The Empress Dowager still couldn't set her mind at ease. So she quickly ordered someone to boil the medicine right away. She wasn't in the mood to listen to Si Junlin. But amidst all the hustle and bustle, she heard Si Junlin say, "Your Majesty, I think since we've just returned from the victorious battle and the harem is empty, we might as well hold a draft. And just now, Your Majesty was worried that without an heir, the foundation of the state might be unstable."
Si Junlin's words really shocked the Empress Dowager. "Lin'er, you want to hold a draft?!"
"Yes. But now that there's no empress in the harem, I'll have to trouble Your Majesty to take care of it." As for the fact that there was no empress in the harem, Si Junlin didn't find it strange at all. When he was the crown prince, he had promised the late emperor that he would stay away from women and study hard. And at that time, the situation was unstable, and any accident could happen. So when he was the crown prince, not only did he not have a crown princess, but he didn't even have a concubine.
Now that the harem was empty, according to the national master, he had held a draft, but then he had dismissed all the concubines in the harem. What exactly had happened?
"Of course, of course. I'll take care of it. Good, good Lin'er. Now that you've figured it out on your own, I can rest assured." The Empress Dowager heaved a long sigh of relief. What she was most worried about was that Si Junlin would dote on only one woman, which might cause chaos in the whole Jin Kingdom. Even more seriously, if Su Wan'er didn't really care about her son, wouldn't it be a pity for her son?
Si Junlin felt that he couldn't say another word now. The matter of the draft had actually involved so many things. He thought this matter was very ordinary in the eyes of the Empress Dowager. Now it seemed that he really had to ask the national master first, otherwise, it would be easy to expose himself.
But the national master had made up his mind to deal with Gu Jingtian first. And he thought his idea was very clever. Although it was a bit shameless, as long as he could deal with this person properly, everything would be fine in the future.
At this time, Si Junlin sent someone to hurry him into the palace.
I wonder why Your Majesty is in such a hurry to call this old official here. Is there something urgent? The miraculous medicine in my home hasn't been prepared properly yet. Although this medicine is common, I'm very interested in this kind of thing and dare not entrust it to others. So I plan to do it myself.
Fortunately, he had come to the capital. Most of the common medicinal materials could be bought, which saved the time of collecting herbs.
Si Junlin sent all the servants out.
"Although the national master explained a lot that day, why didn't you mention a single word when you were in the palace? I almost let it slip when I was talking to the Empress Dowager today."
Only then did the national master know the reason, so he also hurriedly asked, "What did Your Majesty say?"
"At that time... it doesn't matter. But why was the Empress Dowager so surprised when she heard about the draft? Didn't the Empress Dowager always persuade me to hold this event earlier?" Si Junlin meant that he hoped the national master would explain everything clearly to him.
But the national master thought it would be difficult to handle if he explained this matter clearly. Could he tell the emperor and the marshal about their past now? But after all, they had forgotten. Even if he explained it clearly now, the two of them would still be embarrassed and even drift apart. It would be better to let nature take its course.
"Maybe... the Empress Dowager was shocked by Your Majesty's dismissal of the harem. After all, in the eyes of the Empress Dowager, the harem is very important."
Si Junlin was obviously not satisfied with the national master's vague answer, so he impatiently asked, "Then may I ask, Your Majesty, why did I dismiss the harem back then?"
"This... this happened when I was traveling. I'm not very clear about the specific reason."
Si Junlin wondered why the national master didn't want to tell him the truth. So if the national master took the position of prime minister in the court now, the hearts of the people in the court would surely be at ease. But if he told him everything, wouldn't it be a perfect solution?
"Then may I ask if this matter has anything to do with Marshal Su?"
The national master frowned tightly, as if he had been hit in the vital point. "Your Majesty only needs to know that General Su once served as the empress. But it's natural that a daughter from a military family serving as the empress is just as Your Majesty thought. She was just forced to be selected to contain the Su family."
Si Junlin was surprised. Did Su Wan'er once serve as the empress? Su Wan'er was only twenty years old. But then he thought that the girls in the draft were usually fifteen or sixteen years old. And at that time, all the members of the Su family were high - ranking military officers. They really needed someone to enter the palace to contain them. In this way, could it be that Su Wan'er had directly entered the palace and was named the empress?
But why was the harem dismissed? Could it be that Su Wan'er was also dismissed from the palace when the harem was dismissed? And then she joined the army and became a marshal?
Seeing that Si Junlin wanted to ask more, the national master thought he couldn't say too much about this matter, so he hurriedly pleaded, "Your Majesty, this old official has some trivial matters at home. Although they are small, they are very urgent. Please send someone to send this old official back."
When he came, he originally planned to come in a sedan chair. Who knew that as soon as he left home, there was a tall horse waiting for him. He thought Your Majesty was in such a hurry for something really urgent. It turned out that it was just to ask about this matter.
"The national master just came to the capital. What are you busy with? Didn't we agree that you would take the position of prime minister tomorrow in court?"
"Yes. So tomorrow this old official will devote himself to state affairs. Today... no one is a saint. Everyone has their own selfishness. Please grant this old official a day off so that I can deal with some private matters."
Since the national master had said so much, Si Junlin naturally didn't stop him.
But he didn't know that the private matters the national master mentioned were actually busy going home to prepare the medicine.
The national master sent someone to invite Qingcao to his mansion again. This time, he met her in the main hall and even served a cup of hot tea.
Qingcao was surprised but still trembled as she accepted it. Now she had a very disgusted feeling towards the national master. What he said last time was simply nonsense.
"Miss Qingcao will be the general's wife in a few days. You deserve such treatment."
"National master, don't say anymore. I won't agree to you."
"No, you must agree. This is not only helping me." The national master knew her resistance, but now was not the time for her to resist.
"You should know that His Majesty has summoned me to the palace today. The Empress Dowager has already seen the clue. And I've watched His Majesty grow up. He should be a person who puts state affairs first. But he dismissed the harem for the marshal. If one day he remembers but finds that the marshal has already married someone else, do you think there won't be any trouble?"
Qingcao was struggling in her heart, but she still didn't plan to agree. After all, this kind of thing, even in such a situation, was not a good thing.
Moreover, not to mention herself in the future, how could this make General Gu behave?