The queen is sober in the world, and she is winning every step of the palace fight.

After sending Liu De away, Fei Wan continued on his journey in the carriage.

However, he did not go directly to the imperial court, but took a detour to the residence of Qiu Changzai and Wu Xiangrong, where he stayed for a while and chatted about some family matters.

I had breakfast at Wu Xiangrong's place and left when the sun was already high in the sky.

Firstly, it was to delay time and delay going to see the emperor.

We have been together day and night for the past few days, and the temperature has reached a high enough level. If we continue to be together day and night, it will no longer be new.

If you want to maintain your favor, you must always be careful to keep yourself fresh in the emperor's heart.

It is best to gradually withdraw and keep a certain distance from the man while he is still not tired of you.

Secondly, by spending more time with Concubine Qiu and Wu Xiangrong, the sisters will be closer and the people in the palace will see clearly which side they are in.

Apart from Zhishu, Wu Qiu and the other two were considered the earliest allies.

Fei Wan has been promoted now, but she still remembers her sisterhood with her. Others will feel more at ease to rely on her.

Come three...

The earrings given by Consort Qiu to Zhishu were closely related to her pregnancy. Consort Xian blamed Consort Si Zheng for Zhishu's spotting.

But what Concubine Xian and Concubine Si may not know is that Zhishu’s biggest problem is not spotting.

But pregnancy.

She interacts with Qiu Chang as usual, and the sisters get along with each other as before, pretending to be unaware of anything.

It will only make those behind the scenes let down their guard.

I think they didn't suspect anything and Zhishu was still pregnant.

Sit back and wait for the person behind the scenes to strike.

Fei Wan always tries to kill two birds with one stone, or even several birds with one stone. Just like a businessman doing business, if he only makes a 1% profit, that's too meager. He needs to make 20%, 30%, or even more to make it worthwhile.

When I returned to Chenqian Palace, as expected, the delay was just right.

The emperor has already left his morning court.

Meeting with ministers in the study.

Fei Wan entered from the back door of the side room and waited in the inner room. According to the rules, she avoided meeting the court officials to avoid suspicion.

The palace maid came in and served tea.

And asked Feiwan if she was ready for breakfast.

"When His Majesty returned, he found the Empress not there. He heard that she had left without having dinner, so he ordered that dinner be held in abeyance until your return. Eunuch Cao persuaded His Majesty to eat a piece of crystal osmanthus cake and drink a small cup of milk, but His Majesty refused to eat any more."

The palace maids in front of the emperor are never talkative.

She said so much, and it was obvious that it was Cao Bin's order.

This is to remind Fei Wan to prepare a good meal for the Emperor and not let His Majesty go hungry.

After hearing this, Fei Wan put on an anxious look and sighed, "Your Majesty is really a fool. He's just waiting for me... Chunling, to be honest, I've already eaten. But Your Majesty is still hungry. It's all my fault... Chunling, you have to help me."

Chun Ling bowed: "Your Majesty, please give your orders."

Fei Wan then asked, "Your Majesty, how long have you been discussing this matter since you came back?"

Chun Ling thought for a moment, "...about three quarters of an hour."

"It's been too long. Your Majesty must be hungry. I don't know how much longer it will take." Fei Wan looked towards the study. Only a vague human figure could be seen through several curtains and a compartment.

"Who's in there?"

"Your Majesty, this is Lord Zhang, Minister He of the Ministry of Works, and Lord Lu of the Hanlin Academy."

Fei Wan stamped her feet upon hearing this. "Why is there Lord Lu? Is that Lu Guinian? I heard he's extremely difficult to deal with, often dragging civil and military officials into arguments at court, and the arguments never stop. With him stuck here, when will His Majesty get to eat?"

Since the matter concerned the court, the palace maid did not dare to respond.

Fei Wan paced back and forth, looking embarrassed.

Finally making a decision, he instructed the maid, "Go and prepare the meal. It should be simple, quick to consume, and soft and easy to digest. Your Majesty has been hungry for so long. You cannot eat something difficult to digest suddenly, as it may damage your spleen and stomach."

"Yes."

"Wait, let's prepare something for the adults as well. They came here right after the morning court session, so I'm sure they're hungry."

"Yes."

"Send it over directly once it's ready. If His Majesty is displeased, I will take care of it. Just go ahead and do it."

Chunling quickly agreed and went.

His Majesty never allows anyone to disturb him while he's in meetings, but with the favored Empress Zhao in charge, there's nothing to worry about.

Fei Wan sat down and drank tea while waiting for the palace maid to prepare the meal.

The interior is quiet.

I could faintly hear a few words of conversation between the emperor and his ministers.

It is talking about the aftermath of the flood in the south of the Yangtze River.

As summer passes and autumn arrives, although there are still autumn floods in some places, floods are generally no longer a problem.

However, it was not because of any significant progress in flood control, but because of the season, the water naturally receded.

The floods receded, but the resettlement of the victims, the reconstruction of their homes, and the restoration of the land all became challenges. Furthermore, given the poor harvest this year, agricultural taxes in the affected areas would naturally have to be waived, and a way would also be needed to provide food for the victims through the winter. From this year until the beginning of next spring, during the lean season, how would the people survive? The court needed to devise a plan.

Among all the issues, the work-for-relief approach advocated by Lu Guinian is the most appropriate solution at present.

Government officials and wealthy families paid money to hire disaster victims to work. Not only could they obtain workers at low prices and complete various projects more efficiently, but the victims also had a sustainable livelihood, earning enough to support their families and keeping them occupied, preventing them from causing trouble and rebelling in desperation.

But this matter is simple to say, it is just four words: "work instead of relief".

There are so many things to do, it's really a headache.

In particular, now there are disaster victims at a certain construction site who are causing trouble, attacking and burning government offices, causing disaster.

He even wrote a manifesto to attack the emperor.

Xia Shoufu's faction, which had initially disagreed with Lu Guinian's proposal, suddenly had a target for attack. In the past few days, many people in the morning court launched full-scale attacks, criticizing this good policy.

The top priority is to suppress the rioting victims as soon as possible.

Also, we need to thoroughly investigate what went wrong, whether other construction sites also have hidden dangers, and discuss whether to continue with the work-for-relief program.

The emperor, Lu Guinian and others were discussing this at this time.

Fei Wan drank her tea slowly and listened quietly.

No rush at all.

Although the trouble he caused was serious, Lu Guinian would never be discouraged by it.

On the contrary, this may be a good opportunity for him to advance.

It all depends on whether he can grasp it!

"Who let you in!"

Suddenly, the emperor's angry shout came from the study.

It was the palace maid Chunling who led people to deliver the meal.

Fei Wan immediately stood up, took a square silk handkerchief and hung it on the hairpin ring, covering her face as a veil.

After tidying up his clothes a little, he walked out of the inner room gracefully.

"Your Majesty, I asked them to prepare the meal. It's almost noon now, and even if Your Majesty isn't hungry, the others must be. Your Majesty always cherishes your subjects, and you are all your trusted servants. Could you bear to let them go hungry?"

Fei Wan walked to the front of the emperor, squatted down, bowed gracefully, and spoke softly.

When several court officials saw the concubine suddenly appear, they immediately bowed their heads and dared not look at her directly.

The emperor was very angry while discussing the matter. He was about to scold Chunling and others who suddenly came in to disturb him, but when he saw Feiwan, he suppressed his anger.

How could I bear to get angry with Zhaoqing?

She is such a gentle and considerate person.

"Zhao Fei, when did you come back?"

Wen Yan had just asked the question, and before Fei Wan had time to answer, a loud voice was heard in the hall.

"Empress Zhao is truly capable. She even knows who the most powerful officials are. To barge into the meeting room and even dare to criticize the officials is meddling in government affairs! Your Majesty, I implore you to punish Concubine Zhao for her presumptuous behavior!"