Chapter 1542: Ulterior Motives
He Yi just smiled, but did not move forward at all.
At this moment, the cold voice of Concubine Hui Wu Wan came from the side: "Why don't you get out of the way!"
Hearing this voice, some officials around did not even dare to raise their heads. They immediately bent down deeply and took a step back.
"Empress Hui..."
Today is the day when the little princess will be buried. Not only will these court officials be here, but many concubines from the harem will also be here. However, the rules still have to be followed.
No one dared to say much in front of Concubine Hui.
He Yi also politely bowed to Concubine Hui Wu Wan who came forward from the side and said respectfully, "Your humble servant pays respects to Concubine Hui."
Wu Wan walked forward.
Of course, she also knew that her brother entered the cabinet, but because of his momentary "humility", He Yi became the prime minister of the cabinet. Not only did their Wu family suffer a loss, but for a long time afterwards, when the cabinet was discussing matters, He Yi used his position as the prime minister to suppress Wu Ding's side together with Gu Tingqiu and others.
The cabinet has almost become a one-man show for He Yi.
So when we met today, Wu Wan's face looked unhappy, and the words she just said were cold and harsh.
She walked over, looked He Yi up and down, and said, "The Duke wants to go into the palace to burn incense for the little princess. Can you stop him?"
He Yi smiled and leaned forward and said, "This, your humble servant dare not."
"If you don't dare, why don't you step back?"
"Although I dare not stop the Duke from offering incense, it is already late today, and it is almost time for the little princess's coffin to be laid. If the Duke goes in to offer incense again, I am afraid it will delay the ceremony."
"He Yi, you are so brave!"
Wu Wan's face turned green, and she pointed at him and said, "If you hadn't been holding us back, how could we have wasted time?"
“…”
"From my perspective, you're clearly trying to obstruct me."
Having said that, she stepped forward and said, “Get out of the way!”
Although He Yi spoke very carefully and was standing alone at the door of the side hall, he had an invisible aura that could stop thousands of troops from advancing. However, he still had to be cautious when facing the emperor's concubines.
So, I took a step back.
Wu Wan's face darkened as she stepped forward and said, "Get out of the way!"
Stepping back further, he would reach the threshold of the side hall. He Yi was hesitating when suddenly he saw the other side from the corner of his eye. A faint smile flashed in his eyes and he stepped aside.
When Wu Wan saw him move aside, she snorted coldly.
Seeing this, Duke Chengguo Wu Yingqiu was about to move forward, but before he could take a step, he heard a light, half-smiling voice from far behind him:
"Concubine Hui is truly majestic today."
“……!”
Everyone present was startled when they heard the voice.
He Yi immediately bowed deeply in the direction of the voice and said, "Your humble servant greets the Imperial Concubine."
Everyone turned around hurriedly.
Wu Wan's brows also furrowed. She slowly turned her head and saw a familiar, disgusting figure walking towards her from the front.
It was none other than Imperial Concubine Si Nanyan.
When Concubine Hui appeared, everyone here was a minister and no one dared to overstep her authority.
However, once the Imperial Concubine appeared, Concubine Hui became nothing.
Wu Yingqiu's expression changed slightly, but he immediately bent down and saluted: "Your humble servant pays respects to the Imperial Concubine."
The people around also bowed and saluted.
Nan Yan walked slowly in front of them and did not ask them to excuse themselves. Instead, she turned to look at Wu Wan and raised her eyebrows slightly.
That look seemed to say: Where is the etiquette?
Wu Wan gritted her teeth and could only bow and salute: "My concubine pays homage to the Imperial Concubine."
Nan Yan finally showed a relieved smile on her face, and then said, "Sister, please stand up. Everyone, please don't be polite."
Everyone then stood up.
Nan Yan smiled and said, "I just came over and heard some loud noises. Today is the day of the little princess's funeral, so it should be solemn and respectful. Why does my sister sound like she's scolding Master Heyi?"
Although she knew that she was in cahoots with He Yi, this was in public after all, so Wu Wan had to give the imperial concubine some face no matter what.
He could only grit his teeth and reply, "The Duke wanted to enter the palace to burn incense for the little princess, but Lord Heyi repeatedly blocked his way."
"oh?"
When Nan Yan heard this, she turned to look at He Yi and said, "Master He Yi, this is what you did wrong."
He Yi immediately lowered his head and said, "Yes."
"Since the Duke wants to offer incense to the little princess, this is a small token of my respect as a subject. How can you stop him?"
"yes."
Having said that, He Yi took another big step back.
Both Wu Yingqiu and Wu Wan were stunned.
Si Nanyan, why would you speak up for them?
However, since this was the case, Wu Yingqiu naturally would not miss the opportunity and bowed to Nan Yan and said, "Thank you, Your Majesty."
After saying this, he immediately walked towards the side hall.
But just as he was about to step in, he heard Nan Yan say leisurely, "The Duke wants to offer incense for the little princess. It's naturally the intention of a subject. However, isn't the most important loyalty and filial duty of a subject to be to the Emperor?"
“…”
Hearing this, everyone was shocked.
Wu Yingqiu also stopped and looked back at Nan Yan. However, he didn't want to speak to Nan Yan directly. He just glanced at his daughter. Wu Wan immediately said, "What do you mean by this, Your Majesty?"
“…”
"Is the Imperial Concubine going to accuse the Duke of failing to be loyal and filial to the Emperor?"
Nan Yan smiled and said, "Of course I wouldn't dare say that, but I have a question for the Duke."
"Your Majesty, please speak."
"Did the Duke pay his respects to the Emperor before entering the capital?"
“…”
Nan Yan's question stumped him.
As a minister, the first thing to do after arriving in Beijing is to pay respects to the emperor and pay his respects, even if he is in deep mourning. After all, loyalty comes before filial piety. And no matter how loyal and filial he is to the little princess, he cannot go beyond the order of the emperor.
Upon hearing this, Wu Yingqiu's face froze.
Seeing his expression, Nan Yan deliberately said, "Oh, no?"
“…”
"Duke, this is where you're wrong."
“…”
"No matter how important the little princess's matter is, it shouldn't go beyond the Emperor's reach. Fortunately, I know the Duke is loyal to the Emperor. If someone else encountered such a situation, I'm afraid they would blame the Duke, putting the cart before the horse. They might even accuse you of having ulterior motives."
“…”
Wu Yingqiu was speechless and could only smile awkwardly: "Your Majesty is right in your admonition."
Nan Yan said, "But fortunately, the emperor is now in the imperial study, not far from the imperial temple. Duke, please go over and kowtow to the emperor before returning."
When they heard her say this, Wu Yingqiu and Wu Wan's faces turned pale.
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