Lady Wen was a little nervous. She was not familiar with the new empress; this was their first meeting.
Su Wanwan then discussed with them the cultivation methods of camellias and peonies.
When Lu Xingjian arrived, he saw Su Wanwan surrounded by flowers, like a star being the moon.
Her face was flushed with the effects of alcohol.
The magnificent and dazzling phoenix crown reflected a mesmerizing light in the sunlight.
It made her seem to glow, dazzling and stunning, with unparalleled beauty.
The pheasant on the robe looks so lifelike, as if it has come to life.
Wanwan herself is like a fairy surrounded by a flock of pheasants, wandering among the flowers.
He stopped and watched quietly for a long time, imprinting this scene deeply in his heart.
Not far behind, Gu Ziyu merely glanced up, then lowered his eyes, his expression solemn.
Su Wanwan turned her head unintentionally and saw Lu Xingjian, wearing a twelve-tassel crown, walking slowly towards her, and couldn't help but be stunned.
It must be said that he looked incredibly imposing in this most formal imperial robe.
He was tall and handsome, and his dark robe embroidered with the twelve symbols of imperial authority accentuated his dashing appearance.
His every gesture exudes the natural air of an emperor who reigns supreme.
That kind of composure, that quiet authority.
While Gu Ziyu and Miss Wen were chatting, Su Wanwan stood next to Lu Xingjian, and the two admired the garden full of flowers.
Su Wanwan occasionally turned her gaze to look at the man beside her.
Lady Yu looked at the Emperor and Empress from afar, who seemed like a perfect couple, and said to Lady Yang with a smile, "They are truly a match made in heaven."
Yang smiled and agreed, but a hint of melancholy lingered between her brows.
Su Wanwan said, "Miss Wen and Ziyu are a perfect match, a handsome man and a beautiful woman."
Lu Xingjian looked at her with a half-smile: "Are they the only good match?"
The meaning in his eyes was inscrutable.
Su Wanwan paused, not used to being so close to him in public, and lowered her eyes to say:
"Your Majesty has many matters to attend to; please go ahead and attend to them."
"Accompanying the Empress to admire the flowers is also an important matter," Lu Xingjian said casually.
My gaze fell upon the blooming peonies before me.
Su Wanwan saw Meng Yue approaching, but stood at a distance and didn't dare to disturb him.
Seeing Su Wanwan looking at him, Meng Yue stepped forward and reported, "Your Majesty, Miss Ma..."
Lu Xingjian's face instantly turned cold, and he stopped Meng Yue with a sharp look.
Su Wanwan recalled that Madam Xing had mentioned seeing Ma Ji enter the palace, but Ma Ji did not appear among the female guests at the Meridian Gate banquet.
He entered the palace but did not attend the banquet; he must have had other plans.
Lu Xingjian's secretive attitude made her feel somewhat uneasy.
Because mentioning Maggie on their wedding night had angered him, the two of them had been deliberately avoiding the topic for the past few days.
Su Wanwan knew that the more he avoided the topic, the more it showed that he cared.
For some reason, she didn't say anything at the moment, just wanted to see what he would do.
After a few moments, Lu Xingjian simply frowned and said, "I'm leaving."
Su Wanwan simply gave a faint "hmm".
I told him to leave, but he wouldn't.
But now that Maggie is leaving immediately, it makes people feel uncomfortable.
Her gaze shifted to Miss Wen and Gu Ziyu, who were talking, and she only hoped that the two of them could be in love and grow old together.
When Gu Ziyu proposed to her, he said he wouldn't take concubines unless she had a maidservant. I suppose he'll treat Miss Wen the same way.
Perhaps out of a sense of compensation, she hopes that other women can have what she herself cannot have.
Taking advantage of this break, she and Madam Xing found a place to talk.
Madam Xing frowned, her face full of worry:
“My master was the governor of Datong before, but now he is involved in the Datong border storage corruption case. It is said that too much money was spent and there is suspicion of corruption.”
"This time, the censors kept submitting memorials to impeach my master and wanted to hold him accountable for his crimes."
"Several censors and officials who spoke up for my master were implicated and imprisoned."
Su Wanwan raised an eyebrow, recalling the emperor's urgent summons to the Duke of Baoguo the night before last, and realized the seriousness of the matter.
Last year, Lu Xingjian personally visited the Liu family, which shows his favor towards Liu Yu.
Now, the criticism from officials is pointing the finger at the Minister of War. Clearly, someone wants to use the Datong Border Reserve corruption case to bring Liu Yu down.
At the same time, it also puts the emperor in a difficult position.
If the emperor severely punishes the corruption case involving the border governor, Liu Yu will be punished.
If Liu Yu is protected, it would be unfair to punish others severely, and the emperor would be accused of being unjust, which would damage his prestige.
Su Wanwan asked, "Are the matters impeached by the censors true?"
Madam Xing panicked and blushed as she tried to explain:
"What corruption is there?"
"My master was able to become a regional governor thanks to the support of Grand Secretary Su."
"He admired Premier Su's upright and honest style the most in his life, how could he be greedy for petty gains?"
"You've been to my house, and apart from the mansion bestowed by the emperor, what other property do I own?"
“Back then, the enemy was rampant in Datong, and the area was devastated. My master was busy recruiting soldiers, buying horses, building forts, and repairing the Great Wall. There was no peaceful day in a year.”
"I have been in and out countless times, and have survived countless assassination attempts."
"As for the distribution of grain and fodder, he only outlined the general principles; how could he possibly know everything? If there had truly been corruption, wouldn't the officials in charge of the censorate have impeached him at the time?"
"Back then, Liu Daxia, the Minister of War, was so eager to bring my master down that he said a lot of bad things about him to the late emperor."
Su Wanwan was completely confused.
"Since that's the case, Minister Liu can simply explain it to the Emperor. Why is Madam so worried?"
Madam Qiu let out a long sigh.
“My master is favored by the emperor and can plead guilty, but what about those officials who have long since retired?”
Su Wanwan's pupils contracted, and her heart skipped a beat.
They immediately realized the danger lurking inside.
The inspection of the border reserves in Xuanfu has already caused widespread panic and tension.
If all the old grievances from previous years were brought up again, I'm afraid everyone would panic.
Seeing that Su Wanwan understood immediately, Madam Qiu breathed a sigh of relief, but her brows furrowed even more.
“In that case, my husband also advised the Emperor, but the Emperor did not take it to heart and insisted on investigating thoroughly.”
"If we don't take a stance on this matter soon, I'm afraid the situation will only get worse."
Madam Qiu looked at Su Wanwan with anticipation in her eyes.
"If Your Majesty could offer even a word of advice, it would be a blessing for the nation."
Su Wanwan paused, then remained silent.
Emperor Taizu established an ancestral precept that the empress dowager should not interfere in politics.
On the fourth day after her wedding, she was expected to offer advice to the emperor on political matters, which could easily give the impression of interfering in politics.
This would not only annoy the emperor, but also alert the eunuchs.
Mrs. Qiu probably understood what she meant and changed the subject with a disappointed look on her face.
"Things have been really unsettling in Xuanfu and Datong lately. There was even an earthquake in Weizhou, and the stables and bean warehouses were all burned down..."
Su Wanwan couldn't believe her ears.
His body was so stiff that he couldn't move.
"Weizhou...earthquake?"
Mrs. Qiu was somewhat puzzled by her reaction and nodded in confusion:
"The warhorses of Xuanfu are all grazed in the eastern city of Shunshengchuan..."
Su Wanwan felt a severe tightness in her chest.
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