"Those with matters to report may do so; those without may retire!" Su Ningde's voice rang out again, pulling the thoughts of the officials back to the present.
Among them, Xu Songming stepped forward to present a memorial.
"Your humble subject, Xu Songming, has a matter of great importance to report to Your Majesty."
Hearing this, Rong Xun slightly raised his hand, indicating for him to continue.
Seeing this, Xu Songming continued.
"Recently, on the border, the Xinu people from the Western Regions have repeatedly invaded the borders of our Great Ming. Each time, our frontier soldiers have been caught off guard. This has been going on for a week now, and no one has been able to stop them."
After his words, Rong Xun tightly clenched the Buddhist beads in his hand. As each bead passed through his fingers, he grew more and more vexed.
He frowned, for this matter had troubled him for a long time. He didn't know why the Western Regions had suddenly become so aggressive and were repeatedly targeting the Great Ming.
If it were just the loss of one city, it wouldn't matter much to him. But if the entire country were to be lost, he always felt that someone would surely be disappointed.
Immediately, he grasped the Buddhist beads tightly, looked into Xu Songming's eyes, and calmly said,
"From this moment on, order the junior official of the Daming Temple to open the state treasury and transport grain and forage to the border. The day after tomorrow, I will lead the troops to war and fight a bloody battle against the Xinu people from the Western Regions."
After his words, the officials who were originally going to report their matters all fell silent. It was obvious that what Rong Xun said was the most correct and the only solution.
He had no other choice.
Receiving Rong Xun's approval, Xu Songming bowed and saluted, saying, "Long live Your Majesty! You are truly wise!"
Following Xu Songming's lead, the officials behind him also stepped forward one by one, saying, "Long live Your Majesty! You are truly wise!"
Only then did this morning court come to an end. Rong Xun dragged his tired body back to the Administrative Hall. There, he saw a woman in a bright green dress standing upright in front of the Hall of Mental Cultivation.
Rong Xun walked over and took a look at Yan Zhihua, who was lightly made up. "Concubine An, it's been a long time since I last saw you. Did you come here today to say something?"
Yan Zhihua said, "Your Majesty, are you really forgetting or just pretending to have amnesia? There are some things that even if you pretend, you can't completely avoid them, right?"
Yan Zhihua's words left Rong Xun feeling confused. He looked at her in puzzlement.
"What do you mean?"
Yan Zhihua glanced at Su Ningde in the distance and then saw Yue Bai and Yue Ye, who had been guarding beside Rong Xun. The looks in their eyes clearly showed evasion when they met hers.
It seemed that Rong Xun's change was not just the doing of Wen Ruxue but also the result of these people's efforts.
Seeing this, she sneered. "It seems that Your Majesty has been kept in the dark by everyone. But I just like to shatter some people's dreams. I can only say that if something doesn't belong to someone, even if she forcefully takes it, it won't truly be hers."
Rong Xun could tell that Yan Zhihua was insinuating something, but he didn't expose her game. Instead, he led her into the Hall of Mental Cultivation.
Although Su Ningde appeared submissive, his peripheral vision always stayed on the person beside Rong Xun.
Su Ningde turned to Ye Bai with some unease. Frowning, he asked doubtfully, "General Ye Bai, did His Majesty really tell you that we servants must never mention anything about the Empress in front of him?"
Challenged by Su Ningde, Ye Bai nodded firmly. "Of course. I have no reason to deceive any of you about this. It doesn't mean anything to me."
Hearing her analysis, Su Ningde's worried heart finally settled down. But he always felt that there was more to what Concubine An had just said.
At this moment, Concubine An was sitting nonchalantly on the imperial concubine's chair in front of Rong Xun, savoring the tea in her hand.
The tea was sweet, and its fragrance was refreshing.
But this brewed tea had a hint of bitterness.
Only then did she put the teacup aside. "This tea is last year's old tea."
Rong Xun didn't care about these things. He directly asked, "This tea is not the main point of your visit, right? If you have something to say, just say it. In my impression, you've never been one to beat around the bush."
It was because of this sentence that Yan Zhihua burst out laughing. "If you can remember me, how can you forget the Empress? The Tang family has always been a noble family you've valued. They've worked hard for the stability of the Great Ming. Of course, the current Empress is pregnant with the imperial heir, so it's impossible for Your Majesty not to remember, right?"
Hearing this, Rong Xun began to recall. He tried to remember every detail about Tang Youyou, but no matter how hard he tried, there was still no clear image.
This person seemed to be constantly excluded from his mind.
Rong Xun frowned and looked at the person in front of him. "Why do I have no impression of the person you're talking about?"
Looking at Rong Xun's appearance, Yan Zhihua didn't see any sign of pretense. It seemed that Rong Xun had really lost his memory, but why did he only forget everything about Tang Youyou?
Could it be that Wen Ruxue had really resorted to some underhanded means?
"Your Majesty, do you still remember Tang Youyou?"
When Yan Zhihua mentioned this name, Rong Xun felt a splitting headache. He hugged his head, and his eyes were filled with confusion.
It hurt! He felt as if his head was about to explode!
"I don't remember such a person. I only know that in this harem, there is only one person who truly captures my heart. You don't need to mention the Empress or anyone like that again."
Rong Xun supported himself on the table with one hand to stay standing.
He shook his dizzy head. When he looked at Yan Zhihua, he saw double images. The next second, he fell straight to the ground and passed out.
Yan Zhihua calmly called Su Ningde at the door, and the two of them quickly carried Rong Xun onto the bed.
Yan Zhihua glanced at the person beside her. "Su Ningde, you should know why the Emperor has become like this, right? What exactly happened after the Emperor personally went to the Western Regions that day?"
Facing Yan Zhihua's question, Su Ningde didn't know how to answer. He looked at Rong Xun on the dragon bed and saw that he was sleeping restlessly and muttering in his sleep.
Su Ningde sighed and helplessly looked at Yan Zhihua. "It all started on the day we left the Western Regions. The Emperor originally said that he would go to pick up the Empress and bring her back to the palace. But the next day, he flatly denied what he had said and even ordered everyone to return to the palace directly."
"After we came back, this servant noticed that the Emperor seemed to have forgotten everything, everything about the Empress."
Hearing this, Yan Zhihua nodded. "So, it was you who made your own decision and didn't want to talk about the past."