Published: March 7, 2025
CHAPTER 291: The Little Person Who Changed the Course of History!
Diwu Qingrou sat calmly in his chair, quietly observing him. This kind of calmness, deep as the sea, suddenly made Chief Steward Lu Renjia feel a wave of inexplicable panic in his heart.
He had come bearing a royal decree, but at this moment, he felt as if Diwu Qingrou was standing high above the clouds, looking down at him disdainfully. Although there was no hint of emotion in his gaze, Lu Renjia could clearly sense the contempt contained within.
At that moment, the chief steward felt like an ant at the foot of the mountain, being looked down upon.
This feeling made Chief Steward Lu very uncomfortable.
He thought he was being disdained.
No matter how one viewed it, he was still a high-ranking chief steward! After losing some of the things a man should have, Lu Renjia no longer had any demands for money or beauty, but he was increasingly concerned about power and influence!
Especially that feeling of being respected by others, which grew stronger and stronger! In fact, his self-esteem had already reached a perverted level!
"By royal decree! Diwu Qingrou, receive the edict!" When he didn’t get the expected response he desired, Chief Steward Lu shouted again, looking at Diwu Qingrou.
Diwu Qingrou lightly furrowed his brows, and suddenly, Lu Renjia felt an inexplicable chill envelop him.
"Recite!"
Diwu Qingrou’s expression remained calm, his gaze still deep and frozen; just by uttering this single word, he shattered Lu Renjia’s twisted self-esteem!
At this moment, he clearly felt that if he did not recite the decree, he would never have the chance to do so again!
The four little eunuchs behind him, acting as ceremonial attendants, were already trembling uncontrollably.
"By the will of heaven, the emperor commands..." The voice of the public duck began to recite.
"Recite the contents!" Diwu Qingrou said calmly.
"Uh..." Lu Renjia felt a wave of anger, nearly choking himself.
"…commanding Diwu Qingrou to return all items from the palace treasury..." Chief Steward Lu finally couldn't withstand the pressure and recited the key points.
"The palace treasury was stolen?" Diwu Qingrou frowned and muttered to himself, "You want me to return it?" His tone carried a sense of mockery.
Gao Sheng beside him almost burst out laughing.
"Leave." Diwu Qingrou slightly lifted his eyelids to look at Lu Renjia.
Chief Steward Lu was furious, suppressing his anger, and said, "Fifth Minister, before I came here, your majesty repeatedly instructed me that whatever was taken by Fifth Minister must have been taken justly and used justly; however, that is the fundamental basis of the royal family for generations, and I hope Fifth Minister can understand the difficulties of your majesty..."
"Mm, I will understand." Diwu Qingrou said lightly.
This statement made Chief Steward Lu roll his eyes. The emperor saying for you to 'understand' was merely a polite expression; how could you actually take that to heart?
"The emperor has another order." Lu Renjia gritted his teeth and rolled his eyes.
"Mm?" Diwu Qingrou's face and eyes remained still, but Lu Renjia could clearly feel a sense of impatience.
"His majesty said... he hopes Diwu Qingrou can understand when to advance and when to retreat, and not act like a treasonous minister! Otherwise, I can only go to any lengths to remove this subordinate." Lu Renjia slowly said.
In fact, this sentence was not the emperor's decree, but a private conversation between the emperor and the empress. Chief Steward Lu had been waiting nearby and, upon hearing this, naturally categorized Diwu Qingrou as a 'disfavored minister who could be purged at any time.'
How could a minister who elicited such words from the emperor be anything good?
Prime Minister? So what? Throughout history, how many ministers who had overshadowed their masters ended up being killed by the emperor? Even if Diwu Qingrou wielded great power, he was still just a minister!
Thus, today, in order to maintain his strong yet pathetic self-esteem, Chief Steward Lu coldly spoke this sentence.