Chapter 286: Chapter 286 - 286:1 Have To Thank Him

Translator: Henyee Translations | Editor: Henyee Translations

Rong Yan, who had been deliberately provoked and did not move, blushed slightly. Xiao Ran did not need him to answer anymore. “It’s a pity that we didn’t see him this time. I don’t know if your Emperor’s butt is on fire or something. Why is he in such a hurry to rush us back?”

Rong Yan coughed lightly. “Aunt Xiao, after we send Yan Lu back, can you accompany me to Fortune Village again?”

Xiao Ran raised her eyebrows teasingly. “Do you want to bring a betrothal gift?”

She wanted to tease this serious young man after he grew up, but he said

seriously, “Yes.”

Aiyaya, the iron tree is blooming.

This was a good thing. “Do you want me to prepare it with you?”

Rong Yan nodded firmly, feeling a little embarrassed.

Xiao Ran slapped her thigh. “Alright, I’ll acknowledge her as my goddaughter.”

No matter how unfavored he was, as a prince, it was just a fantasy for him to marry a little girl with no status. However, if she had the identity of General Xiao’s adopted daughter, everything would be logical.

Rong Yan had originally planned this too. He did not expect Aunt Xiao to take the initiative to mention it first. He bowed respectfully, and Xiao Ran also accepted it. After that, the army gathered outside the Imperial City and entered the city without alerting the commoners.

In the Imperial City, in the Hall of Diligent Government, the Emperor, who was wearing a bright yellow dragon robe, looked at the Empress with a faint smile. The Empress stood up confidently. “Your Majesty, don’t worry. Our Yan Family’s rules have always been strict. How can we be selfish? Lord Yan was just busy preparing a surprise for you and was deceived by someone.” The Emperor’s smile seemed to be engraved on his face. It looked warm, but one could not find any warmth on a closer look.

“Since you were deceived, why didn’t you report it after discovering it?

The Empress immediately knelt down. “Your Majesty is wise. If this matter spreads, it will definitely make the people of Luo Prefecture live in fear. It might even cause civil unrest. Lord Yan is also thinking about the overall situation…”

The Emperor’s smile faded. “In that case, I have to thank him?

The Empress’s body stiffened and she immediately knelt on the ground. “I don’t dare. I’m guilty. If I hadn’t instructed Yan Lu to work for me in private, he wouldn’t have…”

The Emperor was calm and unruffled. “Oh, so this matter is related to the Empress?”

Cold sweat broke out on the Empress’s back. In the past few years, the Emperor had become more and more unpredictable. The Yan Family was powerful, so he must have disliked them for a long time. This time, he would definitely use the opportunity to make a fuss.

It was precisely because of this that they had to think of a way to protect Yan Lu—he was the Yan Family’s face!

The Empress only cared about admitting her mistake, but she did not mention what that “surprise” was at all. This piqued the Emperor’s curiosity. What exactly was it that made the Empress and the Yan Party so sure that he would pardon Yan Lu for this?

Even if they found a scapegoat, it was an indisputable fact that Yan Lu’s rule was not strict and dangerous. Unless a miracle happened, there would definitely be no room for this person to speak in the court in the future.

After helping the Empress up, the Emperor sighed. “Forget it. It seems that as long as the Empress has made up her mind not to let me know, it’s useless for me to ask anymore. Then I’ll wait for Third Prince to return in peace.”

The Empress was terrified by these words. Her movements when she stood up were not so smooth. “Yes, I’ll take my leave.

After the Emperor helped her up, he turned around and walked to the table to continue dealing with political matters, as if he did not see her. He had really just said it casually just now, but the Empress’s eyelids kept twitching when she left. After returning to the Phoenix Palace, she could not help but call her trusted aides to confirm it again.

“Is Yan Lu’s plan really foolproof?”

This person nodded repeatedly. “Your Highness, don’t worry. Lord Yan is meticulous. He has long prepared the farmland and all kinds of evidence for ‘planting new rice seeds’. The rice seeds have also been secretly sent to the Imperial Capital. Although there are a lot of people in Fortune Village who know about it and can’t silence them all, who could guarantee that no one else other than them can develop the new seeds.”

-As for those officials, hehe, they have long shut up obediently after hearing about the Yan Family’s reputation. Other than Shen Congjun, no one dares to continue investigating…”

The Empress finally found an outlet to vent her emotions. “Shen Congjun? Like Chen Yong, he’s also that old fart Lu Chen’s disciple, right? Only idiots from his faction dare to go against our Yan Family in court now.”

“When the Crown Prince ascends the throne, hmph.”

Not long after, Rong Yan and Xiao Ran brought Yan Lu to the Emperor. Yan Lu changed his annoying calmness on the way and wanted to cry. “Your Majesty, I’m guilty!”

This pretentious behavior made Xiao Ran want to vomit, but the Emperor sat down as if he was used to it. “Oh, tell me in detail. What’s your crime?”

Yan Lu had already thought through his words clearly along the way. After a generous speech, he pushed all the blame to his local magistrate. Then, he concluded, “My rule was not strict and I was busy with other things. I couldn t restrain my subordinates, causing the dam construction funds to be pocketed by the traitors!”

The Emperor asked calmly, “Oh? Official Yan, do you mean that this is all your local magistrate’s fault and has nothing to do with you?”

Yan Lu’s head hit the ground with a thud. “I wouldn’t dare. It’s all my fault.

Please punish me, Your Majesty!”

The Emperor watched him act for a while before asking slowly, “Then what do you think is the best way to deal with him? Will he be executed after autumn, or will he be sent to the army, or will his entire family be implicated?

Yan Lu exclaimed and was a little stunned.

The Emperor’s expression suddenly turned cold. “Stop pretending in front of me. If you have something to say, say it. If you play hard to get with me again or pretend to be hesitant, go to the prison of the Ministry of Justice to wait for your head to fall. You can keep those words that you can’t say with the King of Hell.”

Yan Lu had not seen the dignity of an emperor for a long time and was instantly frightened to the ground. The knock was so hard that Xiao Ran felt that his kneecaps were about to crack. She almost couldn’t help but shout for him to do it again.

“I’m sorry, I’m actually secretly planting new rice for His Majesty. The yield of the new rice can reach more than 500 kilograms per acre, more than three times that of ordinary rice seeds. I’m sorry, I was too focused on the new rice seeds, that’s why I was careless. That local magistrate took advantage of the loophole and coveted the silver acreage, almost causing the dam to collapse. However, I immediately remedied this matter when I discovered it. That’s why the dam is still fine.”

The words that were originally meant to take credit were immediately turned into begging for mercy after being frightened by the Emperor. Yan Lu looked up at the silent Emperor and immediately added, “I made a huge mistake, but I didn’t deliberately hide it and didn’t report it. It was because after inspection, I realized that the dam wasn’t a big problem and could be repaired quickly. I was afraid that this matter would cause chaos among the people after it spread, so-so…”

He was so frightened that he suddenly couldn’t remember that word.

Xiao Ran coughed lightly and reminded him, “You didn’t report what you knew? You lied to your superiors?”

She clapped her hands. “The crime of deceiving the emperor!”

Yan Lu was drenched in cold sweat. Fortunately, the Emperor was already successfully attracted by his words. “How much do you think the acre yield is? Yan Lu calmed down. “Your Majesty, a conservative estimate is that the production capacity of an acre is 500 kilograms.”

Unlike those incapable rulers, the Emperor of Xia valued agriculture, so he had long known the value of food production. Yan Lu’s words really overturned common sense. Even he could not help but be a little excited..