Besides lying down, I also know a little about power struggles

Chapter 109 Bait
The emperor said indifferently, "Sui Yongdao is still so impatient. I gave him a chance last time with the incident with Twelve. This time, he took the bait again after a slight test. It seems that when people get old, they not only become greedy, but also stupider."

Chao En nodded and agreed softly, "This time Sui Yongdao aided Prince Ping in his rebellion, and his crime should be punished. Your Majesty can use this opportunity to take back the Beihe Army, and it will not be in vain for the Crown Prince to take this risk."

The emperor smiled and said, "I understand what you mean. You mean that in order to regain the military power, I am willing to use the crown prince as bait."

"I dare not," Chao En knelt down, "I just feel sorry for Your Majesty."

The emperor looked at his hunched back and took a sip of tea. "Don't kneel down all the time. You know I hate this the most."

Chao En supported himself on the ground with both hands and raised his head: "I have served Your Majesty for many years and never dared to presume upon His Majesty's will, but I understand that everything Your Majesty does is for the sake of Da Zhao."

The emperor gave him a light kick and said, "Stand up and talk."

Chao En then stood up and stood before the emperor with his hands hanging down.

The emperor handed him the teacup and said, "You guessed it right. I used the prince as bait. The prince is old enough, and it's not a bad thing for him to be tempered. His performance this time was beyond my expectation. I thought he would be in a hurry during this southern tour, but I didn't expect that he had already made preparations in private."

Chao En chuckled: "The Crown Prince is the heir to the throne that His Majesty personally trained. Although he is a little soft-hearted on weekdays, he is never vague when it comes to doing things."

"That's all," the emperor said calmly, "It's not easy to raise a son for an ordinary family, and it's even harder to raise a prince of Dazhao."

Feng Yunxi returned to the Prince's Mansion, and before she had even gone to bed she heard Feng Twelve coming to visit.

Qin Shiyue put the coat he had just taken off back on his shoulders: "It's rare for Twelve to come to our house, go and see what's going on."

Feng Yunxi was helpless and amused: "You just told me to take a rest."

Qin Shiyue tied the belt for him and said with a smile: "If it were anyone else, I would definitely not let you see him, but Twelve has been working so hard for you, do you have the nerve to let him run for nothing?"

Feng Yunxi couldn't do anything to her, so she put on her clothes obediently and went to the flower hall to receive guests.

When he saw Feng Twelve, he immediately questioned him, "You were so good last night that you slipped away early. I just came back and didn't even touch the pillow. What did you want to see me for?"

Feng Twelve placed a box in front of him.

Feng Yunxi was curious: "What is this?"

"Apricot tea and sesame cakes from the West Street morning market, and the honey-pickled tofu that the emperor's sister-in-law likes." Feng Twelve opened the lid of the box, and sure enough, there were several breakfast items neatly arranged inside.

Feng Yunxi had a strange expression on her face. She glanced at the food in the box and then looked up at him.

"Twelve, tell me the truth, what have you done wrong?" He said carefully, "You have never brought me any gifts before."

"Don't like to eat?" Feng Twelve asked.

Feng Yunxi smiled, dragged the box in front of him, and handed it to his personal attendant: "Take it to Shi Yue in the backyard and tell her that I will go back and eat with her later."

After saying this, he dismissed the idlers in the hall and said to Feng Twelve, "This apricot tea sesame cake is not easy to buy. I haven't eaten it for almost half a year. Tell me, what do you want me to do? As long as it's not a rebellion, I will help you."

There was a hint of sarcasm in his tone, and at the same time, he was a little curious about what important matter was worthy of Feng Twelve's personal trip and to give him this "big" gift.

"Hurry up," Feng Yunxi urged with a smile, "Apricot tea tastes bad when it's cold, and sesame cakes need to be hot to be crispy."

"I have something I want you to do." Feng Twelve said. When Fang Tong woke up, it was already daybreak.

She had a dreamless night last night. When she got up, she was in a daze for a while, then she remembered that she had returned to the capital, to the palace of Prince Feng Twelve.

She finished washing and sat in front of the dressing table to comb her hair.

Just as I was thinking about whether to put my hair into a bun, there were a few knocks on the door and a woman's voice came: "Miss Fang, are you awake?"

Fang Tong opened the door and saw a round-faced maid standing outside.

She bowed to Fang Tong and said cheerfully, "My name is Lu Tao, I am here to help the girl with her makeup."

Fang Tong recognized Lu Tao. When she was still a cat, she often wandered around the prince's mansion. Even if she couldn't call out the names of the people here, she could remember their faces.

Lu Tao was the youngest among the group of maids. Wherever she was, there was always chattering and laughing. Sometimes Aunt Zhang would ask her to help in the kitchen, and Lu Tao had fed Fang Tong with snacks several times.

Fang Tong saw Lu Tao looking at him with a smile and smiled back: "Did His Majesty the Twelfth Prince ask you to come?"

Lu Tao nodded: "His Highness said that the young lady is an honored guest. From now on, I will take care of your daily life and meals in the mansion."

Fang Tong thought for a moment, then stepped aside to let her in. "I'm clumsy and not very good at styling my hair. You came just in time. Can you help me put my hair into a bun?"

Lu Tao smiled and said, "Don't worry, young lady. My mother is a famous hairdresser in Beijing. Even if I haven't learned all of her skills, I have learned 80% to 90% of them. I can make any hairstyle you like."

Fang Tong opened the wooden box on the table: "Help me tie up a hair that is convenient for travel and not easy to get loose. Here are some hair accessories, you can use them."

Lu Tao glanced into the box and said with a smile, "Miss, you are wearing a scarlet shirt today. I will make a heart-shaped bun for you and use this pair of coral hairpins and the crabapple hairpin. It will definitely look good."

She asked Fang Tong to sit in front of the mirror and picked up a comb to comb her long hair.

The morning light shone in from the east window. Fang Tong did not take a close look when he entered the room last night. Only now did he realize that there were many exquisite small porcelain bottles on the dressing table, which looked like women's dressing supplies.

She picked up a white porcelain bottle and looked at the sticker on it: "Magnolia cream?"

"This is the best-selling facial cream in the capital," Lu Tao said as she combed her hair, "and the pomegranate flower cream can be used to apply on lips and evenly on the face. It is the signature of Baoyue Tower and even the ladies in the palace like it very much. I will use it on the young lady later."

Fang Tong put the facial cream back: "We haven't eaten yet, don't worry."

These things sound very valuable. She would have to ask Feng Twelve whether these cosmetics would be deducted from her reward money. She would have to warn him not to buy luxury goods indiscriminately. She still had 800 taels of silver from him. It sounded like a lot, but once they settled down and bought a house, the money would flow like water. She would have to spend it as she pleased. She had to be frugal.

"Ah!" Lu Tao suddenly slapped her forehead, put down the comb, and took out a small jade box from her arms, "I almost forgot, His Highness asked me to bring this to the girl."

Fang Tong took the jade box, opened the lid, and saw a pool of jade-white fat inside.

She pressed it with her fingertips and felt a cool, soft touch, like half-melted ice cream.

She picked up a little and put it to her nose and smelled it, but there was no smell.

"What is this?" she asked curiously.

"His Highness said that this thing is good for girls, and asked you to use it every day."