The stern reprimand from Zhang made Chu Yi's face burn with embarrassment.
He lowered his head sharply, forced to suppress his humiliation and hatred, and pretended to be reprimanded, saying, "The Marquis of Pingyang is right. I drank too much wine and women last night and acted impulsively and recklessly!"
A perfectly flawless plan... It's all that cripple's fault!
Zhou Yue could see the gloom in his eyes, but he just frowned and sighed almost imperceptibly.
It is a misfortune for the country and its people that an emperor is so incompetent and incapable of fulfilling his duties!
"I hope Your Majesty will reflect on your actions, regain your sagacity, and put the well-being of the people first." Zhou Yue shook his head wearily and said no more.
Then he glanced at Su An discreetly.
Chu Yi's face darkened, and before Zhou Yue could speak, he gritted his teeth and ordered, "Men, take Su An back to the prison and lock him up. No one is allowed to visit him without my order."
Su An is his hostage and trump card to hold Fu Zhun hostage; he absolutely cannot let this stubborn fool take him away!
As soon as he finished speaking, Fu Hai was the first to react. He kicked a few guards and then rushed forward to pull Su An away.
"..." Su An pursed her lips, knowing that Chu Yi would not let her off easily, so she did not struggle, but nodded to Zhou Yue and gave him a grateful look.
In any case, we've survived this ordeal.
When she was taken back to the prison in disheveled clothes, Li Guihua's eyes instantly reddened upon seeing her, and she hurriedly covered her mouth to stop crying.
She glanced at the bed; the children were curled up asleep, exhausted, and hadn't woken up yet. She choked back tears as she pulled Su An to a corner.
"Xiao An, you..."
When she saw the shocking strangulation marks on Su An's neck and the tattered clothes underneath, she immediately understood what was happening and felt extremely heartbroken. "My good daughter, you've suffered so much!"
"He's the emperor, after all. Since it's happened, daughter, don't think too much about it. Don't be so stubborn in the future. Just follow His Majesty obediently, and there's hope for the future..."
Li Guihua choked up as she spoke these words, unsure whether she was trying to comfort Su An or herself.
This made Su An's heavy mood turn into a mix of laughter and tears. "Mother, what nonsense are you talking about? It's not what you're thinking."
"Huh?" Li Guihua was stunned, tears still on her face.
Su explained in a relaxed tone that the emperor was targeting Fu Zhun, and that he was just there to vent his anger.
However, it would have been better if she hadn't explained. After hearing the explanation, Li Guihua was even more alarmed and nervously grasped her hand, saying, "How can we ordinary people like us concern ourselves with the affairs of the imperial family!"
"Xiao An, listen to your mother. Don't worry about the family, and don't do anything foolish. Clear your name and get as far away from it as possible. Otherwise, if you get involved with the royal family, who knows what kind of torment you'll suffer!"
Hearing this, Su An felt a warmth in her heart. She didn't say anything, but simply squeezed her mother's hand tightly in return.
She couldn't possibly abandon her family.
And now, this is something she can't simply clear her name from.
Rather than passively waiting for an unknown fate, she might as well go with the flow and compromise with the emperor, and then go to the capital to try her luck.
Of course, in the capacity of a female official!
...
The following day, Su An was summoned and brought before the emperor again.
Before they even got close to the courtyard, they could hear Zhou Yue's solemn, almost chanting voice remonstrating: "The capital is the foundation of the nation. The people are eagerly awaiting Your Majesty's return. There must be no further delay. I urge Your Majesty to depart as soon as possible."
"During His Majesty's absence, affairs in the capital have piled up, and the transmission of government orders may have been hampered. State affairs cannot be delayed—"
In the courtyard, Chu Yi paced back and forth with a gloomy and impatient expression.
But wherever he went, Zhou Yue followed like a shadow, his admonitions driving him crazy!
When he finally saw Su An being brought up, his eyes lit up, and he immediately strode forward, venting all his anger.
"Su An! Because of you, I have been delayed for so long. Do you know what your punishment is!"
"Moreover, you are also suspected of colluding with the Northern Hu. Although there is no evidence yet, you must come back to the capital with me for a thorough investigation!"
These words, seemingly intended to inform Su An, were actually spoken in a grand manner to Zhou Yue, who was standing to the side.
This means Su An is a suspect, and he must take him away!
“Your Majesty,” Zhou Yue’s brows indeed furrowed, “matters without evidence…”
Before he could finish speaking, Su An stepped forward slightly, lowered his eyes and cupped his hands, his eyes flashing with determination as he said, "Your Majesty, I am completely innocent about colluding with the Northern Hu, and I naturally do not admit to it."
“I am willing to go to the capital with Your Majesty, but certainly not as a suspect, but as a lady-in-waiting!”
She spoke in a strong voice: "I wonder if His Majesty still holds the matter discussed in the carriage that day?"
Chu Yi, who had prepared a whole host of threatening words, suddenly stopped and looked at her in surprise.
Clearly, they hadn't expected her to suddenly compromise.
Although Zhou Yue did not understand the reason, upon hearing the words "female official," his square face straightened, and he immediately said sternly, "Nonsense! There has never been a precedent of a woman serving as an official in any dynasty. This is absolutely unacceptable!"
He glared at Su An, his eyes full of disagreement and rebuke.
If the Prince of Zhenbei hadn't mentioned this woman in his letter, he would have thrown her out long ago. She was ignorant of her place and dared to defy ancestral rules.
Su An couldn't help but smile bitterly to himself, never expecting that it would be this very marquis who had saved his life who was opposing it.
She raised her eyes and said politely, "There is indeed no precedent for a woman to serve as an official, but there is a saying that one should not be bound by convention in recruiting talent."
"The imperial court is eager for talented individuals and should judge heroes by their abilities, not by their gender. Do you agree, my lord?"
She blinked nimbly as she spoke.
Unfortunately, since this concerned the foundation of the nation, Zhou Yue was unmoved and his gaze became harsh: "It's not that I look down on you, but you're just a common woman. At most, you only have some whimsical ideas and tricks. What talent do you have?"
"My lord, take the current drought in the north as an example. If I can name three methods to combat the drought, would that prove my talent?"
As her clear voice rang out, Zhou Yue and Chu Yi's expressions changed instantly.
"Three methods?!" Zhou Yue couldn't help but take a big step forward, staring intently at Su An, and said, "Tell me!"
On his way here, he did witness the development of cement and food streets, but these could at most be called strengthening the foundation of the country, and had nothing to do with important matters of the court.
Therefore, he believed that although Su An had skillful techniques, he was far from being able to get involved in the imperial court, and even felt that Su An wanted to rely on cement to enter officialdom and rise to the top.
But now Su An actually claims to have methods for combating drought? Three of them at that! That's a problem that no dynasty in history could solve!
Faced with Zhou Yue's tense and anxious gaze, Su An didn't keep him in suspense and simply said, "Construct water conservancy projects."
"The most urgent task now is to dig canals, build waterwheels, and divert water for irrigation, implementing the South-to-North Water Diversion Project. After that, we will build dikes to impound water and store floodwaters, and repair reservoirs, ponds, and other water storage facilities!"
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