"Your Majesty... What do you mean by this? I... I don't really have deep feelings for my late wife, I just feel... I feel sorry for her."
Qu Zhizhen was stunned at first, then hurriedly explained.
"So... Master Qu is not planning to marry again?" Pei Yuanjun asked meaningfully.
"This... this is all my mother's idea..." Qu Zhizhen said awkwardly. He couldn't continue with the reason he just explained.
The Madam's intention was that all that was left was to go to the palace and ask Concubine Zhu Shufei. This last step seemed to be just a formality.
How did this end up here? Qu Zhizhen was a little confused when he thought about it now.
"Second Master, the Madam Dowager and the Princess of England are here." A servant came in to report.
"Quick...quickly invite them in." Qu Zhizhen said hurriedly.
He urgently needed someone to come and rescue him, and the Madam and Ying girl came at the right time.
Qu Moying helped the old lady in. After paying her respects, Qu Moying sat down next to Pei Yuanjun, with the old lady sitting below her. This was not the inner room just now, and the old lady sat in the first seat because of her seniority. With Pei Yuanjun present, Qu Moying was not in a position to help the old lady sit in the first seat.
Luo left first because of something.
Qu Moying looked at Qu Zhizhen's ugly face, and then looked at Pei Yuanjun's lazy and unfocused look. It didn't look like they were going to fight.
When the servant came to report just now, he rolled and crawled, which scared the madam so much that his face turned pale when he came here. Qu Moying didn't quite believe that a fight really broke out.
How could a fight possibly break out
If a fight really breaks out, only my stepfather will suffer. There is no way both sides will attack together.
He reached out and pulled the lady's sleeve, signaling her not to worry, there would be no fight.
The lady also felt relieved when she saw the situation between the two of them. The King of England had a good reputation, and if the second son really started a fight, nothing good would come of it.
"Why did Your Highness come so early?" Seeing that no one was speaking, Qu Moying broke the silence with a smile.
"I'm here to inform Lord Qu that a new decree has been issued." Pei Yuanjun said lazily, raising his sleepy eyes. His sleepy eyes usually looked a bit lazy, and when his expression was gentle, he looked more elegant and noble. Only when he stared at you coldly, could you see a hint of coldness flashing in his eyes. That kind of sinister and evil aura would definitely make people feel cold in their hearts, and it was treacherous and dark.
Those sleepy eyes are definitely not as gentle and elegant as jade.
He didn't seem angry this time. Qu Zhizhen felt that although Pei Yuanjun was still indifferent, his aura was completely different from before.
He couldn't help but turn his head slightly to glance at his little daughter, feeling inexplicably relieved.
But the next moment his heart was heavy again: "New... new will?"
"Master Qu, have you never heard any news about this?" Pei Yuanjun asked.
Qu Zhizhen was confused and shook his head: "Your Majesty, I really don't know... Could it be that the Prime Minister asked about the Queen Mother before?"
"Empress Dowager... what else is going on now?" The lady asked hesitantly, looking at this and then that.
"The Empress Dowager's matter... There are some things in the Empress Dowager's mausoleum..." Qu Zhizhen said, and suddenly his eyes widened, opened his mouth, but he couldn't continue for a while.
"It seems that Lord Qu understands." Pei Yuanjun smiled calmly.
"But...but the Empress Dowager's mausoleum is not in the capital." Qu Zhizhen murmured.
"So what? We are not going to let Lord Qu enjoy himself." Pei Yuanjun glanced at him and said lightly.
“But… but wasn’t it said before that Minister Liu would be the one to handle this matter?” Qu Zhizhen’s cold sweat, which had originally subsided, broke out again, but this time it was not cold sweat, but anxiety.
"Minister Liu can go, and Lord Qu can go too. Lord Qu is now the Minister, but Lord Qu must understand what the emperor meant before. Besides, Lord Qu, don't you think it's wrong that you are still intact despite the big incident?"
Pei Yuanjun said leisurely.
He spoke calmly and calmly, but Qu Zhizhen felt as if he had fallen into an ice cellar.
The reason he was able to become the Chancellor was due to the help of the King of England. He knew that, of course, he also knew that his position as Chancellor was not stable. On that day, the King of England pushed him up with all his strength and also told him that the Emperor wanted to test him first, and if he was not suitable, he would be replaced by a suitable one.
It was just for the sake of convenience that not many people knew about his temporary appointment as the Minister. Only the Emperor knew about it, the two prime ministers knew about it, and a few other ministers knew about it. As for the others, it was said that he was officially the Minister of Works.
Qu Zhizhen has not been without achievements over the years. At that time, the position of Minister of Works was vacant, and the other vice minister was relatively less competitive. If Qu Zhizhen could accomplish a few more things, the position of Minister would be very secure.
Both the two prime ministers and other ministers thought so, and they also felt that he would maintain his position. This is what the transition process is all about.
Everyone thought so, and Qu Zhizhen felt the same way. He thought that since the emperor had promoted him, he would be an official minister. However, he had not thought that his rank had not actually been raised yet. It was said that the formalities had not been completed yet, and they would just wait for the emperor to give his consent before doing so. Of course, this kind of thing was not something that ordinary people could know.
Now that Pei Yuanjun mentioned this, Qu Zhizhen just remembered this. How could he not be anxious!
"But... but if I leave, the Ministry of Works in the capital..." Qu Zhizhen said anxiously. He didn't want to leave the city at all. He didn't want to go out to repair the empress dowager's mausoleum. He would be gone for at least a month. Even if it was not too far from the capital, he could not come back easily.
"Minister Liu was the Shangshu before. Now he has another minister to help him. How can he not hold the position of the Ministry of Works? Lord Qu is really worrying too much. Lord Qu must know that Minister Liu is now the father-in-law of the prince. Given the prince's character, he must let Minister Liu be promoted. It's been a while since the farce that happened in Liu's mansion, and everyone has forgotten it."
Pei Yuanjun said disapprovingly.
"The Emperor's decree will come soon, Lord Qu, please get ready first!"
"Yes... I'll go and prepare." Qu Zhizhen gritted his teeth. Minister Liu wanted to come up again, but he would never allow him to do so. If he allowed Minister Liu to come up again, not only would all his previous efforts be wasted, but he would also be laughed at. How would he put his face in the future
At this point, Qu Zhizhen also regretted that he had reached out.
In fact, those things really had nothing to do with him. Why did the emperor take his anger out on him? Yu Qingmeng's affairs had nothing to do with him, and the two maids were the empress's idea. Qu Zhizhen had thought that he could please the empress and then the king of England, which was the best of both worlds for him.
As for Qu Moying’s meaning, of course it doesn’t matter much.
"Master Qu, wait a minute, there is one more thing.
You have to explain it clearly." Pei Yuanjun stopped the anxious Qu Zhizhen and said.
"Your Majesty, please speak."
"Even the emperor would not grant my inner courtyard to you casually. From now on, I would like to ask Lord Qu to be careful and not send anyone to my inner courtyard casually." Pei Yuanjun said lazily.
Qu Zhizhen's face turned pale, but he didn't dare to say anything more. He could only nod respectfully: "Yes, I was wrong before. I thought..."
He had to admit his mistake.
"Master Qu thinks it is Master Qu's business. Now Princess Ying is also my principal wife and is in charge of the internal affairs of my palace. Master Qu had better not always remember that my princess is your daughter. Some things can be done and some things cannot be done. If Master Qu can't even see this clearly, I don't mind if Master Qu sits lower."
Pei Yuanjun warned with a smile.
It seemed like he just said it casually and didn't care about it, but Qu Zhizhen didn't dare to take it lightly, "Yes... Yes, I'll remember it."
"If Lord Qu does well in his cultivation and doesn't cause any more trouble, I will petition the Emperor to have Lord Qu return to the capital early. This Shangshu has been away for a long time and it is easy for someone to snatch his position. Good things always attract many people, and the Crown Prince likes him very much. However, if the Queen thinks Lord Qu is a good person, she might ask the Crown Prince's father-in-law to give up the Shangshu position."
Pei Yuanjun smiled peacefully, without any trace of the sinister look he had just shown.
Qu Zhizhen felt cold all over after hearing this. It was impossible for the Queen to stand on his side.
If Minister Liu becomes the Shangshu now, he will be of more help to the Crown Prince. Then who am I? Even if I say nothing, others will only think that I am on the side of the King of England, and the Crown Prince will no longer be able to help the King of England.
The more he thought about it, the more he regretted it. Why did he listen to the Queen's instructions and put the two women in Ying's dowry and send them over as ordinary maids
These words made him clearly understand that if Pei Yuanjun did not support him, he would not be able to keep his position as the Shangshu. This time he was just punishing himself.
"Yes, Your Highness, I understand." Qu Zhizhen had to lower his head, a bit of embarrassment on his face. It was even more embarrassing to say this in front of his mother and daughter.
There was a hint of anger in his lowered eyes.
But soon, the feeling was suppressed well in his eyes, and when he raised his eyes again, he was filled with gratitude.
Qu Moying had been staring closely at Qu Zhizhen's reaction. Seeing him quickly suppress the anger in his eyes, he sneered in his heart. Sure enough, this cheap father still showed some flaws.
I became more and more curious about what this father was thinking, or what this cheap father wanted, or who the person behind him was and how he could hide it so deeply.
All she could think of was that this person should not be the crown prince or King Jing, but she couldn't guess who this person was. She only had a vague idea of his shadow.
The lady was also very surprised that Qu Zhizhen was going to renovate the Empress Dowager's mausoleum, and then she felt a strong sense of uneasiness. Although she didn't quite understand what Pei Yuanjun and Qu Zhizhen meant, she could sense some uneasiness.
She sat there without saying a word, looking at Qu Moying from time to time, and Qu Moying gave her a reassuring smile.
After saying this, Pei Yuanjun was not in a hurry to take Qu Moying back home. He stayed for dinner before leaving.
After lunch, the two did not rush back home, but went to see someone. From that person, Qu Moying got another piece of news...