Hearing Tang Huan's seemingly amused voice, Liu Danqing's face immediately darkened.

He no longer had the high spirits he had when he first arrived.

Seeing all the workers ignoring the Ministry of Works officials and picking up their tools to get back to work, Liu Danqing felt even more choked up.

"I don't believe it!"

Liu Danqing retorted, "I don't believe Her Majesty would suddenly agree to your reckless behavior in the Southern District. I am the Minister of Works, and she would never allow you to bypass me to do such a thing."

Tang Huan smiled after hearing this, "Lord Liu, you are indeed the Minister of Works, but why can't His Majesty bypass you? You should think about it carefully. Have you satisfied His Majesty over the years? After all, it is His Majesty's decision to appoint whoever is the Minister of Works."

Liu Danqing paused, gritted her teeth, and remained silent.

He glanced at the workers in front of him, then waved his sleeve forcefully and said, "Let's go."

The workers from the Ministry of Works followed Liu Danqing away with their heads hanging low.

Before they had gone far, they heard a burst of laughter and mockery behind them.

"What Ministry of Works? They're no match for the Poet Immortal. I thought they were so powerful, but now they have to slink away with their tails between their legs."

"That's right, that's right. The Poet Immortal is really impressive. But what he said is so true. It's His Majesty who decides who becomes the Minister of Works. Perhaps the Poet Immortal would be a better candidate."

Liu Danqing vaguely heard those words, and her face turned pale and then purple.

He couldn't help but wonder, did His Majesty really intend to replace him?

In the past year, His Majesty has indeed not been very fond of me.

Among the six ministries, the Ministry of Works gradually became one of the two with the lowest status.

Among the ministers, he was also a relatively low-profile figure.

"My lord, His Majesty could not have really approved Tang Huan's construction in the southern district, could he? Our Ministry of Works has not received any news."

Someone walked up to Liu Danqing and asked with a question in their eyes.

Seeing that Liu Danqing did not answer, the man continued to remind him, "Sir, I think you should go to the palace to find out His Majesty's opinion. Otherwise, if today's events get out, our Ministry of Works will become a laughing stock."

Liu Danqing snapped, "Shut up!"

The Ministry of Works staff trembled with fear, and the man who had spoken earlier dared not utter a sound.

Liu Danqing remained silent, walking faster and faster until he finally shook off his subordinates and headed towards the palace alone.

Inside the Imperial Study, Liu Danqing met Empress Wu Lanxi.

He knelt there for a good half hour, and the Empress kept looking at the memorial in front of her without looking up at him.

Lin Wan'er glanced at him a few times, but ultimately said nothing.

Liu Dan was already getting on in years, and her knees were starting to give out, so she had no choice but to bite the bullet and speak.

"Your Majesty, Tang Huan has been leading a large group of people to carry out construction in the southern district without any reason, treating our Ministry of Works as nothing. I urge Your Majesty to punish Tang Huan severely."

"Ah, Lord Liu, when did you arrive?"

Wu Lanxi raised her head slightly, looking surprised.

She then said, "Wan'er, please offer the master a seat."

Lin Wan'er took a small stool and placed it in front of Liu Danqing.

Liu Danqing stood up, rubbed her knees to relieve the pain.

Just as he was about to sit down, he suddenly heard Wu Lanxi say, "You mean Tang Huan's matter? He did tell me about it. After all, it's for the benefit of the people in the Southern District, and he's even willing to pay out of his own pocket. I have no reason to refuse, right?"

Liu Danqing was hunched over, her buttocks only a few centimeters away from the small stool.

But in the end, he had no choice but to stand up and couldn't sit down.

Indeed, Tang Huan was right; His Majesty had already given his approval for this matter.

But His Majesty did not notify the Ministry of Works.

Liu Danqing was somewhat skeptical and said with a wry smile, "So that's how it is. Since it's for the people, His Majesty should have informed the Ministry of Works so we could help Lord Tang and avoid this misunderstanding."

"Yeah?"

Wu Lanxi snorted coldly.

"But I remember that when the Southern District was mentioned several times before, Lord Liu kept complaining to me that the matter there was a big problem that could not be solved in a short time. Since Lord Liu can't solve it, then it's okay to hand it over to Tang Huan, right? Does Lord Liu have any objections?"

Faced with the Empress's question, Liu Danqing dared not utter a rebuttal.

He could sense the Empress's dissatisfaction with him in her words.

Sure enough, it was because of his previous refusals that the Empress lost heart towards him, which led to today's situation.

Liu Danqing's heart sank to its very core.

Liu Danqing could no longer hear what the Empress said afterward. He stood there in a daze until Lin Wan'er urged him several times, indicating that he could leave, before he finally walked out of the imperial study.

As soon as she arrived at the door, someone came forward to help Liu Danqing.

“Eunuch Li?” Liu Danqing recognized the person in front of him as the Grand Eunuch Li Lianying.

Li Lianying said with a serious expression, "Lord Liu, what's wrong? Are you sick? You look very pale."

Liu Danqing waved her hand gently, "It's alright, I'm just a little tired."

"Then I will escort Lord Liu out of the palace."

"No need, thank you for your trouble, Eunuch Li. I'll go by myself."

Liu Danqing left the palace silently. He did not return to his own residence, nor did he go to the Ministry of Works. Instead, he went directly to the Prime Minister's residence.

When Liu Danqing arrived at the Prime Minister's residence again, the officials who had been there before were no longer there. Cui Renshi once again received him in the study.

"Prime Minister".

Looking at Liu Danqing's dejected appearance, Cui Renshi guessed what was going on.

"It seems things aren't going too well."

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