The queen is spoiling the king and madly criticizing him for spoiling her

Cheng Song also withdrew.

Gu Jianchu then came out of the inner hall and walked leisurely to Xie Ci'an. He raised his hand to help Xie Ci'an rub his temples and said, "Your Majesty, please don't let these things make you sick. Wang Liu will definitely not be able to escape from the capital."

"I see that Your Majesty is in no mood to continue dealing with these matters. Why don't you accompany me for a walk? Besides, it has been a long time since we last paid our respects to the Queen Mother. If we ignore her for a long time, we will inevitably be laughed at."

The current queen is truly a woman of eloquence.

Xie Ci'an raised his hand and held Gu Jianchu's hand. His eyes, which had just been filled with anger, instantly softened a little. "Okay."

Cheng Song immediately ordered people to prepare the sedan chair, and he couldn't help but secretly admire the queen. In the past, when the emperor was so angry, neither they nor the court officials dared to provoke the emperor, and some even wanted to stay away from him.

Only the Queen could calm the Emperor down.

The emperor and empress soon arrived at the Cining Palace.

At that time, the Queen Mother was sitting in the hall, letting Cuiwei massage her shoulders, and a young eunuch holding a fruit plate was standing beside her.

When the empress dowager heard the news that the emperor and empress were coming, she was frightened.

Why did these two people, who usually wouldn't come for three to five days, come here today?

No one knows about Wang Liu's affairs, so I guess it's just a coincidence.

The Queen Mother quickly regained her composure and allowed Cuiwei to help her sit up straight.

Watching the two of them, led by the palace servants, arrive at the main hall, and after they bowed and greeted each other, the empress dowager asked quietly, "Please grant me a seat."

"Why are the Queen and the Emperor here together today?" The Queen Mother asked casually.

Xie Ci'an said in a cold voice, "It's been a long time since I last visited Mother. I came here with the Queen to pay my respects to her."

"It's rare for you two to be so filial. Go make some tea. The kitchen has made some chestnut cakes, which the Queen loves. Bring some over to her."

"Thank you, mother, for thinking of me." Gu Jianchu was polite to the empress dowager, but his eyes couldn't help but glance around, and finally his gaze locked on the little eunuch holding a fruit plate beside the empress dowager.

Although he was dressed as a young eunuch, he had a fierce aura. He had a scar on his palm and a thin layer of calluses on his hand holding the fruit plate.

[When has the Queen Mother ever been so kind to others? She must be guilty.]

[However, the Queen Mother is truly a bold person. This Wang Liu is obviously a martial artist, and he has countless lives on his shoulders. Yet, she still dares to keep him by her side. She is not afraid of being taken hostage by Wang Liu.]

It was obvious that the Queen Mother did not think in this direction.

Once he thought about it, he didn't dare to keep Wang Liu by his side.

Xie Ci'an also noticed the eunuch next to the empress dowager.

Gu Jianchu's gaze fell directly on Wang Liu, and he spoke lazily, as if chatting, "When did the Queen Mother change the eunuch beside her? This person must be new, why does he look a little unfamiliar?"

The Queen Mother glanced at Wang Liu beside her and said indifferently, "It's no wonder that the Queen looks unfamiliar. He has recently entered the palace. I saw that he has some skills, so I kept him by my side to serve."

Cuiwei led the little girl who served tea inside. Cuiwei placed the tea in front of Gu Jianchu and Xie Ci'an respectively. Gu Jianchu picked up the tea placed beside him and pretended to slide his fingers lightly, causing the teacup to slip from his hand and fall to the ground.

Wang Liu reacted quickly and rushed forward, catching the teacup that was about to fall to the ground with his hands. The tea just swayed slightly and some of it spilled out.

Then Wang Liu brought her back to her and said, "Your Majesty, please be careful."

Zhuxi naturally helped to take the tea and placed it beside Gu Jianchu. Gu Jianchu stared at Wang Liu's profile for a few more seconds and said again quietly, "The eunuch beside the Queen Mother is somewhat similar to the wanted criminal in the painting of the Imperial City Bureau."

"Don't talk nonsense if the Queen doesn't know." The Queen Mother was instantly furious and glared at Wang Liu fiercely, blaming Wang Liu for insisting on showing off his kung fu in front of the Emperor and the Queen, and now he was going to be recognized.

Xie Ci'an's eyes swept over Wang Liu and continued, following the Queen's words, "Indeed, there is some resemblance. Cheng Song, go to Chuigong Palace and fetch the suspect's portrait. Take a close look at it. We must not allow any criminals to lurk around the Queen Mother and threaten her safety."

Upon hearing this, the Queen Mother felt her eyes darken, and she was so angry that she wanted to pinch her philtrum. She kept making excuses, "This young eunuch only entered the palace a while ago. Perhaps the Queen and the Emperor have made a mistake."

"Maybe I have seen it wrong, but for the sake of caution, let Cheng Song bring the portrait for us to take a look. It is better to kill the wrong person than to let him go. If he really is a criminal who has sneaked into the palace and threatens the safety of my mother, how can I explain to the world?" Xie Ci'an's tone was unquestionable, and his cold eyes swept over Cheng Song who was standing beside him.

Cheng Song immediately trotted away.

Chongfeng ordered people to draw a portrait of Wang Liu based on the confessions of those arrested, and it is now placed in the Chuigong Hall.

Wang Liu saw that his identity was about to be exposed. Instead of waiting to be caught, he decided to fight for himself.

Wang Liu threw away the fruit plate in his hand, pulled out the dagger hidden in his boots, and stabbed towards Gu Jianchu who was closest to him.

Xie Ci'an reacted quickly, picked up the teacup on the table and smashed it on Wang Liu's chest. Wang Liu was knocked back repeatedly. Taking this opportunity, Xie Ci'an quickly grabbed Gu Jianchu's wrist and protected Gu Jianchu behind him.

The guards outside who heard the noise rushed in with their swords drawn.

Before being surrounded by the guards, Wang Liu turned around and held the queen mother hostage with a dagger.

The Queen Mother probably didn't expect to be held hostage by Wang Liu. She looked shocked and said, "Wang Liu, I saved you. What do you want to do? Do you want to rebel?"

Wang Liu placed one hand on the Empress Dowager's neck and with the other hand pulled her back to a relatively safe corner. "Your Majesty, you saved my life, but you did it because you were afraid I would betray you. Why don't you save me again? If the Emperor learns of your plot, I'm sure you won't meet a good end."

Xie Ci'an protected Gu Jianchu behind him and met Wang Liu's vigilant look. "Privately opening an iron mine and illegally selling weapons are all capital crimes. Tell me, what do you want?"

Wang Liu hadn't expected Xie Ci'an to be so generous, but he quickly realized it was a trap. "Then please, Your Majesty, prepare a fast horse for me and have the Empress Dowager accompany me. Once I leave the capital and reach a safe place, I will immediately release her."

"Otherwise, I don't mind dragging the Empress Dowager down with me." Wang Liu said threateningly.

As long as it wasn't the Empress, Xie Ci'an wasn't panicking at all. He slowly adjusted his sleeves that had just been soaked by water. "Even if I let you go, do you think you can still escape from the capital?"