amaotonovel Chapter 141 Trying to Bribe Lu Panpan
Chapter 141 Trying to Bribe Lu Panpan
He raised his thin lips, revealing a meaningful smile, and looked at Lu Qingqing teasingly, moving closer to her little face.
"You clever little devil, you came up with the idea of borrowing money from me, and even said you wanted to mortgage your shop to me. I think you are worried about opening a shop in the capital, so you want me to be your boss, right?"
"Ok?"
Lu Qingqing sighed in her heart.
Emperor Li Xuansheng is really capable. He exposed my little thoughts in just a few words. It would be better for me to be honest with him.
She lowered her head and twisted her face, her face slightly red. Her tender white fingers gently pinched the corner of Li Xuansheng's dragon robe and kneaded it subconsciously, and said to Li Xuansheng in a coquettish manner:
"Your Majesty is so wise, I can't hide it from you even if I want to~"
"I do want to invite you to be the owner of Mixue Ice Palace. I wonder if you agree or not?"
Seeing her shy look, Li Xuansheng couldn't help but hook her delicate little nose.
"Qingqing said so, so I naturally agree."
"Really? That's great! Your Majesty, you are not allowed to regret it!"
After saying that, Lu Qingqing took out a dish of cinnabar ink from the table in the study, opened the porcelain lid of the ink box, lightly tapped the cinnabar with her white and tender index finger, and left a bright red fingerprint on the IOU.
After Lu Qingqing put her fingerprints on it, she placed the ink in front of Li Xuansheng and said crisply:
"Your Majesty, it's your turn. Don't joke~"
Li Xuansheng smiled dotingly and agreed to whatever Qingqing wanted.
He then lifted up his sleeves, dipped them in cinnabar ink, and left his fingerprints on the IOU.
"Thank you, Your Majesty!"
The matter was successfully completed, and Lu Qingqing smiled with her eyes curved. She couldn't help but imagine the grand opening of Mixue Ice Palace in Beijing.
At the same time, in Fengyi Palace.
The queen was about to give birth, but the fetus in her belly was not in good condition. Since she became pregnant, she had been thinking too much and lacked exercise, so she started to use moxa fumigation early.
After the fumigation was over, the smell of mugwort in the hall had not yet completely dissipated. The hazy smoke covered the pillars carved with dragons and phoenixes with a layer of dust.
The palace servants were busy opening the stained glass windows in the hall to dissipate the lingering smell of wormwood.
Ayun came back in a hurry from outside the palace. As soon as she stepped into the palace, she quickly dismissed the maids in the palace and trotted all the way to the queen.
The queen was taking a nap on the bed. When she saw Ayun rushing over, her face was full of confusion.
"Ayun, what's the hurry?"
"Your Highness, I ran into Eunuch He Qing outside the private storehouse today."
The queen rubbed her swollen temples, not realizing that this was inappropriate, and just said lazily:
"It's okay if they meet. It's nothing more than the emperor asking him to get something from the temple treasury. It's normal."
However, what Ah Yun said next made the queen suspicious and she perked up instantly.
Ah Yun said, "But Madam, I asked Eunuch He Qing a few times, and he said that the emperor ordered him to get some silver from the private treasury because Concubine Ming wanted to borrow money from the emperor!"
"Oh, borrow money?"
The queen supported her heavy body and sat up from the bed, leaning against a round pillow embroidered with gold thread and a ruyi pattern.
"Ayun, did you ask what the money was for?"
Ayun shook his head.
It was precisely because she felt strange and didn't know why that she hurriedly reported it to the queen.
The queen was also puzzled.
Normally, the annual allowance for a noble lady is one hundred taels of silver. If one lives frugally in the palace, there will be a lot left. Besides, Lu Qingqing is in great favor, and she also receives rewards and subsidies from Li Xuansheng on weekdays. Why would she ask the emperor for money?
The Queen continued to ask, "Ayun, guess what she wants to do with the money?"
Ayun shook his head helplessly again.
She was not a deity, so how could she know the purpose of the nobleman's loan? She pondered for a moment and continued:
"Your Majesty, I really don't know. Why don't we ask the palace maids at Yinglan Pavilion?"
The queen's eyes turned.
Ayun's suggestion was good. She and Ayun couldn't guess here, and only by asking people around Lu Qingqing could they find out the real purpose of borrowing money.
However, all the spies that the Queen had planted in Yinglan Pavilion in the early days were sent by Lu Qingqing to do rough work, and they could not get involved in any of the personal matters.
But fortunately, there is still Lu Panpan.
"Ayun, the Japanese palace ordered you to talk to Lu Panpan about making him a concubine. Have you received a reply?"
Ah Yun sorted out her thoughts and recalled what happened that day. She replied:
"My lady, I told Lu Panpan about this at that time, but she didn't directly object. I'm afraid she also wanted to be a concubine."
“Why don’t we just call her over and use this as a bargaining chip to get Lu Qingqing to borrow money?”
The queen nodded.
"Yes, go and call her over quickly."
Ah Yun went to Yinglan Pavilion, but Li Xuansheng had not left yet. The palace servants of Yinglan Pavilion were still standing outside the palace to serve.
Ayun walked up quietly and patted Lu Panpan on the shoulder.
"Miss Panpan!"
Lu Qingqing was startled, but quickly came to her senses and responded politely.
"Sister Ayun, it's you. What do you want to talk to me about?"
Ah Yun glanced at Er Xi and Xiao Tao standing beside her. She pulled Lu Pan Pan's sleeve, pulled her aside, and whispered in her ear:
"Miss Panpan, the Queen wants to see you about something important. Come with me to Fengyi Palace!"
After saying that, Ayun didn't let Lu Panpan say anything to Erxi and Xiaotao, and hurriedly pulled her sleeve and left Yinglan Pavilion.
Along the way, Ayun said nothing and looked a little nervous. He kept his head down and pulled Lu Panpan back to Fengyi Palace quickly.
The queen had already prepared her words and was sitting in the palace waiting for Lu Panpan to come.
As soon as Lu Panpan entered the hall, she saw the dignified queen sitting on the phoenix chair in the hall.
Although she disdained the queen's hypocritical behavior, she still bowed to her politely.
"This humble lady pays respect to Her Majesty the Queen."
The queen smiled and waved her hand gently to signal her to stand up, her words were very warm.
"Please stand up quickly, Miss Panpan, there's no need to be so polite!"
"Ayun, serve tea to Miss Panpan!"
Lu Panpan lowered her head and sipped the tea. Although it was the extremely precious West Lake Longjing tea, she was worried and could not taste the fresh fragrance of this precious green tea at all.
When the queen saw Lu Panpan shrinking back, she felt more confident.
Oh, after all, she is a girl from a farming family, and her every move is petty.
Being promoted to a concubine was a great blessing for Lu Panpan, and she didn't believe that Lu Panpan would not be tempted.
This kind of woman is the best to bribe!
The Queen waited patiently for Lu Panpan to put down the teacup before she slowly spoke.
"Miss Panpan, you are as beautiful as your sister. For so long you have been living under someone else's guise in the palace without any status or position."
"Don't you have any intention of becoming a concubine?"