Although Qi Ning knew that Longtai would never let the Punishment Tribe fall into the hands of the Sima family, it was still a surprise that the little emperor was planning to let him take over the Punishment Tribe's stall.
If we want to prevent the Sima family from continuing to be implicated in the case of King Huainan's rebellion, it is imperative to control the Ministry of Punishment. Qining knows this, but he has had no contact with the people of the Ministry of Punishment before, and he is really unfamiliar with the matter of criminal names. Longtai Asking him to take over the Ministry of Justice made Qining hesitate.
Longtai observed the words and expressions, and naturally saw the worry in Qining's heart, and asked: "Are you worried that the people in the Ministry of Punishment will not obey you?"
Qi Ning sighed and said: "Your Majesty, I'm afraid the people who disobey me are far more than just the people from the Criminal Department."
"I know very well that the power in the hands of King Huainan is mainly distributed in the Ministry of Punishment and the Ministry of Household Affairs." Longtai said softly: "With King Huainan gone, many people in the Ministry of Punishment are worried that the Sima family will find a reason to purge them all. Come on, if you go to the Ministry of Punishment at this time, not only will they not be dissatisfied, but in order to protect themselves, they will definitely obey you."
Qi Ning knew that what Long Tai said was true. He pondered for a moment and then said: "Since the emperor ordered it, I can only rush to the shelves. But I really don't know much about the punishment. If you find a more suitable candidate, please Your Majesty reuses it."
Longtai sighed: "How can I not know, but right now I really can't find a more suitable candidate than you. You will be in the Ministry of Punishment first, and we will talk about whether we can find other candidates later."
Before Qi Ning could speak, he heard footsteps and thought, Fan Dehai hurried in and said: "Your Majesty, the Queen Mother is here!"
Long Tai frowned and sneered: "What is she doing here at midnight?" But he still winked at Qining. Qining cooperated tacitly. He had experience last time and hid behind the bookcase. He just hid with his front feet. After entering, the Queen Mother entered the imperial study room.
Qi Ning had not seen the Queen Mother last time, but this time he chose a good location. Through the narrow gap between the bookcases, he could clearly see the Queen Mother's figure this time.
The beauty in palace attire who came in from the door was about thirty-four or five years old. She was wearing a large-sleeved and wide-collar gauze shirt, with her collarbones half exposed. The frame is slightly thicker, more like the figure of a northern woman, not like the delicate willow of the south of the Yangtze River, and looks very plump and tall.
The Queen Mother comes from the Sima family. She has been very wealthy since she was a child, so she takes good care of herself.
Longtai had already stepped forward at this time, cupped his hands and said: "My son, I pay homage to my queen!"
The Queen Mother glanced around and then said: "I heard that the Emperor has just returned to the palace. I wonder if everything goes well in today's sacrificial ceremony?" As she spoke, she walked over and sat down on a chair.
Longtai looked very calm and said: "The sacrificial ceremony is completed, but... does the Queen Mother know that King Huainan is causing trouble?"
"The King of Huainan is in trouble?" The Queen Mother's plump body was shaken. She seemed to be unclear about what happened in the imperial mausoleum, and asked urgently: "Then... Then Duke Zhen... Are Duke Zhen and the Emperor okay?"
"The old Duke made great plans and put down the Huainan King's rebellion effortlessly, which is a great contribution." Longtai said in a calm voice, full of sarcasm: "My son is thinking about how to reward the old Duke for his great contribution."
The Queen Mother patted her chest lightly and said with some relief: "It's good that the Emperor is fine." She snorted coldly and said: "The King of Huainan is the bloodline of Emperor Taizu. He has always had bad intentions. It is only a matter of time before he rebels and rebels. This time If we can put down the rebellion, we will have no worries in the future.”
Long Tai said "Oh" without saying much.
The Queen Mother's voice was gentle and said: "Your Majesty, it is part of the Lord's duty to put down the rebellion this time. The late Emperor entrusted Duke Zhen to assist the government before his death, and he has put down the traitors, so he has lived up to the great trust of the late Emperor."
"Mother, the Duke of Zhenguo has been made a duke, and I no longer know how to reward him." Longtai sighed softly: "Mother, do you have any good suggestions?"
The Queen Mother showed a smile and said: "Your Majesty, you don't have to worry about this. Duke Zhen Guo is dedicated to serving the country and assisting the Emperor. He is not asking for any reward." Although her appearance is not beautiful, but because she maintains it very well, she is also somewhat She has a beautiful foundation, so her smile can be considered charming.
Longtai just stood respectfully in front of the Queen Mother and did not answer.
"It's just that the King of Huainan has many party members in the court, and the grass cannot be removed until the spring breeze blows." The Queen Mother's face suddenly became cold and stern again: "How does the Emperor plan to deal with the remaining party of the King of Huainan?"
"What the Queen Mother said is absolutely true. There are many remnants of the King of Huainan, and all the ministries and yamen have his remnants." Long Tai said: "For this reason, if we want to find out the remnants of the Huainan King, we should not be too hasty to avoid wrong cases." He raised his head slightly. , respectfully said: "I wonder what your mother wants?"
"Your Majesty has thought carefully." The Queen Mother nodded slightly: "But for such a big matter, you still have to listen to the opinions of Duke Zhen Guo. Those people under King Huainan are treacherous and cunning. You are too young to understand their tricks. Zheng Guo The Duke has been in the court for many years, so he naturally knows how to identify them."
Longtai said: "What the mother said is true, and my son and I also mean the same thing."
The Queen Mother smiled and said: "That's very good. As long as there are Duke Zhenguo as assistants, those people can't make big waves." After a pause, she said: "The Emperor's wedding is coming soon. I came here today. Firstly, I want to ask questions about the sacrifice. Whether the ceremony goes well, there is also a happy event that I want to tell the emperor."
"happy event?"
The Queen Mother sighed softly: "I have always hoped that the emperor would call Wan Qiong into the palace, but the emperor did not agree. Instead, he asked Dong Qi to marry him. But this is not a bad thing. The emperor is considering important national affairs, and I am very relieved."
Qi Ning heard this from behind the bookcase, thinking that after all, the Queen Mother obviously still wanted to welcome Sima Wanqiong into the palace, but she was determined to not change her mind.
"Wan Qiong is of noble birth. Although I did not welcome him into the palace, I have been thinking about it." Long Tai slightly raised his head and looked at the Queen Mother, and said softly: "My son is going to find a well-matched royal descendant in the court. , give Wan Qiong a hand in marriage...!" Before she could finish speaking, the Queen Mother raised her eyes and said flatly: "No!"
Longtai was startled, but the Queen Mother had already said: "Your Majesty, in the civil and military dynasties, can you find any well-matched family worthy of Wan Qiong?"
"What does the Queen Mother mean...?"
"It's better to welcome Wan Qiong into the palace." The Queen Mother said: "Wan Qiong is outstanding in both appearance and character. My wish is that Princess Dong Qi can be made queen, but after Wan Qiong enters the palace, she will be given the title of queen." As a noble concubine, there is nothing wrong with it. The emperor is the emperor, and he will naturally be the three palaces and six courtyards in the future. Princess Dong Qi is a native of Qi after all. Although she is married to my great Chu, we must not be completely wary of her. "
Longtai frowned slightly, and the Queen Mother continued: "After Wan Qiong enters the palace, the emperor can also ask her to assist Princess Dong Qi in managing the harem. The emperor naturally knows that Wan Qiong comes from a famous family and has received the best education since she was a child. After the palace, I can also teach her how to manage the harem. With her intelligence and spirituality, she can assist Princess Dong Qi and naturally keep the harem in order. In this way, the emperor will be freed from worries."
Longtai pondered slightly, and the Queen Mother looked slightly cold and said: "Your Majesty, you yourself said just now that you have done your best to suppress the rebellion, and you are thinking of how to reward her. If the Emperor welcomes Wan Qiong into the palace, you will take good care of her in the future. Your Majesty is naturally the best reward for Duke Zhen Guo. Could it be that Your Majesty is not willing?"
Longtai said: "In that case, the queen mother has the final say."
"Your Majesty, this is all for your own good." After hearing the emperor's promise, the Queen Mother softened her expression and sighed softly: "In the final analysis, Princess Dong Qi is an outsider after all, and Wan Qiong is a member of the family, and Wan Qiong is here to help you. , I can rest assured." He added, "This matter should not be delayed. The day after tomorrow is the day of the Emperor's wedding, and we will welcome Princess Wan Qiong and Princess Dong Qi into the palace together."
Qi Ning frowned, thinking that the Queen Mother was impatient to let Sima Wanqiong enter the palace.
Longtai was also surprised and said: "The day after tomorrow? Mother, is this... too hasty? The decree was not even issued, and there was only one day, so it was too late no matter what."
The Queen Mother said with a smile: "The Emperor is busy with government affairs these days and can't spare any time. I will naturally help the Emperor think about these things. I have sent people to the Duke of Zhen earlier to tell them to make preparations in advance. Once we have reached an agreement with the Emperor, we can welcome Wan Qiong into the palace on the wedding day. Since the Emperor agreed, I will send someone to the Duke's Mansion overnight to prepare them immediately."
Longtai sighed: "It turns out that the queen mother has already made arrangements."
"I have arranged this to prevent the Emperor from worrying too much." The Queen Mother said with a smile.
"Wouldn't this be too unfair to Wan Qiong?" Long Tai said: "The Ministry of Rites is not ready to welcome Wan Qiong into the palace. When the time comes...!"
The Queen Mother shook her head and said: "Wan Qiong is one of her own, and there is no grievance. Moreover, when Wan Qiong and Princess Dong Qi enter the palace together, the Ministry of Rites has prepared everything. There will only be one more person by then. There will be no what is the problem."
When Qi Ning heard this, he felt that something was wrong. If Sima Wanqiong and Princess Dongqi entered the palace at the same time, trouble would probably arise.
Longtai was obviously aware of this and was about to say something when the Queen Mother had already stood up and urged: "Without further delay, the Emperor will issue two decrees and send them to the Duke's Mansion immediately, conferring the title of Imperial Concubine Wan Qiong. Another order was given to the Ministry of Rites to make some preparations."
Longtai hesitated slightly, then the Queen Mother said: "Your Majesty, the establishment of a queen requires discussion by the courtiers, and the appointment of a noble concubine is the decision of the Emperor, and the courtiers cannot interfere, right?"
Qi Ning thought to herself that the Queen Mother was really domineering and very domineering, very much like the Sima family.
Longtai turned around and walked to the desk without hesitation. After a while, he had written down two decrees and stamped them with a jade seal. Then he said to the Queen Mother: "Mother, are you satisfied now?"
The Queen Mother had already leaned over, took a closer look, and finally smiled and said loudly: "Fan Dehai!"
Fan Dehai, who had been standing by the side, hurriedly stepped forward and knelt down: "My slave is here!"
"You will issue these two imperial edicts overnight." The Queen Mother said: "If there is any mistake, I will only ask you!"
Fan Dehai hurriedly stepped forward, took two imperial edicts, and bowed back.
"Your Majesty has been working hard these days and should rest early." The Queen Mother was satisfied and said with a smile: "I will go back to the palace first." Without saying much, she turned around and left. Qining made sure that the Queen Mother was far away, and then came out from behind the bookcase. When he walked to the table, he saw Longtai clenching his fists, his eyes like knives, and his small body trembling with anger.