Did You Rong actually go to sleep just like that?
No other reaction?
Lin Qinghe almost couldn't resist jumping up to ask him if he was made of wood, but remembering she was pretending to be asleep, she had to force herself to hold back.
Hearing Rong's breathing steady, Lin Qinghe sighed silently, consoling herself that since she hadn't taken too many actual actions yet, it was understandable that Rong didn't believe her.
Lin Qinghe diligently reviewed memorials all day, and by this point, sleepiness overwhelmed her, and she finally fell asleep.
A night passed. As dawn broke, Wang Jiang's voice sounded outside the palace doors: "Your Majesty, Your Majesty… it's time for you to attend morning court. Shall this servant come in to help you get up?"
Lin Qinghe groggily opened her eyes. As soon as she sat up, her neck felt a sharp pain from sleeping hunched over all night. She rubbed her neck, "Hiss… My neck hurts so much!"
"Your Majesty?! Is something wrong? Shall this servant come in now?"
Lin Qinghe figured she had slept hunched over all night and had a stiff neck. She glanced at Rong, who was still sleeping soundly on the bed, her eyes filled with resentment.
If it weren't for him, why would she have to suffer like this!
But no matter how much resentment she felt, she could only keep it to herself. She had to appease him and rely on him to complete her mission.
Lin Qinghe sighed and walked towards the palace doors with light steps. As she pulled open the doors, Wang Jiang, who was anxiously waiting at the entrance, almost stumbled in but managed to steady himself in time. Sudancai.com
Wang Jiang quickly knelt down to bow, "Your Majesty, this servant…"
"Hush! Speak softly. Prime Minister You hasn't woken up yet. Don't wake him."
Wang Jiang was stunned for a moment. "Yes, Your Majesty, this servant understands. Then… this servant will order someone to bring you washing supplies and change your clothes. You should be going to morning court."
"Let's wash up in the Imperial Study to avoid waking Prime Minister You. Let's go."
"Yes, Your Majesty."
As Lin Qinghe and Wang Jiang's footsteps gradually faded away, You Rong, who had been lying on the bed with his eyes closed, woke up.
He had actually woken up long ago but didn't want to deal with Lin Qinghe, so he pretended to be asleep. Naturally, he heard every word of the conversation between Lin Qinghe and Wang Jiang.
You Rong's brow furrowed slightly. Would a person's temperament truly change so drastically within a few days?
After a moment of thought, You Rong didn't want to dwell on it. No matter how Lin Qinghe changed, he would never like her. He only felt disgust towards her. He simply hoped that in the future, she wouldn't be so incompetent and cause suffering to the people of Dongli.
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When Lin Qinghe arrived at the court, she announced the order for Gu Wenyuan to go to Jingzhou for disaster relief. As expected, a chorus of officials opposed the decision, chattering a lot of high-sounding words, all strongly recommending that Shen Chengwen should be the one to handle the Jingzhou disaster relief.
Lin Qinghe narrowed her eyes, put on a stern face, threw down a stack of memorials, and angrily rebuked, "Enough! All of you, shut up! Who is the ruler? Who is the subject? It seems you have all forgotten. Do you need my permission for my decisions?!"
Upon hearing this, the officials who had been advising her all fell to their knees with a thud, crying out, "Your Majesty, please calm your anger."
Lin Qinghe sternly declared, "This matter is settled! The Ministry of Revenue official, Lord Gu, will go to Jingzhou for disaster relief. Anyone who dares to say another word, I will not forgive!"
The officials who had been opposing her looked at each other, not daring to say another word.
Hmph!
If you don't show your teeth, people will treat you as a sick cat!
It was only the original owner, such an idiot, whose mind was clouded by greed that she was fooled by these ministers with their own agendas.
"Alright, morning court ends here. Disperse. Lord Gu, accompany me to the Imperial Study to discuss the matter of disaster relief in Jingzhou."
Gu Wenyuan cupped his hands and said, "Yes, Your Majesty, your humble servant obeys!"
After the court dispersed, the officials gathered and discussed amongst themselves, all saying that His Majesty was particularly strange today.
Marquis Pingyang and Shen Chengwen stood together. Shen Chengwen whispered, "Marquis, His Majesty actually refused to let this subordinate go to Jingzhou for disaster relief. Does she suspect us of something?"
Marquis Pingyang looked dismissive, "What could His Majesty suspect? Don't overthink it. Perhaps Rong whispered in her ear. I heard he has been staying in His Majesty's palace for the past two days, and the elders of the You family have also been released from prison." Marquis Pingyang's gaze darkened. "I thought this You Rong, having caught His Majesty's eye, would no longer be able to oppose us in court, but I didn't expect him to have this capability!"
"Then, Marquis, do you mean to…?"
"Forget it. Let him be smug for a few days. Who in Dongli doesn't know His Majesty's temper? I'll send more handsome men into the palace. In a few days, Rong will surely grow tiresome to her, and then Rong will be no threat to us."
Shen Chengwen cupped his hands, "Yes, Marquis, you are wise."
After Lin Qinghe issued a secret decree to Gu Wenyuan in the Imperial Study, she intended to go to Changning Palace to have lunch with You Rong. As she walked out of the Imperial Study, several handsome young men suddenly knelt before her.
Lin Qinghe frowned. Recalling the original owner's memories, she recognized them as the male consorts from the original owner's harem.
"Wang Jiang, what is going on? Didn't I tell you yesterday? Give them money and send them all out of the palace. Why are they still here?"
Wang Jiang said, "Your Majesty, your humble servant followed your instructions, but these young gentlemen adamantly refused to leave the palace. They are all unfortunate and have nowhere to go outside. They all said they wish to remain in the palace."
A man in a white robe, leading the group, kowtowed heavily to Lin Qinghe, his voice choked with tears, "Your Majesty, please allow this humble servant to stay in the palace. This humble servant is unskilled and cannot make a living outside the palace. I will serve you in the palace. If that's not possible, I'll be a handyman, doing hard and tiring work in the palace, Your Majesty…"
The others also said in unison, "Your Majesty, we too will have nowhere to go if we leave the palace. We can only end up on the streets. Your Majesty… please let us stay in the palace!"
Lin Qinghe felt a headache coming on.
She couldn't quite bring herself to be harsh to these attractive young men pleading with her.
Lin Qinghe glanced and saw a familiar face among the group, Fu Qingyu.
He didn't want to leave the palace either?
Thinking carefully, although Fu Qingyu was a musician, he came from a background where he was a male prostitute. He probably didn't want to return to such a place.
Lin Qinghe's heart softened. She figured that the vast imperial palace must have some place to house them. She could just keep them far away, as long as they didn't cause her trouble.
Lin Qinghe said, "Wan Jiang, I remember there are several unused palaces on the east side of the imperial palace. Arrange for them to live there. In the future, if they ever want to leave, they can leave. If they don't want to, they can live there."
The young men heard this and kowtowed, saying, "Thank you, Your Majesty, thank you, Your Majesty…"
Wang Jiang's expression shifted slightly. "Yes, Your Majesty, your humble servant will have people make arrangements shortly."
"Good. Then let's go back to Changning Palace. I'm having lunch with Prime Minister You today."
"Yes, Your Majesty."
Wang Jiang followed behind Lin Qinghe, thinking: Your Majesty's true nature hasn't changed at all. Otherwise, she wouldn't have kept these young gentlemen in the palace.