"Your Majesty, I don't know." Li Quan didn't dare to say anything. He just wanted to curl himself up into a ball, fearing that the Emperor would force him to give an answer.
Such an answer was something an old eunuch like him could give, and it would not just be a matter of losing his head.
"Hmph, there are only a few of them. Could it be that they discovered something?" The emperor said to himself. This time he did not force Li Quan to answer.
Although he was talking to himself, Li Quan knew that he should speak at this time: "Your Majesty... It's impossible, it's been so long... You haven't discovered it for so many years."
Even in the imperial study, he kept his voice very low.
The room fell silent, and after a long while the emperor's cold laugh was heard: "Even if they knew, so what? Can't I punish them?"
"Your Majesty... No." Li Quan whispered again.
The emperor's face darkened and he remained silent. Although he still hadn't found out the truth about what happened back then, it was only about a few people.
It's just that he had a lot to consider back then, and couldn't figure it out at once, so he could only suppress all the hatred and anger in his heart. He was the emperor, and he had to consider the world.
If these people really dare to kill him... he will definitely not sell out this time...
There was a flash of anger in the emperor's eyes, the anger that was a long-standing resentment was so thick that it was almost impossible to dissolve. The hurdle that he thought he had overcome, in fact, he had never overcome.
Too many things that have to be done, too many things that cannot be done, too many positions, names, and even various pressures.
These pressures seem to fade away with time, but in fact, they are always there, and the more they accumulate, the deeper they become. Once they cannot be controlled and a breakthrough is found to explode, they cannot be controlled anymore...
Li Quan stood motionless behind the emperor, head lowered, clasping his hands tightly, not daring to make a sound. The atmosphere in the room was oppressive...
Qu Moying didn't know that Pei Yuanjun's actions in the palace had caused a surge of hidden troubles. She was now sitting in front of Madam Qi. She rolled up the handkerchief in her hand twice, slowly put it down, and then looked up at Madam Qi. "Thank you for your kindness, Madam, but I don't want to do this!"
She spoke her thoughts frankly, without the slightest shyness on her face, as if she was talking about someone else's business.
"You... why, this marriage is the best now." Madam Qi frowned and said.
Originally, this matter should have been asked directly to Madam Qu, but after thinking about it, she still felt that she should ask Qu Moying one more question. After all, she was doing this for her own good, so she should always ask clearly. So she invited Qu Moying over again.
Afraid that Qu Moying didn't understand what she meant, Madam Qi explained a few more words: "It must be difficult for you to get married now. This is because of your own reasons and also because of this marriage. People only see the broken engagement and think it is the woman's fault. Since the Yongning Marquis's Mansion is now willing to set things right, it is also a good thing for you."
"What should be done with the second young lady of the Duan family?" Qu Moying asked with a serious face.
"You don't have to worry about this matter. Since I said so, there must be a way. The second young lady of the Duan family was not upright at the beginning, otherwise she would not have snatched your marriage." Madam Qi thought that Qu Moying was worried that the second young lady Duan would make trouble. After all, this was the reputation of the second young lady Duan outside.
He immediately patted his chest and guaranteed it.
"Madam, in fact, before the marriage was cancelled, the two families had already intended to cancel it. Miss Duan was just in the right place." Qu Moying shook her head, smiling with a bit of coldness, "I don't know what the Yongning Marquis' Mansion said to Madam, but the two families did intend to cancel the engagement at that time. I can't tolerate what happened to Yu Qingmeng."
"You kid, isn't it normal for a man to have three wives and four concubines? The mistake of Prince Xu was that he was seduced by Yu's niece so early. Fortunately, he came to his senses later and pulled the matter back, and drove Yu's niece out early. In life, even a saint cannot make mistakes."
Madam Qi advised earnestly.
Qu Moying still shook her head: "Thank you, Madam, I won't agree to this, and neither will my grandmother and father."
The two families had finally broken off the engagement, so how could they possibly get back together now
"Why are you so stubborn, kid?" Madam Qi's face darkened. She felt that she had said all the nice things to him, but Qu Moying was still so stubborn. It was really a waste of her kindness.
She was so sincere in promoting this marriage for the sake of... her ancestors.
"Madam... my marriage... really can't be associated with the Yongning Marquisate." Qu Moying said, her expression softening. At least Madam Qi really wanted to help her, she could see that.
"If your affairs are not related to the Yongning Marquis' Mansion, which family do you want to be involved with?" Madam Qi retorted angrily. After she finished speaking, she realized that she had said the wrong thing, and her expression looked very unhappy for a moment.
Qu Moying was stunned for a moment by the reprimand, and subconsciously looked into Madam Qi's eyes. He saw the waves and darkness that were forcibly suppressed in her eyes. For a moment, he didn't know how he had offended Madam Qi to make her so angry.
As if she also felt that she had said something wrong, Madam Qi calmed down, picked up the teacup beside her and took a sip, closed her eyes, and softened her voice: "With your conditions, it would be best if you could marry the son of the Yongning Marquis. There may be other suitable people, but they are not suitable for you after all."
"Madam, I'm not in a hurry." Qu Moying said lightly.
"You are not in a hurry. Do you want to wait for the Spring Examination? But look at your conditions. Even if it is the Spring Examination, you won't be able to pick a good one. It is impossible to be better than the son of Marquis Yongning." Madam Qi blurted out.
The meaning of these words is almost to let Qu Moying look in the mirror and look at himself.
Qu Moying pursed her lips gently, the corners of her lips slightly pale, and she forced a smile: "Madam, it's getting late, I want to go back. If you are really interested in these things, you can ask grandma. Grandma didn't like Yongning Marquis Mansion a long time ago."
Madam Qi was furious at Qu Moying's words, her face suddenly darkened: "Miss Qu Si is so distant and so opposed, I won't be so kind, lest my kindness be wasted, and I also let Miss Qu Si misunderstand something, then I will be guilty."
What was the misunderstanding? Of course, it was the misunderstanding of this marriage!
Qu Moying sighed in her heart. She didn't actually mean that. But seeing Madam Qi's gloomy face, she sighed again for no reason. She really didn't understand why Madam Qi was so persistent about her marriage. Even if she had good intentions, she should have given up now.
How
Why was he so persistent in thinking that she could not have a better marriage than marrying Xu Lipeng
There are some things she cannot say now and can only wait for news from Pei Yuanjun. However, Madam Qi is pressing her hard. Judging from her expression, if she doesn't say a few words, she is afraid that she will not be allowed to marry today.
It wasn't that she was afraid of Madam Qi, but Madam Qi had good intentions after all, although her intentions of forcing her were obvious and she was even resentful of her.
"Madam... Grandmother is already looking for a marriage for me and is in the process of discussing it... I'm afraid it's not convenient to talk about other things now." Qu Moying had to explain a little more.
"Your grandmother is looking for a marriage for you? How foolish! What good marriage can there be at this time!" After hearing her explanation, Madam Qi's expression looked a little better, but she was still a little unhappy.
These words not only rebuked Qu Moying, but also Madam Qu. There was even some sarcasm implied in them, which made Qu Moying inexplicably unhappy.
According to Madam Qi, she would not be able to marry well no matter who else she found except Xu Lipeng.
"Madam Qi... I won't bother you with the marriage matter... Grandmother always picks the right one for me." Qu Moying said after a pause.
Madam Qi frowned and looked at Qu Moying. She could sense the displeasure in her words and became even more unhappy. As expected, since they were not her blood relatives, they could not get along. She leaned back and waved her hand weakly, "Miss Qu Si, please go for a walk in the garden first!"
This meant that she was asked to leave temporarily. Qu Moying didn't understand why Madam Qi didn't let her leave directly.
She stood up and bowed sideways, then left with a maid from Duke Qi's mansion. Her brows slightly furrowed. Why was Madam Qi so determined
She stopped at the door and looked sideways at Yu Dong, only to see Yu Dong nodded to her silently. She had already made up her mind. When she turned around, her watery eyes slightly raised and she saw a maid lifting the curtain of the inner room behind the seat where she had just sat, as if the maid was about to come out.
But the curtain was hung so high, it looked more like a master was coming out from inside.
Who else was in Madam Qi's inner room? Who was sitting there quietly listening to what he and Madam Qi were talking about
The person who can enter Madam Qi’s inner chamber must be her closest person.
He is also concerned about his own marriage, and is a close friend of Madam Qi. Another point is that Qu Moying does not think that he is the old Duke, so this person is obvious.
There was a flash of coldness in his eyes, but his feet did not stop, following the old woman out.
"Miss Qu Si, the garden of our mansion is in front of us. There are newly blooming red plum blossoms in our garden, a very large patch of them. Miss Qu Si, would you like to go with me to take a look?" The old woman said as she led the way with a smile.
It is indeed the best place to appreciate plum blossoms in winter.
Qu Moying nodded in agreement, and the smile on the old woman's face became more and more prosperous. She talked happily all the way and led Qu Moying forward.
The patch of red plum blossoms at the Duke of Qi's Mansion was far away from where the lady-in-waiting lived. Qu Moying walked all the way there and turned several corners before he saw the patch of red plum blossoms. They were indeed in full bloom. Such bright colors were extremely stunning on such a winter day.
Qu Moying couldn't help but stop and looked at a maid who was hurrying over not far ahead...