99 Chapter 99

◎Behind the Curtain◎

The news of the empress's hanging curtain spread throughout the court and the country, and the most excited person was Zheng Fang. He was originally lying on the couch to rest, with two servants helping to massage his feet, which was considered to be quite comfortable. Now he was completely a rich and idle person. The emperor was smart and capable, and his son was also looking for something to do when he had nothing to do. It just so happened that he could be lazy openly after being tired for most of his life.

He never expected that his daughter would be the one ruling the country from behind the scenes. He started to speak wildly and scolded the Cui family. He immediately asked Ji to find out his official uniform from the bottom of the box because he had to attend the grand court meeting.

Ji was speechless: "You haven't been there for a long time. Do you know what is happening in the court now? Don't embarrass yourself."

"What do you mean I'm ashamed? I went there to help my daughter. You don't know how kind-hearted the emperor is. He still wants to compete with them. My daughter has probably never seen such a battle before. I went there for their own good." Apart from this wish, Zheng Fang also thought that if his daughter really took charge of the government, he might also be able to take over the government, which would be very impressive.

Originally, Ji didn't understand these important state affairs. When she was young, she was born into a military family and could fight on the battlefield. You could ask her to fight, but you couldn't ask her to sit down and think about those intrigues all day.

Hearing Zheng Fang say this, I felt that there was some truth to it.

However, she hesitated and asked, "You think the emperor is okay?"

She didn't want anything to happen to her son-in-law. After all, her daughter was a woman in the harem and the prince was not yet grown up. If the emperor failed, the world would begin to fall apart again.

Zheng Fang shook his head: "The emperor is such a strong man. If he is afraid of being criticized for his uncle's death and steps back for a while, people will say that the Cui family has pissed off the emperor. But I don't think he cares too much about his reputation. Maybe he really does..."

"What about our daughter?" This was what Ji was most worried about.

"What should we do? Don't we still have our family? Do you think my two sons are vegetarians?" Zheng Fang comforted Ji.

In fact, the Pei family was also in a state of panic. Pei Shuo was resting at Dong's place today. Dong had just finished her meal with her son and she had a lot to say about her child: "He won't eat when the wet nurse feeds him, but he eats when I feed him."

Pei Shuo was very happy to hear this: "Although the child is young, he knows who to be close to."

This was difficult for Mrs. Dong to accept. In fact, her son's marriage to the Xin family made the relationship between her and Xin better. But Pei Shuo was not very satisfied, especially today, when he spoke in a veiled manner.

However, she couldn't remain silent all the time. She still liked Pei Shuo very much and knew that he was also thinking about his son, so she smiled and said a few words about housework.

Pei Shuo said: "I may not be at home often these days, so you should go out less if you have nothing to do."

Dong was puzzled: "Why is this?"

"The Emperor is not feeling well, and the Empress is in charge of government affairs. I am responsible for protecting the capital, and we cannot afford to make any mistakes at this time." Pei Shuo said.

Dong's heart ached. She had just lived a few years of peace and stability, and she didn't want anything to happen to the emperor. If something happened to the emperor, Pei Shuo would be in trouble, and who knows what would happen in the future.

So, she asked again: "Is there anything serious going on with the emperor?"

As if he could see Dong's uneasiness, Pei Shuo smiled and said, "It's okay. Besides, the Empress is here. She is not an ordinary woman."

Even if other women hold high positions, they mostly share their husbands' glory, but his sister is not like that. When she was in Xuzhou, she helped transport food and was very capable.

In fact, Huiyin was not really worried at all. In her previous life, her son was too young, and she hung the curtain to consolidate her son's status. But no matter what she did, at least no one would judge her. Now Li Cheng was still alive. If she did something wrong and was fooled by others, then Li Cheng's efforts would be wasted.

So she said to Li Cheng: "Why not, let's wait until you get better."

Li Cheng was originally an impatient person, but after being dizzy, he was more sober than others. He leaned on the pillow and said, "If I don't let you out, how can I know who is causing the trouble? The Cui family is certainly despicable, but who are these people who have been tying me up all the time and making me stop? I also want to see. Besides, my head really hurts."

He knew that if he didn't say this, Huiyin would definitely not agree.

Sure enough, when Huiyin heard that he had a headache, she said, "I'll get the imperial physician to give you acupuncture."

"No need. I know all about my illness. I was just anxious and angry, so I felt uncomfortable. Now I will be fine if I rest more. You usually have back pain, but don't you want to see a doctor?" Li Cheng sighed.

Huiyin always felt that unless the injury was obvious, the more she moved the patient around, the worse it would be. Therefore, she could understand Li Cheng, and now she said, "In this case, I can only bite the bullet and do it. But I will practice Tai Chi first, and help you find the person behind the scenes as you said."

Li Cheng clapped his hands and laughed, "Okay, okay, I knew you were capable."

"I promised you a good deal, but actually I'm very unsure." Huiyin glanced at her husband and worried secretly.

At this time, Li Cheng seemed to be deaf. Huiyin angrily threw the handkerchief at his face, and Li Cheng just smiled.

So, Huiyin first called Jing'er over and said, "I am worried about the court hearing tomorrow. You are better than me, and you are often taken care of by your father. You think we should discuss it together. It's not good to be controlled by foreign ministers."

Jing'er has always been the crown prince and has also been involved in government affairs, but now that his father has fallen, he is unexpectedly much more depressed.

Fortunately, the Queen Mother stepped out to take the lead at this time. Jing'er nodded and said, "What do you think of the plan, Queen Mother?"

"Let's first send someone to Duanming Palace to get the memorials from the past few days, and write down the important matters on paper, and then think of a solution. I think most of them are about farmland, and we can see your father's intention from it. Then each department can discuss it, and if they don't understand, we can ask them to write auspicious edicts. In short, we must calm down and deal with this period of time. When your father is better, we two mothers will be relieved." Huiyin touched her chest, her expression extremely nervous.

Jing'er stood up and replied.

The memorials were delivered very quickly. Jing'er knew that her mother was very sensible. When her father was reviewing the memorials, she would take the initiative and even step aside. She rarely interrupted even when there were political affairs.

Now, seeing the memorial, she quickly separated it.

One was a memorial from various places about land. She first hastily registered the people who submitted the memorials. Jing'er saw that she wrote very quickly and had a good memory. She mainly read how Li Cheng replied. She showed Jing'er the one she had reviewed: "You see, this is what your father said. Let's follow this."

Jing'er used to think that her mother was afraid of being tired and wanted to lie down whenever she wanted. But now she was full of energy, moving swiftly and decisively, and making decisions in a matter of moments. She was completely different.

Even he might not be able to hold on, but his mother yawned and sorted out the matter, and somehow Jing'er felt much more at ease.

In fact, both mother and son were unsure. Huiyin woke up once in the middle of the night and felt that she did not sleep very well. Even after putting on makeup, she said to Jing'er who came to pick her up: "My heart is beating too fast."

Jing'er was still a teenager, and now she was very nervous after hearing these words, but she still had to comfort Huiyin: "Mother, don't worry, your son is standing beside you."

"You stand next to me?" Huiyin became even more nervous when she thought about it. This was not a real behind-the-curtain hearing. She was going to sit directly on the dragon throne, and the prince was going to stand in front of her on the left. In her previous life, her son was the emperor, and he had to sit on the dragon throne no matter how young he was. Now that her son was the prince, he could not sit on the dragon throne yet. Li Cheng was letting her sit on the dragon throne.

I didn't expect that he trusted her so much, so I couldn't let him down.

After getting off the sedan chair, Jing'er saw that her mother, who seemed very frightened just now, was now calm. Almost all the ministers were already waiting there. When they walked in, everyone present knelt down and cheered "Long Live the Queen".

Huiyin couldn't see anyone, she only felt a dark oppression in front of her. She didn't feel the pleasure of being in a superior position at all, but only felt like she was walking on thin ice. After all, the emperor only had the power to govern the country, and she now had this power, but she couldn't abuse it.

She gestured to Qin An on her left, and Qin An waved his hand to brush off the dust and shouted, "Get up."

Everyone stood up. Some of them had seen Huiyin before, while some saw her for the first time. Before, they had only seen her from a distance during the wedding ceremony, and could not even see her face clearly. Now they saw her wearing a crown and hat, sitting upright, with her eyebrows flying into her temples and her eyes calm.

As a relative by marriage, Zheng Fang stood in front in a dragon robe. He was always ready to charge into the battlefield for his daughter. He looked at his daughter carefully several times. As an outsider, he was not as good as his two sons, who had served in front of the emperor before. It was rare for him to see his daughter.

"If you have the foundation to start a memorial, if you don't have the foundation to retreat from the court."

Everyone looked at each other in bewilderment. They just thought of her as a woman who would never interfere in other people's affairs without permission. Otherwise, it would be unbearable for her to crow in the morning.

But now that she is ruling on behalf of the emperor, the meaning is different.

The left prime minister Jian Tan was the first to ask, "I, your humble servant, pay my respects to the Empress, and wish her good health and happiness. How is the Emperor's health?"

There is actually a trap in this statement. Asking about the emperor's health now will easily let people know whether Li Cheng can still be in charge. If he can, they will have some respect for Huiyin. If he can't, then the people below will become restless.

Zheng Fang and Pei Shuo were sweating with anxiety, and they only heard Huiyin say: "This queen is here to listen to the government affairs by the order of the emperor. If the prime minister has something to say, he should report it. If not, he should leave the court."

Jian Tan was an old official in Xuzhou, so he did not dare to ask more questions. However, another official specifically called out the famous person for his integrity. This person stood up and said, "I, Wang Pao, a Hanlin scholar from the Hanlin Academy, have something to report to Your Majesty. What we are most worried about now is the safety of the emperor. Without the emperor, we really have no interest in government affairs."

Many people echoed his words. Zheng Fang was about to speak when he heard the voice of the emperor above: "You keep talking about the emperor, but you are actually spying on him. The emperor ordered me to take charge of government, but you didn't listen. You say one thing, but mean another. You are really hypocritical. How can I reward someone like you?"

Zheng Fang came out quickly and said, "To answer the Queen Mother's words, this thief did not listen to the Queen Mother's words and should be dismissed."

"Hey, the emperor has allowed everyone to speak their minds, how can I punish officials at will? The emperor has not recovered from his illness, and I am guarding the house for him. If all of you are questioning the emperor, then keep talking. I don't believe it. When the emperor is not around, some people dare to commit crimes." Huiyin said this with a smile, but the people below were sweating profusely after hearing it.

Zheng Fang thought to himself, good, good, she is worthy of being his daughter.

The thorny Wang Pao didn't dare to say anything more. After all, if he said anything more, it would make the empress remember his rebellion. Even if the emperor didn't listen, the prince was still here.

Among such troublemakers, there are some who are particularly good at dealing with people. A young official stepped out and said, "I, the minister of the Ministry of Rites, Dong Fen, have a report that students from Korea, Nanfan, Dali and other countries have already been admitted to the Imperial Academy, and their envoys have also been arranged. Please read it, Empress Dowager."

The eunuch quickly brought the memorial. Huiyin had actually seen it before and said, "They are all from the □□, and their customs and habits are different. The host and guest department should receive them well."

Anyway, as long as you don't make mistakes when practicing Tai Chi, it will be fine. At this point, Huiyin also breathed a sigh of relief.

Seeing the Ministry of Revenue's report again, as expected, this time it talked about the land. Jing'er glanced at Huiyin, and Zheng Fang was also a little anxious. After all, he was not very clear about this matter. Although Pei Shuo often read the court bulletin, he was not a member of the cabinet, but only a military officer, so it was not easy for him to speak on irrelevant matters.

Huiyin said: "The lands of Qing and Xu have been measured before. Why is the number of acres originally measured different from the one reported now? Please provide a detailed report."

After she finished speaking, she glanced at Jing'er. Jing'er thought that her mother was really smart. If they didn't understand something, she asked them to write it down in detail and she only gave a general idea.

The Ministry of Works reported again about water conservancy. Huiyin thought to herself that she had seen the reply to this memorial, and Li Cheng had also told her about it last time. This was exactly the topic, so Huiyin spoke at length, which surprised the Minister of Works.

Jing'er said from below that her mother's memory was too good, and she had replied to a lot of the memorial yesterday.

This means that those who know should delay the process first, while those who don't know should report the situation in detail.

The people below were listening to the queen speaking. They saw that she spoke clearly, had a pleasant voice, and was logical. She was quite appropriate and not in a hurry. They all admired her secretly.

Even Zheng Fang couldn't help pinching his beard, and he looked at Pei Shuo and smiled.

After the court session, Huiyin changed out of her coat and said to Li Cheng, "Please get up quickly. I really can't stand it any longer."

Li Cheng pointed at her and smiled: "I heard that, thanks to you, everything is fine. Good Huiyin, let me rest for a few days."

"You have rested enough, but I am in a mess. Please teach me again." Li Cheng couldn't stand Huiyin's coquettishness anymore.

Li Cheng said a few more words in detail, and then looked at Huiyin, she was asleep. He laughed, it was really hard for her, but he was also inexplicably relieved. His wife did react quickly, but she was just too lazy. I didn't expect that even if Huiyin was like this, someone would write a secret letter saying that the queen wanted a hen to wake up at dawn.

It would be great if she really took his place, then he could have more rest and eat some free food, free food tastes really good, but some people just can't get over it.

While she was sleeping, Li Cheng hugged her and kissed her several times.

Huiyin felt that she was trembling with fear, but Zheng Fang was so happy that he even invited Pei Shuo to his home and kept talking during the banquet: "Your sister is really calm and composed. Some people would get angry at what they said, but it's thanks to her that she can think of a solution. It's tiring, really tiring."

"Yes, my son thinks so too. My sister wears a yellow robe, and when she sits there, she is full of aura, and her words are polite and precise. People below dare not act rashly." Pei Shuo thought that other women all longed for others' care, but she was able to form her own school, and she didn't know how cunning people in the court and the country were.

Just ten days later, Li Cheng went to court. He looked completely normal and Huiyin breathed a sigh of relief.

The Zheng family hurried in to pay their respects. Cui Yuehuan did not dare to mention Cui family's affairs. Now that the title of Cui family was in the hands of her eldest brother, she did not dare to mourn openly. After all, not only did Cui family commit a crime, but they also made the emperor faint. This was Cui family's fault.

Huiyin was calm and didn't mention the Cui family. She just said, "As long as the emperor is healthy, we will be fine too."

Ji smiled and said, "Who says it's not true? The emperor is healthy and the queen is also benefited."

"That's what I said. I heard that my brother is doing a good job in Wu County. The emperor praised him to me yesterday. Mother should benefit from it too." She only said a few polite words.

Ji said, "Thanks to the Queen Mother, many more people are coming to our house now, just waiting for me to find some quiet and peaceful place."

Huiyin smiled and shook her head: "As the saying goes, everything that rises must fall. I just listened to the emperor's political affairs once, and they started looking for ways. I will go back and tell my father and others that if they accept anything from others and they do something illegal in my name in the future, I will not recognize them as relatives if I find out."

It was unclear whether this was referring to the Cui family or her own family. Ji did not dare to say anything and immediately went back to tell Zheng Fang and the others. Zheng Fang was speechless: "Why did you only tell me? Am I the one in the family who is most likely to do something illegal?"

"I don't know about that, but since the Queen has ordered me to do so, I have to tell you. It would be bad if I didn't tell you."

Ji just covered her mouth and laughed.

Only Cui Yuehuan was very upset, but now she no longer dared to say no. A woman who could fight with court officials in the court was no ordinary person.

In the past everyone called her the Queen, but now everyone calls her the Queen of Heaven.

Nanny Rong said, "Madam has also figured it out. She told me to tell you that since the title has been inherited by the eldest master, you should stop talking and live a good life in the Zheng family and stop thinking about your parents' home."

Cui Yuehuan sighed. Fortunately, Zheng Wuheng was not there. Otherwise, if he knew, he might have a grudge against the Cui family.

I don’t know when he will come back?

She was thinking that her husband would be back in about a year, but she had waited for three years. When she saw her husband coming back from Jiangnan without anyone following him, she was delighted at first, and then she joked, "You've come back just in time. The Emperor and Empress are just about to choose a princess for the Crown Prince, and it just so happens that you, the Crown Prince's uncle, have come back."