Chapter 512 Deciding to Bear the Humiliation

There were some things Chu Liuzheng couldn't say directly, so he could only say in a tactful way, "Empress Dowager, you might as well summon the eunuch from the Imperial Household Department to ask questions."

Queen Mother:?

She looked at Chu Liuzheng suspiciously and ordered someone to do it.

Chu Liuzheng continued to drink tea. It must be said that the tea here served by the Queen Mother was really delicious.

Not long after, Zhang An, the chief steward of the Imperial Household Department, arrived and knelt down, saying, "Your servant greets the Empress Dowager. Best wishes to the Empress Dowager."

"Stand up and answer." The Queen Mother waved her hand, and Zhang An stood up swiftly and handed a thick booklet in his arms to Madam Zhao.

Nanny Zhao presented it to the Empress Dowager.

The Queen Mother glanced at Chu Liuzheng, opened the booklet and flipped through it. As she read, a strange look appeared on her well-maintained face. She looked up at Chu Liuzheng, wanting to say something but stopping herself.

After thinking for a while, she waved her hand and ordered all the servants in the hall to leave, leaving only Madam Zhao to stay.

Siyue stood behind Chu Liuzheng without moving.

The Queen Mother glanced at her and thought that since she was someone close to Chu Liuzheng, she probably knew what was going on, so she didn't insist on letting her go out.

She pointed at the book in her hand and asked Chu Liuzheng, "Is the emperor's...hidden illness still not healed?"

He had slept in the same bed with the woman he loved for almost four years, but he had never done it once. The Queen Mother could not think of any other reason except that her hidden illness had not been cured.

Chu Liuzheng thought of the handicrafts he had done and said truthfully, "The imperial physician said that His Majesty has recovered."

The Queen Mother opened her eyes wide in surprise, preferring to believe that the quack doctor had misdiagnosed her rather than accept this answer. She asked anxiously, "But the imperial physician is not accurate?"

"Doctor Feng has also seen it." Chu Liuzheng, unaware that the Queen Mother had already taken a wrong turn, said truthfully, "Doctor Feng said that Your Majesty is in good health."

The Queen Mother: “…”

Her eyes went dark for a moment, unable to accept that her own son had suddenly become a eunuch.

Seeing that the Queen Mother seemed to be about to faint, Chu Liuzheng quickly ordered Si Yue to go and see the Queen Mother.

Thanks to Siyue's first aid, the Queen Mother did not faint, but it would have been worse if she had.

She was a good prince, but she turned out to be a eunuch. No wonder he only wanted to stay with one woman and didn't even look at other women in the harem.

It’s not that he doesn’t want to, it’s that he can’t!

The prince must be in great pain, and I wonder how he has managed to survive these years.

Fortunately, there is someone who knows the truth around, no wonder the prince is willing to protect and pamper her.

Thinking of this, the Queen Mother turned to look at Chu Liuzheng, as if she had suddenly aged ten years. A sigh escaped from her trembling lips: "Thank you for your hard work."

Chu Liuzheng: Huh?

Why is she so hard-working?

The Queen Mother seemed to have misunderstood something serious.

The Queen Mother, who had suffered a heavy blow, no longer had the heart to talk to Chu Liuzheng. She ordered Zhao Ma to send her out and gave her a lot of rewards.

Chu Liuzheng walked out of Wanshou Palace in confusion. She turned around to look at the rewards on the tray.

Although I don’t know what the Queen Mother misunderstood, it seems to be a good thing for her?

Upon hearing that the Queen Mother not only did not punish Chu Liuzheng but also rewarded him with many things, Concubine Xie was so angry that she almost vomited blood and ran to find the Queen Mother crying.

Nanny Zhao stood at the door to the bedroom and said, "Thank you, Concubine. The Queen Mother is not feeling well and has gone to bed."

"I don't believe it. I want to see my aunt." Xie Pin clutched her handkerchief and sobbed. "My aunt said she would vent my anger for me, so why did she give that bitch things and give that bitch a face? I..."

The tightly closed bedroom door was suddenly opened, revealing the gloomy and tired face of the Queen Mother.

Xiepin was like a mouse that saw a cat. She swallowed the rest of her words and reached out to pull the empress dowager's sleeve while crying, "Aunt, you don't..."

"Get out!" Before she could finish her words, the Queen Mother slapped her hand away in annoyance and slammed the palace door shut.

The white back of her hand quickly turned red. Concubine Xie stood there in a daze, her eyes wide as if she were a frog. She couldn't believe that her own aunt would tell her to get out.

"Your Majesty, please go back first." Madam Zhao glanced at the bedroom door and sighed softly, "The Empress Dowager is in a bad mood. Please come back another day."

Xiepin burst into tears, "Mammy, does my aunt not like me anymore?"

"Don't overthink it, Your Majesty." Madam Zhao ordered her to be escorted back, kneeling and bowing. "This old servant has to serve the Queen Mother, so I won't be escorting Your Majesty."

Concubine Xie bit her lips and was supported by two palace maids as she left in shock and fear.

Here, Chu Liuzheng strolled to the imperial kitchen, packed two plates of flower cakes in a food box, and carried them to Wenhua Palace.

Although she didn't know what the Empress Dowager had misunderstood, she still had to inform the Emperor first.

After hearing Chu Liuzheng's words, Xiao Jingfan suddenly felt that the flower cake in his mouth was no longer fragrant.

A mother knows her son best, and vice versa. Xiao Jingfan almost immediately understood what the Queen Mother had misunderstood. His eyes twitched. No wonder he had been sneezing and his right eyelid was twitching. This must be the reason.

Chu Liuzheng broke open a flower cake, picked up the crispy crust that fell on the plate and ate it. As he ate, he said, "I think the Queen Mother has misunderstood."

Xiao Jingfan: "...You didn't explain?"

"What do you need to explain?" Chu Liuzheng blinked. She didn't know what the Queen Mother had misunderstood. How could she explain it?

Besides, looking at those rewards, we can tell that the Queen Mother’s misunderstanding is beneficial to her. Why would she push the benefits away?

Xiao Jingfan took a deep breath, not angry, not angry...

If you think about it, this is actually a good thing.

At least in the short term, his mother would not help those ministers to urge him to select new people to enter the palace, nor would she have any opinions about his exclusive favor for Chu Liuzheng.

For the sake of the gambling, His Majesty the Emperor decided to endure the humiliation.

*

Under the emperor's strong support, the implementation of tax reform went relatively smoothly. Although there were occasional unpleasant incidents, they were all resolved by the responsible person.

Xixia originally wanted to take advantage of the chaos to gain some advantage, but ended up sending Li Ze to lead the Black Armor Army to fight back. Seeing this, the surrounding small countries dared not show up again.

On this day, the emperor suddenly proposed to offer sacrifices to heaven at the court meeting. He prayed to heaven with the people at the Zhaixing Pavilion in the northwest corner of the capital, hoping that the year would be good with good weather and free from natural disasters.

The ministers couldn't help but wonder, they just offered sacrifices to heaven during the New Year, why do they need to offer sacrifices again? What if disasters happen frequently this year? Wouldn't that be a slap in the face?

A minister stepped forward and expressed his concern in a tactful way.

Some ministers also felt that the Zhaixing Pavilion had not been used for a long time. If it was to be used for offering sacrifices to heaven, it would definitely have to be repaired, which would be another huge expense.

Many ministers also supported it, thinking that the emperor's move showed his concern for the people of the world and would win him a wave of praise.

After some discussion, most people agreed.

The minority obeys the majority, and the emperor asked the Imperial Astronomical Observatory to calculate an auspicious day, and the day for offering sacrifices to heaven was set on the eighth day of the fifth lunar month.

Chu Liuzheng was curious: "Your Majesty, why did you suddenly think of offering sacrifices to the heavens?"

[Doesn't the tyrant believe in this? Why waste this money?]

Xiao Jingfan looked at her deeply and said, "You will know when the time comes."

Chu Liuzheng:?

In the evening, the emperor went to Chongshan Hall and stayed there for an hour. When he came out, he had a smile on his face, as if he had put aside some worries.

At the emperor's command, a group of craftsmen took over the long-abandoned Zhaixing Pavilion. The renovation progress was gratifying and it was completed on April 26.

The Ministry of Works withdrew and the Ministry of Rites came in, redecorating the interior and exterior of the Zhaixing Pavilion, making it shine again.

Everything is ready, just waiting for the eighth day of May.

(End of this chapter)