Chapter 570
Chapter 317 - 297: As if I Were Personally Present (First Update)
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As soon as the Abbot finished speaking, he leaned on both hands and pressed his forehead against the golden brick floor, swearing that should there be any false words in what he said, he would enter the hell of perpetual suffering after death without the possibility of reincarnation.
Among Buddhists, this was considered a heavy oath.
The Emperor scrutinized the Abbot, asking, "Is there anything else?"
The Abbot shook his head, "That’s all I know, Your Majesty. I have reported everything that I should."
The Emperor asked, "What about transporting the mountain stones? I heard about fifty carts, as you just said it was because the temple has been unsettled recently, that you thought of bringing those mountain stones back to the temple to build the Buddha’s platform?"
The Abbot nodded, "Your Majesty, it is absolutely true. I’m afraid that the thousand-year-old temple might be destroyed due to my lax management and decided to prioritise this matter. Also, to receive Buddha’s blessing, to gain peace of mind."
After he finished speaking, he swore again, "Your Majesty, there really isn’t anything else."
The Emperor turned to Rui’an King, "What do you think?"
Rui’an King carefully began, "In my opinion, if the Abbot is telling the truth, then it does align with the story. I remember my queen mentioned about the major construction of the Buddha platform at the temple ten years ago. As for Master Puhui of the temple, he indeed left the temple to travel around ten years ago and has not returned since."
The Emperor then asked Ye Guixue and Su Rong, "What do you two think?"
Su Rong said, "Your Majesty, if you ask me, no matter if the Abbot’s words are true or false, we cannot determine this matter based solely on his words. Whether we believe him or not, we should conduct a thorough investigation."
The Emperor nodded and said to Rui’an King, "Issue a wanted notice for Puhui. I will still have you in charge of this case."
Rui’an King made a grimace, "Your Majesty, I can’t handle such a large case alone. I implore you to assign me more hands."
The Emperor saw Rui’an King’s weary face, almost on the verge of tears, sighed and rubbed his brows, "Who do you think I should assign to assist you?"
Rui’an King immediately turned to Su Rong, "I request Lady Su Qi’s help."
Su Rong raised an eyebrow and promptly laughed, "Your Highness, I am a woman."
"But you are..." Rui’an King almost blurted out ’Nanchu Princess’, implying she was different from ordinary women. Ordinary women focus on their husbands and raising children, not involving themselves in politics. But she is different, she is going to be involved in Nanchu’s politics in the future. However, he didn’t say these words in front of the Emperor because so far, he is unsure of the Emperor’s plan for Su Rong.
Although he didn’t say it, everyone in the room understood the meaning of his unfinished sentence.
The Emperor nodded and said to Su Rong, "We are short of capable people in the court. As my niece and the Nanchu Princess, I’m going to disclose your identity to the world soon. Since the King recommended you and these major cases initially involved you, it seems appropriate for you to investigate. I believe you can work with Rui’an King to solve this case. What do you think?"
Now Su Rong understood. It turns out that Rui’an King wanted to split the responsibility of investigating the case with her. However, for her, it was indeed a good thing. She could openly investigate all the people involved in the case and take the opportunity to clean up the factions of the Crown Prince and the second prince and pave the way for the Crown Prince.
However, though she was happy to do so, she didn’t readily agree and asked the Emperor, "Your Majesty, if you disclose my identity to the world, we might face pressure from Dawei. I heard that the national treasury is not abundant, and if Dawei mobilizes its army, I’m afraid we might struggle to handle the military expenditure. Does Your Majesty have any countermeasures?"
The Emperor said, "You need not worry about this matter, the Crown Prince and the Ministry of Housing will find a way."
Su Rong thought to herself, you are good at talking. With money being so hard to come by, you just leave it up to the Crown Prince. If it were before today, she might still worry about raising funds for the Crown Prince, but after today, with a gain of a thousand boxes of gold, she wouldn’t need to worry about the Crown Prince’s fiscal problems.
I must thank the person who hid the gold.
She nodded agreeably, "Since Your Majesty says so, I should not refuse. However, being a commoner with no prestige, unlike the King who has a title and respect, I’m afraid that people won’t obey me while I investigate the case. Could Your Majesty give me a token or something similar, in order to deter people and facilitate the investigation?"
She didn’t ask to be conferred any titles. As a princess of Nanchu, she naturally didn’t need the emperor of Daliang to bestow anything upon her.
The Emperor, upon hearing this, found it reasonable. He took out a token that read "As if I were present" and handed it to Su Rong, saying, "Here, this is for you."
Su Rong was stunned. She didn’t expect that the Emperor would actually give her such a token after she merely tried to ask for one. This token, with its "As if I were present" inscription, held even more power than the royal treasure sword.
The Rui’an King was also somewhat startled, wondering if His Majesty was not aware of Su Rong’s close relationship with the Eastern Palace. Even if he didn’t know before, he ought to know now. Was it possible that the Emperor was relinquishing his power and the idea of suppressing the Crown Prince?
Ye Guixue was also surprised. After all, he had just mentioned to Su Rong that it was this very Emperor who had implored Princess Zhenmin for assistance in the past. Consequently, the princess felt compelled to form a marital alliance with Dawei. He wondered if this unusual trust in Su Rong was due to his guilt over Princess Zhenmin and whether this might avert a full-scale war involving Daliang, Nanchu, and Dawei.
Su Rong didn’t move and looked at the Emperor asking, "A regular token from Your Majesty would suffice."
"I’m giving you this one. You are my niece and your mother has made an extraordinary contribution to the salvation of Daliang. I trust you would do no harm to Daliang." The Emperor continued to hand her the token.
After a brief silence, Su Rong reached out, accepted the token, and thanked him, "Thank you for trusting me, Uncle."
Hearing her refer to him as ’Uncle’, the Emperor became somewhat emotional. His eyes reddened slightly, and his body trembled faintly. After a long pause, he managed to say, "Good, good. Hearing you call me uncle, it’s as if your mother is standing in front of me... calling me by my nickname..."
Tears welled up in his eyes, and he choked, "I... I failed her... all these years..."
Su Rong looked at him, holding the token, watching his outpouring of emotion without a trace of feeling herself. She felt calm and detached.
There was no emotional connection between her and him.
She didn’t have any genuine affection for this ’uncle’, the Emperor. Nor did she have any strong feelings or memories about her mother. She could neither detest him entirely, given the constraints of his situation then, nor could she find comforting words for him now.
𝒻𝑟ℯℯ𝑤𝑒𝑏𝑛𝘰𝓋𝑒𝓁.𝒸𝑜𝘮
Before meeting him, she had been displeased with him for his relentless suppression of the Crown Prince, viewing him as a tyrant. However, after meeting him and sensing no ill intent or emotional falsity, her displeasure waned, although no real fondness developed either.
What she hoped most was for him to exercise discernment and stop oppressing the Crown Prince; to allow the Crown Prince to assume power and halt Daliang’s decline.
Having a strong ally was key to her gaining a foothold when she fought for power in Nanchu. She hoped that one day, she and Yan Huisheng would launch an attack on Dawei, subjecting them to abject defeat and pleas for mercy. This was what she longed for most.
The Emperor quickly composed himself and told the Rui’an King, "Take these monks to the jail of the Ministry of Justice. Rui’an, tell the Minister of Justice that if anything happens to them, I will hold him accountable."
The Rui’an King silently thought that the Emperor should have made his decision sooner. After all, his residence had been used as a makeshift prison to hold these captives, causing his wife to complain about their home losing its tranquility.
Although it was absurd that the Zongren House, Dali Temple, Ministry of Justice, and city government had all become mere decorations, he didn’t want to risk anything happening to the prisoners. So, perhaps, it was best to directly supervise them in his own residence!
Relieved, Rui’an King immediately complied, "I’ll see to it immediately."
The Emperor waved him off.
After the Rui’an King left, the Emperor observed Su Rong and Ye Guixue standing together—a handsome man and a beautiful woman enhancing each other’s attractiveness. He addressed Ye Guixue, "I’d like to have a talk with Su Rong. Shall I have someone escort you out of the palace first?"
Ye Guixue shook his head, "Your Majesty can converse with Xiaoqi whilst I wait. Later, I’ll accompany her back to the Shen Residence."
The Emperor nodded and ordered someone to take Ye Guixue to wait in an adjacent room.
— End of Chapter 570 —