A few days later, the Minister of Revenue, who had gone to Jiangnan to provide disaster relief, finally returned. The floods in Jiangnan had been handled well, and Minister Gu Qingshi received many commendations. When he returned home from the Imperial Study, he was all smiles.
The next morning at court, Qin Qianluo saw Lord Gu, whom she hadn't seen for a long time. She thought to herself, "It seems the disaster in Jiangnan has subsided." She felt relieved.
The court officials were discussing matters of state, and Qin Qianluo listened. They were all about the country and its people, and there was basically nothing she could help with, so she just watched TV.
001 habitually flipped through the documents, and suddenly saw a newly appeared file, exclaiming, "Luo Bao, the Minister of Revenue brought a woman back this time!"
Qin Qianluo said nonchalantly, "She's probably an orphan girl we rescued on the road. Nothing strange about it."
001 was somewhat excited. "No, Luo Bao, this woman is indeed an orphan, but her motives are impure. She's a Yangzhou courtesan specially trained and sent to Minister Gu's side."
Qin Qianlu became interested, turned off the TV, and listened carefully to what 001 was saying. The noise of the group also decreased a lot as they listened intently. Gu Qingshi's face turned slightly red. Lian'er was a Yangzhou courtesan, how could that be? 001 must have made a mistake.
Seeing that Qin Qianluo was interested, 001 casually opened the light screen and saw a woman whose appearance was not particularly stunning, lying softly by the roadside. The Minister of Revenue, who happened to be passing by, saw her and, adhering to the principle of not leaving someone to die, ordered his men to help the woman up. After asking about the specific reason, he thought of arranging accommodation for her before setting off back to the capital.
The Minister of Revenue also got off the carriage. He hadn't paid any attention to the woman at first, thinking he might as well check on the situation in the surrounding counties. When the woman saw the Minister of Revenue get off the carriage, she came forward and bowed to thank him. The Minister of Revenue could only help the woman up. When the woman raised her face, the Minister of Revenue saw her face clearly and his eyes widened in disbelief.
Finally, it was decided to take the woman back to the capital with him and arrange for her to live in the Minister's residence. Now, a big drama is unfolding in the Minister's residence. Minister Gu's first wife is extremely dissatisfied. Although her upbringing prevented her from harming an orphan girl, she still doesn't give her a good look. Meanwhile, the concubines are making things difficult for the orphan girl, and the disputes are endless.
Qin Qianluo looked on with some confusion, "This woman isn't the kind of face that makes people fall in love at first sight. Why did Minister Gu suddenly change his mind and bring her back to the capital?"
Looking at the woman's appearance on the screen, everyone nodded silently. She was indeed not the kind of woman that one would fall in love with at first sight. Why did the Minister of Revenue change his mind? Could it be that the woman drugged him?
Gu Qingshi: What do you know? Looks aren't that important. Besides, Lian'er isn't bad-looking either. Although she can't compare to some noble ladies in the capital, she is still pretty and charming.
001 chuckled slyly, "Hehe, because Minister Gu's ideal woman looks exactly like this, that's why I said she was specially trained for Minister Gu. This woman is called Lian'er, and her every move is modeled after Minister Gu's ideal woman. Combined with this extremely similar face, it naturally made Minister Gu lose his composure, and he brought her back without any investigation."
Qin Qianluo was even more puzzled. "How old is this woman? How old is Minister Gu? They look like father and daughter. Could Minister Gu have really done something? Is the power of a 'white moonlight' really that great?"
001 doesn't understand it himself, but it can look up information. "Luo Bao, from the information I've seen, people's feelings about the 'white moonlight' are roughly like this: The aging Zhu Yuanzhang wakes up one day and sees a woman who looks remarkably like Empress Ma looking at him tenderly, softly calling him 'Chongba.' Or perhaps the frail and elderly Li Shimin, tormented by illness, sees a woman who looks remarkably like Empress Zhangsun, anxiously calling him 'Second Brother.'"
After listening, Qin Qianluo imagined it for a moment, but still felt somewhat confused. "But what you're saying refers to the two emperors when they weren't fully conscious. If there were women who looked remarkably like Empress Ma and Empress Zhangsun, they might believe it for a while, but once they regained their senses, they wouldn't believe it anymore, and they wouldn't really keep that woman by their side. They would even suspect some kind of conspiracy."
As the officials listened to the description, some understood and some did not, but they all agreed with Princess Qingyun's last sentence that she would definitely think about whether there was a conspiracy. They looked at the Minister of Revenue with puzzlement. He did not seem to have been bewitched. Why didn't he investigate properly?
Gu Qingshi belatedly realized what was happening, but in his heart he felt that Lian'er would not harm him. After all, looking at that face, he couldn't have any doubts.
001 had indeed touched a blind spot. After thinking for a moment, she asked, "Luo Bao, what if it were you? If one day you suddenly saw a woman who looked a lot like Sister Mo Yun, would you be so distracted that you brought her back to the Prime Minister's residence?"
Without the slightest hesitation, Qin Qianluo said, "I might feel a sense of disorientation, but I won't bring anyone home. I know Yun'er won't appear in this time and space. Even if that person looks similar, they're not Yun'er. Yun'er is unique. I might feel a little fondness for her because of that similar face."
Qin Qian paused for a moment, then continued, "But if her appearance is so strange, I will doubt the woman's identity. Even if it's just a matter of appearance, I won't fall in love with her just because she resembles Yun'er. That would be unfair to both Yun'er and the woman. That woman shouldn't exist as anyone's shadow; she is an independent individual."
The ministers realized what was happening and nodded in agreement. Indeed, it was inappropriate for one person to exist as another's shadow. They looked at Minister Gu with scrutiny and reproach in their eyes. "Look at Princess Qingyun, so insightful at such a young age. And look at you."
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