My wife has a secret

Chapter 156 Fiefdom
"Mr. Xu is young and talented, and he has uncovered those who harbored evil intentions for the Great Qi. This generous salary is commensurate with your contribution."

When Empress Gongsun said this, her hair was like a black waterfall, her face was like a jade plate, her eyes were as bright as stars, and her sexy red lips were delicate and tempting.

Moreover, Xu Qing could feel from the other person that the queen's proud temperament had returned a little, but he didn't know what had happened to her.

Seeing Xu Qing remained silent, Empress Gongsun paused for a moment and continued, "Mr. Xu, I came here this time to thank you for your contribution today... I heard that you were injured by a stray arrow on the battlefield today, so I asked me to apply medicine for you."

Isn't this nonsense?

Xu Qing knew clearly that there were not many people who surrendered to the little emperor today, and they were basically all slaughtered by the regular imperial guards, leaving no one alive.

Although he had entered the middle of the field before the fight began and exposed the plot of the young emperor and the White Lotus Sect, he had already retreated in front of the Queen Mother after the Imperial Guards were dispatched, so how could he have been hurt in the slightest?

The only wound on his body was caused by Empress Gongsun hitting him with a candlestick yesterday.

However, Empress Gongsun has now been restored to the throne and is very likely to work for her aunt, so she cannot act recklessly towards her.

Thinking of this, Xu Qing deliberately lowered his voice and asked in a deep voice: "What exactly does the queen want to do? Now that you have returned to the high position, do you want to give Xu a warning?"

It was no wonder Xu Qing thought so. He always felt that Empress Gongsun was a woman with not very smart brains.

What's more, due to her influence, her husband, the only person she could rely on, was forced off a cliff, and now she is left with no one to rely on.

"Mr. Xu is overthinking."

Empress Gongsun burst into laughter when she heard Xu Qing's words, and then she realized that the man in front of her was completely unaware of what happened last night.

She slowly sat down beside Xu Qing, her skin as white as jade, and her slender pink fingers moved up and placed on Xu Qing's thigh.

This sudden ambiguous behavior made Xu Qing dazed and he felt like he was dreaming.

"you……"

Xu Qing slowly raised his head to look at the queen, and suddenly realized that the lady in gorgeous clothes standing so close to him had a very beautiful profile, eyebrows like silk, translucent red lips like crystal clear gems, and a flickering look in her eyes, which added a mysterious charm.

When the imperial city was in turmoil before, Xu Qing, forced by the situation, came up with the idea of ​​using sex to force his opponent.

But I don’t know what’s wrong with this queen. I haven’t provoked her in recent days, but she actually took the initiative to approach me. Is she trying to seduce him with her body?

"Stop."

Seeing that Empress Gongsun's deft fingers were going too far, crossing the line, Xu Qing hurriedly stopped her and said, "Do you know what you are doing? The maid outside the house is the one you brought with you."

After the turmoil in the capital, all the servants in Changle Palace were executed. Empress Gongsun lived in her own palace for a long time. Xu Qing knew that this woman definitely did not have any servants to help her that she could trust.

If these inexperienced palace maids spread what happened in the house, the image of the Da Qi Palace would be ruined, and they would be accused of causing trouble in the harem.

The most important thing is that Xu Qing felt that he already had four beautiful wives at home. Although he hadn't touched one and couldn't touch two, there was no need for him to take such a big risk to have a secret affair with the queen.

Besides, the queen... isn't as pretty and charming as his wife.

"No, if you miss these two days, you won't have a chance."

Seeing Xu Qing's reluctant expression, Empress Gongsun remained calm, lifted her beautiful legs and feet, which were as white as frost and as white as snow, out from under her skirt, and kicked off her shoes.

This scene made Xu Qing's eyes widen.

He was not attracted by the pair of slender and well-proportioned legs under Empress Gongsun's skirt, but by the way she was dressed. It was obvious that she was not wearing any underwear under the gorgeous queen's dress, which revealed a large area of ​​white skin in front of him.

Did she come prepared?
"What do you mean by chance or no chance... Queen, I have to warn you, I, Xu, am a decent woman with a family, don't try to fool me with these tests."

Xu Qing didn't dare to make too much noise, for fear of alarming the maids outside the door and asking them to open the door and see what the queen was doing and hearing.

He lowered his voice and said, "If you have any questions, you can tell me. The previous agreement still stands."

"I don't have a choice."

When Empress Gongsun heard Xu Qing mention the agreement to protect her safety again, she was in a trance for a moment and then came to her senses.

She looked at Xu Qing, smiled bitterly and shook her head.

"As the queen, I cannot leave the palace. You have clearly rejected the position of crown prince and want to leave the palace... In the next ten or twenty years, who can protect me in the deep courtyard of the palace that you can't see or touch?"

This was the first time Empress Gongsun opened her heart to Xu Qing, and then she revealed her true purpose.

"Emperor Xuan died in the early days of the first lunar month. I can only use the title of posthumous son for a few days. I have no choice."

"Posthumous child?"

After listening to this, Xu Qing realized something.

Suddenly, he also figured out the reason.

If Empress Gongsun could successfully conceive at this time, she could simply say that the baby in her belly was Emperor Xuan's posthumous child.

If this child was her own, the Queen Mother, who knew the truth, would not embarrass her, and the old ministers and families who were kept in the dark would also cherish the hope for the future of the Li Qi royal family.

Empress Gongsun could naturally rely on her son's status as a mother to keep her place in the harem.

At least it's better than living in fear and uncertainty about the future.

Taking advantage of the moment when Xu Qing was distracted, Empress Gongsun clenched her white teeth and untied the laces of her dress with one hand.

The empress's phoenix robe was elaborately decorated and had four layers, including the outermost shawl, the most gorgeous and heavy outer garment, the inner lining and the chest-length skirt.

Empress Gongsun took off her bright red waistcoat and outer garment, revealing a yellow and white skirt with gold thread underneath.

Xu Qing saw that his belt was untied by Empress Gongsun, and it was obvious that she was having an affair. He hurriedly reminded her in a low voice: "Empress, you have to think carefully. Once you take this step, there is no turning back."

If this scandal were to be exposed, both Xu Qing and Empress Gongsun would probably be recorded in history books, and would be disgraced and cursed by future generations.

Besides, the queen was in danger, and he, Xu Qing, was not a threat at all. He didn't want to accompany the queen in her madness.

However, the queen's clothes were all taken off in tatters. If she called the maid in now, she wouldn't be able to explain the relationship between the two. Instead, the ministers who were paying homage in the Hanyuan Hall would see everything clearly.

"late."

Empress Gongsun glanced at Xu Qing with her beautiful eyes and asked calmly, "Do you really think that you were just knocked unconscious that night when you were keeping vigil in Hanyuan Palace?"

As soon as she finished speaking, Empress Gongsun untied her belt and lowered her head.

After hearing the key information, Xu Qing stood there in a daze, his mind stuck.

No wonder I always felt something was strange afterwards, it turns out this was the problem.

What made Xu Qing even more embarrassed was that he remembered that night, the little emperor had hidden in his own coffin, preparing to use this method to sneak into the ceremony of offering sacrifices to heaven.

Didn't he hear everything that happened?

But the little emperor was forced to make no sound due to the plan of the Heavenly Sacrifice Ceremony... In this way, the little emperor's look and expression at the ceremony would be justified. Just as Xu Qing figured it out, a sudden stabbing pain spread throughout his body.

Empress Gongsun raised her head and lifted her hair. She parted her red lips and asked softly, "Mr. Xu, when do we start? If we stay here too late, the maid will suspect that we are not changing the medicine and knock on the door."

"How dare you say that!"

Xu Qing pointed at the noisy crowd of officials not far from the door and waved towards Empress Gongsun, indicating that it was not appropriate to move inside the house.

Although the sleeping palaces here are called palaces, except for the residences of the Empress Dowager, the other rooms are not very big, and more like the high-quality guest rooms of an inn in the capital.

If the two of them made any noise, it would definitely lead to unimaginable consequences.

"Don't worry, I know the consequences better than you do. Hurry up... I can bear it."

After Empress Gongsun said this, she stretched out her flawless, long, beautiful legs and gently laid down on the table.

……

A few drops of Bodhi water are poured into the two petals of the red lotus.

……

"I heard that Master Xu will be conferred the title of Marquis of Guangping by the court for his contribution in saving the empress dowager today."

"Yes, we must take this opportunity to visit him and get closer to him."

After paying homage at the Hanyuan Hall, several officials came to Xu Qing's residence together.

However, as soon as they approached here, they realized something was wrong. After all, houses where palace maids stayed were rare, so they thought for a moment that this was not Xu Qing's residence, but the residence of Princess Danyang.

After seeing the pattern on the maid's sleeve, one of the officials realized that she was the maid accompanying the queen. He winked at the other two and whispered, "I heard that the queen knew that Master Xu was injured on the battlefield today, so she came here to apply medicine to him personally."

The other two understood and nodded.

After knowing that the important person in the room was Empress Gongsun, they stood in a row, bowed their heads, and prepared to greet the Empress when she came out of the room.

However, these officials did not think about other things. After all, there were so many eyes watching here in Hanyuan Palace. Who would dare to make any noise here?
It was just that the cold wind outside was biting, and they felt that the queen seemed to have stayed in the house a little too long.

"hiss……"

When Xu Qing's groans of pain were heard from the room, the officials felt that the dressing change process was about to end.

This is obviously the basic step of applying medicine when the wound is painful.

The palace maid at the door felt that the two had been meeting for more than an incense stick of time, and if it was delayed any longer it might lead to rumors, so she prepared to go forward and knock on the door to remind them.

Suddenly, Empress Gongsun, dressed in gorgeous clothes, pushed open the door and walked out.

She has an exquisite appearance and a graceful figure, as soft as a willow. When she appears, she is as light as the wind, making it impossible to take your eyes off her.

At the same time, these officials felt sorry in their hearts. It was a pity for such a beautiful Empress Gongsun. Emperor Xuan never even grew up to be a captain, and such a beautiful and noble woman was turned into a widow in vain.

"Lord Xu, please remember what I asked you to do."

Empress Gongsun looked back at Xu Qing in the room, then marched forward again, walked down the steps with the palace maids in front of the door, and looked at the three people who bowed.

"The Queen is a thousand years old, a thousand years old, a thousand years old."

"Aren't you three officials from the Ministry of Revenue?"

Although Empress Gongsun did not take care of state affairs, she had attended many formal occasions with Emperor Xuan in previous years. She was familiar with the officials who often attended court in the palace, and could remember the identities of the three officials by memory.

The three officials hurriedly bent their waists even deeper, and one of them said quickly, "Your Majesty, I want to give Lord Xu a glimpse of the relevant matters concerning the Guangping fiefdom."

Although under the control of the empress dowager, all dukes and princes had to live in the capital permanently, these fiefs still belonged to their private territories. Once the Ministry of Revenue handed over the list of names of these places, they would have to manage the internal affairs themselves.

Of course, the territories granted by the imperial court were basically buffer zones on the border, or wild and unruly places that were difficult to deal with and refused to be governed.

Important border towns like Dong'an County were relatively good cities and counties that were inherited and developed by the Kang family as a result of their conquests with Emperor Taizu of the Great Qi Dynasty, as they were meritorious servants of the founding of the country.

Since the death of the Prince of Dongwan in battle, the imperial court has regained control over the area.

Empress Gongsun frowned slightly and sneered softly.

How could she not know what the actual situation in Guangping was?

That desolate place is inhabited by foreign races that are extremely hostile to the Han people. This fiefdom is completely useless, let alone providing taxes to Xu Qing. It would be better for him to focus on running the capital.

The officials from the Ministry of Revenue used the excuse of fiefdom to approach Xu Qing, simply wanting to get close to him.

"Well, I know."

Empress Gongsun turned around and ignored the three people, leaving with slow steps.

However, her performance before leaving also made the three people put aside their doubts. They thought that Xu Qing had promised the Queen something, which was why they discussed it for a long time in the house.

After Empress Gongsun walked away, the officials dared to knock twice gently on the closed door frame.

"Who?"

"Mr. Xu, we are Director Zhang, Director Zhao, and Director Xiong from the Ministry of Revenue."

Xu Qing originally thought that so many people standing outside for such a long time must have discovered something. When he heard that three officials from the Ministry of Revenue came to visit him, he glanced at the miserable scene in the room, straightened his clothes, and pushed the door open.

"Mr. Xu is truly a heroic young man. He remains so calm and composed even after being injured."

"Yes, Master Xu is very talented and will surely reach a higher level and achieve great things in the future."

In fact, Xu Qing didn't want to meet these three people, but the empress dowager's maid was not there, and the mess in the room could not be explained, so he had to come forward in person and send the three people away at the door as soon as possible.

"Three masters, why are you here?"

The leader, Zhang, smiled slightly and used the excuse he had just explained to the queen.

"Master Xu, do you know that after you are canonized as Marquis of Guangping tomorrow, you will also have a fiefdom of your own?"

"Oh?"

Xu Qing's eyes and mind, which were originally a little distracted, were immediately attracted by these words and refocused.

In ancient times, there was a huge gap between nobles and merchants and farmers, almost like heaven and earth.

These noble families often own a large amount of arable land, and they can earn a lot of money every year just by renting it out to farmers for cultivation or by having their servants work for them.

(End of this chapter)