I beg
the Empress Dowager Fu Yijun to come from a distinguished family. Like the Qiu family, she was once a wealthy family.
Eighteen years ago, the late emperor passed away due to illness caused by many years of fighting. The Queen Mother at that time was still a noble concubine, supporting her fifteen-year-old adopted son to ascend the throne and listening to the government from behind the curtain.
During her fifteen years in power, the government was in good order although it was not clear and clear.
Because of her exclusive power as regent, her youth and beauty, and not being an orthodox queen, the Queen Mother was spat on numerous times during her time as a queen.
The court officials privately scolded her for being ambitious and cruel.
Fifteen years later, the thirty-year-old Emperor Jingxuan teamed up with Prime Minister Wu Rusheng to launch a secret palace coup at the Xuanyin Gate of the imperial city, seizing political power from the Queen Mother.
Known in history as the Xuanyin Coup.
This coup was unknown to ordinary people, but everyone in the upper class circles knew about it, but those who knew about it also kept their mouths shut.
In the next three years, Daxia Jinyu was in ruins on the outside, and the government and the public were even more corrupt than during the Queen Mother's reign.
The emperor was eager for success and thirsty for talents, but he could not find anyone who could be used. So he wasted three years until today.
As for the Queen Mother Fu Yijun...
after she was seized of power, the emperor announced to the public that she had left the palace to practice cultivation and thanked guests behind closed doors.
For the past three years, no one knows where the Empress Dowager is doing the Qing Dynasty.
Only at the emperor's birthday banquet or large palace banquet every year, the Queen Mother would make a symbolic appearance and then leave in a hurry.
This sudden and grand birthday celebration for the Queen Mother was something Qiu Che didn't want to pass.
At this time in her previous life, she was still a good and obedient daughter. Although she rejected her father's opinion of getting a wife, she had not fallen out yet, but lived her life watching her father's face with fear every day.
At that time, she had been working diligently in the Hanlin Academy for a month, but she had not even seen the emperor once -
Daxia law stated that only officials of the sixth rank and above were eligible to participate in court meetings.
There was also such a banquet at that time, and it was also so grand, and many young ladies from powerful families were invited to attend.
Qiu Che was not among them. She was forced by Qiu Chudong to buy an invitation privately.
...just because his precious son wanted to admire beauties at the palace banquet.
Thinking of this, Qiu Che snorted coldly.
And this time, even if she didn't receive the invitation, she still had a reason to go:
in her previous life, at this banquet, she accidentally got together with the eldest princess Li Qingwu...
Only later did she find out that the cup of wine to add to the fun was originally going to be given to Qiu Zhe according to the plan of the Qiu family and his son.
But he was so preoccupied with appreciating beauties that he mixed up the wine glasses, and Qiu Che finally drank the wine.
She woke up early and quickly packed herself up, but when she heard the many footsteps outside, she couldn't leave behind the disheveled Li Qingwu.
After all, people were also ruined by her.
In the end, she held the sleeping eldest princess in her arms, and with eyes wide open, she met Emperor Jingxuan, the Queen and other nobles for the first time since joining the job.
That scene was really suffocating.
Later, Qiu Che learned from Qiu Chudong during an argument that Li Qingwu had also been drugged.
The Qiu family father and son were so bold that they made an extremely bad plan.
They prepared two glasses of wine, one for Princess Lehe and one for Qiuzhe himself.
Then he pushed Qiu Che away and let Qiu Zhe and the princess cook the rice directly. Finally, in front of everyone, Qiu Zhe admitted that he was Qiu Che.
In this way, even if the emperor does not want the princess to marry, the princess' reputation has been ruined, so he has to marry her.
After reviving her life, if nothing unexpected happens, if she doesn't go this time, Li Qingwu may really be killed by Qiu Zhe.
Even if it wasn't to repay the kindness of Li Qingwu who avenged her in her previous life, Qiu Che couldn't bear to let such an innocent woman become a tool for the Qiu family to seek power.
So she must go on this trip.
Before she packed her things and returned to Beijing, she passed by the yard next door. She paused and asked Yuming to come forward and knock on the door.
This time no one answered.
Qiu Che stretched out his hand and pushed it slightly, and the door of the small courtyard creaked, revealing the elegant stone table decorations in the courtyard.
It turned out that no one knew when the building was empty.
At the same time, in the Jinluan Palace.
Li Shi sat at the desk and became furious: "Lehe! Do you have to make me feel cold?!"
Li Qingwu knelt on the palace covered with gold bricks at his feet, lowered his eyes and repeated in a warm voice: "I admire Lehe. Mr. Qiu, I have made up my mind and cannot change it. I hope my father will make it happen.â
âI asked you to go to Ganyu Temple to reflect, not to flirt with your lover!â
Li Shi stood up suddenly, holding a cup. He threw it over and cursed, "I don't care about you getting close to him. You dare to mention the marriage again. You are so stubborn!"
"I have chosen a good one for you at tomorrow's banquet. There are many sons, but which one is not more distinguished than him? "
"What else are you dissatisfied with? Do you have to go against me?"
Li Qingwu was hit on the forehead by the cup he threw, and a stain of red blood immediately flowed from his face.
Fuzi, who was lowering his presence in the corner, was startled. He subconsciously wanted to call someone to bandage him, and then glanced at the furious emperor.
Then he glanced at the figure kneeling on the ground with pity and stepped back.
Li Qingwu trembled his long eyelashes slightly, but still knelt upright, his voice was gentle but his words were clear: "Father, forgive me, Qingwu did not mean to go against father, it was just that he was in love for the first time and couldn't help himself..."
She closed her eyes. He kowtowed and repeated: "I beg your father to grant me permission."
Li Shi breathed heavily, calmed down for a moment, and looked at her with disappointment in his eyes: "You were not like this before."
Li Qingwu did not raise his head, lying on the ground, feeling The blood on his forehead flowed downwards little by little.
It's like scratching an itch in front of a shoe, like thousands of ants gnawing at the heart.
She thought, before? What was it like in the past?
He is probably obedient, sensible, and speaks his mind.
Because of this, Li Shi could be satisfied with her, and she could grow up to be a noble eldest princess.
But years of habitual obedience had made her soul rotten and numb.
In the past, everything around her was as clear as smoke.
And when she saw the young man for the first time, she seemed to suddenly hear the noise of human fireworks in her ears.
Like a rootless duckweed in the water, it fell to the solid ground in an instant.
It was only then that there was a true sense of belonging.
If you donât ask for it, donât fight for it, you will never have what you want.
Now she was suddenly tired of the tedious rules day after day, tired of the life trajectory that was arranged step by step.
She suddenly wanted to make a request, wanted to fight.
She wanted to walk away from the path Li Shi chose for her.
This was the first time she had disobeyed Li Shi's decision, and it was also the first time she was so firm in her choice.
The more Li Shi objected, the more determined she became.
She vaguely knew that this was her last chance to reverse her fate.
If she misses it, it will be difficult for her to change anything in her life.
Find a consort that Li Shi is satisfied with, marry him, quarrel with him, watch him take concubines, fight with a group of women in the house for his husband's favor, get pregnant and give birth to children, raise his husband and raise his children... grow old, and then die.
She doesn't want that kind of life.
But now, just asking for a marriage is so difficult.
Li Qingwu recalled the handsome young face in a trance, smiled bitterly in his heart, and thought to himself.
She, the eldest princess with unlimited honor and favor, really does not live up to her name.
The two of them were silent for a while. In the stalemate, a young eunuch came forward and cautiously reported: "Your Majesty, the Queen wishes to see you."
"Pass."
"Yes."
"You're here just in time," Li Shi said, and mentioned it again. Feeling a little angry, she pointed at Li Qingwu and said, "Look at the good daughter you taught, she is still educated and sensible. I think she is becoming more and more lawless!"
The queen saluted solemnly: "Your majesty, calm down, I am my concubine. If the discipline is not strict, take her back and teach her a lesson."
Li Shi nodded and sneered: "You better be."
Li Qingwu knelt straight and stiffened.
The queen seemed unaware of anything, and bowed again, faced Li Qingwu, and said, "Get up and go back with me."
Li Qingwu was silent. Seeing that the emperor at the head was silent, he stopped lingering, lifted up his palace skirt and stood up. He left behind the Queen.
Li Shi slowly calmed down, took a sip of tea, and commented with a cold face.
Fuzi carefully added tea to him and said, "Your Majesty, I see that since Her Royal Highness the Princess is so insistent, she must be deeply in love with her. Why is Your Majesty so opposed to it? Why not just make her infatuated?"
"What do you know," Li Fuzi said dissatisfiedly, "I have raised her for more than ten years, is it because I asked her to marry a concubine from a down-to-earth family?!"
Fuzi slapped himself in the mouth, looking remorseful: "Your Majesty loves his daughter with all his heart. , Itâs all for His Highnessâs sake... Iâm just talking too much.â
Li Shi just snorted and didnât answer.
"Kneel down."
"..."
Li Qingwu was speechless, lifted up his skirt, and knelt down silently.
The people in Fengyi Palace were not surprised and did not squint when they came and went.
The queen leaned on the seat, holding the tea cup, and said indifferently: "Tell me, why do you have to marry that bastard of the Qiu family?"
Li Qingwu lowered his head: "My son... My heart is happy with him."
"Ah... it really is true. He's a bitch crawling out of the palace maid's belly," the queen said coldly, "You, a noble princess, dare to say such shocking words openly, you are really shameless."
Li Qingwu shut up in silence.
"You will marry whomever His Majesty wants you to marry. Is it your turn to choose?" The queen slowly sipped her tea. "Since you have become my daughter, your marriage should be subject to the wishes of your parents and the order of your matchmaker."
"I don't care who you like. His Majesty has invited many young ladies to the banquet this time in order to choose a consort for you. It is impossible to withdraw the order."
She raised her eyes and said, "At the banquet tomorrow, Remember to cover the wound on your forehead."
"..."
"Speak, you can't even answer after going out to pray for a month... Could it be that you are mute?"
Li Qingwu exhaled gloomily. , said in a muffled voice, "Yes."
The queen was satisfied, stood up and passed by her side, the hem of the red palace robe brought up a breeze.
She said lightly: "As for the banquet... just kneel here and reflect. When you have figured it out, you will get up again."
"Your Majesty will not tolerate a disobedient eldest princess. " â