Shi Muyuan's small face fell. She knew she must never show the slightest bit of good attitude towards this man, or he would be as pushy as he was today.
"Don't bother worrying about me, National Teacher. I heard that men should avoid being too sarcastic, or they might have certain hidden ailments."
As soon as she said this, the man's face instantly darkened. He was well - known for his sarcasm, and combined with Shi Muyuan's casual glance at a certain part just now, even a fool would understand what she meant.
Cui Qizhou let out a cold snort and took two steps back, putting some distance between himself and this woman. He wanted to find a lot of swear words to retort, but his mind was in a whirl, and finally he could only come up with two words.
"Vulgar!"
The woman was almost laughed out by his action, but due to the presence of the young emperor beside her, she held it back.
The young emperor was young and hot - blooded, and their words were too veiled. He looked at the two of them, not quite understanding.
Lan Xi had experienced so many things and naturally understood what they were talking about. He took the initiative to interrupt.
"Empress Dowager, Your Majesty, I'm fully recovered now and can serve the Great Liang Empire."
He couldn't wait to prove his worth in front of the woman and show that he was no worse than anyone else.
Seeing his eagerness, the young emperor frowned slightly. Just then, Qin Feng walked in from outside, so he decided to talk about some things all at once.
"One should never be too hasty. You haven't made any great contributions yet. If I suddenly grant you official positions and let you enter the court, even the common people won't agree."
Yes, when the two were on the opposing side before, they had given the Great Liang Empire a lot of trouble. Those old guys in the court were not so easy to fool.
Fortunately, the two had already prepared: "I heard that the mysterious person this time came from the Western Regions. Your Majesty has almost finished the interrogation, and I suppose the antidote should have been developed. There must be a place for us to be useful."
The young emperor pursed his lips. He hadn't received any news about this yet, so he couldn't give them an answer rashly.
"I'm afraid you'll have to wait a while longer for a definite answer."
"No need, Your Majesty. I can tell you now that the antidote has been developed, but it still lacks a herb called the Hundred - Poison Herb, which can only be found in the Western Regions."
The meaning was obvious. Someone had to go to the Western Regions to fetch the herb.
The two looked at each other and started to argue.
"Your Majesty, please let me go. Lord Lan used to be from the Western Regions. If he goes back now, it's like a tiger returning to its territory. Who knows if he'll bite us back."
Lan Xi was almost infuriated by this remark: "Impossible. I've already decided to serve the Great Liang Empire for the rest of my life. Those things before were just misunderstandings. Your Majesty, don't you trust me?"
"Your Majesty, some people just talk nicely. The most unreliable thing in the world is a person's words. It's the safest for me to go. You can also send someone to supervise me."
Logically speaking, although Qin Feng's words were sharp, they were also true. He wasn't from the Western Regions, so he would surely focus on the task. After a little thought, the young emperor made a decision.
"Then I'll have to trouble General Qin with this matter."
A look of joy appeared on Qin Feng's face. Just as he was about to show off to the people around him, he heard Shi Muyuan speak up.
"Your Majesty, please let Lord Lan go with them. He's familiar with the situation in the Western Regions. This can also be an opportunity to test if Lord Lan is truly loyal to the Great Liang Empire."
No one had ever put the test so openly on the table before, but Lan Xi didn't hesitate.
"The Empress Dowager is right. Your Majesty can take this opportunity to test me."
The young emperor thought it over carefully. Finally, under Qin Feng's dissatisfied gaze, the matter was settled.
The three of them left the residence. Sitting in the sedan chair, the young emperor was a bit puzzled.
"Mother, why did you put the test so openly? If Lord Lan is on guard, won't all our efforts be in vain?"
Shi Muyuan looked at the palace wall, feeling bored.
"We're not afraid even if he's on guard. This trip is mainly to fetch the Hundred - Poison Herb. Testing him is just a bonus."
So that was it. After understanding, the young emperor brought up the person who would accompany them on this trip.
"Mother, who do you think should go with them?"
The woman's gaze naturally fell on the man beside her: "The National Teacher is undoubtedly the best candidate for this trip and also the person Your Majesty can trust the most now."
Cui Qizhou was walking well beside them when suddenly such a big task fell on him. He shook his head and said, "There are still many things waiting for me to handle in the capital. Your Majesty, please send someone else."
"Doesn't the National Teacher want to relieve Your Majesty's burden?"
Cui Qizhou twitched the corner of his mouth. Looking at the woman beside him who seemed to be gloating, he gritted his teeth and said, "Of course not. I'm definitely willing to relieve Your Majesty's burden."
"Since you're willing, then this matter is settled. What do you think, Your Majesty?"
"I think it's good. Then I'll have to trouble the National Teacher to make this trip."
Cui Qizhou's gaze lingered on the woman's smile. Thinking of something, he said to the young emperor.
"I alone surely can't keep an eye on Lord Lan. Lord Lan only seems to listen to Your Majesty and the Empress Dowager. Why don't the Empress Dowager go with us? She can also take care of things then."
Hearing this, the young emperor thought for a while and said hesitantly, "The Empress Dowager is the mother of the nation and the most precious woman in the Great Liang Empire. If she goes with them, what if there's danger on the way?"
Anticipating the young emperor's concern, Cui Qizhou had already prepared his argument.
"Your Majesty has seen my martial arts. And if we let Young Master Shi accompany us, can't we three handle Lord Lan?"
There was some truth in his words. Shi Muyuan was so anxious that it was written all over her face. She didn't want to run around with this man at all.
But the man's consideration wasn't without reason. The young emperor looked at her with expectant eyes.
"Mother, do you think this is feasible?"
She pursed her lips. Could she say it wasn't feasible? A helpless bitter smile hung on her lips.
"If Your Majesty thinks it's feasible, then it is. It's all for the people of the capital."
This meant she had agreed. The young emperor happily finalized the people who would go on this trip.
...
Time passed quickly. To avoid mistakes in identification later, San Qi went with them.
When San Qi appeared at the city gate and saw the large group of people, he felt a headache coming on.
"Do you think this trip is a pleasure trip? It's okay for those men, but the Empress Dowager and Aunt Xiao are women. They don't even have the ability to protect themselves. Are they going to cause trouble?"