The abandoned queen is reborn: she makes the prince cry and seizes the throne!

She had watched the two of them leave, so she took the opportunity to approach them and talk to them.

Ji Ningqiu pinched the handkerchief, and seemed a little embarrassed to speak, "Sister Cheng, I'm not afraid of you laughing at me. My sister is obsessed with His Majesty. It's a pity that His Majesty has a special liking for her, so he always ignores Meng Shu's existence..."

Cheng Liu opened his eyes wide with curiosity. He couldn't tell that Cheng's sister liked His Majesty. But what was there about His Majesty that was worth liking? "So...?"

"As Meng Shu's elder sister, I have to consider my fifth sister." Ji Ningqiu held Cheng Liu's hand affectionately, as if they were real sisters who hadn't seen each other for years. "Sister Cheng is someone who follows His Majesty, so she must know something about His Majesty's preferences."

As if she was afraid that Cheng Liu would hold back, Ji Ningqiu pinched her finger bones and smiled, "Besides, my fifth sister is the future queen. If Sister Cheng is willing to help, it would be considered a good relationship with the queen, right?"

Cheng Liu smiled. She was not familiar with people's hearts, so she didn't think so many twists and turns. She had to rack her brains for a long time, "I remember... uh... what did His Majesty like?" Cheng Liu looked at A Yue for help.

Ah Yue also thought about it. Just when everyone was at a loss, Ah Yue suddenly moved, "My dear, I remember now. When you first entered the palace, it was also at this time of year. His Majesty seemed to be particularly fond of lotus seed soup."

"Oh oh." Cheng Liu slapped his head suddenly, "I remember now, that's what happened." Cheng Liu smiled embarrassedly, "It's been so long, I can't remember it clearly."

Ji Ningqiu's eyes lit up after getting the answer. She memorized the lotus seed soup in her heart and said, "Thank you, Sister Cheng."

Ji Ningqiu let Cheng Liu leave, secretly clenching his fists, looking at the master and servant who were getting farther and farther away, not even bothering to hide the disdain on his face.

Being by His Majesty's side, with such a great opportunity, it turns out that only that woman Liu Huachao is favored. Could it be that the women in the harem are just decorations?

It's strange that His Majesty would favor her since she doesn't even know His Majesty's preferences. She just needs to let them watch carefully and see how she wins His Majesty's heart step by step.

Wan Rong was waiting outside the Qianqing Palace with Ji Mengshu. Looking at the tightly closed palace door, she could guess what was going on. As expected, after waiting for a while, she saw Nanny Huang coming down the stairs. "Lady Wan, Miss Ji, the Queen Mother is not feeling well and won't see anyone at this time."

Ji Mengshu's expression remained unchanged. "Mammy, we heard that the Royal Grandmother was not feeling well, so we wanted to come and see her and have a chat. Since we can't meet, we won't bother her anymore. Let her recover in peace, and we'll come back another day."

This was said politely. Nanny Huang bent down slightly and just took note of it.

During the whole process, Ji Mengshu never mentioned when he would leave the palace, and just thought that he came to see the empress dowager specifically.

Nanny Huang relayed Ji Mengshu's original words to the empress dowager. The empress dowager had her white hair loosely tied up and her face was bare of makeup, looking even more haggard.

"I am ill, so let her think whatever she wants. I will just let her stay in the palace for a while longer..." The Queen Mother closed her eyes heavily, "By the way, the relationship between Xuan'er and Shu'er..."

Huang Ma replied, "Your Majesty is still at the Imperial Concubine's place and has not seen Miss Ji."

"Ah." The Queen Mother shook her head, sighed, and remained silent for a long time.

Huang Ma Ma folded her hands and asked, "Madam, if His Majesty asks..."

"I have done so much for him. If he is really sensible, he should get along well with Shu'er and not let me pretend to be sick like this... Whether my illness will be cured depends entirely on him."

"Yes."

Although Ji Mengshu has no intention of easing the relationship with Ning Huaixuan, the Ji family is not just one young lady. Without Ji Mengshu, there is also Ji Ningqiu.

In the small pond full of lotus flowers, the maid beside Ji Ningqiu carried a large basket of lotus pods and followed behind her, "Miss, when it comes to picking lotus pods, you can just let me do it alone. How can you get involved yourself?"

Ji Ningqiu picked up a lotus pod and said with a smile, "How can this be an ordinary lotus pod?"

Xiao Cui looked at the lotus pods in the bamboo basket in confusion. It was said that the feng shui in the imperial palace was excellent, and that it was blessed with outstanding people and beautiful scenery. Could it be that the lotus in this pond was also different and not just ordinary lotus?

Before Xiao Cui could react, she heard Ji Ningqiu say, "These lotus pods are all from my heart."

"...Yes, the girl is right."

Ji Ningqiu held the lotus pod, which contained deep affection, in his hands as if it were a treasure and peeled the lotus seeds one by one.

Xiao Cui stood where she was and said with concern, "Miss, these lotus seeds will hurt your hands, otherwise you should let me do it." After all, how could a young lady from a wealthy family wash her hands and cook the soup herself?

"No need for that. Your Majesty is alone in this palace, and there are very few close friends around you. If Your Majesty knew that this was made by me..." He would naturally have some good impression of it.

They were childhood sweethearts, but in their memories, there was another person. As long as His Majesty could see her feelings, the position of Queen would fall on her.

Compared with this position, what's wrong with making a bowl of lotus seed soup myself?

"Xiao Cui, go and find out where His Majesty is now." Ji Ningqiu was peeling lotus seeds in a side hall of Zhuqing Palace while instructing Xiao Cui to do something.

Ning Huaixuan was still in the council hall, discussing important matters with several ministers.

Since the founding of the Dali Dynasty, the royal family has been treated well. The ancestors promoted the meritorious officials who fought in the four directions in the past to higher positions and titles, which have been inherited from generation to generation. Since the founding of the country, the number of royal relatives has doubled, and the dukedom of the old ministers cannot be taken away.

In addition to the annual military maintenance and military pay during the Dali Dynasty, the remaining money almost all went into the pockets of various dukes and princes. The treasury had been empty for a long time.

"Your Majesty, in my opinion, should we take back some of the titles bestowed since the founding of the dynasty?"

As soon as someone suggested it, another voice of opposition came, "The fiefdoms and titles are all the rules of our ancestors. If we violate the ancestral laws, it would be inappropriate."

After that, everyone in the meeting hall expressed their opinions and argued their case. Ning Huaixuan was annoyed by the noise and slammed the table, and the noise in the whole hall stopped abruptly.

"What Li Qing said is correct. Since the founding of this dynasty, our ancestors have rewarded meritorious officials with numerous titles, and the succession of titles over the years has indeed placed a considerable burden on the finances..." Ning Huaixuan took a sip of tea and said amid everyone's speculation, "But if the titles are taken away at will, who will be willing to work for the Dali Dynasty in the future?"

"So what does your Majesty mean?"