Chapter 382: Targeted Again?

The four people really didn't move at all, just sitting in the pavilion; young master Rong kept watching from nearby, and when he saw nothing amiss, he quietly left.

An hour later, the Rong family's banquet began, and the emperor and three others were invited to the front.

The Rong family's front hall, which is the Imperial Palace's courtyard, was covered with pavilions, and the fine wine and delicacies inside exuded waves of fragrance.

No matter which, they were extremely exquisite!

The head of the Rong family, that is, young master Rong's father, finally met the Song Bing Zhi Ren.

He didn't recognize him, truly didn't; perhaps he was just a passing traveler, merely a merchant with some skill.

If you can avoid offending, then avoid offending; if you get along, that's fine—once people leave, the tea gets cold.

So he didn't come to host; the emperor and the three others were seated at a table with others they didn't know, and they nodded at each other.

The emperor looked at the dishes on the table and thought to himself, "They're even better than what I eat; golden autumn, a season of harvest— in the Rong family's eyes, this is their glorious day, isn't it?"

Truly extravagant; for this whole table, you can't go without at least a thousand taels of silver.

"What's the request? Small dishes, to satisfy you!"

"It can't be done now; the garrison outside the city is probably bribed by them. I will mobilize the soldiers of Nanguan, first seize the outside garrison, then investigate all officials and merchants in the city."

"Mother-in-law knows so much."

The emperor still trusted her, saying, "I will not hold the Rong family jointly responsible; whoever did it will be judged. If it involves the Main Family of Jingcheng, I won't be lenient, but it's not about the innocent."

At that moment, a guard, holding a letter with both hands, came to the doorway and knocked.

"Not going, I'm not in the mood; in this scorching heat, even catching a breath is uncomfortable, and I don't know how they live here."

"As long as one has a brain, they're always on guard; seems I still need to step in."

"Mother-in-law, quickly look, you're about to become a maternal grandmother!"

"Come in."

The two interacted, and the people at the same table looked at them with some contempt, thinking to themselves, "Just small dishes, that fish came from the deep sea, and the ice—can they even get that?"

"Hmm, you decide; whatever you need me and my husband to do, just give the order."

"Xianggong, we're being watched again."

"Don't worry, I will certainly not be courteous to mother-in-law."

"Wow, ice, the Rong family is truly generous; this fish, once iced, must be delicious. Here, have some."

"Indeed, it really matches what mother-in-law said: officials protect each other, merchants collude, all to earn a bit more silver."

"No problem, it's on me."

"The main thing is to get the Account Book of the Smoke Hall; people like them usually keep two ledgers, one public and one secret."

"A Rong family branch is so grand; its wealth should exceed that of Prefect Wu."

The guests screamed one after another when they saw the ice and the salmon.

"They're trying to probe our background?"

The carriage stopped, and a few people turned their heads, "Smoke Hall?"

"As long as the Crown Prince doesn't take concubines, no one will vie for favor, and Ling'er's health won't be at risk."

"The harem has many women, so many troubles; dirty tactics arise endlessly. Surely, in the unseen realm, the Emperor's offspring have been schemed against countless times, with the Crown Prince being just one example."

"The matter of the Governor of Liangzhou dismounting spread, but our outings with the Emperor have always been kept secret; they know the Emperor went south, yet they don't know the route."

The emperor's hands clenched tightly, "Jingcheng should have none, right?"

"Ha ha, with you as such a formidable mother-in-law, he'll only have Ling'er as his one woman in this life."

"Mother-in-law, shall we go back and prepare a dish to try?"

"Is the Emperor about to act?"

The Emperor tapped the table with his finger, and Qiao Mai placed a bottle of cold drink in front of him.

The Empress's complexion was rather unpleasant; Qiao Mai, seeing a stall by the road, shouted, "Winter Jujube, Iron Blood, stop!"

The guard respectfully handed the letter to the Emperor; after opening and reading it, the Emperor burst into hearty laughter, quickly passing the letter to Qiao Mai, even the Empress had already turned away.

"The Emperor's magnanimity toward the Rong family is boundless; I am deeply grateful."

Not to mention, this taste is truly good; it's been ages since I've had seafood like this—eat!

"Just woke up, you all?"

A few people picked up a chopstick and began eating; before the second chopstick could be used, the whole plate of fish was gone, and the Empress gave Qiao Mai a blinking look.

If they found out that the ice was taken from those present, they'd surely stop nagging in their hearts.

Qiao Mai didn't think much; after the toast, she wanted the food back, and Yuan Jiaqi thought the same, so the couple didn't hold back, flinging aside their cheek pads and ate.

"Hopefully the Rong family in Jingcheng isn't entangled; the complications in Luzhou City are even more severe than in Liangzhou—if mishandled, it will become a mountain of corpses and a sea of blood."

"Going out again?"

The Emperor sighed and lay down beside the Empress.

The Empress remained deeply worried; despite her casual words, the Rong family is, after all, a branch of her own natal family, breaking bones and tendons.

"Ha ha, same joy, same joy,"

Qiao Mai smiled brightly at the letter, "Finally a good thing, and congratulations—you're about to become grandparents."

After the meal, seeing someone leave, they quietly departed.

"He isn't the Prefect of Luzhou; otherwise this banquet would be even more grand, perhaps we could turn gold into a dish."

"It's my fault, just trying to make ice, and now a swarm of flies is after it!"

"Never mind him; wait until the Emperor asks for the lady again."

"Two of you, enjoy the leisure."

That night, the Golden Dragon Guard investigated Luzhou's situation thoroughly, and the Emperor's banquet arrangements continued into the late night.

"They must also be eliminated; otherwise the entire Ming Empire would be plagued by this poison, and losing one city is fine, but I cannot lose all the cities."

"This is raw; I'm afraid your stomach can't handle it, so have a pill first. This fish may be raw, but it tastes quite good—don't eat too much."

"So many people?"

The couple chatted idly, and the Emperor and the Empress arrived, looking weary.

"Hmm, I arranged for the Golden Dragon Guard to come last night."

After a short while, a large platter of raw Three Wen salmon arrived, with some crushed ice on top; it seems they used this gift thoroughly.

"Look down there, those little vendors selling goods; they seem to be hawking, but their eyes keep glancing into the inn."

"Just get used to it."

"Hmm, the Golden Dragon Guard has already gone; I also had them investigate the house of the Fifth Young Master of Luzhou and his family business. Anyone with reputation here will not be spared."

"Since yesterday, I've counted these Opium dens and there are at least ten; you can imagine how many people are using this drug."

If the Rong Family commits crimes against the people, the Empress's face will lose its shine.

"Do you want to go in and taste the Opium?"

"After all, under the Son of Heaven, there are also hidden dealings—officials protecting officials, merchants colluding, interests intertwined; one's glory is shared, one's loss is shared. If the merchants and officials of Luzhou have formed a network, this move would be perfect."

The Empress took the letter, read it, and instantly pushed the Rong Family's displeasure aside, saying, "It's only been a little over a month; we must be more vigilant."

A few people quickly shook their heads like rattles, "These Opium dens are right on both sides of the street?"

The Emperor looked at Qiao Mai with a complicated expression, "Mother‑in‑law, when this case is closed, I hope you'll act and destroy all the Poppy here?"

They didn't go to the inn; instead they rode a sightseeing car and kept strolling. A few of them sat in the car drinking iced drinks, feeling far more relaxed than at the Rong Family.

Qiao Mai took out a bottle and poured a pill into each of the four people's hands.

The next day, several small stalls suddenly appeared outside the Welcome Inn, and Qiao Mai, watching from upstairs, found it quite amusing.

"How so?"

"There's no choice; the royal family, to continue the bloodline, will still arrange for women to enter the palace even so."

"Do you know what this is called?"

"What?"

"Stud horse, breeding pig!"

(End of chapter)