The villain who defeated the son of destiny was my father

Chapter 204 Help me stabilize Qu Xinzhu

The court suddenly changed, the situation was turbulent, all the princes were imprisoned, the whole imperial city was shrouded in fear and panic, people were in a state of panic, like the dead silence before a storm.

In the Prime Minister's Mansion, Qu Qingyan sat leisurely, slowly unfolding the letter presented by the secret guard.

Familiar handwriting came into view, it was my father's handwriting.

There were only eight words written on the letter: "Be calm and don't be impatient, use calmness to control movement."

Although there were only a few words, she could deeply feel her father's deep worry and concern. A helpless smile appeared on the corner of her mouth. It seemed that her father was really worried about her.

Before her smile completely disappeared, her expression suddenly froze, and a hint of anxiety instantly emerged in the depths of her eyes.

My father's return date was postponed again and again, which must be due to him encountering some extremely difficult problems while he was away. Given my father's calmness and competence, he would never have delayed his return unless there was a reason.

She knew that she had to act quickly and resolve the chaos as soon as possible so that she could free up her hands to find her father's whereabouts. However, everything was about to be settled.

The successive downfall of the princes meant that Qu Xinzhu's luck was about to run out. Moreover, she didn't believe that the old emperor, who was blessed with both dragon energy and national luck, would be easily deceived by such a trick. Otherwise, wouldn't it be a waste of the flesh and blood of the son of luck?

After all, Wu Xinkui, the long-term supplier, is still being held in a dark room in the imperial palace, being tortured and being cut into pieces every day.

Qu Qingyan, however, did not have the slightest bit of softness in her heart. She would never show mercy to her enemies.

In the following days, she went to the Dali Temple as usual to report during the day and assist Sima Zheng in handling the case. At night, she entered the space and used the time difference to study hard and prepare for the imperial examination.

On this day, Qu Qingyan had just put down the scroll in his hand, and when he looked up, he saw Sima Zheng sitting in front of a long desk not far away, with a frown on his face and a serious expression, as if he was trapped by a difficult problem.

"My lord, is there anything bothering you?" Qu Qingyan asked softly.

Sima Zheng came back to his senses, glanced at the young man, moved his lips, and hesitated to speak, "Yan Qing, otherwise you... should not participate in the imperial examination..."

"Why do you say that, sir?" Qu Qingyan looked at him in surprise.

Sima Zheng sighed, with a hint of helplessness in his words, "The Prime Minister has not returned yet, and the situation in the court is unclear. Now the Li Wang family is the only one in power, and they are in the limelight. They are acting more and more unscrupulously, openly forming cliques everywhere. His Majesty seems to have turned a deaf ear to it. Not only does he not check and balance it, but he has even begun to delegate power and handed over many state affairs to the Li Wang to handle. Yan Qing, I know that you are talented, and I also know that you have always been disgusted with the behavior of the Li Wang. In this situation, if you rashly come forward, even if you pass the imperial examination, I am afraid that you will not be able to realize your ambitions, and you may even be killed. I cherish talents, and I really can't bear to see a talented person like you encounter an unexpected event."

After saying this, Sima Zheng showed regret again, and blamed himself: "If I had known it would turn out like this, I should not have persuaded you to take the imperial examination. I almost hurt you."

"Your Excellency is worrying too much." Qu Qingyan looked calm, his tone firm, his eyes flashing with an unquestionable light, "Officials should put the people first. This is their duty and mission. Even if there are thousands of difficulties and dangers, they should be unyielding and unswervingly seek the welfare of the people. How can they shrink back just because they encounter a few difficulties?"

She paused for a moment, her eyes glared, and a hint of indignation appeared on her face: "Prince Li's ambition is obvious. He only acts to satisfy his own selfish desires and does not care about the lives of the people. If such a person ascends to a high position and holds great power, the people will be plunged into dire straits. Although I am insignificant and my power is small, I am willing to stand up and fight for the people of the world."

Hearing such outrageous words, Sima Zheng's face suddenly changed, and he hurriedly said: "Be careful with your words!"

As soon as he finished speaking, he looked outside the house anxiously, and seeing that there was no one around, he was sure that his words had not been heard by others. He then secretly breathed a sigh of relief, but the tension on his expression had not faded.

"What I said is not what you are thinking in your heart, sir?" Qu Qingyan looked straight at Sima Zheng with burning eyes, as if his eyes could see through his innermost thoughts.

Sima Zheng paused, a bitter smile appeared on his face, and the feeling of helplessness and powerlessness was evident in his words: "Even if I want to do so, what can I do? The situation in the court is already like this, and I can't change anything by myself."

"How can you know if you don't try?" Qu Qingyan said calmly. He reached out and pulled out a scroll from the table and handed it to Sima Zheng. "You should take a look, sir."

Sima Zheng took the scroll with doubt, unfolded it and read it carefully. But after a moment, he was furious: "This... This Prince Li is so bold that he dares to raise private soldiers. Is he going to rebel? No! I have to report to His Majesty. I must not let such treacherous people succeed!" As he said this, he wanted to rush out.

"Sir, please be patient." Seeing this, Qu Qingyan hurriedly stepped forward and stretched out his hand to stop him. He looked calm and said calmly, "Sir, this matter needs to be carefully considered. If you rashly report it without full preparation, I am afraid that not only will you fail to overthrow King Li, but you will also alert the enemy and increase the uncertainty. Besides, didn't you notice anything unusual during this period of time?"

"What do you mean...?" Sima Zheng thought of something and his face darkened.

Qu Qingyan smiled and said, "Master Wu, the Imperial Censor, is well-known for his integrity. He always advocates for frank advice and cannot tolerate any injustice. The day before, he was in the court, righteously pointing out the various deviant behaviors of Prince Li. But who would have thought that just overnight, the next day he seemed to have completely changed, and his attitude towards Prince Li took a 180-degree turn. Instead, he began to praise and flatter Prince Li."

At this point, Qu Qingyan paused, staring at Sima Zheng, observing his reaction, and continued: "Others who don't know the inside story may think that Lord Wu was bribed by Prince Li with a large sum of money, which is why he did such a despicable act. But as Lord Wu's favorite student, you have known him for many years and know his character very well. How can you believe that he is the kind of person who can be easily bribed?"

Sima Zheng said firmly: "If you say that other people in the court could be bribed by Prince Li, I might believe it. But Lord Wu has been honest and upright all his life, and he has devoted himself to the court, the country and the people of the world. I absolutely do not believe that he would do such a thing that would damage his integrity."

"In this case, are you going to watch Lord Wu lose his integrity in his later years and regret it when he wakes up in the future?" Qu Qingyan persuaded.

Sima Zheng looked at her with complicated eyes, "Yan Qing, do you know something?"

"Since I am in the Prime Minister's residence, naturally I get much more information than you, sir." Qu Qingyan did not hide anything and directly stated that the Censor was controlled by Prince Li.

The intelligence from the Prime Minister's Office is spread all over the world.

Sima Zheng knew that what she said was true, and he became more aware of the danger posed by Prince Li. He took a deep breath and said, "What do you need me to do?"

"My Lord, just help me to stabilize one person."

"who?"

"Qu Xinzhu!"

"she?"

"That's right!"

……