"Prime Minister, a country has its own laws and a family has its own rules. Although I am the queen of a country, I receive a monthly salary and I don't have much money."
"The money involved in the alleged corruption has been confiscated. Didn't the soldiers' food and winter clothing also come from this money?"
After Su Lijin finished speaking, she secretly turned her gaze to Wei Shu.
"The reason Concubine Shu can afford such an exquisite gift is naturally because she has a good family that can secretly send her money to spend. I can't compare with that."
As she spoke, she sat back down on the chair and spoke lightly.
"The Prime Minister is now so supportive of Concubine Shu, or is there some kind of deal between you and Concubine Shu, where you want to pull me down and have her take my place?"
"Me!" The Prime Minister's face changed. He never expected that Su Lijin would dare to say these words in front of so many people.
"If we're talking about corruption, then the Prime Minister is truly formidable. People outside say you're an honest official, but even the jade ring on your hand is something I've never seen before. I'm afraid it's worth a lot of silver, right?"
"I wonder how many red agates I can exchange for this jade ring."
Her words tied the prime minister and the concubine tightly together. While the prime minister was corrupt, it also showed that there must be a connection between the prime minister and the concubine.
The prime minister was shocked and quickly stood up and knelt on the ground to explain.
"Your Majesty is wise and wise. I have absolutely no record of corruption, and I have never even seen the Empress Shufei. This is completely untrue, Your Majesty!"
This farce had been going on for quite some time, and Xiao Shengxing had no intention of delving into the matter of corruption.
However, I didn't expect that Su Lijin handled the matter so well. She spoke a few sharp words and didn't let me feel wronged at all.
That's enough.
Thinking of this, Xiao Shengxing waved his hand slightly: "Alright, Prime Minister, please stand up. Today is the Queen Mother's birthday banquet. We can discuss other matters later."
Xiao Zhaolin, who was sitting below, suddenly said to the guards beside him, "Go and bring the things up."
The young eunuch agreed and then turned and left.
Not long after, a statue of armor that shone coldly in the moonlight was carried up.
This exquisite armor looks like it must have been carefully crafted and must have taken a lot of effort.
"This is armor that a general looted while on the march. I like it very much and want to give it to the Queen Mother."
The Queen Mother looked at the armor and a helpless smile appeared on her face.
"Your Majesty is such a joke. How could I possibly use this armor? However, I think it would be a very suitable gift for the Emperor."
The Queen Mother then addressed the eunuchs below, "Go, take it to the Emperor and I'll see if it fits. If it doesn't, I can have it altered."
Upon hearing this, the eunuch came to Xiao Shengxing carrying the armor.
Since the Queen Mother had already said so, Xiao Shengxing couldn't refuse, so he simply stood up and prepared to give it a try.
There's something wrong with this armor!
Before Xiao Shengxing could stand up, Su Lijin reached out and grasped the wrist of the man next to her.
Xiao Shengxing was interrupted and looked at Su Lijin with some confusion.
"What's wrong, aunt?"
"Your Majesty, today is the Queen Mother's birthday banquet, so the Queen Mother should be the priority. Why did you end up being given armor?"
Su Lijin spoke with a smile, and her words were indeed impeccable.
After Xiao Shengxing came to his senses, he also realized his mistake.
Xiao Zhaolin also spoke quickly as if he suddenly understood.
"Your Majesty is right. It was I who was careless. Go and bring up the jade Buddha I found a few days ago."
The eunuch did not dare to delay and quickly turned around and left.
Not long after, a jade Buddha was carried up.
The exquisite jade Buddha was presented to the Queen Mother, and people couldn't help but like it when they saw it.
The empress dowager spoke to Xiao Zhaolin with an irrepressible smile on her face.
"Zhao Lin is so thoughtful. I really like this birthday gift!"
There was harmony at the banquet, but only Su Lijin had her eyes fixed on the armor that had not been taken off.
The smell coming from the armor clearly showed that it had been poisoned.
If Xiao Shengxing had really put it on just now, who knows what would have happened.
Fortunately, it was stopped in time and did not arouse anyone's suspicion.
The storm seemed to have subsided, but just as the banquet was about to come to an end.
A eunuch hurried to Su Lijin's side.
She leaned over and lowered her voice in panic, speaking into Su Lijin's ear.
"Empress, this is terrible! The maid in the kitchen accidentally put peanuts in the dish that the Empress Dowager just served. What should we do?"
Hearing this, Su Lijin raised her eyes and fixed her gaze on the dishes that had just been placed on the empress dowager's table.
She didn't say anything, but pursed her lips as if she was thinking of a solution.
I heard that since she was young, the Empress Dowager would turn red all over and become extremely itchy whenever she ate peanuts.
There was even one time when he almost suffocated to death after accidentally eating a dish made with peanuts.
From then on, there was such a rule in the palace.
No peanuts are allowed in the Empress Dowager's diet.
If this were really eaten, everyone in the kitchen would die today.
Even I myself could not escape punishment.
In addition to the matter of Concubine Xi, if any deviation occurs at this time, he will instantly become the target of public criticism.
At this moment, the Queen Mother picked up her chopsticks to eat the dish in front of her.
Su Lijin didn't have time to think about it, and subconsciously stood up and said, "Mother!"
The Queen Mother paused and frowned, unhappy that someone had interrupted her.
What's more, that person is Su Lijin.
But now we are at a banquet after all, with so many people around. If I don’t be patient, I’m afraid people will criticize me.
Thinking of this, she could only speak patiently and doubtfully.
"Queen, what's wrong?"
"Mother, I wanted to offer you a glass of wine. Today is your birthday banquet, but the banquet I arranged did not please you. It is my fault."
Su Lijin continued, "So, this cup of wine from me is like an apology to the Queen Mother!"
After saying that, Su Lijin tilted her head back and drank all the wine in the glass.
Even Xiao Shengxing couldn't help but feel puzzled by this action.
After all, he knew very well that Su Lijin was not good at drinking.
Su Lijin has already said this much, the Queen Mother has to drink it even if she doesn't want to.
She patiently drank the wine in the glass.
I originally thought that this matter was over.
Who knew that just as he put down his wine glass, Su Lijin's voice came again.
"Mother, I see that the dish in front of you is very exquisite. Mother, please be kind to me and exchange it with me. I want to try it. If you like it, you can ask the imperial kitchen to make it for me in the future."
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
