The Queen smiled at Yi Qing and dismissed the attendants around her. Then she motioned for Yi Qing to follow her.
"Lady Xiao just used the medicine as an excuse to make the Empress Dowager angry with the Princess Royal and help herself avoid punishment, right?" The Queen absent - mindedly stroked the flowers in front of her.
"Since I said it, it must be true." Yi Qing understood what the Queen meant.
This Queen was really extraordinary. She had helped Yi Qing by the way and was testing her at the same time. If Yi Qing had to befriend someone in the harem, the Queen was actually a good choice. If the Queen had an heir, it would be a good thing too, saving the Emperor from the trouble of deciding whether to establish the eldest or the legitimate son as the crown prince.
Rather than trying to gain power in an improper way, it seemed easier to deal with the Queen who was in the proper position. And so far, the Queen didn't seem to have too many malicious thoughts. She was just frustrated because her love for the Emperor was unrequited.
It was impossible for the Queen not to be tempted. She couldn't help but glance at Yi Qing: "That would truly be a blessing for the Great Jin."
"Your Majesty the Queen, why do you have to be so reasonable? As the Queen, you have to assist the Emperor and keep the harem in order. But as a woman, you just want to be with the man you love." Yi Qing said with a smile.
"The women in the world don't have the good fortune of Lady Xiao. General Xiao only has Lady Xiao in his eyes and heart." The Queen sighed.
"A man's heart is like that of a husky. The more you try to tie him up and lock him in, and the more you offer your heart to him, the more he will think that the shit outside is fragrant. He must go out and take a bite. And after eating, he will think that this pile of shit is not fragrant, but the next one must be."
The Queen was puzzled: "What is a husky?"
"A kind of dog that will run away as soon as you let it go if it has been locked up for too long." Yi Qing thought her analogy was really apt.
"How dare you..." The Queen wanted to scold Yi Qing for being disrespectful, but then she thought there was nothing wrong with this analogy. "Don't say such things in front of others."
Yi Qing saw how cautious the Queen was. Was this cautious Queen really the kind of woman who would scheme to marry the Emperor?
"I'm not afraid of anything with the general's favor." Yi Qing said proudly. "But Your Majesty the Queen is so cautious and manages the harem in an orderly manner, yet you still haven't achieved your wish."
The Queen's complexion changed slightly. She straightened her posture: "I called you here for another thing. For the proper succession of heirs in the harem, if Lady Xiao gets any medicine beneficial for having an heir, you should hand it over to me first."
"Come on. You make it sound so grand when you just want the medicine. Is the problem between you and the Emperor the medicine? Even if you have the medicine, the Emperor has to go to the Jiaolan Palace."
The Queen wanted to get angry when she heard what Yi Qing said, but she managed to hold it back. After all, she needed Yi Qing's help now.
"Your Majesty the Queen is like this. You don't even dare to say what you want." Yi Qing looked at the Queen's patient expression. "If the Queen is really sincere, I can help you, but you must listen to me."
The Queen looked at Yi Qing suspiciously.
"I have no competitive relationship with you and no conflicts of interest. What do you mean by doubting me like this?" Yi Qing sat on the railing beside her boredly.
"People always have motives when they do things. I'm not familiar with Lady Xiao either."
"This is a straightforward statement." Yi Qing looked at the flowers and plants outside. "Can't I just want to do this? I'm a person who hates trouble. I said this today to avoid the Princess Royal. I'm sure the concubines in the harem will try to be nice to me later. Instead of dealing with them one by one, it's better to let Your Majesty the Queen block them for me."
The Queen laughed, and the laughter was relaxed: "Lady Xiao is really straightforward. Then it's settled."
"Okay." Yi Qing jumped off the railing. "Your Majesty the Queen can go out of the palace to play with me when you're free."
"I'm busy with palace affairs..."
"Oh, you should know how to delegate. Let the right people do what they are good at and just keep the overall situation in control. Don't do everything by yourself. You think you're trying to be perfect, but in others' eyes, you just want to hold on to the power in the harem tightly."
The Queen fell silent. There were indeed such rumors in the harem, and she would get angry because of them.
"Life is so limited, and there are so many interesting things. Why waste our limited lives on such boring things?" Yi Qing spread her hands.
The Queen couldn't be as open - minded as Yi Qing.
After the two of them reached an agreement, Yi Qing continued to leave the palace. When she got to the intersection leading to the imperial study, Yi Qing stopped.
"Why don't you go?" Xue Miao'er didn't like the palace. The people in the palace were so unfriendly.
"I have to be able to go." Yi Qing looked in the direction of the archway.
Xiao Dezi came out with a forced smile on his face: "His Majesty invites you."
"Is General Xiao there?"
"No. His Majesty invited Lady Xiao." Xiao Dezi said carefully.
Yi Qing wondered where Xiao Jinghan had gone today. He wasn't with the Emperor: "Let's go." She took Xue Miao'er and Sang Sang with her.
When they got there, the Minister of the Ministry of Personnel, Ke Shanlong, just came out of the imperial study. Sang Sang subconsciously avoided him when she saw Ke Shanlong, which caught Ke Shanlong's attention. He took a second look and thought she looked familiar.
"What are you looking at?" Xue Miao'er thought Ke Shanlong was looking at her.
Ke Shanlong saluted and quickly left.
Yi Qing turned to look at Sang Sang: "You?"
"That's Ke Shanlong, the Minister of the Ministry of Personnel." Sang Sang whispered.
Yi Qing suddenly realized. So this was Sang Sang's former lover. He must not be a good person.
When they got to the door of the imperial study, Xue Miao'er and Sang Sang were stopped outside.
"His Majesty only invited Lady Xiao to go in." Xiao Dezi whispered. He was afraid that General Xiao might hold him accountable later.
"You stay outside." Yi Qing knew that when entering the palace like this, one had to go through all the formalities. The Empress Dowager, the Queen, and the Emperor were all inevitable.
The Emperor looked at Yi Qing: "Do you know that you've deceived the Emperor?"
"When did I deceive the Emperor?" Yi Qing didn't even salute when she heard the Emperor's question.
"You lied to the Empress Dowager that you were boiling medicine beneficial for having an heir. Isn't that deceiving the Emperor?"
"Of course not."
"Humph!" The Emperor didn't believe her at all. "How could you possibly care about the affairs in the palace?"
"You know that I won't care about your troublesome affairs if I'm not bothered. I was approached by someone. They always talk about the crime of disrespect. This crime of disrespect is not something you can just say exists. The definition is too flexible."
The Emperor thought for a while and cleared his throat: "Don't evade the important issue. I'm talking about the medicine beneficial for having an heir."
"Your Majesty should be able to do it now. There's still no news from the harem. Does Your Majesty have other... " Yi Qing looked at the Emperor suspiciously. Her meaning was self - evident.
"I'm in good health." The Emperor immediately clarified.
"Why are you so nervous, Your Majesty? I didn't say Your Majesty was incompetent." Yi Qing held back her laughter.