Chapter 782 Scolding
When the palace maids in front of the palace gate saw them, they immediately knelt down and saluted.
"Ms. Gu."
"The Queen is waiting inside." Nanny Li nodded to her and walked in first.
Gu Qingchen tidied up his messy clothes, took a deep breath, and stepped in.
The hall was warm like spring, and the air was filled with the faint scent of sandalwood and flowers.
It was completely different from the tense situation she had imagined.
The queen was sitting on a soft couch, draped in a luxurious sable fur coat and holding an exquisite gilded hand warmer in her hands.
She didn't look at the person who came in, but just lowered her head and focused on watching the green smoke rising from the stove.
"Your Majesty, Miss Gu has arrived." Nanny Li reported softly.
The queen then slowly raised her head.
There was a hint of tiredness on her face, but she was well maintained and her real age was hard to tell.
Her eyes fell on Gu Qingchen, without any blame, but with the gentleness of an elder looking at a younger person.
"Qingchen is here."
The Queen's voice was very light and soft.
Gu Qingchen's heart trembled, and he stepped forward and knelt down to salute according to etiquette.
"Your humble servant, Gu Qingchen, pays respect to Her Majesty the Queen. May Her Majesty be blessed with good health."
"Get up, get up." The Queen waved to her with a kind smile on her face. "Silly child, why are you performing such a grand ceremony? Come to me quickly."
Gu Qingchen stood up as he was told, but he became more alert in his heart.
This is so abnormal.
She slowly walked to the couch and stood a few steps away from the queen.
"Look at this child, her face is pale from the cold, and her hands must be icy cold too." The Queen said, handing the gilded hand warmer in her hand to the palace maid beside her, "Here, warm Miss Gu's hands."
The palace maid immediately brought the hand warmer to Gu Qingchen.
Gu Qingchen hesitated for a moment, but still took it. The Queen's body temperature still remained on the hand warmer, and the warmth spread through her fingertips and instantly spread throughout her body.
"Please sit down." The Queen pointed to the seat next to her. "You must be exhausted after running around outside the palace all day."
"Thank you, Your Majesty." Gu Qingchen sat down, but he didn't dare to relax his body completely, so he only sat on half of his buttocks.
"Bring up some hot tea and the almond milk I just made in my kitchen," the queen ordered again.
"yes."
Soon, steaming hot tea and sweet almond cheese were brought to Gu Qingchen.
The queen looked at her with loving eyes, as if she were looking at her own daughter.
"Hurry up and drink some hot tea to warm yourself up. You are too impatient and too kindhearted. When I heard about the disaster in the south of the city, the prince and I were also very worried. But you rushed over alone."
Gu Qingchen held the teacup and replied in a low voice: "I just did what I had to do."
"It's what you should do, but you can't neglect your own health." The Queen sighed, her tone filled with heartache, "If you get sick from exhaustion, won't your mother be heartbroken? I would feel the same way if I saw you."
As she spoke, she reached out and gently patted the back of Gu Qingchen's hand.
"I know there are some misunderstandings between you and the Crown Prince. Chen An has been spoiled by me and has a bit of a stubborn temper. But in his heart, he is on your side."
Gu Qingchen's heart skipped a beat.
Here it comes.
After going around in circles like this, I’m finally getting to the point.
She remained calm and just listened quietly, wanting to see what kind of drama this queen, the mother of the country, was going to perform.
She raised her eyes, gazing directly into the Queen's kind and gentle gaze, and spoke softly, "I don't know what misunderstanding is. I only know that there is a distinction between the monarch and his subjects, and between men and women. His Royal Highness is the crown prince, the future ruler of the world. His heart should be filled with the people of the country, not with an insignificant person like me."
She kept a low profile, but her words were sharp, and she kicked the ball thrown by the queen back in a neither humble nor arrogant manner.
The queen's smile froze slightly when she heard the words "there is a difference between the ruler and his subjects", but soon returned to normal.
She sighed softly, her tone carrying a hint of helplessness and earnestness of an elder.
"You are too stubborn, child. An'er is too impatient. But you also need to understand why he is so impatient."
The queen stretched out her hand, and this time, she held Gu Qingchen's hand.
"Because he has you in his heart. If not, why would he be so obsessed with you, when there are so many noble ladies in this world?"
"Qingchen, listen to my advice. You and Qian Zhenyun are not suitable for each other after all. The Duke of Zhenguo's Mansion and the Qian family have become estranged from the Eastern Palace because of you. Do you really want to see your father, your brother, and the entire Qian family stand against the Crown Prince because of your momentary willfulness?"
These words finally revealed his fangs.
It was no longer a tender comfort, but a naked threat.
Gu Qingchen's heart sank. She did not pull her hand back, but just lowered her eyes and looked at the bowl of exquisite almond cheese in front of her in silence.
Just as undercurrents were surging in Kunning Palace, on the other side of the Forbidden City, in the imperial study, the atmosphere was as cold as ice.
Zhao Yunci looked at the report that was sent back at full speed.
He was not as furious as the prince, and there was not even any unnecessary expression on his face.
"Send it to the prince."
Soon, Zhao Chenan walked into the imperial study with a cold air.
"Father." He bowed.
Zhao Yunci did not let him stand up, but just gently pushed the report across the imperial desk.
"See for yourself."
Zhao Chenan stood up with some confusion, picked up the report, took a glance at it, and his face changed instantly.
It records in detail how he ordered Qian Zhenyun to go to provide disaster relief but did not provide soldiers with money and food, as well as how Gu Qingchen intervened forcefully and how the Duke of Zhenguo's Mansion provided money and food to win the hearts of the people.
"Explain." Zhao Yunci's voice remained calm. "Using a natural disaster to avenge your subjects and suppress your political enemies. Chen'an, is this the art of ruling that I taught you?"
"Father!" Zhao Chen'an knelt down with a plop, his forehead resting on the cold floor tiles. "Your Majesty, I know I was wrong! I was just angry for a moment. It was Gu Qingchen and Qian Zhenyun. They...they went too far and humiliated the royal family in public!"
"The royal family's honor?" Zhao Yunci finally raised her head, her eyes filled with undisguised disappointment. "The royal family's honor is earned through the support of the people! Not by forcing a woman into marriage!"
"For your ridiculous self-respect, you set such a vicious trap when the people of the entire city were suffering! You almost let the victims in the south of the city freeze to death and starve to death in despair! What did you gain by doing this?"
The emperor stood up suddenly, walked in front of him and looked down at him.
"You've got a mess! You've forced the Zhenguogong Mansion to step up, and they've spent all their wealth to help the victims, becoming the living Buddhas in the eyes of the people!"
"And what about you? You, the prince, have become a laughing stock in the eyes of the people, watching your people suffer while doing nothing!"
Zhao Chenan was scolded so hard that he was shaking all over and couldn't say a word.
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