After tearing up the script of the vicious female supporting role, I cleaned up the Xiangfu every da

"It's been many years since I've had any guests come to this place."

There was a hint of emotion in his calm tone, without any tension or worry about someone intruding silently.

As Miss Zhao Qing finished speaking, the nanny who had been standing by her side with her head down and serving her obediently suddenly walked behind her, touching the soft sword on her waist with one hand and looking around vigilantly.

She didn't feel any presence approaching, and the numerous guards, both overt and covert, didn't notice, but she trusted her instincts.

Perhaps it was these words that reminded him that Pei Zhanzhou came to his senses and restrained his emotions.

Feeling that the gaze falling on him had disappeared, Zhao Qing closed his eyes again, turned the Buddhist beads and continued to chant.

She didn't seem to care at all whether it was her illusion or not, nor did she care whether the person who had sneaked in quietly had already left or had other purposes.

It was as if the habit of chanting scriptures and worshiping Buddha for many years had made her indifferent to everything, including her own life.

But Jiang Wansang didn't believe that the emotion he saw when she opened her eyes was an illusion.

She looked at Pei Zhanzhou and saw that he had suppressed all his emotions and jumped out on tiptoe.

Jiang Wansang followed closely behind.

Seeing the two people who suddenly appeared, Nanny immediately drew the soft sword from her waist, "Who are you?"

They were able to avoid so many guards and enter the meditation room. If it weren't for the fact that the nanny was unusually sharp, she would not have discovered the traces of these two people at all. The nanny had to be alert.

But the two people in front of him showed no hostility at all, and even saluted respectfully, "Jiang Wansang (Pei Zhanzhou) greets Zhao Qing Queen."

The two men only said their own names, indicating that they came today to represent only themselves.

These two names are quite well-known in the imperial city, and Zhao Qing Palace naturally knows who they are.

The sound of chanting stopped.

After a moment of silence, Miss Zhao Qing said, "Aunt Chang, please step back."

The nanny holding the soft sword immediately put away her weapon and stood aside, but she still looked at the two uninvited guests with a vigilant look and her hands were always on her waist.

Zhao Qing nun sat still on the futon, her back to the two of them. "I have been worshipping Buddha for many years and have not seen outsiders for a long time. I am afraid that Miss Jiang and Master Pei have come to the wrong place. Please go back."

She clearly expressed her refusal, and it was obvious that she didn't want to interfere no matter what the two people were going to say.

Pei Zhanzhou had guessed this reaction before he arrived, and he didn't keep her in suspense. "When the Queen handed power to the Emperor, she asked him to swear to heaven that he would always put the people first while on the throne. I wonder if the Queen still feels the same way now?"

Zhao Qing didn't say anything, but something was surging in those calm eyes.

When she asked the emperor to swear to the sky, she didn't hide from others, but only those around them knew about it.

Considering Pei Zhanzhou's age, how did he know about this?

Everyone knew that Master Pei was the emperor's confidant, but Empress Zhaoqing knew her brother's temperament very well, and no matter how trusted his confidant was, he would never talk about such things.

After a long while, Zhao Qing finally stood up from the futon and looked at Pei Zhanzhou calmly, "Master Pei, if you have anything to say, please speak directly."

Pei Zhanzhou stared at Zhao Qing*** for a while, then took out the information about Shengzhou that he had prepared in advance.

Aunt Chang took it and passed it to Zhao Qing after confirming that there was no problem.

Originally, there was no expression on Zhao Qing's face, but after seeing the contents of the document, his brows furrowed deeply, and his eyes were filled with anger.

For the sake of his own official reputation, he increased taxes even though he knew that the people were living in dire straits. When a flood occurred, he did not think about how to help the people tide over the difficulties, but only thought about blocking the news and locking people in the city.

Even if these materials did not specify the situation of the people in Shengzhou, Zhao Qing*** could imagine how many people would die in vain due to the decisions made by those useless people!

After a long moment, she snorted coldly, "Oh, the Third Prince is really great!"

It was no secret that Shengzhou was under the jurisdiction of the Third Prince, but Shengzhou was not wealthy and there was nothing special about it, so most people would not pay any attention to it.

Zhao Qing ***, who lived in Puding Temple all year round and never left the house during the New Year and other festivals, was able to tell at once that Shengzhou was the territory of the Third Prince. Even with just the little information she had, she knew that the Third Prince must have known about it but kept it secret, which was enough to prove that she was not really oblivious to what was happening outside.

Originally, Jiang Wansang was worried that it would be difficult to persuade someone who had been out of touch with worldly affairs for more than 20 years and had voluntarily stayed away from the court to re-enter and even compete for that position.

Zhao Qing*** did not fight for such a good situation more than 20 years ago, so the possibility of fighting for it now should be very slim.

But judging from her current reaction, this possibility is not small at all.

Since Emperor Zhaoqing had such ambitions, why did he give up back then?

Jiang Wansang was lost in thought, and Zhao Qing, who was sitting opposite him, also calmed down.

She handed the information in her hand to Chang Gu beside her and looked directly at Pei Zhanzhou, "Shouldn't Master Pei give these things to the emperor? Why did you give them to this poor nun?"

Pei Zhanzhou looked him in the eye calmly. "Who do you think will be the first person the emperor considers after learning about Shengzhou's situation, the people of Shengzhou, or the Third Prince?"

One is his own son whom he has trained for many years and who can compete with the crown prince of the dynasty; the other is a commoner who has surrendered to him and whom he has never even met. The balance was tilted from the beginning.

If it was before, Pei Zhanzhou might not have asked so directly, because the emperor had sworn an oath to heaven in front of Miss Zhaoqing.

But he also realized that Miss Zhaoqing had not really trapped herself in Puding Temple for the past twenty years. She might know as much about the outside world as the ministers in the court.

It was just because of some concerns that she didn't go to see the emperor.

Faced with this question, Zhao Qing *** remained silent.

Although the emperor's younger brother has not made any great contributions in recent years, he has not committed any major faults either.

When he encountered various problems over the years, he truly put the people first, and he could be considered a good monarch by the people.

But the court he had built over the past twenty years was a rotten one full of termites.

A mere corruption case in Jianzhou has implicated so many registered officials of the Kingdom of Nansu. Half of the list has not been found yet, and it is still unknown how many ministers are involved.

No matter how beneficial the decisions made by her royal brother are to the country and the people, with this group of parasites around, the benefits will never truly fall on the people. What's more, the things he encountered in the past were not like this time, involving a prince with a strong background.

So when faced with Pei Zhanzhou's question, Zhao Qing knew that he couldn't answer it.

Jiang Wansang stood by without saying a word from beginning to end, but she could feel Zhao Qing's hesitation.

If it is shaken, it is a good sign.

Although Jiang Wansang didn't know why Pei Zhanzhou called her along today, the purpose of their trip was very clear.

Since *** has always attached great importance to the common people, if you want to convince her, you naturally have to start with the common people.

"If the government doesn't help, the people of Shengzhou might be facing a worse situation than they are now."