Jiang Cenyun felt that this was not a good way to go. First, she had not figured out how to marry Li Xiwei while keeping his official position. Second, she felt that she was still young and did not want to get married. So in the second year of Tianxiang, she simply held another beauty pageant to divert the attention of the ministers, so that they would stop staring at her and Li Xiwei and worry more about their own sons.
As luck would have it, Li Xiwei sent herself back to the palace. She was at a loss whether to laugh or cry when holding the preliminary list. She wanted to kick him out directly, but she was afraid of hurting his feelings. In the end, she turned a blind eye and let him in.
She was just pretending to choose anyone, so no one was chosen in this selection. After a month of silence, Li Xiwei returned to the court. Her colleagues were a little sad. In their eyes, Li Xiwei entered the palace with joy, but left in disgrace, having lost a lot of weight, just like a pitiful young man who couldn't get the love he wanted.
Prime Minister Li's focus seemed to shift away from government affairs. He interacted more frequently with the wives of officials, seeking their advice. The wife of the Minister of Rites told him that the emperor might be concerned about his ability and high position, and that women did not like men who were too dominant. So the next day at court, Li Xiwei made an unexpected move.
"Your servant, Li Xiwei, is too dull and unfit to be of any use. I hereby resign from the position of Left Prime Minister."
"What did you say?" Jiang Cenyun stood up from the throne. "Say it again?"
Li Xiwei repeated it again.
The ministers couldn't help but discuss the matter, and Jiang Cenyun was practically driven mad by him. She had finally managed to get him to this position against all odds, and now this man was going to destroy all her hard work?
"Li Xiwei, think it over carefully. If you resign from the position of prime minister, forget about being an official again!"
"I...have made up my mind."
"I just don't agree with you! Let's not discuss this matter."
That day, Jiang Cenyun left the court with a lot of anger. When he returned to the imperial study, he smashed a few vases. The palace servants were silent. Not long after, someone came tremblingly to report that the Left Prime Minister wanted to see him.
"not see!"
"Your Majesty is so angry." Li Xi walked in with a smile. Seeing the porcelain pieces all over the floor, he ordered the palace servants: "Clean it up quickly, otherwise what if Your Majesty gets hurt?"
"You're getting bolder and bolder. You dare to disobey my order? I just said I won't see you!"
"Then Your Majesty, please draft the decree so that I can accept it."
"Are you here to resign again?" Jiang Cenyun poked him in the chest, his eyes red. "I admire your talent and gave you the position of Prime Minister because I believed you were the most capable of helping me govern the country. Yet, you now treat my trust as a joke and resign without a second thought. Do you really think I'd be reluctant to punish you?"
"Your Majesty, please calm down. Be careful not to hurt your hands." Li Xiwei wrapped her fingers. Jiang Cenyun wanted to take them back but failed. However, as soon as she struggled, the guards in the hall immediately transformed themselves into swords and shot towards Li Xiwei.
"Which idiot?" Jiang Cenyun waved his sleeves to block the attack and said angrily, "Do you think you can hurt him?"
"I think the Left Prime Minister wants to force Your Majesty..." The guard knelt down and apologized.
"That's all." Jiang Cenyun's tone softened. "All of you, step back."
"yes."
After everyone in the hall had left, she faced Li Xiwei and said, "You don't seem like someone without sense of propriety. Tell me, what exactly is the reason for your actions today? If you really gave up your official position to enter the palace, then I'm blind to have fallen for someone as obsessed with love as you."
"It turns out that Your Majesty is also pleased with me." Li Xiwei successfully grasped the key point.
"Let's talk about business." Jiang Cenyun said unhappily.
"I just want to ask for your Majesty's cooperation..." Li Xiwei leaned close to her ear and whispered his plan.
Jiang Cenyun's expression changed from lingering anger to bewilderment, and finally to sudden realization. He stretched out his foot and gently kicked him. "You really are an old fox."
"I know what your Majesty is worried about. I also know that your Majesty is worried about the position of Left Prime Minister. If so, I will help your Majesty resolve this worry."
Word quickly spread through the palace that Li Xiwei had angered the Emperor and was under house arrest. Soon after, a story began circulating among the people, recounting the childhood love story of the Left Prime Minister and the Empress. The story depicts the Prime Minister as deeply in love, his actions dedicated to the Empress. He competed in talent shows, from poetry and painting to flute and zither playing, defeating his opponents one by one. However, he failed to capture the Empress's heart. So, the following year, he entered the palace again for the selection, this time facing challenges and criticisms from the six court officials. He handled them with composure, countering their challenges and earning their appreciation. However, the Empress still refused to grant him entry.
"Nonsense," the empress scoffed after receiving the script. "Playing the pipa is considered a test of skill? And they're trying to make things difficult for him in six rounds? Which of the palace ladies in the six rounds isn't biased towards him? Xue Fengyu praised him so much in front of me that his lips are almost covered in calluses."
The palace attendants couldn't help but laugh, and Jiang Cenyun also laughed as he flipped through the pages. "He's really good at building momentum. He's going to write about his confinement soon, right?"
The story was performed by storytellers and sung by actors, and it became more and more popular. The whole capital knew that the Left Prime Minister was infatuated with the Empress. Some people despised him for giving up his career for love, but more people felt that this was how a man should be, he only needed to be virtuous and kind, and should not make any achievements in political affairs.
Li Xiwei's former political enemies actively sought his entry into the imperial court. One day, the emperor finally relented, declaring that if a queen was necessary, it should be Li. Everyone felt a sense of relief. The common people rejoiced at the happy ending of the love story, while officials rejoiced that Li Xiwei could finally relinquish his position as Left Prime Minister, freeing themselves from the burdens of a man. Some, however, eagerly sought to curry favor with the future queen.
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