Hearing Lu Fusu's understatement, Zhuge Qing was a little discouraged.
"It turns out that the emperor already knew that the queen is a descendant of the Xia royal family..."
"Not long after the wedding, I mentioned it in our chat. If the Xia Kingdom was still running the country now, Shui Xinyuan would be an unattainable princess."
"During casual conversation...mentioned in passing...?"
Shui Qiancheng spoke impassionedly, but his sister didn't care about it?
Lu Fusu was using a jade seal to cover the memorial that he had just made a decision after discussing with the ministers. Suddenly he stopped and smiled bitterly.
"Really? It turns out that's what her brother thinks...I see. No wonder he hates me."
"What's the meaning?"
"When I saw him yesterday, I felt that he was very disgusted with me. Like his sister, all his thoughts were written on his face."
"Shui Qiancheng hates Your Majesty?"
"His sister loves him very much. I originally thought it was because he took away Shui Xinyuan, which made him unwilling. Now it sounds like it may be more than that."
Because I am the emperor of the Yuan Kingdom who destroyed the Xia Kingdom... Lu Fusu said and put down the jade seal.
Zhuge Qing curled his lips in surprise.
"Even now, you are still saying this...Besides, even if your Majesty's ancestors had not revolted, the Xia Kingdom would have perished on its own."
"Having said that, Shui Qiancheng is proud of his bloodline, isn't he? This is not a bad thing. Besides, he also hopes to serve this country one day, so he comes all the way to study in the capital."
"That's right..."
Even though Shui Qiancheng was only a thirteen-year-old child and his brother-in-law, if Lu Fusu had not been someone who did not stick to trivial matters and showed disgust in front of the king of a country, he might have been killed.
"Zhuge Qing, how was the test today?"
"...It went very smoothly. Just like in previous years, the marking will be completed before noon tomorrow."
"Really? Then let me go and see what's going on."
Lu Fusu rang the bell, ordered the attendant to pack up the memorial, and went to the corridor with Zhuge Qing.
Several middle-aged officials came towards me talking and laughing.
"His Majesty."
When they discovered that it was the emperor and Zhuge Qing, they just saluted and continued to walk over without stopping, swaying their fat bodies.
"..."
Zhuge Qing watched them turn in the corridor without saying a word, and couldn't help but smacked his lips and said: "How audacious, not to give way to His Majesty."
"...Shizhong Zhao is also among them, right?"
"Yes!"
Zhuge Qing knew what Lu Fusu wanted to say.
In last year's battle for the throne, although Zhao Shizhong was not on the front line, he was a member of the Lu Wuxian faction.
"Don't he know that the pig's head can be saved because His Majesty is lenient?"
One emperor and one courtier.
After realizing this, the officials who are now working hard to govern the country are particularly uneasy, especially the veterans.
However, as long as the ministers put forward their opinions, Lu Fusu was willing to accept the advice with an open mind. Therefore, these veteran ministers gradually assisted him in governing the country with the feeling that their seniors were caring about the work of their juniors.
When writing to young officials, emperors who are similar in age to them and will not cause them psychological pressure are more friendly. They have the courage to actively express their views on state affairs. Therefore, Lu Fusu, the third-generation emperor, is gradually on the right track in governing the country, but
The few high-ranking aristocratic officials who passed by them just now were in a league of their own.
It was not because they felt that Lu Fusu was incapable of governing the country, but because they were unwilling to bow to the young emperor.
In addition, Lu Fusu abolished the harem, which caused them to lose the great opportunity for their daughter to give birth to a prince, and they became dissatisfied.
"What does Your Majesty plan to do with those people?"
"If they stand still, I can't move them."
"That's true."
Zhuge Qing looked around and said in a low voice: "For the sake of safety, should we call back a few dispatched censors just in case?"
Lu Fusu frowned slightly and thought for a moment.
"...Haizhou is safe and sound?"
"Except for Sizhou and Xuzhou, other places just need to maintain normal supervision."
"I remember that a censor once lived in your house?"
"Is Li Yuezhen? He is in Weizhou and will be able to return to the capital soon. In order to prevent the news from leaking out, I will inform Dr. Lu."
"There is no problem with Doctor Lu, but Jin Yushi Zhongcheng has a close relationship with the Cao family who used to be Lu Wuxian's faction, so we need to be extra careful."
"I obey the decree... I take the first step."
"good."
Zhuge Qing left quickly, and Lu Fusu sighed softly.
If possible, he hopes that everything will be peaceful... Is this idea too naive?
…
At the same time, Shui Xinyuan couldn't help but frown after hearing what Qing'er, who came to Chunying Palace to see her, said about Shui Qiancheng.
"Why is he still mentioning this kind of thing..."
"...So is what he said true? You almost became a princess!"
"It was only possible in the past! Xia Kingdom has been destroyed long ago, and this possibility no longer exists. I am just the daughter of a poor farmer."
Shui Qiancheng was foaming at the mouth when he said this, but Shui Xinyuan downplayed it, making Qing'er feel at a loss.
"But your brother is very proud of being a descendant of the Xia Kingdom."
"It's just Shui Qiancheng! My great-grandfather, who was once a prince, left the capital voluntarily. His son... our grandfather feels sorry for this. After all, farming is really hard."
"...I think it must be really hard."
The relationship between nobles and peasants is that of oppression and oppression, and their lives are of course very different.
"So, my grandfather was very unwilling and worried about his own blood. He did tell everyone that they should not tarnish this surname and should be proud of it. But in fact, no matter what the surname is, you can't do bad things, and even if you feel
Pride cannot change the poverty we face..."
Shui Xinyuan paused and took a sip of tea to soothe his throat.
"...Although my grandfather said that, my father told us to forget it. Because our family was able to survive because we gave up that identity. Moreover, we are now commoners of Yuan Kingdom."
"But Shui Qiancheng can't forget it."
"Maybe it's because my grandfather mentioned these things again and again before he passed away. This kid is really ignorant..."
Qing'er looked at her with a complicated expression.
"...How could you forget?"
"What's the meaning?"
"Although the situation is different now, you might have been a princess once. You..."
Qing'er thought of how Shui Xinyuan had taken the trouble to sew clothes, make tea, and make snacks for others, and in the end was ridiculed for being a country civet cat...
Wouldn't she feel unwilling to do so?
Qing'er seemed to feel the same sadness and couldn't talk any more.
Shui Xinyuan smiled and shook his head quietly.
"I haven't forgotten... I just can't be proud of where I came from."
"Well……"
"Even though my great-grandfather gave up his status as a prince in order to stay away from the disputes, seeing that the fifth emperor of the Xia Kingdom was running the country poorly, he should be the first to make suggestions. Because once he leaves the capital, he can see with his own eyes that the people are living in dire straits.
.”
The transparent green tea in the tea cup reflected her stiff smile.
"Before the war, he should have been able to do something, but he did nothing, so he survived...I can't be proud of this."
"Shui Xinyuan..."
The wind blew in, blowing Shui Xinyuan and Qing'er's hair.
The black carp in the pool jumped out of the water and dived into the bottom again.
Red plum blossom petals fall on the ripples.
"...But, I can also understand Shui Qiancheng's feeling of pride. Because...poverty is too torture, so he can only rely on this pride as a spiritual support. He is not stupid, and he also wants to study in a private school."
Qing'er recalled that Shui Xinyuan once said when she was a palace servant that she sent money home to send her second brother to a private school.
"So...Shui Qiancheng should be very happy now. You have become the queen, and he can finally study in a private school in the capital!"
Qing'er raised her head and said in a cheerful voice deliberately, and Shui Xinyuan once again showed a troubled expression.
"I hope he thinks so..."
"Doesn't he think so?"
"I'm not sure. He seemed a little depressed after he came here."
"Really? Are you tired from the long journey? He will get used to it soon."
"Really?... He is still a child, Qing'er, please take more care of him."
"No problem, Zhuge Qing is like a child anyway."
"...Zhuge Qing will cry when he hears you say that!"
"Maybe he will cry! Because he is a child."
"You're still hurting him!"
Shui Xinyuan chuckled, and Qing'er also laughed.
Shui Xinyuan may be a princess... It's really just a hypothesis. In fact, Shui Xinyuan is a farmer's daughter who was sold to the capital.
Now that she is a queen, although her clothes are simple, she is more beautiful than before. She lives in a beautiful palace. Qing'er also feels that Shui Xinyuan is very suitable for the current environment.
...After Lu Fusu ascended the throne, even if it was announced that Shui Xinyuan would be the queen, other palace officials did not believe it.
Especially those noble daughters who entered the palace as palace concubines in order to become queens and concubines, they felt that the news was a prank.
However, when they learned that it was true, everyone became hideous...
How can you make such a scary expression?
Even Qing'er couldn't help but feel scared.
Shui Xinyuan learned the difficult "Snow Moon Plum Blossom", and when he performed it at the late emperor's banquet, the nobles' daughters already showed fierce looks, but compared with the ferociousness this time, they were nothing.
Shui Xinyuan, a servant they thought they could send to do chores for them, unexpectedly rose to the highest position in the country, becoming the queen below one person and above ten thousand people. They may feel that even if they have the opportunity to become the imperial concubine in the future
...Although the harem has been abolished, they can't even become imperial concubines...and they can't bear the humiliation of being subordinated to the little civet cats in the country, so the high-born court ladies have left the palace one after another.
Chen Shaowu was puzzled by this, but those ordinary court servants breathed a sigh of relief.
If those court ladies who left the palace learned that Shui Xinyuan might be the princess of Xia Kingdom, I don't know what kind of expression they would show.
"Qing'er, what's wrong with you?"
"Huh?...Oh, I'm thinking about something."
"What are you thinking about?"
"Well...if you were a princess, I wonder what would happen with His Majesty."
"With the Emperor?"
"During the Xia Kingdom, the Lu family was the governor of Shenzhou, and your status is higher than that of His Majesty."
Qing'er smiled narrowly, and Shui Xinyuan suddenly showed a timid expression.
"I don't know what will happen..."
"Maybe it will be the same as now."
"Same as now?"
"In the Yuan Kingdom, Lu Fusu chose Shui Xinyuan. If it was the Xia Kingdom, it was probably Cui Shui Xinyuan who chose Lu Fusu to be the Ma Ye."
Qing'er shrugged again and said, no matter what, Lu Fusu and Shui Xinyuan would be together.
"...will it be the same?"
"I believe it's the same."
"But... I still like to be like this."
Shui Xinyuan looked at his hand holding the tea cup and smiled softly.
"Yeah?"
"Well. I believe it must be better now."
Seeing Shui Xinyuan's smile, Qing'er also felt that maybe it was really better now.
At least... Shui Xinyuan is very happy now and won't think about the fact that she might be a princess.