Chapter 331: The decisive new emperor x the poor princess of the previous dynasty 14

The confidant was so moved that he knelt down and said, "General, with your words, I will die without regrets."

A few days passed peacefully like this. Aunt Qiao was feeling bored in Guanghua Palace. She heard that the lotus flowers in the lotus pond were in full bloom and wanted to go and see them.

"Yu Yao, there's no need to clean the lotus pond yet. The Empress is admiring the lotuses by the lake."

"You two go clean up the pavilion. The Queen will probably go to rest after appreciating the lotus flowers."

"Also, Yuan, please prepare some cakes and cold tea for the Empress."

Aunt Xue summoned the palace maids who were in charge of cleaning the area near the garden and gave them orders one by one.

Yu Ling felt very unhappy when she heard this. This kind of treatment should have been hers, but the eldest princess got it first.

Yu Ling had never met Aunt Qiao, but she had a tremendous hatred for her.

After Aunt Xue left, Yu Ling held Yuan and said, "Yuan, my arm hurts a little. Can I go and prepare cakes and tea for the Empress while you clean the pavilion? This is a little gift from me. Can Yuan please make some allowance?"

Yu Ling took out two taels of silver from her pocket and stuffed it into A Yuan's pocket. In fact, when Yu Ling entered the palace, General Sima gave her a hundred taels of silver, but for her, an ordinary palace maid, it was normal for her to only take out two taels of silver.

Yuan's eyes lit up when he saw Yin Zi, and he grinned and said, "Of course this is a small matter. I'll leave the preparation of cakes and cool tea to you, and I'll clean the pavilion."

The corners of Yu Ling's mouth curled up slightly, revealing a smile of success.

Jin Jin Qiao was supported and stood by the lake, looking at the lush lotus flowers blooming in the center of the lake. The original owner must have come to this place often, but he has not been here since the dynasty was overthrown.

"Chaeying Chaelen, let's go to the pavilion and rest for a while. I'm tired."

Caiying and Cailian supported Aunt Qiao respectfully, which made Aunt Qiao laugh and cry. "Okay, I'm not old yet, there's no need to support me like this, as if I can't walk."

Caiying and Cailian looked at each other, and Cailian let go of her hand, but Caiying still held on and said, "Your Majesty, the gravel road here is not easy to walk on. Please let me hold on for a bit."

Aunt Qiao sighed and let Caiying continue to support her.

The pavilion had obviously just been cleaned and looked quite nice. White gauze curtains were hung all around it, and it looked very beautiful when the breeze blew gently.

Yu Ling hid behind a big tree, secretly watching Aunt Qiao who was resting in the pavilion. Although there was a veil between them, she could still tell how much Aunt Qiao loved her country and the city.

Yu Ling pursed her lips. Even though she hated the eldest princess, she had to admit that she was beautiful. If she didn't deal with the eldest princess, she would have no chance.

Yu Ling narrowed her eyes and glanced at the cakes and cool tea placed on the stone table, hoping that the medicinal powder given by General Sima would work, but the prerequisite was that the princess could eat and drink them.

Aunt Qiao didn't even look at the cakes and cold tea that Yu Ling had specially prepared. Caiying reminded her, "My queen, would you like to have some cakes? You must be hungry after being out for so long."

Aunt Qiao looked at the exquisite pastries and frowned. "I have no appetite. I just want to eat Tremella and Lotus Seed Soup. Cai Lian, ask the kitchen to prepare it for me. I want to eat it tonight."

"Yes, I will give the order now."

Yu Ling couldn't bear to watch it any longer. It seemed that the eldest princess was very scheming and cautious, so she let her escape.

"Yu Yao, what are you doing here? Have you finished your work?"

Aunt Xue's voice rang out from behind Yu Ling, startling her. She quickly turned around and saluted Aunt Xue. "Aunt, how are you? I was dazzled by the beauty of the Empress. Please don't blame me."

Aunt Xue looked condescending, glanced at Yu Ling and said, "Of course the Queen is beautiful, but that's no excuse for you to be lazy. Hurry up and get to work. After the Queen leaves, put away the things in the pavilion and clean it up."

Yu Ling gritted her back teeth. Once upon a time, she was surrounded by maids and servants. Brother Jun was so cruel.

In a small courtyard in Quanshui County, more than 300 miles away from the capital, a handsome young man in his twenties threw the teacup in his hand in anger after hearing what his subordinates said.

"I knew that this new emperor had bad intentions. The reason he wanted to usurp the throne must be that he had been eyeing the eldest princess for a long time."

This young man is the former prime minister's eldest son, Xu Qingzhou. He fell in love with the eldest princess at first sight and has never let go of her for all these years, from the first time he met her when the eldest princess was ten years old to now.

The servant who served Xu Qingzhou was named Aping. He was loyal to Xu Qingzhou and always put Xu Qingzhou first in everything.

"Sir, the eldest princess has become the queen. It's too late for us to do anything now."

Xu Qingzhou pinched his brows in annoyance and sighed, "We have done so much, but it is of no use at all. How many people did we lose in this riot?"

Ah Ping's eyes dimmed for a moment and he said, "General Sima is very powerful. Although our people retreated quickly, many of them died. The Prime Minister left more than a thousand people, but now there are less than five hundred left."

Xu Qingzhou's face turned pale, he closed his eyes and gritted his teeth, "The princess must have been forced. The new emperor has a grudge against the princess, but I can't do anything now."

Ah Ping felt very distressed. He had served Xu Qingzhou since he was a child, and he knew Xu Qingzhou's thoughts very well. "Sir, you have done your best. The Prime Minister saved you with his life. You can't take any more risks. You should lie low now, otherwise it will be troublesome if you are discovered by the new emperor's people."

Of course Xu Qingzhou knew this, but he couldn't help it. This was what it felt like to like someone. Xu Qingzhou wanted to take one last risk.

"A Ping, how is the investigation going for me last time?"

Although Ah Ping was reluctant to let the young master take risks for the princess, he had to tell the truth, "My lord, General Sima did a lot to prevent the princess from becoming the queen, including spreading rumors in the palace. However, these rumors were useless. The new emperor still dotes on the princess."

Xu Qingzhou thought for a moment and came up with a plan in his mind: "A Ping, maybe we can seek cooperation from General Sima."

"Since he doesn't want the princess to be the queen, and I want to rescue her from the palace, our goals are almost the same. With the support of General Sima, maybe we can succeed this time."

"Sir, you must not do this." How could Ah Ping agree? Going to Beijing is life-threatening. One negligence could result in the loss of one's life.

Xu Qingzhou lowered his eyes, his voice filled with resentment, "A Ping, whether it succeeds or not, this is my last action. If I still cannot rescue the princess, I promise you that I will hide my identity."

Ah Ping had no choice but to agree. No matter how good his relationship with Xu Qingzhou was, as good as brothers, he was just a servant after all. "Sir, I will try my best. I hope you can successfully rescue the princess this time."

"But if you cooperate with General Sima, you can't trust him completely. General Sima is a man of deep thoughts. I'm afraid he will plot against you."