The sun rose in the east.
The sunlight today was exceptionally warm.
The ruler of the country had been busy all night.
It was not until dawn the next day that he walked out of the imperial study.
Exhausted from overwork,
he fainted just a few steps away from the imperial study.
As a result,
the morning court session was cancelled.
When the imperial physicians arrived, they felt the ruler's pulse and said that he was mentally and physically exhausted. The physicians looked grim, and no one knew exactly what illness he had.
All they heard was that the ruler needed to rest for a few days before he could resume handling state affairs.
The news that the ruler had contracted a serious illness
somehow spread outside the palace.
Inside the Prime Minister's Mansion,
a man sat upright in the main hall. Perhaps he had stayed up all night, for there were deep dark circles under his eyes.
"No morning court today?"
"Yes, Prime Minister. That's right."
So, the leave - taking memorial he had prepared today was now useless.
"Prime Minister, do you think we should take this opportunity?"
Qi Huan shot a glare at the speaker.
Then he said, "The ruler is ill. As his subject, I should visit him. However, my health has also been deteriorating. If my old illness flares up again, I'm afraid I won't be able to visit the ruler in the palace."
"I understand, sir."
Qi Huan got up and walked towards the door.
His vision went dark, and he almost fainted.
He had been overworked these days. It seemed that he also needed a good rest after dealing with this matter.
"Prime Minister, are you all right?"
"I'm fine."
Qi Huan looked at the rising sun.
It shone brightly.
The Kingdom of Cangwu was full of vitality again.
It seemed that
the pressure he had incited on the various families in Cangwu these days had finally paid off.
He knew that
with Gu Zhiruo's delicate appearance, his health must be poor.
Looking effeminate, he didn't seem like a person who could handle important matters.
Such a minor setback had scared the ruler of a country like this. It would be a laughingstock among other countries.
However, Gu Zhiruo's illness came at just the right time, fitting Qi Huan's intentions perfectly.
An old gray - haired man stepped forward and reminded him, "My lord, you'd better be more cautious. I think the ruler's illness at this time is rather suspicious."
Qi Huan turned around and retorted, "You're worrying too much. Do you think I found out about the ruler's serious illness by chance? The imperial physician who diagnosed the ruler is an old acquaintance of my father. He has a deep connection with our Qi family. The news he sent personally can't be false."
Qi Huan was really well - connected.
Even in the Imperial Hospital,
there were people from his Qi family.
Hearing this, the old gray - haired man thought he was just being overly worried.
Doing this kind of thing was like tying one's head to one's belt. It was a gamble of life.
If successful,
the family would shine brightly and enjoy eternal glory.
If failed,
the family would be spurned and left with a bad reputation for generations.
Qi Huan's face lit up with great joy.
At this time, someone came to report.
"Prime Minister, it is said that Miss Xu is back."
"Yue'er is back? So soon?"
Qi Huan paced around the room twice, then returned to his master bedroom and changed into a white robe. He then ordered his servants to prepare the carriage and said that he was going to the Grand Tutor's Mansion.
Xu Yue'er was a well - known beauty in the Flower Capital.
She was fifteen years younger than Qi Huan.
When Xu Yue'er was born, Qi Huan was studying in the private school run by the Grand Tutor. At that time, Qi Huan had even held Xu Yue'er in his arms.
The wrinkled little girl had grown into a beautiful young woman day by day.
Every time Qi Huan saw Xu Yue'er, he always felt as if he was seeing Mei Feixuan from back then.
They were both highly talented and well - known in the Flower Capital.
It was a pity.
He had met Mei Feixuan first and got to know her first. However, the sudden appearance of Gu Zhiruo had intervened, and the marriage between the Mei family and the Qi family had fallen through.
He had planned to propose marriage to the Grand Tutor's family that winter, for Mei Feixuan had been living in the Grand Tutor Xu's house since her family's decline.
When he arrived that day,
he saw a group of extremely imposing soldiers standing in front of the Xu's house.
Beside them,
there were many large red wooden boxes with red silk balls on them.
Qi Huan wasn't stupid.
At a glance,
he knew that someone was here to propose marriage to Mei Feixuan.
If it were someone else, he could still compete with them.
But this time,
it was the Imperial Guards.
Walking at the front was the commander of the Imperial Guards.
It was Gu Zhiruo who had come to propose marriage.
He had given Mei Feixuan all the pomp that a queen - mother should have. Originally, he could have simply issued an imperial edict to summon Mei Feixuan into the palace to serve him, but Gu Zhiruo had given Mei Feixuan the dignity of a common - folk wedding.
On that day,
Qi Huan had returned to the Qi Mansion dejectedly.
Gu Zhiruo was the ruler,
and he was a subject.
No matter what he did,
he was always inferior.
If Gu Zhiruo also took a fancy to something he liked, all he could do was to give it up and offer his blessings.
Qi Huan was not convinced.
Why?
The Qi family had served the Kingdom of Cangwu for generations.
Generations of loyal subjects.
But now, they still had to give up their love?
Qi Huan's personality had changed since then.
Now,
he had taken over his father's position.
He was already the prime minister of the Kingdom of Cangwu, second only to the ruler. Gu Zhiruo, as the ruler of the Kingdom of Cangwu, valued and cherished talents. It could be said that he appreciated the Qi family's efforts to protect the Kingdom of Cangwu.
Therefore,
he had done his best to give the Qi family all the honors that a ruler could give.
Qi Huan lifted the curtain of the carriage.
Thinking that he was about to see Xu Yue'er, his mood became more pleasant.
It was well - known that the Qi family and the Xu family had close contacts. But Qi Huan only said publicly that Grand Tutor Xu was his teacher who had taught him knowledge. Now that he was in a high position, he couldn't forget the teacher's kindness.
So the contacts between their two families,
in the eyes of the people in the Flower Capital,
were a good story.
But no one knew that
since Xu Yue'er had grown into a young woman, Qi Huan's purpose for visiting the Grand Tutor had become stronger.
Xu Yue'er actually didn't like Qi Huan.
She only respected Qi Huan as the prime minister of the country and her father's student, so when she saw him, she would always politely address him as Lord Qi.
The world said that the current prime minister was highly talented and had high moral integrity.
But for some reason,
every time Xu Yue'er saw the way Qi Huan looked at her, she always felt uncomfortable, as if there were thorns on her back.
Qi Huan also took good care of her.
However, everyone thought that it was just the care of an elder for a junior, and nothing else.
After the carriage escorting Xu Yue'er and the others arrived at the Grand Tutor's Mansion, it slowly stopped at the door.
Zhao Shuning also stretched and got up from the soft couch in the carriage.
For some reason,
lately,
she seemed to be getting more and more sleepy and often felt extremely tired.
"Senior, we're here. Would you like to come into the mansion with me? My father will surely welcome you very much."
Zhao Shuning yawned and was about to decline when
a rather excited male voice came from outside.
"Yue'er is back? Why didn't you tell me in advance? I could have sent someone to pick you up."
The voice was strong and powerful,
not like the voice of Grand Tutor Xu, Yue'er's father.
Hearing this,
Xu Yue'er's heart skipped a beat.
She immediately felt uneasy.