Let go of the Prime Minister's status and start anew with Su Qingli
The dark face of Minister Qi finally softened a little. Some truths would hurt his reputation, and he was too old to bear the truth being exposed by his grandchildren.
The Emperor is the Son of Heaven. If these words were to reach His Majesty's ears, He would be furious. Minister Qi was even more afraid that his granddaughter would lose the Emperor's favor. "Changle, it's fine if you say it in front of your grandfather, but don't mention it in front of His Majesty!"
"Grandfather, please forgive me. I understand your concerns."
The current emperor is determined to have his own way, and Fu Xuechen, who supported him to the throne, can no longer be persuaded. Princess Changle also opposes extravagance and waste, but she did not mention the dual constraints of identity and gender in front of the emperor.
At this time, the Princess Palace was also discussing the emperor's extravagant spending and his refusal to listen to honest advice. "Master Prime Minister, the emperor is increasingly wary of you. You are closely related to the Qi family, and you are not getting along well with the General's Mansion. I heard that Concubine Xie is right, and the Xie family is just watching from the sidelines."
Concubine Xie was not favored by the emperor. Due to the prestige of the general's mansion, the emperor intended to win over General Xie and his son. On the second day after he took office, he mentioned General Xie's sister in the court to test the emperor.
At the same time, Xie Linyuan, who was far away at the border, stated that he wanted to return to Beijing. He had just received a letter from his beloved son who insisted on returning to Beijing. The emperor's call made General Xie feel uneasy, so he took the initiative to show goodwill and sent the unmarried Concubine Xie into the deep palace.
This strategy was proposed by Fu Xuechen. The Xie family is a century-old family of military generals, and defending the country is inseparable from the bloody battles of military generals.
"It's not easy for the General's Mansion to sit on the sidelines. Young General Xie is very adept on the battlefield, but he seems immature and inadequate in the court. However, General Xie is a thoughtful person."
Fu Xuechen sat opposite the eldest princess, his sharp edge undiminished. Now that he was in a high position and had great power, he no longer had to be as humble as he had been when he was lurking in the Marquis' Mansion.
The princess nodded silently. Although she and Xie Xiaojun were both invincible generals and were related by father and son, General Xie should not be underestimated. "General Xie is a veteran of two dynasties. He is well versed in the intrigues and deceptions of the court and the principle that serving the emperor is like serving a tiger."
"Your Majesty is lazy and disdains work. A culture of arrogance and extravagance is prevalent in the Imperial Palace. General Xie has spent many years on the march and should be dissatisfied with your Majesty's extravagant waste. The soldiers at the border have been stationed in the bitter cold for ten years. Contrasting this with your Majesty's behavior, he wouldn't necessarily stand idly by."
Fu Xuechen had his own opinions. He had investigated the background and resume of all the ministers in the court.
How could he not conduct a more thorough investigation of General Xie, such an indispensable figure in the court? Concubine Xie was a lesser person, as she might not be able to shake General Xie's character.
"Your Excellency, the Prime Minister's analysis is reasonable, but General Xie may not stand on my side. Most men cannot tolerate a woman seeking to seize the throne. Moreover, men in our dynasty have always been superior to women and are accustomed to making decisions for women."
The secular concept of male superiority and female inferiority has been subtly ingrained into the princess's bones. The eldest princess has to go through great difficulties to seize the throne, even though the emperor is despised by the people and disliked by the officials in the court.
"Your Highness, please do not worry. Your Majesty has been living off his wealth and has become a target of public criticism. He only has one son, who is still young and cannot shoulder the heavy responsibility. If you can demonstrate your extraordinary responsibility and win the hearts of the people, even if this support only consists of women, it will help you ascend to the throne!"
Fu Xuechen stopped there and said that the prince born by Queen Qi was nothing to be afraid of, as everything depended on human effort.
The eldest princess is a person of wisdom, "All men in the world come from their mothers, and they also have wives and daughters. The power of women should not be underestimated."
As usual, the two discussed how to deal with the Qi family, which sided with the emperor. Fu Xuechen originally wanted to use Qi Jinqian to make an example of him, but he was too deeply bound to Su Qingli to do so.
He was imprisoned in the Ministry of Personnel's prison as a warning to others.
Su Qingli was deceived and jumped into a trap and fell into the Qi Mansion, where she foolishly became Qi Jinqian's hostage.
Queen Qi was still keeping a close eye on the two's movements, and even had people spread rumors in the palace.
"Your Majesty, everyone is saying that Her Royal Highness the Princess and the Prime Minister are in bed together before they are officially married. This is against the rules."
The emperor had no objection to the love between the two men and women who were in love. It was a great thing that the two of them were finally together. Instead, he was delighted. "I will discuss this matter with the Prime Minister and urge them to get married as soon as possible. You go and convey my order to shut up those chattering servants in the palace. Anyone who dares to disobey the imperial order will be expelled from the palace as a warning to others."
He had been quieter in the past two days, and few people jumped out to criticize him. He privately believed that if he married the eldest princess to Fu Xuechen, everything would be fine for him, and he could secure the throne by winning over his son-in-law.
Little did he know that Fu Xuechen regarded him as an abandoned child, and the eldest princess even had the ambition to kill her father and seize the throne.
The eldest princess sacrificed her so-called reputation just to dethrone the emperor so that she could become king herself. No one could have expected that a gentle and virtuous woman would have such lofty ambitions.
"Changle, your father has never been so partial to the eldest princess. I don't know what's wrong with him, but he's so afraid of a mere Prime Minister. No wonder he ignored my repeated requests to rescue Jin Qian, making countless excuses."
Queen Qi was extremely resentful and angry. Because the eldest princess was with Fu Xuechen, the emperor gave half of his love for her daughter to the eldest princess.
Not only did she strictly forbid her people from slandering the eldest princess, she also rewarded her with rare treasures. Queen Qi lost more than she gained.
Princess Changle smiled and patiently consoled her calmly, "Don't worry, mother. Our Qi family is also an important official in the court. You not only have me, but also your younger brother. When father passes away, the throne will belong to your younger brother."
Upon hearing this, Empress Qi calmed down a bit, a smile on her face. "Fortunately, Your Majesty treats me well and only cares about me, so there are few children. Your father is devoted to me and never visits Noble Concubine Xie's Yibao Palace. Noble Concubine Xie is still being neglected."
Speaking of this matter, Queen Qi couldn't help but secretly brag about being able to firmly grasp the emperor's heart and prevent the concubines in the harem from interfering.
Thanks to her pregnancy, the new emperor had a son and a daughter before he ascended the throne, and he put her first.
The people commissioned by Fu Xuechen have not yet found out Qi Yueqiao's true life experience. He is worried about her. Every time he doesn't see Su Qingli for a day, it feels like three years have passed. Whenever he thinks of her being with Qi Jinqian, a wolf with evil intentions, he wants to take her back to his side.
But there was no place for him in Su Qingli's heart. As soon as he wrote her the divorce letter, she resolutely turned around and left him, throwing herself into the arms of a man she had just met and becoming someone else's bride.
The pain in his heart spread, and Fu Xuechen covered his chest with his hands. Suddenly, an idea flashed in his mind, and a plan to win back Su Qingli was about to emerge.
Qi Jinqian was able to deceive and bribe Su Qingli, so he might as well put aside his position as Prime Minister and use his own resourcefulness to start over with Su Qingli and destroy Qi Jinqian's conspiracy.
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