The court meeting lasted from morning to noon, but there was still no conclusion, and Yang Shiqi's position was still high.
Zhu Qizhen dragged his tired body back to Qianqing Palace. Then he remembered that he had not seen Li Qing at the court meeting, and wondered in his heart: Why didn't he come to the court again?
"Wang Zhen." Zhu Qizhen shouted loudly.
"My servant is here." Wang Zhen ran in staggeringly, "What are your orders, Your Majesty?"
"Go and call Li Qing to see me."
"I'm going, slave." Wang Zhenxiao responded with a smile and hurriedly ran out. He almost bumped into the Queen Mother Sun who walked in, but he only said: "I have met the Queen Mother." and hurried away.
When Mrs. Sun saw that Wang Zhen no longer took her seriously, she couldn't help but get angry.
"Is there something wrong with the Queen Mother?" Zhu Qizhen asked.
"It's okay, I just want to control you." Mrs. Sun turned around, with a smile on her face, "Now that the Empress Dowager is still in charge of you, you have to work hard and don't let down your father's trust."
"This is natural." Zhu Qizhen said in a cold tone, "Could it be that the Queen Mother wants to teach me how to be a good emperor."
Mrs. Sun's face stiffened and she said sarcastically: "What are you talking about, Zhen'er? How could the queen have such thoughts? The queen came to see you just because you have worked hard these past two days."
After saying that, he turned around and said: "Zhen'er~"
The little girl who was called Zhen'er handed over the food box, and Sun took it and put it on the imperial desk, "Zhen'er, you are growing up, so you need to eat more nutritious food. This is cooked by the queen herself. .”
"I'm not hungry." Zhu Qizhen waved his hand, "If the Queen Mother has nothing else to do, she'd better go back to the harem. I still have government affairs to deal with."
Sun was so angry that she didn't understand why her son was so cold to her.
Even if they were adopted, it wouldn't be like this, right?
"Zhen'er..."
"The Queen Mother should be called the Emperor." Zhu Qizhen said, "I am no longer a child."
Sun nodded awkwardly: "Your Majesty..."
"It's the Emperor."
"...Your Majesty." Mrs. Sun said sadly and indignantly, "Why are you so cold to your mother? But what did your mother not do well?"
"No." Zhu Qizhen shook his head: "I am busy with official duties."
"You are busy, my mother will not disturb you." Mrs. Sun put away her sorrow and looked kind, "My mother can look at you, and my heart feels sweet."
Zhu Qizhen had no choice but to pretend not to see it.
Mrs. Sun was patient, so she sat down not far away, looked at her son lovingly, and refused to leave.
There is a strong attitude of "I must influence you today".
Zhu Qizhen was always indifferent, and Sun was not in a hurry.
Both women are very patient.
The little girl named Zhen'er stood obediently behind Mrs. Sun, standing straight and upright, with her two little hands on her belly and her eyelashes unblinking, like a dummy.
In the main hall, except for the sound of Zhu Qizhen reading memorials, there was no other sound.
After a long time, Wang Zhen came in a hurry to break the silence.
"Your Majesty, Mr. Li is here." The emperor called him sir, but Wang Zhen didn't dare to call him by his name or his official position.
Zhu Qizhen hurriedly put down the memorial in his hand and said, "Let him come in quickly."
Sun couldn't help but be surprised. This was the first time he saw an expression of surprise on his son's face, and thought to himself: Who is this Li Qing? No, it's...
Just as he was thinking about it, Li Qing stepped in and said, "See you..."
Then he saw Mrs. Sun was there, and he felt a little surprised in his heart, but also had a meal in his mouth.
At this time, Zhu Qizhen's "free gift" also arrived. Li Qing stopped the situation and gave Sun a slight salute, "I have met the Empress Dowager."
"No courtesy." Sun glanced at Li Qing and said in her heart: This man has a good appearance.
She didn't see anything because she had never seen Li Qing's true face.
The little girl blinked her eyelashes, and then returned to normal, thinking: This life is good-looking.
Zhu Qizhen stood up and said, "I want to discuss political affairs with Li Qing. Please come back, Queen Mother."
Now, Mrs. Sun couldn't stay any longer.
The Empress Dowager Zhang was able to engage in political affairs because she was appointed by the late Emperor.
And she... originally wanted to fight for it. Even a few days ago, after learning that the Queen Mother returned to power, she wanted to take action. However, her son's growth rate was too fast and she was not given a chance at all.
"After you finish eating, the queen will leave." Mrs. Sun said with concern, "State affairs are important, and your health is also important."
Zhu Qizhen was a little impatient, but it was not easy to get angry in front of foreign ministers.
"Li Qing, are you hungry?"
Can you not be hungry? I haven't finished lunch yet, and you called me here... Li Qingzheng said: "I'm hungry."
"Thank you."
"Ah? This..." Li Qing hesitated for a moment, then said to himself: "The king has given me this gift, and I cannot refuse it, so I would be disrespectful to reject it."
Queen Mother Sun: Can you try one?
"Hmm~" Li Qing said with enjoyment on his face, "Thank you Your Majesty for the gift. It is indeed a product of the Imperial Kitchen. This white fungus, bird's nest and lotus seed soup is not delicious outside."
"The Empress Dowager did this." The little girl said crisply.
"Ouch~" Li Qing quickly put down the bowl and chopsticks, with a look of fear on his face, and rubbed his hands at a loss.
Zhu Qizhen said with a smile: "It's just a bowl of soup. Why is it like this? How can the Queen Mother know the same thing as you?"
"The Queen Mother is magnanimous." Li Qing admired her.
Mrs. Sun was holding fire in her heart, but she couldn't ignore the Queen Mother's demeanor and said calmly: "The Emperor is so fond of you. The Li Qing family should always be grateful."
After that, he flicked his sleeves and left.
"Farewell to the Queen Mother."
Li Qing shouted.
The little girl saluted Zhu Qizhen Yingying and then retreated.
Li Qing chatted for a few more times before asking, "What does the emperor want from me?"
"Why don't you go to court?"
"I..." Li Qing was a little embarrassed, "Isn't it because I was too prominent in the court yesterday? I want to avoid the limelight first."
"Is it useful?" Zhu Qizhen was puzzled.
Li Qing said seriously: "It is very necessary. The reason why this time went so smoothly is because the ministers do not know our true purpose. Once I show up frequently, they will analyze it in depth. Then, it will be difficult to fool me in the future." .”
After a pause, "Your Majesty, for the sake of safety, it would be better for me not to go to court before the end of the year."
Zhu Qizhen was dissatisfied: "There are still more than twenty days before the Chinese New Year."
"I'm not playing at home." Li Qing said, "In the meantime, I will deploy the next plan and let you take a look first."
"Hmm... That's fine." Upon hearing this, Zhu Qizhen became excited, "By the way, are you interested in Yang Shiqi's Que'er?"
Li Qing shook his head decisively: "As I said before, it's not appropriate for me to take the lead now."
"Okay." Zhu Qizhen felt a little regretful, and then asked, "Then who do you think is qualified to take over?"
Li Qing muttered: "Hu Hui is not from Yu Qian's faction, nor is he close to Guo Jing and others, so he can take on this responsibility."
Zhu Qizhen said: "Should we delay it any longer and let their involution intensify?"
"It's better that way, but they are not fools. They will figure out the emperor's intentions if they wait too long." Li Qing shook his head slightly: "We have achieved the purpose of sending troops. It is best not to make any big moves in a short period of time, so as not to alert them. ;
At the very least, wait until the new year is over and the army goes out;
They are biting off more than they can chew. The new year is approaching and there are still many government affairs that need to be done as soon as possible. They cannot be allowed to just fight for power. "
"Okay." Zhu Qizhen nodded in agreement, and then asked: "Who do you think is suitable, Minister of the Ministry of War?"
Li Qing asked strangely: "Isn't it possible for Yu Shilang?"
"I don't want to be promoted to his official position anymore." Zhu Qizhen said, "With the restructuring in the future, the rights of civil servants will gradually shrink, and I no longer need a minister who is the only one in the family."
"Isn't it time yet?"
"Be prepared for a rainy day." Zhu Qizhen said, "The late emperor often said that it is easy to give but hard to take away. It is better not to be promoted than to be demoted after being promoted. Besides, Yu Qian is not bad now."
Li Qing was speechless: "Your Majesty, let's make the decision. I don't know the court well enough."
After a pause, he added: "If we go on an expedition after the new year, we can let Jiaozhi go for the time being. There is no major turmoil there, and there is no precedent for merchant ships to be robbed."
Zhu Qizhen frowned and thought for a long time, "The actual person in power there now is Zhu Gaoxu."
"Wasn't he deposed by the late emperor?"
"It's useless, but I still want to avoid future troubles forever." Zhu Qizhen said truthfully.
Li Qing muttered: "My suggestion is to make plans after conquering Siam and Burma."
"Then...I will go back to the British Duke to discuss it again."
Li Qing didn't try to persuade him any more. This little guy had the same moral character as his father, and Li Qing didn't want to arouse his suspicion.
~
When Mrs. Sun returned to the harem, she became more and more angry as she thought about it, her chest heaving violently: This son was really wasted!
A trace of hatred flashed in her eyes, "Zhen'er, go and call Wang Zhen!"
"Yes, concubine."
The little girl bowed and left in a hurry.
