Priceless: A widow with a baby asks the prince to marry again

"I, a humble woman, thank you for your majesty's grace! Your majesty is wise and wise!"

Her body trembled uncontrollably as she kowtowed deeply, her forehead touching the cool golden brick floor. Unspeakable ecstasy, like a flood bursting through a dam, nearly washed away her sanity.

The Ministry of Medicine! Her position as Minister of Medicine!

Finally, this was no longer the emperor's private promise, but a golden promise made by the king of a country in person under the broad daylight and with the witness of all the high-ranking officials in the hall!

The overwhelming joy washed over her body like a warm current, making her fingertips slightly numb.

Ever since the Emperor's meeting with Qin Hao, demanding he change his surname to Chu... the painstaking efforts to organize the Medical Conference, the tireless efforts to rescue the wounded in Mobei, and tonight's overwhelming verbal battle...

All the hard work seemed to have paid off at this moment! An organization that could potentially change the Great Xia government and save countless lives was about to be born! And she was its founder!

She will use the achievements she has made with her own hands to control the direction of her destiny!

"Okay." A calm voice, yet with an invisible pressure, came from the high dragon throne, calming the excitement in the hall.

The emperor resumed his usual gentle demeanor, speaking with the kindness of an elder at a family dinner. "Tonight is a welcoming banquet for Yu'er, a family dinner for me. Government affairs and national policies are complex, so we can discuss them at the morning court tomorrow."

He glanced at the ministers below, who were still showing signs of joy or indignation, and said in a warm and soothing tone: "Please take your seats. Don't waste this beautiful moment and wine."

"Thank you, Your Majesty!" The ministers responded in unison, their voices filled with a mixture of emotions.

Liu Rusi took a deep breath, still unable to suppress the tears of excitement that overflowed from her eyes. She had to suppress her sobs and kowtowed again before standing up and walking towards her seat...

Her almond-shaped eyes were bright and shining with a deep soft light, looking at little Qin Hao who was sitting quietly beside Chu Shiyu - her beloved child was looking at her with admiration.

The ignored Chu Shiyu had no time to be jealous...his mind was immersed in unprecedented shock!

Although he has returned to the state of Chu Shiyu in this life these days, the bloody memories of his previous life are still clear and deeply imprinted in the depths of his soul.

The brief joy she felt at the moment of her death, after winning the multi-million lottery, remains an eternal image that shatters his soul and yet leaves him deeply in love...

And at this moment, he felt it with uncanny clarity—this was the joy that burst forth from the depths of Liu Rusi's soul, a thousand times greater than that time! It was a blazing radiance that could burn away all the gloom, so intense that even a smile couldn't contain it, and it could only overflow through tears!

In a trance, he remembered the fortune-telling note given to Liu Rusi by the old Taoist priest - "Mountains and rivers are so steep and deep that you may think there is no way out; even if you spend all your money, you will get it back" - and finally it became clear to him!

Liu Rusi's ideal path was interrupted in her previous life. Although this life started hundreds of years earlier, it was still full of suffering and struggle.

All her wealth was gone. The hatred for revenge against her parents that had kept her going in her past life had been stripped away by fate... But in this life, she found a different kind of strength: a love for Qin Hao that was her responsibility! Enough to help her face any challenge!

Her burning will returned to her life in another, more grand way!

An unprecedented heartbeat hit Chu Shiyu, but his heartbeat didn't speed up, it just dropped. The essence of the beating in his chest underwent a subtle and indescribable change...

In past and present lives, the person he pursued, Liu Rusi, truly demonstrated her uniqueness at this moment...

Feeling the surging love from Chu Shiyu that was almost drowning her, Liu Rusi sat calmly under his unblinking gaze... She tried to calm herself down.

Use the cold reality to sober yourself up and cool down the surging blood in your heart.

Is everything done?

No, it’s just the beginning, just the first step from nothing to something!

The emperor's "permission" opened a door, but the road behind the door was still full of thorns.

If she doesn't want the position of Minister of Medicine to become a nominal one... then there are still countless things she has to deal with: title and position, department location, personnel structure, funding source, operating mechanism... Each one will touch the nerves of countless people, and what awaits her are bound to be countless cruel games.

The palace banquet continued with the sound of stringed instruments and clinking of glasses, appearing to be a peaceful scene.

The civil and military officials in the hall naturally had to give the emperor face and continue with the "family dinner" drama...but they all tacitly ignored the two women who were sitting abruptly in the Hall of Supreme Harmony - to mention separate seats for men and women at this moment was missing the point.

However, the silence of the civil officials tonight does not mean that they agree with this...

"Rusi! You are amazing!" Fang Qiu suppressed his excitement, his face full of admiration, and came over to clink glasses with her - knowing that she didn't like alcohol, Fang Qiu naturally replaced it with tea!

Liu Rusi raised her glass in response, her eyes also filled with gratitude: "It's all thanks to you. If I were a woman alone, I wouldn't have the confidence to come into the Hall of Supreme Harmony and sit here..."

She had long anticipated that Fang Qiu's ambition to become a female general would help relieve her of the pressure... The seeds sown then reaped their fruits tonight. General Fang Kui of Zhenyuan, speaking out intimidatingly on behalf of his beloved Fang Qiu, invisibly lent her a measure of authority, forcing the other ministers to restrain their rhetoric. Even if it wasn't the key to turning the tide, it was still a significant force.

"Well, if you hadn't taken the brunt of the blame and covered for me... I'm afraid..." Fang Qiu wasn't good with words, but he understood the situation. Without His Royal Highness Duan's endorsement, Liu Rusi would have become the target of public criticism... Even with her father around, she would have been driven out by the stick of "etiquette and law"...

The palace banquet lasted for about two quarters of an hour in a subtle atmosphere.

It was not until the emperor left the table first, indicating the end of the banquet, that Prince Duan stood up shortly after him, and this "family banquet" held to welcome the guests came to an end.

When the event was over, the ministers bowed to Chu Shiyu in accordance with etiquette and said goodbye. Their words were still polite, but when their eyes swept over Liu Rusi and Fang Qiu, they still ignored them - as if the storm in the palace had never happened and the two women had never existed.

Outside the palace gate, the early summer night breeze was cool.

Seeing the worry still etched across Fang Qiu's face, Liu Rusi softly soothed him, "Don't worry, you have your father's support. Nothing will go wrong. So as long as you are determined and work hard, I believe there will be good results."

"Well! From worrying about getting married to realizing my dream of joining the army, the position of female general is now not out of reach. Now that I have come this far, I will never give up easily!" Fang Qiu's eyes were firm, and he said to Liu Rusi cheerfully: "The day after tomorrow morning, we will meet side by side again!"

"Okay!" Liu Rusi also responded excitedly.

Fang Qiu turned around and walked towards her father Fang Kui who was waiting not far away. Several servants brought horses, and both father and daughter mounted them nimbly. Their inaudible conversation gradually blended into the night.

The carriage from Prince Duan's Mansion was already waiting. Chu Shiyu carried the sleepy Qin Hao and boarded the carriage after Liu Rusi. As the carriage started, Liu Rusi realized that it was heading west, obviously going back to her home - the Women's Medical Clinic.

Without words, she understood his consideration: he knew she needed to go home to calm down, make sense of the past, sort out her recent experiences, and then chart the course for her life.

The streets were dark and silent, but the carriage was warm and cozy.

Little Qin Hao climbed from his adoptive father's arms to his mother's lap, his sleepy eyes forced open, his rosy little mouth still expressing the excitement that had accumulated before, and he praised the two adults generously!

"Godfather is awesome! Not only did he add more seats, he also stood up to the initial unreasonable demands!"

The child's undisguised admiration brought a wave of relief to Chu Shiyu's heart. Now that he knew Qin Hao could have been his child... although the regret couldn't be dispelled, he no longer resisted the feeling of being close to Qin Hao.

However, Qin Hao just praised his adoptive father for his greatness, and spent most of his time praising his mother for being so great, saving so many people, and making such a groundbreaking contribution to the medical department!

The fervor of Xiao Qinhao's praise rivaled the eulogies of the civil officials to the emperor! He was likely just learning something on the spot, but Liu Rusi had no doubt of its sincerity. These words were like a gentle stream of warmth, soothing her relaxed and somewhat weary nerves.

Liu Rusi hugged her son tightly, drawing warmth and endless strength from him, strengthening her resolve to face the storm...

When the carriage arrived at the women's clinic, the gong sounded at midnight.

However, when she pushed the door open, what greeted her was not loneliness, but warm lights and expectant figures.

Huang Caiyun, Yang Xuefei, maids Zhuqing and Meihong... the guards saluted their returning masters, and after the salutes, the little girls came forward one by one to hug Liu Rusi with joy and longing, just as they did when she left.

Chu Shiyu stayed in the living room, discussing matters in a low voice with Sun Zhizhao and others who had hurried over. After watching Liu Rusi carrying Qin Hao into the main courtyard, his brows returned to their usual coldness.

Little Qin Hao was already too sleepy to hold on any longer. Liu Rusi carried the child into his own room with a smile, settled him down, covered him with a quilt, and watched him quietly for a few moments before returning to her own room next door.

The girls obviously had a lot to say to her, and they all gathered in Liu Rusi's room, where all kinds of things had already been prepared.

After Liu Rusi entered the house, she washed up and chatted with the girls...

While she was washing her face, Xue Fei began to report, "Sister Si, Mr. Lin Qingzhi has opened a girls' kindergarten. He took 50 taels of gold from us, and Mr. Yue contributed 500 taels of silver. The two families jointly run the school. 600 taels were used to buy the house next door to use as a venue, and the rest was kept for daily expenses."

Liu Rusi nodded with satisfaction. It seemed that the cause of education also 'started from the ground up'. She then asked with concern: "Have you found a suitable female teacher? How many students do you have now?"

"Five or six daughters from official families have agreed to teach here... We already have dozens of students, but..." Xue Fei paused, her tone slightly lowered, "This is because the school is free of charge, so many families just use it as a place to take care of their children, and just send girls over four years old."

Liu Rusi frowned and asked, "Did you collect the meal fee as I said? You can't be a completely good person. The girls' families didn't even make the basic efforts, let alone cherish these girls!"

"I accepted it..." Xue Fei's tone revealed confusion and powerlessness: "But even so, it can't stop some unscrupulous parents... There are several girls whose families only paid for one month's meal expenses and then never showed up again. The longest one has been in school for five months... And there are even worse..."

Xue Fei lowered her voice, "Last month, someone abandoned a baby girl in her swaddling clothes at the school gate. We reported the incident to the authorities, but the parents have yet to be found... The baby girl had nowhere to go, so we had no choice but to raise her temporarily and hired a wet nurse."

The harsh reality left Liu Rusi speechless for a moment, and she sighed inwardly. She had spread her wings too wide, with too many things to tackle step by step. Fortunately, with Lin Qingzhi in charge of the academy, she could focus on the medical department's affairs...

Then, she turned her gaze to Huang Caiyun, who was wearing a chic new dress that was very different from the current style. Liu Rusi's almond-shaped eyes lit up and asked, "Caiyun, did you design this yourself?"

Huang Caiyun suddenly perked up, a bright smile spreading across her face. "Yes! My clothing store has been open for three months! Although I haven't made much money yet, with the support of the gentlemen next door, I won't lose money. It's just that... the hundred taels of silver I borrowed from you, Sister Si, may not be recouped so quickly..."

Liu Rusi encouraged her gently, "Everything is difficult at the beginning. Caiyun, you are only fourteen years old. It is already remarkable that you can open a shop."

Caiyun immediately continued to share happily: "Also, the soap and sanitary belts at the women's clinic are selling well. I have hired female workers to make sanitary belts and my clothes together!"

The women chatted for half an hour, sharing their memories since they last met.

It was not until Chu Shiyu, who had finished his business, appeared at the door and silently urged Liu Rusi to take a rest.

That night, Chu Shiyu stayed in Liu Rusi's room very naturally.

Since the hostage-taking incident, the two have slept together every night, and Liu Rusi has acquiesced to his "invasion."

However, after falling asleep, I felt the man's breath in my arms become heavier and his movements became more passionate...

"Don't...if you can't help it, why don't you go back to your room and sleep?"

Last time, Chu Shiyu tried to fulfill his obligations despite having a nosebleed - he couldn't just enjoy himself, he had to stay within the bottom line and satisfy her needs as an adult woman.

But! Liu Rusi really had no choice but to continue while his nose was bleeding! In the end, it was all in vain...

Chu Shiyu naturally also remembered the embarrassment, and secretly cursed Qin Lie, who was "lingering around", but he had to calm down in disappointment.

To dispel those charming thoughts, he simply chatted with Liu Rusi about tonight's palace banquet: "Fang Kui is almost a semi-public figure, a man loyal to the emperor, otherwise he would not have been able to command an army of 500,000 for so many years..."

Liu Rusi, who had originally turned her back to isolate herself from lust, turned back and asked softly, "You mean... don't trust the Fang family too much?"

"Well, we must be on guard against others... In addition, with Fang Qiu around, Fang Kui's actions today should not be considered by the court as a signal from my father." Chu Shiyu expanded.

Liu Rusi frowned slightly, unable to figure out what the mystery was...

"Li Qin, the Minister of War, was born into a noble family in Huguang and had some connections with the forces in Zhongzhou and Jiangnan. Many people speculated that he was on the side of Prince Kang, or the Eighth Prince, or stayed out of it... Few people knew that their Li family was almost defeated by the former Su family. They were able to hold on and rise later because their father secretly supported them when he was Prince Ning. Li Qin's loyalty was not inferior to Fang Kui's. He was given timely assistance and was recognized by others. "Chu Shiyu narrowed his eyes slightly. He also heard the news from 'himself' because he had dreamed of another destiny. After waking up, he followed the clues and found the clues.

Liu Rusi remained silent, so the generals who stood on her side today, except Qin Shuangyu, were probably all the emperor's men... But it was not surprising. After all, the Ministry of Medicine was something the emperor had promised. Even if she didn't take the lead, the emperor should have arranged it on the schedule.

However, Chu Shiyu's next words shattered her understanding: "I brought down the original Ministry of Rites' Shen family, but when I replaced them later, my father was very careful not to promote my own people. In addition, the Jiangnan faction has become deeply rooted in the court, and my father will not sit idly by and allow them to get involved in official positions related to the imperial examinations. And Prince Kang already has the Ministry of Personnel and the Ministry of Revenue, so it is unlikely that he will be given another position... Then the Minister of Rites is also very likely my father's man."

Swallowing slightly, Liu Rusi lowered her voice and said, "Are you saying that this palace banquet...was actually orchestrated by the Emperor? The ending was already decided?"

"Well, it's just that your father couldn't possibly know all of your responses. Your exquisite control should have made everything go smoothly and smoothly." Chu Shiyu sighed softly, "Perhaps father... intended to hone you, or rather, to teach you a lesson."

Liu Rusi was deeply shocked. As a newcomer to this power struggle, she was clearly too naive...

As the night talk died down, Chu Shiyu stared at the sleeping face of his beloved in a trance...

The title of Minister of Medicine was a promise that his father had made to Liu Rusi, but Chu Shiyu knew very well that his father was not as kind as he seemed, and that the gift would not be a pure gift. His father's gift was often accompanied by deprivation.

However, the higher Liu Rusi climbed, the more she was at the center of public opinion, and the harder it was for him to protect her. Yet, he was so fascinated by this brilliant Liu Rusi...

Perhaps, as Liu Rushi said, they were stuck in an unsolvable cycle.