A traitor

The emperor announced the summons, and the servant who passed the decree said it was for a happy event, which made Su Qinglang a little confused.

The rebellion in Qinzhou had just passed, and because of Cheng Ying's case, the atmosphere in the court these days was also very heavy, and the common people were filled with righteous indignation.It can be said that not only them, but even the emperor himself has been struggling recently.

Thinking about the emperor's birthday is coming soon, could it be to prepare for his birthday by announcing him today?

Besides, after much deliberation, he really couldn't think of any other happy event.

Following the servant to the palace, the first thing he saw was Du Shiqi.

Since the last time he arranged a chance meeting and let the emperor accept Du Shiqi into the palace, he has not seen this Miss Du for a long time.

When I saw him today, he was wearing a bright red palace dress, and his head was covered with gorgeous gold and jade jewels. In the palace, except for Wan Yuzhen, he had never seen anyone else who dared to wear such a dress.

Du Shiqi was followed by a few court ladies, and when she saw Su Qinglang approaching, she greeted him gracefully: "Master Su..."

If Su Qinglang remembered correctly, Du Shiqi was made a beauty after entering the palace, so she nodded: "Ms. Du..."

Du Shiqi smiled sweetly and asked: "I wonder where Master Su is going in such a hurry?"

According to Su Qinglang's many years of experience in attracting peach blossoms, if you don't get involved with married women, don't get involved with royal women, especially if you don't get involved with women who have enemies with you, you can save your life in the near future, but in the long run. Longevity.

So he took a few steps back, distanced himself from her, and replied: "The emperor announced that I have important matters to deal with, so I will take my leave first."

As she was speaking, she was stopped by Du Shiqi when she was about to leave. She smiled and said leisurely: "Master Su, you and I are also half old friends, and because of your arrangements, I have the opportunity to enter the palace. Get up, Mr. Su is still my benefactor, I haven't seen him for a long time, so why are you in such a hurry to leave?"

Su Qinglang stood up straight and said: "Your Majesty, I don't dare to be negligent. Besides, the matter of entering the palace is all arranged by the Prime Minister. I just came up with an idea. It's not worth Du Meiren's heart."

Hearing this, Du Shiqi sized up Su Qinglang a few times, and suddenly asked: "Master Su, do you want to see the imperial concubine later?"

Su Qinglang knew what she was going to say, but he wasn't sure yet, and said calmly: "I haven't received the imperial edict from the empress, besides, the imperial concubine is pregnant and needs to rest quietly. If that's the case, don't bother the imperial concubine The empress is clean."

Sure enough, upon hearing what he said, Du Shiqi immediately threw out a branch: "Now it's almost winter, Chang'an is up and down, but the chrysanthemums in my palace are blooming very well. If Master Su is free, why don't you go to my palace for a walk?" Come on, let me prepare refreshments and fine wines, as a repayment for Lord Su's kindness."

Su Qinglang didn't go to Wan Yuzhen's place, naturally to avoid suspicion, moreover, to avoid disaster.

Previously, in order to contain Wan Yuzhen's power, he had no choice but to place Du Shiqi in the harem. Wan Yuzhen punished him to go to Qinzhou to quell the chaos. He almost lost his life there. Evened it out.

On the other hand, Wan Yuzhen, who was dazzled by love for a while, actually wanted to give birth to a wicked child in this palace. This matter will be a big hole sooner or later.

If the emperor finds out, even ten lives are not enough for her to pay, so he will not follow along with him. If he doesn't draw a clear line at this time, it may be too late to regret it in the future.

According to what Du Shiqi meant, he wanted to join forces with him to deal with Wan Yuzhen, but until now, he had no such intention.

Su Qinglang replied: "Thank you Dumei for your kindness, but I have never liked chrysanthemums. They are cold and fragrant and weeping dew. No matter how well they bloom, it will be severe winter in a blink of an eye. It is so deserted. If Dumei is willing, I will wait until next spring. Send me two pots of peonies, the flowers will be rich and lively, and it will be auspicious."

Seeing his refusal, and mocking her that she was just proud for a while and would fall out of favor in a blink of an eye, Du Shiqi was furious.

However, the tone was very calm: "It's better to have a cold fragrance and weeping dew than a red apricot. Mr. Su is a smart person. You should think about which side you should stand on."

Su Qinglang smiled: "When the Dumei people are hunting, are they willing to give up their backs to tigers, leopards or jackals? Although the immediate benefits are good, this person should be clear-headed. , but put yourself in a dangerous place, it’s not worth the loss, isn’t it?”

Du Shiqi snorted: "It seems that Mr. Su intends to be alone?"

Su Qinglang smiled again: "I'm not in it at all, so how can I talk about being alone?"

After saying that, he cupped his hands to Du Shiqi and said: "I am here, I wish Du Meiren can get what she wants. At that time, Du Meiren should not forget this half of my old friend."

He walked around Du Shiqi and walked away. The servant who led the way saw him coming, and hurriedly greeted him, looked at Du Shiqi behind him, and said in a low voice: "That Du Meiren is very powerful in the palace now, Mr. Su It’s better to be more careful when interacting with him.”

Su Qinglang hummed, and said again: "I heard that your mother was ill, but is she better now?"

The waiter let out a ouch, and said with a happy smile: "Thanks to Mr. Su, the servants at the bottom just made a lot of mentions, but Mr. Su listened to it, and even bothered Mr. Su, and asked the doctor to give money. Yes, with such a kindness, the slave will not be able to repay it even if he is an ox or a horse."

Su Qinglang followed his footsteps, and said slowly: "All these years, my father-in-law has served the emperor with all his heart, and I don't know how much work has been saved for us courtiers. My father-in-law has entered the palace and it is inconvenient to move around outside the palace. Your family members , we naturally have to find a way to take care of it.”

Hearing the words, the servant said with emotion: "Look at the whole court, only Mr. Su treats us lowly slaves as human beings. If there is a chance in the future, Mr. Su will just say hello. Although the slaves are not good , there is still some meager strength."

The two walked and talked, and soon came to the imperial study, the servant stopped, and said: "The emperor is in a very good mood today, and I called Chang Shanwang to discuss the matter."

Su Qinglang nodded slightly, bowed his hands and saluted him, and walked in after being informed.

At this time, King Changshan had already left, and there were only the emperor and a few court ladies and servants in the palace.

Seeing Su Qinglang approaching, the old emperor put down the memorial and said, "You guys go down first."

After the idlers left, the old emperor slowly said: "Su Qing was injured earlier, I wonder if she is better now?"

Su Qinglang lowered his body and replied: "Your Majesty is concerned about labor, and this humble minister is already fine."

The emperor said again: "There is still an old ginseng in the imperial hospital. It is said to be a thousand years old. Although I don't look like it, it is still there in 20 years. You go to get it after you leave the palace, and return to the mansion to fry it into a decoction. One inch a day, don't eat too much."

Su Qinglang replied: "A 20-year-old ginseng is considered rare, the emperor should keep it for himself, it would be a waste for mediocre ministers."

The emperor glared at him, and sighed again: "If there was no way out before, I would not bear to send you to Qinzhou to take risks. Now, it can be regarded as a little compensation from me."

"Su Qinglang..."

He read out Su Qinglang's name, and then slowly said: "You are the only caring person by my side, you have to take good care of yourself."

Su Qinglang was stunned for a moment, and then smiled again: "Beside the emperor, there are the prince and princess, the imperial concubine, and Chang Shan Wang, and they are not the only humble ministers."

"King Changshan and the others..."

The emperor muttered to himself, and then smiled bitterly: "If your heart has been hurt, how dare you post it again. As for the prince and princess..."

He paused: "I came to you today to discuss their affairs."

Su Qinglang pondered for a moment, thought of the servant saying that the emperor had visited King Changshan before, and it was a happy event, so he already had a general idea in his mind.

He nodded, pretending to smile bitterly, and then suddenly realized: "The emperor's birthday is approaching, and envoys from all over the world will come to congratulate him. Her Royal Highness's marriage?"

The emperor laughed loudly, and pointed at him: "Su Qing is smart, as expected, I can't hide anything from you."

Su Qinglang also smiled: "Prince and princess, now that she is an adult, she should be married."

"That's right..." The emperor nodded, and continued: "In these days, I heard from Sun Qing that the prince has made great progress. I am very relieved. The East Palace is not prosperous and the government is unstable. He will also be more stable in the future. In this way, in a few years, I can rest assured that the government affairs will be handed over to him slowly."

The imperial concubine was about to give birth, the emperor did this obviously to protect the prince, and wanted to use the marriage to give the prince more wings.

In other words, between Wan Yuzhen's child and the crown prince, the emperor finally chose Li Chengyi, which made Su Qinglang ecstatic. His painstaking efforts and the crown prince's changes and efforts were finally not in vain.

He restrained his expression, cupped his hands again and said: "The marriage between the crown prince and the princess is a major matter related to the government. I wonder what the emperor thinks?"

Let's listen to the emperor's deliberation: "The selection of concubines in the Eastern Palace this time is mainly the crown princess. The other party should be a dignitary in the court. The most important thing is that she is from a famous family, knowledgeable and reasonable, and can assist and guide the crown prince. Choose a few candidates from the diplomatic corps and ministers and relatives who are married, princess..."

He sighed: "Although I'm reluctant, judging from the current situation, I probably want to make a kiss..."

Su Qinglang was stunned for a moment, then came back to his senses, and let out a muffled hum.

He had already expected this matter. The situation in the imperial court is now grim, coupled with the Qinzhou rebellion, it will make things worse. Marriage is the only way.

However, Li Huiyuan is his student after all, and he has known each other for many years, and he suddenly said that he wanted to get married. After all, he felt a little uncomfortable in his heart.

He also heard the emperor say: "You know the princess's temper. I'm afraid she won't be obedient. If you want to get close to her, please persuade her first."

Su Qinglang lowered his waist and gave a salute: "Yes..."