Chapter 240: Bo Qiaohui 52
"Have you heard about Bo Xiang's incident?"
As soon as Liu Qi came in, he weighed the two children. When Qiaohui came out from the inner room, he asked her a question with a smile on his face.
Bo Qiaohui calmly reached out to help him undress. After removing his robe, she casually said something insignificant: "My mother came to look for me today."
"This matter has alarmed the wife of the Marquis of Chen. What did she say? Did she come to plead for your brother?"
Qiao Hui glanced at him with some surprise. "Mother came to ask what I had said to my nephew. She said that ever since she came to my palace, she has been pestering my eldest brother to practice martial arts every day like crazy. She even dug out all of my fourth brother's old military books to read."
Liu Qi stood there listening. As he listened, the queen had already sat down on the bed, holding her belly, and was looking at him with a puzzled look on her face while he was still standing there.
He then touched his nose and sat over, "Anything else?"
"What else? That's all Mother said. I don't know what my nephew is thinking, so I can't answer. Maybe she's just a child with a unstable mind. She'll be fine in a few days."
Qiaohui lay down, covered herself with the quilt, and was about to go to sleep.
Liu Qi hurriedly pushed her gently and said, "Hey, hey, why are you like this? This is clearly not the question I asked you. Why did you reply with such a messy bunch of nonsense?"
"Your Majesty, do you find what I'm telling you incomprehensible?"
"Isn't it?" Liu Qi looked at her with some dissatisfaction, but Qiao Hui was amused. "Your Majesty is right. These things are meaningless to Your Majesty."
"...Well, you dare to frame me!"
Liu Qi stretched out his hand and tickled her. Qiao Hui quickly shrunk back into the bed, laughing and retorting, "Your Majesty is a real man. If you can't win an argument with reason, then... Hahaha, you have to hit a weak woman?"
"Well, you still dare to talk back, let me see if I can forgive you today!"
The two of them fought so hard that Qiaohui was so exhausted that she lay on the quilt, panting and begging for mercy. Only then did Liu Qi finally let her go.
"Seriously, your second brother's situation is a bit tricky. If things go wrong, I may not be able to protect him."
Liu Qi straightened Qiao Hui's hair and leaned over to whisper to her head, "Your elder brother is also interesting. He seems not to understand even though I have hinted to him."
Qiao Hui yawned slightly. "Big brother has always been straightforward and doesn't understand those twists and turns. If His Majesty has any orders, it's better to speak directly."
Liu Qi couldn't help but laugh sarcastically: "You are so simple-minded that you believe everything others say."
After saying that, he looked down and saw that she had fallen asleep in his arms.
"Forget it, you don't have to worry about these things, I am here for you after all."
Liu Qi tucked the corners of the quilt in for her and fell asleep peacefully.
Afterwards, Liu Qi never mentioned the matter to her again, and Bo Qiaohui never asked about it either. She was already due to give birth, and everything in the palace revolved around her. She was followed by a group of palace maids, and everything she did was under their watchful eyes. Yet, Qiaohui showed no signs of impatience. Instead, she truly lived a carefree life, finding peace amidst the hustle and bustle, unmoved by the raging storms outside.
Three months later, at the Second Prince's full-moon banquet, good news arrived. General Zhou's 300,000-man army crushed the rebels, and his lieutenant, Bo Chen, executed the ringleader, Liu Wu. Other Yue people, fearing their guilt, also beheaded Liu Bi as a way of atonement.
Along with it came a document from Bo Qin pleading for his brother.
Liu Qi naturally wanted to announce such a happy event to the world. As for Bo Xian's behavior, he only praised his deep brotherly love and kindness to his brother, and immediately released Bo Xiang and reinstated him to his original position.
Bo Xiang was also very sensible. He immediately wrote a letter to the emperor, saying: This unrest fully demonstrates the wolfish ambitions of some people. This is all Your Majesty's fault. As an emperor, you should have seen the local crisis in advance; as a family, you should have prevented your family from falling into such an unjust situation.
Liu Qi naturally reflected deeply on himself immediately, acted like a benevolent ruler and a loyal minister, and then convincedly accepted the Prime Minister's advice:
"The princes are no longer allowed to govern their states; the emperor will appoint officials for them."
Various policies were used to further restrain the princes and strengthen centralization of power.
At this point, the situation could almost be considered a complete success. The rebellious army was suppressed in time, preventing further harm to the people; the generals and the King of Liang gained substantial military merit from this battle; and the emperor's power was further strengthened, and his prestige and reputation reached a peak.
The most important thing is that a large area of rich land has now become a country without a master. Whether Liu Qi nationalizes it or waits for it to be enfeoffed to his descendants in the future, he will have more money.
The emperor was in a good mood, and naturally, everyone below him was in an even better mood. Chang'an was plunged into a sea of joy for a while. First, the palace held a three-day banquet, and then the nobles and ministers of Chang'an were invited to a banquet.
After Prince Liang, Zhou Yafu, and the others returned to the court, the atmosphere reached a fever pitch. Especially after everyone learned that Bo Chen was still unmarried, the matchmaker practically broke down the door of the Bo family.
"What on earth are you nitpicking about?"
The Marquis of Chen sat there, his teeth itching with hatred. "You don't have any interest in any of these noble ladies? Are you planning to marry a fairy?"
"Hiss—it's not impossible!"
"Bah, you scoundrel, are you worthy?"
Bo's father was about to collapse from anger, but Mo Li beside him quickly patted him on the back: "Alright, alright, the child just came back, don't talk about him anymore."
"I don't care about him. If he's willing to leave behind a child, I wouldn't even frown if he died outside."
"Oh, there are so many children at home, aren't you tired of them?" Bo Chen saw that his father was about to get angry again, so he quickly finished his words: "Anyway, if I want to marry, I will marry the one I like, otherwise I would rather be single for the rest of my life."
“You, you…”
"Actually, if Fourth Brother really doesn't miss Dad, don't force it," nephew Bo, who had been sitting silently beside Mother, suddenly said, "Not getting married isn't a big deal. I think it's fine."
"What nonsense are you talking about, kid? It's been so long, why haven't you come to your senses yet?"
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