Chapter 12: Waste of Heaven's Gifts

The news of Imperial Attendant Wei heroically saving the Empress and Princess Chen today quickly spread throughout the Weiyang Palace, and the palace servants were all praising Imperial Attendant Wei's bravery.

Of course, this matter quickly reached the ears of his sister, Wei Zifu. Wei Zifu was a bit panicked when she heard that her brother had been taken into the Jiaofang Hall by the Empress.

Could it be that the Empress was going to make things difficult for brother Qing again? Just like that time in the third year of Jianyuan?

Thinking of this, Wei Zifu hurriedly arranged for her personal maid, Xia Ling, to go and find out what exactly was going on.

Xia Ling staked out near the Jiaofang Hall and finally waited for Wei Qing. Looking at Wei Qing's bandaged arm, her tone couldn't hide her worry: "Imperial Attendant Wei, what happened to your hand?"

The little maid's earnest concern made Wei Qing feel a bit embarrassed. He hurriedly said: "Just a small injury, it's nothing. Why are you here?"

Xia Ling had no choice but to say: "Lady Wei heard that you were injured and arranged for this servant to come and see."

Wei Qing knew his sister was worried about him, and he happened to have some things he wanted to discuss with her, so he said: "Trouble you to lead the way, I will see my sister myself."

Xia Ling was happy in her heart and replied: "Nuo."

Wei Qing followed Xia Ling to the Pixiang Hall. Wei Zifu came to greet him, holding her waist, her smile gentle: "Brother Qing, what happened to your arm?"

"Sister, don't worry, just a small injury, it will be fine after a few days of rest."

Wei Zifu held her brother's hand and looked at it carefully. After confirming there was really no problem, she had the palace maids around her withdraw.

With only the two siblings left in the hall, Wei Zifu asked again: "I heard you were called to the Jiaofang Hall. Did the Empress make things difficult for you?"

Wei Qing shook his head: "Sister, don't worry. The Emperor was there at the time, and the Empress didn't make things difficult for me." In fact, not only did the Empress not make things difficult for him, but she was even overly concerned about him, a gesture that left Wei Qing a bit confused.

"The Emperor was there too?" Wei Zifu was stunned and only asked: "Did the Emperor go to the Jiaofang Hall right after the morning court session ended?"

Wei Qing: "Yes. At the time, the Empress and Princess Chen were riding in a dove carriage and collided with the Emperor's Imperial Chariot, and I was injured saving them. However... Sister, I don't think the Emperor is as indifferent to Princess Chen as you previously said."

Wei Zifu looked at her brother with a puzzled expression: "What do you mean by that?"

Wei Qing paused and said: "Observing today, the Emperor seemed very nervous about Princess Chen, and Princess Chen has indeed returned to normal; her walking and speaking are no different from an ordinary person."

Hearing this, Wei Zifu's face changed slightly. She paced back and forth in the hall with clenched fists, and after a long time, she said with a sense of loss: "The Emperor previously mentioned that he planned to confer the title of Eldest Princess upon A Yue at the next temple sacrifice. Now it seems there might be no hope for that."

Previously, because of Liu Li's simple-mindedness, let alone major events like temple sacrifices, she hadn't even participated in palace festival activities.

And because Liu Yue was not born of the Empress, she could only stand outside the ancestral temple to watch the ceremony. Liu Che liked this intelligent and sensible eldest daughter from the bottom of his heart, so he wanted to use the title of Eldest Princess to make up for it.

One must know that in the Han Dynasty, the Emperor's daughter was a Princess, and only the Emperor's sisters could be conferred the title of Eldest Princess. If Liu Yue were to be conferred the title of Eldest Princess at this time, what an honor that would be.

This was also the fundamental purpose behind Wei Zifu wanting the news of Liu Li's simple-mindedness to spread throughout the Weiyang Palace, because only then would the court officials not oppose her daughter being conferred the title of Eldest Princess.

If the Emperor hadn't spoken those words, Wei Zifu wouldn't have dared to think in that direction, but once she had that expectation, how could she not look forward to this result for her daughter?

Just like a few days ago, the drunken Emperor had said to her belly: "If what is in your belly is a boy, he will be my Crown Prince in the future."

Crown Prince...

Looking at her sister's slightly stiff back, Wei Qing scratched his head, not knowing what to say to comfort her for a moment.

None of them noticed a small figure standing at the doorway, pouting and running away in a dejected manner.

When Wei Qing left the Pixiang Hall, he casually mentioned to Wei Zifu: "By the way, Sister, the Emperor allowed me to rest at home to recover from my injuries, so I won't be on duty in the palace for the next few days. If you have anything, you can send someone to notify me at home."

Wei Zifu nodded:

"Good, Brother Qing, don't worry."

"The Emperor is worried about the Yellow River flood today, and he even reprimanded Prime Minister Tian in the court, so he probably isn't in a very good mood. Sister, if you see the Emperor, you can comfort him more." Wei Qing smiled: "The Emperor used to tell me that when he is with you, he can forget all his troubles."

Hearing her brother's words, Wei Zifu smiled: "Yes, thank you, Brother Qing, for the reminder."

In the past, Liu Che often praised Wei Zifu for being intelligent, able to guess his troubles, and being like a flower that understands his words. Little did he know, all of this was told to Wei Zifu by Wei Qing in advance.

In the Xuanshi Hall, Liu Che had already reviewed half of the memorials. He raised his hand to rub his brow, feeling quite exhausted. Before he could even catch his breath, Su Wen, who was guarding outside the hall, came to knock on the door again.

Liu Che frowned: "Come in."

Su Wen pushed the door and walked in, only to see the Empress sitting in the position where the Emperor reviewed memorials, while the Emperor himself was holding the Princess and sleeping by the window.

Su Wen: "?"

However, it wasn't the first or second day that the Empress didn't follow the rules, so Su Wen didn't think much of it. He just bowed to the "Empress" in the upper seat and turned to walk toward the "Emperor" on the side.

"Your Majesty." Su Wen called out, but A Jiao didn't react.

"Your Majesty?" Su Wen called out again.

Only then did A Jiao open her eyes with some reluctance. She first lowered her eyes to see if her daughter, who was sleeping against her, had woken up, and then looked at Su Wen: "What is it?"

Su Wen hurriedly said: "The Changxin Hall sent a message, the Empress Dowager is calling for you."

After hearing this, A Jiao was even more reluctant: "What does she want now?"

Su Wen was also helpless: "This servant does not know."

Liu Che, on the other side, had already walked over: "Mother Empress calling you must be for something, go over and see."

A Jiao muttered with dissatisfaction: "What could she want with me?" Her good nap had been disturbed.

Liu Che reminded: "Your Majesty, she is your mother."

Only then did A Jiao remember that she was Liu Che at this moment, and the Wang Taihou was looking for "Liu Che," not herself.

With no other choice, A Jiao sighed and instructed Su Wen: "Go and get a small pillow, one that is soft."

"Nuo."

After Su Wen brought over a silk pillow, A Jiao carefully lifted Liu Li's head and placed the pillow under it so she could continue sleeping.

She then straightened her clothes and left the Xuanshi Hall to head toward the Changle Palace.

Inside the Changle Palace, Prime Minister Tian Fen was complaining to his sister, the Empress Dowager, about the Emperor's reprimand in the morning court, implying that the Emperor no longer respected him as his uncle.

Wang Taihou comforted her brother while having someone go to find her son.

"When Che'er comes, I will definitely talk to him properly." The Empress Dowager promised her brother.

After hearing this, Tian Fen stopped talking, knowing when to quit, and hurriedly said: "Thank you, Empress Dowager, for making the decision for your subject."

Because Liu Che became the Son of Heaven, the Wang Taihou's maternal family became imperial relatives, and one of the Empress Dowager's older brothers and two younger brothers were all conferred titles of Marquis. And Tian Fen, relying on his eloquent tongue, sat in the position of Prime Minister.

For a time, among the imperial relative forces in Chang'an, it could be said that the Tian family was the most powerful.

With the passing of the Dou Taihuang Taihou, the Dou family tree fell and the monkeys scattered, and the Empress Chen's maternal family were basically all fools, with not a single one capable of handling matters.

Tian Fen thought that in a few years, the Tian family could be as powerful as the Dou family was back then. Wang Taihou had the same thought; if she wanted to become another Dou Taihuang Taihou, she had to make her maternal family powerful.

A Jiao walked into the Changxin Hall, imitating Liu Che's posture and momentum. Seeing Wang Taihou, even if she didn't want to in her heart, she still raised her hands and bowed: "Greetings, Mother Empress."

She saw Tian Fen sitting on the side and raised her eyebrows, expressing Liu Che's nonchalant demeanor: "So Uncle is here too." After all, having been husband and wife with Liu Che for so many years, A Jiao didn't need to deliberately imitate Liu Che's behavior to learn it to the point of vividness.

Tian Fen stood up and bowed to A Jiao: "Your Majesty."

Seeing Tian Fen here, A Jiao could roughly guess the purpose of Wang Taihou calling her over. She thought for a moment and decided to strike first.

She said: "Uncle, it's good that you are here, it saves me from having to summon you to the palace separately."

Tian Fen was stunned and hurriedly asked: "Does Your Majesty have urgent business with your subject?"

A Jiao nodded: "Of course, regarding the Yellow River flood." She thought of the strategies Liu Li had mentioned before, and since Tian Fen happened to be here, wasn't this delivered to her doorstep?

"I have thought about it, I cannot ignore the life and death of the people in the sixteen cities, so this flood must be managed." A Jiao glanced at Tian Fen's stunned expression, then looked at him solemnly and said: "Prime Minister Tian, you are not only the Prime Minister of our Han Dynasty but also my uncle. So I have decided that for this disaster relief, I will appoint you as the commander-in-chief. Are you willing?"

Hearing that his nephew wanted him to be the commander-in-chief, Tian Fen was naturally extremely happy. Wasn't this just handing money to him for nothing? When the time came, he would just find an excuse to say the Yellow River had breached again and it was impossible to repair.

Tian Fen had long forgotten about losing face in the court, and even forgot the "Heaven's Will" theory he had spouted. He hurriedly said: "This is Your Majesty's trust in your subject, your subject is willing to share your worries."

A Jiao laughed three times: "Hahaha, truly my good uncle."

Afterward, she said lightly: "I hear that Shu Di has had a very good harvest this year. As an example, Uncle, you should donate ten thousand shi of grain for the people of the sixteen commanderies. I will thank you on behalf of the people in the disaster area first."

The smile on Tian Fen's face hadn't faded before it froze, making his expression look somewhat comical: "What?"

A Jiao pretended not to hear his astonishment and said meaningfully: "Uncle just said you were willing to share my worries, I have noted it down."

Only then did Tian Fen react. Wasn't this nephew trying to get something for nothing?

Liu Li, who was fast asleep, had no idea what had happened. She even had a dream. She dreamed that today was the weekend, and she was shopping with friends. Finally, tired from shopping, the two of them were sitting in a KFC holding large cups of milk tea and eating fried chicken.

The golden chicken leg was fried until it was crispy on the outside and tender on the inside, and it dripped with oil after one bite, making Liu Li drool.

Then she woke up.

Her golden chicken leg was gone.

Looking at the carved wooden beams above her head, Liu Li sighed with melancholy: "Sigh."

Although she could lie flat after transmigrating and didn't have to worry about anything, there were no computers, no smartphones, and not even milk tea or fried chicken here. It was too hard.

The entire Xuanshi Hall was very quiet. A Jiao and Liu Che were not here. Liu Li sat up from the soft couch, pursed her little lips, and suddenly sneezed.

After one sneeze, she frowned. Before she could rub her nose, she sneezed again, and even snot came out.

Oh no, could it be that she caught a cold from taking a nap here?

At noon, the sun was just right here, but now the sun was setting in the west, and the sun no longer reached this place. She felt her little feet were icy cold.

The third sneeze arrived as scheduled. Liu Li felt the snot that was about to flow out and hurriedly redeemed a pack of facial tissues from the system store to blow her nose.

She felt much more comfortable.

At this time, someone came in. Liu Li turned her head to look and saw "A Jiao." She knew this was Liu Che, who had become A Jiao.

Liu Che saw that Liu Li was awake and walked toward her: "Sleeping from noon until the Shen hour (3-5 PM), you really can sleep."

Liu Li pouted and said righteously: "Because I am a five-year-old child, what else can I do if I don't sleep?"

While Liu Li was sleeping, Liu Che had figured out a method of "relief through work." He originally wanted to let the scholars around him help him discuss it, but then he remembered that he had become A Jiao.

Looking at the little one who had come up with the idea, she was sleeping soundly, so he had no choice but to walk around the Xuanshi Hall by himself.

Liu Che sat on the soft couch and was about to speak, but his eyes noticed something white crumpled into a ball on the soft couch. He looked puzzled and reached out to pick up the thing: "What is this?"

Liu Li followed his hand and saw that Liu Che was holding the facial tissue she had just used to blow her nose.

"Uh... this..." Liu Li hesitated for a moment, but decided to tell the truth: "This is paper,

facial tissue."

Liu Che was shocked: "This is paper? It's so white, and so thin?" It was thinner than silk, like silkworm silk!

"Mm-hmm."

Liu Che didn't believe it and wanted to unfold the crumpled paper to see it clearly. After all, as the Son of Heaven, he had never seen such paper.

Liu Li exclaimed: "Don't, Father Emperor!"

Liu Che's hand paused slightly, but his fingertips seemed to have already touched the thing in the middle of the paper ball, and it seemed to be sticky.

Liu Li covered her face (*/ω＼*) and said: "I, I just used this to blow my nose... this paper is already dirty, Father Emperor."

Liu Che's mouth twitched slightly: "..."

Liu Li looked at him innocently and blinked her eyes. The father and daughter were speechless.

After a long time, Liu Che gritted his teeth and said: "Such precious paper, you actually used it to blow your nose? It's simply a waste of Heaven's gifts!" **Chapter 13: Goddess Descends**