The Prodigal Son

Qin Yu stared intently at Zhao Luan.

A beautifully embroidered cheongsam clung tightly to her shapely figure, making her neck appear long and slender like a crane's.

A pair of straight, slender legs with extremely clean lines were faintly visible, dazzlingly white, yet without the slightest hint of vulgarity.

She possesses a perfect blend of nobility and aloofness.

Zhao Luan's brows furrowed with anger, but the shyness on her face, which she tried to conceal but could not, made her less of an empress and more of a woman's unique charm.

Clothes hanger!

She's a natural clothes hanger!

Even though the cheongsam wasn't custom-made and didn't fit her perfectly, it still looked just as good on her!

If you were to make her wear a custom-made cheongsam, that would be terrible!

"Cough cough..."

Shangguan Youyi coughed lightly, "Doctor Qin, you're drooling."

"Huh? Really?"

Qin Yu snapped out of his daze and said seriously, "Don't talk nonsense if you don't understand. This is called... intermittent tongue root disorder syndrome caused by facial muscle twitching."

Shangguan Youyi: "?"

"Stop your nonsense!" Zhao Luan deliberately put on a stern face, staring coldly at Qin Yu. "Speak! How does my wearing these clothes concern the grand plans of our dynasty? If you don't give me a proper explanation today, I'll certainly reward you with a whipping!"

Qin Yuqian chuckled and immediately unleashed his trump card, "If Your Majesty were willing to wear this cheongsam and stroll through the streets, it would undoubtedly be even more beneficial to our grand plan to destroy Yan!"

The grand plan to destroy Yan!

For Zhao Luan, those four simple words were a panacea.

Despite the discomfort caused by her exquisite cheongsam, Zhao Luan walked to the imperial desk and sat down, her gaze fixed intently on Qin Yu: "Tell me the details!"

Qin Yu's gaze involuntarily drifted to Zhao Luan, then he asked Shangguan Youyi, "Putting everything else aside, from a woman's perspective, what do you think of this cheongsam, Lord Shangguan?"

Shangguan Youyi looked at Zhao Luan, who was wearing a cheongsam, and exclaimed, "Although this cheongsam is a little revealing, it is indeed very suitable for Your Majesty. Not to mention Physician Qin, even a woman would be captivated by Your Majesty's figure and unparalleled beauty."

Gee!

This person's flattery skills surpass even mine!

That's why she's favored by the female tyrant.

Qin Yu secretly admired him and nodded, saying, "I completely agree with what Lord Shangguan said! Your Majesty, just imagine, in a while the weather will get cooler. If this cheongsam were made of long-staple cotton and spread out, it would surely inspire noble ladies and young ladies from wealthy families to imitate it..."

Ok?

Zhao Luan's eyes suddenly lit up, and she was secretly surprised.

He intended to use the cheongsam to stimulate the demand for long-staple cotton, thereby further allaying the vigilance of the Yan Kingdom!

That bastard!

They actually linked this cheongsam to their grand plan to destroy Yan?

"Brilliant!"

Shangguan Youyi suddenly realized, "Your Majesty, Qin Langzhong is absolutely right! Once the cheongsam becomes a popular style among women across the land, it will further lower the guard of the Yan Kingdom and show them that our dynasty has a huge demand for long-staple cotton, thus further encouraging the Yan Kingdom to plant more long-staple cotton!"

"That's true!"

Zhao Luan nodded in agreement, then said somewhat embarrassedly, "But these clothes are too tight, aren't they a bit..."

"It has to be tight!"

Qin Yu interrupted Zhao Luan, saying matter-of-factly, "It's precisely because the cheongsam is so form-fitting and accentuates the figure that you can't wear too many layers underneath for warmth, which is why we need to use extra-warm long-staple cotton!"

Upon hearing Qin Yu's words, Zhao Luan's face twitched slightly.

She was certain that Qin Yu's original intention in designing this cheongsam was absolutely to satisfy his visual desires!

But now, he's actually come up with some interesting twists and turns about it?

It seems that his cheongsam design contains profound wisdom?

But upon closer reflection, what Qin Yu said does indeed make sense!

The biggest advantage of this cheongsam is that it can accentuate a woman's figure and temperament.

If you wear too many clothes underneath, wearing this cheongsam will actually make you look bulky.

I have to say, that bastard is a real genius!

Shangguan Youyi cast another admiring glance at Qin Yu and smiled, "I agree with what you said, Qin Langzhong! Only in this way can the necessity of long-staple cotton be highlighted!"

Zhao Luan nodded, looking at Qin Yu with a half-smile: "Even designing new clothes is for the sake of the court. You truly are a loyal minister who considers the court's interests in everything you do!"

As she spoke, Zhao Luan was secretly annoyed.

That bastard!

Despite being full of brilliant ideas, he is surprisingly lazy!

Others seek rewards when they perform meritorious deeds!

He's quite something; after making a contribution, all he asks is that I don't promote him or let him attend court!

I clearly intended to nurture him, but he insisted on cutting off that path!

Unaware of Zhao Luan's thoughts, Qin Yu humbly replied, "I am hardly a virtuous minister; I merely had this idea while designing these new clothes!"

"Whether you are a good minister or not, I know it in my heart."

Zhao Luan widened her beautiful eyes and glared at him. "You should know about Prime Minister Song's recommendation of Gao Yi for the position, right?"

Qin Yu nodded slightly, "I heard it from Eunuch Li when I came here."

"Do you have anything to say about this?" Zhao Luan asked again.

"No!"

Qin Yu answered very decisively: "Whatever decision Your Majesty makes, I will agree with it!"

Zhao Luan's lips curled slightly as she stared at Qin Yu with a playful expression: "I want to hang you up and whip you, and you agree?"

"this……"

Qin Yuqian smiled and then fell silent.

Seeing Qin Yu's discomfiture, Zhao Luan couldn't help but chuckle inwardly. She then said calmly, "I will order the Imperial Wardrobe to make a few cheongsams for you later, so you can try them on first!"

She is an empress, so her attire must be appropriate!

Although the cheongsam does look good on her, it doesn't quite suit her.

"Anything works!"

Qin Yu answered casually, feeling slightly disappointed, and then secretly glanced at Zhao Luan a couple more times.

Hurry up and watch it!

Once this opportunity is gone, it's gone forever!

Zhao Luan noticed Qin Yu's shifty eyes, but was too lazy to argue with him. She smiled and said, "You've contributed your strategy, and I should reward you, but you're unwilling to attend court, and I don't have enough silver to reward you! How about this, I'll give you a good job! You'll be in charge of overseeing the execution of Fei Zhong, Lu Cheng, and the others!"

Executioner?

This is to let myself kick a dog when it's down, to avenge those who tried every means to deal with me.

Qin Yu lowered his head and pondered for a moment, then replied solemnly, "In my opinion, it is inappropriate for me to oversee the execution!"

"Then who do you think is suitable?" Zhao Luan asked with a smile.

"Prime Minister Gao!"

Qin Yu gave the answer directly.

"reason?"

Although Qin Yu's thoughts coincided with hers, she still wanted to hear Qin Yu's reasons.

Qin Yu replied solemnly, "Prime Minister Gao has been out of court for several years, and now he's returning to serve as prime minister. There will definitely be ministers who are dissatisfied! Having Prime Minister Gao oversee the execution is a perfect opportunity for him to establish his authority!"

Upon hearing Qin Yu's words, a hint of approval flashed in Zhao Luan's eyes.

She had assumed that Qin Yu would be happy to kick someone when they're down.

Unexpectedly, Qin Yu's thoughts and reasons were remarkably similar to his own.

That bastard, he does have a good grasp of the big picture!

They're so ungrateful!

Zhao Luan cursed inwardly, then said, "Zhao Yan is a member of the imperial family; it's inappropriate to behead him in public! You will go to the Imperial Mirror Bureau later and order Zhao Yan to commit suicide!"

"yes!"

Qin Yu gladly accepted the order, and then took out a memorial from his sleeve and handed it to Zhao Luan. "During my seclusion some time ago, I read a lot of ancient books and suddenly had an epiphany. I want to transfer some people from the Ministry of Works to establish the Tiangong Workshop to test some new weapons. This is my memorial. Please take a look, Your Majesty."