Chapter 113 Serving
Ji Changqing, who wrote the memorial carefully and submitted it seriously but failed to sway the empress in the slightest, felt very heavy-hearted after the court was dismissed.
It's as heavy as a poor man who goes out to beg for wages on New Year's Eve but returns empty-handed, not knowing how to explain to his wife who is waiting for rice to cook and his hungry children.
For a moment, he wanted to use the secret agents he had planted in the palace to assassinate the queen at all costs.
But the life of the secret agent is also a life.
He couldn't let them make unnecessary sacrifices without being able to ensure their safe escape.
You can't just focus on the head and ignore the butt.
The Queen was assassinated right after I reported her. What would Your Majesty think?
——If you, Ji Changqing, cannot depose the queen today, you will kill the phoenix. If you cannot convince me tomorrow, will you slay the dragon?
He has just made a name for himself, and doesn't want to lose his head so soon.
However, he vowed yesterday to make the queen pay the price, but today he returned home empty-handed.
Where is the face?
Where is the dignity?
Seeing Shangguan Mu leisurely walking in front of him, he narrowed his eyes, quickly stepped forward, put his arm around his shoulders, and asked quietly, "Your father lost the polo bet. How did he explain it to your mother when he got home?"
Shangguan Mu's father loved to gamble on polo, but he lost nine times out of ten. He often spent all his money and even had to pawn his clothes.
Despite losing everything, Ji Changqing never heard Shangguan Mu's mother, who was born a princess, complain.
Shangguan Mu raised an eyebrow: "Why are you asking this? You're asking for scriptures before you even get married?"
Ji Changqing said with a straight face: "You can answer or not."
Shangguan Mu laughed for a long time before saying, "Every time my father came back after losing money, he would serve my mother tea and water, massage her shoulders and back, wash her feet and hair, and take care of her until she was comfortable. That's when my mother stopped arguing with him about that little bit of money."
After a pause, he continued, "I suspect he lost on purpose, so that he could find an excuse for his gentleness and kindness, so that others wouldn't gossip about him."
Ji Changqing: “…”
How come you're feeding me dog food while answering questions?
But it does have its merits.
After returning to the office, he instructed Baifu: "Buy a fat sheep and have it slaughtered for me to cook."
Baifu took the order and left.
When he returned home in the afternoon, Ji Changqing went straight into the kitchen and prepared a whole lamb feast.
Feng Qingsui came over and looked at Qi with confusion: "Mother, what day is it today? Is it your birthday?"
Qi shook her head: "My birthday hasn't come yet, I have to ask Changqing."
"Just cook it when you want to eat it. Why are you being so particular?" Ji Changqing said, "Hurry up and start eating, or the food will get cold."
Feng Qingsui gnawed on fragrant lamb chops, drank delicious lamb spine soup, and occasionally took a piece of stir-fried lamb with green onions and braised lamb liver. He felt more comfortable than during the Chinese New Year.
But Ji Changqing's guilty look from time to time made her a little confused.
What is he guilty about?
There is no croton in the soup, right?
Anyway, she didn't taste anything, nor did she taste any unusual flavor in the food.
Forget it, delicious food is more important than anything else. Let’s wait until she’s full and satisfied.
After putting down his chopsticks, Ji Changqing finally solved the mystery: "I reported to the Queen, hoping that His Majesty would depose her, but His Majesty ignored me."
Feng Qingsui said "Oh".
So that's why.
Qi rolled her eyes at her son and said, "You're useless."
Ji Changqing: “…”
It felt like an arrow had been shot in the heart.
Feng Qingsui consoled him, "Second Master, you don't have to be so hard on yourself. It's not that easy to depose the Empress just because of one report. His Majesty spent a huge sum of money to establish her."
Ji Changqing: “…”
Is it about the silver?
Well, judging by His Majesty's indolent nature of only taking in and not giving out, perhaps he is really too lazy to hold another ceremony to crown the empress, and that's why he is unwilling to depose her - that would be strange.
"You're right. Just one report isn't enough," he said gravely. "We need at least twenty or thirty reports to help His Majesty make up his mind."
Feng Qingsui: “…”
She said weakly, "Will His Majesty think you are not doing your job properly?"
The queen's family had already been raided.
Even if he denounced the queen, his house would not be confiscated.
Ji Changqing said calmly, "The Empress's misconduct has offended Heaven and Earth, and has brought disaster to the country. It is the duty of a minister to uphold justice and uphold the country. How can one not do his job properly?"
Feng Qingsui: “…”
As expected of the Prime Minister, he speaks with great precision.
She clapped her hands and praised him, "Second Master is sincere and truly a man of honor."
That's it.
Ji Changqing's handsome face turned red.
I thought to myself, no wonder Your Majesty likes to hear nice words, nice words really do sound nice.
Especially the good words coming from some people.
After returning to Canghaixuan, he wrote the second memorial requesting the dethronement of the queen.
Let’s put aside the details of the emperor’s headache for now, and say that a few days later, after Feng Qingsui had breakfast and was chatting with Qi in Ci’an Hall, Cui, the wife of the Minister of Revenue, suddenly came to visit.
Qi thought she was there to congratulate her on being granted the title, so she invited her into the courtyard.
Cui did give her a gift, but after congratulating her, she asked Feng Qingsui:
"My mother has been suffering from recurring rashes recently, and the doctors haven't been able to help. I've heard that Madam Ji is an exceptional doctor. Would you be willing to accompany me to the Duke's Mansion to treat my mother?"
Feng Qingsui raised his eyebrows slightly.
"Madam, where did you hear that I have extraordinary medical skills?"
Cui replied, "I had heard of you before, but I had never been in contact with you, so it was difficult to invite you. Yesterday, I went to the Duke's Mansion to see my mother and returned home. I talked to my eldest sister-in-law about my mother's discomfort. My eldest sister-in-law mentioned that you cured Master Xuan and suggested that I invite you. So I shamelessly came to your house."
"I wonder if it's convenient for you..."
Feng Qingsui nodded: "I have something to do right now, so I won't be free until the afternoon. If you can wait, please come and pick me up in the afternoon."
Cui's face lit up with joy: "Okay, I'll pick you up this afternoon."
She sat for a while and then left.
Qi smiled and said, "How could I not know that you are busy right now?"
Feng Qingsui blinked. "Of course there's something wrong. First, I don't know this lady, and second, I've never dealt with the Duke of Qing's Mansion. I don't know what kind of trouble I might get into if I rashly come here. I need to find out from you first."
Qi praised: "You really have to be careful when you go to these people's houses."
Then he gave a brief account of Cui's deeds.
"She was the second daughter of the Madam of the Duke of Qing. She was raised with great care and pampering. When she was preparing to discuss marriage, she went to Baiyun Temple to attend the Buddha's Birthday Festival. She was pushed into the release pond and nearly drowned."
"A clerk from the Imperial Household Relief Temple rescued her, and in public, they had sex. The Duke of Qing's mansion had no choice but to marry her to that clerk."
"That bookkeeper is the current Minister of Revenue, Tan Qingzhou."
"They were infertile for many years after their marriage. Tan Qingzhou's widowed sister-in-law had two sons, so she adopted one and raised him in her care. Now the child should be of age, but he's still unmarried."
Feng Qingsui raised his eyebrows: "Minister Tan is from a poor family, right?"
Qi nodded. "He's from Lizhou. It's said he grew up in poverty and relied on help from his relatives to pass the imperial examination. Because his rank in the second class wasn't high and he didn't have a family background, he was assigned to a less prestigious government office like the Taichang Temple."
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
