When Pei Yuanjun returned to the palace, the emperor was still waiting for him in the imperial study.
Seeing him coming back, she put down the red pen in her hand and said, "Have you sent the things out? Are you in such a hurry?"
“Your Majesty, the fourth young lady of the Qu family is in very poor health. I heard that she was born with some deficiencies... If the manor in the hot spring is sent there earlier, I will feel relieved.” Pei Yuanjun explained with a smile.
Then sit down on a chair at the side.
Today the imperial study was not as solemn as usual, and Li Quan, who was standing beside him, was all smiles.
On the table in front of Pei Yuanjun, there were some fresh fruits and snacks, as well as a pot of wine and a wine cup.
Li Quan came over and poured Pei Yuanjun a glass of wine, "Your Majesty, please enjoy!"
"Thank you, father-in-law."
"Your Highness, you are too polite!" Li Fen stepped back to the side with a smile and poured a glass of wine for the emperor. There were only a few memorials placed on the dragon table today, which the emperor had just brought over when he had nothing to do.
The memorials were collected, and on the dragon table there were snacks, fruits, and also wine pots and wine cups.
Without the folding letters, the atmosphere seemed a lot more relaxed.
Placed in a very conspicuous place on the desk, there is an embroidered brocade box, not big, which is the brocade box that Qu Zhizhen had presented before.
"Your Majesty has already used it at the palace banquet before, so you can't use more now." Pei Yuanjun drank a glass of wine, but advised the emperor.
They had used it before in the harem with the queen and concubines. With Pei Yuanjun's status, he didn't need to go there, but the emperor always asked him to follow him, and this time was no exception.
However, it was inconvenient to be with the concubines. Pei Yuanjun saw that the time was almost up, so he left first, saying that he remembered he had a hot spring at home and was going to give it to the fourth young lady of the Qu Mansion.
But the emperor stopped him and asked him to come back to the palace later.
The emperor nodded, sighed, took a sip of the wine, and then put it down. He could drink a lot but his health was not good, so he should not drink too much.
“You are getting married soon, and I can finally... do my best..." The emperor's eyes fell on Jin He in front of him. It seemed that he was talking to Pei Yuanjun, but it seemed not.
"Your Majesty, no matter who it is, you are sorry. You don't need to be so good to me. If it weren't for your Majesty's protection, I would have lost my life long ago." Pei Yuanjun smiled lazily, his lips slightly curved, and his handsome face became even more brilliant under the light.
A pair of sleepy phoenix eyes, particularly outstanding, with a brilliant light in the pupils.
"No need to thank me." The emperor's expression darkened.
“Your Majesty, you are my benefactor, like a rebirth. My father has been away from home for so many years and only came to visit occasionally. I have been raised in the palace by Your Majesty. Every time I see Your Majesty… I feel that if there was no Your Majesty, there would be no me.” Pei Yuanjun said, with a bit of admiration on his face.
She was raised in the palace when she was young. Her so-called father had actually disappeared very early on. As for family affection, it really came from the emperor.
"You..." Seeing that he spoke so sincerely, the emperor felt a pain in his heart and subconsciously reached out to cover his chest.
"Your Majesty, what's wrong with you? Are you feeling unwell? Or would you like to call the imperial physician?" Li Quan asked hurriedly.
"No problem, I just feel a little uncomfortable!" The emperor shook his head, his eyes filled with sadness, "You kid, why bother being polite to me? You... have been raised by my side. In my mind, you are my son... In general, why bother saying anything?"
Thank you, this is what I should do."
Pei Yuanjun shook his head. "Your Majesty, you have done enough. I am grateful to you. I also thank you on behalf of my father and mother... Thank you for your wisdom. If my mother knew about this, she would definitely feel the same way as me."
After Pei Yuanjun finished speaking, he stood up and bowed deeply to the emperor with great respect.
The emperor's hand trembled and fell heavily on his desk.
“Your Majesty…” Li Quan shuddered with fear.
"It's okay." The emperor turned his head and coughed violently. Li Quan hurried forward and gently stroked his back. It took a long time for the emperor to calm down.
He poured a cup of warm water and handed it to the emperor. The emperor took it and took a sip, and then he calmed down a little.
“Your Majesty…” Pei Yuanjun showed a trace of worry on his face.
"Please sit down first!" The emperor coughed again and interrupted Pei Yuanjun's words in a hoarse voice. He felt heartbroken. He was afraid that he would not be able to bear hearing such words of thanks again.
Pei Yuanjun sat back down on the chair, looked at the emperor who was still coughing, and said, "Your Majesty, please don't talk for now. Talk when you feel better."
The emperor nodded, leaned back with his eyes closed, and finally opened his eyes after calming down for a long time.
"You are getting married, which is a good thing. All the past things are in the past. As long as you live well, everything will be in the past." The emperor smiled gently and reached out to pick up the brocade box on the table.
"Your Majesty likes this brocade box?" Pei Yuanjun's eyes also fell on the brocade box.
"It was left by Empress Yuan, but it can't be opened and I don't know what happened?" The emperor took a look at the brocade box and said with some sadness.
"Then just smash it. It shouldn't be hard to smash such a big box." Pei Yuanjun said nonchalantly.
It is certain that it can be smashed open, but the box outside will definitely be damaged. Li Quan looked at Pei Yuanjun helplessly. If the emperor was willing to open it so violently, the box would have been opened long ago.
"Don't smash it like that. The Empress Yuan doesn't leave much for me." The Emperor shook his head.
"Can you let me take a look?" Pei Yuanjun looked at the brocade box in the emperor's hand.
The emperor hesitated for a moment, but still pushed the brocade box out. Li Quan took it carefully and presented it to Pei Yuanjun.
Pei Yuanjun took it and looked at the keyhole. There was no key, that was for sure, otherwise it would have been impossible for it to have been kept unlocked.
"Your Majesty, this keyhole seems familiar!" Pei Yuanjun looked around and then held it up to the light.
"Look familiar?" The emperor sat up straight suddenly. He couldn't open the lock no matter what he did, but he was reluctant to have someone break it. So he turned his attention to Concubine Qu, thinking that she might know something. However, he didn't expect that he would cause some new trouble.
Some people are unwilling to investigate further themselves. Are they the Queen's people, or someone else
"This... I seem to have a key... but can't find a lock to open it." Pei Yuanjun looked at it again and said.
One has a lock but no key, the other has a key but no lock, plus Pei Yuanjun's identity...
"Where is the key? Where did it come from?" the emperor asked anxiously.
"Your Majesty, I am also surprised. I have kept a key since I was a child. I heard my father say before that it was left to me by my biological mother. It was originally placed in my swaddling clothes, and then it was kept for me. When I entered the palace, I was still young, and my father never mentioned this matter. This was the key that my father gave to me when I came back last time."
Pei Yuanjun said.
The Emperor knew what happened when the old Prince Yun came back last time, which was a year or two ago. It’s just about the key, so why didn’t he know about it
"Where are the keys?" But he didn't care about that now and asked about the thing he cared about most first.
"It is in my hands. I will send it to the palace tomorrow." Pei Yuanjun said with a casual smile.
"Okay, I'll send it to you when you return home tomorrow." The emperor nodded, and when Pei Yuanjun entered the palace, the palace gate was closed. He let Pei Yuanjun live in the palace where he used to live.
"Okay!" Pei Yuanjun smiled and nodded. He turned his head halfway, and the light shone on his face. Only half of his face was smiling, and the other half looked a little blurry and strange...
Early the next morning, Liu Jingyu brought gifts and went to the Duke of Qi's Mansion with Minister Liu. Normally, Madam Liu should have gone with them. On the first day of the first lunar month, many families would return to their parents' homes. But now Madam Liu was not feeling well and it was inconvenient for her to travel, so she asked her daughter and husband to come instead.
Minister Liu also wanted to explain the matter of Madam Liu to the Duke of Qi's Mansion.
This matter has been dragged on until now, which is extremely bad for him. He has been pulled down from the position of Shangshu. It is uncertain what will happen after this, and Minister Liu is also very unsure.
He had originally prepared many words so that he could explain when the Duke of Qi's Mansion asked about it, but he didn't expect that no one in the Duke of Qi's Mansion would bring it up this time.
The old Duke was ill, and his two uncles looked listless. The eldest uncle just sat for a while and then left. The younger uncle had nothing much to say to him. Originally, the eldest uncle was the capable man in the Duke of Qi's Mansion.
I wanted to meet the old Duke's wife before, but she said she was sick and in poor health.
Not to mention that he didn't see anyone, he didn't see Liu Jingyu either. He only saw the wife of the Duke of Qi. Her attitude towards Liu Jingyu was not as cordial as before. She just smiled and said some polite words, and one could not sense much sincerity from her. In the past, the aunt liked her very much.
"Aunt, can I see my second cousin?" After talking for a while, Liu Jingyu couldn't help asking. The person she felt was the most straightforward in Duke Qi's Mansion was her second cousin, and she also had a good impression of her.
"It's not possible now. He was beaten by his father and couldn't get out of bed. It's not convenient for him to lie down now." Lady Qiguogong said in embarrassment.
Even if they are cousins, they still have to avoid suspicion, after all, they are all grown up.
"Then...what about my eldest cousin?" Liu Jingyu asked tentatively.
"Your eldest cousin went out to meet friends early in the morning, and he's not here now." Lady Qiguogong said with a smile. Her expression looked no different from before, but Liu Jingyu clearly sensed the difference.
He gritted his teeth, swallowed the depression in his heart, and suggested with a smile, "Aunt, I will go and serve the medicine to grandma!"
"Your grandmother is not in good health... It's better not to tell her about your family's affairs, for fear that her condition will get worse after hearing it." The wife of the Duke of Qi's answer was even more flawless, which meant that she was not allowed to go in to visit Mrs. Qi.
The smile on Liu Jingyu's face froze. She didn't understand what was going on and why her maternal grandparents suddenly became so cold to her and seemed unwilling to have any contact with her family.
Could it be that there is something strange here that I am not aware of
Why do my maternal grandparents avoid my family like snakes and scorpions? When did this start
Is it because of mother