"Your Majesty..." Prime Minister Liu opened his mouth but said nothing in the end. He knew that the matter would not be so easy to let go. Instead of making more excuses, he might as well wait for the emperor's decision. Besides, the emperor could only suppress him based on his current position and power, so at least his life was not in danger.
Seeing that he didn't argue much, Fu Yuheng's anger dissipated a little, and he waved his hand and sat down.
"In that case, I will fine you one year's salary as a punishment! Do you have any objection?"
"Thank you, Lord!" The heavy stone in Prime Minister Liu's heart finally fell to the ground. Fortunately, fortunately, a one-year salary deduction was actually a light punishment. If it was more serious, he would have to accept three years.
Fu Yuheng was actually just trying to suppress his arrogance. His eyes gradually calmed down, like a pool of ancient water, mysterious and deep. It is said that the emperor's mind cannot be suspected, and this statement is not without reason.
"Let's stop here for today. If you have something to say, come and report. If not, leave!"
Prime Minister Liu returned home feeling upset. He took off his court robes and poured himself a cup of tea. "Hmph!" He took a sip of the tea, but still couldn't calm down his anger.
Let's not talk about Liu Churong's matter, which has not been verified yet, but the emperor's attitude is there, which is clearly naked suppression. As soon as the court was dismissed today, other ministers turned against him one after another, and even avoided him when walking. What is this? What do they think of him!
Even so, he had to listen! He raised the teacup in his hand angrily, and after a while, he dropped it heavily on the table. "Come here, prepare the sedan chair!"
Prime Minister Liu was giving orders outside. He wanted to see if these fence-sitters dared to switch sides easily!
In fact, he was not the only one who was depressed. General Shen was also very upset. When the emperor questioned Prime Minister Liu, he also glanced in his direction. Maybe others did not notice it, but he, as the person involved, really felt it. It was clearly a warning look.
Moreover, in terms of power, he holds a large number of troops, which is much more worrying than the old fox of the Liu family. He also knows the situation of Shen Qingwan in the palace. The emperor's reminder today made him even more frightened.
The news that Prime Minister Liu was suppressed spread quickly, and it also reached Shen Qingwan's ears.
Shen Qingwan, who was pruning flower branches, heard the servants' discussion and paused, thinking something in her mind.
But suddenly he seemed to remember something and put down the scissors in his hand.
"Lianyun, change my clothes for me! I want to go check on Concubine Qi."
I think it has been some time since Li Ruotong fell into the water, so it’s time to go visit her.
She changed into a plainer skirt and simply drew her eyebrows. Li Ruotong's health was not yet fully recovered, so it was absolutely inappropriate for her to wear something too bright.
Lianyun followed behind her, silently looking at the guard at the gate, but when she reached the gate, she gave a troubled look with a complicated expression, but Shen Qingwan, who just turned around, saw it.
He shook his head almost imperceptibly and turned away.
"Your Majesty, the virtuous concubine is here to see you!" Qiu Shui rushed in and informed Li Ruotong.
"Hurry! Let her in!" Li Ruotong quickly sat up with a smile on her face.
Speaking of the palace, the only person she trusted was Shen Qingwan. After all, Shen Qingwan was the only one in the palace who cared about her. The others, hum! They were just pretending to be merciful.
Pushing open the door, Shen Qingwan walked in with a smile on her face, but there was still some worry in her eyes. "Is my sister feeling better?" She sat down beside the bed and took Li Ruotong's hand.
She really missed her after not seeing her for these days. She was a soft-hearted person, but she was covered with thorns. But she and her were like sisters. After all, there was no conflict of interest or emotion between them.
"You all go down first!" Seeing that she winked at her, Li Ruotong stretched out her hand to send everyone away. The two of them no longer hid what they had to say and spoke out.
"Ruotong, tell me honestly, is this child that person's?" Her expression suddenly became serious. Even though she didn't say it clearly, Li Ruotong knew that she was talking about Ye Feng.
Thinking of this, she couldn't help crying again. Unlike the usual tears, this time she was like a child, feeling wronged and distressed. "Sister!"
Before she could say it, Shen Qingwan knew that she had guessed right. She patted her back with her delicate hands, and her tone became gentler. "Okay, stop crying. Your eyes will be swollen if you cry any more." After she finished speaking, she saw her raise her head and wipe away her tears. Then she pointed at her forehead and said, "You! How can I say anything about you?"
The wrinkle between her brows could no longer be smoothed out, and now that things had come to this, she could not say anything more.
"Do you know what the consequences would be if the emperor knew about this?" Shen Qingwan stood up, with a look of disappointment in her eyes.
Li Ruotong shrank her neck, sobbed a few times, and blinked. "Sister, the emperor..." She gritted her teeth and seemed to have made up her mind, and continued, "The emperor already knew it!"
She raised her head to glance at Shen Qingwan who was standing there in a daze, "The emperor didn't even consummate the marriage with me..." Having said this, she raised her head and looked at Shen Qingwan worriedly, like a child who had done something wrong, making people at a loss what to say.
Shen Qingwan was a little dazed. He didn't even consummate the marriage with her, which meant that he knew from the beginning that the child was not his. What's worse, she was just a chess piece in his heart.
Thinking of this, Shen Qingwan looked at Li Ruotong with a bit of pity. She was also a person with a miserable life... Fortunately, Fu Yuheng was very indulgent to her, and it could even be said that he was protecting her, which allowed her to survive in the harem. But she was definitely not completely scheming. Otherwise, she would not have lived well in the harem until now. You know, there are people who want to kill people here.
After thinking this through, Shen Qingwan felt much more relieved. After all, she knew Fu Yuheng's attitude towards her. If that was the case, he would probably not be too harsh on her.
As for her understanding of Fu Yuheng, although it was only a few short months, she didn't know why she had such confidence in him.
"Has the emperor ever come to see you?" Shen Qingwan raised her eyebrows and looked at the unharmed person in front of her.
"Hehe, the emperor has been here..." Li Ruotong held her hand in a flattering manner, seemingly heartless, but she was still frightened in her heart. That day, she was really only a step away from death.