Chapter 84 084 Ke Luo Fu knew that Xiao Yu always kept his word…

After Princess Kangping lifted her mourning period, she began to frequently invite Luo Fu out. At the end of August, she even invited Luo Fu to play cards with Princess Qi and Princess Shun.

Previously, Kangping disliked Princess Qi because Princess Qi refused to give in to her. Now that Emperor Xianping is on the throne, Kangping is the eldest princess who is deeply favored by the emperor, while Princess Qi has to shrink back and behave herself. So, if Kangping calls Princess Qi over, even if she doesn't win any money from Princess Qi, just seeing Princess Qi's resentful attitude of having to endure it will make Kangping feel comfortable.

Luo Fu became much bolder. Apart from deliberately letting the eldest princess win, when it was the two princesses' turn to bet, Luo Fu would bet as much as she wanted. Anyway, neither Prince Qi nor Prince Shun was favored by Emperor Xianping, and neither of the two princesses was as favored by Empress Xie as she was. Luo Fu was not afraid that the two of them would go to anyone to speak ill of her because of their losses.

Of course, Princess Qi and Princess Shun weren't that bad at gambling. Even if they lost the Emperor's favor, they were still princesses living in luxury and wouldn't be short of money for gambling.

When Xiao Yu returned in the evening, Luo Fu happily waved her purse, which she used for playing cards, at him.

Xiao Yu loved seeing his wife smile. He weighed his purse in his hand and guessed, "Did you win more than ten taels?"

Luo Fu: "Yes, both princesses lost, only the eldest princess and I won."

Xiao Yu: "Won't they suspect that you and the Princess are deliberately setting this up?"

Luo Fu: "Princess Qi has this suspicion, but Princess Shun knows we are not those kinds of people."

Xiao Yu: "You actually dared to win Princess Qi's money? Aren't you afraid she'll whip you?"

Luo Fu glared at him.

Xiao Yu also enjoyed the sharp glares from his wife, and taking advantage of her good mood after winning money that day, he indulged in a passionate encounter with her that night.

Afterwards, Luo Fu leaned on Xiao Yu's shoulders, which were even broader and stronger than when he was in his twenties, and sighed with great enjoyment, "The years have changed so quickly. When the Princess first invited me to play cards, I felt like I was dreaming as I sat at the card table. Now, one of my card-playing friends has become the Empress, and the new card-playing friend has become the whip-wielding Princess I used to fear. I even won her money..."

Xiao Yu stroked his wife's long, flowing hair gently. He was very pleased that his wife was living a comfortable life.

"And you, what's new at the Censorate today?" After finishing her own question, Luo Fu looked up and began to inquire about Xiao Yu.

As Hongge grew older, Xiao Yu began to spend most of his time after work playing with him or introducing him to new things. If he discovered any bad habits in Hongge, such as being picky about food or crying loudly, Xiao Yu would patiently correct them. Luo Fu liked this side of Xiao Yu and didn't mind him spending a few less hours with her, since they still had plenty of time to talk or have fun in bed.

Xiao Yu thought for a moment and said, "Receiving a document impeaching a county magistrate for accepting bribes and protecting criminals is not unusual. However, I heard that the Emperor's newly appointed Secretary Chen Ruliang has arrived in the capital and has already taken up his post in the Secretariat."

Local officials hoped to be transferred to the capital, while officials in the capital hoped for promotion. Whenever there was a vacancy in the Secretariat, it would attract the attention of a group of officials in the capital. Therefore, even though the emperor personally appointed Chen Ruliang as a secretary in the Secretariat, he only needed to inform the Secretariat and the Ministry of Personnel, and the news still spread quickly throughout the civil service circles in the capital.

Luo Fu: "Is that Consort Li's uncle?"

Xiao Yu acquiesced.

Luo Fu observed his expression and poked his chest: "I heard that the Emperor and the Left Prime Minister argued fiercely over this matter, and even the Left Prime Minister couldn't persuade the Emperor to change his mind. Don't go looking for trouble and upset the Emperor."

In fact, Luo Fu, the lady of the inner quarters, was the most well-informed member of the Xiao family. She could learn about the illegal activities of officials in the capital and various localities from Xiao Yu, about the latest developments in the three major imperial guards from her father-in-law and two brothers-in-law, about the inner affairs of high-ranking officials and nobles in the capital from her sisters-in-law, about the inner affairs of a group of mid-level civil officials and the transfer of officials in the three ministries that her brother-in-law revealed to her from her sister, and she could also learn some royal secrets from the eldest princess.

The brother-in-law told his sister about the big argument between the emperor and the left prime minister, and he must have heard about it from a high-ranking official in the Ministry of Personnel.

Xiao Yu gave his wife a reassuring kiss: "Don't worry, I'm not that stupid."

Although Chen Ruliang's existing political achievements were not enough to justify his promotion, his rise from a fifth-rank prefect to a fourth-rank imperial secretary was not considered an excessively unconventional promotion. Moreover, he was the maternal uncle of Emperor Xianping's favorite concubine. It was only natural for an emperor to promote his relatives, and it was not a major mistake. Unless Emperor Xianping replaced all the important positions with his relatives, or if subsequent events proved that Chen Ruliang had committed illegal acts and Emperor Xianping still tolerated him, then it would be a sign of the emperor's unwise behavior, and his ministers would have to advise him against it.

However, if Xiao Yu were in the position of Left Chancellor, with the direct responsibility of assisting Emperor Xianping in selecting and appointing virtuous and capable officials, he would also oppose Emperor Xianping's hasty decision on the grounds that "appointing Chen Ruliang as a secretary in the Secretariat would be difficult to convince the public."

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Luo Fu originally thought that as long as Xiao Yu didn't gossip to Emperor Xianping, whether Consort Li's uncle was promoted or not would have nothing to do with her family. Unexpectedly, she soon received a palace invitation.

When the gatekeeper sent someone to inform her to go to the main courtyard to see the eunuch who delivered the invitation, Luo Fu thought it was Empress Xie who missed her. She happily went to the main courtyard, only to find out that the eunuch was actually sent by Consort Li from Yanfu Palace.

"Her Majesty said that the Second Prince and Madam's son were born in the same year and are quite destined to be together. She would like Madam to bring the son to the palace tomorrow for Her Majesty to see. I wonder if it would be convenient for Madam?"

Luo Fu thought to herself, "It's inconvenient, not convenient at all!" But on the surface, she could only respond with a flattered and excited expression. After all, Consort Li was favored, and she dared not openly refuse a concubine who could whisper sweet nothings in Emperor Xianping's ear at any time.

After the eunuch who delivered the invitation left, Luo Fu turned around and looked at her elder sister-in-law Yang Yanzhen and her second sister-in-law Li Huaiyun, who had also come out to greet the palace servants.

She looked at her eldest sister-in-law because she would need her help to come up with some ideas later. She looked at her second sister-in-law because Consort Li had handled the matter in a very unfair way. Her second sister-in-law was Consort Li's own sister. Although they were not born of the same mother, Consort Li knew that she and her second sister-in-law were sisters-in-law in the same household, but Consort Li's actions of deliberately ignoring her second sister-in-law were too cruel.

Li Huaiyun smiled at Luo Fu. She was eleven years younger than her stepsister. When she got married, her stepsister was still a child. They weren't close to each other, so there was no question of her getting hurt.

"Come on, your mother will take care of you." Madam Deng snorted towards the door and pulled her second daughter-in-law away, showing a strong sense of protectiveness.

Luo Fu went to Jishantang with her sister-in-law.

After dismissing the servants, Luo Fu whispered, "I don't believe Consort Li doesn't know that I'm on good terms with the Empress. Is she trying to embarrass the Empress by using us, mother and son, or is she deliberately showing favor to Xiao Yu because the Emperor has been kind to him these past few years?"

The Left Prime Minister had completely offended Consort Li, which is why Luo Fu dared to express her dislike for Consort Li in front of her sister-in-law.

Yang Yanzhen: "It's possible that it's a combination of both. After the mourning period, the Empress had not yet summoned the ladies of the court, but Consort Li wanted to summon them first. Either she was simply inconsiderate, or she was deliberately showing off her favor with the Emperor."

Luo Fu gritted her teeth: "If she wants to show off, let her. Why is she causing me trouble?"

Yang Yanzhen squeezed his sister-in-law's hand and said, "You will definitely have to go to the palace. If you go directly to Yanfu Palace, you will be disrespecting the Empress. If you go to the Empress's palace first to pay your respects, even if you say a lot of nice things to Consort Li when you get to Yanfu Palace, she may not be willing to give you a good look, and may even make things difficult for you."

Luo Fu naturally chose Empress Xie. Besides the fact that the two had developed some affection for each other through playing cards, and besides the fact that the Empress's rank was higher than that of the concubines, Luo Fu also liked Empress Xie's gentle and kind nature. Consort Li, who was mean even to her harmless older sister, would definitely look down on Luo Fu, who came from a humble background and was an official's wife.

Despite her selfish motives, Luo Fu still asked, "Is there a rule that I, as a woman of noble birth, must first pay my respects to the Empress when summoned to the palace by a concubine?"

Yang Yanzhen: "Of course there are, but if the Empress doesn't mind, and the concubines are favored, it's fine for the ladies of the court not to follow these rules."

Just like how Empress Dowager Gao treated the wives of her ministers, she was always very kind and did not place much importance on formalities.

Luo Fu smiled: "It's good that there are rules. I'll follow the rules. There's never anything wrong with following the rules."

When Xiao Yu learned of Consort Li's actions in the evening, his brows immediately furrowed, worried that his wife might be wronged in the power struggle among the concubines.

Since there was nothing she could avoid, Luo Fu decided not to worry about it and instead comforted him: "Don't worry, unless she whips me, I'll just pretend I didn't hear her scolding me."

Xiao Yu said coldly, "If she really makes a move, I..."

Luo Fu interrupted him with a laugh: "You're going to impeach her? But her husband is the emperor. What if the emperor protects his woman and throws you in jail?"

Xiao Yu: "I have no choice, but if the emperor really does this, he is destined to be infamous in history books for ten thousand years."

Luo Fu: "Not all emperors care about their reputation, otherwise where would so many incompetent rulers come from?"

Xiao Yu: "The Emperor may not care, but I must seek justice for my wife. How he deals with her is his business, whether I seek justice or not is mine."

It might seem foolish to use impeachment to confront an emperor who rules the entire country, but Luo Fu's eyes still welled up with tears at those words.

The entire capital knew that the Marquis of Zhongyi's mansion had a censor named Xiao Yu who dared to ask the late emperor to depose the crown prince for the sake of the disaster victims in the four prefectures. Luo Fu had long seen through Xiao Yu's heart of loving the people and daring to risk his life to speak out for the sake of the people.

But Xiao Yu just told her personally that he would do the same thing for her, his only wife.

Men's promises are not to be trusted, especially those made in bed, but Luo Fu knew that Xiao Yu always kept his word.

.

The next morning, Luo Fu personally pushed the worried Xiao Yu out of Shensi Hall and told him to go and do his job. After Xiao Yu left, she and Hong Ge'er slowly started packing up.

Hongge'er: "Where is Mother taking me?"

Luo Fu laughed and said, "The palace is the emperor's home, and it is also the most magnificent and imposing mansion in the whole world. Our family is just a small marquis's mansion, and there are many rules. The palace has even more rules. When you get there, you must listen to your mother and behave as politely as your father. Can Man'er do that?"

Hongge puffed out his little chest: "Yes."

Luo Fu rewarded the little guy with a kiss on the top of his head, and then told him about the order in which the mother and son paid their respects to the nobles after entering the palace, explaining what the empress, concubines, princesses and princes were, including the imperial guards, eunuchs and palace maids commonly seen inside and outside the imperial city.

Hongge'er sat in his mother's lap, listening intently. Since Luo Fu hadn't emphasized that making mistakes in the palace would be punished, Hongge'er simply treated the trip to the palace as a special visit, and was fearless.

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Author's note: Don't worry, everyone. Apart from Xiao Yu going to jail or suffering some hardships on his way to being demoted, neither of the couple will encounter the kind of plot where they are bullied at will. Instead, they will be protected by their righteousness and often choke others!

100 little red envelopes, see you tomorrow~