Ling Shumo looked at the emperor. She had just called out "Queen Mother" when she was interrupted by the emperor, "Don't even think about pleading for mercy for the Pei family. I only want them to have their property confiscated and exiled, not to punish their entire clan. This is because Pei Jiusheng took the initiative to save you by shedding his heart's blood."
The Queen glanced at her distraught daughter and couldn't help but say, "Pei Jiusheng won't live much longer. Your Majesty, there's no need to be so anxious to depose him. Once he dies, the position of Shu Mo Zhengfu will also be vacant. Your Majesty has also witnessed the toxic effects of Tianxian Baigu Powder. This was all forced upon him by the Ministry of Personnel... the former Minister of Personnel. Ultimately, he is also a victim."
The emperor, however, directed his wrath directly at the empress. "How dare you plead for him here? Look at what you've done. Shumo's previous princess was so audacious that she dared to fabricate and insult me in the palace. You carefully selected Pei Jiusheng as your second wife. And what happened? He turned out to be a short-lived sickly child. He can't even have children. What's the point of Shumo marrying him? They say 'marry a virtuous husband and a beautiful maid'. He has such a demonic face, it doesn't look like he's a good guy."
The emperor was about to leave when the queen's words ignited her rage. "And that son of Lu Taifu, Lu Jinan, right? He happened to be there today, so let's destroy him together. Just one man, he actually caused my two daughters to become enemies. And because of this, Ling Shujiao even dared to send someone to assassinate me, her own mother. This kind of seducing thing should have his face slashed with a knife. I want to see how he can seduce my daughters without that face."
Ling Shumo was feeling dizzy and about to fall asleep, but suddenly she woke up when she heard the emperor want to "cut Lu Jinshu's face with a knife."
Ling Shumo knelt on the ground. She didn't dare to directly contradict the emperor, but instead compromised, "Lu Jin'an is indeed unworthy of the position of Concubine of the Crown Princess, but he did take the bullet for me after all. I think it would be better to demote him back to the rank of a third-rank virtuous monarch. It just so happens that he has a shoulder injury, and the formal ceremony of canonization as Concubine has not yet been held, nor has he moved to a new palace. Letting him remain in his original position will save a lot of complicated matters."
Ling Shumo deliberately emphasized the fact that "Lu Jinshu blocked an arrow for her." Furthermore, Lu Jinshu wasn't as guilty as Pei Jiusheng. The emperor snorted coldly, "He was lucky this time. I'll spare him for your sake. If it happens again, there's no need to demote him. Just strangle him with a white silk scarf and let him die as a token of his guilt."
Ling Shumo was about to kneel down and kowtow to the emperor to thank him, but just when she was halfway down, she was helped up by the emperor.
The emperor's voice softened for the first time today. "Shumo, you've been deeply wronged today. You don't have to perform formalities when you see me until you recover. I've had someone open my private treasury and reward you with some gold, silver, and jade to calm your nerves. The position of Minister of Personnel is now vacant, and you've been in charge of the Ministry of Personnel. When you recover, please submit a memorial to recommend a few good candidates for the new position."
It's no big deal to reward some gold, silver and jewelry.
The emperor's last sentence, asking Ling Shumo to submit a memorial to recommend a candidate for the Minister of Personnel, was a disguised tacit approval of Ling Shumo, allowing him to appoint his own person to the position of Minister of Personnel.
After Ling Shumo thanked the emperor, she looked at Pei Jiusheng with a complicated look.
The Minister of Personnel is directly in charge of the promotion, demotion, appointment, dismissal and assessment of officials across the country, which will bring great convenience to her future actions.
Just because she blocked the sword for the emperor, it would not bring such an effect. The emperor was worried about her backyard, and because of the incident like Pei Jiusheng, he increased the compensation to her.
If the whole thing today happened again, she suddenly became a little unsure whether she would choose to save Pei Jiusheng's life, or use his life to seek greater benefits in front of the emperor.
To put it more bluntly, the vast majority of love at first sight is lust at first sight.
If time could go back to the first day she met Pei Jiusheng, she would have pushed him out without hesitation. But now she and Pei Jiusheng have known each other and want to love and stay with him.
She had even thought about how to raise her and his children.
But reality threw a bucket of cold water on her. Liu Yuanshi said that Pei Jiusheng would not live for more than three months.
The Queen wanted Ling Shumo to stay in the palace to recuperate, but Ling Shumo refused.
Ling Shumo had the still unconscious Pei Jiusheng carried onto a carriage. Six carriages drove out of Donghua Gate and headed steadily towards the East Palace.
The sky was clear today, and the midday sun was particularly scorching. Shi Qi lifted the car curtain, and the sunlight stung Ling Shumo's eyes.
The attendant wanted to take Pei Jiusheng back to Linglong Palace, but was stopped by Ling Shumo, "Send the princess... Pei Jiusheng to Guangming Palace. I will take care of him personally."
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