Aunt Mei Jiang clapped her hands over her mouth in a hurry. It was all over now. It seemed that a big event was about to happen. She quickly returned to the Fengluan Palace to report.
The Prince of Yuzhang was truly as crazy as a madman! No one had expected that he would wait at the palace gate all along and then capture the man.
She didn't know how to tell the Queen about this when she got back. Once Dugu Lanyue found out, she would surely go crazy.
That night, the roses in the back garden of the Prince of Yuzhang's Mansion were left in a complete mess before they could be fully planted.
He stood in the cold spring rain, holding a long knife in his hand, and hacked the rose buds into pieces.
Delicate flowers were inherently fragile. How could they withstand such brutal treatment? In the back garden of the Prince of Yuzhang's Mansion that spring, there was a field of roses that had died before they could even bloom. This field had become a tomb for the roses.
The corpses of the flowers were soaked into the mud. One might think it was just the roses that had died, but they had actually become nutrients for the fertile land.
In the future, if no flower seeds were sown, it would be fine. But if any were, it was not impossible that they would grow wildly and entangle the entire garden.
Huo Wei's eyes were cold and gloomy, but the anger in his heart was different from the kind he had felt on the battlefield before.
The anger on the battlefield was like gunfire, which could be freely vented;
But this time, his anger was cold on the surface. He didn't roar out hoarsely. Instead, a tempest was raging deep in his heart.
Dugu Lanyue. Her heart was actually colder and harder than his own.
Shen Guilan stepped forward. "Can I plant my medicinal herbs back in this field?"
Huo Wei gave him a disdainful look. "Do as you please. You can even bury dead people here."
Shen Guilan looked at his expression and then left contentedly. "This place was originally meant for growing medicinal herbs. What's the point of planting a rose field? Now everything is back on the right track."
Huo Wei said coldly, "Senior Brother, you've really gone too far. Will that poison have any effect on her?"
Shen Guilan replied, "No. It can't even be called poison. You can rest assured."
Normally, Huo Wei would surely have grabbed Shen Guilan's lapel and questioned him angrily. But at this moment, he couldn't do that. If he got angry and took action, wouldn't he be admitting his feelings for Dugu Lanyue in front of Shen Guilan?
From this day on, there would be no more ripples in his heart for Dugu Lanyue.
Although Huo Wei didn't take action, he still issued a warning. "If there's a next time, I won't hold back."
After saying that, he turned around and left. When he got into the carriage, he noticed a mother-and-son flask on the ground. He smelled the liquid inside and immediately understood everything.
Shen Guilan loved to study the art of poisoning. Connecting this with what had just happened, Sheng Yunqi's accusation against him, and Dugu Lanyue's misunderstanding of him, he finally realized what was going on.
His senior brother wanted everyone to be unhappy.
Shen Guilan said behind him, "I'm doing this for your own good. I've already drafted the memorial for recruiting soldiers. It's on your green jade desk."
Huo Wei paused for a moment but didn't look back. Then he left alone.
If Murong Min approved this memorial for recruiting soldiers, the attack on the Southern Chu would officially begin in the autumn of this year.
Meng Tan stepped forward and asked, "My lord, what are you going to do with that man named Sheng Yunqi?"
Huo Wei leaned against the desk and propped his long legs up on it.
"He called me a mad dog just now. Very well. Go and find a dog collar and put it around his neck."
A dog collar was put around Sheng Yunqi's neck. Meng Tan kicked him in the back of the knee, and he knelt forward on the ground.
He gritted his teeth. "Huo Wei, if you want to kill or torture me, do it quickly. Don't make me look down on you."
Huo Wei took out his dagger and twirled it in his hand. His deep black pupils were filled with a cocky smile.
"Killing you would be too easy. Torturing you slowly would be much better, wouldn't it?"
Sheng Yunqi got up from the ground and straightened his upper body. A nobleman's dignity must not be lost. "Do as you please."
This time he was tricked by Huo Wei. As long as he was still alive, he wouldn't let it go so easily.
As long as he stayed in the Prince of Yuzhang's Mansion for one more day, the danger to Huo Wei would increase.
If the emperor found out that the eldest son of the most prominent family in the Southern Chu had appeared in the mansion of the Prince of Beiyan, Huo Wei would surely be in big trouble.
Huo Wei seemed to see what he was thinking.
"I know exactly what you're thinking. Don't worry. My Black Tiger Cavalry will keep a close eye on you. Not even a mosquito can get close to you."
Sheng Yunqi said coldly, "What on earth do you want to do?"
Huo Wei raised his sharp eyebrows slightly. The elegant and noble demeanor that he usually maintained was completely gone at this moment, revealing his wild and cocky nature.
"I've always been a man who hates evil. I haven't vented all my anger yet. First, I'll use you to torture Dugu Lanyue;
Then I'll use Dugu Lanyue to torture you. Let's see if the Queen goes crazy first or if you do."
Sheng Yunqi was taken away by Meng Tan and locked up in the dungeon of the mansion. It was pitch-dark there, and there were well-trained and highly skilled Black Tiger Cavalry guarding it.
Unless Huo Wei himself decided to let him go, Sheng Yunqi would never be able to get out in his lifetime.
Early the next morning, Huo Wei went to court. He had the memorial for recruiting soldiers hidden in his official robe.
But he hesitated in his heart. The layout in the court had just begun. Was this really a good time to recruit soldiers?
"Prince of Yuzhang, Prince of Yuzhang! I'm talking to you. What are you thinking?"
The emperor sat high on the dragon throne. His deep voice came from above, and all the civil and military officials looked at Huo Wei.
Huo Wei came back to his senses. "Your Majesty, I was thinking about whether we could build official residences in the imperial capital in the name of the court for the new officials.
I've looked into their backgrounds. They all came from various parts of Beiyan to take the imperial examinations. Some of their families are not well-off, and it's too expensive to buy land and build houses in the imperial capital.
It's not easy for them to study hard for ten years. Since the court values talents, it should be more considerate."
He himself had risen from the bottom. He knew how difficult it was for people from the lower classes to fight their way up.
When Dugu Lanyue discussed the test papers with him a few days ago, she had told him that in the Southern Chu, she had built official residences for the newly appointed officials and had even invited their close relatives to the capital and provided them with servants to take care of them.
These newly appointed officials had not been treated coldly by the court when they first entered the officialdom.
All this was thanks to the suggestion of the Crown Princess. This move had also won Dugu Lanyue a lot of support in the court.
Huo Wei secretly took note of this and decided to use the same method.
But his expression darkened again. Why did he keep thinking about that calculating and lying woman?
There was no definite answer regarding the matter of building official residences. After the court session, Murong Min summoned him alone.
Huo Wei, wearing a golden crown and a purple robe with a silk ribbon, walked into the withered plum grove and took a look.
Now the grove was full of blooming peach blossoms. Pink petals were falling from the sky. In the distance, there was a bright red figure standing quietly, staring at him.
Dugu Lanyue walked forward. Her eyes were extremely red, and her eye sockets were filled with bloodshot eyes. "Huo Wei, can we talk?"
Huo Wei sneered. "What do you think?"