The Treacherous Minister Who Helps the People 19

“Very well, let’s conclude our conversation for tonight,” Shen Qi raised her hand to cover a yawn, then gracefully stretched her arms and prepared to leave.

Gu Qing, instinctively, asked, “You won’t be staying here tonight?”

Shen Qi turned around, looking at him with surprise, then smirked playfully, “Is General Gu reluctant to part with me?”

Gu Qing pursed his lips, wishing he could slap himself for saying such words. How could he utter such things?

“I’m also reluctant to part with General Gu. If you are willing to ask me to stay a little longer…”

“No need.” Gu Qing immediately interjected.

Shen Qi laughed freely and walked away from Mingtang Residence with large strides.

Gu Qing stared at her retreating figure, his face filled with seriousness as he returned to his room. His mind was in a tangled mess, unable to find a solution.

After forcing down two sips of cold tea, Gu Qing finally calmed himself.

He closed his eyes, but couldn’t fall asleep.

The absence of the warm body that should have been beside him made him feel particularly uncomfortable.

Just like the first time Shen Qi lay beside him, he found it difficult to find peace in slumber.

At this moment, his mind was filled with thoughts of Shen Qi—her audacious laughter, her triumphant smile, and her cunning demeanor…

No wonder so many young ladies in the capital wished to marry Shen Qi.

Gu Qing had to admit that she was truly a captivating person.

She had a complex mind and a noble spirit. She was like a fine wine trapped in a mediocre bottle; the longer one savored her, the more they could appreciate her rich and sweet essence.

Gu Qing suddenly felt that his literary skills were lacking, unable to find the perfect phrases to describe her. Yet, he also believed that any beautiful words in the world could be used to depict her.

Slowly opening his eyes, Gu Qing’s gaze was clear.

Since when did he start to admire Shen Qi?

He spent the entire night practicing swordsmanship in the courtyard, unable to sleep.

As the sky brightened, Liang Sirui arrived at Mingtang Residence for martial arts practice, only to find Gu Qing in an unusually disheveled state, still wearing his sleeping robe.

“Master, what happened to you?” Liang Sirui asked curiously.

Gu Qing didn’t say anything, just patted his shoulder and said, “Plant your feet for half an hour. I’ll go freshen up.”

Last night was nothing more than a foolish and unrealistic infatuation.

Liang Sirui blinked lightly, “All right.”

He felt that his master seemed somewhat sorrowful, like the Empress in the palace. Was it just an illusion?

After the departure of the envoy from Kachar, the Elegant Consort was confined and not allowed to leave. In the harem, only Consort Jia received favor, and Shen Qi no longer caused any trouble. The court seemed relatively peaceful for a while.

Of course, the imperial censor still occasionally impeached a few officials. Those who were impeached were either dismissed from their positions or exiled, and suddenly it seemed as if the governance had become more transparent.

Within the harem, Zhao Baiyue witnessed one failed task after another, her face becoming terrifyingly gloomy.

Qiu Hua watched Zhao Baiyue’s appearance deteriorate day by day and thought of the scene where the young prince inexplicably fell in love with her. She became convinced that Zhao Baiyue must be practicing witchcraft.

She feared Zhao Baiyue but had no choice but to stay by her side. After all, she still needed to find a way to pass messages to Shen Qi.

“Qiu Hua, I want to see the Emperor!” Zhao Baiyue finally made up her mind. It didn’t matter if her side tasks failed; she must not lose the Emperor’s favor. She must become the Empress.

Otherwise, she would truly die!

A few years ago, when her family received the news of her selection, she received this so-called system. The system claimed to find a way for her to become the Empress.

Empress, the true phoenix. Which woman in the world wouldn’t want that identity?

But Zhao Baiyue also knew that she inherited her father’s appearance, which was not attractive, and her figure was sturdy, with dark skin.

With her appearance, not many people sought her hand in marriage, so how could she become the Empress?

However, the system gave her a beauty pill.

After taking it, within less than a month, she became increasingly beautiful, her figure becoming more enchanting and graceful, even her voice becoming clear and ethereal.

She finally agreed to sign the contract with the system. Then she was successfully chosen, successfully captivating the Emperor.

However, at that time, she had no points in her hands, and the points to buy props were still on credit with the system.

As time went on, the Emperor grew fonder of her, increasingly obedient to her words.

She also controlled Shen Qi, gradually completing the side tasks given by the system to repay her debts, earning a few points.

The system demanded that she become the Empress this year, otherwise, she would have to die. Originally, everything went smoothly, but…

Zhao Baiyue bit her lip tightly, forcing a cough, and said, “Qiu Hua, go and invite the Emperor. Tell him that I am seriously ill and ask him to come and visit me.”

Qiu Hua trembled all over and had no choice but to nod in agreement.

She rushed to the Emperor, crying and shouting that Zhao Baiyue couldn’t get out of bed due to her illness, and kowtowed, begging the Emperor to visit her.

The Emperor was already deeply “falling in love” with Zhao Baiyue.

Upon hearing that she was seriously ill, his already limited rationality was instantly shattered. Without a second thought, he hurried over to see her.

But what he saw was Zhao Baiyue sitting there with a resentful expression, perfectly fine. The Emperor was furious, convinced that Zhao Baiyue had deceived him, and scolded her in anger.

However, when Qiu Hua wiped the blood from her forehead with a handkerchief and followed them into the room, she saw that the Emperor’s anger disappeared completely.

It seemed as if he couldn’t remember what had happened before, and he was embracing Zhao Baiyue, undoing her clothes.

The two of them returned to their passionate and affectionate state, and Zhao Baiyue’s appearance was no different from before.

Trembling, Qiu Hua withdrew her hand and closed the door. She was horrified.

She hurriedly found Shen Qi’s informant and said she wanted to see Shen Qi.

At that time, Shen Qi was dealing with state affairs and was somewhat surprised by the request, but still quickly went to the palace to meet her. “Minster Shen.”

Qiu Hua weakly tugged at Shen Qi’s large sleeve, her face filled with helplessness and panic.

Shen Qi raised an eyebrow slightly and used one hand to help her up. “What happened?”

“Zhao Baiyue, she… she is a demon.”

Without waiting for Shen Qi to ask further, Qiu Hua explained in detail the strange things about Zhao Baiyue and also mentioned how she had once again captivated the Emperor today.

“And, I’ve been serving Niangniang since childhood, and she never looked like this. It was before the election, that Niangniang said she had consumed a beauty pill from a wandering physician, which transformed her into her current appearance.”

Qiu Hua felt foolish, realizing that she had never doubted Niangniang before.

Perhaps, at that time, Niangniang had already been possessed by an unknown demon!

Shen Qi nodded. “I know. Zhao Baiyue is here to deceive the Emperor and disrupt the stability of our country. Qiu Hua, Zhao Baiyue trusts you. You must find a way to extract more information from her and report it to me.”

Qiu Hua immediately felt relieved. “All right, alright!”

This time, she wasn’t being forced to help Shen Qi, but rather, she actively wanted to assist him.

She even began to suspect that the Niangniang she had been serving all along was likely harmed by the current Zhao Baiyue.

People often tend to believe in their own speculations.

After having this thought, Qiu Hua couldn’t help but look at Zhao Baiyue with a hint of resentment in her eyes.

However, Zhao Baiyue remained oblivious, enjoying the Emperor’s favor after pretending to be pitiful, and successfully lifting the ban.

Moreover, to compensate for her “unjust suffering”, the Emperor even showered her with affection for several consecutive days.