Chapter 199 Let's be honest
When Fu Mingyi saw Xiao Qing's eyes darting around, he knew she was up to some mischief again.
He had heard some things about the Chu family.
The Chu family was originally an old noble family. Going back several generations, their family had produced kings of different surnames, dukes, marquises, great generals, and even imperial concubines…
However, these past few generations seem rather tragic.
Due to discord among brothers, infighting, the death of their youngest son, and other family unrest, the once-renowned summer vacation was no longer as successful as before.
Almost all the Chu family members who served in the court this generation were mediocre. Even those who relied on their ancestors' influence mostly held sinecure positions, or I was in a less important position, unambitious and living a life of debauchery.
It seemed that he was about to be disowned within the extended family.
Chu Lianzhou's father was named Chu Ruishu, who was also the eldest son of the emperor. He originally worked as a compiler in the Hanlin Academy and now works in the Ministry of Revenue.
She was the eldest granddaughter of the Chu family's Nanhua branch, and was intelligent from a young age, and was quite well-known.
But that's precisely where the problem lies.
After Chu Lianzhou's biological mother passed away, the elders of the Chu family, for political reasons, made Chu Ruishu's concubine their official wife. From then on, Chu Lianzhou's life became much more difficult.
Such sordid affairs are not uncommon in large families. But Chu Ruishu, the concubine who was promoted to the rank of principal wife, was clearly not a person of great capacity. That's why it caused such a stir throughout the city, and even Xiao Fu, who lived in seclusion in the mansion, heard about it.
Anyone with eyes can see what's going on in today's situation.
He didn't care about Chu Lianzhou's fate; he was afraid that Xiao Qing would become overly compassionate and do something inappropriate.
Just like Qiao Bai before.
For a moment he thought: Is it really too early for him to take personal control of the government now?
But he quickly rejected the idea.
If it's an eagle, it must be allowed to fly off the cliff. Otherwise, it will forever only see the warmth in front of it and lose the courage to soar through the sky.
Things haven't gotten so bad that they're beyond repair yet. He might as well wait and see.
Wang Yu breathed a sigh of relief when Chu Lianzhou left.
But the two people from the Chu family became increasingly uneasy.
Xiao Fu hadn't had enough of making a scene and was quite disappointed.
Duke Anguo whispered from the side, "Fu'er, why did you help the Chu family's young lady today?"
Xiao Fu pouted, "At first, I just couldn't stand Wang Yu's attitude. She's just relying on her father being the prime minister. I wasn't as arrogant as her when I was young. I couldn't stand her."
"And then what happened?"
"Chu Lianzhou is so famous, I..."
Xiao Fu calmed down.
She didn't say anything more, but the Duke of Anguo patted her hand, as if he understood.
Xiao Qing's gossipy eyes were distracted for a moment, and his goodwill towards the Duke of Anguo unconsciously rose several degrees.
In these three years, Duke Anguo has been much quieter than when he first arrived in Nanhua three years ago.
The singing and dancing continued, night fell, and nothing unexpected or interesting happened after that.
Even the best banquets eventually come to an end.
Compared to Fu Mingyi, who barely paid attention to the singing and dancing or the women of the various families all night, Xiao Qing felt that she had really been more than considerate.
She gestured to Ma Hong to announce that the party could disperse, and then eagerly prepared to return to her Chengde Palace.
She had just instructed Mingxiu to take the person directly to Chengde Palace.
Xiao Yan concealed his disdain, thinking to himself that his imperial brother liked this kind of woman.
Wang Yu dawdled, and seeing that Xiao Qing had already left the table, she felt unhappy again.
Your Majesty, have you forgotten to return Chu Lianzhou?
Not only Wang Yu, but many people think this way.
The girl Chu Ruishu brought said anxiously, "Father, please ask His Majesty quickly. It's so late already, how can my sister stay overnight in the palace?"
Chu Ruishu gave her a deep look. "His Majesty has already left his seat. How can we make a request?"
There was an indistinguishable sadness in his voice, yet also a hint of hidden hope.
"But……"
"Let's go. Do you want to stay here and become a laughingstock?"
The girl stomped her foot in resentment, but still followed her father.
Wang Yu also snorted in annoyance, muttering under her breath, "Why did we have to summon Chu Lianzhou? It's all Xiao Fu's fault. Isn't she usually as quiet as a mummified person? She refused to come out even after I sent her invitations several times. I didn't know when the two of them became so close!"
Wang Xiang glanced at Fu Mingyi, who was leaving with several young officials, and pondered for a long time.
The ministers were in an uproar, with all sorts of opinions.
Some even approached Chu Ruishu jokingly, clasped their hands in a fist and laughed, "Congratulations, Lord Chu! Although you're young, you know how to cherish women. You might just become the Emperor's father-in-law! Haha!"
The other person patted him on the shoulder, and he nervously pushed them away, stammering, "N-what nonsense are you talking about! You..."
Wang Xiang led Wang Yu past them. Wang Yu pouted unhappily and glared at them. Wang Xiang calmed down and didn't even spare them a glance.
Someone else whispered, "Oh dear, you've offended the Prime Minister! Everyone knows the Prime Minister..."
Chu Ruishu's face immediately turned red, and he became increasingly flustered, which only made people laugh even louder.
The girl beside him felt humiliated. She gritted her teeth and inwardly resented her father. She regretted attending the Winter Solstice Banquet with him to the core.
Regardless of what happened in the front hall, Xiao Qingcai quickly returned to Chengde Palace in a short while.
There was a side hall in Chengde Palace that was not usually used. Mingxiu was looking out from outside the hall when she saw Xiao Qing and Ma Hong walking quickly towards her, so she hurried to greet them.
Xiao Qingdao asked, "So, have you seen it?"
Mingxiu nodded, "I've checked, and it's true that his hand is injured. Not only is there an injury on his hand, but also on his calf."
Xiao Qing frowned and asked as she walked inside, "What happened to your leg?"
Mingxiu felt a little reluctant.
"She must have been whipped with a rattan cane, perhaps through her clothes, as there are no obvious wounds, but her skin is swollen. Miss Chu had difficulty walking; it's truly unbelievable that she was able to persevere and walk so far..."
Xiao Qing pushed open the door. "That's just her personality; she's very stubborn."
As soon as he finished speaking, Chu Lianzhou got out of bed and was kneeling on the ground.
Mingxiu was so frightened that she quickly stepped forward and said, "Miss Chu, you are injured, you can't do this..."
After the initial tension subsided, Xiao Qing breathed a sigh of relief and helplessly pointed at her, saying to Ming Xiu, "See? That's her stubbornness."
She went over and personally helped Chu Lianzhou up, then pressed her down to sit on the bed, looking her straight in the eye, and asked bluntly, "Do you still want to go back to that home?"
Chu Lianzhou was stunned for a long time, feeling confused, struggling, and suppressing her emotions.
Xiao Qing was even more direct: "You've come today, so you must have heard some rumors. I'm getting married soon. I'm looking for someone who can stay by my side for three years... no, three to seven years. I can't have a conjugal relationship with her, but I can guarantee she can at least live a peaceful life. I don't want her to ask why, and I'll do my best to treat her well. After seven years, I'll set her free. If she has someone she likes, she can reunite with them after seven years. Can you do that?"
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