Joy of Life: Starting by clinging to the eldest princess's coattails!

Chapter 67 The Patient Emperor Qing

Hong Sixiang immediately lowered his head.

The two ninth-rank martial artists exchanged a glance and quietly left the room.

The Empress Dowager frowned as she looked at Emperor Qing's pale face and rapid breathing.

She was about to raise her hand to signal Hong Sixiang to have the palace maids dragged out.

"well……"

Emperor Qing suddenly sighed.

"I almost forgot, I'm awake now, not dreaming." He looked at the trembling palace maids kneeling on the ground, waved his hand, and said, "Put your things down and leave."

"Thank you for your grace, Your Majesty!" The maids kowtowed repeatedly, as if they had been granted a pardon.

They carefully placed the clean clothes and warm water on the low table beside the couch, then bowed their heads and tiptoed out.

Emperor Qing's reaction surprised both the Empress Dowager and Hong Sixiang.

The Empress Dowager looked at Emperor Qing, her eyes filled with worry: "Emperor, what you just did..."

"Mother," Emperor Qing interrupted her, his voice calmer, "you may all leave now. I want to be alone for a while to think about these recent events."

"Also, the news of my awakening should not be revealed for the time being."

The Empress Dowager opened her mouth, as if she wanted to say something, but looking at Emperor Qing's closed eyes, she swallowed her words in the end.

"Then you should rest well. Your mother will come to see you later." The Empress Dowager said softly, then turned and walked outside.

Hong Sixiang bowed and followed the Empress Dowager out of the room.

The moment the door closed gently...

Emperor Qing's eyes snapped open.

That once calm face instantly became ferocious and twisted.

He gritted his teeth, veins bulging on his forehead, his eyes filled with barely suppressed rage and humiliation.

He, an emperor, the dignified emperor of the Qing Kingdom, actually showed such a terrified expression in front of a few lowly palace maids!

Just like those ignorant and lowly people!

Emperor Qing gripped the brocade quilt beneath him tightly, wishing he could immediately order those palace maids to be torn to pieces!

but……

He took a deep breath and forced himself to slowly loosen his grip.

not now.

He feels completely empty inside.

Although he didn't know why he woke up and his body wasn't in pain, the feeling of losing his strength made him extremely uneasy.

He is very vulnerable right now.

An emperor without military power is like a tiger with its teeth pulled out.

Therefore, he had to endure it.

He must continue to play the role of a benevolent and lenient monarch, and not let anyone see his inner fear and tyranny.

As for those palace maids...

He believed that someone would handle it.

Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.

Just like Emperor Qing thought.

The Empress Dowager walked out of the room.

She glanced at Hong Sixiang waiting outside the door, said nothing, and simply raised her chin slightly.

Hong Sixiang immediately bowed and replied in a low voice, "This old servant understands."

He turned and walked in the direction where the palace maids had retreated.

Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.

Before we knew it, it was already the end of June.

The summer breeze swept through Kyoto, carrying with it a sweltering heat.

In a few days, Qingyutang will auction off the sales rights of the three major workshops' products.

These days, Kyoto is noticeably more lively.

Caravans from the Northern Qi, Dongyi City, and overseas countries entered the city in waves.

Even the Western Hu, who had just been defeated by the Southern Qing, actually sent people.

When the Xihu people walked the streets of Kyoto, their faces showed an expression of anger that dared not be expressed, which filled the people of Nanqing with an indescribable sense of superiority.

This feeling of "our Qing Kingdom is really amazing" almost made everyone temporarily forget that their own emperor was still unconscious in Chang Le Palace.

Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.

The pavilion next to the small garden at Guangxin Palace.

Wu Feng and Li Yunrui sat facing each other.

Several plates of exquisite pastries and a pot of tea were laid out on the stone table, but neither of them touched them.

Today, Li Yunrui wore a light green gauze palace dress. The fabric was very soft and clung to her body, outlining her slender waist and full curves.

Her hair was loosely tied up, adorned with a white jade hairpin, with a few stray strands falling beside her cheeks, making her skin appear even whiter.

She rested her chin on one hand, while the fingers of her other hand tapped lightly on the stone table, her eyes languidly fixed on Wu Feng opposite her.

"Has Your Highness seen enough?" Wu Feng felt a little uncomfortable under her gaze; people with a secret identity were really too arrogant.

Li Yunrui chuckled softly, her voice gentle and alluring: "What, can't I even look at you?"

As she spoke, she suddenly stuck her foot out from under the table and gently touched Wu Feng's thigh with her toe.

Wu Feng's hand trembled.

"Your Highness," he lowered his voice, "we're still outside."

"What's going on outside?" Li Yunrui tilted her head, her eyes filled with a naive yet morbidly playful look. "This Guangxin Palace is all my people. Anyone who dares to look around will have their eyes gouged out by me."

She spoke with a radiant smile, but the coldness in her tone told Wu Feng she wasn't joking.

Wu Feng reached under the table and grabbed her unruly ankle.

Li Yunrui's body trembled slightly, and a faint blush rose on her cheeks, but she did not pull her foot back, instead letting him hold it.

[Ding~ Mood points +180!]

"Let's get down to business." Wu Feng released his grip, straightened his expression, and said, "Your Highness, now that all the forces in the capital have arrived, have you ascertained the situation?"

Li Yunrui then withdrew her foot and sat up straighter.

Now that she is in power, all the intelligence from the Censorate and various government departments regarding the auction has been gathered in her hands.

With the help of Qingyutang's information network, she had already made a general assessment of the various forces that had come this time.

"Most of them are really after the sales rights." Li Yunrui's voice regained its gentle yet authoritative tone. "The profits from the goods from the three major workshops are too high; everyone is envious."

"A small portion..." She smiled slightly, "are here to test the strength of our Qing Kingdom. After all, the news of the Emperor's coma can no longer be kept secret."

Wu Feng nodded.

He noticed it too.

Compared to the neighboring countries, Nanqing is indeed ridiculously strong now.

Ye Qingmei left behind a very solid foundation.

The three major workshops almost monopolized the high-end market across the entire country, and Qingyutang's business network spanned various countries, bringing a continuous flow of wealth into the Qing Kingdom.

With such massive financial support, coupled with the already strong military power of Nanqing, various factions in the court have actually reached a delicate consensus.

Take advantage of this auction to flex your muscles.

Let all nations see clearly that even if His Majesty is in a coma, the Qing Kingdom is not one they can afford to offend.

"Your Highness," Wu Feng suddenly asked, "has the current situation in the Northern Qi court been clarified?"

Li Yunrui glanced at him, a hint of admiration flashing in her eyes.

This little man~

"Northern Qi..." she sighed softly, a hint of schadenfreude in her voice, "They're in far more chaos than we are right now."

"Although, like us, they are also facing a situation where the ruler is young and the country is in turmoil, at least we are united internally." Li Yunrui picked up his teacup. "The situation in Northern Qi is different. Although the rebellion a year ago was suppressed, there are still quite a few forces opposing Empress Dowager Wei."

"Our Emperor of Qing is currently in a coma, and Empress Dowager Wei is busy purging internal strife; she has no time to concern herself with external affairs."

Wu Feng listened quietly, his mind racing as he processed the information.

Zhan Qingfeng, the founding emperor of the Northern Qi Dynasty, passed away four years ago, leaving behind only a young son and Empress Dowager Wei.

The so-called "legitimate son" Zhan Doudou is actually a girl.

Only Empress Dowager Wei and the Imperial Advisor Ku He knew about this matter.

Xiao En, who controlled the Embroidered Uniform Guard of Northern Qi at the time, wielded immense power.

He not only monitored all the officials, but after Zhan Qingfeng's death, he even extended his influence into the Northern Qi royal family and wanted to investigate Zhan Doudou's true identity.

Empress Dowager Wei, wary of Xiao En, secretly collaborated with Chen Pingping after gaining the support of Ku He…