In the end, Meng Qingqian took a step back.
In Linxuan Palace, Meng Qingqian sat in the seat of honor, drinking the plain water poured for her by her younger sister.
“The monthly allowance from the palace is quite substantial, so why is this…” Meng Qingqian glanced at the teacup without tea leaves and continued, “Why is it like this?”
Meng Qingrou sat beside her sister, and said shyly, "Some people came to see me. They said that my mother is sick..."
"You gave them money?"
"Um……"
How much was given?
"It's only a few taels of silver..."
"Only a few taels..." Meng Qingqian realized something was wrong, and continued to press, "How many people like this ask for money every month?"
Meng Qingrou's eyes darted left and right.
"Not many, just a few."
"several?"
"A dozen or so."
Meng Qingqian looked at her younger sister and rubbed her head, feeling a bit of a headache.
"Don't you know they're lying to you?"
Sometimes, I know.
"You knew that, yet you still gave it to me?"
"They're quite pitiful..."
Meng Qingqian scoffed, "They're pitiful? How can swindlers be worthy of the word 'pitiful'?" However, looking at Meng Qingrou's expression, Meng Qingqian ultimately didn't say anything too harsh.
Don't you feel sorry for yourself?
Meng Qingrou laughed happily, "Me? I'm not pitiful at all. I can bask in the sun every day and even go out to play for an hour."
Looking at the seemingly insignificant Princess Nanzhu and her smile, Meng Qingqian suddenly felt a pang of envy.
Before she took over the government, she was just as carefree as him.
Actually, being carefree is what a 19-year-old should be doing, right?
Unfortunately, with imperial power in his hands, everything could never go back to the way it was before.
"Namjoo, I need your help with something."
"Please speak, sister."
Do you know He Yunxiao?
Meng Qingrou shook her head.
"Never heard of it."
Meng Qingqian continued, "This man is the son of General Wuqinghou. Rumor has it that he is extremely handsome, but his character is terrible. He is addicted to wine and women, bullies men and women, and commits all kinds of evil deeds."
Meng Qingqian looked into her sister's eyes, recalling the image of her sister holding a sword to her own neck. She clenched her fists. She knew she wasn't entirely confident she could get Nanzhu married, especially not to a despicable man like He Yunxiao, who was of questionable character and extremely low morals.
She took a deep breath and said, "My sister hopes you will marry him."
Meng Qingrou didn't hesitate much.
"good."
Meng Qingqian asked curiously, "Why?"
Meng Qingrou lowered her head and said, "Marriage is a major event, and it is decided by the parents and the matchmaker. Now that my mother and father are no longer here, my sister and mother are the ones who will make the decision for Nanzhu."
Looking at her meek and submissive younger sister, Meng Qingqian suddenly felt a pang of reluctance. This girl, after all, shared the same Meng family bloodline as herself. How could she just hand her over to a scoundrel like He Yunxiao to be ruined?
Stand up.
Meng Qingqian said, "I asked you to marry him, but actually it was to win over Marquis Wuqing. My sister has no fierce generals and no soldiers to use. If Marquis Wuqing does not support her, the country will be in danger if there is a mutiny one day."
Meng Qingrou asked in confusion, "Why do you say that, sister? Don't we have a general like Chu Tianzhu who is loyal to the country? How could there be a mutiny?"
Meng Qingqian gave a bitter smile.
This silly girl doesn't know that Chu Tianzhu's entire family has been wiped out, and even the Chu family army...
Suddenly, Meng Qingqian's eyes lit up.
The Chu family army is not dead!
Although Chu Tianzhu and Du Lie are dead, Fan Yu is still alive! And he has opened an academy in this capital city of Yin.
If we can persuade him to come out of seclusion and unite with the old Chu family army, Nanzhu will not have to get married.
Meng Qingqian took her sister's hand.
"Nanzhu, I have thought of a way to break this deadlock. I will try it myself tomorrow. As for the matter of marriage, even if Mother urges you later, you don't need to rush. Delay it for a few days and wait for your sister's news."
Meng Qingrou was completely confused. Why did she want to get married one minute and then not get married the next?
She herself didn't really care about this; to her, a girl always has to get married. Did it make any difference whether she married He Yunxiao or someone else?
However, since my sister told me not to agree yet, then I'll not agree yet.
Meng Qingqian added, "If my plan doesn't work, Nan Zhu, you'll still have to make do with marrying someone else."
Meng Qingrou nodded.
After finishing the business, Meng Qingqian didn't linger. Government affairs were incredibly demanding, with many memorials even being deliberately included by Prime Minister Han to increase her workload.
But she had no choice but to carefully review each and every one of them. Otherwise, it would give others grounds for criticism and make the already unstable political situation even more precarious.
After leaving Linxuan Palace, Meng Qingqian said to the maid beside her, "From now on, no idle palace maids or eunuchs are allowed to approach Nanzhu. Furthermore, no one is allowed to come to Linxuan Palace to beg. Anyone who disobeys will be executed on the spot."
...
He Yunxiao left the Empress Dowager's palace and started jogging.
It wasn't that he was in a hurry to get rid of the poison, but he was afraid that if he was too slow, the Empress Dowager would issue an imperial edict to summon him back.
After running for quite a while, He Yunxiao finally felt the benefits of martial arts; his legs didn't ache, and he wasn't out of breath.
If this happened in my past life, I probably could have sprinted the entire length of a marathon. Then I would have happily acquired a small bracelet, a small car, and a small house—a complete set.
He Yunxiao was not familiar with the palace. He had been there once before, when his father brought him there for the Empress Dowager's birthday celebration, but he had not been there since.
Just then, a palace maid happened to pass by, and He Yunxiao seized the opportunity to ask, "Little sister, how do I get to the Imperial Hospital?"
The palace maid saw He Yunxiao, and saw his incredibly handsome face so close to hers. Her face flushed, and she said, "First like this, then like this, and finally like this..."
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