Chapter 379 – To See Her (1)
Mo Rongyi went to the imperial study to find Mo Rongzhan and told him he wanted to go hunting.
“Who will go with you?” Mo Rongzhan neither agreed nor objected and asked lightly. He didn’t oppose his brother’s plan of going out if he could socialize more but was only worried that this naive child would be taken advantage of by others.
“Yaoyao,” Mo Rongyi said. Who else was accompanying him in these matters recently but her? “Yaoyao has good equestrian and archery skills. She said she would teach me archery.”
Now, Mo Rongzhan’s eyes shone with interest. At the thought of the stubborn girl, he felt a burst of heat in his chest. “Yaoyao will accompany you?”
“How could she not go with me? I just asked her,” Mo Rongyi said.
“Yaoyao is in the palace?” Mo Rongzhan was surprised. She entered the palace and he didn’t even know about it!
Mo Rongyi said with a smile, “Yaoyao has passed the imperial physicians’ examination. Today, they entered the palace and are residing in the Imperial Physicians’ Courtyard. She was being convinced to stay in Cining Palace but she refused.”
She’s in the Imperial Physicians’ Courtyard? He thought she should often dwell in the palace. It’d be easier for him to see her than before. Mo Rongzhan was happy in his heart. However, he soon remembered that she was Ye Zhen’s sister. He did not mind, but he didn’t know how to disentangle the knot in her heart.
She must not want to see him…
Mo Rongzhan felt gloomy and said to Mo Rongyi, “Don’t pester Yaoyao too much. She will accompany you when she is free.”
“Yes, Imperial Brother.” Mo Rongyi plainly agreed. He just can’t wait to tell her the news.
As soon as he came out of the imperial study, he saw Tang Zhen waiting outside to see the emperor.
“Marquis Jing Ning.” Mo Rongyi cried aloud with a smile.
Tang Zhen cupped his hands in obeisance. “Little Prince.”
“Imperial Brother allowed me to go hunting with Yaoyao. The bow and arrow you gave me last time came in handy.” Mo Rongyi shared his joy with Tang Zhen.
“When Little Prince hunts, allow me to accompany His Highness and see him hunting,” Tang Zhen said with a smile.
Mo Rongyi generously agreed. “No problem, you wait for news from this little prince.”
Tang Zhen nodded with a smile and watched Mo Rongyi leave before he went to see Mo Rongzhan.
About the last bet, Prince Shun had weakened, losing the gambling house which also involved several princes of the imperial clan. Mo Rongzhan had asked Tang Zhen to deal with this matter secretly, to return the originally borrowed hundred thousand taels of gold, and put the one million taels ushered in from Changping Casino into the Imperial Treasury. As a result, the Imperial Treasury, which was originally a little nervous because of his accession to the throne, became full.
Having been entrusted with the responsibility to transfer the money from Changping Casino to the Imperial Treasury, it took Tang Zhen several days to finish.
“Prince Shun lost Changping Casino. He won’t have the money to bribe the officials in the imperial court, and those scampering in the imperial court would stop.” Mo Rongzhan smiled as he listened to Tang Zhen’s report, pleased and satisfied.
“Your Majesty, Prince Kang went to see the former emperor yesterday,” Tang Zhen whispered.
Mo Rongzhan’s eyes sank ever so slightly. However, he didn’t stop the members of imperial clans from going to see the deposed emperor. In other words, the former Crown Prince, who had been on the throne for less than three months a year ago; his eldest brother whose incapability was exactly the same as the previous emperor, their father.
As such, he allowed the people from imperial clans to see him since he was sure that the ousted emperor wouldn’t have the chance to come out anyway.
Obviously, however, some people in the imperial clan didn’t think so.
“Let them meet.” Mo Rongzhan was able to shrug off saying that he wouldn’t interfere now, so let those people continue to dream of regaining the throne.
Tang Zhen looked up at Mo Rongzhan. “Yes, Your Majesty!”
He actually wanted to express his desire for the princess, but he still refrained from saying it. Yaoyao had asked him to think about it carefully, whether he would give up everything he had now, and if he was willing to go back to her with his answer.
In fact, he had his answer now, but he didn’t want to be in such a hurry. Only in this way could it appear that he had given it careful thought.
After dismissing Tang Zhen, Mo Rongzhan couldn’t sit in the imperial study anymore. He wanted to see Lu Yaoyao, but if he went to the Imperial Physician’s Courtyard at this time, he would surely attract others’ attention.
“Your Majesty, Empress Dowager ordered Aunt Cheng to ask Her Imperial Highness to go to the Cining Palace.” Eunuch Fu knew what the master wanted to do as soon as he saw the emperor absentmindedly looking at the palace memorials.
Ever since the emperor went to see the princess that day, his mood had been far from good. However, Eunuch Fu knew nothing about the emperor being driven out of Ye Zhen’s room.
“Zhen hasn’t paid respects to Imperial Mother these days. Let’s go to Cining Palace,” Mo Rongzhan said.
“——” Didn’t he just pay his respects yesterday?
