The Prodigal Son

On the way to the peony garden.

Looking at Zhao Luan and Shangguan Youyi in the imperial carriage, Qin Yu was filled with emotion.

I've finally made something of myself!

They've all boarded the Empress's palanquin!

As he was thinking, Qin Yu noticed that Zhao Luan was staring at him.

That gaze held a mixture of doubt and a touch of fervor.

Qin Yu almost thought she was going to pounce on him!

Qin Yu avoided Zhao Luan's gaze, "Your Majesty, please don't look at me like that, I'm very flustered."

"Panic? You haven't done anything wrong, why are you panicking?"

A smile flashed across Zhao Luan's face as she stared at Qin Yu with amusement. "I just wonder, how is your brain structured? How can you come up with so many wicked schemes?"

The key point is that he actually combined so many dirty tricks into a plan that killed four birds with one stone!

Moreover, they even included Lü Si in their scheme!

She strongly suspected that Qin Yu was using this opportunity to deal with Lü Si and bring Wang Dou and his brother under his command.

Hearing Zhao Luan's words, Shangguan Youyi nodded in deep agreement.

Qin Yu grinned, "Don't I often mingle among the common people? I learned everything from the streets."

"I'd be a fool to believe you!"

Zhao Luan scoffed, "Lu Si also spends all his time mingling in the marketplace, how come he hasn't learned anything?"

"Because he's stupid!"

Qin Yu chuckled, "By the way, Your Majesty, since we're going to use Lü Si to stir up conflict with the Empress Dowager, shouldn't we first have Lü Si excused from attending court meetings?"

Qin Yu is still a man of his word.

Since I promised to help Lü Si, I should definitely mention it.

"That's not a problem, since he doesn't really have any influence in the court anyway."

Zhao Luan readily agreed, "However, Lü Si's mother is pregnant. If we punish Lü Si too harshly, and she gets angry and miscarries, then that would be..."

"Is Lü Si's mother pregnant?"

Qin Yu's eyes widened suddenly.

Holy crap!

Lu Si's mother must be over forty years old, right?

Still pregnant?

This woman is definitely an older mother!

Are Lu Chunqiu and his wife ruining their main account and now they're starting a new one?

"Lu Si's mother is pregnant, why are you so excited?"

Zhao Luan looked at Qin Yu with a puzzled expression.

"No, no!"

Qin Yu chuckled, "I believe even Heaven is on Your Majesty's side!"

"How so?" Zhao Luan asked with great interest.

Qin Yu grinned, "Wouldn't it make the plan even more perfect if we had Lü Si's mother fake a miscarriage?"

Zhao Luan thought for a moment, a look of understanding flashing in her eyes, and leaned against the couch, chuckling lightly, "You really are full of mischief!"

"Wasn't this just a sudden whim?"

Qin Yu looked completely innocent, yet he secretly glanced at Zhao Luan a couple more times.

Isn't she quite pretty when she smiles?

Why do you always have such a stern face?

And those legs of hers, they're really long!

The space inside this imperial carriage is so large that it feels like there's nowhere to put her long legs.

"If you ask me, you're like a donkey!"

Unaware of Qin Yu's thoughts, Zhao Luan teased with a smile, "You clearly have plenty of strength, but I have to whip you a couple of times before you'll move! Shangguan, don't you think?"

"right!"

Shangguan Youyi nodded and smiled, "In my opinion, Physician Qin is used to hiding his true abilities and will only reveal them when pushed to a certain point!"

Qin Yu waved his hands repeatedly, "Lord Shangguan, you can't say things like that! You're trying to flatter me to death!"

Ugh!

I know my own limitations.

There's no such thing as great talent; it's all forced out of them.

"What do you mean by 'praise to death'!"

Zhao Luan picked up the conversation, her smile gradually fading, and said solemnly, "I don't care what your reason is for hiding your talents, you can put your mind at ease! I will give you and the Qin family the utmost trust! The Qin family will not let me and Da Ning down, and I will never let the Qin family down either!"

She didn't know why Qin Yu had been hiding his talents, and why he had kept them hidden for so many years.

But she guessed that Qin Yu might be worried that she was suspicious of the Qin family.

She had never suspected the Qin family before.

Now, it's even less likely that we would suspect the Qin family!

"Thank you, Your Majesty."

Qin Yu gave a casual reply, completely disregarding Zhao Luan's words.

Your heart is unfathomable!

She says this now, but who knows what she'll think later?

He had heard far too many stories of discarding a donkey after it has served its purpose, or of putting away a bow after the birds have been caught!

Qin Yu chatted with Zhao Luan and Shangguan Youyi the whole way.

Because Qin Yu's plan gave Zhao Luan hope of eliminating the Prince of Chengyang without bloodshed, Zhao Luan was in an exceptionally good mood.

They had a pleasant chat along the way, and Qin Yu saw the biggest smile on Zhao Luan's face since he met her.

Ugh!

This woman is a traitor who will follow whoever feeds her!

Qin Yu was filled with emotion.

An hour later, they arrived at the peony garden.

The Empress Dowager would come to the Peony Garden to stay for a period of time every year.

Since her last visit to the peony garden, the Empress Dowager has been staying here.

For the Empress Dowager, living here might be more comfortable than living in the palace.

At this time of year, the peony blooming season has passed.

However, the peony garden also has many other flowers that bloom at this time of year, and walking into the peony garden is also a scene of vibrant colors.

When they found the Empress Dowager, they discovered that Zhao Yan was accompanying her to admire the lotus flowers by the pond.

They were chatting and laughing, seemingly enjoying themselves.

Upon seeing Zhao Yan, Qin Yu couldn't help but secretly admire him.

That son of a bitch!

He mastered the art of achieving his goals through indirect means.

Upon hearing from a palace maid that Zhao Luan and the others had arrived, the Empress Dowager merely glanced at them before continuing to admire the lotus flowers.

It was clear that the Empress Dowager was very dissatisfied with Zhao Luan's appointment of Qin Yu as the Inner Attendant and concurrently as the Director of the Six Ministries.

She could certainly see Zhao Luan's purpose in doing so.

From the very beginning, the Empress Dowager favored that Zhao Luan marry Zhao Yan.

This can minimize the internal strife within the court and ensure that the Prince of Chengyang is truly loyal to the court, becoming a border king who defends the territory for the court!

However, Zhao Luan, for his own selfish reasons, disregarded the interests of the court and defied public opinion to appoint Qin Yu as the Inner Attendant and concurrently the Director of the Six Ministries, which greatly displeased her.

Zhao Luan smiled helplessly and led Qin Yu and Shangguan Youyi forward.

"Zhao Yan greets Your Majesty!"

Zhao Yan bowed gracefully to Zhao Luan, but when his gaze swept over Qin Yu, a hint of provocation appeared on his face.

Qin Yu glanced at Zhao Yan, secretly amused.

This grandson is probably racking his brains trying to outdo me and crush me!

Little did he know, he had already overturned the table!

Let him play by himself!

"Your Highness, there's no need for such formalities."

Zhao Luan responded coldly, and then led Qin Yu and Shangguan Youyi to bow to the Empress Dowager.

"Luan'er, you are a woman, you should be mindful of your behavior!"

The Empress Dowager turned her head and scolded her sternly, "You take Qin Yu with you wherever you go, what kind of behavior is this?"

"Your Majesty, please calm your anger." Zhao Luan looked calmly at the Empress Dowager. "Qin Yu is a Palace Attendant, so it is only natural that he should be by my side!"

Upon hearing this, the Empress Dowager became even more displeased. "Even the eunuchs stay overnight in the inner palace. According to you, are you going to let him stay overnight in the inner palace as well?"

Ok?

Qin Yu was secretly moved.

This... is a good option!