In a short while, Shen Shi looked up and saw a tall and imposing figure enter the hall. As the person approached step by step, his handsome and extraordinary appearance was revealed.
Marquis Zhenbei is currently twenty-seven years old. In modern society, he is still considered young, but in ancient times, he would be the age to be a father of several children.
Judging from his appearance alone, Shen Shi could understand why Qi Zhenzhen liked him. Qi Xiao even looked a bit like Takeshi Kaneshiro. Which young girl wouldn't be confused by him?
"Your humble servant greets Your Majesty, may Your Majesty live ten thousand years!" Qi Xiao bowed to Shen Shi, who was seated above him.
"I am grateful for Your Majesty's grace in allowing me to return to the capital. I should have gone to the palace to pay my respects as soon as I arrived, but I was delayed on the way and returned to the capital late yesterday night. I was unable to go to the palace to pay my respects to Your Majesty. I beg Your Majesty to punish me."
Before Shen Shi forced Qi Zhenzhen, Qi Xiao was still the loyal Marquis of Zhenbei, and every word he said to Shen Shi came from the bottom of his heart.
This general, who had been taught to be loyal to his emperor and serve his country since childhood, had not yet developed any rebellious thoughts. At this moment, he was sincerely apologizing to his monarch.
Shen Shi understood these people well, after all, he had studied Confucianism quite a bit. However, when he was sitting in the classroom, he never imagined that one day he would become a beneficiary of this ideology.
"It's just a small matter, why make such a fuss? Marquis Zhenbei must be tired from the long journey, so please stop kneeling and get up quickly," Shen Shi said with a gentle expression.
At the same time, he beckoned to Wang Xi and said, "Why don't you bring a chair and invite the Marquis of Zhenbei to sit down?"
"Yes, sir." Wang Xi quickly moved a chair over and invited Qi Xiao to sit down.
Qi Xiao stood up, bowed slightly to Shen Shi, and said, "Thank you for your grace, Your Majesty." Then he sat down in the chair.
"It has been a long time since I last saw the Marquis of Zhenbei. We have many important matters to discuss. You may all leave and wait here." Shen Shi waved his hand, dismissing everyone in the room.
With the palace maids and eunuchs leaving, only Shen Shi and Qi Xiao, who was in a lower position, remained in the main hall.
Before Shen Shi could even speak, Qi Xiao knelt down on one knee and said, "Your Majesty, I have something to report."
"I find it annoying to see you kneeling all the time. Marquis Zhenbei, just speak your mind." Shen Shi raised his chin, gesturing for him to speak.
Seeing that the Emperor had given his tacit approval, Qi Xiao quickly reported, "On my way back, I passed through a place called Rong County. Does Your Majesty remember it?"
"There are some. I remember it's a border county in the north. Although it's not a big place, it's famous for its fast horses. It should be a rich place." Shen Shi, guessing what Qi Xiao was going to say, followed his words.
"Your Majesty remembers correctly. Rong County is located in the north and is famous for its fast horses, but life there is not as prosperous as one might imagine. The people still lack food and clothing."
"How could this be!"
Although he knew that Prime Minister Zhang was behind this, in order to get Qi Xiao to say what he wanted to hear and then quietly turn him into a knife in his hand, Shen Shi could only pretend to be surprised.
Qi Xiao was unaware of the complex thoughts in his mind. Judging solely from Shen Shi's expression, he naively believed that the emperor was genuinely surprised.
He quickly explained, "I also thought life here was good, but when I passed through, I saw that many people in the city were poorly clothed, which puzzled me greatly. Rong County shouldn't be this poor."
“You are right, my dear minister. This county has abundant water and grass, and everyone can feed their horses. They should not be living in such poverty,” Shen Shi replied.
"Yes! I originally thought that the local officials were corrupt and imposed many exorbitant taxes, which caused the people to go hungry. But after some inquiries, I found that the magistrate of Rong County is a rare and benevolent official who has never oppressed the people. The people love and respect him very much."
Qi Xiao spoke again, but his words came out like a story, stopping abruptly at a crucial moment.
Listening intently felt like reading a serialized novel. "My dear minister, you might as well speak frankly."
Chen Shi was too lazy to play games with him anymore, so she simply said what was on her mind.
After hearing the Emperor's words, Qi Xiao realized he had been too verbose. He awkwardly touched his nose and said, "Actually, what I wanted to say was that the person who caused the people of Rong County to suffer was Prime Minister Zhang."
As Qi Xiao spoke, he secretly observed Shen Shi's expression, fearing that the Emperor might distrust him and drag him out to be executed. However, to his surprise, Shen Shi's expression remained unchanged, as if he had anticipated what Qi Xiao was about to say.
How could this be? Isn't the Emperor the one who trusts Prime Minister Zhang the most? How come the situation is so different from what he expected after only a few months away from the capital?
Qi Xiao was full of questions. "Do you have any evidence?" Chen Shi asked as he was puzzled.
Upon hearing this, Qi Xiao shook his head. Seeing the obvious disappointment in Shen Shi's eyes, he quickly explained, "The reason why the people of Rong County are poor is because there are many bandits in this area. Every time the people manage to save up a little bit of wealth, it will be robbed before they can even enjoy it."
“Your humble servant has been stationed at the border for many years. Although Rong County is located on the border, it should not be a place where bandits frequently occur. Therefore, it must be someone’s deliberate act.”
"With an investigative attitude, I stayed in Rong County for two more days and indeed discovered that Prime Minister Zhang's second son often disguised himself and entered and exited Rong County. I have already ordered his men to arrest him. He is currently at the Marquis of Zhenbei's residence. Your Majesty only needs to send someone to interrogate him to find out the result."
Just when Shen Shi was worrying about how to completely eradicate Zhang Zai, Qi Xiao gave him such a big surprise, like a pillow delivered to someone who was sleepy.
"In that case, I'll trouble Marquis Zhenbei to send the person to the Dali Temple. I will send someone to investigate this matter," Shen Shi said with a smile.
Seeing the Emperor's attitude, Qi Xiao knew that the matter was settled.
When Shen Shi ascended the throne, Qi Xiao thought that His Majesty relied too much on Prime Minister Zhang and that it was not a good thing for the maternal relatives to be too powerful. However, he did not expect that in the months that Shen Shi was away from the capital, His Majesty had changed and was ruthless in dealing with the Zhang family.
With such a wise and virtuous ruler, what need is there to worry about the dynasty lasting for thousands of generations?
"Your Majesty is wise! Your humble servant will take care of it immediately!" Qi Xiao bowed happily and turned to leave.
Unexpectedly, Chen Shi's voice rang out again, "After hearing the news of the Marquis of Zhenbei's return to the capital, the Imperial Concubine came specifically to beg me to allow you and your daughter to meet. The Marquis of Zhenbei has not seen his daughter for several months, and he must miss her, right?"
Upon hearing the news about Qi Zhenzhen, Qi Xiao felt a mix of emotions, like a spilled palette of colors.
Does he miss Qi Zhenzhen?
The answer is definitely yes. He missed Qi Zhenzhen terribly, and even dreamed about her, wanting to see her in his dreams.
But when the opportunity to meet him actually presented itself, Qi Xiao unexpectedly had the thought of backing out.
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