The palace, the main hall.

After the civil and military officials left the court, Song Yanqing was ordered by the emperor to stay behind.

The emperor said, "I have already issued an edict to reinstate your uncle, Minister Gu, to his original post. I expect he will be able to enter the capital and take up his post in less than half a month."

Gu Xiang is now the magistrate of Luzhou Prefecture. When Gu Xiang was demoted to Luzhou Prefecture, Jia Liang took his place as the Left Prime Minister.

Now that Jia Liang has been removed from office and the powerful family no longer exists, it is the perfect time for Magistrate Gu to take office.

Song Yan listened quietly without saying a word, his expression extremely calm.

In the past, Prime Minister Gu served the country and its people, and was respected and loved by thousands.

Many students took Gu Xiang as their role model, bravely embarking on the path of the imperial examinations, determined to make a contribution to the Great Jin Dynasty.

Unexpectedly, he was plotted against by a villain like Jia Liang and ended up being demoted.

Now is a time when people are in need, so it's understandable that the emperor would think of re-employing them.

But Song Yanqing did not want to get involved.

The emperor continued, "The Minister of Revenue, Qian Lishe, was executed and his property confiscated. The Minister of Personnel, Chen Aiqing, recommended Lu Jingkang, the Vice Minister of Revenue, to be promoted."

What do you think?

Song Yanqing, who was suddenly called out, was obviously stunned for a moment, but he quickly recovered.

"Your Majesty, I am not very familiar with the officials in the court. I would like Your Majesty to make the decision on this matter."

The emperor stared intently at him, yet failed to notice anything amiss.

He continued, "I grant your permission."

"Lu Jingkang entered the Ministry of Revenue as a third-place scholar in the imperial examinations, and he was a rare talent."

During the Great Jin's counterattack against the Tatars, Lu Jingkang made outstanding contributions in the Ministry of Revenue in calculating military provisions and pay.

After a long pause, Song Yanqing finally said, "Your Majesty is wise."

Upon hearing this, the emperor let out a long sigh.

He rarely showed signs of fatigue, saying, "I know you resent me."

When the emperor said this, Song Yanqing immediately understood the purpose of keeping him here, and his neck stiffened for a moment.

The emperor continued, "Although your father and I are brothers, we do not share the same father."

But the late emperor was no less kind to your father than I am.

They're even half a degree better to me than they are to me.

Song Yanqing did not interrupt him, but listened attentively to his elder's recollections of the past like a well-behaved child.

When the emperor saw that he remained unmoved, a hint of unease flashed in his eyes.

However, this slight unease was fleeting and did not linger in his eyes for long.

"Yan Qing."

My health is not as good as before, and the Crown Prince is still young.

I truly fear that one day, before I can hand over the empire to him, I will be the one to meet the late emperor.

Upon hearing this, Song Yanqing immediately replied respectfully, "Your Majesty is blessed with boundless fortune and will surely live to be a hundred years old."

The emperor clearly knew he would say that and had no intention of listening to him at all.

He said to himself, "I really hope you can assist the Crown Prince until he ascends the throne and can stand on his own."

I will appoint you as Regent, and I will have the Left and Right Chancellors assist you in supporting the Crown Prince.

After all that buildup, let's finally get to the main point.

Song Yanqing never expected that the emperor, who had once been so wary of him, would suddenly want to appoint him as regent.

If he hadn't met Lu Qiqi, he probably would have agreed without hesitation.

After all, no matter how the emperor treated him, the Jin dynasty still belonged to the Song family.

He has enjoyed the honors bestowed upon him by the royal family, and he should also shoulder the responsibilities that come with it.

However, he did not want to be the regent.

He said, "Your Majesty, I am grateful for your favor, but my ambition lies elsewhere. I only wish to live a carefree life like my father, in a secluded place."

The emperor was surprised that Song Yanqing would refuse. He narrowed his eyes slightly, trying to see from Song Yanqing's face whether he still harbored ambitions for the throne.

However, after observing Song Yanqing for a long time, Song Yanqing still maintained an upright and honest demeanor, which made him doubt his own judgment.

He considered the matter of appointing Song Yanqing as regent before deciding that the method was feasible.

If Song Yanqing becomes regent, and if he later sets his sights on the throne, he will inevitably target Song Binyu.

At that time, not only were the Left and Right Chancellors obstructing him, but even though Song Yanqing was the legitimate heir and had the right to inherit the throne.

If he becomes regent and seizes the throne, he will be a traitor and be scorned by the people of Jin.

But Song Yanqing's refusal, and so frankly at that, was beyond his expectations.

The emperor said, "If you agree to my request, I will grant your marriage to Princess Kangle."

The day you become regent will be the day you marry Princess Kang Le.

Otherwise, your marriage will probably have to be discussed again.

Upon hearing this, Song Yanqing was even more unwilling to agree. He stood there with a stern face, saying nothing, as if he were silently protesting.

Seeing his expression, the emperor seemed to know what choice Song Yanqing would make.

He said confidently, "I am not a heartless person. I will give you three days to consider."

Three days later, I expect you to give me a satisfactory answer.

As soon as he finished speaking, Song Yanqing immediately expressed his gratitude and, not wanting to stay in the palace for even a moment longer, quickly left the palace.

...

Leaving the Northern Prince's Mansion.

As soon as Lu Qiqi stepped off the carriage, servants came to greet her from the Northern Prince's residence.

The visitors were the steward of the Prince of Libei's mansion, an elderly nanny, and a young maid.

According to Steward Gu, Granny Gu was once a maidservant who accompanied the Princess of Libei.

Upon hearing this, Lu Qiqi recalled that Song Yanqing had told him that there were only two female members of the Libei Prince's household.

A nanny and a maid who serves the nanny.

When Granny Gu saw Lu Qiqi, her eyes narrowed into slits with laughter.

She walked up to Lu Qiqi, bowed slightly, and said with a smile, "Princess Kang Le, there is no need to be alarmed by your arrival. Prince Li Bei is kind and generous. He just wants to meet the young master's sweetheart."

There are very few women in the Northern Prince's Mansion, which makes Princess Kangle laugh.

If you need anything, just give the old servant your orders.

The maidservant who accompanied the Princess of Libei was, in fact, of the older generation.

Fortunately, the other party did not take the money from her mother-in-law, otherwise she might not have cared about Song Yanqing's feelings and would have just turned her back and left.

Lu Qiqi didn't have the habit of giving instructions to older people, so she just gave a polite reply and that was it.

She followed Granny Gu into the Prince's Mansion and saw its scenery, realizing that it was far superior to the Lin'an Marquis's Mansion.

The Prince of Libei's mansion appears sparsely populated, but the courtyards and scenery are well-organized.

It must have been a meticulously maintained garden.

When Granny Gu looked at her from behind, she found that she was looking straight ahead and not looking around the Prince's mansion. This greatly increased her goodwill towards her.

She even told Lu Qiqi, "The reason why the Li Bei Prince's Mansion has its current appearance is because the Li Bei Princess and the Li Bei Prince built it little by little."

It's on par with famous landscape designers.

Lu Qiqi nodded with a smile. Everyone knew that the Prince of Libei and his princess had a deep affection for each other.

She said, "The prince and princess are a loving couple, and all the people of the Great Jin Dynasty envy them."

Granny Gu smiled kindly, "You and the young master will surely be a harmonious couple."