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Chapter 549 Big move

Zhu Yu was somewhat surprised when Liu Yueyao told him about this.

She had not only met Bai Qihong, but also had some dealings with him. Previously, in the border area between Jin Kingdom and Shuo Kingdom, he had worked tirelessly in the continuous heavy rain to repair the canal, and she greatly admired the conscientiousness and responsibility of that Vice Minister Bai.

In her memory, Bai Qihong was not particularly talkative, but he had a gentle personality and was not a short-tempered person. In particular, his aura was quite different from that of his wife's family.

She found it hard to believe that someone like Vice Minister Bai would actually come back to see the Emperor after the die was cast, risking angering the Emperor, to plead with him not to transfer him to the Ministry of War.

On the other hand, the Ministry of War is definitely more conducive to career development than the Ministry of Works. At least you are in the capital all day, and you are surrounded by people of high rank and power. You can make your presence known to Emperor Jin. With the support of your father-in-law, it would be hard not to gain influence.

On the other hand, in the Ministry of Works, he, as a mere Vice Minister, was constantly running around all over the country, doing all sorts of arduous tasks. If he did well, it was because the Emperor was wise and mighty; if he did poorly, it was definitely because the subordinates were incompetent.

Therefore, Bai Qihong preferred to stay in the Ministry of Works, busy with work in the mud and water every day, rather than listen to his own arrangements to return to the capital and properly advance his official career.

Zhu Yu could easily picture how angry the Duke of Yan was.

Lu Qing remained remarkably calm about this, as if in his mind it was perfectly natural for Bai Qihong to have such a falling out with his father-in-law.

He didn't comment on this in front of Liu Yueyao. Instead, he changed the subject and asked with a slightly mocking expression, "It's been quite a few days since His Majesty issued the decree, hasn't it?"

“It’s been nine days already.” Liu Yueyao nodded with a smile.

"Oh? Then the news will have spread to every corner of the city?"

"Of course." Liu Yueyao pursed her lips to avoid smiling too obviously, lest her master find it disrespectful. "In this capital city, everyone knows her."

It all started when the Emperor ordered someone to put up a seal on the Prince Xiaoyao's mansion and read out the imperial edict. This attracted a lot of attention, and people went over to watch the spectacle. Then, word spread, and more and more people gradually learned about it.

Later, I don't know where it started, but in some teahouses, the tea servers began telling new stories. They never mentioned your name in a single sentence, but everyone who listened knew that it was about the cause and effect of the Prince of Xiaoyao being demoted to a commoner.

Those tea connoisseurs were quite capable; they could make even baseless rumors sound incredibly vivid, as if they had witnessed everything firsthand.

Different teahouses offer different versions of the story, with slight variations in the details. However, ultimately, in their accounts, you've been portrayed as someone addicted to sensual pleasures, who, due to your prolonged misconduct and numerous misdeeds, was demoted to the lowest ranks by the Emperor in a fit of rage.

"Oh? Do those people like this version?" Lu Qing asked.

"That's natural. The tea drinkers in those teahouses don't care about the truth. They just find the process really enjoyable and they all praise and criticize it."

I've heard that teahouses and taverns that talk about this matter are experiencing a surge in business, even more so than usual.

Liu Yueyao probably couldn't hold back her laughter any longer, so she simply covered her mouth with her fan.

However, her slightly trembling shoulders betrayed her emotions at that moment.

“In that case, how can Yunyin Pavilion easily miss such a good opportunity? If we can use this to attract a group of drinkers, wouldn’t that be wonderful?” Lu Qing asked.

"What you say is true, so our storytellers have been telling these stories for a long time. However, our place is different from those vulgar occasions outside, so of course we can't tell the things they've already told to death."

So our storyteller recounts the extraordinary woman the former queen was, not only exceptionally courageous but also deeply devoted and loyal, living in perfect harmony with the banished Prince Xiaoyao, remaining steadfastly by his side even after his demotion.

As she spoke, Liu Yueyao smiled even more brightly: "To be honest, this story is very popular. Scholars and literati listened to it with great interest and longed for it. They all said that the Prince of Xiaoyao was really lucky. How could such a person meet such a rare and wonderful woman? It's like a beautiful flower stuck in cow dung."

Zhu Yu, who was standing to the side, knew that Lu Qing never cared about the outside world's reputation and evaluation, so no matter how much people called him a playboy and said he deserved it, he would not be affected in the slightest.

She never expected that Liu Yueyao would act so unconventionally, finding such a tricky angle to use the popularity of this matter to attract customers.

Although this version gives her a fairly high evaluation, it still leaves Zhu Yu with a feeling of being both amused and exasperated.

After telling Lu Qing everything she needed to know and what Lu Qing wanted to know, Liu Yueyao got up, picked up the account book, and prepared to leave.

As she reached the door, she stopped and turned back to Lu Qing, saying, "Master, I've heard that things have been a bit unsettled in Runzhou lately."

"Oh? Right under Zhao Xin's nose?" Lu Qing raised an eyebrow slightly. "What a pity, I'm just a commoner now, even worse off than other commoners, I'm already a pile of cow dung."

Right now, the cow dung plant is too busy taking care of itself and needs the flowers to look after it; Zhao Xin's suffering may have to continue for a while longer.

"You're right, sir." Liu Yueyao curtsied. "Then you and your wife should rest. I'll go to the front to greet the guests."

After Liu Yueyao left, Lu Qing and Zhu Yu remained silent for a moment, looking at each other with a tacit, amused expression in their eyes.

“This is quite interesting,” Zhu Yu said after a while.

"What do you find interesting?" Lu Qing asked.

"Both the Duke of Yan and His Majesty are quite interesting." Zhu Yu stroked his smooth chin, lost in thought, and frowned slightly. "Although the Duke of Yan was domineering and arrogant in the past, he was still quite cautious in his dealings with others."

Why are you suddenly making such big moves lately?

As for His Majesty... surely he knows who the Duke of Yan's cronies are, right?
This is quite puzzling.

"It seems there will be quite a spectacle in the capital soon." Lu Qing sighed softly and nodded.

"So... are we going to stay here and watch the show?" Zhu Yu asked.

Lu Qing shook his head and gave a wry smile: "I guess it won't be that fast. We probably can't wait."

Now that we've finished what we needed to do, it's time to leave the capital.

Zhu Yu remained silent for a moment, then sighed, "I wonder when Yan Daoxin will be executed..."