To Be A Virtuous Wife

119

At the end of the tenth month, the weather was already very cold. Each of the subordinate countries were preparing for their journey back to their own countries, so before departure, Da Long held a banquet and invited all the envoys from the subordinate countries.

He Heng didn't mention the matter of the country of Jing again in front of Qu Qing Ju. She didn't ask either. There wasn't a rule in Da Long that the hougong couldn't participate in politics but she was very clear of her own limitations. A person who couldn't even finish memorizing "The Art Of War", it was better if they didn't go out into the world to wreck the people.

She had been a manager in her previous life. She knew how to use the desires of other people. Knew how to grasp another to benefit herself. This was the little smarts that belonged to her. But she was self-aware and knew what she was good at, and what she wasn't.

Just like when Feng Zi Jin took advantage of Han liangdi to harm her, she went along with the plan and used it to take care of a woman who was constantly scheming against her. Shu guitaifei had already moved out of the hougong, the two Empress Dowagers were at odds with her so how could they allow Shu gui taifei's people to remain in the palace?

The fact that Shu gui taifei had been implicated in the matter was due her scheming in the background but the greatest influence came from the two Empress Dowagers. They simply used  Feng Zi Jin and Han liangdi to pull Shu gui taifei into the mud, to make her life worse than death.

She had guessed the intentions of the two Empress Dowagers so she allowed Feng Zi Jin to pull the crime onto her body, and then watched as she dug her own grave and lost her life.

What person, after they'd developed, would still tolerate their opponent who'd once bullied them? History had the story of the "human swine"[i], here, there was the living lesson that was Shu gui taifei.

As she sat in the phoenix carriage and passed by the pavilion Han liangdi once sang in, Qu Qing Ju tightened her arms around Tun Tun. Her eyes steadily became calm. She wouldn't allow herself to fall to the end that Shu gui taifei got!

"The Empress has arrived!"

Passing through the main doors of Luan He Hall, the vermillion phoenix robe slid silently across the carpet. She disregarded the envoys kneeling on both sides with the officials. Walking to the bottom of the nine jade steps, she bowed to He Heng: "Greetings to the Emperor."

"Quickly rise," He Heng stood from the dragon chair. Seeing Qu Qing Ju walk up the jade stairs, he held her hand to sit down. Qu Qing Ju turned to look at the people still kneeling, announcing: "Everyone, please rise."

"Thanks, Emperor. Thanks, Empress."

Qu Qing Ju smiled and tilted her head. After the people stood, she took away her gaze and turned to stare at He Heng. She continued: "Having made everyone wait, ben gong will self-penalize with a cup." She raised the plum wine in front of her, and using her sleeve to hold the winecup, she threw her head back to drink.

No one really dared to let the Empress drink a cup as penalty like that and followed in raising their own cups to drink. The Emperor had arrived first but he wasn't angry at the Empress' actions. They don't have to meddle in other people's business even more.

"Zhen's son was just crying in Fu Shou Palace. The Empress had no other way but to turn back," He Heng explained with a smile, "It's the duty of parents. Once the child is crying, we can't sit still."

Fu Shou Palace. That was the place that Shengmu Empress Dowager lived. His Highness Imperial Son was crying unstoppably over there, did something happen? If it had just been normal crying, would the Empress make a special trip there?