After swallowing my anger and taking the blame, I became the lucky little queen

Qin Junyu crossed his fingers, pressed them on the letter, and looked at Li Zhongquan seriously.

It is said that serving the emperor is like serving a tiger, and there is the risk of losing your head at any time. Qin Junyu dared to say that his father was definitely not a kind person and was difficult to serve, but Li Zhongquan had followed him for thirty or forty years and had never made him angry. Maybe there were times when he said something wrong or misunderstood him, but he had never been severely punished.

A good servant can make the master feel comfortable and can also play an incredible role at critical moments. It takes time to cultivate someone who understands you.

Qin Junyu knew that there was no one like Li Zhongquan around him, but Li Zhongquan was not the most suitable person to follow him.

Compared with Axuan and Li Zhongquan, he is less flexible and spiritual, but he is upright and loyal enough, and Qin Junyu is already very satisfied with him.

"Before I returned to the palace, my father's health was not good. If it weren't for Eunuch Li who took the trouble to send him out of the palace at the risk of his life, I'm afraid... I wouldn't have been able to see him for the last time."

Li Zhongquan's face turned pale. "Your Highness, you are too kind. The Emperor is blessed by heaven. I am only fulfilling my duty. I cannot say that I have taken any trouble."

Qin Junyu sneered, but there was no mockery in his words, "Eunuch Li is good at talking, no wonder the emperor likes you."

"I am terrified." Li Zhongquan pressed his chin to his chest.

"Father's health is deteriorating. It's only a matter of time before that day comes."

"Eunuch Li has served him for so long and has made great contributions. If I ascend the throne in the future, whether you want to leave the palace to live a quiet life or stay in the palace to retire, I will make all the arrangements." Qin Junyu's smile changed.

He gave Li Zhongquan two choices, one was to leave the palace to retire, the other was to stay in the palace to retire. However, he did not mention letting the heir serve in front of the emperor. His meaning was very clear.

Li Zhongquan was a smart man, so he naturally understood the implication of Qin Junyu's words.

He smiled and said, "I have served the emperor for most of my life, and I don't know what life is like outside the palace."

Qin Junyu thought that he would choose to live out his old age in the palace, so he would arrange a side hall for him and assign a few palace servants to take care of him, so as to not let down the relationship between his father and him as master and servant.

I had a plan in mind, but then I heard Li Zhongquan say, "If that day really comes, I would like to ask to guard the imperial mausoleum. Your Highness, please grant my wish."

A hint of surprise flashed across Qin Junyu's face, guarding the imperial mausoleum was not an easy job, not only were the conditions difficult, but one could never leave the mausoleum again until death, and would be buried in the emperor's mausoleum, implying that even in the underground, one would still be his.

After thinking about it, he saw that Li Zhongquan looked determined, so he agreed.

Nian Susu felt mixed emotions.

Li Zhongquan pushed the ginseng soup next to him forward and said, "Your Highness, this is what Concubine Ning asked me to bring to you. She told you to take care of your health even if you are busy with government affairs."

Qin Junyu didn't say anything and didn't take the soup.

Li Zhongquan continued, "The Concubine Ning came here once a few days ago. At that time, Your Highness was discussing matters with Prime Minister Nian, Assistant Minister Li, and other adults, so I asked her to go back."

"The queen refuses to leave tonight, and will wait outside the palace until Your Highness sees her."

Qin Junyu pressed his brows, unable to hide the fatigue on his face, "Please let her in."

Li Zhongquan responded and hurried out.

Nian Susu sat up straight, ready to watch the show.

Since Qin Junyu took over the government, many people came and went in the Yangxin Palace every day, but this was the first time he met the concubines in the harem.

Concubine Ning walked in, but Li Zhongquan did not follow her.

She bowed respectfully, and her arrogance was reduced a bit.

Nian Susu remembered that when Concubine Ning was by the emperor's side, she was radiant, happy, and pretty, but not like the haggard and miserable she looked now.

Qin Junyu rubbed his brows and asked, "Empress Ning asked to see you in the middle of the night, it must be something very important."

"Your Highness has always had a good relationship with my father. Now I am in charge of all matters in the palace. If your Highness has any request, I will treat it with all my heart, just for my father."

When mentioning the emperor, Concubine Ning's eyes became more melancholy, but she did not continue with Qin Junyu's words.

"I came here so late at night because I knew that Your Highness would be busy with government affairs during the day and might not have time to listen to a woman like me's opinion." Concubine Ning laughed at herself.

"Your Majesty, you are too polite." Qin Junyu said this politely, without any other emotion in his tone.

Concubine Ning suddenly lifted her skirt and knelt down, which scared Qin Junyu. He almost stood up to help her. However, when he thought that he was sitting on the dragon throne and was half an emperor, he suppressed the impulse and waited for her to finish speaking.

Concubine Ning clenched her fists. "Your Highness's ascension to the throne is a foregone conclusion. It's just a matter of time. I just hope that Your Highness will consider Guan Qing's life of more than 20 years without fighting or competing, and not interested in government affairs, and not regard him as a thorn in your side."

She shed two lines of tears stubbornly, "I can guarantee that Guan Qing will never become a threat to Your Highness, and will never covet the throne."

With the traitor Qin Zehai's rebellion first, Concubine Ning was really worried that Qin Junyu would learn from his father's lesson and kill all his brothers to eliminate future troubles.

Qin Junyu understood what she meant and couldn't help laughing. This was the first joke he had heard in all these days, amidst a bunch of official reports.

Although he hated Qin Zehai and the Queen very much and was worried that the tragedy would happen to him, he would never do anything to harm his brothers and sisters.

Moreover, he knew Qin Guanqing's character very well. Just giving him an idle position and asking him to stay in the capital would make him crazy, let alone being trapped in the palace as emperor. He would absolutely disdain it.

Seeing him smiling so happily, Concubine Ning was frightened, "Your Highness, what I said is true. Don't you know who Guan Qing is, since you have been brothers with him for many years?"

"If he had the intention, he should have returned to Beijing to take control of the situation when the emperor was seriously ill and His Highness was not in the palace, instead of not even being seen now." Concubine Ning was anxious.

Qin Junyu laughed too much, coughed a few times to calm down, and said calmly: "Empress Ning, you are worrying too much. I know my second brother's temper. And I will not have a different opinion of my brothers and sisters because of the actions of others, so you can rest assured."

Concubine Ning was half-believing and half-doubting.

Qin Junyu raised his eyebrows and didn't explain any further.

Concubine Ning had no choice but to believe him temporarily.

"There is one more thing I need your permission for."

"As long as it's not too difficult, I can agree to it."

Concubine Ning was not confident enough: "According to the traditional system, after the emperor's death, concubines with children do not need to be sent to guard the imperial mausoleum, but I don't want to wait for death alone in the Qing Palace."

Qin Junyu guessed her intention, "Empress Ning also wants to guard the imperial mausoleum?"

"Also?" Concubine Ning looked up in confusion.

However, Qin Junyu did not give her an explanation, but nodded and agreed to her request.

Concubine Ning didn't want to stay any longer, so she told him to take care of his health and then left.