When all the guests in the courtyard heard Qiu Quzi's shout, they immediately bowed their heads and knelt down.

No one dared to look up, except Lu Zhaoyi, who looked at her as if he didn't hear.

The Lu family in Hebei and the Cai family in Guanzhong were both powerful families in the previous dynasty. Who in the government and the public would not know?

These two aristocratic families were once the ones that Duke Wu tried his best to win over.

But with the beginning of the new dynasty, these old-school big families were no longer a concern, and Lord Cai Zheng was nothing more than a puppet used by Duke Wu and Xia Pei to manipulate the family lineage.

The so-called daughter of the Cai family, Cai Guibin, will be under the control of Xia Pei all her life and cannot extricate herself.

When you think about it, it's quite pitiful.

"You should be Mrs. Lu, right?"

Cai Zhengjun looked at the lady who dared to look at him, and couldn't help but be stunned. Immediately, her expression became very strange.

Lu Zhaoyi hummed, "As a member of the harem, it's hard to believe that your concubine can leave the palace so easily."

"You are brave!"

A palace maid suddenly scolded her. Just as she was about to retort, she saw Qu Qiniang beside her, her eyes widening.

"Why is she here with you?"

Qu Qiniang next to her was trembling all over, probably because she was scared, but Lu Zhaoyi reached out and held her hand to comfort her.

Raising her eyes, she pretended to be innocent, "You mean Qu Qiniang? She is superb in martial arts and is my personal protector. Could it be that she is loved by your concubine?"

The palace maid was so angry that she wanted to curse, but Cai Zhengjun raised her hand to stop her.

Lu Zhaoyi knew that they did not dare to reprimand him face to face, otherwise it would be true that they wanted to assassinate him.

Similarly, she also wanted to see Cai Zhengjun's reaction after learning that she had instigated Qu Qiniang's rebellion.

But without giving him much chance, another person came through the door, and it was Xia Pei who was wearing regular clothes. He was very handsome and graceful. He must have come on the same road as Cai Zhengjun.

He glanced at everyone, and finally landed on Lu Zhaoyi. A hint of approval flashed in his eyes, and it disappeared in an instant.

When everyone learned that His Majesty was coming in person, they immediately wanted to throw themselves into the ground.

And Lu Zhaoyi had to kneel down to greet him.

"Just now, Madam Lu questioned, as a member of the harem, how can I leave the palace?"

Doesn’t it make sense?”

With these words, Lu Zhaoyi lost all face and found an excuse to be disrespectful to the noble concubine.

Lu Zhaoyi didn't show it on his face, but he was thinking secretly in his heart, why is this Xia Pei everywhere?

If we talk about the previous few times, Xia Pei was protecting her, but this time, he actually put her on the shelf and roasted her alive.

In the corner, Qiu Quzi was kneeling upright, with his head on the ground, motionless, but after Xia Pei said the last word, he suddenly raised his voice.

"My lord, thank you for your majesty's grace! I am not talented, but your majesty comes to your house in person. I am so honored and frightened that I will go to pieces to repay heaven's grace!"

Lu Zhaoyi smiled slightly, and she suddenly realized that she should have had no contact with Qiu Quzi in the past, but she just spoke in time, apparently to thank Tianen, but actually to help herself out.

What is this Qiu Quzi thinking in his heart?

Xia Pei's face turned gloomy, but there was still a smile on his face, "Qiu Qing, you have served the imperial court all these years and have made great contributions, but I have also suffered a lot from you."

These words were said in a gentle and elegant manner, which fully demonstrated the ability of Xia Pei's imperial minister.

"Your concubine!" He turned to look at Cai Zhengjun again, "If you continue to stay in the front yard, I'm afraid these guests won't dare to raise their heads. Why don't you go to the back yard first?"

As soon as he finished speaking, Cai Zhengjun looked away from Lu Zhaoyi and towards Xia Peifu, looking shy and pretentious.

As soon as she left, everyone in the front yard looked up one by one.

But at this moment, Xia Pei blurted out his next sentence, and all the guests were so frightened that they kowtowed again and wished they could stuff themselves into holes in the ground.

"Isn't Madam Lu also a woman? After becoming a palace minister, have you forgotten the etiquette that you should abide by and dare to sit and drink with a group of men in the front yard?"

The emperor's words were shocking and shocking, and even made Lu Zhaoyi stunned.

What is this for?

Do you look down on yourself? Or are you deliberately criticizing me?

At this moment, she was filled with anger, but she could only hold it in her heart, and she was even more dismissive of Xia Pei.

But what she didn't know was that she was only concerned about her own displeasure, and she couldn't see his expression even when she lowered her head.

Although he was the emperor, he showed a sadness that was not noticed by others, and even looked very embarrassed.

Everyone was shocked and fell silent for a moment, their heads buried deeper.

"Why are you still standing there? Do you want my concubine to invite you to the backyard?" Xia Pei's face turned cold and his voice became cold and hard.

Lu Zhaoyi looked calm, bowed to Xia Pei first, and then took Qu Qiniang to the backyard of Qiu's house.

Along the way, Qu Qiniang's legs were shaking, and her heart was filled with panic and uneasiness.

"I thought you people in the world were not afraid of anything!" Lu Zhaoyi looked at her and teased her.

Qu Qiniang's cheeks turned red, she felt aggrieved, and she had something to say but couldn't say it out.

Looking at this appearance, she knew that this girl was quite proud, so she turned around and continued with her to the backyard of Qiu's house.

After walking a few steps and just passing through the courtyard, she saw Cai Zhengjun and the palace maid walking out. She couldn't help but stop and looked at Cai Zhengjun, with a flash of coldness in her eyes.

"I didn't expect to see you again so soon."

She didn't notice Lu Zhaoyi's eyes, with a smile on her face and a familiar look on her face, she saluted the person in front of her.

"What are you..."

Now, Lu Zhaoyi couldn't understand. What was a concubine doing when she saluted him?

"I have long heard that the name of the pretty girl from Hebei is true. When I see it today, it is indeed as rumored. It is really unbearable..."

While talking, Cai Zhengjun came closer and whispered in her ear, "...I'll kill you!"

Sure enough, when she said this, Cai Zhengjun, whom she knew well, felt relieved from the bottom of her heart.

"If all the noble families in Guanzhong were like noble concubines, how could the world still live in peace?" Lu Zhaoyi raised his eyebrows slightly with a sarcastic smile.

"Why don't you, dear concubine, let's go and see! Can you kill me? Or should I drag you into the trap?"

At this time, Cai Zhengjun was startled.

But then, she also smiled, and her manners were messed up, "Okay, Lu Zhaoyi, I'll wait for you."

Her eyes were a little indifferent, which made people shudder.

By the time Lu Zhaoyi reacted, she and the palace maid beside her were already far away.

On the side, Qu Qiniang watched the two people looking at each other without saying a word the whole time. However, after Cai Zhengjun left, she asked softly, "How did she know your maiden name?"

It stands to reason that one of them is from Guanzhong and the other is from Hebei. There should be no intersection between the two.

Lu Zhaoyi was not surprised by this.

Back then, before she was planning to marry into the Zhou family in Huainan, her reputation had already spread throughout the Central Plains because of her appearance, and she was even known in Vietnam.

Although Guanzhong and Hebei are far apart, there are channels for the circulation of news between the girls. It is not surprising to know her maiden name.

Lu Zhaoyi withdrew his gaze and pulled the people around him, "Let's go! I'm going to have a secret talk with Qiu Zhongcheng later. You can help me guard it."

"Secret? Secret conversation?" Qu Qiniang exclaimed.

"Shh!" She immediately went up to cover her mouth and lowered her voice, "Keep it down, don't let the guy in the front yard... hear it!"

…

Within the backyard.

Lu Zhaoyi met Qiu Quzi's family members, Mrs. Zhao, Mrs. Pu and the eldest son and second son born to Mrs. Zhao.

In the inner house, Mrs. Zhao was lying on the couch, holding her newborn third son in her arms, her face full of satisfaction, and the happy appearance of this family also made her very envious.

"Are you Lu Qiniang?" Mrs. Zhao looked at her with a smile on her face, "My family said that you are a serious person who has been promoted to the court. You are really good. You really make us women look good."

As she spoke, she exerted force, her expression suddenly distorted, and she screamed in pain, as if she had been accidentally injured.

The faces of all the ladies, girls, and old ladies around him tightened, and they all came up to check on the injury.

However, Mrs. Zhao quickly recovered, hooked her hand to Lu Zhaoyi, and asked her to sit on the edge of the couch.

"Although I come from an aristocratic family, I am not as delicate as other girls. I have wanted to achieve something in my career since I was a child. Now that you have given face to all the women in the world, I am happy."

"Mrs. Zhao is polite." Lu Zhaoyi quickly checked and comforted her, "Mrs. Zhao is doing a good job by keeping this home for Qiu Zhongcheng, isn't she?"
Chapter completed!