Hearing her praise, Dongfang Yi felt quite pleased, yet she shyly slapped her and said, "Hurry up. Otherwise, Helian Qi will be waiting impatiently!"
When the two of them arrived, the others were already there.
With a simple glance, Chu Concubine and Shu Concubine could be seen.
At this moment, Chu Concubine was looking at Dongfang Yi with a scowl, her nostrils almost turned up to the sky. And next to her, Shun Concubine was bowing her head, looking extremely submissive.
When Helian Qi saw Dongfang Yi, his eyes lit up. He was deeply touched by her outfit today. Although it was the simplest style, she looked far more beautiful than those gaudy concubines with heavy makeup.
"My humble self pays respects to Your Majesty," Dongfang Yi said as she curtsied.
Helian Qi waved his hand, signaling her to get up quickly.
On the side, Chu Concubine said unhappily, "Your Highness, the Empress, you really put on airs. You made His Majesty and all of us wait for you."
Her words were full of sarcasm and provocation.
However, Dongfang Yi ignored her. After all, in such an occasion, if the Empress openly argued with a concubine, it would surely be the Empress who would be criticized in the end.
Thinking of this, she curtsied again and said to Helian Qi, "My humble self was feeling a bit unwell, so I'm late. I hope Your Majesty will forgive me."
Hearing her words, Helian Qi squinted his eyes slightly, looking rather thoughtful.
What a smart woman. She knew not to argue with Chu Concubine but came to explain to him instead. This not only showed her generosity but also gave him an excuse.
So he nodded and said kindly, "It's good that the Empress is here."
Then he continued to watch Nangong Liuyun, who was conducting the farewell sacrifice not far away.
Since they were leaving the capital to renovate the imperial mausoleum this time, according to tradition, they had to offer sacrifices to heaven on the day of departure to console their ancestors. In other words, it was just for peace of mind.
On the side, Chu Concubine found that not only did Dongfang Yi ignore her, but His Majesty also seemed to be forgiving the Empress. She suddenly felt embarrassed, and her expression froze. But because of the occasion, she couldn't vent her anger, and her chest felt even heavier. She was also cursing vulgar words in her heart.
When Dongfang Yi found that no one was paying attention to her, she subconsciously looked for her father in the crowd. After all, the main purpose of her coming here was to stop him from doing anything too extreme.
Soon she saw him in the crowd behind her. He was looking at the sacrifice altar with grief on his face, and his hands were tightly clenched. He looked so pitiful.
His wife, Lady Dongfang, was constantly trying to comfort him and tell him to calm down, but his expression didn't improve.
Seeing this, Dongfang Yi said to the man beside her, "Your Majesty, my humble self would like to go and see my father."
Helian Qi knew her purpose for coming here, so he nodded without refusing.
Only then did she quietly walk into the crowd and lead them out.
When they reached a corner where no one was paying attention, Prime Minister Dongfang finally cried out in a fit of rage, "Absurd! Absurd! The people are suffering, but they only know how to seek pleasure. This is really a great joke!"
After saying that, two streams of tears rolled down his haggard face. It was obvious that he was extremely sad.
Looking at him like this, Dongfang Yi felt a pang of pain in her heart. Although she wasn't really his daughter, his actions and his love for the common people were truly moving. This was what a good prime minister should be like.
So she stared intently at the man in front of her and said, "Father, have you forgotten what your daughter said? Many things may not be as they seem."
Prime Minister Dongfang's face froze. He remembered that she had said this to him at the Mid - Autumn Festival banquet, but he didn't understand what it meant at that time.
Taking this opportunity, he couldn't hold back any longer and asked, "Daughter! What on earth do you want to tell your father!"
His wife, Lady Dongfang, also sensed that there was something else going on, so she echoed his question.
Looking at their eager faces, Dongfang Yi let out a long sigh. She knew that she had to tell them her speculation, so she replied, "Father, don't you know what kind of person His Majesty is?"
Hearing his daughter's question, the old prime minister lowered his head and thought for a while. He remembered that although His Majesty had just ascended the throne not long ago, he had always been steady and wise. Only in the matter of renovating the imperial mausoleum did he seem to have changed completely. He knew it was a dangerous situation, but he still made one mistake after another.
Seeing that her father finally listened to her words, Dongfang Yi continued, "As far as your daughter knows, His Majesty ascended the throne at a young age, but he is steady and experienced in handling affairs. He has always cared about the common people. But in the matter of renovating the imperial mausoleum, he did the opposite. Isn't this suspicious?"
As she said this, the man in front of her seemed to suddenly understand something. He slapped his hand and shouted, "Yes! It is indeed suspicious."
Seeing his reaction, Dongfang Yi couldn't help but curl the corner of her mouth.
She continued, "Not only did His Majesty do the opposite, but he also let Nangong Liuyun, a man with evil intentions, do it. Isn't there something worth pondering in this?"
Only then did Prime Minister Dongfang have an epiphany. After his daughter's series of questions, the doubts in his heart seemed to be resolved. The things that he couldn't figure out before now seemed as clear as day.
Seeing her father's relieved look, Dongfang Yi finally let out a sigh of relief. Although all this was just her speculation, she firmly believed that it couldn't just be a guess.
After all, deep in her heart, she always believed that Helian Qi was a good emperor and would never do anything to harm the court or the people.
Thinking of this, she reached out and patted her father's shoulder and said, "Father, take care."
Then she hugged her mother and turned around to return to the front of the crowd.
After Prime Minister Dongfang figured out all these things, looking at his daughter's back, his eyes were filled with countless emotions.
When did she become so intelligent and wise? And what exactly happened that made her change her personality suddenly?
Thinking of this, he shook his head. He thought to himself that no matter what happened, she was his daughter. And becoming so wise would help her survive in the huge harem.
"Our daughter has finally grown up!" he said to his wife beside him.
There was a knowing smile on his face, as if he had witnessed something remarkable.
At this moment, he was proud of his daughter.