How could my childhood sweetheart be the current empress?

"Cheng Ling, are you okay?"

Yan Qiaoling walked out of the crowd and touched Xu Chengling all over to see if he was injured anywhere.

"I am fine."

Xu Chengling shook his head. The other party did not try to kill him, and because Xue Yuan arrived in time, he was not injured.

Seeing that Xu Chengling was fine, Yan Qiaoling couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief, then stamped her feet lightly and said:

"Damn it, that guy got away."

"Want to chase?"

Xue Yuan asked.

"No, the monk may escape but the temple cannot."

Yan Qiaoling shook her head slightly, then raised a sinister smile at the corner of her mouth and said to Xue Yuan:

"Let's go directly to the mansion to find someone."

Chapter 222 I have something to ask your son

Coincidentally, Duke Cao is Prince Yu's follower. Yan Qiaoling happened to pick him when she was flipping the cards a few days ago.

Moreover, Duke Cao holds the power to appoint imperial merchants. If this power can be taken back, it will be of great benefit to the future development of the Chamber of Commerce.

However, Duke Cao was very cunning and did not leave any handle in the court, so Yan Qiaoling could not find a good reason to settle accounts with him.

“Hey, got it!”

Yan Qiaoling clapped her hands, her eyes rolled around, and a good idea soon came to her mind.

"Xue Yuan, come here for a moment."

She called Xue Yuan and whispered something in her ear.

"Understood. I'll be back soon. Your Majesty, please be safe."

Xue Yuan nodded in understanding and then left Wangyue Tower.

At this time, the old man who was kicked down before got up from the ground, came to Xu Chengling, took his hand and nodded to thank him:

"Thank you so much, hero. If you hadn't helped me, my daughter and I would have already... Thank you so much."

The people watching on the scene did not dare to take action. They were all afraid of Young Master Cao. If it were not for this young man standing up for them, he and his daughter would definitely have been separated.

The young woman nearby also came over, knelt on the ground with her old father, and thanked Xu Chengling together.

Being thanked by the father and daughter, Xu Chengling couldn't help scratching his head and said:

"You don't have to thank me. It was Ling'er who stood up for you first. If you want to thank anyone, you should thank her."

So, the father and daughter thanked Yan Qiaoling who was standing nearby, making her feel a little embarrassed.

Yan Qiaoling looked at the father and daughter and couldn't help asking:

"You guys are not locals, right? Judging from your attire, you must be from out of town?"

The old man did not hide anything when he saw this, and nodded and replied truthfully:

"As the lady has seen, my daughter and I are both from other places. We earn a little money by performing in teahouses all over the place and live in the streets and alleys of the East Market."

After listening to the old man's story, Yan Qiaoling roughly understood the specific situation.

Because the father and daughter came from other places, it was difficult for them to get registered in the capital and they could only live in the streets.

Even in a prosperous city like the capital, there are still many poor people who have no place to live because they cannot register as residents and their names are not even found in the household registration book.

Even if they die one day, no one will know, their lives are as worthless as grass.

This is the case in the capital, not to mention other places. Many people only see the prosperity of the capital, but fail to see the poverty and miserable lives of the people outside the capital.

These were the words Xu Chengling said to Yan Qiaoling. The reason why she wanted to become emperor was to change Dayan's current situation.

She could help the father and daughter, but there were millions of poor people in the world and she couldn't see them all.

But Yan Qiaoling thought, since she had seen it, she had to help them, and help as many as possible.

But if we want to change this situation, the only way to solve the fundamental problem is to change the current geese.

Thinking of this, Yan Qiaoling took out some small change from her bosom, put it in the old man's hand, and said to him:

"Grandpa, take this change. If you really have nowhere to go, you can let this girl apply for a job as a maid in the palace. Although it may be a bit hard, at least she can have enough food and clothing."

She didn't have much silver on her, and if she gave the father and daughter too much silver in front of so many people, it might bring them fatal disaster.

Although this amount of change is not much, it is enough for them to have food and clothing for a few days, buy new clothes, and then find another way out.

There was only so much Yan Qiaoling could do. Although she was respected as the empress, she found herself in many helpless situations and could not solve all problems with a simple wave of her hand.

Xu Chengling watched from the side and found that the empress was not as cruel and unjust as he had imagined. Instead, she was quite kind-hearted, thoughtful and considerate.

At that time, when everyone chose to watch, she was the first person to stand up for the father and daughter.

After this incident, Xu Chengling's impression of the empress changed a lot. At least she was not the tyrant he had imagined, but rather quite humane.

After resolving the issue between the father and daughter, Yan Qiaoling waved her fist and said indignantly:

"Cheng Ling, let's go to Cao's mansion to settle accounts with them."

"Okay, but how do we do that?"

Xu Chengling nodded, but when he looked at Yan Qiaoling's attire, he realized that she was still on a secret visit, and not many people in the court had seen her.

If she didn't say that she was the empress, no one would believe her. Even more so, no one would believe her if she said it.

"Don't worry, I have a clever plan."

Yan Qiaoling smiled mysteriously, then took Xu Chengling's hand and walked out of Wangyue Tower.

After asking along the way, they soon learned the location of Cao's mansion.

At the same time, after inquiring, I found out that Cao Jingsheng had long been notorious in the local area. He had been a local bully for several years. He relied on his background to do whatever he wanted and no one dared to control him.

Even if Cao Jingsheng was captured by the Tianjian Division, his father would go to the Tianjian Division and get him out within a few days.

After listening to the local people's stories, Yan Qiaoling was extremely angry. It was simply outrageous that people dared to do such evil things under the feet of the emperor!

The reason why Cao Jingsheng dared to be so presumptuous was that his grandfather had a golden medal of immunity from death bestowed by the late emperor. Even if he killed someone, he was not afraid of being beheaded, so the local people were very afraid of him.

"If I don't get rid of this evil for the people today, I won't be called Yan anymore."

Yan Qiaoling couldn't help but clench her fists and made a decision that went against her ancestors.

But the other party had a golden medal of immunity from death. If she were to chop off his head, it would be too disrespectful to the late emperor.

After thinking about it, the two of them arrived at the gate of Cao's mansion.

Xu Chengling raised his head and looked at the luxurious mansion in front of him. He was secretly amazed. This scale might be even larger than the Prime Minister's Mansion.

When the two of them arrived at the door, the gatekeeper stopped them and said arrogantly:

"Who are you? How dare you step into the gate of Cao's mansion?"

They are worthy of being the dogs raised by the Cao Mansion. From their attitude, we can tell what kind of people are in this Cao Mansion.

If the upper beam is crooked, the lower beams will be crooked too. If a dog is raised, it will bully others by taking advantage of its power. The person who raises the dog is probably not a good person either.

Xu Chengling looked at Yan Qiaoling beside him, only to see her shrug her shoulders, indicating that he should not look at her. Do you think she looks like an empress now?

Obviously not, but Xu Chengling understood what she meant.

So he took out the Prime Minister's Order from his waist. When the gatekeeper saw it, his attitude changed 180 degrees on the spot and he greeted him with a smile:

"Dear guests, please come in!"

They would never have thought that the young man in front of them actually had the Prime Minister's Order. Could it be that this person was the current Prime Minister?

The best way to deal with other people's dogs is to tell them which people they can mess with and which people they can't mess with.

When he arrived at Cao's mansion, Xu Chengling directly stated his purpose, which was to meet Cao Jingsheng, the young master of the Cao's mansion.

Led by a servant, Xu Chengling and Yan Qiaoling came to the living room to wait for a while, while another servant went to call someone.

Not long after, a middle-aged man came into the living room and greeted Xu Chengling very politely:

"I am Cao Jingxiu, the head of the Cao family. I wonder what the Prime Minister has to offer you?"

Xu Chengling narrowed his eyes slightly, put down the teacup in his hand, and said lightly:

"I have nothing to do with you, but I have something to do with your son, and it's a big deal."

Chapter 223: The Imperial Sword is Here!

"Mr. Prime Minister wants to see my son? But my son is not in the mansion. I wonder what the Prime Minister wants to see him for?"

Cao Jingxiu couldn't help but reply, his eyes evasive as he spoke, as if he was hiding something.

As he spoke, he looked at Yan Qiaoling who was standing beside him and asked:

"Mr. Xiangguo, who is this?"

"Oh, she is..."

Just as Xu Chengling was thinking about how to respond, Yan Qiaoling stood up and introduced herself:

"I am the granddaughter of the Grand Secretary Su, my name is Su Ling'er, nice to meet you, Lord Cao."

"So it's you, the lady of Lord Su. Nice to meet you."

The two of them greeted each other, and Yan Qiaoling stepped forward and got straight to the point:

"Master Cao, we need to see the noble young master, please ask him to come out."

"Miss Su, my son is not at home. If you have anything to say, just tell me and I will pass it on for you."

Cao Jingxiu said very politely that he insisted that Cao Jingsheng was not there and it was impossible to see him.

In response to this, Yan Qiaoling couldn't help but smile and said:

"I think he is a coward and doesn't dare to come out."

"Why do you say that, Miss Su?"

Cao Jingxiu's face changed, and the intention of protecting his subordinate was almost written on his face.

The fact that Cao Jingsheng dared to behave so recklessly was definitely related to his father’s protection and indulgence.

So Yan Qiaoling told Cao Jingxiu in front of her what happened in Wangyue Tower.

Only then did Cao Jingxiu realize that his son had caused a big disaster. He actually dared to attack Miss Su and Prime Minister Xu in front of him, and now they came directly to his door.

Let’s not talk about Miss Su. She is the granddaughter of Academician Su, who is also the emperor’s mentor. Why did he have to offend someone so popular as the emperor?

Since others have come to him, they naturally want to ask for an explanation. At the same time, it also makes Cao Jingxiu more certain that Cao Jingsheng must not be born.

"I see. I didn't expect my son to cause such a big disaster outside. From now on, I will definitely discipline him strictly and ask him to restrain himself."

Before Cao Jingxiu finished speaking, Yan Qiaoling interrupted him and said:

"It seems that this is not the first time that he has gotten into trouble. Lord Cao has not disciplined him strictly. Instead, he has turned a blind eye, allowing him to act more recklessly and without regard for the law. Lord Cao is really a poor parent."

Then, Yan Qiaoling looked at the middle-aged man in front of her and said without hesitation:

"Since Lord Cao can't discipline you, then we will do it for you."

Seeing the other party being so aggressive, Cao Jingxiu's face changed, and his attitude was no longer as polite as before. He said in a cold voice:

"Miss Su, this is a private matter of our Cao family. Please don't meddle in it."

"What if I must care?"

Yan Qiaoling was unyielding and was as aggressive now as they had been before.

"Miss Su, if my son has offended you, I will apologize to you on his behalf. If you want anything, just ask. I have the silver for you in my Cao Mansion."

Cao Jingxiu changed the subject and said:

"If Miss Su is still so unreasonable, then I will have no choice but to send you away."