Huo Qizhou looked around the room but didn't see Shi An. No wonder they were so eager to smear others.
"I guess all of you came to the palace after hearing the rumors this morning. But I just took Miss Yao Er to the Palace of Longevity and Peace. At this moment, Mrs. Yao is chatting with Miss Yao Er. Miss Yao Er seems to be perfectly fine."
"It's good that Miss Yao Er is okay," replied a minister, puzzled by Huo Qizhou's words.
"Then why do you all think that the Empress Dowager must have left the palace secretly?" Huo Qizhou asked with a smile.
The minister was taken aback.
"This..."
"The rumor says that the Empress Dowager took Miss Yao Er out of the palace secretly, which led to Miss Yao Er getting injured. Not to mention that I saw she wasn't injured, and Miss Yao was always with me. So why are you all so sure that the Empress Dowager left the palace secretly?"
At this, people in the Imperial Study began to whisper to each other.
Miss Yao Er had followed the National Master before, which everyone could attest to. Moreover, the National Master had always been at odds with the Shi family, so there was no reason for him to help the Shi family. So, this must be a misunderstanding.
For a moment, everyone's expressions changed.
"For something uncertain, you all came to the palace to question the Empress Dowager just based on rumors. How bold you are!" Ji Heng raised his voice, his childish voice tinged with anger.
"Please forgive us, Your Majesty!" A chorus of voices rang out, and in an instant, a crowd knelt down in front of the imperial desk.
"You are all good ministers of the Great Liang. Instead of caring about the suffering people, you are closely watching every little movement in the court and keeping an eye on the concubines of the late emperor in the harem, looking for any excuse to impeach them. Are you all so idle?"
The young emperor knew how to seize the opportunity to make a point. Huo Qizhou stood quietly on one side, watching.
It seemed that these people came to the palace just for the matter of Shi Muyuan. None of them stood up to ask who had hurt the Empress Dowager of the Great Liang, nor did they notice the case behind this.
Could it be that these shrewd ministers really didn't think of it?
It seemed that someone here was related to the case of the missing girls.
After leaving the Imperial Study, an old man looked at Huo Qizhou with a hostile look and asked, "How have you been lately, National Master?"
Huo Qizhou remained calm: "Why do you ask, Lord Zeng?"
"I just didn't expect that the National Master would speak up for the Empress Dowager."
Shi Muyuan used to have a crazy temper and had caused Huo Qizhou a lot of trouble. It was only recently that she had improved.
"I'm just handling things impartially. I didn't expect that you all would come to the palace because of a rumor and make such a joke."
"What did you say?"
"Isn't it the truth? If Lord Zeng could prove that this was not a rumor, he should have presented the evidence just now for everyone to see."
Zeng Yi was so angry that he didn't know how to prove it!
"If it's false, it's not believable. Otherwise, disturbing the court would lead to big problems."
"The National Master is right," Zeng Yi had no way to refute him and could only leave angrily, waving his sleeves.
It wasn't that he was stupid. He thought that the Shi family was already on the verge of a storm. Even if they didn't perish, they would be thrown into chaos, which would make it easier for him to take action later.
He thought that he and the National Master should be on the same side, but it seemed that the other person didn't think so. Had he missed something?
Yao Yao and Shi An, who had rushed to the palace gate after some small incidents, were already a bit late.
As soon as Yao Yao dismounted, she saw Yao Yunnian and his wife walking among a group of gloomy - faced ministers. Their expressions were not good either. She quickly walked up to them.
"Father, what's wrong? Is something really wrong with my sister?"
The couple exchanged a look, and Mrs. Yao shook her head.
"Then why do you look like this?"
General Yao put his arm around his wife and glanced at Shi An behind her, with obvious disgust in his eyes.
"This is not the place to talk. We'll talk when we get home." Then he led Mrs. Yao towards the waiting carriage.
"Okay," Yao Yao was a bit confused but still obediently followed. As she got into the carriage, she looked back at the tall man standing in place.
Shi An nodded politely to her and then turned to enter the palace gate. Yao Yao licked her lips, retracted her foot, and called out to him.
"General Shi, please wait a moment."
Shi An turned around when he heard the voice. The little girl with a high ponytail was running towards him. Her light - blue sleeved military uniform was even more beautiful than the gorgeous long dresses of those noble ladies. Yao Yunnian behind her was also startled by his daughter's sudden action.
"What else do you need, Miss Yao?"
"Are you going into the palace?"
Shi An frowned slightly. Wasn't it obvious?
Yao Yao seemed to realize that her question was strange. Her fair face blushed: "Ah, no. I mean, I want to ask what you're going to do in the palace now. You're going in after all the ministers have left. It'll only make people suspicious."
"I delayed you, so I just wanted to remind you," Yao Yao added deliberately, afraid that he would misunderstand.
Shi An had already thought of these things, but he still smiled kindly: "Thank you for the reminder, Miss Yao. But aren't these all just rumors? My younger sister has been slandered by rumors, and so many people have gone to cause her trouble. Naturally, I have to go in and take a look."
Yao Yao saw that he didn't seem worried at all along the way and even had the heart to help her.
"Why aren't you afraid?"
"What's there to be afraid of? Everyone is not stupid. The matter of the rumor has not been determined yet. Whether it's true or false depends on people."
"What if it's true?"
Shi An raised his eyebrows: "Why are you so concerned about this matter, Miss Yao?"
Yao Yao knew that she had asked too many questions and smiled awkwardly: "Just curious."
"If it's true, then it's true. Can't the Shi family protect her? Wanyuan is an active - tempered girl. If she really ran out, I wouldn't be surprised, but it's not like her to run out secretly. So I never worried."
"If it's true, the Shi and Yao families may form a feud. The rumors that the Shi family is going to betray the Emperor will become even more rampant. No matter how you look at it, it's not good for the Shi family," Yao Yao stared at him seriously.
The Shi family would become the target of public criticism.
In the end, a servant of the Yao family called Yao Yao back. When Shi An stepped into the palace gate, he couldn't help but look back at the gradually disappearing carriage. His foot didn't seem to hurt so much anymore.
After Huo Qizhou agreed to help Shi Muyuan get rid of those ministers, Shi Muyuan felt much more relaxed. She played shuttlecock with Ji Ling and Ji Huang for a while before sending the two children away.
Not long after, her good brother Shi An also came. Shi Muyuan wasn't surprised. She would have been surprised if Shi An hadn't come.
It was good to be with family. Shi An didn't beat around the bush with her. As soon as he saw her, he directly asked if she had run out to play.
Shi Muyuan didn't want to hide it from him either. After all, she still wanted her good elder brother to help her.