Chapter 205

Fu Wei is very good at hiding his emotions in front of outsiders.

So when the day broke and he came out of the house, he returned to his usual self, the Fu Wei who could handle anything with ease, and there was no sign that he had anything to do with being fragile.

Yu Ying also cried, but not too hard. After covering her eyes, others couldn't tell what was happening.

In addition to coming to pick her up this time, Fu Wei also brought two imperial edicts stamped with the imperial seal to Pengcheng.

One option is for kings of other surnames who recognize King Pengcheng to be exempted from paying taxes to Pengcheng for ten years. Whether Pengcheng collects taxes or not is entirely up to King Pengcheng to decide.

As for rewards of gold and silver, the national treasury was not yet full, and there was really nothing to offer, so he could only grant more land.

The other one was to confer the title of Princess Gurong on the Princess of Pengcheng.

At the beginning of the founding of the country, the words "Gu Rong" were very important. I am afraid that even legitimate princesses might not have this title.

This title is largely due to the fact that Prince Pengcheng is the son-in-law of the emperor.

Yu Ying specifically asked Fu Wei about the title of the girl named Zhou Ba who married to Huainan. Fu Wei told her that it was Princess An Ning.

The other girls all have the character "An" in their names.

Huainan was also a founding hero.

Even the Gu family rushed to the front in this battle without caring about their lives, which made up for their mistakes.

They all received the titles they deserved and equal official positions.

The leader of Muyun Village took the title of general, but he did not fulfill his duties. Then he opened an escort agency with his brothers, an escort agency that neither the black and white worlds dared to mess with.

Mo Shu took over Wuling and became the prefect of Wuling.

Fu Zhen was the Ningyuan General, a fifth-rank official.

The crown prince had not yet been decided, and all the descendants of the Zhou family were granted the title of prince.

As for Fu Wei, Yu Ying heard the news when she was in Pengcheng.

He was a Counselor and concurrently the Vice Minister of the Ministry of Justice, in charge of the policies of reviewing and banning crimes, and in charge of laws, prisoners, and criminal law.

Both are fourth grade.

But since you are young, it won’t be difficult to move up.

Yu Ying was not surprised either. These two positions seemed to be tailor-made for him.

The time to take drastic measures will come later.

After Fu Wei read the imperial edict, he went to the study with King Pengcheng to discuss matters.

King Pengcheng inquired about the progress of the laws and criminal code. After receiving the answers, he asked, "Should the position of crown prince also be put on the agenda?"

The new dynasty was named Ji, and the new emperor had been on the throne for almost three months. Naturally, what people were most concerned about was not the absurd things like expanding the harem. After all, the new emperor was old, and even if he had more children, he might not be able to live to see them grow up. Therefore, the ministers all advised against deciding on a crown prince.

A minister said that the royal family has always established a crown prince and a legitimate heir, and the rules left by the ancestors cannot be broken, so they advocated that the King of England be made the crown prince.

Upon hearing this, King Pengcheng scoffed: "In the past, the Zhou family only appointed capable people instead of the legitimate heir. Now that they have become the royal family, have the rules changed?"

Fu Wei said: "The emperor has not agreed, and now there are two groups of people standing in the court."

The Crown Prince of Zhou, now the King of Ying, followed the Gu family on the battlefield, attacking the enemy without regard for his life and making meritorious deeds, as if he wanted to compete with Zhou Yi, now the King of Jing.

He did gain some merit, so the ministers of his faction made a good contribution and submitted a memorial to the emperor, saying that the King of England had already made up for his mistakes and hoped that the emperor would make the King of England the crown prince.

Heng Ji said, "I support King Jing, but this also depends on King Jing himself. Of course, if King Ying becomes the crown prince and violates the agreed laws and criminal codes, as well as the alliance with Pengcheng, I will not let it go."

These words clearly favored King Jing.

Fu Wei smiled and said, "King Jing will not lose."

After planning for so long, how could we lose?

King Pengcheng could still trust Fu Wei on this point, as he had seen his abilities before. However, looking at Fu Wei's smile, he suddenly frowned and said, "It's not true."

Fu Wei was stunned: "Not true?"

There didn't seem to be any joy in Fu Wei's smile, but rather it seemed as if he was worried about something.

King Pengcheng shook his head without explaining.

Due to heavy snow, Fu Wei and Yu Ying stayed in Pengcheng for a few more days, but Yu Ying was going to the imperial city and no longer went to the medical school.

Fu Wei originally planned to stay at home with his wife and not go anywhere, but he didn't expect that Yu Ying would go out for a walk with him every day.

When asked why, she said she was afraid that others would think something bad was happening and think that they were being unrestrained in the house.

Fu Wei laughed at her for worrying too much.

Yu Ying didn't explain, but she thought to herself that the people of Pengcheng were tough, and considering the Pengcheng Palace was so casual, they would really think so.

After wandering around the Pengcheng Palace for four days, the snow gradually subsided and there were signs that it would stop, so he left Pengcheng and set off for the imperial city.

The journey was slow in winter, and it took three days to reach the foot of the imperial city.

After several months, the surrendered soldiers were forced to do hard labor to rebuild destroyed houses and repair city walls, so many traces of the war were erased.

But the streets are still deserted.

There is still a long way to go before prosperity can be restored.

Fu Wei and Yu Ying said, "The Saint has given us this house, and we have only added some necessary things. Everything else is waiting for you, the mistress, to come and add to it."

Yu Ying suddenly asked, "What about my elder brother and his wife?"

Fu Wei said, "Those of the fourth rank or higher are granted a house, and those below the fourth rank are given gold and silver to buy their own. According to common sense, the parents should live with the eldest brother, but my house is very large. If it were just you and I living together, it would be too big and too lonely."

Yu Ying smiled and said, "I like a more lively atmosphere. Although we live together, there are bound to be conflicts sometimes, but the house is so big that it's like having a small courtyard of our own. We don't usually live together, at most we just visit each other."

Fu Wei smiled knowingly and said, "When the winter snow melts, it's time to bring A Niang and the others to the imperial city."

The new house is connected to the street and the yard is indeed very large. It was originally the residence of a second-rank official.

But the new emperor was obviously partial to the young and promising ones, and gave priority to Fu Wei, the most outstanding among them.

After arriving at the new house, Fu Wei rested for half an hour and then left for the palace.

Yu Ying walked around the mansion alone. Since the servants had not yet entered the mansion and there were only a few people cleaning, it was quiet everywhere.

Indeed, the big courtyard is too quiet. The small courtyard is lively.

But it is not appropriate to live in a small courtyard now.

Seeing that there was still a lot of open space in the courtyard, Yu Ying came up with the idea of ​​growing herbs in the mansion and building a medicine house.

Like the medicine house built by King Pengcheng for Zhou Ling when he was in Pengcheng.

After having an idea, they discussed it after Fu Wei came back.

Fu Wei said, "It's not possible yet."

Yu Ying: "Why not?"

"First, after today, there will be a constant stream of guests visiting. Second, when I left the palace today, the Saint asked me to go with you. You probably won't have any free time for a long time."

Yu Ying thought about it and agreed. Fu Wei was a new upstart in the court, and there would be many people who wanted to make friends with him.

"However, His Majesty, if you allow me to enter the palace, will you reward me? Or will you let me manage another medical school in this imperial city?"

Fu Wei: "Probably both."

Everyone, big and small, received rewards, but Yu Ying’s reward had not yet come down, not even a word was said.

It is naturally impossible to have nothing.

Yu Ying didn't care anymore: "The clinic has to be open anyway, it's our livelihood. I don't expect your salary to be enough to manage such a large mansion."

Later on, Yu Ying also started joking.

Fu Wei followed her words and said, "Then I am the gigolo."

Yu Ying lifted his chin, looked left and right, and said with satisfaction: "You have the money, so you can eat with peace of mind."

Fu Wei lowered his head and pecked her on the lips: "Thank you for your appreciation, Director."

*

The next day, before the plaque was hung at the Fu Mansion, women came one after another with invitations, hoping to get closer to the wife of the Imperial Counselor who was highly valued by the Emperor. However, they were told that the lady had been summoned to the palace by the Emperor early in the morning.

He was summoned to the palace on the second day after arriving at the imperial city. Was it a reward?

He was secretly surprised, but at the same time he became more determined to get closer to this lady of the Imperial Counselor's House.

After Yu Ying entered the palace and met the new emperor, the new emperor did not issue any imperial decree to appoint a female official. Instead, he asked her directly: "I want you to be in charge of the Imperial Medical Bureau. What do you think?"

Yu Ying...

I thought I might be a female official, but I never thought I would be such a high-ranking official.

After becoming this official, any noble in the palace who made the slightest mistake would be held accountable.

Moreover, being in charge of the Imperial Medical Bureau, no matter how capable she was, she would be harassed by a group of stubborn old men. Even those humanities students who boasted of their high destiny would write sour poems to scold her all day long.

She came to this imperial city from a small mountain village in Lingnan, not just to climb one mountain after another.

With Fu Wei as the official's backer, the clinic no longer needs to be a high-ranking official.

Besides, there is not that much time. If I really take charge of the Imperial Medical Bureau, the clinic will definitely not be able to open.

Of course, these words of rejection cannot be spoken out loud, and one must have a righteous and awe-inspiring statement.

Her thoughts raced through her mind for a moment, and she also thought of her words. She knelt down and said, "Your Majesty, please allow me to refuse."

The new emperor raised his eyebrows slightly, glanced at the calm Fu Wei, and then looked at her: "Are you afraid of being embarrassed? Afraid of being scolded? Afraid of being held accountable if something goes wrong in the future?"

Yu Ying...

There is no need to see so clearly.

Her expression remained unchanged as she replied, "I have greater ambitions, so I want to refuse."

This answer not only surprised the new emperor, but also surprised Fu Wei.

The new emperor did not miss the hint of surprise in Fu Wei's expression.

It seems that the two of them didn't know what he was thinking when they came.

"What ambition?" When the new emperor was the patriarch of the Zhou family, he saw this young woman for the first time and felt that her temperament and behavior were different.

Now it seems obvious that the husband and wife are the same type of people.

However, Fu Wei's background and experience were very different from hers, so Fu Wei's intelligence tended to be political, while her intelligence lay in the ways of the world and knowledge.

Yu Ying raised her head and smiled, "My students are everywhere in the world. No matter if a patient is rich or poor, there are doctors who can treat them and medicines that can cure them."

Her eyes were so sincere that it made people believe that what she said was true.

"So, you want to continue running the medical school to educate talents?"

Yu Ying responded, "Your Majesty, yes."

Rather than managing the old man's Imperial Medical Bureau, Yu Ying chose to manage the medical school for young children.

Besides, she had originally learned the essence left by the ancients, and Yu Ying felt embarrassed to teach them in return.

It was probably because Yu Ying's words were powerful and convincing.

The new emperor pondered for a moment. After a long moment, he looked at Fu Wei and asked, "What do you think of your wife's choice?"

Fu Weiying said: "Epidemics often break out. If capable people emerge, all kinds of diseases and epidemics will not be a big deal in the future."

Then there was silence in the hall, so quiet that only the sound of wind and snow outside the hall could be heard.

After a long while, the new emperor nodded and said, "Then it is approved. Yu Shi will obey your order."

Yu Ying knelt down, and then she heard the new emperor say, "Yu is a kind and righteous woman, saving countless lives and wounded, and has done countless good deeds. Today, I specially confer the title of Medical Saint, without official title or rank, to her husband, with the same rank and treatment as him."

Even though she was not an official, she was treated the same as her husband. Low-ranking officials had to bow when they met her and were on equal footing with officials of the same rank.

After hearing this, Yu Ying thought about it for a moment and realized that it was somewhat similar to the Lady of Imperial Concubine.

But it seems to be higher than the title of Lady.

Regardless of these, as long as she is not allowed to take over that half of the mess, he secretly breathed a sigh of relief and then accepted the order and expressed his gratitude.

As for how to run the royal medical school, the new emperor let Yu Ying take charge and the Ministry of Rites cooperate.

For the new emperor, this medical school was just one of his political affairs, so he asked the couple to withdraw.

The new dynasty had just been established, and the government was in a state of flux. The question of who would become the crown prince had also caused confusion within the court. The new emperor had visibly aged several years, lacking the radiant aura of a first-time emperor.

The new emperor is almost sixty years old. He has been engaged in constant wars over the past year, so his health is naturally not as good as that of an elderly person. They are afraid that if the new emperor falls, the country will be leaderless and civil strife will break out. No wonder all officials are in a hurry to appoint a crown prince.

After leaving the main hall and reaching a less crowded area, Fu Wei whispered, "When did you become so eloquent?"

Yu Ying also responded in a low voice: "I learned to remain calm in the face of danger from my husband."

She called him husband in front of him, mostly as a tease.

Fu Wei couldn't help but laugh, and secretly felt relieved.

Being in charge of the Imperial Medical Bureau is not an easy job. Although you have an official position, you cannot sleep peacefully.

They were about to leave the palace, but were stopped: "The Queen invites you two to sit in Kunning Palace."

The queen was the wife of the duke who had been deprived of the power to manage the household affairs.

Although the crown prince has not yet been decided, the queen is still the first wife, and there will not be much change. However, the person who manages the harem is still Zhou Ling's biological mother, now Concubine Jing.

The queen has only an empty title and no real power. Even so, the title of queen still exists, and it is difficult to refuse when someone invites her.

Fu Wei held his wife's hand and said, "Since the Empress has invited me, my wife and I will naturally go. However, my wife is tired from the journey, and the Saint has asked her to return home to rest first, so I will go."

But the old woman was brought by the Empress from Yuzhang, and she was used to looking down on others. She said in a very sarcastic tone, "The Empress invited you two to come, and the concubines and princes in the palace have to come to the Empress to pay their respects even if they are sick. I don't know what kind of status Yu is. Just because she is tired, she dares to refuse the Empress's invitation. Is she more precious than the concubines and princesses?"

Upon hearing this, Yu Ying thought to herself that she had just dared to reject the Emperor, so what if she rejected the Queen again?

But he didn't want Fu Wei to be the only one to suffer, so he said, "Since Mammy has used such harsh words to pressure me, how can I not go?"

Anyway, everyone in the palace is the emperor's spies, so he will be able to go back soon.

Yu Ying turned and smiled at Fu Wei: "Let's go."

The queen certainly wouldn't dare to harm anyone in the palace at this critical juncture.

If any mistake is made between the two of them, it will affect the future position of the British king as the crown prince.

Today, it is at most a test or a show of force.

Yu Ying whispered to Fu Wei, "It's so cold right now. If you and I go outside Kunning Palace, we'll definitely be frozen for more than half an hour."

These tricks that embarrass people are very superficial.

It was a method that had always been used to embarrass women, but the empress dared to use it directly on court officials.

Are you so stupid?

After thinking about it carefully, Yu Ying always felt that something was wrong.

He and Fu Wei looked at each other, and both of them had the same doubt in their eyes.

Yes, it will obviously make the emperor even more disgusted, so why should he make things difficult for them?

If it wasn't to embarrass them, it certainly couldn't be to win them over or alienate them from Zhou Yi.

Well, I really need to meet the queen to see what she is planning.

After the couple followed the maid to Kunning Palace, she said, "I'll go inform the Empress. Please wait in the courtyard for a moment."

There was clearly a main hall, but people were made to wait outside the hall, which was exactly what Yu Ying had thought.

After the old woman went in, she didn't come out for a long time. The two of them waited outside for nearly half a minute. The cold wind blew on their faces, which was quite painful.

Fu Wei took off his cloak and covered her with it, saying, "I am skilled in martial arts and can keep out the cold, but you cannot."

Yu Ying leaned against him, hoping to pass on some warmth to him.

After a while, the maid came out hurriedly from the hall and said, "The Queen has just woken up from a nap and is washing up. Sir Fu and Madam Fu, please wait a moment."

Wait a moment, at least a moment.

Yu Ying and Fu Wei looked at each other and realized that they were not wrong.

It took less than half an hour to go from Kunning Palace to Dayuan Hall and back. Even if the emperor sent someone to rescue him, it would only take a short time.

Being frozen for half an hour will not make people sick, but it can make people freeze in the cold wind.

Half an hour later, the old woman came out again and said, "The Empress is feeling very dizzy. She will be gone today. I will send someone to speak with you two tomorrow."

"Master Fu, Madam Fu, please go back."

Yu Ying: I knew it was this one.

She returned the cloak to Fu Wei and left Kunning Palace with him. There were spies everywhere in the palace, so she didn't say anything.

After getting into the carriage, the servant handed over a hand warmer. Yu Ying hurriedly took Fu Wei's hand to warm it together and snuggled up to him.

She endured it all the way until she returned to the mansion and her room, then she showed her emotions and a calm look of anger appeared on her face.

"The Queen definitely didn't do this to embarrass us. Even though she might have relieved his anger by ignoring us for half an hour, it would have only made the Saint even more annoyed. If she continues to annoy the whole family, who knows, it might even implicate the King of England. It's not worth it."

Fu Wei lit the furnace, boiled some water, and said calmly, "A daughter raised in an aristocratic family and married into a county mansion might sometimes act foolishly, but she would never act recklessly without considering the consequences."

Yu Ying: "If something is out of the ordinary, there must be something fishy going on, but what is she planning?"

Fu Wei's face showed a hint of contemplation.

Yes, what are you planning?

"I will go to the Ministry of Rites early tomorrow morning. I have the emperor's order, so I can refuse with confidence. I don't have to enter the palace. But what about you?" Yu Ying looked at Fu Wei.

Fu Wei pondered for a moment and said, "If you invite me, I will go. It's a good opportunity to see what the Queen is planning."

Yu Ying frowned slightly: "But I feel bad."

Fu Wei smiled and said, "This little bit of cold is nothing to me, but if your body can't stand the cold, don't force yourself just because you feel sorry for me."

Indeed, if she insisted, she would only be a burden.

I had just made some ginger tea and had a few sips to warm myself up when the steward brought me a tall stack of notes.

Yu Ying looked at the arm-high post, then at Fu Wei, and said with a hint of luck, "Luckily, I'm going to open a clinic, so I'm not idle. Otherwise, I'd never be able to attend all these tea parties, winter parties, and spring parties."

Sometimes she can have necessary social interactions, but she can't handle the constant stream of banquets, big and small, all day long.

The next day, Yu Ying went to the Ministry of Rites early in the morning, leaving the people in the palace empty-handed.

Fu Wei was a novice, and it was inappropriate for him to go to the harem without his wife's company. Therefore, the queen did not invite him again.

However, Fu Wei and his wife were not invited, so when the third daughter-in-law came to pay her respects, she was made to stand in the cold wind for half an hour.

Yu Ying also found out about it when someone from Prince Jing's Mansion invited her to come to the mansion to treat Princess Jing's illness.

After freezing in the courtyard for half an hour, Zhou Yi rushed over when he learned about it, but Princess Jing had just been asked to go back. He wanted to go back and ask her why she did this, but the old woman refused, saying that the queen's makeup was not in place and it was not suitable for her to see His Highness.

Zhou Yi didn't even see the queen.

Princess Jing had only just arrived in the imperial city and was not very resistant to the cold. After being blown in the cold wind for half an hour, she felt dizzy and caught a cold as soon as she came back.

Yu Ying looked at Princess Jing and gave her a few more injections. When Princess Jing seemed to be feeling better, she asked how she caught the cold.

Upon hearing the reason, Yu Ying frowned, "Yesterday, when my husband and I entered the palace, we were also invited in by the Queen. We stood outside the courtyard of Kunning Palace for half an hour, and in the end, we didn't even get to see the Queen."

Princess Jing, who was having a headache, sat up suddenly upon hearing this, and the damp cloth on her forehead slipped off. Yu Ying caught it quickly.

"She also asked you to stand there. Could it be that the Queen is..."

Before she could finish her words, Yu Ying interrupted her: "Princess, please be careful with your words."

Princess Jing came back to her senses immediately and patted her forehead lightly: "Look at me, I'm confused because of the illness." She was so drowsy that even her reaction was a little slow.

Then he lowered his voice so that only the two of them could hear, and said, "Could it be that he's gone insane because he's been grounded for over six months?"

It was common knowledge that Huo Shanrong had become insane, but few knew that it was someone who did it on purpose.

Therefore, in the imperial city now, anyone who behaves abnormally or talks nonsense is considered by others to be crazy.

The queen is acting abnormally. If she is not sick, what else could it be?

The two of them thought of something and looked at each other.

What else could it be?

Of course, it was to pave the way for his son.

But making things difficult for them would at most make the emperor feel more disgusted with her as his first wife. How could this be considered paving the way?