Chapter 49 Our Dad
Empress Ma couldn't help but laugh: "How can there be such a person in the world?"

Zhu Jingjing blinked her obsidian-bright eyes and said, "There are people with the same temperament as Third Brother. How could there not be such a person?"

Empress Ma said with a fierce face: "You must not criticize your third brother."

Zhu Jingjing shook her head and looked at Queen Ma innocently and said, "Mother, I have no objection. On the contrary, I think Third Brother has the best temper. My eldest brother is too serious, and my second brother..."

Empress Ma interrupted her and said, "Okay, okay, you are a girl. If you are attracted to someone as unreliable as Jian'er, how can you get married in the future?"

Zhu Jingjing blushed all of a sudden and said shyly, "Mother, please don't make fun of me."

"Ouch..." Queen Ma paced a few steps in the bedroom and couldn't help saying, "My legs and feet are a little sore and numb."

Zhu Jingjing became nervous: "Has mother been lying on the bed for too long..."

Empress Ma shook her head: "That's not the case. I can't explain it. I just feel... I don't have much strength."

Zhu Jingjing looked serious and said, "I think we should just call Deng Qianqiu to come and see our mother, otherwise I will be worried."

Empress Ma laughed and said, "What nonsense! How can you let a young man enter this inner garden? There are so many concubines in this palace. If this gets out... I don't know how many rumors will arise! You are too foolish. Don't ever have such thoughts in the future."

Zhu Jingjing looked slightly embarrassed, as if realizing something, and said, "Yes."

Empress Ma took a few more steps and ordered the eunuchs beside her to support her. Then, she suddenly said, "I never thought that Deng Jian... could give birth to a son like this."

"Ah..." Zhu Jingjing looked at her mother in surprise, as if she didn't understand the meaning of her words for a moment.

Queen Ma smiled and said, "What I mean is that Deng Qianqiu is too smart."

Zhu Jingjing said, "Mother, he is not very smart. I have also heard that apart from being able to treat illnesses and do some business, he is terrible at dealing with people. Only my third brother can tolerate his strange temper. He always embarrasses those around him. It is said that he has a very bad temper and is an irritating person."

Empress Ma was a little surprised and frowned slightly: "Really? If so, it's a pity. The most important thing for a man is to behave well in society. If he lacks even this, it's not a good thing. The so-called upright heart, sincerity, managing the family, governing the country, and pacifying the world. Even saints put upright heart and sincerity first, which shows that people in the world must first establish virtue. What is virtue? It is the principle of being kind to others."

Queen Ma began to look regretful.

Zhu Jingjing said: "He is just not easy to get along with. I don't think there is anything wrong with that. Why do people have to be easy to get along with? Can't they just follow their own temperament?"

Empress Ma could not help but get angry: "I usually teach you to read the Four Books for Women. You read them, but you didn't take them to heart. If you are an ordinary citizen, as long as you don't violate the law, it's okay to follow your heart. But if a man wants to do great things, whether it's doing business or being an official, if he follows his temper, he will hurt others."

Zhu Jingjing naturally did not dare to refute.

The regret on Queen Ma's face grew even stronger: "What a pity, what a pity. It would be better if he was more considerate in his dealings with others."

Zhu Jingjing didn't want to continue the discussion. If she continued anyway, it would be her fault in the end. So she supported her chin with both hands, leaned over the desk, looked silly, and thought about the girl's thoughts.

"Ouch..." Queen Ma said suddenly, "My legs and feet...are becoming more and more sore and weak."

Zhu Jingjing worriedly stepped to Empress Ma's side and supported her, saying, "Mother...what should we do?"

Empress Ma frowned, thought for a moment, and hesitated for a moment before she finally asked, "Where is Deng Qianqiu staying?"

Zhu Jingjing subconsciously said, "I heard from my third brother that he lives in Xianliang Temple."

Empress Ma said, "Since it is Xianliang Temple, it is also in the Forbidden City. In this case, why not go and see him and see what advice he has? In any case, this time I am grateful to him, otherwise I am afraid that the baby in my belly would be in danger. He is so unkind that he will surely be hated by others, and sooner or later it will cause disaster in the future. It is better to take this opportunity to remind him a little."

Zhu Jingjing could not help but retort: ​​"Mother, I heard people say that it is easy to change the country but difficult to change one's nature..." Empress Ma smiled calmly: "I just do my best and leave the rest to fate. I have to say what I should say, but as for success or failure, I can't force it."

Zhu Jingjing thought about what Empress Ma had just said and couldn't help but said, "But mother, you just said that men and women should not touch each other..."

Empress Ma could not help showing her anger, and almost stretched out her finger to poke Zhu Jingjing's head lovingly: "You, you learned a sentence and then said it nonsense. This harem inner garden is not allowed to enter. It is taboo. I am here to see a doctor, what gossip can there be? This Xianliang Temple is the residence of your brothers."

Zhu Jingjing seemed to have nothing to say this time, and just said, "Oh."

…………

Deng Qianqiu fell asleep as soon as he got off duty, but was still woken up by the noise.

The person who came was actually an acquaintance, Lu Zhongheng, Marquis of Ji'an.

There was another person who came with Lu Zhongheng, namely, Pingliang Hou Fei Ju.

Lu Zhongheng and Fei Ju were sworn brothers, and they were also close friends with Hu Weiyong, the governor of the Secretariat.

The two men were in front, followed by a soldier holding a jar of wine.

“Brother Deng, Brother Deng, I’m here to see you.” Lawrence Lu called out loudly.

Deng Qianqiu heard the noise and came out to greet them. When he saw it was Lawrence Lu, he was a little surprised.

He couldn't understand. Last time...didn't he make this guy very unhappy? Why did he come again?

Lu Zhongheng said enthusiastically: "Haha, Brother Deng, we agreed to drink together last time we parted. Lu promised to do so. Look, I have brought the wine. And... this Pingliang Hou, I think you have heard of him too."

When Deng Qianqiu heard the words "Pingliang Hou", he couldn't remember whether this guy was convicted for colluding with Hu Weiyong to rebel, but... seeing how close he was to Lu Zhongheng, it was probably...

Why am I so attractive?
Lawrence Lu didn’t know how bad Deng Qianqiu’s mentality was at the moment, and he seemed to be unable to see the coldness on Deng Qianqiu’s face. He said in a familiar manner, “Why don’t you let us go in and sit down?”

Deng Qianqiu only raised his eyes slightly, but stretched out his hand, picked his nostrils and said: "Brother Lu, you are too polite."

Lawrence Lu’s expression changed slightly as if he could no longer hold it in, but he still took a deep breath.

Last time, Deng Qianqiu had already displeased him, but who would have thought that when the guy from the Secretariat invited him to discuss matters again, he mentioned Deng Qianqiu again, saying that for some reason, the emperor suddenly bestowed clothes on this little centurion.

This matter had already become some gossip and rumors inside and outside the palace, but obviously, the man from the Secretariat thought that this matter was definitely not simple. Mr. Hu was a man of great wisdom, and he seemed to think that this might represent a certain trend in the palace. If he did not thoroughly test Deng Qianqiu's ability, he would not be at ease.

What's more, Deng Qianqiu is a native of Fengyang. There are so many civil and military officials in the court, and many of them are from Fengyang. But no one has any impression of Deng Qianqiu's life experience. Mr. Hu always feels that this person is too weird.

Anyway, no matter what, a person who is favored by the palace and is specially promoted by the emperor to serve in the Yiluansi, even if he is just a small centurion, should not be underestimated.

So... Mr. Hu repeatedly asked Lu Zhongheng to be courteous to the wise and humble to the humble, and to win over this fellow villager no matter what.

Lu Zhongheng had no choice but to come.

It was just that Deng Qianqiu kept calling him "Brother Lu", which really annoyed him, but at this moment he had to smile: "You are on duty here, is your father at home?"

Deng Qianqiu said: "Our father."

(End of this chapter)