Looking at Chu Yi who was speaking righteously in front of him, Xiao Ling felt angry.

But as for the matter of establishing the queen, she actually knew that she couldn't delay it any longer.

After all, even if it was just a pretense, she still had to find a queen to keep in the harem.

If anything happens in the future, we’ll talk about it later.

Anyway, it’s good that there are no worries now.

Thinking of this, Xiao Ling felt confident for the time being.

"Then I wonder if Chu Qing has any suitable candidates?"

Chu Yi didn't expect the little emperor to be so obedient today, and was a little hesitant for a moment.

But soon, he also laughed:

"I think the daughter of Xie Duyushi is quite good. She is beautiful and graceful, and she is the perfect choice for the Queen Mother!"

“That won’t do!”

When Xiao Ling heard the candidate Chu Yi mentioned, he was so frightened that he quickly shook his head.

"I just issued an imperial decree today to arrange your marriage. Although this decree has not been made public, if I now make her empress, wouldn't that be stealing... my wife from my subjects?"

Chu Yi's face darkened when he heard this.

What does it mean to snatch a wife from a minister?

He hasn't even received the imperial edict yet.

What the little emperor said is very dangerous.

It was Xiao Ling who keenly caught Chu Yi's silence at this moment and hurriedly resolved the crisis of becoming the queen for herself:

"If not,"

"Since Lord Chu hasn't decided on a candidate yet, why not discuss this matter later? It won't be too late after the Spring Examination."

Seeing the little emperor eager to get back at his old self, Chu Yi was speechless.

After thinking about it, he didn't want to talk about this matter any more today.

"Then it will be as Your Majesty commands."

After a moment of silence, he spoke again:

"In addition, the end of the month marks the beginning of autumn. For the sake of national peace and prosperity, I implore Your Majesty to order an autumn hunt to reassure the people."

"Akikari?"

When Xiao Ling heard this, he looked unhappy again.

"I am indeed foolish. What does the autumn hunt have to do with national peace and prosperity? Could it be that if I don't go hunting, the country can't be peaceful and prosperous?"

"Your Majesty, you are being too arbitrary. Autumn is the harvest season. Your Majesty is organizing the civil and military autumn hunt to, firstly, demonstrate the strength of our Da'an nation; secondly, to show outsiders that our Da'an Majesty is also a cavalry general, not a weakling who only knows how to read and write."

Xiao Ling listened blankly to this explanation which seemed to be perfectly normal, but it was not what he thought.

Although Chu Yi seemed to be speaking seriously, she knew that this villain must have some benefits to gain in order to propose supporting her autumn hunt.

To put it simply, Chu Yi can organize autumn hunting to make money.

To be more cautious, what if this thief wants to take advantage of the opportunity to do something?

For example... assassination?

Historically, when the previous emperor went out hunting, he usually chose Changlian Mountain, north of the Eastern Capital. Traveling in the imperial carriage was definitely not as safe as staying in the palace.

After thinking for a long time, Xiao Ling felt that he could not give this opportunity.

"The Da'an treasury is now empty. I don't think it's appropriate to make such a grand ceremony. I'm afraid the autumn hunt is inappropriate."

Upon hearing the emperor's decisive rejection, Chu Yi smiled again.

"No, the Ministry of Revenue calculated the summer tax revenue yesterday. This year, under Your Majesty's diligent governance, the people of Da'an are prosperous, and taxes have doubled compared to last year. I believe that this autumn hunt will not cost too much."

God damn hard work.

Xiao Ling wanted to die after hearing this.

Because of her open and covert rivalry with Chu Yi last year, she now has very little royal power in her hands. Her decrees cannot leave the capital, and the only thing she can do is make some decisions over the Ministry of Revenue.

There was little truth to the news from the court. Who knew if the people outside were prosperous? Or were they just constantly cursing themselves as incompetent rulers who only cared about rebellion?

If he didn't still have the Heavenly Guards and command of a small part of the army, Xiao Ling would have believed that the Chu family was now in power.

Xiao Ling refused, saying, "I still don't think it's appropriate. Since we have this spare money, we might as well save it for next year's spring exam..."

"Your Majesty, rest assured. As the Minister of Personnel, I have already made arrangements with the Ministry of Rites for next year's Spring Examination. I will certainly be able to select outstanding talents for Your Majesty."

Xiao Ling: “…”

At this moment, she cursed Chu Yi a thousand times in her heart.

"Mr. Chu, I am not feeling well today and cannot travel." After a long silence, she could only make another excuse.

Who knew that when Chu Yi heard it, he immediately became excited.

"So, Your Majesty is ill? I just happened to get a magical medicine recently that can strengthen your body. Your Majesty's body is worth a fortune, so why not take this magical medicine? I guarantee that the medicine will cure all diseases immediately..."

As he spoke, he took out a small porcelain bottle from his arms as if by magic.

With a slight movement, a red pill rolled out of the bottle.

Looking at the red pill in Chu Yi's hand, Xiao Ling's breathing stagnated for a moment.

If her memory was correct, when she was very young, on the day before her grandfather passed away, the imperial physician seemed to have presented her with a red pill...

Looking at the red pill in Chu Yi's hand, that small, shiny red pill, she naturally connected the two together.

Xiao Ling felt an inexplicable chill on her back.

Chu Yi, this traitor! He definitely can't give me any good magic medicine.

Even if this red pill is not poison, it can definitely affect people's minds.

If I really ate it...

Just thinking about it makes me feel hopeless.

Chu Yi's every move was very polite. He carefully handed over the magic medicine in his hand: "Your Majesty, I guarantee with my life that this is a magic medicine..."

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