The Marquise: I Earn My Own Worship

When I got outside, I saw Duan Jingzong standing at the bottom of the stairs, covering his mouth and coughing.

"Oh my uncle, the wind is blowing. Come in quickly with me."

When Duan Jingzong saw that it was Xiao Degui, he coughed twice more, which had stopped him.

"It's Eunuch Xiao. It's nothing. I'm just suffering from old ailments. How is your Majesty? It's still early in the morning. Will I disturb your Majesty?"

Xiao Degui bent slightly, a smile on his face, and quickly replied, "Your Majesty went to bed late yesterday, and since there is no court meeting today, he slept a little longer. My Lord, you have been waiting for so long, I will send someone to bring in some ginger soup to drive away the cold."

"Then it's my father-in-law."

Duan Jingzong coughed twice, stood in the outer room, patted his clothes, and then went in.

The King of Chu was sitting upstairs at this time, looking at the memorial in his hand. This was the battle report just sent back from the border.

The Western Yi reinforcements have arrived, and the Beiyang Zhenhu Army has sent 50,000 troops to support.

"Lord Duan is here? No need to bow, just sit down and answer."

The palace maid next to him brought up a chair. Duan Jingzong thanked him and sat down. Suddenly, he entered the warm inner room and couldn't help coughing a few times.

"I have failed to fulfill my duties properly, Your Majesty, and I beg your forgiveness."

The Emperor of Chu put down what he was holding and looked up at Duan Jingzong who was sitting below.

His face was pale and his body was thin. Although it was already late spring, he was wearing much thicker clothes than ordinary people.

"You are not feeling well, why should I blame you? The servants below are ignorant, and I have already punished them."

Duan Jingzong understood and stood up to salute.

"Your Majesty, my condition has been like this for a long time. If it has implicated others, it is my fault. Your Majesty is the Son of Heaven, and even if I have to wait two or three hours, it is my duty. I am deeply moved by your kindness."

Because of these flattering words, the King of Chu felt much more at ease. He liked this kind of minister who regarded him as his god.

As for why Duan Jingzong came, the Emperor of Chu also knew it.

Han Yang and Xuan Lao who were beside Duan Chengkang were both sent by him. When they left Beijing, they sent him a message.

Originally he wanted to have someone stop him, but he thought of Xiaoliu, and finally just gave an order to save his life at all costs.

Then nine secret guards were sent to protect him closely. In addition to protecting Duan Chengkang, they also had to report news from the border to the Emperor of Chu from time to time.

Duan Jingzong covered his face and told the story of Kang Ge'er.

"Now I don't know where the child has gone, and there is no reply. My mother must be ill because of this, and her body is..."

As if he couldn't continue speaking, Duan Jingzong took out a handkerchief and pressed the corners of his eyes.

"I have come to see you today for two reasons. One is about my unfilial son. I beg Your Majesty to find him at the border to find out if he is alive or dead."

Duan Jingzong stood up and knelt on the ground, hitting the ground with his head, making a crisp sound.

"What are you doing, Duan Aiqing? Xiao Degui, why don't you help me up?"

Eunuch Xiao went to help, and Duan Jingzong looked at Emperor Chu with tears in his eyes.

The Emperor of Chu sighed, feeling somewhat guilty, as he was also involved in this matter.

After all, he was the one who let the Duan family down by sending their only heir to the battlefield.

"Get up. I knew the inside story when Madam Duan fell ill, and I sent people to look for her long ago. If I have any news, I will definitely let you know."

After a pause, the Emperor of Chu gave a reminder.

"I know that you old ministers are not as good as you used to be, but at least you should be stricter with your family."

Duan Jingzong understood as soon as he heard it. The things happening at home must have been found out by many people with ulterior motives.

"Thank you, Your Majesty. On behalf of the Duan family, I am deeply grateful. I am useless and unable to share Your Majesty's worries. If Your Majesty has any instructions, I will go through fire and water to help Your Majesty solve your problems. As for my family..."

Duan Jingzong shook his head helplessly. "My family is mostly made up of old slaves. They have been with us for generations. They haven't committed any serious offenses and are extremely loyal. Our family is generally very tolerant of them. But Your Majesty, please be reminded that I will make every effort to rectify this when I return."

Kang Ge'er's incident was an emergency, and many servants knew about it at the time. Later, the old lady fainted, and the mansion was in chaos, so the news spread like wildfire.

The King of Chu remembered that Duan Bo's mansion had been purged several times before, and it was much better than before. At least only a few people knew about Duan Chengkang's affair, unlike before when the whole capital knew about it.

However, Duan Jingzong's words made the Emperor of Chu think more.

"I have one more thing."

Before the Emperor of Chu could continue thinking, Duan Jingzong spoke again.

"You said."

Duan Jingzong asked someone to present what he had prepared.

"This is something developed by the girls' school my mother runs. It's called instant noodles, and it's somewhat similar to ordinary dry food..."

"Originally, the women's school developed this for the purpose of opening a restaurant or grocery store. But now that war has broken out, my mother thought it might be able to help our Great Chu army, and she wanted to personally present it to Your Majesty. Who knew... my mother woke up yesterday and immediately ordered me to bring it to Your Majesty."

The more the King of Chu looked at it, the more surprised he was. This instant noodle was much better than the dry rations distributed to the soldiers. It could be preserved for a long time and was light and filling.

Fortunately, Mrs. Duan Hou woke up, otherwise this thing would not have been presented to him.

"Okay, so these instant noodles were made by students from the girls' school?"

Duan Jingzong nodded, "Mother said that the women's school seems to have a lot of supplies. If Your Majesty needs it, you can summon the dean of the women's school for a reply. I don't know the details. Mother was originally planning to go to the palace in person, if it weren't for that unfilial son..."

Duan Jingzong sighed deeply.

The Emperor of Chu was a little anxious and wanted to summon him immediately. When he heard Duan Jingzong talking about the health of Marquis Duan's wife again, he rubbed his fingers uncomfortably.

He changed the subject and asked, "Xunlu Girls' School is your family's property, why are you so unaware of it?"

"Your Majesty, you may not know that the girls' school was founded by my mother. Neither I nor my fourth brother has ever participated in it."

The Emperor of Chu nodded vaguely, "Okay, I will ask the Queen to summon the headmistress of the female academy, and I will meet her in person when the time comes. If this quick interview is of great use, I will definitely reward Xunlu Female Academy."

"On behalf of my mother, I would like to thank Your Majesty for your grace."