The Prodigal Son

The Imperial Palace.

After having lunch with the Empress Dowager, Zhao Luan followed her for a walk in the Imperial Garden, while Shangguan Youyi and the others lagged far behind.

This collaboration also allowed the mother and daughter to completely let go of their grudges.

The relationship between the mother and daughter seems to have returned to what it was before the late emperor's death.

When they were together, they both felt relaxed.

"Qin Yu deserves a lot of credit for resolving the problem of the Prince of Chengyang at such a low cost. You should reward him handsomely."

The Empress Dowager smiled and gave instructions to Zhao Luan.

Qin Yu's plan not only dealt with the Prince of Chengyang and exposed the officials who secretly colluded with him, but also brought her a great deal of good reputation.

It's obvious that once this news spreads, people all over the world will praise her as the wise and benevolent Empress Dowager.

I have to say, this kid really knows how to get things done!

She's finding this guy more and more pleasing to the eye!

Speaking of this, Zhao Luan couldn't help but smile wryly: "This matter is really a bit difficult for my daughter."

"You don't mean you don't want to reward him, do you?" The Empress Dowager frowned. "Luan'er, failing to reward someone for their merit is a grave taboo!"

"I would like to reward him, but I don't know how!"

Zhao Luan smiled bitterly, "Qin Yu is different from others; he'd love for me to dismiss him from all his official posts! He gave me advice on dealing with the Prince of Chengyang because he didn't want to be the Palace Attendant or attend court! If I promote him again, he'll probably get really angry!"

If we're talking about rewarding him with silver, how much silver would be worthy of Qin Yu's merit?

Besides, that bastard Qin Yu has plenty of money!

Even the imperial treasury doesn't have as much silver as Qin Yu!

They even rewarded Qin Yu with silver?

She still wanted Qin Yu to give her some money!

"what?"

The Empress Dowager was both amused and exasperated. "This good-for-nothing, does he really not want to be an official?"

"Isn't that right?"

Zhao Luan smiled helplessly, "Although Qin Yu is talented, he has no interest in power and only wants to indulge in pleasure and debauchery all day long! Moreover, he is incredibly lazy and has no desire to attend court!"

The Empress Dowager chuckled, about to speak, but then suddenly paused, turning to think seriously.

Zhao Luan looked at the Empress Dowager suspiciously, wondering what she was thinking about again, and didn't want to interrupt.

After pondering quietly for a while, the Empress Dowager looked up at Zhao Luan and asked, "Are you sure he has no interest in power?"

"Why are you unsure?"

Zhao Luan smiled, "When my daughter appointed him as the Grand Chamberlain and concurrently the Grand Secretary of the Six Ministries, he almost got angry with her!"

"That's great!"

The Empress Dowager's face suddenly broke into a smile. "A person who is talented yet has no interest in power is the most suitable for you!"

Zhao Luan's face stiffened, and she instantly understood the Empress Dowager's meaning.

no……

She changed course way too quickly, didn't she?

"Mother, what you've done..."

Zhao Luan was both amused and exasperated: "How afraid are you that your daughter won't be able to get married?"

Now that Zhao Yan's marriage proposal has been completely resolved, why is she starting to urge him to marry again?

"I'm not joking with you."

The Empress Dowager's smile faded, and she said seriously, "I've been thinking about your marriage these past few days!"

"After much thought, I've come to a conclusion! You absolutely must not appoint someone with great ambition to your position!"

"A good match is someone who has no interest in power but can offer advice and solutions in crucial moments!"

Isn't Zhao Yan a perfect example?

Even if she didn't want to get married, she still had to consider the continuation of the Zhao family bloodline!

It's better to marry a talented person who has no interest in power than someone who is always on guard against you.

Moreover, Qin Yu has a clean family background and no brothers, while Qin Fumeng holds a large military force.

Her marriage to Qin Yu was very beneficial in consolidating her power.

"Mother, please don't worry about my marriage."

Zhao Luan, supporting the Empress Dowager's arm, said, "Next, the court must focus all its efforts on preparing for the war to destroy Yan! When the war to destroy Yan actually begins, we may have to clash with Bei Qi again! How about we wait until we have completely destroyed Yan before considering our daughter's marriage?"

The Empress Dowager knew, of course, that Zhao Luan was making excuses.

But considering the importance of the war to destroy Yan, she finally nodded in agreement, "Then it's your decision! By the way, don't reward Lü Si; his temperament still needs to be tempered!"

never mind!

There's really no need to rush this.

We can observe Qin Yu more first.

Let's see if he's truly indifferent to power or just pretending!

After all, Qin Yu is extremely good at hiding his true feelings!

"good!"

Zhao Luan agreed, "Then let's bestow our daughter upon the Lü family!"

"Um!"

The Empress Dowager nodded slightly, but secretly pondered in her heart.

She only had this sudden whim today.

But upon closer reflection, she truly felt that marrying into the Qin family was a good choice.

Of course, all of this is based on the premise that Qin Yu is indeed talented and has no interest in power.

It just so happens that I heard Qin Yu seems to have some health problems.

You can take this time to observe more.

Let's see if his problem can be cured first.

This is, after all, a major matter concerning the continuation of the family line, so we must be careful!

……

At dusk, Qin Yu arrived at the palace with a confession and handed Zhao Luan a list.

The list consists of officials who have connections with the Prince of Chengyang and his son.

Most of them have been arrested and imprisoned, and the rest are mostly officials of the fifth rank or below.

Looking at the list in her hand, Zhao Luan couldn't help but feel a headache coming on.

This time, they actually took the opportunity to expose those officials in the court who harbored ulterior motives.

But once she had identified these people, she would have to consider what would happen next.

One minister, one grand secretary, three vice ministers, five fourth-rank officials, and many fifth-rank officials...

With so many vacancies suddenly appearing in the court, someone definitely needs to fill them.

Who will fill these vacancies is also a problem.

Moreover, his mentor's condition showed no signs of improvement, and if he continued to work so hard, his health would likely collapse completely.

"well……"

Zhao Luan sighed softly, secretly feeling a headache coming on.

Qin Yu glanced at Zhao Luan and tentatively said, "Your Majesty, if there is nothing else, this humble subject will take his leave!"

"What's the rush?"

Zhao Luan raised her head. "With so many vacant official positions in the court, where do you think we should fill them?"

"this……"

Qin Yu paused slightly, then shook his head and said, "This humble subject is not very familiar with the officials in the court. Your Majesty may ask Lord Shangguan."

As he spoke, Qin Yu gestured towards Shangguan Youyi beside him.

Shangguan Youyi glared at Qin Yu with slight annoyance, then opened her mouth slightly: "Prime Minister Song is concurrently serving as Minister of Personnel. Your Majesty may first discuss this with Prime Minister Song."

Pretty!

Qin Yu couldn't help but secretly give Shangguan Youyi a thumbs up.

Hmm, she's quick to learn how to shift blame!

Shangguan Youyi glanced at Qin Yu sideways and snorted inwardly.

Are they still playing this trick on me?

When I was using this trick, Qin Yu was still playing in the mud!

Zhao Luan glared at the two who were arguing and trying to pass the buck, then turned her gaze to Qin Yu. "I want Yang Jichun to be appointed as the Right Vice Minister of the Ministry of Rites. What do you think?"

Yang Jichun?

This guy is only a sixth-rank compiler right now!

He was promoted to the third rank in one fell swoop?

Qin Yu's eyelids twitched suddenly, and his mind instantly became active.

What does "female demon" mean?

Did she know that Yang Jichun was one of her people?

Testing myself?

Otherwise, why would the Empress of Great Ning care about a mere sixth-rank scholar?

No way?

Is this the beginning of self-doubt?

That's really inconsiderate!

"Physician Qin, His Majesty is asking you a question!"

Shangguan Youyi reminded Qin Yu, a hint of schadenfreude flashing in her eyes.

Qin Yu snapped out of his reverie and smiled, "Yang Jichun certainly has the ability, but isn't it a bit inappropriate to promote him from the sixth rank to the third rank all at once?"

Yang Jichun was, after all, his henchman.

Previously, when he was attacked by public opinion, Yang Jichun used his position to help him fight back against the public opinion.

Although Yang Jichun lost this battle of public opinion due to being outnumbered, he has already proven his loyalty.

When it's time to lend a hand, you should still do so!

But such a rapid promotion might not be a good thing for Yang Jichun.

"Do you think I'm testing you?"

Zhao Luan had already seen through Qin Yu's thoughts.

"no."

Qin Yu vehemently denied it, saying, "My relationship with Yang Jichun is quite good. I feel that such a rapid promotion might not be a good thing for Yang Jichun."

Zhao Luan pondered quietly for a moment, then slowly stood up: "Shangguan, instruct the imperial kitchen to prepare a meal! Qin Yu, come with me for a walk!"