Qin Yu smiled and swaggered to the Empress's palace.
As soon as I arrived at the door, I smelled the spicy aroma of hot pot wafting from inside.
"Haha, the Empress really understands me; she knows that I love hot pot the most."
Qin Yu strode in, a smile on his face. He glanced at the boiling hot pot on the table and suddenly felt an empty stomach.
Zhao Lan sat down as well, and explained with a smile, "Your Majesty, I sent someone from my hometown in Longxi with an urgent message, using ice packs, to deliver the finest lamb from the Northwest. This lamb is much tastier than the goats in the capital. I took the liberty of having a hot pot prepared so that Your Majesty can dine with us."
This woman learns pretty quickly; she's already started looking for hot pot ingredients!
They actually used military horses with the fastest courier service to rush the mutton rolls. Tsk tsk, no wonder she's a rich young lady.
"Oh? Northwest lamb? Then I shall have a good taste of it today."
Qin Yu said with a smile.
Zi Yan quickly brought out a bowl and chopsticks.
Zhao Lan picked up a piece of lamb and put it in Qin Yu's bowl, asking with a hopeful smile, "Your Majesty, please try it and see if it suits your taste."
"good."
Qin Yu picked up his chopsticks, took a piece of lamb, and put it in his mouth.
The lamb melts in your mouth, tender and juicy, with a delicate and refreshing muttony aroma spreading across your tongue.
"Excellent, excellent!"
Qin Yu's eyes lit up, and his big face showed a blissful expression as he smacked his lips and said.
"It would be even better if it were paired with some fine wine."
Zhao Lan had been watching Qin Yu's facial expressions closely, noticing that he seemed to be enjoying his meal immensely.
A smug smile finally appeared on her lips, her beautiful eyes sparkling with laughter: "Ziyan, bring the wine."
"yes."
In a short while, Zi Yan, accompanied by her maid, brought up two jars of aged fine wine.
Zhao Lan personally lifted the lid, poured a glass of wine, and handed it to Qin Yu, saying with a smile, "This is also a special gift of Fenjiu from the Northwest. Your Majesty, would you like to try it?"
"good."
Qin Yu raised his wine cup and drank it all in one gulp.
The rich, mellow liquor slid down my throat, carrying a hint of sweetness.
"It truly is a divine elixir!"
Qin Yu exclaimed in admiration.
Seeing that Qin Yu liked it, Zhao Lan smiled and refilled his cup.
The two clinked glasses and ate happily.
Qin Yu was clearly in a good mood, and Zhao Lan attentively served him. After a few rounds of drinks, when Zhao Lan poured wine for Qin Yu, she asked casually, "Your Majesty, do you have a preferred candidate for the imperial envoy in charge of disaster relief?"
Qin Yu was taken aback upon hearing this.
He put down his wine cup, looked at Zhao Lan, and asked with a smile, "What? My beloved concubine is still interested in this matter?"
"This is what I think. If Your Majesty has not yet chosen someone, I can recommend one for you."
Zhao Lan smiled lightly, pursing her lips.
Qin Yu's eyes flickered, and he said nonchalantly, "I'm curious, who would you like to recommend?"
"this……"
Zhao Lan hesitated for a long time, then felt it was better to be direct. After all, with this foolish emperor's brain, if he said anything even slightly veiled, he probably wouldn't be able to react.
After taking a deep breath, Zhao Lan slowly said, "I think it is feasible to send Liu Guocheng as an imperial envoy to the three southwestern prefectures for disaster relief."
Qin Yu remained expressionless, but inwardly he was sneering.
Wasn't Liu Guocheng the one who advised the emperor about the disaster at the morning court session?
Zhao Lan is quite cunning.
This disaster relief effort also presents a good opportunity to eliminate dissidents and install trusted confidants in the three southwestern continents.
The imperial envoy in charge of disaster relief wielded great power; he could dismiss local officials with a single word. If Sima Lie's men had been in charge, the three southwestern prefectures might have become his territory, and Longxi would surely have been attacked from both sides.
But how could Qin Yu possibly agree?
He wouldn't give this opportunity to either Sima Lie or the Zhao family.
He needs to have people firmly under his control before he feels at ease.
Seeing that Qin Yu remained silent, Zhao Lan asked nervously, "Your Majesty, do you perhaps not trust Liu Guocheng?"
Qin Yu said with a smile, "No, that's not it. I've met Liu Guocheng a few times, and he's quite good. Besides, since he was recommended by the Empress, how could I possibly doubt him?"
"So, His Majesty has agreed?"
Zhao Lan felt relieved and a look of joy appeared on her face. She quickly pressed her advantage and asked.
Qin Yu shook his head and said with a regretful expression, "If it had been earlier, I would definitely have agreed, but unfortunately, this official position has already been bought by someone else, and I received one million taels of silver."
Zhao Lan's expression froze.
Upon seeing this, Qin Yu couldn't help but secretly rejoice, and continued to embellish the story, saying, "My beloved consort knows me well. I love money the most. I want to build even more wine pools and meat forests, and I want to collect even more beauties. Without money, it won't work."
The moment money was mentioned, Zhao Lan's lips twitched.
Could this tyrant be any more outrageous?
She gritted her teeth and asked, "Your Majesty, I would like to ask, who exactly bought this official position?"
Could it have been bought by Sima Lie?
That would cause things to get a little out of control.
"This is no secret; it was Abbot Liu of Qingyun Temple who bought it," Qin Yu said casually.
Upon hearing this, Zhao Lan breathed a sigh of relief.
As long as it's not Sima Lie, that's fine.
But soon, she frowned again.
Liu Caiqing?
What could a Taoist nun possibly do with this official position after buying it?
Could she possibly become the imperial envoy?
Thinking about something, Zhao Lan took the opportunity to ask.
Qin Yu pretended to think, and said uncertainly, "I remember, when Abbot Liu bought this official position, he was going to recommend someone for me to do it. Who was it again... Oh right, I remember now, it was Duke Zhang Tang!"
Zhang Tang?
Zhao Lan was startled; she had heard of this person before.
The Duke of Zhuguo had always maintained a close relationship with Qingyun Temple, and was an even closer friend of the previous generation's Imperial Preceptor.
It seems Zhang Tang wants to make a comeback and is resorting to the "pillow talk" approach!
After all, rumors have been circulating for some time that Qin Yu, this tyrannical emperor, frequently visits Qingyun Temple and is having an affair with the temple's abbot, Liu Caiqing.
From this perspective, it's possible that Liu Caiqing deliberately seduced Qin Yu, aiming to exploit his weakness of lust.
Furthermore, by cooperating with Zhang Tang, they intend to emulate Sima Lie in stirring up political trouble!
Zhao Lan's expression kept changing, and Qin Yu asked with a smile, "What's wrong, my dear concubine? Is there something wrong with this soup?"
Zhao Lan came to her senses and smiled, "This concubine is not quite sure either, but since Your Majesty has decided to give the disaster relief envoy to Zhang Tang, then it is not appropriate for this concubine to say anything more, lest Your Majesty misunderstand it as the harem interfering in politics."
"I cannot bear that responsibility."
Although Zhang Tang didn't have a deep connection with the Zhao family, he was still better than Sima Lie's men.
Most importantly, Zhang Tang currently has no real power base in the court, having recently been demoted.
Even if he is now the imperial commissioner, so what?
Once he went to the southwest, he could only do manual labor.
His only option is to do a good job in disaster relief so that he can atone for his crimes and have a chance to return to public life.
They simply don't have the capability to do anything underhanded in the three southwestern states!
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