Seeing her father strutting in that official manner, Mei Qingxue couldn't help but let out a soft chuckle, recalling how Xuan Qiao had imitated her father's walk earlier.
From the eunuchs and maids, Mei Qingxue had learned that the date of the draft was approaching. But she wasn't in a hurry. Every day, she would lead Xuan Qiao and take the palace craftsmen on a tour of the Three Palaces and Six Courtyards.
Mei Qingxue had it all figured out about the Three Palaces. One would be for the imperial concubines of the previous generation, one would be her own Queen's Palace, and the other would be the Empress Dowager's Palace. As for the Six Courtyards, they would serve a great purpose—they would be places to keep "beautiful women"!
Mei Qingxue had chairs moved and placed in the middle of her Six Courtyards. After she sat down, she asked, "Steward Liu, what are the names of these Six Courtyards?"
"Reporting to the Queen!" Steward Liu knelt in front of Mei Qingxue and said cautiously, "From the east to the west, they are the Shufang Studio, the Pinyue Studio, the Yumo Studio, the Xiangyue Studio, the Mingyu Residence, and the Tingfeng Pavilion."
So there were so many fancy names! Damn it! With her here, did Du Guqing still want to have a few concubines?
"From the east to the west, rename them as Courtyard No. 1, No. 2 up to No. 6," Mei Qingxue said casually. What she said next made all the craftsmen want to bang their heads against the wall.
"In Courtyard No. 1, build a three - story chicken coop. Not a single story less. If you do, you'll lose your heads," Mei Qingxue glanced at the people kneeling on the ground.
"In Courtyard No. 2, build a two - story pigsty. Don't cut corners."
"Let me think about Courtyard No. 3," Mei Qingxue looked up at the sky. What else had a bad smell? "Dig a fishpond. From now on, the palace will be self - sufficient in fish."
"Courtyard No. 4..." With every word Mei Qingxue said, a big bead of sweat rolled down Steward Liu's forehead.
"But..." Steward Liu didn't dare to do anything to the palace. Now that the Queen had given such orders, he was caught in a dilemma.
Among the senior members in the palace, the retired Emperor and the Empress Dowager, who were in charge, had gone out of the palace and hadn't come back yet. The other imperial concubines of the previous generation didn't interfere in matters.
"If you have any doubts, go to the Emperor!"
Mei Qingxue easily shifted the problem to the Emperor. Steward Liu wiped the sweat off his forehead. Right! How could he forget about the Emperor?
"Yes, yes, yes!" All the craftsmen were trembling. No one had ever proposed such a construction plan. If they followed the Queen's crazy ideas, no one knew what the palace would smell like.
"Eunuch Tang, what should this lowly one do?" Steward Liu ran into Eunuch Tang on his way to see the Emperor.
"How would this old eunuch know? The Emperor always listens to the Queen. In this old eunuch's opinion, you'd better follow the Queen's orders," Eunuch Tang knew very well that Du Guqing would follow Mei Qingxue's words to the letter. Even if this Queen wanted to go beyond the palace, the first one to clap his hands in approval would surely be his Emperor.
"Ah?" That was like saying nothing! Steward Liu's face turned into a bitter melon.
"If you don't believe this old eunuch, then go and ask the Emperor yourself. Anyway, don't ask this old eunuch to ask the Emperor for you. This old eunuch is in a good mood. Don't make the Emperor angry for no reason." With that, Eunuch Tang turned his head and walked away.
Steward Liu looked at Eunuch Tang's back with a bitter smile on his face. "This favorite of two generations of emperors shouldn't be kidding me, right?" Steward Liu thought for a long time and decided to go and ask the Emperor himself.
Du Guqing was very efficient in handling government affairs. He didn't have to worry about so many fathers - in - law. He only had one.
Eunuch Tang had nothing to do all day, so Du Guqing told him to take a stroll in the garden.
"Reporting to Your Majesty, Steward Liu from the Repair Department requests an audience."
"Come in!"
Steward Liu knelt in front of the Emperor and told him about the Queen's requests today. Du Guqing thought for a moment and said, "Just do as the Queen has ordered. Do whatever makes her happy!"
"Ah?" Steward Liu let out a surprised sound. After confirming that he had heard correctly, he stood up and led his craftsmen to do as the Queen had instructed.
In just a few days, the project was completed, and the draft was approaching.
"Not bad, not bad," Mei Qingxue nodded as she inspected. "Tell the Chief of the Household Department to buy chickens, pigs, and fish fry. Get everything set up."
Those beautiful girls who came for the draft would live here. Mei Qingxue was secretly delighted. If they were really selected, they would still live here in the future.
"Your Majesty, today's memorials all state that the Queen has yet to conceive, and they request that you hold the draft as soon as possible," Eunuch Tang had read a batch of memorials for Du Guqing.
"The draft will surely be held," Du Guqing knew very well that if he even abolished the draft, the retired Emperor would come back from the south of the Yangtze River in a rage. They had been in the south of the Yangtze River for half a month. He didn't know how they were doing now, nor did they even send a letter back!
Anyway, as long as they went back to the south of the Yangtze River, he believed that his mother would be happy.
"Just say that the draft will be held on a chosen day!"
Du Guqing was sure that Mei Qingxue had a plan, so he felt at ease. Even if there was a draft, at most, a few girls would be betrothed to collateral descendants, and the rest would be sent back. He wouldn't really fill his harem. Having Xue'er was enough.
"What will we do when the retired Emperor comes back and sees what the Queen has done to the palace?" Eunuch Tang was worried that the retired Emperor and the Empress Dowager would blame Mei Qingxue, so he asked anxiously.
"What are you worried about? Just say it was done by me. It's very simple. Let's see what they have to say," Du Guqing said with a smile as he read the memorials. "My Queen is really good at causing a stir."
Just then, he immediately understood why Mei Qingxue had renovated the Six Courtyards.
"Your Majesty!" After Eunuch Tang finished reading the memorials Du Guqing had given him, he bowed and said, "If there's nothing else, this old servant will take his leave."
It was almost time for dinner, and he had to go to the imperial kitchen in person to supervise.
"Go."
Du Guqing was worried, though. The relationships of a few people were very delicate. He really didn't know how to handle them. Even betrothing them off was not a good option. He would ask his Queen later.
In the Duke's Mansion in the south of the Yangtze River.
"Your Highness, please..." The old Duke followed behind Du Guyou, looking very respectful.
"We're all family. Don't be so formal," Du Guyou waved his sleeve, and a faint aura of a superior was emitted.
Guo Qiner supported the old Duke's arm and said, "Father, slow down!"
"No, Your Majesty the Empress Dowager, this subordinate can't bear it!" The old Duke slowly followed behind Du Guyou and refused his daughter's support.
"Father, there's no Empress Dowager here. There's only a daughter who hasn't been home for a long time," Guo Qiner's eyes were a little sour.
When Du Guqing came back, he said that he had gotten along very well with his grandfather's family. Guo Qiner looked back and saw Du Guyou, that arrogant lord, still waiting for the old Duke to pay his respects.
"Du Guyou, this is my natal home. If you don't want to stay, go back to the palace by yourself," Guo Qiner was not afraid of Du Guyou.
The old Duke said angrily, "You're being disrespectful. How dare you!"
"Father, I'm just a daughter coming back to visit my relatives. I'm not the Empress Dowager. If the retired Emperor wants to show off his power, he can go back to his court. Anyway, Qing'er doesn't want to sit on that throne. You might as well depose my daughter - in - law too," Guo Qiner saw that her father was so distant from her and understood that it was because of Du Guyou. Immediately, she unceremoniously wanted to drive Du Guyou back to the palace.
Du Guyou didn't know what he had done wrong. He was used to being worshipped. He had no idea what it was like in an ordinary family.
"Qiner, you..."
"This humble servant, Guo Qiner, requests to be divorced. Please return to the capital, Your Highness the Retired Emperor," With that, she knelt down. The old Duke quickly knelt down too. Although the retired Emperor was no longer in power, the deeply ingrained concept in him would not change at all.
Hearing what Guo Qiner said, Du Guyou was stunned. His face immediately looked unpleasant. "What do you want me to do?"
"This humble servant is here to visit her relatives, not to show off. If you haven't had enough of being worshipped in the court, you can go back to your throne," Guo Qiner didn't know where she got the courage to actually request a divorce.
Generally, from the rank of imperial concubine onwards, there was no such thing as being divorced. One would either wait to die in the cold palace, or be executed. The most likely option was to be sent to guard the ancestral temple and light the Buddha lamps for the rest of one's life.
Du Guyou remembered that he had also lived an ordinary life. He held back his anger and said calmly, "Qiner, I was wrong, okay? Lord Duke, please get up."
"Thank you, Your Highness the Retired Emperor."
The old Duke's words made Du Guyou understand something. Seeing the old Duke struggling to get up and thinking of his chronic leg injury, he put away his arrogance and personally helped him up. Only then did Guo Qiner's face look better. On the way here, Du Guyou had repeatedly promised not to show off his power. But after seeing her father, shouldn't he at least call him "father - in - law"? "Lord Duke"?
Was there such a title in the Feng Kingdom?
Guo Qiner was dissatisfied in her heart but said nothing. She wasn't afraid of offending Du Guyou. At worst, she would be buried at the door of her home. It would be much better than dying in a foreign land.
"This old official doesn't dare!" Although the old Duke said he didn't dare, he actually enjoyed his son - in - law's support in his heart.
"Father - in - law!" Du Guyou said this awkwardly. Seeing the relaxation on Guo Qiner's face, he knew he had done the right thing. He awkwardly reached out to support his father - in - law. Guo Qiner supported the old Duke's other arm. Seeing this scene, Lady Guo's eyes were a little red.
She hadn't seen her daughter for more than a decade. She thought it would be a farewell of death for the rest of her life. She didn't expect to be able to see her daughter come home alive. Although her grandson had become the emperor, the Guo family didn't care about power. All they wanted was for the family to be reunited and harmonious.
"Your Highness the Retired Emperor!"
Just as the old Duke was about to use the honorific title, Du Guyou had already gotten used to calling him "father - in - law". "Don't be so formal. We're all family."
He wasn't used to referring to himself as "your humble son - in - law".
But seeing Guo Qiner looking at him tearfully, he still used the word "I" to refer to himself and didn't show off his power as the retired Emperor. After all, he had been in that position for many years, and some habits couldn't be changed overnight. After staying in the south of the Yangtze River for a long time, Du Guyou was starting to like it here. He even didn't want to go back to the capital. Here, he could go out whenever he wanted and do whatever he liked. The only drawback was that there were fewer servants.