right?"
The clerk was stunned for a moment and nodded excitedly: "You are right!"