Do you know: I am Xu Jiazi

Chapter 717 I Have a Request to Report! [Thank you! Bow again! 32K words owed]

The last quarter of the Xu hour (after 9 PM).

The bright moon hangs high.

The Marquis of Yongyi's Residence

Xu Zaijing Academy,

"Chirp."

Insects chirped in an unknown place.

As the lantern light and voices drew closer, the autumn insects immediately fell silent.

"Huh! Why aren't the lights on inside?"

A maidservant at the courtyard gate asked curiously.

"Perhaps the young master is resting!" another female voice said.

As they spoke, the three maids, carrying lanterns, continued walking towards the main house.

"Who said I was resting?"

"what--"

The sudden voices startled the three maids, and one of them even screamed.

"Young Master?" Qingcao, carrying a lantern, walked towards the grape trellis in the courtyard.

"Ok!"

"Young master, what are you doing by the grape trellis?" Yun asked, patting his chest.

"Look at the stars."

Hearing Xu Zaijing's voice and getting closer, the three maids finally saw their young master lying in a rocking chair, comfortably gazing at the night sky.

"Have all the rewards from the palace been tallied?" Xu Zaijing asked.

Qingcao, holding a lantern, shook his head and said, "Reporting to Young Master, the items delivered this morning have been counted and placed in the newly built warehouse."

"There were so many gifts sent from the palace this afternoon that I couldn't count them as carefully as I did this morning."

"The boxes weren't even opened. We just roughly sorted them according to the seals on the boxes and then moved the whole box into the yard."

"So many?" Xu Zaijing's tone was full of surprise.

Yun nodded: "Yes, young master, I think the newly built storeroom might not be enough."

When the people in the courtyard were talking,
"Snapped."

A flying insect fluttered its wings and approached the lantern, then crashed into the paper cover.

"If that's not enough, we'll open another courtyard."

After Xu Zaijing finished speaking, he waved to the green grass.

Although no words were spoken, Qingcao understood and extinguished the lantern, and the four of them, master and servant, looked up at the night sky together.

The Great Zhou Imperial Palace

The candlelight was bright.

The emperor sat behind his desk with a frown, holding a memorial in his hand.

The Empress sat beside the Emperor's desk, and in front of her was a book with the words "Nan Yue Guang Ji" written on its cover.

Standing before the imperial desk were Zhao Zilong and others from the Imperial City Guard.

After glancing at it only once, the emperor put down the report, rubbed his eyes, and said, "Never mind, Zilong, just tell me directly."

"Yes, Your Majesty!"

Zhao Zilong bowed and continued, "After much questioning and investigation, we have roughly figured out the cause and effect of the matter."

"On the eleventh day of the tenth month five years ago, the heirs of the three princes of Yong, Jing and Tan, as well as the sons of the Duke of Han, the Duke of Ling, the Marquis of Zhongshan, the Marquis of Dongchang and the Marquis of Fu'an, carried crossbows and arrows from the army and entered the elephant pens without permission."

"On that day, with the connivance of the elephant keeper, several people used dozens of crossbow bolts to torture and kill an old female elephant in a deep pit."

According to the confession of the elephant keeper, when the elderly female elephant was tortured and killed, Qin Chihan, the eldest son of the Marquis of Dongchang, even named the elderly female elephant "Xu Wu".

Upon hearing this, the Empress clenched her fists, her face turning grim: "So there's something to do with the Prince of Jing's residence?"

Zhao Zilong nodded: "Yes, Your Majesty, the Prince of Jing was also present that day."

The emperor narrowed his eyes, frowned, and asked, "Xu Wu?"

“Yes, Your Majesty!” Zhao Zilong bowed and said, “In the capital, Xu Wulang has always been at odds with these princes’ heirs and noble sons, and has once severely humiliated them.”

"I think the reason for choosing this name is to vent one's anger."

The emperor took a deep breath and raised his chin: "Continue."

"Yes! According to the confession of the elephant keeper and after reviewing the documents left in the storeroom, it has been verified that this female elephant was brought as tribute from the southern border. Among her offspring is the female elephant Lingli who is now acting crazy."

"On the sixteenth day of the twelfth lunar month of that year, the heirs of the three princely families, as well as the sons of the Duke of Han, the Duke of Ling, the Marquis of Zhongshan, the Marquis of Dongchang, and the Marquis of Fu'an, once again entered the elephant breeding farm with bows and crossbows."

"And in the open space inside the elephant pens, they used crossbows to shoot a lame baby elephant for amusement!"

According to Qin Chihan, the heir of the Marquis of Dongchang, although the baby elephant was wounded by several arrows and was crying out in pain, crawling towards the elephant house while bleeding, the heir of the Prince of Jing still drew his crossbow and shot it.

"While the baby elephant was still alive, the Crown Prince of Yong personally cut off its trunk!"

Upon hearing these words, the Empress's clenched fists trembled slightly. She took several deep breaths before she could finally calm herself down.

Many people know that the Empress's own son, Zhao Fang, loves elephants, but these people actually tortured and killed elephants and baby elephants!

What are their ulterior motives?
"That evening, the prince's son and the sons of these dukes and marquises left the elephant stables and took the baby elephant's trunk with them!"

"After entering the city, I went to Qingfeng Tower, thinking of asking the chef there to prepare an elephant trunk and make a good dish."

"The result..." Zhao Zilong didn't finish speaking before glancing at the Emperor and Empress.

"What was the result?" the emperor asked, frowning.

Zhao Zilong bowed and said, "Your Majesty, the result was that a conflict broke out between the Prince's son and the Zhang family, the Xu family, and the Zheng family in Qingfeng Tower!"

"The two sides fought fiercely. The Prince of Yong was shot in the shoulder by the Prince of Jing, and the Prince of Jing was also hit in the arm by a flying knife from the Fifth Prince of the Xu family."

"The others were also injured, so they didn't get to eat the baby elephant trunk."

"Clap clap clap." The emperor slapped his hand on the imperial desk, nodding with a look of sudden realization, and said, "I remember now! It was about that day! It seems that some Jin warriors were involved in something?"

“Yes, Your Majesty!” Zhao Zilong continued, “Most importantly, the baby elephant that was tortured to death was born to the crazed mother elephant Lingli.”

"Ta-ta."

Upon hearing this, the emperor angrily slammed his fist on the table: "The manager of the elephant stables didn't know about this?"

"The elephant stable manager said that after all that happened, the mother elephant, Lingli, only cried out for two days, and then showed no unusual behavior. We never expected her to suddenly..."

"and"

Seeing Zhao Zilong's thoughtful expression, the emperor said, "Speak your mind, don't beat around the bush."

"Yes, Your Majesty! Moreover, during last year's Qingming Festival, Xu Jiawulang, Gu Erlang, Liang Liulang, and others also visited the elephant breeding farm."

"What? What are they going to do?" the emperor asked, frowning. The empress also looked puzzled.

Zhao Zilong said, "Xu Jiawulang and the others only looked at the elephants on the second floor of the elephant shed, and then went to the banquet, saying that it was the eldest son of Shoushanbo who was hosting a banquet that day."

The emperor nodded slightly.

Zhao Zilong added, "According to the manager of the elephant stables, the incident last winter solstice when His Majesty went to the southern suburbs to offer sacrifices to Heaven, during which an elephant crashed into the Zhongshan Marquis's decorated pavilion, is probably a harbinger of today's events."

The Queen looked at the book "Nan Yue Guang Ji" in front of her and said, "These animals have spirits. It's no wonder that the elephant trampled on the Yongwang family's child like that. It's just retribution."

The emperor nodded upon hearing this: "Fortunately, Fang'er and Tao Tao are alright, but a prince's heir has died. Let the Ministry of Justice draft a regulation."

"Yes, Your Majesty," the chief eunuch hurriedly replied.

The Emperor said, "You've done a great job to investigate so thoroughly in just over half a day. Zilong, you've worked hard."

Zhao Zilong, looking ashamed, cupped his hands and said, "Your subject is unworthy of such praise! I failed to discover this hidden danger in time."

The emperor waved his hand: "There must be no next time."

With that, the emperor stood up and left the hall with the empress.

Stars shift,

The bright moon hangs in the west.

The emperor, who was getting old and was a light sleeper, was resting in the empress's bedchamber today. At some unknown time, the emperor suddenly woke up.

Hearing the sigh beside him, the emperor asked softly, "Why are you awake?"

The Empress, who was standing to the side, said, "Your Majesty, it's nothing."

"Hmm?" Hearing the Empress's voice, the Emperor became more alert and turned around, saying, "You've been crying?"

As he spoke, the emperor reached out and touched the empress's cheek.

I was indeed moved to tears when I received it.

"Don't cry, Fang'er and Taotao are alright, aren't they?" the emperor said.

Feeling the hand on her face, the Empress shook her head and said:

"It's not because of Fang'er. With Jing'er around, I'm not worried. It's just that after hearing what Master Zhao said last night, I don't know why, I had a lot of dreams last night."

The emperor asked in bewilderment, "A dream?"

"About the previous children." The Queen took several deep breaths to compose herself.

The emperor understood that the empress had heard about the baby elephant's tragic state and felt sorry for the children who had died before, wondering if they had suffered a lot in life.

"Yesterday, Fang'er personally handed the gift list to that boy from the Xu family before the wedding procession set off. When they arrived at the Gao family, that boy even helped Fang'er carry the wild goose!"

"That old bastard, the Marquis of Xiangyang, sent a generous gift and got two sons! With all the things you've arranged, you, the Empress, will probably have a headache from all the noise your grandsons are making in the future."

After the emperor finished speaking, although he did not turn to look at the empress, one could sense that the person beside him was in a much better mood.

"Go to sleep," the emperor said softly.

The next day,

The morning sun rises,

Xingguo Ward, the Duke of Qi's Mansion

In the backyard, Princess Pingning, who was having breakfast, looked up in surprise and asked the steward standing beside her, "Someone knocked on the gate of the Ningyuan Marquis's residence this morning?"

"Yes, Your Highness, our gatekeeper saw it with his own eyes. He said the person who knocked didn't even go inside the gate!"

Princess Pingning put down her chopsticks and asked, "Did you see clearly which family it was?"

"They say it's a lantern with the character 'Qin' on it! It might be from the Dongchang Marquis's residence," the stewardess whispered.

Princess Pingning curled her lip and said, "Hmph! It's probably the Qin family! Their heir is still being held in the Imperial City Prison."

"This is a desperate measure; even the Ningyuan Marquis's mansion, which we haven't been in contact with for years, has come to ask for our help."

"Unfortunately, Brother Yu is a man of strong will! He wouldn't even let them in the door!"

The head maid said, "Your Highness, aren't you afraid that the Qin family will sue the eldest son of the Gu family for being unfilial?"

Princess Pingning shook her head: "If we wanted to sue, we would have done so long ago. We didn't dare to before when the Qin family was in a better position, let alone now."

"I think they'll probably ask the second wife of the fourth branch of the Tan family. She's Brother Yu's aunt, so she might be able to help."

"Your Highness is right!" the head housekeeper said. "Then what our eldest daughter-in-law said, you..."

Princess Pingning shook her head: "The Xue family is my sister-in-law's maternal family. Although they have declined, how can a noble lady of such a background become a concubine in the Xu family?! It would be embarrassing for me to say that she is my own sister-in-law."

"If we go and ask, it would be even more humiliating if the Xu family refuses. Let's just forget about it!"

The head maid said, "Your Highness, in my opinion, given Xu Wulang's merits yesterday, barring any unforeseen circumstances, he will surely rise rapidly in his career!"

"Being a concubine in such a household might be more luxurious than being the mistress of another household."

Princess Pingning sighed, "It's a pity that Heng'er's martial arts skills are not good. If Heng'er had performed better yesterday, our Qi family would have been even more prosperous."

As she spoke, Princess Pingning shook her head, closed her eyes, and said, "No, no, the greatest blessing is that Heng'er has survived his adventures safely."

"Your Majesty is right!"

The Great Zhou Imperial Palace

The Crown Prince's Bedchamber

In front of the dressing mirror,
The maidservant who accompanied Gao to the palace stood behind Gao Taotao, helping the seated Crown Princess comb her hair.

Zhao Fang looked at Gao Taotao, whose hair on her forehead and the back of her neck had been combed up, and nodded with a smile, saying, "My wife, this hairstyle suits you best."

Gao Taotao smiled shyly.

After washing and dressing, Zhao Fang went with Gao Taotao to the inner palace where the emperor and empress were.

The couple stood on the palace steps awaiting the summons.

But a little while later,

The chief eunuch came out with a smile, bowed, and said, "Your Highness, Crown Princess, His Majesty and Her Majesty, please be seated."

After Zhao Fang and Gao Taotao acknowledged this, they entered the hall together.

Looking at the emperor and empress on the high platform of the dragon throne,

Gao Taotao walked up the steps on the west side, took the gold plate containing dates and chestnuts from the female official, placed it on the table in front of the emperor, and then performed a full kowtow.

The emperor looked at his daughter-in-law, who seemed perfectly normal and unaffected by yesterday's events, and nodded with a smile.

After Gao Taotao stood up, she turned around and took the golden plate containing dried meat and spices, placed it on the table in front of the Empress, and kowtowed again.

"Good child." The Queen nodded with a smile as well.

After serving the emperor and empress their meal, Gao Taotao and Zhao Fang went together to the ancestral temple to offer sacrifices.

Under the guidance of Prince Hui, Zhao Fang and Gao Taotao were busy once again.

On the second day,
Early in the morning,
The Great Zhou Imperial Palace

The morning court session was held in the main hall as usual.

"Your Majesty is here!"

At the shouts of the palace eunuchs, the emperor emerged from the rear palace.

After the emperor sat down on the dragon throne, all the officials bowed and knelt in unison.

Looking at the kneeling officials, the emperor waited for more than ten breaths without saying a word. The hall became so quiet you could hear a pin drop.

This scene inevitably stirred up a variety of thoughts in the minds of the court officials.

Many people couldn't help but glance at the scepter in their hands.

Seeing this, the emperor said in a calm tone, "My beloved ministers, please rise."

The chief eunuch hurriedly shouted, "Rise!"

"Thank you, Your Majesty!"

The assembled officials stood up after shouting in unison.

"My beloved ministers, is there anything you wish to report?" the emperor asked.

"If there's anything to report, get out of your office immediately!" the chief eunuch shouted.

The chief eunuch had barely finished speaking when
An official stepped forward, holding a tablet, and announced loudly, "Your subject, Lu Xingjun of the Ministry of Rites, has a memorial to present!"

Then another person stepped forward and shouted in the same way, "Your subject, Wu Fenghua, from the Ministry of Revenue, has a memorial to present!"

"Your subject, Sheng Hong, from the Ministry of Personnel, has a memorial to present!"

"My minister, the Ministry of War, Gu Tingyu, has a report to report!"

The emperor smiled and nodded, saying, "Minister Lu, how do you feel about moving from the Censorate to the Ministry of Rites?"

"Your Majesty, I am still adjusting and adapting," Lu Xingjun said, cupping his hands in greeting.

The emperor smiled and said, "Minister Lu was the first to step forward, so you may go first!"

"Yes, Your Majesty!"

Lu Xingjun bowed and said, "Your Majesty! At the grand wedding ceremony of the Crown Prince the other day, the heavens presented extraordinary phenomena to demonstrate Your Majesty's virtue!"

“It possesses an aura that receives the essence of the sun and moon and senses the energy of heaven and earth, but suddenly displays a fierce and tyrannical demeanor, trampling on the imperial procession and the sons of nobles and imperial relatives!”

"This is the remaining power of our dynasty in pacifying the southwest, and the aftershock of defeating the traitors! Heaven blesses our dynasty with the thunderous might of its appearance, drawing the evil and poisonous miasma of the southwest into its very being. Therefore, we take advantage of the auspicious time of the wedding ceremony to carry out this calamity on behalf of Heaven!"

"The first auspicious omen is that a wild elephant appears and is soon subdued and punished, which is an auspicious hexagram of 'first adversity, then prosperity'!"

(End of this chapter)