So, amidst the chaotic bowing, no one noticed the butler's inner thoughts, and Chaoyuan merely served as a background figure, standing aside scanning the surroundings and doing her job.
However, Xu Qian didn't let him stand there bewildered for too long. After the group bowed to each other, he dismissed the steward and the servants.
Seeing this, Chen Xiao also dismissed Chao Yuan.
Only the three members of the Xu family, two members of the royal family, and Xi Xi and Qi Yanyun, who had come to join in the fun, remained on the field.
After Xu Qian saw that there were no outsiders present, he asked Chen Xiao, "Your Majesty, why did you come here in such a hurry? Is there something you need?"
"There's nothing urgent, but I'm going to Xunyang tomorrow, and it might take more than half a month. I'll leave the affairs of the court to the Prime Minister," Chen Xiao said.
Her words surprised the few people present who were unaware of the situation, especially Xu Qian and Xu Ruyu.
Xu Qian asked worriedly, "Has something happened in Xunyang?"
Chen Xiao had no choice but to repeat what he had said to Yuan Yin to the others: "No, it's just that Miss Yin has an old friend in Xunyang, and I'm just accompanying her. In addition, there's a water conservancy matter in Xunyang, and the prefect is bedridden. Because of his relationship with Consort Chen, it's good that I go there in person."
Yuan Yin knew the first half of the story, and no one thought anything was wrong until Chen Xiao's last sentence, which brought the atmosphere to a standstill.
Consort Chen... has she become so highly regarded? Xu Ruyu frowned, but didn't show anything.
Upon hearing this, Xu Ruyan, always eager for a good show, laughed several times after her initial shock, and even gave her brother a few extra glances.
Yuan Yin was somewhat puzzled as to why Chen Xiao hadn't mentioned Consort Chen when he was telling her about this earlier, but was bringing her up now. She secretly glanced at Chen Xiao and Xu Ruyu, feeling as if she had grasped something.
Qi Yanyun didn't care who it was because of His Majesty; he was just a little curious. He had met Consort Chen before, and it seemed that she had nothing to do with His Majesty. He noticed Yuan Yin's actions and guessed what was going on. He smiled but didn't say anything.
When Xu Qian heard Chen Xiao mention Consort Chen, he was even more at a loss for words. This was Chen Xiao's private matter, and he had no right to interfere. He simply silently wished his eldest son well before briefly mentioning the water conservancy issue to Chen Xiao.
Chen Xiao then realized that while she was diligently reviewing memorials, Xu Qian and Zhao Siyuan had already been discussing improvements to the water conservancy project and had even prepared a candidate. What left Chen Xiao speechless was, "What? Consort Zhao?"
After the two of them discussed and came up with a solution, they actually chose Zhao Cheyu to go to Xunyang to implement this decision. It wasn't that Chen Xiao didn't trust Zhao Cheyu, but he was worried that the officials in the court would think that she would have to take the concubine to work again.
Xu Qian nodded and explained in detail, "Her exact words were that although Che Yu was a concubine, she had been carefully trained by her before entering the palace, and Che Yu was very talented in engineering and so young, so His Majesty could make good use of her."
Xu Qian was almost reluctant to finish the last sentence, but considering that it symbolized Zhao Siyuan's 'motherly love,' he still repeated it to Chen Xiao verbatim.
Chen Xiao was not surprised by these words.
She had long heard that Zhao Siyuan, the Minister of Works, was an extremely talented person. The word "talent" here refers to both ability and ability, as evidenced by her words, which were indeed very "talented".
Her understanding of Zhao Siyuan was entirely based on the book, which was what she had read in "The Legend of the Night Dynasty".
Zhao Siyuan entered the court as an official when Chu Qiaoling was emperor; she was only twelve years old at the time. Later, when Chu Yanxi ascended the throne, she served in the court for ten years and had already become the Minister of Works. She enjoyed high prestige not only in the court but also among the common people.
In terms of official prestige, Xu Qian was on par with her. Xu Qian also entered the court during Chu Qiaoling's reign and eventually became prime minister when Chu Yanxi ascended the throne. At that time, he was only twenty years old, making him the youngest prime minister in the Night Dynasty.
Recalling the descriptions in the book, Chen Xiao felt incredibly lucky. She had a capable minister like Xu Qian, a group of talented concubines, and now another important minister had joined her. She could also take advantage of her son.
With so many talented and extraordinary people around, this kind of life is too comfortable. It seems that it doesn't matter who is the emperor. She feels more and more that she can just lie down and relax.
This time, she didn't have to worry about the water conservancy issue anymore, as someone else came to help her.
Moreover, this person is exactly the type of person she finds attractive.
She recalled Zhao Cheyu's face and couldn't help but smile sincerely. "In that case, I'll take him with me tomorrow."
Consort Zhao... is she going to get attention too? Xu Ruyu's expression was a little bad. He unconsciously clenched his hands, his lips tightened slightly, but he still didn't say anything.
Looking at Chen Xiao's joyful smile, Xu Qian felt as if he had done something wrong again. He then offered his blessings to his beloved son before continuing, "I've met Che Yu before, and he's quite a good kid. Besides, I've heard that you had a good relationship with him before. It's a good thing that you're going to Xunyang together this time."
...Oh no, his mouth beat his heart! He meant to say 'good news,' but somehow he said 'wonderful news' instead...
Xu Qian felt the burning gaze of his eldest son. He didn't dare turn around, but only slightly raised his hand to his temple. Unnoticed by everyone, he quietly wiped away the fine beads of cold sweat that had appeared on his temple, and the blessings he had for Xu Ruyu had already reached their third layer.
Chen Xiao didn't know what her relationship with Zhao Cheyu was like before, but she remembered that Zhao Cheyu's face was deeply etched in her heart during the talent show.
She remembered that Steward Shen had said that Zhao Cheyu was someone who grew up in the countryside, and she had never had the chance to find out about it. It seemed that she could find out more about it while she was on the road.
Xu Ruyu also knew about the relationship between Chen Xiao and Zhao Cheyu. Because Chu Yanxi and Zhao Siyuan were close, they often met and were indeed very close.
But seeing Chen Xiao's unreadable expression, she wasn't sure if she had regained her memories, and felt a little heartbroken.
The fact that Consort Chen was at the beginning, and Consort Zhao is now, has silenced everyone; this gossip is not something they dare to gossip about.
Looking around, only Xi Xi and Xu Ruyan were smiling. One was there to gossip about her host, and the other was there to gossip about her brother.
Xu Ruyu asked himself honestly. He had long accepted that Chen Xiao would have concubines and hadn't taken it to heart. But that was before, when Chen Xiao didn't care about them at all.
But things are different now. Because of the Xunyang incident, he knows that Chen Xiao has remembered Consort Chen and is about to go to Xunyang with her former friend Consort Zhao, where they will stay for more than half a month.
He thought he had been tolerant and magnanimous and didn't care, but now that this matter had come to light, he couldn't help but feel flustered.
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