The emperor stayed in the Glazed Palace during this period and had dinner with Concubine Yun.
After dinner, Concubine Yun played the piano while Emperor Qingyuan read the memorials on the side. However, he was not very focused on reading the memorials. He often looked up at Concubine Yun with a smile on his face.
"I remember that you often played the zither in the yard before. The sound of the zither was so beautiful that even the birds perched on the trees kept silent, just listening to your music," he said. "Now my beloved concubine's zither is getting better and better."
Concubine Yun lowered her head and smiled, but did not answer. Her fair neck looked particularly beautiful under the light, so beautiful that people could not take their eyes away.
Emperor Qingyuan was somewhat moved. He put down the memorial, walked up to her, covered her hand, and asked, "Why are your hands so cold?"
"It snowed today," Concubine Yun smiled and turned to call her personal maid, "Cai Yan, go to the Ninth Prince's room and tell the eunuchs there to add more charcoal at night to prevent him from catching a cold."
Emperor Qingyuan also said: "Xiaojiu has just recovered from a serious illness, you all have to take good care of him. I will ask the eunuch in charge of the Ministry of Internal Affairs to come and take a look tomorrow, and also add some things."
After saying that, he took Concubine Yun in his arms and asked in a low voice, "How is Xiaojiu's health recently?"
"She's almost fully recovered, but..." Concubine Yun sighed, "I have nothing else to ask for now. It's a great blessing that Zhiyu is safe."
Emperor Qing Yuan hugged her tightly, sighed, and said: "Xiao Jiu is our child. I... always treat him differently. Now..."
Before he could finish his words, the eunuch outside called out in a shrill voice: "The Ninth Prince wants to see you."
"Hurry up and ask him to come in," Emperor Qingyuan said hurriedly, "It's cold outside, don't let him get frozen."
Fu Zhiyu came in from outside and was given a seat by Emperor Qingyuan as soon as he paid his respects.
"You look better now," Emperor Qing Yuan looked at him, "You need to take better care of yourself."
Fu Zhiyu lowered his head and smiled, saying: "It is Doctor Chen who has put a lot of thought into this recently. Today, he and the small kitchen have made a medicinal meal, which is much more delicious than the medicinal soup."
"He has made up for his mistakes," Emperor Qingyuan said, "Before, I was careless and let the prince suffer so much."
"It's not Doctor Chen's fault..."
"It's my oversight," Emperor Qingyuan sighed and held Concubine Yun's hand tightly, "I haven't found out yet. The people in the Dali Temple are becoming more and more useless."
After hearing this, Fu Zhiyu sat up from his chair, knelt in front of Emperor Qingyuan, looked up at him and said: "I came to see my father today just to talk about this matter.
The investigation has lasted for such a long time, but no results have been found. Instead, everyone in the palace is in danger because of me. Today, my prince took time out of his busy schedule to come and see me, fearing that I had been wronged.
It is my fault that I am unfilial and have caused my brother, my mother, and my father to worry. I have been tossing around in this palace for so long. This is my fault. So I came here this time to ask my father to stop and let this matter go. "
"Xiaojiu, you..." Emperor Qingyuan was speechless for a moment, then looked at Concubine Yun and asked, "Do you think so too?"
At this time, Concubine Yun remained silent at the right time, just lowered her head, tears streaming down her face, and buried her head in the arms of Emperor Qingyuan.
She seemed like a kind yet sad mother.
"Xiaojiu, don't you really want to know who hurt you?"
"I thought about it at first, but I don't dwell on it anymore," Fu Zhiyu smiled like a saint, the same expression he had when he met the prince before, as if it was copied and pasted. "When I left Longquan Temple, I went to visit the abbot and asked if I had any sins, otherwise why would I have to suffer this disaster
The abbot said that everything is caused by fate and is beyond our control. Suffering is fleeting, and only by letting go can we be free.
After I returned to the palace, I felt like I had just walked through the gates of hell. My state of mind had changed and my heart had become more open. Your Majesty ordered a thorough investigation because he cared about me. I am grateful to you. But now I have let it go. So I dare to ask you to let it go too.
Fu Zhiyu talked nonsense with his eyes open, and Emperor Qingyuan listened to him.
He chose this time to say these words not because the Crown Prince was coming today, but because he felt the time was ripe and he should find a way for Emperor Qing Yuan to save face.
The Dali Temple received the emperor's order and conducted a vigorous investigation in the palace for a long time, turning the Imperial Hospital upside down and also the palaces of some concubines. The people in the palace were not only terrified, but also had complaints. However, without solid evidence, they could not convict anyone.
Fu Zhiyu estimated that if this continued, the Dali Temple would just find someone to take the blame, and he would have to give an explanation not only to the emperor but also to the entire palace. This was not what he wanted to see.
Now that some time has passed, Emperor Qingyuan's anger has subsided a little. He knows very well in his heart that all the clues have been cleared and further investigation will lead to no results. There are not many people in the palace who can do this under his nose, but the harem involves the previous dynasty. Although he has this in mind, he has no evidence in his hands and there is no reason to punish these people.
If he really found a scapegoat, I'm afraid Emperor Qingyuan would be upset. Moreover, after this period of warning, many people in the palace have become more obedient. In any case, Emperor Qingyuan has not gained nothing. At this time, all it takes is a proper reason to end it all. Fu Zhiyu said this at the right time, giving the emperor an excuse and a way for him to vent his anger, saving the emperor's face.
"Xiaojiu, get up quickly," Emperor Qingyuan's face softened as he personally came over to help Fu Zhiyu up. "No matter what time it is, it is the Liuli Palace that understands my heart the most. Don't worry, I will never treat you and your son unfairly."
Fu Zhiyu pretended not to understand what he meant and just lowered her head and gave a well-behaved smile.
On the second day, the emperor indeed issued an order, saying that the Ninth Prince was kind-hearted and Concubine Yun was magnanimous and polite, and had a benevolent heart, which was truly rare, and the matter was over.
However, along with this order, there were two other imperial decrees. One conferred the title of Imperial Noble Consort on Consort Yun, while the other conferred the title of King on Fu Zhiyu, rewarding him with generous fiefdoms and the title of "Zhao".
"… This is a double blessing. You will be Prince Zhao from now on," the eunuch who issued the decree smiled like a chrysanthemum, "but the palace has not been renovated yet. The emperor specially ordered to select the best house in the capital, which is worthy of Prince Zhao's status. But the house has not been lived in for a while, and it needs to be renovated by craftsmen. I am afraid that you will have to live in the palace for a while."
"Nothing, I just happen to be accompanying my mother." Fu Zhiyu smiled and rewarded the old eunuch with some golden melon seeds.
The old eunuch took his people away, but Fu Zhiyu looked at the two imperial edicts for a long time without saying a word.
Emperor Qingyuan had many sons and daughters, but none of them had been made a king. Even though the third prince had already intervened in some political affairs with his tacit consent and even had a mansion outside, he had not been made a king until now. Fu Zhiyu was the first one.
Although a king no longer has a fiefdom, the status of a prince has a much different meaning than that of a mere prince.
Emperor Qing Yuan was actually somewhat similar to the Crown Prince and was also very suspicious. While he was training these princes and wanted to choose a satisfactory heir from among them, he did not dare to delegate too much power, for fear that the princes would fight too fiercely and he would lose control and end up hurting himself.
He has been trying to maintain a delicate balance and didn't want to break it, just like in his previous life. In fact, Fu Zhiyu relied on the incident of the eighth prince drugging to bring down the two princes of the Xue family. It was not only the crown prince who fanned the flames, but the emperor also intended it. The Xue family was becoming more and more powerful, both in the former dynasty and the harem. The emperor was using this force to suppress them and put the balance back to where he wanted.
Therefore, no matter how much Emperor Qingyuan liked Concubine Yun, he did not easily promote her. In his previous life, when Fu Zhiyu was temporarily suppressed by the crown prince, Emperor Qingyuan found a reason to promote Concubine Yun to Imperial Concubine, and also used the excuse that the queen was unwell to let Imperial Concubine Yun take charge of the affairs of the six palaces. But at that time, he was not sincere enough, and mostly used her.
But now it’s different. Fu Zhiyu has damaged his brain. No matter whether others believe it or not, the emperor believes it anyway.
He lost a smart prince. He was sad, but it didn't matter. The emperor had no shortage of smart children, and there were already enough smart children in the palace.
Emperor Qing Yuan simply discovered something that made him even happier. He could finally pamper his favorite woman in the palace unscrupulously without worrying about the balance tipping.
Concubine Yun's mother's family is not prominent, they are just a third-rank inspector. Fu Zhiyu is not smart enough, he is kind but lacks intelligence.
It's like a tiger cub that has degenerated into a beautiful cat and will never grow claws to hurt people.
Fu Zhiyu had not anticipated these things when he first started planning, but now that things have happened, he knows very well in his heart that being crowned a king actually has little to do with whether he is stupid or not. Even if others are stupid eight hundred times, they will not receive such treatment. In this palace, only his mother can make Emperor Qingyuan do this.