The widow becomes a fairy, and the time-traveling girl counterattacks and becomes the queen

When the Empress Dowager spoke of the Crown Prince, she became noticeably more worried. Her eyes reddened as she spoke, "I absolutely do not believe Xuan'er would do such a foolish thing. Don't worry, I've already asked the Emperor to thoroughly investigate this matter. I believe the truth will soon be revealed. You are now the magistrate of Nanhu County. If you discover Xuan'er's whereabouts, please be sure to tell me and ensure his safety."

"Yes, Auntie, if I find my cousin the Crown Prince, I will do my best to protect him, even if it means losing my own life!" Luo Qing bowed respectfully again.

"Silly child, you and Xuan'er are equally important in Grandmother Empress's eyes. I will let you both live well!" The Empress Dowager smiled and continued, "Do you really plan to stay in Nanhu County forever? The girl from the Ouyang family is still waiting for you. If you marry her, it will be a great help to you. I heard that this girl is a martial arts prodigy and has reached the level of a Grandmaster at such a young age. With her by your side, your safety will be better guaranteed!"

Ouyang Ping, the daughter of Prime Minister Ouyang Heng, had been engaged to Luo Qing since childhood. However, girls develop faster, and when the two families met, Luo Qing was often beaten black and blue by her. She once threatened, "I'll beat you every time I see you. I'll scare you so that you won't dare bully me after we get married!"

From then on, Luo Qing's heart was overshadowed by her. He was fearless, but he was only afraid of Ouyang Ping. When they reached marriageable age, the parents of both families begged the emperor to grant them a marriage without Luo Qing's knowledge. However, Luo Qing disobeyed the imperial edict, and the emperor, in a rage, demoted him to the impoverished Nanhu County, where he became a seventh-rank official!

"Aunt, please let me go. She is a typical tigress. I dare not marry her!" When he heard Ouyang Ping's name, his legs went weak.

The Empress Dowager still refused to give up: "Qing'er, girls change a lot when they grow up. Ouyang Ping is different now than she was when she was little! Why don't you consider it?"

"Grandma Imperial Aunt, don't mention her. Hurry up and eat the chestnuts I brought you. They are really delicious, definitely better than any snacks you have eaten before!" Luo Qing didn't want to discuss this topic anymore, so he urged.

"Chestnut?" It was the first time that the Empress Dowager heard this name. It smelled quite fragrant. Seeing that Luo Qing really didn't want to talk about Ouyang Ping, she gave up.

So, she followed Luo Qing's advice and removed the shell. She had never tasted such a crisp and refreshing feeling before.

At this moment, a scream was heard: "The Emperor has arrived!"

The emperor came and everyone knelt on both sides.

"Your Majesty, I am Luo Qing, your servant. I pay my respects to the Emperor!" Luo Qing immediately knelt down as well.

"Luo Qing, how dare you return to Beijing without my decree?" Emperor Zhao Guoan was a little surprised when he heard Luo Qing's voice, and he said sternly.

The Queen Mother noticed that the atmosphere was not right and immediately said, "An'er, there are no outsiders here, don't scare the child!"

"Greetings, Madam!" Zhao Guoan immediately bowed, then continued, "Madam, please stop pampering him. Look at what he's become. How is that girl from the Ouyang family unworthy of him? She's got the looks, the ability, and a good family background. Yet, she dared to disobey your order and refuse to marry him. I'm doing you a favor by not chopping off his head."

"Your Majesty is teaching me that I felt I was not worthy of the girl, so I disobeyed your order!" Luo Qing put his head on the ground.

"An'er, you have been punished, so let's forget about this matter. Look, this is what Qing'er brought me. Try it, it tastes really good!" The Queen Mother handed a few chestnuts to Zhao Guoan.

Zhao Guoan said "hmm" to Luo Qing and started eating the chestnuts. They tasted really good. So, he said, "Stop kneeling. Get up!"

"Thank you, Your Majesty!" Luo Qing stood up immediately. It was very cold and the ground was really cold. His feet were numb from kneeling.

If there are three people that Luo Qing fears the most in his life, the first is Ouyang Ping, the second is the emperor, and the third is his cousin the prince.

The emperor watched him stand up, glanced at him coldly, and said, "You returned to the capital without permission. Did you only remember to bring delicious food for your imperial aunt and didn't even think of bringing anything for me?"

The weather was obviously very cold, but Luo Qing was already sweating profusely. He immediately bowed and said, "Your Majesty, I have brought it to you as well!"

As he spoke, he took out a small bag of chestnuts from the bag and presented it respectfully.

"That's all!" The emperor was not very satisfied.

"Your Majesty, this is really all I have! I got it with great difficulty!" It was saved with great difficulty!

Luo Qing added, "Although there isn't much data on chestnuts, I've found another longevity-promoting dish for the Imperial Aunt and the Emperor!"

After saying that, Luo Qing took out the python meat from his pocket.

"What is this?" The Queen Mother was a little surprised.

"Python meat?" The emperor had seen a lot, after all. "So thick? Could this snake be a spirit?"

"Yes, it is the meat of a snake that has become a spirit, so it can prolong life year after year. This is also the reason why I am willing to rush back to the capital at full speed despite the risk of being punished by you. If I delay, I am afraid the meat will not be fresh anymore." Luo Qing said immediately.

"You are so thoughtful!" The emperor's expression finally eased.

"Your Majesty and the Imperial Auntie probably haven't had their meal yet. I will go and make it for you myself right now!" Luo Qing immediately seized the opportunity.

"Oh? And you do it yourself. You can cook too? It seems that the distribution is correct this time." The emperor hummed coldly.

The Empress Dowager's face was filled with pity, and she muttered to herself, "How much suffering has this child endured outside? He even has to cook for himself!"

"Yes, sir, I'll do it right now!" After Luo Qing finished speaking, he went to the private kitchen of Kunning Palace under the guidance of the housekeeper.

The Empress Dowager and the Emperor were so surprised that Luo Qing could cook that they followed him.

Luo Qing started to make snake soup in the kitchen according to Wang Xinyao's previous steps. When he saw the emperor and the empress dowager also walked into the kitchen, the corners of his mouth raised slightly.

Soon, the aroma filled the entire kitchen. Luo Qing took out the small bag of salt he had taken from Wang Xinyao and sprinkled it evenly into the soup. The snake soup was finally ready.

"Your Majesty, Grand Auntie, please enjoy!" Luo Qing poured two bowls of snake soup and respectfully handed them to the two people sitting next to the table.

The Empress Dowager took it immediately and was about to drink it when the Emperor asked, "What are those white and thin things you just put in there?"

"Your Majesty, those are well water salt!" Luo Qing bowed.

"Well water salt?" The emperor was angry.

The eunuch beside him immediately screamed: "Come here, someone wants to harm the emperor!"

"Luo Qing, you are so bold! First you disobeyed my order, then you plotted to kill me. Do you really think I dare not kill you?" At this moment, the emperor stood up and shouted angrily, "Come here, drag him out and chop him off immediately!"

Luo Qing's clothes on the back were all wet. At the moment when the guards were about to rush up, he immediately picked up the snake soup that the emperor had placed on the table and drank it in one gulp.

He really missed the taste of this python meat. If it weren't for the fact that the salt refining method could benefit the country and the people, he wouldn't want to give away such delicious python meat.

"Qing'er, don't drink it, it's poisonous..." The Queen Mother came to her senses from her shock and immediately tried to stop him, but Luo Qing had already drunk the soup.

"Qing'er, why are you doing this? We won't force you to marry Ouyang Ping anymore. Don't joke with your life!" The Queen Mother immediately said in a deep voice to the guards who rushed over. "All of you, step back!"

At this moment, she looked several years older, but this was her brother's only grandson!

The guards looked at each other in confusion. At this time, the emperor waved his hand and the guards all went out.

Luo Qing was still savoring the aroma in his mouth, but when he saw the empress dowager's sad face, he immediately knelt down and said, "Grandma, I'm sorry to have worried you. It's my fault for being unfilial. Don't worry, this thing is not poisonous. My life is precious!"

"Well water salt is non-toxic? How is that possible?" The emperor was no longer calm.

"Your Majesty, I have been eating this kind of salt recently. It can be refined through special methods and has been confirmed to be non-toxic. You see, I have just drunk this soup and I am not poisoned!" After saying this, Luo Qing turned around a few times.

The aroma still lingered in the kitchen, making everyone feel refreshed. The Empress Dowager didn't believe Luo Qing would harm her, so she took the bowl and took a few sips, praising it non-stop: "It's delicious, delicious! I feel younger. It really has the effect of prolonging life!"

"Yes, the dishes made with this well salt taste extremely delicious, much better than the official salt." Luo Qing said again.

The emperor was still skeptical, so he ordered the imperial physician to come and check.

After a careful examination, the imperial physician reported to the emperor, "Your Majesty, Lord Luo is indeed safe and sound. According to my humble observation, this well salt is indeed non-toxic."

After hearing this, the emperor's eyes flashed with surprise. Seeing that the empress kept saying that it was delicious, he asked someone to bring him a bowl. Unexpectedly, the taste was simply amazing.

The emperor was very pleased and began to ask Luo Qingna about his method of refining well salt.

Luo Qing explained it in detail and also stated Wang Xinyao's request.

The emperor pondered for a moment and said, "Come here, draft an edict immediately. Order Nanhu County to select a large site for the construction of a saltworks. This matter will be fully entrusted to County Magistrate Luo Qing. He will be granted the Imperial Sword and ordered to execute anyone who hinders the construction of the saltworks without further notice. All matters must be carried out in accordance with Wang Xinyao's instructions. In addition, she will be awarded another 1,000 taels of gold."

"Order the Prime Minister's daughter Ouyang Ping to immediately select 10 guards from the female guard team to accompany her to Nanhu County to protect the safety of the county magistrate Luo Qing throughout the journey, so that the work of the salt field can be carried out smoothly without any mistakes." The emperor then issued another imperial decree. He looked at Luo Qing with a threatening look, and his eyes did not allow Luo Qing to refuse.

The Women's Guard is the only team composed of women in the Xia Kingdom, and its main responsibility is to protect the safety of the Empress Dowager.

"Your Majesty, I obey your order and thank you for your grace!" Luo Qing didn't dare to resist, as long as he was not forced to marry Ouyang Ping!