Chapter 967: The Emperors Control in the Immortal Palace
In the Zixiao Palace, clouds and smoke were lingering. The old emperor was dressed in brocade and fairy robes, and the maids and eunuchs serving around him were all dressed up as gods and maidens from the heavenly palace. It was such a ridiculous scene.
Cao Yuan, the great eunuch of the Palm Seal, was dressed in serious palace clothes and walking in the palace filled with fairy air, but he seemed a bit out of place.
"His Majesty."
Cao Yuan came to the emperor and knelt before him. He lowered his head to the ground and did not dare to raise it. He was afraid of meeting the emperor's eyes. His majesty had become more murderous recently.
The emperor on the high throne was very old. As time passed, his body became more and more aging, and he became less and less willing to meet with his courtiers. He did not want people to know that he was old.
"What's the matter?" The old emperor slowly opened his eyes and closed his lips. The whole hall was silent, only his question echoed.
The old emperor was holding a jade whisk, but he did not have the sense of detachment of a Taoist outsider like Qi Yunzi. On the contrary, because of this brocade jade robe, he had a more worldly atmosphere.
Cao Yuan still lowered his head. He spoke in a low voice, ensuring that only His Majesty could hear his words. Even the palace servants around him were all his own. He said: "The commander, Lu Hanjiang, presented a memorial saying that the fetal image of the Princess was not beautiful.
Stable, please postpone my return to Beijing."
Hearing this, the old emperor's old and turbid eyes did not show any signs of trouble. He said calmly: "I agree."
"Yes, that slave will return to him immediately." Cao Yuan kowtowed and resigned. Before leaving the palace, he was stopped by the old emperor again.
"Where is Meng Yuan now?" The old emperor's calm but majestic tone made Cao Yuan's body tremble subconsciously.
The old eunuch who had served the emperor for many years paused for a moment, then immediately turned around and kowtowed and responded: "Your Majesty, please forgive me. I did send people from Dongchang to investigate the whereabouts of Master Meng without authorization, but it was only within the scope of Dongchang's responsibilities.
I have given instructions within, and they will never be exceeded.”
"alright."
The old emperor interrupted the other party's explanation impatiently, and asked bluntly again: "Where is Meng Yuan now?"
Cao Yuan immediately replied: "According to the news that I have received, Master Meng should have arrived in the Miao border area today. The specific location cannot be found by my people."
"Miao Jiang? He knows how to pick places," the old emperor laughed, and looked at Cao Yuan with an even deeper look: "I agreed to Meng Yuan's fake death, and you sent him to Dongchang under my banner.
If someone follows behind me, it seems that I am narrow-minded."
"This slave deserves to die."
Cao Yuan broke out in a cold sweat. He repeatedly kowtowed and apologized: "I only think about the responsibilities of the East Factory. If your Majesty needs it one day, I am afraid that I will not be able to find someone for a while and miss the important matter, so I am presumptuous in making decisions... Please Your Majesty."
Condemn."
After Meng Yuan faked his death, his whereabouts have been erratic. If he wants to find out where he is, he can only rely on chasing Qiu Qingyun, the middleman who is still floating on the water.
If he wants to track down Qiu Qingyun, he can only start from the Jinyi Guards. Today's Jinyi Guards are made of iron and cannot be penetrated by water or needles. Without the manpower deployed in advance, Cao Yuan wants to find out the right whereabouts.
only one.
Through the minister Wu Qiming, Mr. Wu, although this person was a subordinate promoted by Meng Yuan, his transfer from the army to the Jinyi Guard was authorized by His Majesty.
Although it is suspected of instigating the separation of Jin Yiwei and His Majesty, Cao Yuan did get part of the information from Wu Qiming, and the method he relied on was to vaguely imply that this was His Majesty's intention.
Because Cao Yuan was the chief eunuch in the palace and had served the emperor for many years and never changed his position, so in the eyes of outsiders, everything he did was under the instruction of His Majesty.
But in fact, the emperor had no hint at all about secretly tracking Meng Yuan's whereabouts, and it was all done by Cao Yuan for his own selfish reasons.
However, even though this matter was too much, the old emperor did not explicitly punish him after asking him clearly.
"Go down." The old emperor suddenly waved the dust in his hands in a waning tone. Cao Yuan, as if he had been pardoned, immediately bowed and exited the palace.
After a while, the sound of silk and bamboo sounded in the palace, and the fairy spirit swayed. The emperor sitting on the high throne seemed to be in the clouds, distant and sacred.
Cao Yuan, who turned around and saw this scene, quickly turned his head away. He quickened his pace and left the place quickly. He was hundreds of meters away from Zixiao Palace, and then he suddenly breathed a sigh of relief.
At this time, he turned back and looked at the main hall behind him, only to feel that the main hall was standing alone on a plain. The surrounding area was empty, not even tall trees, and the flat ground was left with only a dead air.
From a close look, this hall looks like a jade building. From a distance, it looks like a lonely tomb in the wilderness. It is desolate and filled with the sadness of loneliness. Cao Yuan took a few deep breaths and quickly expelled this disrespectful thought from his mind.
After coming back to his senses, before he had taken a few steps, a man from the corner called out to Cao Yuan.
"Godfather." The eunuch in red clothes and high hat came forward eagerly and bent down to salute Cao Yuan.
"Why are you here?" Cao Yuan was a little surprised to see him, but he didn't say anything and waved to him to come closer and talk.
This man's name was Xia Zhang, and he was the second-ranking eunuch of the palace, the chief eunuch of the East Factory. He and Zou Ji, the former chief of the West Factory, were both godsons of Cao Yuan, the chief eunuch.
"My son heard that Your Majesty summoned his godfather to the palace today, so he specially waited here." Xia Zhang said somewhat flatteringly.
"You are interested."
Cao Yuan glanced at him, nodded slightly, and then asked: "You are waiting for me here. You must have news?"
"Yes," Xia Zhang nodded: "It is a trivial matter for the princess to be pregnant, but His Majesty summoned Mr. Lu back to the capital with great fanfare. Many people felt that His Majesty was trying to make use of the situation. Recently, several empresses in the inner palace have also made small moves."
Xia Zhang raised his head and glanced at Cao Yuan. When he saw that the other party did not show any emotion or anger, he paused and then continued: "Except for Concubine Meng, the other empresses' sons in the palace have been arranged. There is no need to worry about the godfather."
Cao Yuan nodded slightly: "Well done, Your Majesty is obsessed with seeking immortality and asked, the troubles in the harem can be kept as small as possible. You are right not to put people in Meng Guifei's palace. The empress's status is not entirely due to Meng Yuan's power, but also because of Meng Yuan's power.
With His Majesty's favor, it would be inappropriate for you to do anything."
The late empress died young, and there was only one noble concubine in the palace, which could be said to be overwhelming. However, the concubine Meng was able to maintain her current dignity. The existence of Meng Yuan was partly due to his majesty's favor.
There is an age difference between His Majesty and the Concubine. Although they are not childhood sweethearts, the Emperor has watched the little girl grow up since she was a child, and their love is extraordinary. Even before His Majesty and the late Queen tied the knot, the Concubine was already in love with her.
Get to know His Majesty.
As a slave who has served His Majesty for many years, Cao Yuan knew very well that even if Meng Yuan disappeared one day, His Majesty would not neglect the imperial concubine. The imperial concubine's favor and the Meng family's power were two different things, but His Majesty had always been thoughtful, so outsiders could not see it.
Just go out.
So no matter how Cao Yuan and Meng Yuan fought openly and secretly, he would never involve the imperial concubine without any reason. Xia Zhang's sensible actions made him very satisfied.