The father-in-law in the Queen Mother's courtyard seemed not to notice Guan Yupeng's uneasiness. He supported Guan Yupeng's arm respectfully and politely and led him into the courtyard without leaving any trace.
Guan Yupeng's mind was completely empty, and he couldn't figure out how to face the next scene.
What if, if his children saw him, rushed forward, cried to him "Daddy!", then hugged him and cried about their luck in surviving the catastrophe, and told him that the Queen Mother had brought them to the palace, what would he do?
"Yupeng, what's wrong with you?" a voice suddenly sounded.
Guan Yupeng was startled, and what he saw when he raised his eyes was a face full of concern. He was in a daze for a moment, and then heard the father-in-law who brought him in knelt down respectfully and humbly, "I have seen the Queen Mother, and the eldest son of the Guan family has already brought her
, I will retreat first."
"Well." The Queen Mother glanced at the eunuch kneeling on the ground, nodded, and then continued to look at Guan Yupeng, her tone still full of concern, "Yupeng, why do you look so bad? Are you uncomfortable? Do you want to?
Don't you want to invite the imperial physician from the palace to come over and take a look? Come and prepare a seat for Yu Peng."
Guan Yupeng felt as if his heart could jump out of his chest at any time, cold sweat on his forehead fell down from his brows, and his face was sticky and uncomfortable. He knelt down mechanically, his voice was hoarse, as if he was forcing himself to leave.
Vomiting came out of his throat, "Your Majesty Guan Yupeng has met the Queen Mother."
"Get up." The Empress Dowager still had a concerned tone and said gently, "Sit down, you are Yu Cheng's brother, which means you are Hanyu's eldest brother. We are now a family, so there is no need to be too formal.
There are no outsiders here, just us two, so we don’t have to abide by the rules like this."
Guan Yupeng mechanically got up from the ground and sat down on the chair that the Empress Dowager ordered the servant to put aside.
"Empress Dowager, several children have gone back to rest." Yurun walked in from outside and said with a smile, "We had a lot of fun. We are really lucky."
"Yes." The Queen Mother nodded, "To be able to survive such a big fire can be regarded as the blessing of our ancestors. If you survive a catastrophe, you will be blessed. These children can be considered lucky. Since they don't have parents to take care of them, they can also be considered lucky.
Since you are destined to the Ai family, you can stay in the palace as an errand."
Stay in the palace as an errand?!
Guan Yupeng's mind was buzzing and he almost stood up from the chair. As a servant in the palace, what else can he do besides being a slave? Girls will serve the emperor and concubines in the harem, or the princes and grandsons, but boys will give up the idea of doing it.
A eunuch father-in-law who is neither male nor female.
"They are really lucky to have the sympathy of the Queen Mother." Yurun said immediately, "I will go and talk to the father-in-law who takes care of them now to see which one has a handsome face and can serve Prince Yu. There are not many people around Prince Yu."
Take care of her, or send her to Princess Hanyu and the Prince Consort. It’s hard work at the border, so that you don’t have to worry about the Queen Mother all the time.”
The Queen Mother nodded, "Okay, go ahead and do it."
Yurun immediately retreated. Listening to Yurun's footsteps, Guan Yupeng was as anxious as an ant on a hot pot, but could not think of any way to save his children.
"Zi Ai went to the Daxing Dynasty to take care of the Xian family's shop and the Daxing Dynasty's business on behalf of his brother. Isn't it a bit hard for you to take care of the Guan Mansion alone?" The Queen Mother ignored Yu Run who left and didn't seem to look at it.
Seeing Guan Yupeng's anxiety, he said gently.
"With the help of my mother, it's not bad." Guan Yupeng answered mechanically. He didn't even know what he had said. He lowered his head and saw a drop of sweat falling on the ground and disappearing without any sound.
"Your mother?" The Queen Mother showed a trace of displeasure on her face, "Hasn't the Ai family asked your father to divorce her, so why is she still helping you take care of the affairs of the Guan Mansion?"
Guan Yupeng was startled, and then he remembered that his mother was divorced from the house by his father. He immediately raised his head, with a stiff smile on his face, "What I mean is that when my mother was in the house, I used to serve some of my mother's servants.
They are familiar with the affairs of the Guan Mansion and can help me take care of all the affairs of the Mansion."
The Queen Mother still said with an unhappy face: "This is not good, it does not mean that even though your mother was divorced from the Guan Mansion, she still controls the affairs of the Guan Mansion. Although Zi Ai is young, she took care of it a few days ago.
Guanfu is still doing well. Now that she is away, you should let your aunt or your father help take care of the affairs of Guanfu. Now that Hanyu is married to Yucheng, Guanfu can also be regarded as her in-laws' house.
Don't let the public laugh at anything that happens. All those who have served your mother must be kicked out."
"Yes." Guan Yupeng took a long breath and forced himself to keep his tone stable, "I will obey the Queen Mother's teachings, and I will go back and drive those slaves out."
"There is no rush at this moment." The Queen Mother immediately said with a smile, "It's rare that you have time to come in and chat with the Ai family. Since Hanyu got married, the Ai family has not been able to find anyone trustworthy to talk to. Since you
Here you are, just in time to chat with the Ai family. After a while, Yurun brought over a few children who liked him. You also helped the Ai family choose, to see which ones can stay and which ones are sent to the border to serve Han.
Jade and the Prince Consort.”
Guan Yupeng didn't know what to say, and felt cold sweat break out on his back.
"Try this tea. This is the autumn tea that was offered as tribute the day before yesterday. It's fine for the Ai family to drink." The Queen Mother said with a smile.
Guan Yupeng picked up the teacup and took a sip in a dazed manner. The tea tasted completely tasteless when he entered it. It was even tasteless than boiled water. He said, "It really is a good tea."
The Queen Mother seemed to still be talking, but her voice was a little distant. Guan Yupeng thought that he could not lose his composure in front of the Queen Mother like this. He must find a way. He must not let his children stay in the palace as servants. If it is hard to be a slave for a while,
It's okay, but if his son becomes an eunuch, he will really have no face to meet his ancestors under the Nine Springs!
Hearing a plop, the concern on the Queen Mother's face disappeared instantly, and she looked at Guan Yupeng who fell to the ground indifferently, and asked Guan Yupeng, who always looked generous but was actually suspicious, to drink the tea mixed with the drug.
It took some effort, but seeing as he was so gloomy, those children would definitely not be able to sever ties with him.
"The Queen Mother." Yurun walked out again, holding a plate in his hand. There were several clean bowls on the plate, with a few drops of blood in each bowl. It looked like they had just taken it, "I have already taken it.
"
The Queen Mother's tone was cold and blunt, "Take this slave's blood and take a look."
Yurun was not as smiling as before, and her face was a little pale and stiff. She walked to Guan Yupeng, who had been drugged and passed out on the ground, and watched as another eunuch also stepped forward and pricked Guan Yupeng's finger.