Going to Beijing to save his father, all the powerful officials in the city are vying to be his fath

Su Qin and the others walked past the officials and their wives and entered the palace first, looking at them with envy.

She could enter the palace earlier and not have to wait in the cold wind, but Su Qin would rather wait in the cold wind than enter the palace early.

She originally thought that she only needed to show up at the banquet and appropriately demonstrate her close relationship with Zhao Liangchen, but she didn't expect that the emperor would let them enter the palace early and let the queen receive her.

The banquet was still a long time away, and she didn't know how to deal with the Queen, so she walked very slowly.

It was as if Mr. Zeng knew what she was thinking, and he also walked very slowly. The eunuch leading the way frowned slightly when he saw that they were unable to catch up.

Zhao Liangchen spoke at the right time: "The teacher is old and in poor health, so he walks a little slowly. Please forgive me, father-in-law."

The eunuch didn't dare to offend Zhao Liangchen and said with a fake smile: "Deputy Commander, you are too polite. It is my fault. I should have brought a sedan chair for Elder Zeng."

He just said that after entering the palace, unless the emperor granted special permission, everyone had to go in. Without the emperor's order, no one would dare to prepare a sedan chair for Mr. Zeng.

However, having said that, the eunuch was still anxious. The emperor was still waiting, and who would dare to keep him waiting? If they arrived late, the emperor might not do anything to Zhao Liangchen and the others, but he would definitely be punished.

However, even though he was anxious, he couldn't rush her. Fortunately, they soon reached a fork in the road. Su Qin was going to the harem, so she asked a palace maid to lead the way.

After the nanny paid her respects to Su Qin, she did not speak to Su Qin. She just walked with her head down, not caring whether Su Qin could keep up or not. Su Qin was afraid that she would get lost in the palace and encounter something she shouldn't encounter, so she had to hurry to catch up.

During this time, she was still worried that the nanny was not taking her to the Queen's place, so she frequently looked back to see Zhao Qingning's reaction. Only when she saw that Zhao Qingning did not have any abnormal reaction did she feel relieved.

Even if Zhao Liangchen was worried, he could only go to see the emperor first. After meeting the emperor, he found that the emperor not only met them.

Duke of Lu, Marquis of Wuning, Su Jijing, Xu Chunshan, Qi Jingde, Qi Lusheng, Zou Tai, Wang Runsheng...most of these meritorious officials are here.

Very good, Zhao Liangchen breathed a sigh of relief. The presence of these people meant that their female relatives were also in the palace, probably with the Queen. As long as Su Qin was not the only one with the Queen, nothing would happen.

On the other side, Su Qin arrived at the Queen's Palace and saw a room full of people. There were familiar faces among them, and she also breathed a sigh of relief. At least she was not the only one facing the Queen.

After paying her respects to the Queen, Su Qin originally wanted to stand behind Madam Su. With Madam Su around, she would not suffer any loss.

But the Queen waved at her enthusiastically: "Miss Zeng, come here and let me take a look."

Su Qin was not a shy person, so she walked forward and let the queen see her. After seeing her, the queen had an idea of ​​her. She was good-looking, but not particularly outstanding, and was no different from other noble ladies. She didn't look particularly smart or calculating, so such a person would not cause any trouble if she entered the palace.

When the emperor told the queen that he wanted to choose a concubine, she was sad and unhappy for a while.

They had just shared hardships and had just won a narrow victory. The emperor had not yet firmly established his throne, but he was already impatiently choosing a concubine, especially when she was pregnant. How could the queen not be sad?

But when the Duke of Lu asked the Queen's mother to come to the palace to see the Queen, he advised her: "Don't dwell on this matter.

The emperor has just taken power, and most of the officials in the court are unfamiliar to him. If he does not win over some of the court officials as soon as possible by selecting concubines, it will be difficult to control them in the future.

You are pregnant now. Duan Liang has checked your pulse and it is a boy. As long as the eldest prince is born, with our Duke of Lu's Mansion, we can guarantee his position as the crown prince.

So don't create conflicts with the emperor at this time. Besides, you are the master of the harem. Isn't it up to you to decide which woman will enter the harem?

Su Jijing's eldest daughter and Xu Chunshan's daughter are both from the countryside, without much knowledge or sophistication. When they enter the palace, they will be at your mercy. So what are you afraid of?

You and the Emperor have shared hardships together. As long as you don't quarrel with him and assist him with all your strength, he will treat you well."

The queen listened to the advice, so she wanted to meet these women who were qualified to enter the palace in advance today to see which one was easier to control.

From what she saw so far, she was satisfied. Su Qin and Xu Yunguo both looked very innocent and well-behaved, and the other women were not the type to easily cause trouble.

She smiled and asked Su Qin: "Should I call you Miss Zeng or Miss Su?"

Some people present looked at Su Qin in confusion. Wasn't she Zeng Laoren's granddaughter? How could she have the surname Su?

Su Qin's heart finally settled down. The emperor had indeed investigated her privately.

She responded obediently: "Your Majesty, you can call me whatever you want. My surname is both Su and Zeng."

The Queen disagreed and said, "How can one person have two surnames? I heard that when Elder Zeng adopted you as his granddaughter, he thought you were an orphan. He never thought you were the legitimate daughter of the Su family. Now that your parents have returned to the capital, it's time to change your surname back."

Su Qin frowned slightly. What did the Queen's Lady mean by this? Was she blaming her for concealing her identity and deceiving Mr. Zeng, or was she blaming Mr. Zeng for harboring a serious criminal?

No matter what the reason was, Su Qin felt that the queen was trying to control her. If Su Qin had to enter the palace, she would definitely pretend to be controlled in order to have a better life in the palace. However, if she did not enter the palace, she might not see the queen again in the future, so there was no need for her to be controlled by the queen.

She showed a proper smile and said, "Your Majesty, when my family was convicted, I didn't know if they could escape punishment. I was terrified and didn't dare to reveal my identity. Therefore, I pretended to be an orphan and acknowledged Zeng Lao as my grandfather.

When I first recognized my grandfather as my relative, I promised to stay with him for the rest of his life, to cook for him, to make him clothes, and to take care of him in his old age and see him to the end of his life.

I betrayed my family once because I was afraid of death. If I go back to them now because they are fine, it would be another betrayal of my grandfather. I am so untrustworthy that I am unworthy of being a human being.

Therefore, I do not plan to return to the Su family. I will be my grandfather’s granddaughter for the rest of my life.”

Many people present were stunned. Was this the Su family they thought it was? Many people looked at Madam Su, but unfortunately, Madam Su looked calm and nothing could be seen.

The Queen frowned slightly. Although Su Qin admitted that she had hidden her identity in order to escape punishment, it seemed that she no longer wanted to restore relations with the Su family.

Both parents are still alive, but she changed her surname. How many families would be willing to do this? Su Qin's actions are a slap in Su Jijing's face.

The main reason why the emperor took a fancy to Su Qin was because she was the eldest daughter of the Su family. The emperor knew Zeng Lao's temper. Even if Su Qin entered the palace as a concubine, Zeng Lao would not be able to serve as an official in the court. At most, he would give advice and have some appeal to literati for the sake of Su Qin. In this way, Zeng Lao would not be of much use in officialdom.

Su Qin's greatest role is to tie the Su family and the emperor together tightly, but if Su Qin does not return to the Su family now, it becomes unknown whether she can still make Su Jijing serve the emperor wholeheartedly.

The Queen looked at Madam Su and said, "Madam Su, Miss Su changed her name since her parents are still alive. How dare you agree to this?"