Dongfang Wuye was also very happy, because it meant that he had done a good thing, a great thing.
The floods in Jizhou have been dealt with; the rest can be left to Wei Jin to manage.
There's nothing more Dongfang Wuye can do here, which means he can return to the court.
However, Dongfang Wuye did not want to go back. He felt that staying in Jizhou was far more meaningful than staying in the palace.
Even though he was extremely reluctant, he dared not disobey his father's decree and returned to the palace as soon as the flood was over.
On a bright and sunny morning, Dongfang Wuye set off and quietly left Jizhou.
This was what his elder brother told him: if he didn't want to draw too much attention, it would be best to leave when no one was prepared.
That's how Dongfang Wuye left.
When the flood was mostly resolved, Qiao Qiu set off back to Jin with his beautiful wife.
As for Dongfang Wusheng, he stayed with her for half a month before she sent him back to Jizhou to help out. Now he has returned to the palace with Dongfang Wuye.
After Dongfang Wuye returned to the capital, he was received by the Emperor and Empress, and then the Crown Prince hosted a welcome dinner for him.
Qiao Qiu has faded from everyone's sight, but the Crown Prince's influence remains. Even though Dongfang Wuye is a rising star, it is impossible for him to shake the Crown Prince's position in people's hearts in a short period of time.
As is customary, Qiao Qiu hosted a banquet to entertain the heroes who had made this contribution.
At the banquet, the ministers who had already sided with Dongfang Wuye were on tenterhooks, fearing that the Crown Prince would target Dongfang Wuye and make things difficult for him. After all, the Emperor hadn't sent the Crown Prince this time, and such a great achievement had been taken all by Dongfang Wuye.
If they knew that Qiao Qiu had voluntarily offered the credit to Dongfang Wuye, they wouldn't be so worried.
Unfortunately, they didn't know this, so they were wary of Qiao Qiu throughout the entire banquet.
On the contrary, Dongfang Wuye, the main character, trusted Qiao Qiu completely, telling her everything he saw and heard along the way, and still seemed to want to say more afterward.
Qiao Qiu remained calm and composed, except for occasionally echoing Dongfang Wuye's words. She was almost always at ease, showing no signs of joy or anger.
The ministers sitting next to Dongfang Wuye were so anxious that they almost went up and gagged him.
They could only try to interrupt Dongfang Wuye, but Dongfang Wuye seemed not to hear their thoughts. No matter how many times they were interrupted, he could accurately continue speaking from where he had stopped.
When fledglings return to their nest, they shouldn't be too obvious in their eagerness to show off to the adults in the family.
After being given a half-smile by Qiao Qiu, the ministers dared not interrupt, and one by one they went to drink in silence, their tears flowing inwardly.
The old fox is still the most cunning; the person he wanted to support was indeed still a junior in front of the Crown Prince.
Throughout the entire banquet, Qiao Qiu only poured Dongfang Wuye one cup of wine, and then had it replaced with tea.
She always remembered that Dongfang Wuye had a low alcohol tolerance.
Feeling the care and concern of his elder brother, Dongfang Wuye became even more spirited and ambitious.
Dongfang Wusheng, who was eating slowly and deliberately next to him, glanced at Dongfang Wuye with extreme disdain, his expression very rude.
Was he being treated to a pot of tea? He was granted special permission by his elder brother to visit his estate for many days. Was he arrogant?
The meal lasted for two hours before ending. Dongfang Wuye, thinking of Murong Qing, left the palace and returned to his residence.
Murong Qing had been eagerly waiting at the gate of the Prince's mansion. When she saw Dongfang Wuye's sedan chair appear at the corner of the street, Murong Qing's eyes lit up and she happily went to greet it.
As soon as Dongfang Wuye got out of the sedan chair, he saw Murong Qing. Seeing that she had lost a lot of weight, he touched her cheek with heartache and said, "Madam, you have lost weight."
Murong Qing held his hand and smiled gently, "If Your Highness is alright, then I am alright too."
Dongfang Wuye's heart stirred, and he pulled her into his arms, leading her towards the mansion. "Madam, let's go back to the mansion."
As Murong Qing walked, he said, "By the way, Your Highness, your godfather has been waiting for you for a long time."
...
The atmosphere in the main hall of the Prince's Mansion was frighteningly somber.
Murong Qing stood beside Dongfang Wuye, looking quite troubled.
Dongfang Wuye and the prime minister stared at each other, both with anger in their eyes, neither willing to give in.
In this atmosphere, Murong Qing was so anxious that he couldn't say anything about it.
"Does Your Highness really intend to miss this rare opportunity?"
"I don't see this as an opportunity."
Dongfang Wuye's tone was extremely cold. After going out for a workout, he returned with an imposing aura befitting a prince.
The Prime Minister never expected that a mere trip to Jizhou would provide Dongfang Wuye with such valuable experience. He was no longer as easily manipulated as before, but if he missed this opportunity, he would surely regret it for the rest of his life.
"Your Highness, I'm doing this for your own good. With your abilities, are you really content to be a subject for the rest of your life?"
"Does the Prime Minister know who gave me these abilities? Without him, I would never have had a chance to rise in this life, let alone for the Prime Minister to discover my abilities. Yes, I was ambitious before, and I still am now. But what I want, I will obtain through fair and square means. I am truly grateful that while he taught me these abilities, he also taught me what conscience is."
Speaking of Qiao Qiu, Dongfang Wuye's face was filled with admiration. In his heart, Qiao Qiu's status was higher than the throne.
If sitting on the throne makes one the emperor, then in Dongfang Wuye's eyes, Qiao Qiu is a sage.
The existence of sages is faith itself. Anyone who dares to touch faith will face the wrath of Dongfang Wuye.
The prime minister was speechless. After a moment, he coldly snorted, "Do you think you can defeat the crown prince on your own?"
"If it were me a few months ago, I would definitely have been moved by your words, but now... ha, Prime Minister, you should save your energy." After saying this, Dongfang Wuye looked at the Prime Minister with piercing eyes, "Prime Minister, I respect you as my father-in-law, but you are not Qing'er's biological father after all, do you understand?"
The prime minister was startled by his gaze; his pupils contracted, and his fingers gripping the armrest tightened involuntarily.
...
In the Eastern Palace, Qiao Qiu was leaning against the couch eating melon seeds. After hitting a few bad ones, she lost patience and casually beckoned a little eunuch to peel them for her.
Ji Xian suppressed a laugh and reported to her what the Prime Minister had said to Dongfang Wuye at the Prince's Mansion that day.
"So that's why that old man was so quiet, he was waiting for me here." Qiao Qiu scoffed. "What business is it of his if I get married? Am I taking over his house or robbing his daughter?"
"Master, please improve your appearance." Ji Xian's smile was almost impossible to contain.
"Laugh if you want to. If you hold it in, I'll have no help." Qiao Qiu glanced at him and said cheerfully.
When Ji Xian heard her say that, he simply stopped holding back, lowered his head, shrugged his shoulders, and laughed like a pig.
However, he did smile more subdued.
Qiao Qiu stroked her chin and squinted. She had to tell her father about this herself. If it were anyone else, she would be guilty of deceiving the emperor.
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