Chapter 41 Chapter 41 The Servant Under the Skirt
Shangguan Xu was stunned when he heard this.
She didn't expect him to ask this deliberately.
Xu Qing'an, having not seen her answer for a long time, simply turned back, tilted his head, and hummed softly to ask. Shangguan Xu smiled calmly and said, "How can I say for sure? I don't even know when I can leave Da'an Temple."
Xu Qing'an said regretfully, "Oh, so... I thought Your Majesty had thought it through from the beginning."
He raised his gaze and fixed it calmly on her face.
Shangguan Xu knew there was something deeper behind his words, so he couldn't help but say, "We have to choose a good day for this kind of thing, right? If Mr. Xu has any ideas, why not let him decide?"
Xu Qing'an nodded. "Then I must go back and look up an auspicious date."
He looked at her one last time, his eyes still deep but full of meaning.
——
After Xu Qing'an left, Shangguan Xu groped her way to her seat and sat down. She calmed down for a while.
What Xu Qing'an brought tonight was indeed beyond her expectations, but the conditions she offered were indeed what she had prepared long ago.
Sometimes the person who speaks first is not necessarily at a disadvantage; on the contrary, the initiative is also very important.
Her brother is her only relative in the world now, so she must protect him no matter what. She knows what the man who came tonight wants most, but she will never give up the power of the court.
She knew his ambitions, and was wary of his wavering attitude, so she couldn't let him get away with it. If Su Wang continued to grow stronger and harder to control, wouldn't that be like keeping a wolf out of the front door and welcoming a tiger in the back? She couldn't afford to let such a thing happen, so she took the initiative to bring up those matters between men and women.
Shangguan Xu remembered how he had lost his composure in front of her. Power and sex were what he pursued, so he decided to use sex to confuse her mind.
And the facts proved that she made the right choice. Although his reaction after she said that hurt her, she was secretly happy in her heart.
She can take advantage of his weaknesses, and as for the others... there is nothing that cannot be exploited under the current circumstances. It's just like being bitten by a dog. Even if she is really angry, she will take that man away with her when she gets rid of Su Wang in the future.
Thinking of this, Shangguan Xu finally breathed a sigh of relief and took out the letter that he had not finished writing.
She lit the lamp again and finished writing the letter. It contained what Xu Qing'an had just asked her about: her plan to find evidence in Luozhou to exonerate Shangguan Li.
——
When Xu Qing'an returned to the Xu Mansion, Chen Heng and Xun Yang were still waiting in the hall. He was surprised for a few breaths, but then he calmed down and walked away calmly.
Seeing him come back, Shen Heng spoke first: "How? How did the talk go?"
Xu Qing'an sat down first, poured a cup of tea to moisten his throat, and said, "Everything will go according to the original plan."
Shen Heng raised his eyebrows: "What does this mean? She didn't let go?"
Xu Qing'an looked at him and nodded solemnly: "Yes, she is unwilling to give up her power."
"Then wouldn't it be a loss for us to do this!" Shen Heng couldn't help but said loudly.
Xu Qing'an said softly, "Not entirely. After all, Shangguan Mingyue must be saved no matter what. And after this incident, she will trust and rely on me even more. This will make it easier for me to do many things in the future."
Shen Heng was silent: ...
I thought these two things were too abstract.
Chen Heng said worriedly again: "However, if you come forward in this matter, it will be tantamount to putting yourself directly in front of Prime Minister Su. I am afraid that it will be difficult for you to remain dormant in the future."
"It's okay." Xu Qing'an said calmly, "According to the original plan, after the Jiangnan matter was dealt with, I should have met Su Wang next. Now it's just a little earlier, so it's no big deal."
Shen Heng nodded: "As long as my husband has a plan."
"Oh right," Xu Qing'an instructed, "After the matter in Jiangnan is settled, arrange to have the supplies delivered to Pingying and the other two states as soon as possible. The situation there is quite urgent."
Shen Heng nodded: "I understand."
Seeing the two of them pause, Xun Yang, who had been listening for so long, finally found his chance to speak. "Are you done?" He stood up, pulled out a bottle from his sleeve, and placed it in front of Xu Qing'an. "My master just had someone send it over. Your medicine will be replaced with this from today."
Chen Heng was surprised: "My dear, the poison has not been completely cured yet?"
Xun Yang scoffed: "It's too early."
Chen Heng wanted to say something but when he saw Xun Yang giving him a look, he swallowed it back immediately.
Xu Qing'an glanced at the medicine bottle for a few moments, seemingly accustomed to such changes. He didn't ask any further questions, only responding softly. Seeing that everything was discussed, and that he had been busy all night, he dismissed the two of them and returned to his room alone.
When they walked outside, Chen Heng finally swallowed the words he had just said and asked Xun Yang again: "What's going on with the poison? Why hasn't it been completely removed for so long? Didn't I hear that the poison has been removed before?"
Xun Yang glanced in the direction Xu Qing'an had left, pouting, "What else could it be? No matter how good the medicine is, it can't cure this heart disease, and this heart disease is so deep that no poison can cure it."
Shen Heng uttered a soft “Ah”: “Will that…?”
"It's hard to say." Xun Yang sighed lightly, and then said, as if to give up, "At least there's nothing serious at the moment. As for the rest... at worst, I'll have to take medicine for the rest of my life."
Shen Heng swallowed his throat, his eyes showing regret: “Alas, why bother.”
People have been chanting sutras for him for several years, and maybe they want to quickly liberate him from becoming a vengeful ghost and haunting her.
However, Shen Heng never said this, and left with Xun Yang with a sigh.
In the bedroom, Xu Qing'an did not fall asleep as soon as he came back, but carefully recalled his time with her tonight and the words he said to her.
He couldn't help but clench his hands.
He really hated what she did and her decision.
He clearly had the upper hand in tonight's negotiations, but now he didn't feel happy at all, but more resentful.
What kind of life did she want? How far did she want to go? From the moment he came back and spent time with her, every step she took made him feel at a loss, and the conditions she proposed...
Xu Qing'an sighed.
Fortunately, he ignored Gu Xufeng's obstruction and insisted on going down the mountain early, otherwise who would be her lover today?
——
The next day, Xu Qing'an, a deputy minister of the Ministry of Justice, submitted a memorial pointing out that due to the influence of the rainy season, houses, buildings, bridges and roads built under the supervision of the court in many places have collapsed. The phenomenon is similar to the previous incident of the Luozhou Bridge. There are also buildings that were built even earlier than the Luozhou Bridge. Therefore, he requested that the cases be handled together, that is, if convicted, the sentences should be unified.
As soon as the news came out, the whole court was in an uproar. If the sentencing was unified, then Shangguan Li would be executed and the other officials involved would also be punished for the same crime.
How could this be done? Even if others didn't know, Su Wang knew how many of the officials involved in the memorial were from his party, and they were not ordinary people.
At the same time, the Minister of Justice also requested to cooperate with the Dali Temple in trying the case, hoping to find out the cause more quickly.
Things are developing rapidly and this is the only thing we can do.
During the investigation, Xu Qing'an went to the cell where Shangguan Li was imprisoned.
The prison door opened, and Shangguan Li was seen wearing a shabby prison uniform, but his posture was upright, like a crane in the wild field, sitting cross-legged on the weeds.
Xu Qing'an walked over and bowed to him: "Sir Shangguan."
Shangguan Li raised his eyelids and cast a warm gaze at him: "It's Lord Xu from the Ministry of Justice."
Xu Qing'an nodded, his demeanor full of respect: "I came here to discuss the matter of the Luozhou bridge."
During the two days in prison, Shangguan Li hadn't been up to date on what was happening outside. He only said, "Isn't that case handled by the Dali Temple? Could it be that it's now in the hands of the Ministry of Justice?"
Xu Qing'an patiently explained, "It wasn't completely handed over to the Ministry of Justice, but the Ministry of Justice was involved in assisting. Your Excellency may not be aware that due to the rainy season, government-supervised buildings have collapsed in various places. The court has combined these cases with yours, so the Ministry of Justice is involved."
Shangguan Li lowered his eyes and murmured, "In such a short time, we've collected all the construction information from various places..." He raised his eyes and asked, "How is the Empress Dowager now?"
Xu Qing'an knew that Shangguan Li wanted to know about Shangguan Xu's situation and was worried that she was worrying too much about him, but he was also unsure about his position as an outsider, so he asked unclearly.
Xu Qing'an said, "Don't worry, Your Majesty is doing well." He paused for a moment and said, "I will also follow Your Majesty's instructions and do my best to help you clear your name."
Shangguan Li understood: "So those other cases were all hers..."
Xu Qing'an lowered his eyes and said without saying the whole thing, "Your Majesty has put a lot of thought into it."
Xu Qing'an thought that by saying this, he could use their brother-sister relationship to reassure Shangguan Li and reduce his anxiety, but he saw him sigh and shake his head: "Why bother?"
Xu Qing'an was surprised: "What does Lord Shangguan mean by this? The Queen is helping you."
"I know." Shangguan Li said softly, "That's why it's not worth it."
He raised his eyes, his brows slightly raised, the light in his eyes quite bitter: "Because of me, the Queen Mother has to deal with and compete with others. In this way, isn't it putting her in danger? As her brother, how can I feel at ease?"
Xu Qing'an said, "So you, my Lord, also know that you were framed. Then why didn't you refute them before, but instead allowed them to fabricate charges and imprison you?"
Shangguan Li sighed softly, "Although Lord Xu has only been in the court for a short time, I believe that with his intelligence, it is not difficult for him to see the twists and turns in the court. The Empress Dowager is my sister, and as her brother, I naturally have to take responsibility for some things."
Xu Qing'an frowned. "Your Excellency is saying that the Luozhou incident may seem to be directed at you, but in reality, they originally wanted to drag the Empress Dowager into the water?"
Shangguan Li was speechless for a moment, then looked up and said, "We're both from the Shangguan family, and we share the same mother. Why should I differentiate between her and me?"
His eyelashes drooped slightly, and he sighed, "If you see her later, tell her not to bother me anymore and just let her take care of herself."
Xu Qing'an could tell Shangguan Li was trying to use his body to block the evil that was heading towards Shangguan Xu, but he disagreed with Shangguan Li's attitude and said, "Since Lord Shangguan also said that you are born of the same mother, then Lord Shangguan also knows that you are each other's only blood relatives in this world."
"You are the Empress Dowager's brother. Although I have only been in the court for a short time, I know the many sacrifices you have made for her. For example, you were once recognized by the entire court as a leader of the younger generation, considered a future prime minister. However, just when your career was flourishing and rising rapidly, you resigned from your position as Vice Minister of Justice after the Empress Dowager became the Empress Dowager, and retired to the Ministry of Secretariat. Everyone knows that you did this to prevent the Empress and the Shangguan family from being branded as a dictatorship by foreign relatives."
"And even now, Your Excellency is still thinking about the Empress, wanting to use your own body to shield her from the hidden arrows of other forces. But Your Excellency, since you are thinking about the Empress, have you ever thought about what she really wants? Does she just want to protect herself, or does she want the health of her family?"
Shangguan Li looked at Xu Qing'an, only to see him sigh slightly, walk forward, and half-kneel in front of him.
Xu Qing'an looked up at him. "You are her brother, and she is your sister. You want to protect her, and she wants to protect you. You have supported each other over the years and have been a strong emotional support for each other. Even so, does your Excellency think that the Empress should keep herself safe?"
Shangguan Li's eyes flickered, and there was a hint of pain and confusion between his brows.
Xu Qing'an assumed his words had only aroused his emotions, so he continued, "In fact, whether it's for the Empress Dowager or the court, Lord Shangguan's previous departure from the central government was already a loss to the nation. Even in his youth, Lord Shangguan was full of passion, wanting to serve his country and protect his loved ones. But he first abandoned his ideals, leaving regrets for himself. Now, will he also leave regrets for the Empress Dowager?"
Shangguan Li turned his head away, closed his eyes, and said in a hoarse voice, as if he could no longer bear it: "Don't say anything."
Xu Qing'an lowered his eyes and said, "I was too harsh."
After a moment, Shangguan Li spoke again, "But I've been away from the Central for many years, and now I'm in prison. Even if I wanted to help her, I can't."
Xu Qing'an consoled him, "My Lord, it's enough for you to take care of yourself. However..." He suddenly raised his eyes, his gaze more inquiring than before. "If you could provide some details about your time overseeing the construction of the bridge in Luozhou during the disaster relief, it might be helpful in helping you escape. Alternatively, does your Lordship have any former subordinates who know the inside story? Your Majesty could send a letter to them for clues."
Shangguan Li, still drenched in emotion, said, "No, I haven't been involved in the affairs of the previous dynasty since I joined the Secretariat. Even the court officials who used to follow me because of my father have since gone to help the Empress. I rarely contact them anymore."
"Oh, that's it..." Xu Qing'an responded vaguely.
He then asked, "Does your Excellency have anyone outside the imperial court who can help? If we leave this matter to the imperial court alone, there will probably be many obstacles. I think it would be much more convenient if we could get help from the Jianghu people."
Shangguan Li still said no.
Xu Qing'an stopped asking questions and simply said, "I'll beg you to stay in jail for a few days. I'll take care of the outside affairs. But during this time, I hope you can take good care of yourself."
——
After three nights of peace, A Zheng finally passed the critical period and woke up from her coma.
Shangguan Xu brought her medicine and took care of her personally.
She was weak at the moment, so Shangguan Xu was not in a hurry to ask her what had happened before.
Shangguan Xu let her lean on his arms, holding the porcelain bowl of medicine in one hand and the spoon in the other, feeding it to her lips spoon by spoon.
"Yao Zheng..."
The person in his arms suddenly spoke, his voice weak and small.
"What?" Shangguan Xu stopped what he was doing and looked down at the person in his arms.
Ah Zheng supported her abdomen and squeezed out a few words: "My name is Yao Zheng."
Shangguan Xu was surprised: "You...remembered it?"
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