Can't a princess ascend the throne?

Chapter 287 Palace Banquet
Of course, no matter how much money it makes, it is still Jiu Que's own property. Even His Majesty has not asked Jiu Que to hand over those methods, so how could anyone else dare to ask?
The Prefect of Kyoto never intended to seize Jiuque's property; after all, he still had plenty of life ahead of him and hadn't lived enough yet. Besides, he wasn't thinking about money that had nothing to do with him right now; he was genuinely anxious and worried.

"Then shall we not go to the palace to discuss the plague with His Majesty?"

"We definitely need to talk about it, but we can't just do nothing. The magistrate has already sent people out. What we need to do now is to quickly identify the sick people in the capital, isolate them, and control the spread of the epidemic as soon as possible. No matter how easy or difficult to treat this disease is, we can't let it infect more people."

"Yes, yes, you're right. I'll set off right away. You?"

The Prefect of Kyoto glanced back at Jiu Que, unsure if this official would accompany him. Jiu Que nodded.

“I will first inform His Majesty of this matter, and then summon the officials of the Six Ministries. If this is indeed an epidemic, no one can escape it, and all manpower will be needed to barely achieve a balance. I have an estate in the suburbs, which is quite large. Why not settle the sick people there first, and then we can talk about moving them out when they recover or their condition improves?”

"Thank you so much."

Donating an estate to the sick under such circumstances requires courage and vision, which is not something everyone can do. To be honest, the Prefect of the Capital used to think that Jiu Que had reached her current position because of His Majesty's favor, but now it seems that without some ability, His Majesty could not have promoted her to her current position so quickly. Of course, she is indeed very wealthy.

After a brief conversation, the two quickly went out and split up.

Jiu Que thought for a moment, then whispered an order to the empty space beside her. Immediately, a plainly dressed guard emerged from some corner and left to carry out the order. Jiu Que already knew that she had secret guards bestowed upon her by His Majesty. There hadn't been many times before when they were truly useful, but today they were quite convenient.

However, matters of epidemics cannot be simply accepted by His Majesty with a few words; substantial evidence is required. After all, in this era, even the most ordinary people know the severity of epidemics, and mishandling them could easily lead to unrest. Especially now that there is a steppe delegation in the capital, who knows if they might cause trouble? After all, those steppe horsemen claim to have come to sue for peace, but everyone knows that they will never admit defeat unless they are completely subdued. On the contrary, if they can take the opportunity to create chaos in the capital of Dajing, they would be more than happy to see it happen.

Unbeknownst to the common people, officials began to patrol the streets, asking questions and conducting investigations. Some people noticed something from these unusually frequent inquiries and their expressions changed, but most people did not understand what this meant and simply continued with their lives.

Inside the palace, at a banquet in the main hall.

As evening fell, the banquet began, and in the open space in the middle, some graceful palace maids were dancing. The delegation from the grasslands were quite refined people, but sitting in this palace, which had been meticulously built by emperors over hundreds of years, they still couldn't help but tremble.

Heavens, no wonder our predecessors all wanted to occupy this vast land. They traveled all the way and thought they had seen the most outstanding place in this dynasty, but they never expected that the place where the ruler of this country was located would be so wonderful, it was just like the palace of the gods!
If only they could possess such palaces, such exquisite craftsmanship, such graceful beauties, such magnificent architecture…

However, the voice of the Great Jing Emperor immediately shattered their illusions.

"Gentlemen, you have traveled a long way and must be weary. Tonight, let us not discuss state affairs, but indulge in song and dance." The chief envoy of the steppe delegation had originally intended to take advantage of the cheerful atmosphere to bring up his request for grain, but Emperor Jingtai's words had silenced him. However, he was not discouraged. After all, he knew that the mission was arduous and could not be completed in a day or two. Even if Emperor Jingtai could silence him today, could he always do so in the future? He would absolutely not leave this capital if he could not complete the mission.

Damn it, their capital is so warm! Even in the coldest winter in a century, it maintains this temperature. And good heavens! Such a huge palace, yet the floor isn't cold at all, but there aren't any obvious braziers around. I heard they use a technology called underfloor heating. I really want to send all the artisans in this country to the grasslands!
Noticing that the deputy envoy next to him didn't look too good, the chief envoy even toasted him with a glass of wine.

"My brother, why the long face? Since we have fine wine and roasted meat before us, we should enjoy it to the fullest. When we get back to the grasslands, we can tell those kids about the prosperity of Dajing. They'll be green with envy. Don't you think that scene is wonderful?"

The deputy envoy seemed to have something on his mind, but in such a cheerful atmosphere, he didn't say anything, and simply drank the wine in his glass in one gulp.

Emperor Jingtai was secretly quite pleased with himself. After all, not every emperor could command the submission of the steppe people. Although he knew these steppe people had come with ill intentions, their willingness to bow their heads first was already an excellent gesture. Today he could make the steppe people bow their heads, and tomorrow he could trample their heads into the mud!
After taking a small sip of wine, Emperor Jingtai felt quite comfortable.

Just then, Jiufu walked over with a normal expression and whispered a few words in Jingtai's ear. Jingtai's expression remained unchanged, but a hint of annoyance flashed in his eyes.

Soon after, Emperor Jingtai left under the pretext of changing his clothes and went to a side hall next door, where his expression gradually turned ugly.

A young man dressed as a palace guard was already kneeling on the ground. His head was bowed, and his body was trembling. When he saw Emperor Jingtai enter, his face turned ashen.

“Your Majesty, the patrol times of the palace guards are regulated, but this Guard Chen has already switched shifts with his colleagues three times in a row to patrol Rongfu Palace.”

Emperor Jingtai looked down at the audacious guard below. Although he didn't utter a single word, the imposing aura of a seasoned emperor was not to be underestimated; at least the guard on the ground was trembling with fear.

"Your Majesty, please forgive me, Your Majesty!"

"I don't want to hear your explanation! Jiufu, drag him away and lock him up!"

Even after the guard was dragged away, Emperor Jingtai's expression remained grim. There is nothing more distressing in the world than when what you expect as a surprise suddenly turns into a shock.

(End of this chapter)