Qiu Che walked towards the study, saying as he walked: "My mother didn't say anything nonsense to you, did she? She is old, and some of her words can't be taken seriously, so don't take it to heart."
Qiu Che said this because he was afraid that Wang Shi was still upset and couldn't persuade her, so he changed his way to persuade Li Qingwu.
But Li Qingwu smiled and said: "Mom is very good... I just said that I haven't had a meal with you for a long time."
Qiu Che's steps paused for a moment.
She suddenly remembered that after Li Qingwu was sent away in her previous life, she was worried about Wang Shi and returned to live in the Qiu family.
But at that time, neither of them had made up their minds to sever ties with the Qiu family, but Qiu Che was still like now, busy with government affairs every day, and they were apart more often than they were together.
Wang Shi was used to swallowing all the bitterness in her stomach, and never complained to her when she was busy.
Those servants were originally afraid of Qiu Che because she was an official, but although Qiu Che did not completely sever ties, he still had some estrangement with the father and son of the Qiu family because of the drugging incident.
Qiuzhe and his son repeatedly hit a wall with her. They couldn't vent their anger on her, so they could only take action against Wang, intentionally or unintentionally instructing the servants to be aggressive. After
those people got the order from their superiors and saw that Wang couldn't even kick them, they gradually became more presumptuous.
Qiuche occasionally went to see her and found some clues, but she always smiled and evaded them.
Sometimes Qiuche asked her what she wanted, and she always said only one sentence: "One day when you have a day off, let's have a meal together."
"Our family is reunited, and it's good to have a meal."
This wish is so simple, but Qiuche didn't even have time to have a meal with her.
When she had time, she had long forgotten the promise of a meal.
It was not until a few years later that Wang was finally tortured to death on a hot and ordinary summer.
When she died, Qiuche had just been promoted and returned home happily, but he welcomed the bad news that his mother fell into the well because she was too tired while washing clothes.
That's why Qiu Che knew what kind of life her mother had been living in the past few years.
After her rebirth, she decisively took Wang away from the Qiu family, precisely because she didn't want to repeat the same mistake.
Qiu Che remembered that when Wang was salvaged, her lips were pale and her breath was very weak.
Qiu Che held her in his arms, not knowing what expression he should show.
He couldn't cry, and his expression was weird. He only knew to call: "Mom."
She said: Mom, wake up.
Wang really woke up.
Her lips trembled and she couldn't speak.
Qiu Che held her hand with tears in his eyes and found that she was trembling, as if she wanted to write something.
But when she wrote halfway in her palm, Wang put her hand down.
It seemed that she just heard the voice of her child whom she hadn't seen for a long time in her sleep, so she opened her eyes and looked at Qiu Che for the last time.
A long time later, on a cold night, thousands of lights rose in the world.
But none of the lights belonged to Qiu Che.
She was alone, drinking wine, looking up at the round bright moon, and suddenly remembered the unfinished words written by Wang on her palm. It
suddenly dawned on her.
That was not a word.
It was a semicircle.
An unfinished circle.
A circle that could not be reunited.
Wang had been thinking about the reunion dinner for so long, but she didn't get to eat it after all.
It seemed that fate had foreshadowed that in the second half of Qiu Che's life, there would no longer be a person who could reunite with her.
Now, after many years, she heard these words again, but they were conveyed by Li Qingwu.
Qiu Che thought as if it was a lifetime ago, and it really was a lifetime ago.
It seemed that in this life, many things were really different.
Li Qingwu saw that she was suddenly distracted and asked in confusion: "What's wrong?"
"Nothing." Qiu Che shook her head and continued to walk forward.
After thinking for a while, she said, "I will go back to the mansion for lunch in the future. If there is any special situation, let Yuming come back to tell you."
Li Qingwu was stunned for a moment, then smiled, "Okay."
Whenever Qiu Che went to the study, it was to talk about business. Li Qingwu guessed again, "You came to see me, did something happen again?"
Qiu Che whispered the news that Yang Qiu told her, and asked, "Who do you think spread it?"
Li Qingwu frowned slightly and said, "Prime Minister Wu?"
This kind of thing would be a thunderbolt at any time, but it happened at this time.
It is almost no good for the people behind the scenes.
But Qiu Che will be affected.
The queen will suffer for one thing if this kind of news comes out right after the case is closed. The most important thing is that the queen helped her blow the pillow wind yesterday and promoted her official position.
Whether Qiu Che is willing or not, she and the queen are already tied to each other.
Li Shi would definitely think more and think that "Qiu Che did not investigate the Duke's Mansion case a few days ago carefully, and even failed to find out the relationship between the Queen and Yuan Fu" is still a good thing.
The most feared thing is that Li Shi will directly label her as a member of the Queen's party.
Since he came for Qiu Che, it is likely that he is her enemy.
But now, among those who have a grudge against Qiu Che, only Prime Minister Wu is the most suspected. "
"But how could he know..."
Know about the adultery between the queen and the commander of the Jinwu Guard?
The two looked at each other, and Qiu Che's eyes clearly showed some appreciation for Li Qingwu's quick response.
Disciples who have been taught by themselves feel at ease, their brain circuits are in sync, and chatting is effortless.
Li Qingwu saw what she meant and blushed.
When she couldn't help but dodge her eyes, Qiu Che had already turned around, pushed the door open and entered the study.
She said: "I'm not sure who it is. It would save trouble if it's Prime Minister Wu. What I'm afraid of is that if it's not him, it means we still have a potential enemy."
She thought: "Since we have been targeted, You should be more careful when doing business these days, and remember to keep Fufeng away from you. "
"Also...if anyone is deliberately looking for trouble, remember to tell me."
"Okay."
Qiu Che knew that this kind of royal scandal had spread. , the solution will be very fast.
But I didn't expect it to be so fast.
Early the next morning, when Qiu Che went to court, he clearly felt that the atmosphere around him was surging and something was wrong.
The emperor also looked tired and left the court without saying a few words.
Qiu Che walked at the end and vaguely heard some palace people talking in low voices, and the word "Queen" was heard several times.
Before she could listen carefully, she was stopped by Fuzi, the chief eunuch.
"SirâSir Qiu!"
Fuzi smiled and saluted, "Sir, please stay. Your Majesty will ask you to discuss matters in the study."
Qiu Che said in his heart: Here we come.
She took a deep breath and nodded with a smile: "Thank you."
As soon as Qiu Che entered the room, she heard the emperor casually instructing the commander of the Jinyiwei, Cui Wenshen: "Depose the queen, demote her to a commoner, remove her name from the imperial jade book, and throw her into a mass grave."
Cui Wenshen bowed and responded without saying a word.
As the two passed by, Qiu Che bowed to him.
Cui Wenshen nodded expressionlessly and left without saying a word.
Li Shi gave Qiu Che a seat and then spoke casually: "My dear Qiu, have you heard about the queen?"
Qiu Che pretended to be stupid: "I have been busy with the case files recently, and I don't know what your majesty is talking about..."
She thought Li Shi would still argue with her as before, but unexpectedly, Li Shi became straightforward this time and said coldly: "She had an affair with someone and committed suicide last night out of fear of punishment."
"What you just heard is my arrangement for her funeral."
Qiu Che paused slightly and showed some surprise.
As expected, it was about the queen.
I didn't expect that with the Queen's personality, she would commit suicide so decisively just because of some rumors.
She thought she would struggle to death...
Qiu Che's thoughts stagnated, and then she thought, yes. It's
just some rumors, how could the Queen commit suicide so quickly?
Either someone had attacked her in advance, or someone had delivered the evidence to the emperor in full, so the Queen would think she had no way out and had to commit suicide in order to leave the last bit of face.
Qiu Che thought calmly and felt that the second possibility was more likely.
Li Shi was still saying, "My dear, do you think I'm too cruel?"
Qiu Che bowed her head and said respectfully, "I dare not."
At this time, she had no idea whether the Queen said anything before her death. The more she said, the more mistakes she would make. It would be better to wait and see.
The atmosphere in the imperial study became quiet for a while.
Li Shi looked at her respectful expression, his expression was gloomy, and I don't know what she was thinking.
After a long time, he finally retracted his gaze and said with emotion: "I hate people with ulterior motives the most...especially women with ulterior motives."
Qiu Che was wondering, could the emperor's words refer to the empress dowager?
She thought of Qiu Chudong, her father in name.
Because he had been mediocre all his life, he was often severely suppressed and criticized by his mother, so he hated women and also hated his daughter.
In his previous life, Qiu Che died under a bowl of thick soup that seemed warm but actually contained poison. He heard him laugh arrogantly and said, "I have said it before, women are useless."
"Mom, do you see it now? No matter how smart you are, you are just women with long hair and short knowledge. In the end, the winner is my son...not my daughter!"
Unfortunately, he didn't win, and Qiu Zhe, who he held in his palm all his life, didn't win.
The Xiangfu was burned to ashes by Li Qingwu in a fire. Qiu Chudong and his precious son were locked in the bedroom and couldn't get out. No one responded even if he shouted.
In the end, he died with his eyes open.
Cai Zhi was so proud that he died with his daughter who he poisoned himself within less than a day.
Karma is reincarnation, and retribution is inevitable.
Men always seem to have this idea, never thinking that it is their own fault that they are not outstanding enough, but finding faults in everyone around them.
If there is a woman, it would be even better, and all the faults can be put on the woman. For example, Li Shi would say that she was unfaithful to me and was a playboy.
Another example is Qiu Zhe: I am not as good as her, it is just her good luck. If I had the same luck as her...
Qiu Che always sneered at this.
On the other end, Li Shi suddenly changed the subject and said,
"My dear Minister Qiu, do you know that your promotion was actually all thanks to the Queen?"
Qiu Che showed an even more surprised look: "I really didn't know..."
Li Shi raised his voice and squinted his eyes, "You didn't know? Have you never doubted it? Why were you promoted so quickly?"
"Thunder and rain are all the grace of the emperor," Qiu Che said with a smile, "Your Majesty must have his reasons for wanting me to do something, and I will not question it."
Li Shi snorted coldly, and it seemed that he did not believe her flattery, but his expression had eased a lot: "You'd better."
Before Qiu Che spoke, Fuzi entered the hall cautiously and said, "Your Majesty."
Li Shi said impatiently, "I said I'm discussing matters with My dear Minister Qiu, and I won't see anyone. Go away!" Fuzi
withstood the pressure and smiled, "Your Majesty, it's... His Royal Highness the Crown Prince who wants to see you."
Li Shi's expression changed slightly, and he glanced at Qiu Che, who was watching his heart and soul next to him, and said, "What is he doing here?"
Fuzi hesitated.
Li Shi frowned: "Speak!"
Fuzi hurriedly replied in a low voice: "Your Highness... I am here to ask His Majesty to take back the order, to speak up for the Empress... Commoner Yin."
Look, the favors and honors in the palace change so quickly, yesterday the Empress, today the Commoner.
Li Shi seemed to laugh in anger: "Unfair? What injustice does she have! If it weren't for the fact that the Duke's Mansion has no descendants, I would have even taken over the entire Yin family! I only spared him the position of Crown Prince! How dare he come to me and complain!"
Fuzi lowered his eyebrows and dared not speak.
Li Shi flicked his sleeves and sneered: "Go and tell him to get out as far as he can and stop getting in my way!"
Fuzi said nervously: "Yes."
After this, Qiu Che was obviously not suitable to stay any longer, and she stood up and left at the right time.
Li Shi waved his hands with a headache, and did not speak to keep him.
Qiu Che was led by Fu Zi, and when he passed by the door of the imperial study, he saw two people kneeling at the bottom of the steps. They were the crown prince Li Hengmao and his inseparable follower, the third prince Li Hengyu.
The two were originally whispering something. Li Hengyu frowned, and the crown prince waved his hand with an impatient look: "If you don't want to kneel, go away! Father has always loved me, I don't believe he will always refuse to see me. Don't I know whether mother has had an affair with someone? Someone deliberately framed her! And killed her again!"
"My mother has died in vain, I can't let father treat her reputation like this, otherwise she will not be at peace in the underworld!"
Li Hengyu seemed to want to argue: "Second brother, I'm not..."
Before he finished speaking, seeing Qiu Che coming towards them, the two brothers shut up.
It seems that this pair of good brothers have a conflict.
Qiu Che thought calmly.
I have to say that the crown prince's idea is naive and cute.
She had no expression from beginning to end, even with a habitual smile, she politely saluted the two people, and then passed by them.
The prince glared at her, gritted his teeth and asked the third prince: "Was he laughing at me just now?!"
Li Hengyu nodded and said: "No, I don't know."
"No, what do you mean by I don't know! Weren't you good at reading people's faces before? Now it's just that my mother is dead, and I haven't lost my power yet, so you're scared? You don't dare to scold back for me?"
The prince gritted his teeth and said, "It's just a small fourth-rank official. He climbed up the 'high branch' of my fourth sister and was promoted faster. What are you proud of?"
Li Hengyu nodded again.
The prince was so disappointed with his friend that he kept silent with a gloomy face.
Just at this moment, a figure carrying a food box and pulling another small figure came gracefully from not far away.
Behind them were a group of palace maids and eunuchs.
Compared with the two people kneeling alone on the ground, they were like stars surrounding the moon.
As if she didn't see the two people kneeling on the ground, Concubine Xu walked past without raising her eyes.
Princess Pingyi looked at the prince in confusion, and then at Concubine Xu: "Mother, what's wrong with the prince? He looks so ugly."
Concubine Xu noticed them and looked back in surprise: "Ah, why are they the Crown Prince and the Third Prince? I thought it was someone who was blind and blocked the way at the door of the imperial study... How rude."
Having said that, her expression did not show any guilt.
Veins on the prince's cheeks were almost exposed, and he whispered angrily: "Your Highness, don't be too proud. As long as I am the prince, you should pay tribute to me! If you kick me when I am down, be careful that I will get my revenge one day!"
This threat was too childish.
What's more, the prince usually does a lot of evil things to bully men and women. If it comes to retribution, he will be the first one to be punished.
Hearing such words from his mouth, Concubine Xu was really surprised.
"The prince has really become successful, and he even knows how to threaten people. What a pity..."
She laughed so hard that her body shook. After laughing enough, she leaned over and hooked the prince's chin with her newly made fingertip. She smiled, but her tone was very cold: "The queen is having an affair with the commander of the Jinwu Guard. Do you think that as her child, the emperor will not doubt your identity?"
"If I don't touch you now, will I really never touch you? How long can you be the prince?"
Concubine Xu said in a low voice, then stood up again, curled her lips, as if she didn't notice the prince's sudden pale face, and took the confused Pingyi by the hand again, and stepped into the door of the imperial study triumphantly.
From beginning to end, she didn't even look at the third prince who was also kneeling beside her.
Qiu Che returned to the princess's mansion. Just as she told Li Qingwu about the news from the palace, she received a pigeon message from Wu Yiqi.
There were only two words on the letter paper: death.
Qiu Che immediately understood that the queen did not commit suicide out of fear of punishment, but was sentenced to death by the emperor.
Unexpectedly, Wu Yiqi, a small flag from the seventh rank, got the news faster than her from the fourth rank because he was in the Jinyiwei.
She handed the note to Li Qingwu, who was also confused and said tactfully: "Are you sure... Wu Yiqi has formed an alliance with us?"
Qiu Che thought for a while: "With his mind, he would not pretend to be a spy... Even if it was a drunken joke, he should know after he sobers up that we are now the best teammates."
It is possible that Wu Yiqi surrendered to Wu Rusheng after returning home, and he didn't know how to find out the inside story.
Li Qingwu nodded and took the letter to the candlestick and burned it.
Qiu Che looked at her skillful movements and suddenly remembered that Li Qingwu once said that the purpose of Li Shi's training her was to let her be his eyes to monitor the powerful ministers.
Now she is a popular person in front of the palace, and can barely be regarded as a "powerful minister".
Last time, she accidentally heard Fuling say that every time the empress and the emperor wrote a letter, Li Qingwu would just write a random reply to Li Shi... She didn't know if it was true or not.
She hoped it was true.
Because she felt that although Li Qingwu had some of his own little thoughts, he could let go of major issues. Qiu Che didn't think she would still be willing to be the emperor without freedom under this situation.
Qiu Che has been trying to pull her forward, telling her that there is more than one way for a woman, not only because of guilt and indebtedness, but also because of this thought.
But Li Qingwu never mentioned this topic in front of her, so Qiu Che could only pretend not to remember it.
After looking at Li Qingwu with a slightly complicated look, the other party suddenly turned around and asked: "By the way, where is Yuan Fu?"
The empress was forced to "commit suicide", so what about Yuan Fu, the other protagonist in the incident?
Qiu Che paused: "I heard that he was stripped of his position as commander and demoted to a commoner. He will be executed in the autumn."
Qiu Che thought that the queen would drag her down with him before she died. Even if it was nonsense, as long as she said it, the emperor's suspicion would definitely plant a seed of suspicion in his heart.
Who knew that from the emperor's appearance, the queen did not seem to involve anyone. He
suspected Qiu Che just because the queen said a few words for her a few days ago.
This was quite unexpected.
It was said that he would be executed in the autumn, but in fact, Yuan Fu was executed in less than half a month.
He was put in a wooden cage cart, with unkempt hair and a weak spirit. He had completely lost the momentum of the commander of the Jinwu Guard.
It seemed that he had suffered a lot in the imperial prison.
The people around him were excited and threw vegetable leaves and rotten eggs at him.
The corrupt court system has made the people of this country numb. In the boring life, gossiping and blaming others with justification has become their greatest pleasure in life.
Even though many people don't know why the death row prisoner was executed.
People don't care, they only see what they want to see.
When the prisoner's carriage passed by, Qiu Che was sitting in the private room of Linglong Pavilion, discussing matters with Yang Qiu. Suddenly, she seemed to have a feeling, and looked down at the excited shouting of the crowd.
This glance happened to meet Yuan Fu's eyes looking up.
Sinister, hateful, and vaguely crazy.
Like a gambler who is desperate.
When Qiu Che reacted, the wooden cage carriage had already passed.
It seemed that the scene was just her illusion.
Yang Qiu also saw Yuan Fu, watched the wooden cage carriage go away, and then looked up and said, "Speaking of which, who do you think sent the evidence to your majesty's desk?"
They all knew what Yang Qiu was referring to-the evidence of the queen's affair.
Even Qiu Che only ran into it once by accident, and there was no substantial evidence. Where did the other party get the clues?
In the previous life, the queen's affair was not exposed until Qiu Che died.
Qiu Che pondered: "I don't know, but he must be someone who is very familiar with the situation in the palace." Wu Yiqi said
boredly: "Isn't this nonsense? Hey... I don't think it's likely that it was my grandfather... He didn't have the time to collect evidence of the queen's affair."
This kid adapted well. He said he would be a spy, without any dragging his feet, and he was so straightforward when it came to selling his grandfather.
Qiu Che smiled and didn't reply.
Yang Qiu had a similar expression.
His grandfather might not have had the time in the past, but now that he holds a grudge against Qiu Che, it's hard to say.
What's more, who says that evidence must be true?
For the superior, it is enough to plant a seed of doubt in his heart.
Wu Yiqi looked at this and that, and said madly: "No, what's the expression on your face? Why, I'm the only one who doesn't understand, right?!"
Qiu Che ignored him, took a sip of tea, and changed the subject calmly: "Regarding the flood in Puyang, you can just propose it to His Majesty as I said."
Yang Qiu said, "I still think that this method is too aggressive. Puyang has been plagued by floods for a long time. It is time-consuming and laborious to repair the canal to divert water rashly. Now the treasury is empty and has not yet recovered. If we want to repair it, I am afraid that taxes will have to be increased. It is better to find a compromise..."
Wu Yiqi slammed the table and stood up when he heard it: "Hey! Don't talk about it again and ignore me... Puyang flood? Are you talking about Puyang in Jiangnan?"
Qiu Che said leisurely, "You don't have to worry about it, I will solve it naturally."
Yang Qiu asked back, "The solution you mentioned is to use a bunch of old cases to impeach the ministers and force them to hand over the silver in the treasury one by one?"
Wu Yiqi interrupted again, "Oh, it's true, this is too unfair!"
Qiu Che said, "Why not? Their silver was obtained by embezzlement, and it is just right to use it to repair the canal."
Wu Yiqi immediately changed his camp and said, "Yes, yes, since it is embezzlement, it should be handed over!"
"I am worried. How long have you been in the court?" Yang Qiu frowned. "It's too aggressive to openly make enemies for yourself..."
Wu Yiqi was like a fence-sitter: "That's right, Brother Qiu, listen to it."
Qiu Che shrugged: "Anyway, the biggest enemy has been made, it doesn't matter if there are more or less."
Wu Yiqi was about to open his mouth.
The two turned their heads and said in unison: "Shut up!"
Wu Yiqi lay back down with a sullen look, muttering:
"Just shut up, why are you so fierce..."
The three chatted for a while, and Yang Qiu saw that she insisted on her own opinion, so he sighed and stopped persuading her.
Wu Yiqi looked at her getting up and raised his head and said, "What are you doing? Why don't you stay for dinner before you leave?"
"No." Qiu Che recalled the scene he faced when he went back after having dinner with them last time. He raised his lips and said lightly, "Someone is waiting for me at home."
Wu Yiqi didn't know what he was thinking of. He spread out his fan to cover his distorted expression, but his tone couldn't hide his sourness:
"Oh, there are still people waiting... People with families are really different from us lonely people."
He leaned closer to Yang Qiu and said sarcastically, "I think some people are obsessed with beauties, and their hearts are not here at all~"
Yang Qiu shook his head helplessly.
Speaking of which, Yang Qiu is the oldest of the three people present, but he has been reading sage books for more than 20 years and stubbornly pursuing to grow old together with his beloved, so he has never started a family until now.
On the contrary, Qiu Che, the youngest, is the first one to start a family.
Qiu Che: "You're so jealous."
Wu Yiqi laughed.
Qiu Che walked a few steps out, then suddenly turned back and kicked Wu Yiqi.
Wu Yiqi was forced to stop laughing halfway, and covered his leg with disbelief: "What are you doing?!"
Qiu Che said: "Qingwu is mine now."
Wu Yiqi blinked blankly and angrily: "So? Is this the reason you kicked me?!"
Qiu Che glanced at him with disdain, and said lightly: "What I mean is that no matter how beautiful she is, she is not yours, so don't think about it."
Wu Yiqi: "..."
He was so angry that he fell backwards, speechless and funny: "Okay, okay, okay, you are in love, and I am an outsider! Okay!"
Qiu Che smiled without saying anything, turned around and waved her hand: "I'm really leaving."
Wu Yiqi rolled his eyes: "Goodbye, sir--"
Yang Qiu nodded slightly and watched her leave.
Until they walked to the door of the restaurant and got on the carriage, Wu Yiqi was still muttering about how stingy Qiu Che was, and he would be kicked if he mentioned the word "beauty".
Seeing him looking out the window, he came over and asked in confusion, "Everyone is gone, what are you looking at?"
Yang Qiu said abruptly, "Didn't you notice?"
Wu Yiqi was confused, "What did you notice? Not... Why do you all like to keep people on suspense halfway through your words?!"
Yang Qiu said, "Qiu Che's skeleton."
He thought about it and described it carefully, "It seems to be smaller than ours."
Wu Yiqi didn't react yet, "Ah? For example?"
"For example, hands." Yang Qiu said, "They are thinner than ours."
"Maybe... handsome men are thinner?" Wu Yiqi shuddered and said, "Why do you care about whether someone's skeleton is big or not? Are you studying medicine?"
Seeing that he looked heartless, Yang Qiu sighed in his heart and didn't answer his last sentence. He just took a sip of tea, retracted his gaze, and said, "Maybe." What
he didn't say was that Qiu Che was a martial artist.
And his father, King Zhao, spent half his life on the battlefield.
Although it's not obvious, King Zhao's overall skeleton is wider than that of ordinary people.
A "man" like Qiu Che, who practices martial arts but is still so slim...
is really rare.