Qin Feng claimed that he knew nothing. With a puzzled look on his face, he walked over.
"What's going on? Why were the characters of the Qiang State found in that maid's room?"
Indeed, the country Qin Feng had once belonged to was the Qiang State, a state known for its bravery in battle but lack of strategic acumen. If it hadn't been for his leadership, it would probably have been defeated by the Great Liang long ago.
Now that the most familiar characters had been discovered, it was only natural that he would be the first one to be suspected.
Sure enough, several noble ladies looked at this direction warily.
The husbands of these ladies happened to be the ones who most strongly opposed Qin Feng becoming the Minister of War.
Madam Li certainly wouldn't miss such a good opportunity.
"General Qin just arrived in the Great Liang, and so many problems have arisen. I'm afraid he might be a spy sent by the enemy. In my opinion, Your Majesty the Empress Dowager might as well detain General Qin first and wait for the Emperor's decision."
"Yes, so many things have happened one after another, and now the characters of the Qiang State have been found. If Your Majesty the Empress Dowager doesn't take any action, it might chill the hearts of the people across the country. Actually, people weren't very supportive of General Qin becoming the Minister of War in the first place."
Shi Muyuan rolled her eyes without hesitation. "The matter is still uncertain, and this letter came out of nowhere. Maybe someone is scheming behind the scenes with the intention of making us all suspect General Qin so that he can no longer stay in the Great Liang. You all mustn't let your eyes be blinded by those with ulterior motives."
"Your Majesty the Empress Dowager is wrong. As the saying goes, it's better to be safe than sorry. If Your Majesty doesn't take any action now, the words of the common people will be very unpleasant when it gets out. It will cause unrest among the people, and the Great Liang's territory will also be in turmoil."
The one who said this was Madam Meng, who had always upheld fairness and justice. She had the same attitude as her husband. As long as the Great Liang's territory was not in danger, they didn't care how these people fought. But if anyone dared to endanger the Great Liang's territory, they would never allow it.
If Shi Muyuan could have stalled for time with these people before, now she had to come up with a different idea.
She pursed her lips. "In any case, General Qin is a guest who has come from afar, and at first, he just wanted to help our Great Liang. I can't make a decision on my own. How about we invite the Emperor and the ministers to make a judgment?"
Since the Empress Dowager had spoken, the others had to hold back their objections even if they had any.
To be on the safe side, she directly sent Xiao Xiao to find the young Emperor.
When Xiao Xiao entered the Imperial Study, she happened to find the National Master and Shi An there.
She calmly bowed to them. "Your Majesty, something has happened in the Shoukang Palace. The Empress Dowager would like you to go there in person. If possible, please bring some ministers with you."
Without special permission, the ministers were not allowed to enter the inner palace on weekdays. Everyone knew the rules, so the young Emperor frowned when he heard this.
"I wonder what has happened? Why has Mother gone to such great lengths?"
"It concerns General Qin. Madam Meng has also entered the palace this time. Your Majesty might as well go and have a look with the ministers."
At the mention of those three words, the expressions of the people present changed. They had thought that the matter of the Minister of War had been settled, but unexpectedly, before one wave subsided, another rose.
The young Emperor felt a headache coming on. The matter of the envoys from the Western Regions hadn't been resolved yet. Although the Shi family had stepped in to delay for a few days, it couldn't go on like this forever. He could only helplessly rub his forehead.
"If Mother can handle it, there's no need for me to go. I really don't have a definite idea about General Qin's matter."
Xiao Xiao was also helpless.
"Your Majesty, you'd better go and take a look. The Empress Dowager can't handle it either. Your Majesty knows Madam Meng's personality."
The young Emperor twitched the corners of his mouth. Thinking of how that lady had confronted the late Emperor directly at the banquet, he decided that he had to go.
"There's no need to call anyone else. Just the Eldest Young Master and I will go."
The two of them responded and then followed.
When they arrived at the Shoukang Palace, they found that the situation there was out of control.
The young Emperor coughed lightly, and Fu Lu beside him immediately shouted in a shrill voice, "His Majesty the Emperor is here!"
A group of noble ladies quickly knelt on the ground and said in unison,
"Greetings to Your Majesty."
"Well, I wonder why Mother has urgently summoned me. What has happened?"
When Shi Muyuan saw the young Emperor coming, she finally breathed a sigh of relief and recounted everything that had happened here to him.
"The situation is more or less like this. Now several ladies think that General Qin should be detained."
Almost without thinking, the young Emperor refused.
"General Qin must not be touched. He came from afar and not only helped us solve the problem in the South of the Yangtze River but also wants to serve the Great Liang. Is this how you treat your guests? If word gets out, won't it make others laugh at our Great Liang?"
Madam Li was reluctant to see General Qin go unpunished.
"Your Majesty, we are also considering the safety of the Great Liang's territory."
As soon as she finished speaking, she was immediately mocked.
"When someone attacked the South of the Yangtze River, why didn't Madam Li step forward to share the burden of the people there? You did nothing at that time, but he risked his life to protect the South of the Yangtze River. Now, with just one word from you, all his previous efforts will be in vain. If this happened to you, would you be willing?"
After hearing this, everyone fell silent.
They didn't expect that the young Emperor would actually speak up for General Qin. Did the Emperor really intend to appoint General Qin as the Minister of War?
For a moment, everyone had their own thoughts.
The young Emperor thought it was about time. He rubbed his forehead. "I still have something to do, so I can't accompany Mother for lunch. If you all have any other problems, Mother will handle them. The matter of General Qin is a matter of the court and has nothing to do with you ladies. Do you all want to usurp power?"
As soon as this warning was uttered, everyone immediately knelt on the ground. They also sensed the young Emperor's attitude and had no choice but to swallow their thoughts.
"We obey Your Majesty's order."
This matter was temporarily over. After having lunch with the ladies, Xiao Xiao stepped forward and sent everyone else away, leaving only Concubine Rui and Qin Feng.
Concubine Rui originally wanted to leave, but as soon as she turned around, she was immediately blocked.
Looking at Ziyi in front of her, she always felt that one day, the person in front of her would get out of her control.
However, for the time being, she could still make use of this person. "Sister, what do you mean?"