Upon hearing this, Grand Secretary Liu was immediately overwhelmed with excitement, saying, "This old minister is willing to share Your Majesty's burdens."

When the snipe and the clam fight, the fisherman benefits!

Grand Secretary Liu was secretly delighted.

He knew he wasn't qualified enough to compete with the two people ahead of him, and he had already given up hope.

I spoke up instinctively because I didn't want to appear too weak.

But unexpectedly, things took a turn for the better!

After going around in circles, this great job still ended up in his hands.

Not to be outdone, Qi Yong immediately spoke up, "Your Majesty, this servant is also willing."

Ji Xuan paused for a moment.

His gaze swept back and forth between the two men, occasionally landing on Elder An and Elder Zhong standing to the side, before he finally made a decision.

"I'll trouble you with this matter, Minister Liu!"

"Thank you for your grace, Your Majesty." Grand Secretary Liu quickly expressed his gratitude.

The other two beside him also breathed a sigh of relief, exchanged a glance, and then left the imperial study in unison.

"Your Majesty," Qi Yong said, puzzled, "why send Grand Secretary Liu? Those three old geezers are in cahoots; who knows what kind of evil they're plotting."

Upon hearing this, Ji Xuan sighed softly, "It is indeed inappropriate for you to go. Regardless of whether the title of 'banished immortal' is true or false, if you are going to bestow it, you must show the corresponding attitude, instead of just going through the motions."

Which of these people in the imperial court isn't a shrewd and calculating individual?

If one realizes that one is not devout enough, all sorts of troubles will inevitably arise.

Upon hearing this, Qi Yong fell silent for a moment.

They eventually fell silent.

Who told him he wasn't a man!

The whole world looks down on her, and even if the Lady Protector of the Nation doesn't care about these things, it's useless; she can't silence the gossip.

Just then, An Yi suddenly appeared.

"Master, An San has sent a message."

"Hmm? Has something come up, Lady Protector of the Nation?"

"No, he said he was sent to escort thousands of orphans and had to leave for a while, so he asked His Majesty to send someone else to protect them."

"The last surviving member of the Qian family?" Ji Xuan looked up. "Meiyu is leaving the Qian family? Where is she going?"

“In the ancestral land of the Qian family, An San said that Miss Qian was preparing to guard the graves of her parents and clansmen.”

Upon hearing this, Ji Xuan fell silent.

After a long silence, he spoke softly, "It is I who have wronged the Qian family. I have sent a few people to take care of her."

After speaking, he leaned back on the dragon throne and closed his eyes to rest.

He never expected Meiyu to make this decision.

He knew that Meiyu would eventually accept her fate, because she had no other choice; if she persisted, it was only a matter of time.

He had thought about Meiyu's future plans.

Find a wealthy and leisurely family, and you'll never have to worry about food or clothing again.

He also considered bestowing a county princess title as compensation.

He even took her as a concubine, protecting her under his wing and giving her a glimmer of hope.

After returning to the palace, he waited.

Waiting for this stubborn and beautiful woman to give in.

result……

Perhaps it was because he had seen too much of the world that his mind was too dark.

Rubbing her forehead, Ji Xuan suddenly felt a little irritated.

It's as if there's a mirror reflecting a person's repulsive face.

Seeing this, Qi Yong gently comforted her, "Your Majesty, this servant will have people take good care of Meiyu. Whether it's food, drink, clothing, or daily necessities, she will not be mistreated. Please don't worry."

Qi Yong was also quite surprised.

When he first met Meiyu, her eyes were filled with naked ambition and desire, just like the concubines climbing the ranks in the harem.

After investigating, they learned that she had been involved in prostitution and continued to appear in public even after being redeemed, which made them feel somewhat contemptuous of her.

When he left, he was worried that Meiyu would take the opportunity to curry favor with the emperor, but she did not.

He even suspected that this woman was scheming and deliberately put on this act to win his master's favor.

Only then did I realize that I seemed to have... made a mistake.

Suddenly, Qi Yong felt a strange sense of guilt.

"Yes, have someone take good care of her."

"This servant understands."

In contrast to the silence in the Imperial Study, the atmosphere on the side of the three Grand Secretaries was somewhat strange.

Grand Secretary An's gaze fell on Grand Secretary Liu, who was beaming with joy, while his face remained somber.

Grand Secretary Zhong's face was as long as a loofah, and he looked at Grand Secretary Liu with some annoyance.

Finally, he let out a cold snort and vented his anger, "This eunuch is a traitor to the emperor; if he is not killed, he will become a scourge to the Great Zhou."

Grand Secretary An ignored him.

If complaining were useful, Qi Yong's coffin would have rotted away long ago; he wouldn't have been able to move around and jump around for over a decade.

He also disliked this arrogant eunuch, but there was nothing he could do; the emperor protected him, and he couldn't do anything about it.

One pretended to be deaf and dumb and remained silent.

Someone who was laughing foolishly and insanely, for reasons unknown.

Grand Secretary Zhong was very unhappy.

"Brother An, Brother Liu, aren't you angry?"

"angry!"

The two answered in unison, and then continued to immerse themselves in their own thoughts.

Seeing this, Grand Secretary Zhong felt a lump in his throat. "Can you be serious?"

Grand Secretary An ignored him and instead turned to Grand Secretary Liu, speaking earnestly, "On this mission to deliver the imperial decree, we must thoroughly investigate the background of this Lady Protector of the Nation. If she proves to be unreliable, we must make plans as soon as possible."

"Don't worry, Grand Secretary An, I know what's important."

"Know nothing," Grand Secretary Zhong couldn't help but swear. "Ever since you snatched this job, you've been grinning from ear to ear, and you don't seem to care about what I'm saying at all."

"That is not true. I have my own plans."

"Oh? What are your plans?" Grand Secretary Zhong scoffed. "You don't actually believe in such nonsense as being a banished immortal, do you?"

"It's better to believe it exists than to believe it doesn't."

Upon hearing this, Grand Secretary An became serious. “Things about ghosts and gods have always been mere speculation. Don’t go astray.”

He began to doubt whether he had made a mistake.

Could Liu An really test the depth of the Protector of the Nation's abilities?

Thinking about his usual behavior, I forcibly suppressed the thought and comforted myself that it wouldn't happen.

However, in his heart, he planned to send another trusted confidant along.

“What Elder An says is true.”

Despite saying that, Grand Secretary Liu had no intention of changing his mind, clearly disregarding what the two men had said.

Upon seeing this, An and Zhong immediately became wary.

The reason they brought up a whole bunch of high-sounding banners to prevent Qi Yong from going was because they were afraid that this eunuch would deliberately grovel before the emperor, trying to curry favor with the supposedly illustrious immortal.

But now...

“Liu An,” Grand Secretary An warned, “the talk of ghosts and gods is not to be believed. As a Grand Secretary of the Great Zhou Dynasty, you bear heavy responsibilities. No matter what you think, you must show the proper attitude.”

"Your subordinate obeys."

"I'll send someone else to follow you. You'd better watch yourself!"

After saying that, he left with his hands behind his back.

Seeing this, Grand Secretary Zhong sneered, "You'd better watch yourself!"

Grand Secretary Liu couldn't help but shake his head and murmur softly, "The talk of ghosts and gods is unbelievable, but their methods are extraordinary. Am I stupid, or have you been blinded by your arrogance?"

As he spoke, he couldn't help but curl the corners of his mouth, "Just wait, you'll regret this sooner or later."

After saying that, he left, humming a little tune with ease.

Now that he had this opportunity, he couldn't waste it; he needed to go back and prepare a gift for the meeting!

Jiang Nuan, living deep in the mountains, was completely unaware of what was happening in the capital and had no idea of ​​the great upheaval she had stirred up.

It was indeed cool up on the mountain; you couldn't feel the summer heat at all.

The villa is very comfortable to stay in, quiet and filled with a faint fragrance of flowers.

The newly transplanted red plum blossoms exude a captivating, cool fragrance.