Eagle-eyed and wolf-watching

Chapter 1723 Awaiting the Judgment of Fate!
That day was January 15th. In the Imperial Study, Li Chunxiu thought that His Majesty would look at her more often, but in reality, His Majesty had an unusually large number of official duties that day. Even when Li Chunxiu went to His Majesty's side to pour him tea, he did not look at her at all. He only asked her to pour him another cup after drinking the tea.

The huge gap between fantasy and reality also made Li Chunxiu extremely frustrated. The belief that she could rise in rank by seducing Ye Mingsheng had always been the key to her survival in the palace, but now that belief had been shattered.

What's most painful is that misfortunes never come singly. Not only did Li Chunxiu, who was unlucky in love, not succeed in her career, but on the contrary, she caught a cold because she was wearing summer clothes that day and almost died.

But as the saying goes, every cloud has a silver lining. Although Li Chunxiu had just escaped death after suffering this great calamity, she also met her true love. Only then did she realize that while she was trying to win over Ye Mingsheng, someone was secretly and wholeheartedly caring for her.

That feeling of being cared for and protected also soothed the wounds of her broken beliefs, giving her a reason to survive again in the palace.

In the cold, deep palace, two young people of similar age cautiously nestled together. Without any suspense or surprise, they broke the constraints of propriety and made love…
Having completely given up on Ye Mingsheng, Li Chunxiu also had the idea of ​​leaving the palace to live a normal life. Unfortunately, once you enter the palace, it's like entering a deep sea. Whether you enter or leave the palace is not up to you. Her lover comforted Li Chunxiu, saying that he would accompany His Majesty on this inspection of the Central Plains. He would work hard and perform well to make a great contribution so that His Majesty would allow them to be together.

The lover firmly believed that His Majesty was a magnanimous and kind person, and would certainly not make things difficult for them like the Empress!
Although from a rational point of view, Li Chunxiu had some doubts about the possibility of her lover proposing this plan, it is difficult for a girl who has fallen in love to keep a calm and rational mind. Therefore, she was full of hope that her lover would fulfill their vows of eternal love!
Unfortunately, she was caught up in the tragedy again. The two naive young boys and girls did not have much awareness of safety while exploring each other, which led to a fatal incident. At first, Li Chunxiu thought that she had eaten something bad or was too tired, but she soon realized that was not the case.

Li Chunxiu had been in the palace for several years, and she knew very well what fate awaited them if their affair was exposed.

Therefore, Li Chunxiu dared not see a doctor to examine her. All she could do was work desperately, trying to nip the dangerous seed in the bud.

If Li Chunxiu had worked in the Imperial Kitchen or the Laundry Department, she might have gotten away with it. Unfortunately, she worked in the Imperial Study, arguably the most confidential place in the entire palace. Many people were watching the Imperial Study closely every day, so Li Chunxiu's unusual behavior was quickly noticed…

Under Empress An Miaoyi's orders, Li Chunxiu was taken to the Inner Court Department. Under the examination of the imperial physicians of the Medical Academy, Li Chunxiu was officially confirmed to be pregnant. If it were any other palace maid, the next step after reaching this point would be to be interrogated about who the father of the child was, and then be publicly beaten to death along with the father of the child, using their blood to warn the other palace maids not to violate the palace rules. Li Chunxiu had personally witnessed such a tragic scene.

However, Li Chunxiu was different from ordinary palace maids. She worked in the Imperial Study and was quite young, beautiful, and attractive. Therefore, the Inner Court was somewhat wary of her because they could not confirm who the father of the child was.

Li Chunxiu keenly realized this; having spent many years in the palace, she knew who those scoundrels in the Inner Court were afraid of.

So, in order to survive, she quickly came up with a plan. Although there was no record of it in the Attendant Department, when questioned by the Inner Court Department, Li Chunxiu still insisted that the child in her womb was Ye Mingsheng's, the product of Ye Mingsheng's drunken and bestial behavior.

Although there are no records in the Imperial Household Department, theoretically Li Chunxiu had no chance of having anything happen between her and His Majesty. However, it's better to be safe than sorry. What if Li Chunxiu did indeed have a one-night stand with His Majesty and, by sheer luck, became his concubine? Then the child in her womb would be the imperial heir, and murdering an imperial heir is a capital offense…
Therefore, Granny Huang from the Inner Court dared not do anything to Li Chunxiu and could only report the situation to An Miaoyi.

Although An Miaoyi was disgusted by the palace maids who usually seduced Ye Mingsheng, and thought they were shameless and depraved, Li Chunxiu was now pregnant, and the father of the child might be Ye Mingsheng. Therefore, An Miaoyi, who was unwilling to bear the crime of murdering the imperial heir, also passed the buck back to Ye Mingsheng and let him handle it himself!
While waiting for Ye Mingsheng's decision, Li Chunxiu was also imprisoned here, awaiting her final judgment!

At first, every day in this small house was incredibly agonizing for Li Chunxiu. She knew that if His Majesty gave the truthful reply, then what awaited her would be an even more cruel fate than being beaten to death!
Only if His Majesty acknowledges it will she and her child have a glimmer of hope!
But will His Majesty admit it?
Reason told Li Qingxiu that the answer to this question must be no. His Majesty did not drink heavily, nor was he senile. He would not forget whether he had slept with her or not.

But this is her last chance at life, so all she can do now is hope that all the gods and Buddhas in the heavens will bless her and her child, and that the kind-hearted Emperor will recognize them as his wife and child.

Otherwise, given the Empress's usual methods, even a quick death would be a pipe dream for him. Not only would he die, but his family and friends outside the palace would also be implicated.

Thinking of this, Li Chunxiu's eyes were filled with even more worry. Faced with life and death, she was now truly regretful, but it was too late. There was no medicine for regret in this world, and all she could do now was wait!

Awaiting the judgment of fate...

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Changshan Prefecture Seven Star Inn

In the Grade A suite, Ye Mingsheng looked at the written orders and couldn't help but sigh slightly.

Since learning that his mother wanted to build the De Mausoleum, he has been thinking about ways to raise money. The De Mausoleum will cost at least several hundred thousand taels of silver. Although it is not a one-time expenditure, the annual expenditure will be nearly one hundred thousand taels, which is far beyond what the current imperial treasury can afford.

If the imperial treasury were to provide this money, there would be only one way: to sell off valuable assets under the palace's name. However, if this were done, the foundation of Ye Mingsheng's self-sufficient system for the palace's expenses would be affected.

Therefore, Ye Mingsheng needs to come up with a solution. To be honest, as the emperor, Ye Mingsheng has too many ways to make money. In fact, as long as Ye Mingsheng spreads the news, countless wealthy merchants will be willing to go bankrupt to fulfill their filial duty.

After all, Q-profit is money here, but the problem is that these methods all have side effects and will have a certain impact on the reputation of the imperial court.

Therefore, after much deliberation, Ye Mingsheng decided that the initial investment in the construction of the Deling Mausoleum should be shared equally between the Ministry of Revenue and the Imperial Treasury for the first two years. Once the Imperial Treasury had recovered, it would then cover the entire cost. This was considered a relatively good solution by Ye Mingsheng. He had always strived to separate the expenditures of the imperial family from the court's taxes, making them two independent and distinct systems to avoid potential troubles and risks. Unfortunately, although he was the emperor, there were some things he was not immune to…
After making this decision, Ye Mingsheng also began to consider punishing Zhang Meng, the commander of the First Army.

Under Zhang Meng's command, the First Army's performance in the Yunnan-Guizhou region can be described as a promising start followed by a disappointing finish. Although Zhang Meng defeated the three major chieftains of Yunnan and Guizhou, his cruel and tyrannical style aroused the collective indignation of the local chieftains, which led to the First Army being overwhelmed and in a sorry state in Yunnan and Guizhou.

What angered Ye Mingsheng the most was that Zhang Meng concealed the true situation of the battle, and even pretended to be victorious. If it weren't for the informant of the First Army sent back the real intelligence, Ye Mingsheng probably wouldn't know the true situation of the battle in Yunqian and would still think that the Daqian army had completely occupied Yunqian!
From this perspective, it is not unreasonable for Zhang Meng to be sentenced to death!
Ye Mingsheng had also considered executing Zhang Meng. Recently, the arrogant and fierce generals of Daqian had become increasingly restless and were showing signs of growing too powerful. Therefore, Ye Mingsheng was considering whether to make an example of them. The current Zhang Meng incident presented a suitable opportunity.

Although he had considered executing Zhang Meng, Ye Mingsheng felt that Zhang Meng should be given a chance to explain himself after years of hard work and meritorious service in his campaigns. Therefore, he allowed Zhang Meng to recuperate in Hanyang and then return to the capital to resume his duties.

It was springtime then, and Ye Mingsheng originally thought that Zhang Meng would be able to arrive in Yijing in July or August. Unexpectedly, Zhang Meng's illness was quite serious, and he only arrived in Yijing now, while Ye Mingsheng had already gone south to inspect the area.

This guy seems pretty straightforward on the surface, yet he actually wants to atone for his sins with death. When the First Army retreated to Jingchu, he threatened to commit suicide, and after arriving in Yijing, he repeated the same tactic, again threatening to kill himself to atone for his sins…
Although he hadn't met Zhang Meng yet, based on Ye Mingsheng's understanding of Zhang Meng, the kid was most likely putting on an act by threatening suicide.

Zhang Meng himself probably knew how serious his crime was this time, and that he couldn't be let off easily. So, in order to reduce his punishment, he had to show an attitude of admitting his guilt, accepting punishment, and feeling extremely ashamed!

If he truly felt ashamed to face himself and wanted to commit suicide to repay his own cultivation and trust, as he claimed, he wouldn't have needed to make a big show of it by drawing his sword in front of everyone. He could have done it at night while resting, leaving behind a suicide note to express his feelings.

To put it bluntly, in Ye Mingsheng's view, Zhang Meng was still acting, just trying to make him feel sorry for him so that he would let him off the hook!
Although Ye Mingsheng was somewhat disdainful of Zhang Meng's behavior, he could understand it. After all, Zhang Meng was now a marquis with a large group of beautiful women and an abundance of wealth. He was no longer the poor boy who only had to worry about himself. Naturally, Zhang Meng cherished this wonderful life and was unwilling to give it up easily.

Given that Zhang Meng wanted to feign compliance, Ye Mingsheng felt that his attitude also needed to change. His original plan was to personally interrogate Zhang Meng after returning to Yijing, giving Zhang Meng a chance to appeal and defend himself in front of him. However, it seemed unnecessary to do so now, so he would have him write a report on the First Army's defeat in Yijing.

If he truly recognizes his mistakes in the report, then I can still see him when I return to Yijing. But if he remains unrepentant and only tries to brush me off, then I'll have no choice but to execute him with tears in my eyes...

"Da da da!"

Just as Ye Mingsheng had decided on how to deal with Zhang, there was a knock at the door. Recognizing it was Zhang Hu, Ye Mingsheng didn't ask any questions and simply said:

"Enter!"

As soon as he finished speaking, Zhang Hu walked in and reported:
"Your Majesty, Ye Qingfeng says he has something to report to you!"

"What's going on?"

He didn't say what it was about, only that he had to report to you first!

After speaking, Zhang Hu hesitated for a moment and then said:
"Your Majesty, no matter how I ask him, he won't say anything, but judging from his expression, this matter must be quite serious!"

Ye Mingsheng nodded slightly upon hearing this, and then asked in return:

Have you announced that Li Chunxiu is pregnant?

"As you instructed, I have already given them this information!"

After saying this, Zhang Hu realized something and his expression turned surprised. However, Ye Mingsheng didn't bother to pay attention to him at this moment and directly gave the order:

"Let Ye Qingfeng in!"

"Yes!"

A moment later, a young man in his early twenties walked into Ye Mingsheng's room with a look of grim determination. Although his expression was very firm, Ye Mingsheng could feel his tension and trepidation from his clenched fists.

Sensing Ye Mingsheng's gaze, Ye Qingfeng immediately knelt down. Seeing this, Ye Mingsheng looked at Zhang Hu. Without needing further words from Ye Mingsheng, the head guard left the room, closing the doors and windows...