After I got into the drama, I led the plot astray

Gongsun Wen also nodded and said, "Your Majesty is right. Miss Zhao Si was the candidate for the Empress chosen by the late Emperor. She will be made Empress sooner or later. It would be better to let her return to the palace to practice. If she does well, we can keep her. If she doesn't do well, we can send her out of the palace with a pretext."

Gongsun Wen is a ruthless person, but what he said is very much to my liking.

I said happily, "You two are the ones who have an idea. I've been thinking about it for most of the day, but I can't think of a good idea. It's getting late, and you two probably haven't eaten yet. Why don't you stay and have dinner before leaving?"

Gongsun Wen wanted to stay, but Zhao Zhenyuan waved his hands desperately, saying, "No, it's against the rules to come to your palace without permission. If we stay too long, we will be seen by someone with ulterior motives, and the gossip will start again. We two have nothing to do now, Prince Ming, why don't we go to the tavern for a drink?"

Gongsun Wen shook his head and said, "I don't like the taste of taverns. If you want to drink, why don't you come to my house? I have a collection of fine wines given by the late emperor. I'm worried that I have no one to drink with. Let's not go home until we are drunk today."

When Zhao Zhenyuan heard this, he jumped up with joy and laughed, saying, "That's great! The wine given by the late emperor must be excellent. I must go and try it."

After Zhao Zhenyuan finished speaking, he turned his head and said to me: "Ah Man, your father will leave the palace soon. You must take good care of yourself. If you are not happy living in the palace, come back home. Your father will be relieved to see you."

I stood up, smiled and nodded, and said, "Okay, I understand."

Gongsun Wen was about to leave when Zhao Zhenyuan pulled him. As if he suddenly thought of something, he turned around and said to me, "The medical hut and the school are almost finished. The only things missing are the tables, chairs, and medicine cabinets. I have asked someone to order them urgently. They should be ready before the end of the year. You can go and have a look when you are free. I have asked the Imperial Astronomical Observatory to choose a date for us to join. Once they have chosen the date, I will bring it to you for your review."

I didn't expect that the medical clinic and school would be completed before the end of the year. This is indeed good news.

I said happily, "Just do whatever you want. I don't understand these things. I'll go and take a look after I've dealt with the affairs in the palace."

Zhao Zhenyuan was already impatient, and he pulled Gongsun Ming and said, "Prince Ming, let's go quickly. Your wine has aroused my appetite."

Gongsun Wen had no choice but to be dragged away by Zhao Zhenyuan. Looking at their backs, I shouted angrily, "Father, drink less. Drunkenness is harmful to your health!"

"I understand." Zhao Zhenyuan's voice came from afar.

I smiled and shook my head, then turned to Fuyao and said, "Send someone to Mingyue Temple to bring my fourth sister back, quickly."

Fuyao looked up at the sky and said, "If we are in a hurry, we should be able to get back tonight. Miss Zhao Si is a woman, so it is not convenient for the Ling brothers to go. I'd better go there myself."

I thought about it and nodded in agreement.

Sure enough, in the evening, when Zheng Yan and I were still having dinner, Fu Yao brought Zhao Fangping back.

When Zhao Fangping appeared in front of me, I almost didn't recognize her.

She used to have a very good figure, but now she is as thin as a paper man, and her waist is so thin that one hand can hold it. Her face used to be bright and beautiful, but now it is gray, her hair is messy, and her clothes are wrinkled. She looks like a peasant woman who works in the fields all day.

Before I could figure out why she was dressed like that, I felt a sweetness in my throat, and I coughed violently, and a large mouthful of blood spurted out.

The blood I spurted out scared the people around me. Zheng Yan was so anxious that he hugged me and shouted, "Are you all dead? Hurry up and call the imperial physician!"

Fuyao said quickly: "I will go right away."

After Fu Yao finished speaking, she turned around and ran. She even used her Qinggong skills to run out of the door. After a few jumps, she disappeared.

I took the white towel handed to me by Yingchun, wiped my mouth, and said, "It's okay. Two people with great luck are together, and their lucks collide. I am the weaker party and I was backfired. As long as the two of us are separated, it will be fine."

Upon hearing this, Zheng Yan yelled at Zhao Fangping: "Are you deaf? Get out of here now."

Zhao Fangping was also frightened by the blood I spit out. At first she thought I wanted to frame her, but after taking a closer look, she didn't think so, because my face was indeed frighteningly pale and I was gasping for breath even when I spoke.

She knew that if I died at this time, His Majesty would definitely hate her. She was finally taken back, and she didn't want to go back to Mingyue Temple. She ate vegetarian food every day in Mingyue Temple, which was not oily at all. She had to get up before dawn to clean the courtyard, fetch water to make breakfast, and then do morning classes after breakfast. After morning classes, she had to help cook before she could eat. In the afternoon, she had to continue to do evening classes. It was more tiring than going to school, and the food was worse. She couldn't stand it anymore.

During the time she had been here, she had more than a dozen people serving her every day. She ate delicacies from land and sea, wore silk and satin, and had expensive jewels and jade on her head. She was treated with great pampering. How could she endure the hardship in Mingyue Temple?

So she learned her lesson and knew that confronting me would never end well. Seeing that Zheng Yan didn't like her, she immediately said obediently, "Yes, Your Majesty, I will take my leave now."

I saw Zhao Fangping was about to leave, so I quickly shouted, "Don't leave. I have something to say. If you want to leave, you have to wait until I finish speaking."

Zhao Fangping turned around and quickly turned back, staring with his big eyes, and said obediently: "I will follow the instructions of the Concubine Dowager."

I said unhappily, "Alright, there's no need to be so flowery in front of me. You've been sent to Mingyue Temple for a few days, and you must have suffered a lot. Your temper should have become better. Father couldn't bear to see you suffer outside, so he softened his heart and asked His Majesty to take you back. When you come back, you should personally come to thank your father."

Zhao Fangping glanced at me, trying to detect a hint of hypocrisy in my eyes, but my serious expression prevented her from seeing any falsehood, so she had to say politely, "Yes, Madam, I will return to the Duke's Mansion early tomorrow morning to thank my father."

I was very pleased with her obedience. Even though I knew she was pretending, she couldn't suppress me, so she could only hold it in and couldn't do anything bad for the time being.

I said, "I have some top-quality fabrics here. I'll have someone send a few pieces to you. You can ask the embroiderers in the palace to make you some beautiful dresses."

Zhao Fangping only then showed a hint of joy, and hurriedly said, "Thank you, Queen Dowager."

She was really suffocated by the people in Mingyue Temple. She had to wear Taoist robes made of coarse cloth every day and had to wash her own dirty clothes. She secretly glanced at her hands, which had become rough from working. The more she thought about it, the more aggrieved she felt, and she almost cried.