A life of two souls traveling through time

Chapter 159: Flatterers in power

When Situ Ting learned that His Royal Highness the Crown Prince had come to Mucheng in person, he became uneasy again. Although he guessed that the Crown Prince's visit was probably due to the fight between the prince and his wife, the Buddhas that came to his small border town were all bigger than the last, and his heart could hardly bear it.

Situ Ting rushed to the post station that day but was turned away. His Royal Highness the Crown Prince was discussing important matters with the Prince of the Zong Dynasty and would not see anyone. Situ Ting was stopped outside the post station by the Crown Prince's guards and had to return in disappointment.

It was not until after breakfast the next day that Crown Prince Yan Qiao summoned Mucheng County Magistrate Situ Ting to the post station.

"Your humble servant Situ Ting pays homage to His Royal Highness the Crown Prince. May His Royal Highness live a thousand years and a thousand thousand years!" Situ Ting was brought to the courtyard of the post station. From afar, he saw the elegant and slender figure with his back to him under the pavilion. He quickly stepped forward, knelt on the ground, and said respectfully.

"Lord Situ, please stand up." The jade-like voice carried a hint of the majesty of a king.

Situ Ting stood up slowly, and the moment he raised his eyes, he was struck by the handsome and noble face of Crown Prince Yan Qiao. Compared with the prince's domineering and cold appearance, the Crown Prince exuded a dignified and gentle appearance, but his narrow and beautiful phoenix eyes were so deep and intimidating that he dared not look directly at him.

"Lord Situ has made an indelible contribution to the fact that the people of Mucheng can live and work in peace and contentment. Even my third brother praised Lord Situ for his good governance of the city in front of me yesterday." Crown Prince Yan Qiao narrowed his eyes slightly, looked at the respectful Situ Ting in front of him, and smiled softly.

"Your Highness the Crown Prince is too kind. It is the Prince of the Zong clan who has praised me highly. The border of Mucheng is full of good and bad people. If it were not for the Prince of the Zong clan stationing troops there to deter bandits, Mucheng would not be safe and peaceful. The Prince of the Zong clan has the greatest contribution in governing the city. I dare not take all the credit for myself." Situ Ting was delighted to hear the recognition of the Crown Prince and the Prince of the Zong clan, but he still kept his head down and spoke with a look of trepidation.

"Lord Situ is too modest." Crown Prince Yan Qiao smiled slightly and said in a calm voice.

"Your Highness, I was in a hurry yesterday and didn't have time to welcome you. How about I prepare some wine in my humble home this afternoon..." Seeing that the prince didn't say anything else, Situ Ting spoke carefully, but was politely rejected before he finished speaking:

"I appreciate Lord Situ's kindness, but I have some important matters to attend to in the capital, so I have to leave today. I don't have time to appreciate the scenery of the wooden city, which is a pity."

"Your Highness the Crown Prince is very busy with affairs of state. I am sorry for being rude. You may visit the scenery of this wooden city at any time, but Your Highness' important matters cannot be delayed." Although Situ Ting felt it was sudden, he nodded in response. Yes, it was a great honor for His Highness the Crown Prince to come to his small wooden city. How could a small county magistrate like him have the turn to flatter him?

"The commotion made by the prince and princess in the villa must have alarmed Lord Situ, right?" Yan Qiao then moved to Situ Ting's side and asked in a low voice.

"I have heard a little about it, but since it is a matter between the prince and his wife, I dare not say too much." Yan Qiao asked in a low voice but with dignity, which made Situ Ting shiver. He hurriedly bent down and saluted.

"Well, it's unavoidable for couples to quarrel occasionally. It's good that Lord Situ knows about it. Although Mucheng is small, there shouldn't be any voices discussing the royal backyard." Yan Qiao looked at Situ Ting with cold eyes and smiled.

"Yes, yes, I understand!" Situ Ting didn't dare to look up, he just continued to bend over and responded repeatedly.

In the meeting hall of Lang State, Ning Xi sat in front of the desk with a gloomy face. In front of him, Taiwei Lu Shi looked at the letter in his hand in shock, and then suddenly realized:

"Your Majesty, there has been no news from Fengling City for more than a month."

"Yes, I thought that King Xian was indulging in wine and women all day long and had no important matters to report. Now it seems... Humph, you are so good, Li Xu! As expected, you have a wolf ambition. I shouldn't have thought of my brotherhood with him in the first place!" Ning Xi became more and more angry as she spoke. She slammed the table and roared.

"Your Majesty, please calm down. The dragon's health is the most important!" Eunuch Lu was so scared that he knelt on the ground and tried to comfort him.

"I was almost about to be deprived of the throne, how can I calm down?" Eunuch Lu's consolation made Ning Xi unhappy. In addition, when Eunuch Lu was serving the late emperor, he had praised Li Xu in front of him. So Ning Xi took out his anger on the old servant: "Instead of persuading me to calm down, you might as well persuade Li Xu to surrender!"

Eunuch Lu knelt on the ground, trembling with fear, not daring to speak again.

"Get out!" Ning Xi became angrier and angrier as he thought about it, and he shouted angrily at Eunuch Lu who was kneeling in front of him. If it weren't for the fact that this old servant had been loyal to him, he would have used him as a scapegoat to vent his anger.

Eunuch Lu also knew that if he stayed any longer his life might be in danger, so he quickly stood up and retreated out of the hall.

"Lu Shi, I will lead the army in person. I will personally tie up Li Xu and bring him back to Xuan'an City, and punish him in front of all the civil and military officials!"

"Your Majesty, you can't do this. This is too dangerous!" When Taiwei Lu Shi heard that the emperor was going to lead the army in person, he hurried forward to persuade him. His Majesty is already in an unstable public opinion, and he can still intimidate the ministers by staying in Kyoto. If he leaves Xuan'an City, he may not be able to come back if something unexpected happens.

"If I don't go there in person, how can I demonstrate the power of the emperor?" Seeing that the ministers he relied on most did not agree with his idea, Ning Xi frowned again and said dissatisfiedly.

"Your Majesty, you don't have to put yourself in danger to demonstrate the power of an emperor. The position at the center is extremely important and cannot be vacant. Your Majesty is the supreme ruler and your body is worth millions. How can you travel to the western border for a traitor?" Lu Shi continued to persuade patiently.

"Then what do you think we should do?" Ning Xi felt that Lu Shi's words made some sense, and she finally calmed down her dissatisfaction.

"Your Majesty, we only know that King Xian is recruiting soldiers and horses in Fengling City to win over the people, but we don't know how many soldiers he has and how strong he is. We can't act rashly at this time."

"No action? Are we waiting for him to increase his military might?" Ning Xi became anxious again when she heard this.

"Your Majesty, please don't be anxious. I haven't finished speaking yet." Lu Shi quickly comforted him, "Your Majesty, the reason why King Xian doesn't dare to act at this time must be that he has some concerns. Why don't you find a reason to summon King Xian back to Xuan'an City immediately? If he dares to come back alone, wouldn't it be easy for Your Majesty to catch him? If he doesn't dare to disobey the order, Your Majesty will have a reason to send troops. And since he openly disobeyed the order first, it won't cause opposition from the ministers."

"That makes sense!" After hearing what Lu Shi said, Ning Xi was overjoyed and smiled at him happily: "My dear minister, you are worthy of being my right-hand man!"

"It is my humble servant's duty to share your majesty's worries." Lu Shi also nodded and bowed.

Prince Yingyan hurried to visit his mother yesterday after learning that his father had discovered and punished her for sending someone to follow Concubine Xue. He also learned from his mother that Concubine Xue wanted to frame his uncle for treason. He was furious and went to the meeting hall twice, but his father avoided him. Today, when he was about to break into the hall, he was stopped by Eunuch Lu outside: "Your Highness, His Majesty is very angry at this time. You must not be impulsive and make him angry again or you will lose your position as the crown prince!"

"It would be unworthy for such a prince to be such a prince!" Ying Yan was extremely disappointed with his father. If he continued like this, he would probably become just a prince of a fallen country.

“Your Highness, don’t be discouraged. Today, flatterers are in power and His Majesty favors Lu Shi. He will not listen to your words. Instead of wasting time here, you should go to the Prime Minister and let him make the decision.” Eunuch Lu still held Ying Yan and advised earnestly.

"Yes, Prime Minister Lu, thank you, eunuch." After being reminded by Eunuch Lu, Ying Yan, who was extremely anxious, finally reacted. After hurriedly thanking Eunuch Lu, he went straight out of the palace.