Chapter 135: Imperial Concubine Mi

"Mi Fei, sit here."

In Xiyan Gong, Mi Yunxi felt somewhat at a loss when faced with the enthusiasm of Xie Huanghou.

Ever since the Noble Lady was promoted to Imperial Concubine, the entire Hougong seemed to have become enthusiastic toward her.

"Thank you, Your Majesty."

Mi Yunxi sat down on the chair, and the Empress's palace maid immediately served her tea.

Xie Huanghou sat down beside Mi Yunxi, took a sip of tea, and said, "At this morning's court session, the Crown Prince spoke up for Yan Wang, and the Emperor was so pleased that he rewarded Yan Wang with another piece of fiefdom."

"There is such a thing?" A trace of joy appeared on Mi Yunxi's fair and beautiful face.

Although she did not come from an influential clan, she had lived in a scholarly family before entering the palace and had been pampered since childhood.

Because she was well-versed in historical records, she did not yearn for the deceitful life in the palace, but such was heaven's will.

She was selected to enter the palace.

Later, during a chance encounter in the palace, Zhao Heng favored her, and afterward, there was Yan Wang.

At that time, she resigned herself to her fate.

No matter what, she had to live for this child.

It was just that her status was humble, and Yan Wang had always been bullied by the other Imperial Princes since he was small; she often wiped away tears in secret, but there was nothing she could do.

She could only teach Zhao Xu to endure and survive.

Three years ago, after Zhao Xu became insane, she felt as if her heart had been pierced by ten thousand arrows, and her heart turned to ash.

Later, when Zhao Heng sent Zhao Xu to Yan Commandery, she lived on as numbly as a withered tree.

Thinking that if one day she could no longer go on, she would find a piece of white silk and end this lingering life.

What she did not expect was that after Yan Wang went to Yan Commandery, he was like a fish in water, and her heart also began to stir with life.

"It is absolutely true; you can have someone inquire about it." Xie Huanghou examined Mi Yunxi carefully for the first time.

She had to admit that Mi Fei was indeed dignified and beautiful; even at this age, her skin was like that of a young girl.

If it were not for her humble origins, she would likely have received the Emperor's favor long ago.

But now, the Emperor seemed to have remembered her again.

Of course, Yan Wang's contribution was naturally involved here.

"In that case, this concubine will thank the Crown Prince on behalf of Yan Wang," said Mi Fei.

Xie Huanghou laughed softly; she naturally had her own calculations in bringing this up before Mi Fei.

Her useless legitimate son had lost his position as Crown Prince, which had been perfectly secure.

Now, every time she had her trusted ministers outside bring up the matter of restoring his position as Crown Prince, they would encounter opposition from the court officials.

Among them, the group led by the Second Prince and the Third Prince made the most trouble.

The mother of this Second Prince, Han Guifei, came from the Han Family of Qizhou, one of the Eight Great Influential Clans.

She also colluded with the Yuan Family of Yanzhou and held great power in the court.

As for the Third Prince's mother, Dou Guifei, she came from the Dou Family of Jingzhou, and her uncle was the current Prime Minister, whose power covered the court and the field; they were equally difficult to deal with.

Her own maternal family, the Xie Family of Ningzhou, was also one of the Eight Great Influential Clans, known as the granary of the world, with the Xie Family controlling five-tenths of it, and the family's location was also adjacent to Jingshi.

Internally, she was fearless, but externally, she was ultimately lacking in support.

Precisely because of this, both she and Dou Wei were eyeing Yanzhou.

Previously, they had always kept their eyes on Mo Di.

But now, there was also Yan Wang; being in the palace, she considered herself closer to the water and thus able to enjoy the moonlight first compared to Dou Wei.

Thus, she became enthusiastic toward Mi Fei, even wishing they could address each other as sisters.

"There is no need for thanks; as the Emperor's eldest son, the Crown Prince looking after Yan Wang is merely out of an elder brother's affection for his younger brother. As long as Yan Wang remembers his Crown Prince brother's kindness, that is enough." Xie Huanghou gave her palace maid a look.

The palace maid left and soon returned with a tray of jewelry, "These are all things I am fond of; I give them to you, sister."

"How can this be," Mi Fei said, raising her hand to decline.

Now that things were like this, even if she were foolish, she understood the Empress's meaning.

Whether the Crown Prince could still be the Crown Prince was Xie Huanghou's heartache.

If she could win over Yan Wang for her own use, she would naturally have one more bargaining chip.

After declining once, Mi Fei hesitated for a moment and finally accepted.

Parents who love their children plan for them far into the future.

Before, she only wanted Yan Wang to be an idle prince, wealthy for a lifetime.

But she now realized that even this small wish could not be fulfilled.

Without the Emperor's protection, Yan Wang would only be bullied by the other Imperial Princes.

Since Yan Wang had now gained the Emperor's attention and had inadvertently been drawn into the struggles of the imperial court.

The only thing she, as a mother, could do was to help her son, Yan Wang.

Let him gain a firm foothold in Yan Commandery and use his strength to protect his own wealth.

So she said, "In these two days, this concubine will send a letter to Yan Wang, letting him know that in Jingshi, there is an Empress who cares for him."

Upon hearing this, Xie Huanghou revealed a satisfied smile.

Mi Fei continued, "Yan Wang has some small businesses in Jingshi; this concubine is incompetent and hopes that Your Majesty can provide more care."

She knew that Yan Commandery was barren, and these businesses were a very important source of income for Yan Wang.

Now living deep in the palace, the only thing she could do was to use the situation in the court to escort and protect the trade of Yan Wang, her son.

Jinling, Zhouqiao Jie.

This was a place where merchants from outside the capital gathered in Jingshi.

At the end of the main street, inside a shop, people came and went; it was very bustling.

Above the shop door, a gold-stamped plaque was exceptionally eye-catching, inscribed with the four characters "Yan Commandery Trading Firm".

Inside the door, Dong An was receiving merchants from various places, drawing up contracts with them.

However, Dong An seemed to have something on his mind today, and he was a bit distracted while receiving the merchants.

But when a troop of Cavalry in Silver Armor stopped in front of the shop, he suddenly perked up and trotted out to greet them, causing the waiting merchants to complain.

"Chen Hu!" Dong An arrived at the entrance and gripped Chen Hu's arm, very hard.

"Manager Dong." Chen Hu laughed.

Meeting a colleague who served under Yan Wang in Jinling, a place so far from Yan Commandery, Chen Hu felt the joy of a fellow countryman meeting a fellow countryman.

Dong An was even more moved, to the point that tears were about to fall.

Because of the business of the trading firm, he had to stay in Jingshi, managing the firm's business in the south of the Great Song.

But every day, he missed Yan Commandery very much.

So, upon learning that Chen Hu had entered the capital, he went to look for him, but Chen Hu was busy handing over prisoners at the time and had no free time.

Now they had finally met.

"Is His Highness doing well in Yan Commandery?" Pulling Chen Hu into the trading firm, Dong An asked.

Chen Hu smiled, "Doing great, didn't he even capture the Great King of the Black Iron Royal Tent."

Upon hearing this, Dong An burst into laughter and asked, "A few days ago, people in Jingshi were all saying His Highness was bragging; now they have nothing to say, right?"

"That goes without saying; at the morning court, the Emperor even gave His Highness a fief as a reward." Chen Hu had already received the imperial decree and was about to return to Yan Commandery immediately.

When he came, Yan Wang had instructed him to go to the trading firm to visit the officials of the firm on his behalf.

So after the morning court, he came straight here.

"A fief?" Dong An was greatly surprised, "This is much more precious than Silver."

Chen Hu nodded, feeling slightly regretful, "But it is Shanggu Commandery; it has always been a brother in adversity with Yan Commandery. I'm just afraid this fief will not only be useless but instead become a burden."

Dong An understood power struggles better than Chen Hu, and having been in Jingshi for these days and having contact with many powerful people, he could better understand the reason why the Emperor did this.

He said, "You don't understand this; this is just the Emperor's art of balance. It allows His Highness to gain benefits without overly provoking the Yuan Family into doing something rebellious. But the most important thing about this matter is that if there is a second, there can be a third. If Yan Wang performs another miraculous feat in the future, perhaps..."

With Dong An pointing this out, Chen Hu suddenly realized, "Yes, yes..."

The two talked about matters in Yan Commandery again and discussed the trading firm's trade in Jingshi for a while.

Finally, Chen Hu said, "Does Manager Dong have any words to send to His Highness? It is getting late, and I am about to set off so I can tell His Highness this news sooner."

Dong An was a bit reluctant; he touched the wound on his head.

That was a scar left behind after someone tried to kill him one night and failed.

He smiled, "Please tell His Highness that Dong is very comfortable in Jingshi and will certainly not disgrace the reputation of the trading firm. It would be even better if the trading firm could have more types of goods."

"Good." Chen Hu cupped his hands, "We will meet in Yan Commandery next time."

Having said that, he strode away.

After mounting his horse, he cupped his hands to Dong An again and led his troops toward the north of the city.

Dong An watched Chen Hu leave, his eyes full of reluctance.

But at the same time, a sense of courage rose in his heart.

Since these Wangfu Army soldiers could fight with their lives in Yan Commandery, he could likewise use his life in Jingshi to make the trading firm's business flourish and provide a steady stream of Silver for Yan Wang.