Qi Che paused while pouring the wine, his eyes darkened, "Your Excellency is right."
Du Youwei was drunk and relaxed a lot. He said, "Today in the court, the people saw with their own eyes that your wife's maid brought Madam Gu's servant to file a complaint. Now it is said that the new number one scholar favors his concubine and neglects his wife, and allows the daughter of the prime minister to bully his wife..."
"Bang!" Qi Che put down the wine jug heavily, his face so gloomy that water could drip out of it.
At this moment, his dissatisfaction with Chu Qingniang reached its peak.
Seeing this, Du Youwei hurriedly comforted him like an experienced person: "Your humble servant understands Mr. Qi's difficulties, but..."
"You have just entered the Imperial Academy. If you are reported to the Imperial Censor for this matter, it will be of no benefit to your career in the future."
I don't know when it started to drizzle outside the window, hitting the banana leaves in the yard with a crackling sound.
Qi Che stared at the flickering candlelight and remained silent for a long time.
Of course he knew that Gu Yanran was wrong in this matter, but wasn't he the one who acquiesced to it?
He originally wanted to use Gu Yanran to make Chu Qingniang suffer and realize the situation. But he didn't expect that Gu Yanran was so useless. Before he could make a move, Zhixia caught him on the spot and now he made such a big fuss.
Now, how to deal with the aftermath?
Do we really have to...
Qi Che was silent for a long time, and finally pushed two silver bills to Du Youwei, "This matter is really troublesome for Lord Du. This is a small gift, not a respect. I wonder what Lord Du thinks about this matter?"
Du Youwei rolled his eyes, took the banknote calmly, and smiled meaningfully.
"Your Excellency, do you know that the princess who had been missing for three years has been found?"
"Legitimate princess?" Qi Che frowned.
He knew that there was indeed a princess in this dynasty, born to the late queen, and the only princess in the royal family. However, he heard that she had passed away three years ago. When His Majesty heard the sad news, he was so angry that he stopped attending court for three days. Why was she...
"She was found in the next county three days ago." Du Youwei said softly; "I heard that this legitimate princess was injured and attacked three years ago, and was rescued by a hunter family. She has just recovered. The emperor is very pleased and has allowed the princess to choose her own husband. She will return to the capital soon."
After saying that, Du Youwei looked at Qi Che meaningfully, "...It is said that the emperor has specially announced that the son-in-law can make an exception to enter the Privy Council, and in the future, he can even enter the cabinet."
Qi Che was stunned and looked at Du Youwei in disbelief.
According to the law, the consort of a princess could only hold a sinecure and had no real power.
Du Youwei saw Qi Che's confusion and explained, "Your Excellency may not know that this legitimate princess is the only daughter of the late queen. She has been favored by the emperor since she was a child. The princess herself is also very outstanding. Whether in courage, strategy, or talent, she is not inferior to any prince of the royal family. It was even said before that the emperor intends to train this princess to be the successor of our Great Chu..."
After he finished speaking, Qi Che's pupils suddenly shrank.
A princess, was actually valued so much by the emperor? Trained as a successor?
Qi Che picked up the wine glass, took a sip, and suppressed the shock in his heart.
After that, he raised his hand calmly, poured wine for Du Youwei, and asked casually, "The princess is a daughter of a rich family, and her status is noble. Now that she has been found, it is naturally a good thing that everyone is happy about."
"But I don't understand, what does this have to do with you and me?"
"That's where the beauty lies." Du Youwei narrowed his eyes and smiled, "I heard that the princess particularly loves scholars with a wealth of knowledge. Even during her recovery period, she read books every day. What's even more rare is... Hey..."
At this point, he sighed, and looked towards Qi Che with endless regret.
"The princess herself said that she doesn't mind the prince consort's background, nor does she mind whether the future prince consort has ever been engaged, as long as he is not married."
“What a pity!”
Du Youwei's persuasive voice, with a certain bewitching power, took root in Qi Che's heart like a tiny but not to be ignored seed.
Outside the window, the rain suddenly became heavier, hitting the window frame and making a crackling sound.
Qi Che stared at his reflection in the wine, his mind in a trance.
"This is the princess' personal wish. Why are you sighing, sir?" If you listen carefully, you will find that there is a slight tremor in his voice, indicating that he is not calm in his heart.
Du Youwei shook his head. "I just feel sorry for Master Qi. If you had gotten married a little later, this great opportunity might have fallen on you. By then, not to mention Jiangnan City, even our entire state and county would have to rely on your care..."
The speaker had no intention, but little did he know that this sentence was like a drop of water splashing into an oil pan, repeatedly tormenting and frying in Qi Che's heart.
Yes, there was only a difference of half a month between the two. As the most glorious new number one scholar of this session, he was full of knowledge, a student from a poor family, and a gentleman by birth. On the day of the parade, he impressed countless noble ladies in the capital.
If a princess who has been in trouble for three years makes some preparations and appears in front of the other party in an eye-catching way to leave a good impression, it is not impossible for her to be granted a title of nobility or a prime minister in the future.
Although he was thinking this in his heart, he smiled bitterly and said:
"I understand what you mean, sir. But the princess is so noble that she can choose from all the talented men in the court. How dare I, a mere editor of the Imperial Academy, dream of marrying her?"
"Besides, I'm married."
Du Youwei shook his head again and moved closer. "I have something to say, but I don't know whether I should say it or not."
Qi Che lowered his eyes: "Your Excellency, please feel free to speak."
"Sir Qi is too modest. The newly crowned number one scholar and a young talent are exactly the husbands that many girls dream of. Otherwise, Prime Minister Gu would not have chosen you as his son-in-law..."
"As for your two wives, Chu is a merchant's daughter, and being a concubine is already a high position. I think the princess is of noble status, so she will not embarrass a helpless orphan. As for Madam Gu, she is more troublesome, so I feel sorry for her..."
Du Youwei shook his head repeatedly, as if he was even sadder than if he had missed the opportunity.
Qi Che's eyes moved slightly.
Gu Yanran?
Oh!
If you really want to talk about it, how could a fake daughter of the prime minister's mansion, a counterfeit, be an obstacle to him?
If there is any real obstacle, it would only be Qing Niang.
After all, he really loved her.
It's just that now, for the sake of power, he has to temporarily put her in a difficult position. When he is in power in the future, he will be able to compensate her as well.
She's just being upset now and doesn't understand herself.
Du Youwei saw that he had almost finished speaking and stood up to say goodbye.
Before leaving, he added, "In three days, the princess will arrive in Jiangnan. Lord Qi, I hope you can resolve the inner palace affairs as soon as possible and not cause any trouble at this critical moment."
Qi Che's eyes darkened, and he bowed and said, "Thank you for your advice, sir. I understand now."
…
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
