cough……
We've gotten a bit off-topic.
Of course, today is neither a New Year's Day nor a celebration. Qin Ge is dressed simply in a moon-white dress, and her black hair is tied with a ribbon and half of it is draped down her back.
However, it's not entirely plain. The moon-white robe was made of tribute brocade, worth a thousand gold pieces per inch. Yet, it was casually tailored into a robe and worn by Qin Ge. It looked utterly ordinary, but upon closer inspection under the light, one could discern the ingenious design. The moon-white brocade robe was embroidered with patterns in gold and silver threads, reflecting a radiant glow in the sunlight. When he moved, the hem of the robe seemed to fold down a ray of moonlight.
As Qin Ge passed by Qin Zhongde, she chuckled softly in a clear, gentle voice, "Prime Minister Qin, what's wrong? Why are you kneeling here?"
Qin Zhongde caught a glimpse of the bright moonlight out of the corner of his eye, and as if his throat had been grabbed, his sobbing voice as he knelt before the emperor gradually faded.
After a pause, she bowed to the young man and said, "Greetings to Her Majesty the Empress."
Qin Zhongde, not wanting to be dismissed from his post, actually came to Qin Ge and pleaded, "This old minister was momentarily bewitched and offended His Majesty. I beg Your Highness to show mercy."
He knew that if anyone in the world could change the emperor's mind, it was only the empress before him.
Qin Ge bent down gently, picked up the secret memorial that Jun Chenbi had thrown away, and flipped through it. "Prime Minister Qin's impeachment is justified. People in the inner palace should not interfere in politics at will. Since it is His Majesty's decision to let Prime Minister Qin retire to his hometown, how can I persuade him to do so again?"
The young man, with a face as white as jade, said with a half-smile, "Prime Minister Qin, don't you think that makes sense?"
Qin Zhongde suddenly looked up and stared at him, seemingly incredulous that the young man wouldn't even bother with formalities!
Seeing that even his desperate pleas and tearful pleas were ineffective, Qin Zhongde felt a surge of grief and anger. For reasons unknown, he said in a hoarse voice, "Once people leave, the tea grows cold. This old minister has nothing to say, except to ask one question—"
"Does Your Majesty remember the Imperial Concubine?"
The effect of this sentence is similar to the classic line from the female protagonist in a popular historical drama in a world Qin Ge once traveled to: "Does the Emperor still remember Xia Yuhe by Daming Lake?"
Qin Ge almost laughed.
Is this a change in strategy, an attempt to play the emotional card?
To be honest, that was exactly what Qin Zhongde was planning. Even if the emperor is fickle, in this palace one only hears the laughter of the new and never the tears of the old. His Majesty is now infatuated with a man, completely infatuated with him.
However, his "illegitimate daughter" was, after all, a former virtuous concubine who died to save the emperor and was posthumously honored as a noble consort!
If his "illegitimate daughter" were still alive, how could Mu Xiange possibly have the power to act so arrogantly in the harem?!
Qin Zhongde raised his eyes and scrutinized the emperor's expression, seemingly trying to discern some emotion from that handsome and noble face. Sure enough, he saw a strange look flash across the emperor's face.
However, he didn't say anything.
Qin Ge smiled slightly and said, "When Prime Minister Qin mentions the late Consort, how much of it is out of remembrance for the deceased, and how much is for his own benefit?"
"As the Imperial Concubine's biological father, it is only natural for me to mourn my late daughter. Your Majesty, it is rather unbecoming of you to argue with a deceased person!" Qin Zhongde, after all, was a high-ranking official, and his sharp gaze still carried a certain imposing presence.
The implication was that Qin Ge was jealous, petty, and envious of his "imperial concubine daughter" who died young.
Qin Ge smiled.
He burst out laughing.
Qin Zhongde thought to himself that since they had already broken off all pretense of civility, there was no need to be polite. He said unhappily, "What are you laughing at?"
Qin Ge brought his face closer: "Father, why don't you take a closer look at who I am?"
When Qin Ge entered the palace as a concubine's daughter, she made a simple disguise. Later, she became the newly appointed top scholar, Mu Xiange, using the original face of the body, which had some of the features of the Qin family.
Qin Zhongde's pupils dilated in shock. "...What...what did you call me?"
"Prime Minister Qin has neglected his household affairs for many years. If it weren't for that imperial decree that allowed a woman from the Qin family to enter the palace, he probably wouldn't even remember that he had a fourth concubine's daughter, and naturally he wouldn't know that this concubine's daughter of yours is actually a man."
Qin Ge began to tell the story in a gentle and detailed manner.
At this point, Qin Zhongde understood everything.
His illegitimate daughter, Qin Ge, is actually the same person as the former top scholar in the imperial examination and now Empress Mu Xiange of the Dayong Dynasty!
That "illegitimate daughter" was actually a man dressed as a woman!
He's been kept in the dark all these years!
Similarly, he understood that his dismissal from office was inevitable. This concubine's daughter, who had become the high and mighty Empress... no, his son, had long since lost all ties with the Qin family and would never possibly side with them!
*
Qin Zhongde retired and returned to his hometown.
For reasons unknown, he did not reveal Qin Ge's other identity.
"He probably thought that since I am a member of the Qin family, it would be better for me to sit on the Empress's throne than for someone else to do so..." Qin Ge guessed that this was what her scumbag father was thinking.
"He'd better have the guts to say that." Jun Chenbi snorted coldly, reaching out to grip the boy's supple, fair waist as he said, "He dared to treat you like that before, but he was only dismissed from his post, which was too good for that old fox."
The two were soaking in the hot spring. A few strands of Qin Ge's black hair were wet and clung to his thin, white shoulders. His face was flushed from the heat. He leaned lazily against the edge of the pool with his two bare, slender arms propped up.
Noticing the inappropriate hand that was pressing against her, Qin Ge's slender waist tensed for a moment. She turned around and gave Jun Chenbi a half-smile, "However, he is ultimately loyal to His Majesty and was only offering his advice out of kindness, fearing that I might have usurped the throne..."
"I trust the Empress." Jun Chenbi pressed close to me from behind. "The Empress is loyal to me and deeply devoted to me."
"..." Qin Ge snorted softly, "...Your Majesty is quite confident."
“If the Empress had any ulterior motives, why go through all this trouble?” Jun Chenbi nibbled on Qin Ge’s thin, white earlobe, his voice low and hoarse with laughter. “The Empress has plenty of opportunities to kill me, such as in bed.”
"For example, at this moment."
Qin Ge closed his eyes tightly, a bewitching red glint appearing at the corners of his eyes, but deliberately sneered, "Does Your Majesty think I wouldn't dare?"
Jun Chenbi let out a low laugh, his lips exquisitely beautiful like those of a seductive enchantress. "My empress has nothing she wouldn't dare to do. But I know you... can't bear to."
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