The system extends my life, and all my husbands want me to be the empress

In the lobby of the Vice Minister's residence.

Qin Jun hurried in with Liu Yiruo. Liu Yiruo kept his head down, looking nervous, his steps slightly staggering, and he did not dare to look up from beginning to end.

Ouyang Qingyu sat upright in the main seat, staring at Liu Yiruo indifferently, his voice cold: "Liu Yiruo, do you know why I brought you here?

Liu Yiruo fell to his knees with a thump, and said in a trembling voice: "Sir, I know I was wrong. It must be because of the play I performed recently. I beg you to spare my life."

Ouyang Qingyu frowned slightly, and after a moment of silence, he said, "Oh, what's wrong with this play?"

Liu Yiruo said, "My Lord, I will never again dare to make up stories about the princess."

Ouyang Qingyu's expression was gentle, and his words revealed appreciation: "Hurry up and sit down aside."

Upon hearing this, Liu Yiru nodded, stood up and sat aside.

"You sang very well, I want to reward you with 100 taels of gold." At this point, Ouyang Qingyu's expression changed, "But, this gold cannot be given openly."

A moment of silence.

Ouyang Qingyu smiled and said, "How about this. From now on, you should stop singing that opera and go to a lottery casino on the outskirts of Kyoto. Earn 100 taels of gold and leave Kyoto with 100 taels of gold."

Liu Yiruo raised his head in surprise, wanting to agree, but then he thought of Lin Wanwan's new play, and lowered his head again:

"Sir, how can this be done?"

Ouyang Qingyu: "Why? You think it's too little?"

Liu Yiruo met Ouyang Qingyu's gaze, and quickly lowered her head again, waving her hands repeatedly:

"No, no, no, sir. What a coincidence. This afternoon, I went to the Princess's residence to sing a play for Princess An Ning. She rewarded me with five hundred taels of silver and asked me to change the play. The princess asked me to... continue singing."

Ouyang Qingyu became interested when he heard it. He leaned forward slightly and said, "Oh? What play did you modify? Tell me about it."

Liu Yiruo hesitated for a moment, then gritted his teeth and said, "This new play... is actually an allusion to the Imperial Censor Ye Zhaobo. It tells the story of a princess who was bullied since childhood and had to eat only coarse food... and eventually died of a high fever caused by a cold in her lungs."

Ouyang Qingyu's eyes flashed with clarity. He leaned back in his chair, tapping the armrests with his fingers. After thinking for a moment, he said:

“In that case, Liu Yiruo, I will not make things difficult for you.

You should perform this new play for a week, but you must not spread other stories at random.

A week later, if you go to the lottery gambling place in the suburbs of Beijing again, I will let you win the 100 taels of gold with your own ability."

Liu Yiruo was stunned at first, then overjoyed, and then nodded quickly, "Thank you, sir. I will do as you say."

"Go ahead." Ouyang Qingyu waved his hand and reminded, "Remember, there can't be any mistakes."

Liu Yiru kowtowed again to express his gratitude, and then left the hall under the leadership of Qin Jun.

After Liu Yiruo walked out of the lobby, he let out a long sigh and wiped the sweat from his forehead with his sleeve.

He had full confidence in his singing skills, and secretly congratulated himself on his good luck. First, the princess rewarded him with five hundred taels of silver, and now the assistant minister of the Ministry of Justice rewarded him with one hundred gold.

In the lobby, Ouyang Qingyu thought for a moment, a smile on his lips, and he couldn't help but say in his heart: She actually thought the same thing as I did. It seems that there is indeed something wrong with Princess An Ning's answer.

After Qin Jun came back, he stood aside, quietly waiting for Ouyang Qingyu's instructions.

Ouyang Qingyu said slowly: "Qin Jun, publicize Liu Yiruo's play widely, praise him well, and let more people come to watch. Also, pay close attention to Liu Yiruo's movements, and report any abnormalities to me immediately."

Qin Jun cupped his hands and replied, "Yes, sir."

……

As the lights came on, the Prince's Mansion was decorated with lights and was bustling with activity.

The imperial examination was over, and we heard that Princess An Ning Lin Wanwan had failed the exam. Today, Crown Prince Lin Xiaohe entertained the family of Ye Zhaobo from the Censorate in the name of a family banquet, and also invited some of the top candidates.

The Prince's Mansion was filled with rich fragrance and a cheerful atmosphere.

Imperial Censor Ye Zhaobo, accompanied by Wang Yinyi and daughter Ye Sisi, came in their best attire. When they entered the mansion, they saw the courtyard filled with delicacies and many guests laughing and talking happily.

Among them were several court ministers in casual clothes and a dozen newly-appointed scholars.

Crown Prince Lin Xiaohe personally stepped forward to greet them, showing his respect for the wise and worthy: "Grand Censor, my lords, please take a seat."

After everyone took their seats, the delicacies were served one after another, and the wine was fragrant. Crown Prince Lin Xiaohe raised his glass to welcome Ye Zhaobo and his family, and his words were sincere:

"It is a great honor for this prince to be able to have a feast with all the gentlemen in the palace today."

Ye Zhaobo quickly stood up and responded with a smile on his face: "Your Highness, the Crown Prince is so kind, and I am flattered."

"We are flattered." The ministers on the side echoed.

After three rounds of wine and five dishes, the atmosphere became more harmonious. The prince's eyes fell on Ye Sisi, his eyes darkened, he coughed lightly, and said:

"Your Excellency, there is something I want to tell you, but I don't know whether I should tell you or not."

Ye Zhaobo hurriedly said, "Your Highness, please feel free to speak."

Lin Xiaohe smiled slightly and said, "This prince has long admired your daughter, Miss Sisi. I wonder if I can...?"

Wang Yinyi was delighted when she heard this. She quickly put down her chopsticks and listened carefully.

She knew very well that if her daughter could marry into the prince's mansion, she would be very successful. But at this moment, she still maintained a virtuous face, showing the demeanor of a censor's wife.

Ye Zhaobo smiled and took over the conversation and said, "Your Highness the Crown Prince favors me. It is a blessing for my daughter to be favored by him. However, this important matter of marriage still depends on my daughter's wishes and the will of His Majesty."

Ye Sisi blushed at this moment, lowered her head slightly, and said softly: "Everything is up to father and His Royal Highness the Crown Prince."

Lin Xiaohe nodded and said, "This prince will ask my father to grant the marriage during the morning court session."

As soon as these words were spoken, several ministers stood up and raised their glasses to celebrate.

"If the prince and Miss Sisi get married, Lord Ye will be my relative."

"Oh, yes! The Supreme Court and the Censorate will help the Crown Prince achieve great things. I believe the future will be bright."

"The prince is like a tiger with wings!"

Ye Zhaobo nodded quickly and said, "Your Highness the Crown Prince is a man of great talent and strategy, and he is the future ruler of the world. If he can get the help of the Supreme Court and the Imperial Censorate, he will surely achieve great achievements and be remembered for generations.

We, the ministers, are willing to serve His Royal Highness the Crown Prince at our utmost.”

"We are willing to serve His Royal Highness the Crown Prince at all costs!" the ministers echoed again.

At this time, Zhang Song, the prince's counselor, stood up and said, "Lord Ye, the situation is complicated now, and various forces are ready to make a move.

If His Royal Highness the Crown Prince can marry into the Ye family, he will be able to consolidate his power and resist foreign enemies.

And the Ye family can also take advantage of the prince's power to move to a higher level. This is a win-win situation."

Ye Zhaobo nodded repeatedly: "That's right, that's right."

Lin Xiaohe raised his glass again: "Come on, everyone, don't go home until you are drunk!"

After saying that, Lin Xiaohe drank the wine in the glass.

Everyone raised their glasses and drank it all.

……

at the same time.

The night, like a dark curtain, enveloped Ye Zhaobo's mansion.

Cui'er learned that Ye Zhaobo had brought his confidants to attend the Crown Prince's family dinner and thought it was a good opportunity to steal the letter as evidence.

She walked through the corridor quietly, taking every step carefully for fear of disturbing the night watchman, and arrived at the door of Ye Zhaobo's study.

Cui'er took a deep breath and put her ear to the door to listen to the movement inside the house.

It was silent, with only the occasional chirping of insects breaking the tranquility of the night sky.

She pushed the door gently, and the door hinge made a slight creaking sound, which was particularly harsh in the quiet night.

Cui'er's heart suddenly tightened, her body stiffened instantly, and she dared not even breathe.

After a while, seeing that there was still no movement in the house, Cui'er slowly walked into the study.

The room was filled with the faint scent of ink, and the bookshelves were filled with various books and scrolls.

Her eyes quickly swept around and finally landed on the wall behind the desk. According to what Butler Wang said after drinking, Miguel was hiding behind that wall.

She walked carefully to the wall, gently touching it with her fingers, trying to find the mechanism to open the secret cell.

As time passed, Cui'er became more and more anxious, and more and more beads of sweat appeared on her forehead.

Just when she was about to despair, her fingers suddenly touched a slightly raised area.

Cui Er was delighted and pressed the key gently. With a click, the key slowly opened.