Chapter 196: She is a blessing to the Queen Mother and the Ji family

"emperor?"

The Queen Mother was surprised to see Emperor Wu Su also stand up.

After the morning court session, Emperor Wu Su appeared in the Cining Palace. Wasn't it to talk to her about Ji Bolian's case?

Why did he have to leave too after Concubine Wei and the other concubines left?

Now, the empress dowager was unsure what the emperor was here for.

The Queen Mother could not sit still any longer, so she stood up and spoke anxiously, "Your Majesty, is there anything else that brought you here?"

Old Madam Ji and Mrs. Qiao also looked at the emperor in the palace eagerly, hoping to learn news about Ji's father from him.

But he did not dare to ask about the affairs of the court, and felt uneasy.

Emperor Wu Su stood with his hands behind his back, as if he was in no hurry to leave, but he did not speak either.

No one in the hall spoke for a while.

Ji Qingwu said softly, "Your Majesty has worked hard these days. The snacks in the Queen Mother's palace are delicious. Your Majesty, why don't you try some before you leave?"

The Queen Mother glared at Ji Qingwu. Why was she still talking about tea and snacks when she was worried about her father's safety?

I was just about to reprimand you.

Then he heard the emperor next to him say in a clear voice: "Okay."

The emperor cleared his throat and sat down again.

The Queen Mother and others were even more confused about the Emperor's intentions.

Ji Qingwu's bright eyes turned. She was the only one among all the people in the hall who could guess some of the emperor's thoughts.

Emperor Wu Su's eyes fell on the white porcelain plate in front of her and said, "I think the cake that Miss Ji just ate is quite good."

Ji Qingwu's eyes lit up and he said, "The crab roe is rich and filling, and the crispy skin is sweet and not greasy. When you take a bite, the skin is crispy and the filling is soft. Your Majesty, please try it."

No matter why the emperor stayed, it was always a good thing.

The Queen Mother said, "Fanghua, go and prepare a new dish of the snack that Qingwu ate."

Fanghua said: "Reporting to the Emperor and the Empress Dowager, there is only this plate of cakes left."

The Queen Mother frowned and asked, "What kind of cake is this? Did the small kitchen only make this one?"

Fanghua replied respectfully: "Empress Dowager, this is the crab roe cake that the imperial kitchen made this morning."

No wonder there was only one serving. The meals prepared by the imperial kitchen were sent to each palace in fixed quantities.

The Queen Mother asked in confusion, "There was this dessert on the table this morning? How come I didn't see it?"

Fanghua paused and said calmly, "The Queen Mother was worried, so the plate of snacks was placed far away, so she might not have seen it."

Ji Qingwu looked at the crab roe pastry in front of her. She remembered that when the pastry was placed next to her, it was still warm, and it must have been just out of the pot not long ago.

She had just used the snacks as an excuse to persuade the emperor to stay.

Because of the look Emperor Wu Su gave her, she knew in her heart that he was waiting for her to speak.

It just so happened that she also wanted to hear Emperor Wu Su talk about Ji's father's case in person so that Qiao could feel at ease.

Li Yuzong hurriedly said, "Miss Ji, why don't you hand over the plate of crab roe crisps."

It would be more appropriate to let the palace maids do this, but since the Emperor wanted to eat, she ate a lot of the only plate of snacks.

Ji Qingwu held the white porcelain plate in both hands and walked towards the front of the hall with a solemn gait.

She glanced at Emperor Wu Su who was sitting on the dragon-patterned chair, but did not dare to look at him for too long and lowered her head again.

She placed the snacks on the small table beside him, gracefully picked up the purple clay teapot, and poured a cup of tea.

Li Yuzong kept nodding behind the emperor. He was getting more and more knowledgeable.

"Your Majesty, please use some."

Ji Qingwu's voice was sweet, and to the emperor's ears, it sounded much more tempting than the snacks.

When Emperor Wu Su saw her pick up the teapot, he raised his eyebrows and the smile in his eyes became even more intense.

After she left, everyone could sense that the emperor was in a much better mood.

In a gentle tone, he said, "We are all family, so just be casual."

Old Madam Ji had been to the palace many times, but she rarely saw Emperor Wu Su so kind. Even when she was at the Yong'an Marquis' Mansion, she had never heard the emperor say such kind words.

The Queen Mother was even more stunned.

After years of scheming in the harem, her relationship with the emperor has reached freezing point.

I didn’t expect that today, when the Ji family was in trouble, I would receive the words “we are one family” from the emperor.

Regardless of whether the emperor was speaking casually or not, the queen mother was moved and responded: "Yes, the emperor is right, everyone in this room is a family."

Ji Qingwu felt that the Queen Mother's reaction was over the top.

Even though she was a stepmother, she was married to the Marquis in a formal ceremony, and they were originally a family.

Li Yuzong lowered his head, knowing who these words were addressed to.

One cannot help but sigh that the Empress Dowager and the Ji family are so lucky. They had already lost the Emperor's favor, but the Ji family had the Fifth Young Lady, so their future prosperity was still limitless.

The Queen Mother also gained confidence: "Your Majesty, since we are all family, I will not hide anything."

When talking to smart people, beating around the bush is annoying.

The Queen Mother said, "I want to ask you something. Is my eldest brother Ji Bolian okay? The old ladies came here because they heard that he was thrown into prison. The old and young in the Ji family are all worried about him."

But even though the Empress Dowager said so much, Emperor Wu Su did not say a word. He just lowered his eyes and looked at the golden crab meat cake in front of him, neither eating nor moving.

Ji Qingwu felt that he understood the emperor's heart more and more.

She spoke again, "Your Majesty, my father has been imprisoned. My family can't eat or sleep well. Please tell me something."

When Emperor Wu Su heard her say that she couldn't sleep well, a strange look flashed in his eyes.

After seeing this, Ji Qingwu pursed his lips.

He continued to plead, "Your Majesty, I heard that the dungeon is dark and damp. My father is old and his body can't stand the torture. Please have mercy on him."

Emperor Wu Su picked up the teacup, took a sip of tea, and seemed to be thinking about something.

Seeing his reaction, Ji Qingwu stood up, lifted up her skirt, and pretended to kneel.

Emperor Wu Su's throat rolled rapidly, he swallowed the tea, and said: "Lord Ji is an honest official, he was just innocently implicated in this matter."

After hearing the emperor's words, Qiao took it to heart, but since he was innocent, why hadn't he been released yet?

But she didn't dare to ask and looked at Xiaowu expectantly.

Ji Qingwu once again carried the hopes of the entire family.

She asked bluntly, "Your Majesty, since you know that my father is innocent, why don't you issue an order to release him?"

Madam Ji and Mrs. Qiao took a breath in unison.

The Queen Mother's hand, which was just about to be put down from the teacup, hit the corner of the table and she hissed in pain.

Such a bold question, and he also wants to teach the emperor how to do things.

Madam Ji said, "Your Majesty, please calm down. Qingwu spoke hastily and had absolutely no intention of disrespect. Please do not implicate Bolian because of this."

Qiao took the blame on herself and said, "Your Majesty, Qingwu has been away from Lin'an for a long time. It is because I did not teach you the rules. Please do not blame me."

Ji Qingwu looked at him steadily, not believing that such a sentence would make the emperor so angry.

After all, she had said too many offensive words.

Emperor Wu Su took into account everyone's reactions.