"Good! In three days, I will have Minister Cui collapse at the court meeting, and after being carried to the Royal Hospital for treatment, it will be announced that he is seriously ill, and he will not be allowed to recover before the End of the conflict. Huo Changfeng will temporarily assume the position of Minister of War, while Huo Changlin will be appointed Commander of the Forbidden Feather Guards, overseeing the Imperial Guards, Inner City Guards, and the Capital Guards. You must fully control the contacts and movements between the officials and their families in the capital and Minister Cui, preferably by exploiting the gap through Deputy Minister Tian. Rongzhi, after all, he is your maternal uncle, and has always been weak. Give him ten days to confess voluntarily. If he does it, I will not hold him accountable for his past actions. After all, he is the last remaining relative of your mother's family." Emperor Yunmeng had been a young general, conquering all directions, and while he was decisive in matters of war and execution, his heart softened when it came to his few princesses.
"Thank you, Emperor Father. Four days later, I will personally visit the Deputy Minister's residence for two days. By then, I ask General Huo to have all those who show any signs of unrest taken to the Heavenly Prison. Father, if Deputy Minister Tian cannot confess voluntarily within two days, I request permission to personally lock him up in the Royal Prison, even if it requires coercion to open his mouth." Rongzhi exchanged a glance with the newly appointed Commander Huo Changlin, and they both understood that there was no room for delay in this matter.
"Rong'er, you have been without support since childhood, and your maternal family has declined. I pity your loneliness and youth, so I offered some support to Deputy Minister Tian. But now that he has committed such a grave crime, your understanding and handling of the situation bring me great comfort." The Emperor felt deeply gratified that his eldest son had unwaveringly chosen to stand by the royal family and by Crown Prince Chengmo in matters of great importance.
"Emperor Father, ever since I can remember, I have been by Empress mother's side, receiving her tender care and guidance. Especially after Chengmo was born, you and Mother often taught us together, and our family was filled with joy and happiness. Ten years ago, I lost my Empress Mother in sorrow, and was separated from brother price Chengmo. Since then, I have been deliberately manipulated and controlled by Uncle Tian and Minister Cui's faction, even becoming distant and timid in front of you, Emperor Father. Going through this ordeal, being able to reunite with Chengmo, and receiving his and his beloved's careful care, especially during moments of confusion, hearing him recounting every detail of the time spent with you and Empress Mother, is truly a blessing for me." Rongzhi sincerely expressed his feelings, inadvertently revealing a secret about Chengmo that hadn't been made public in the capital yet.
"My son, I have neglected you all these years. By the way, you mentioned Chengmo's beloved. Does he have a romantic relationship? Do you know who the girl is?" Emperor Yunmeng's attention was clearly more focused on his crown prince, Chengmo.
"Father, um, shouldn't Chengmo be the one to tell you about this?" Rongzhi had been specifically instructed by Chengmo not to tell his father anything before he returned, but inadvertently let it slip, and now refused to say more.
"Ah, it's my fault after all these years you probably no longer see me as your father, huh...!" The Emperor suddenly played the victim?
"Father, Father, I've longed day and night to be able to sit at your knees with Chengmo again, just like before, to recite and learn from you. How could I ever..."
"Alright, Father understands. If you can't say, then don't. Father can wait. He will have to wait for Father to arrange his marriage someday, won't he? But I never thought that both of you would harbor such deep grievances against Father." Emperor Yunmeng easily continued to play the role of the disappointed and pitiful father to manipulate his eldest son, who had strong admiration for him.
"Father, Rongzhi and Chengmo always hold you in their hearts. Chengmo must want to inform you personally. His beloved is none other than the eldest daughter of the Tong family, who runs the North-South Supermarket and is also the biological daughter of Mrs Tong from the Hugo family." Rongzhi blurted out in a panic.
Emperor Yunmeng, originally just curious and wanting to lighten the mood for his eldest son who had returned from great danger, casually teased him. He never expected Rongzhi to blurt out such a big piece of news in such a panic. He realized that Rongzhi's cunning mind, which he had noticed when he saw the codebook earlier, had quickly turned into action. It seemed that the Marquis's family, the most prominent military family, was thoroughly tied to the Imperial family of ShangXie. Excellent, excellent. Chengmo truly lives up to being the beloved son of both me and the Empress.
"Prince Rong, what did you say? Are you saying that my granddaughter from the Huo family, XiangBei Tong is involved in this? Changfeng, do you know about this?" Marquis Huo was even more anxious than the Emperor, repeatedly grabbing his eldest son and questioning him.
"Father, indeed, I have noticed some affection between PriceChengmo and Xaobei, but Xaobei is still young, and both of them are fully dedicated to the development of Dongbin and the prosperity of the people. They have not discussed personal matters of love and marriage, so I dare not speculate recklessly." Huo Changfeng had been in Dongbin for some time and could easily discern the relationship between the young couple. However, since the man had not formally proposed, it was proper for the girl's family to remain reserved.
"Good, good, very good! You are all good children. Marquis, you have a wonderful granddaughter indeed. Great talent, great virtue, great love! Rare! After this military campaign is over, I will personally invite the Southern Border King, Chengmo's maternal grandfather, to Dongbin to seek marriage." Emperor Yunmeng quickly sealed the deal, solidifying the marital bond with the leading military family.
"Thank you, Your Majesty, for your great favor! Our humble daughter only married into the Tong family, a simple family of commoners, yet she receives such great love from Your Majesty. My family and I will spare no effort in serving Your Majesty until the end of our days." Marquis Huo's heart was relieved of the burden he had been carrying because of his daughter's marriage to a hunter in the mountains. Joyfully, he wanted to go and tell his wife the good news immediately.
"Marquis, from now on, we are family. Tomorrow is your big day, so rest early and regain your strength. I wish you an early birthday here! After tomorrow, you will have no rest. You will have to rely on the hard work of the old marquis to clean up the pests in the court and handle the coastal defense war. I will return to the palace now."
"Your Majesty's words are too kind. Defending the homeland is the solemn oath of the Huo family, and it is our duty. The old servant respectfully bids farewell to Your Majesty." The Huo family, father and sons, along with Prince Rong, bowed and saw the Emperor off together.