Chapter 48: She is best at surviving in the cracks...

Yunsheng also had something to say in defense of this accusation.

"This is my first time attending Master Ming's class. He's truly wonderful, gentle and thoughtful. Xiaoshun, I didn't lie to you..."

Xiaoshun no longer believed him. She even didn't want to believe that such a good-looking person could be so fierce. His handsome eyebrows were always gloomy, and his deep and intense eyes seemed to contain knives, which made people feel uneasy at a glance. He was like two different people from what Xiaoshun said. It was scary.

She didn't want to give the steamed bun that had just been taken off the stove to Yunsheng, so she snatched it away.

"You should starve your mouth and see if you can lie again. Humph."

Yunsheng felt aggrieved and confused.

Zhao Changning looked calm and didn't feel the need to explain. The effect seemed to be quite good.

After staying up all night for many days, Zhao Changning finally had a day to rest. She planned to go out of the palace and lie down in her own little nest. Although it was not luxurious, it could soothe her wandering and tense heart.

Xiaobai circled around her unhappily, as if accusing him of neglecting it during this period.

Zhao Changning held Xiaobai and touched him for a long time.

Yunsheng wanted to burn some paper at Yunpei's grave, so they went together.

Along the way, Yunsheng was puzzled. "Aunt, I saw Master Ming in Shui'er Lane last time. He wasn't a fierce person. Why did he suddenly become so fierce?"

Zhao Changning was also a little curious, "Why did it become so fierce?"

"Aunt, Master Ming is now as fierce as Instructor Song. If a palace maid even glances at him for a few seconds, he'll be yelled at." Yunsheng was also quite sad, and cited some examples. "Now some people call them the male and female evil spirits. During the class, everyone is as quiet as quails."

This time Zhao Changning was really shocked. She had been busy with the locust plague and neglected the Inner Study Hall. Has it developed to this point now?

Song Huan looks very heroic, but also has a strong scholarly air. How could he be so fierce?

She suddenly thought of what Lord Song had said before. It seemed that he was not bragging or being modest. What Lord Song said was the truth, but she just didn't take it seriously.

However, this effect is also very good. It is safer to be afraid than to like. It is better than letting the younger eunuchs and maids in the palace know about Shao Ai, which will only add to their troubles and cause more troubles.

"Okay, you go and see Yun Pei. I'll go by myself and we'll meet up at Shui'er Lane later."

Zhao Changning had no plans to leave Jingshan Palace this time. She was not someone who liked to be spied on, nor did she want to be too familiar with irrelevant people.

Yunsheng advised, "Aunt, it's not close to Shui'er Lane from here. It would be more comfortable to go in a sedan chair."

Zhao Changning shook his head. "Go ahead. Don't worry about me."

Not far from the imperial city is the main street, where shops are lined up one after another and the bluestone road is straight and endless. People are shoulder to shoulder walking back and forth, working hard for their livelihood.

She would not treat herself badly, so she rented a carriage and returned to Shuier Lane. When she opened the gate, she saw Grandma Xu washing Yunqiu's hands by the well.

Grandma Xu's voice was soft and kind. "Come, let's wash our hands and eat buns later, okay?"

Yunqiu still refused to speak and just obediently let Grandma Xu lead the way.

"Hey, the girl's back?" Granny Xu was pleasantly surprised to see Zhao Changning suddenly appear. "Great! I made some meat buns this morning. Would you like some?"

Zhao Changning felt a little uncomfortable in his stomach, but he wasn't hungry yet, so he shook his head and said, "You guys eat."

The two vegetable plots in the yard had just been dug and watered, and a few clumps of chives had been cut. The fruit trellis that had been built earlier was almost dead, with a lot of fruits still hanging on it. The yard was tidy and clean.

Granny Xu brought out a plate of steamed buns from the kitchen and cut up some spicy cabbage. "Come here, Yunqiu, stop playing in the mud and eat your meat buns."

Zhao Changning pointed with his chin at Li Yunqiu, who was squatting on the ground playing in the mud, and asked, "Why is she here?"

Grandma Xu wiped her hands on her apron, pulled Yunqiu up, and took her to the water to wash her hands.

"Her brother had something to do, and she was crying and making a fuss. Taiping couldn't handle it by herself, so she had to bring her to me. I'm lonely as an old woman, so she can be a companion, and it saves me from having to go around the block to bring her food."

Zhao Changning didn't care much about it and turned to go into the room.

The independent space made people relax. She took off her coat, lay flat on the bed, read the booklet left by Hu Gouer for a while, smelled the scent of fresh sunshine on the quilt, listened to the rustling sounds in the yard, and fell asleep in a short while.

I don’t know how long I slept, but in my dream, Zhao Changning heard screams in the yard.

Years of vigilance and alertness had suddenly awakened her.

"Let us in, ma'am, we just want to see the owner. We know him, we really know him, we're here to give him some gifts and leave... Oh, how can you, an old lady, push people away?"

"I don't know you. Get out quickly, or I'll call for help. There are a lot of soldiers patrolling nearby." Yunsheng's voice.

Zhao Changning sniffed the aroma of food and was a little dazed at first, but suddenly he jumped up, put on his clothes and walked out.

Several people were pushing and shoving at the gate of the courtyard. Li Yunqiu was so scared that she cried and screamed, and huddled beside Grandma Xu to cause more trouble. Yunsheng bravely stood in front of the two women.

"What are you doing?"

When Granny Xu turned around and saw Zhao Changning, it was as if she had seen her backbone, and she pulled Li Yunqiu to stand against the wall.

"Girl, these people said they knew you. I told them you were resting, but they insisted on breaking in. I definitely couldn't let them in..."

Yunsheng still stood at the door with his arms wide open. Although he was afraid, he did not give in at all.

Zhao Changning looked coldly at the leader on the opposite side, a fat man wearing a gray hat, who should be a steward of some family. His waist was slightly hunched habitually, but he did not have the cautious look of the people in the palace.

Her eyes turned slightly and she guessed, "Were you sent by the Zhou family?"

The Zhou family's housekeeper's eyes flashed, as if he didn't expect that this woman would reveal his identity at a glance. However, seeing the woman's demeanor and the coldness on her face, he had to be cautious. He then smiled awkwardly and hunched his waist.

"I'm really abrupt today, but my parents said that my aunt will definitely understand."

Zhao Changning waved his hand, "Yunsheng, let them in."

Yunsheng hesitated, but his eyes were still alert.

The Zhou family's housekeeper's eyes lit up and he clapped his hands. Soon, two servants came in carrying a box.

"My master presents these to my aunt as a filial gift. Please accept these things. They are not valuable, just some local gifts."

Zhao Changning curled his lips slightly and said, "I'll accept the gift. I'll go back and tell your master to put his mind at ease."

The emperor knows all these things anyway, and he is not angry, so why should she worry about it?

The Zhou family's housekeeper's face relaxed completely, and he smiled flatteringly, "Yes, yes, thank you very much, auntie. I will go back and report to my master. Sorry for bothering you. Bye."

Granny Xu hugged Li Yunqiu and coaxed her softly, "Don't be afraid, don't be afraid. I've already chased the bad guys away for you. Don't be afraid anymore."

Li Yunqiu looked at Zhao Changning with eyes full of curiosity.

Yunsheng also breathed a sigh of relief. He quickly walked over to his aunt and asked, "Aunt, who are these people?"

Zhao Changning ignored his words and pointed at the box, "Move it in, open it and see what good things they gave you."

As soon as it was opened, there were five pieces of silk cloth neatly arranged. When the cloth was removed, the lower layer was two sky-blue porcelain bottles with narrow mouths and thick bellies, wrapped tightly. Further down were some real local rituals. Although they were said to be simple, they were actually precious things such as ginseng, deer antlers, borneol, musk, etc., all packed in red lacquer boxes.

But at the bottom of the earthenware voucher was a stack of silver notes, totaling two thousand taels.

Zhao Changning took it in his hand and sneered. He thought that the money had to be snatched, as it would come faster this way.

"The rich bastards sit at the top, and the poor gentlemen sit at the bottom. Now, Xiao Shun doesn't have to worry about me being poor."

Yunsheng was also very happy, "Auntie, it's a lot of money, why do they want to give money?"

Zhao Changning endured the pain in his stomach and smiled faintly, "Of course they owe me money."

As soon as he finished speaking, a sound was heard outside the lattice window.

"Yunqiu, are you crying?" Mingxuan pulled his sister, whose eyes were red, and asked with concern, "Grandma Xu, what's going on?"

Granny Xu explained everything in detail, then turned around and pointed at the window of Zhao Changning's room. "...It's okay, don't worry. Those people are afraid of you. As long as you're back, Yunqiu won't cry anymore."

Mingxuan looked up and only then saw Zhao Changning in the lattice window.

The banana leaves under the moon-shaped window are still green, and the fruit vines planted by Grandma Xu are climbing on the window lattice, alternating between yellow and green. The breeze gently caresses them, and under the swaying branches and leaves, a beautiful and cold face is vaguely visible.

The midday sun was so transparent, slanting down on her pretty face, as white as fresh snow. She seemed to be holding a book in her hand. Her green sleeves slipped down, revealing a white and slender wrist. She wore a pair of emerald green bracelets, looking lonely and elegant, just like a picture of a refined and elegant lady in a scroll painting.

He couldn't help but soften his tone and gaze, "Miss Changning? Why are you here?"

Zhao Changning put down the banknotes in his hand, the bracelet on his wrist jingling crisply, and said softly: "Why can't I be here? If I remember correctly, this is my home."

Mingxuan came back to his senses and said apologetically, "Sorry for disturbing you. I was just talking nonsense. I'll take Yunqiu back right away."

Zhao Changning nodded.

Granny Xu spoke up, hugging Yunqiu with a hint of reluctance. "You have something to do this afternoon, right? You still have to eat. You'll have to cook it when you get home. You won't have enough time."

She turned to look at Zhao Changning, "Miss, why don't you stay and have dinner with us? It's already noon."

Zhao Changning's stomach was churning and he was too weak to speak. He looked at Li Yunqiu's big eyes like black grapes and nodded reluctantly.

Mingxuan knew that he was the one who disturbed the other. Ever since he met Zhao Changning, all the coincidences had made it seem like he was shamelessly taking advantage of the other. He had wanted to leave, but the situation was different now. Looking at his sister's pale face, he finally nodded shamelessly.

He whispered a thank you, "Thank you very much."

Zhao Changning did not respond to him. He sat on the main seat with a pale face, asked Yunsheng to warm a pot of wine, and poured himself a glass and drank it slowly.

When Yunsheng met Mingxuan today, it was like a mouse meeting a cat, or a student meeting his teacher, something like that.

Mingxuan didn't pay attention to his surroundings, as if he was in a hurry. He helped Grandma Xu set the table and pulled his sister to sit down. When he turned around, he saw Zhao Changning drinking. After looking at her carefully, he found that her face was frighteningly pale and her brows were furrowed, as if she was unwell.

"What's wrong with you?" He snatched the wine glass from her hand and asked with certainty, "Are you feeling sick in your stomach?"

Zhao Changning just felt better after drinking some wine, but her wine glass was snatched away from her. Her beautiful eyebrows were tightly furrowed, and she looked at Mingxuan with her almond-shaped eyes, extremely cold and distant.

"Give me back my wine."

Mingxuan hesitated for a moment, his face showing a struggle, but he finally returned the glass and apologized, "I'm sorry, I was rude and reckless."

After he sat down, he took his sister to eat together, teaching her some table manners from time to time, and also had to be careful of his sister who would suddenly eat with her hands.

Zhao Changning leaned back in his chair, looking down at him with an undisguised scrutiny.

He ate very quickly. At this time, he didn't care about the elegance of the third place in the imperial examination. He should have wanted to rush back to the palace to teach as soon as possible. However, he had no carriage and had to rely on his legs to run, and it took him a long time to go back and forth.

"It's almost three quarters past noon now. Your journey back will take at least an hour. Don't be late."

Mingxuan looked up and saw her half-smile, and he knew that she was bothered by his action of grabbing the wine glass just now. He knew in his heart that he shouldn't have done that, as it went beyond the normal relationship between the two of them.

He quickly finished the last two mouthfuls of rice in the bowl and stood up.

"Mrs. Xu, Yunqiu still needs your care. I'll come back this afternoon to pick her up." His face flushed slightly, and he added, "I'll definitely give you the full amount when I get my salary."

Zhao Changning looked at his back as he hurried away, his heart calm.

After serving others for a long time, she has to judge the degree of propriety and guess people's hearts all the time. Therefore, she cares a lot about how strangers behave towards her. If she crosses this line, she will be very unhappy.

Whatever the case of a third place winner or a beautiful lady, without money and power, they will still live in misery.

She drank the wine in the glass in one gulp.

Yunsheng also noticed his aunt's discomfort and tried to persuade her, "Aunt, please stop drinking. If Xiaoshun knew, he would definitely nag her for a long time."

Zhao Changning thought of Xiaoshun's nagging and finally put down her wine glass. She knew it was not good, but sometimes she couldn't help it.

But he lost his appetite and went back to his room with his hands covering his forehead.

October is the golden autumn, the best weather in Yujing, with clear skies and crisp air.

Zhao Changning sat completely relaxed on a recliner in the yard, flipping through the book in his hand from time to time. The mute Li Yunqiu sat beside him playing with knitting. The warm afterglow of the setting sun poured down, and the atmosphere was momentarily quiet.

When Mingxuan came, he saw the same scene again, and he couldn't bear to interrupt it.

It was Zhao Changning who saw him first. She put down the book, the bracelet on her wrist jingled, and a smile appeared on her pretty face.

"Master Ming, are you here to pick up my sister?"

Mingxuan didn't know why, but he felt awkward when facing her, as if he was facing his superior. He couldn't figure out what kind of person she was. He just felt that she was the coldest, most sober and most unpredictable woman he had ever met.

He put away his self-proclaimed familiarity and said, "Yes, Miss Changning, thank you so much today."

Zhao Changning shook his head. "If you want to thank anyone, thank Grandma Xu. I don't know how to take care of children."

Mingxuan pursed his lips, said goodbye to Grandma Xu, and left.

Zhao Changning also sighed, put away the book, and took Yunsheng back to the palace.

October passed quickly. With each autumn rain, there was a chill. People in the palace had already started carrying charcoal to deliver to various palaces. Some concubines who were afraid of the cold started to use floor heating.

Zhao Changning's life seemed uneventful, but she did not dare to relax at all.

Every day before the emperor reviewed the memorials, she would organize them and stay by his side, being considerate and sensible. She would not miss a single thing that she should do or say.

She picked up the tongs and stirred the coals, watching the ashes fly up and down.

The emperor heard the noise and looked up from the pile of memorials. He asked, "Are all the memorials from Shaanxi here?"

Zhao Changning responded, "Yes, Your Majesty, all the memorials from Shaanxi have been reviewed. Here are the memorials from Shanxi. Since the locust plague spread from Shaanxi to here, all the memorials are here."

The emperor threw away the red pen, his lips slightly curved, and his eyes sparkled.

"Good, good, good. Xu Jiawen has lived up to my expectations." The emperor praised him three times in a row. "Fortunately, the locust plague has not spread to Henan. Calculating next year's grain supply, at least people won't starve to death. This is a great achievement."

After today, we have to see what those old foxes in the cabinet have to say. Even if we don't use their people, we can reduce expenses and still get the job done.

He smiled, feeling proud, "Changning, you have done a great job."

Zhao Changning pursed his lips and chuckled, "Changning doesn't dare to take credit for it. This is all due to the emperor's wisdom and bravery, as well as Mr. Xu's outstanding talent. Changning is just saying a few words."

The emperor knew her personality, and was always reserved, not taking credit for anything, and not saying much, but simply asking her to get up.

"Back then, Hu Gou'er accepted the position of Chief Seal of the Imperial Household Department from our father. Although you are the Chief Seal now, the Imperial Household Department is no longer in name only and has no meaning. Changning, once this matter is resolved, I would like to grant you the title of Imperial Court Lady."

Zhao Changning was shocked. She never expected that there would be such a surprise today. The queen had actually agreed to this matter at the beginning, but it was eventually left unresolved. She could only wait and lie dormant.

I thought I would have to spend a lot of time and effort to study it, but I didn't expect that I would get it by accident.

She kowtowed deeply, fearing only that it was a mirage, "Your Majesty, Changning is ashamed to accept it."

The emperor seemed genuinely happy, as he personally reached out and helped her up. "Imperial Lady-in-Chief is just a general title. Since it's an official position, I'll have to help you think of a title. When the ladies-in-chief are selected in the future, besides the Empress, you can also be transferred to help me solve my problems."

Zhao Changning felt that today was not only a ray of hope, but also a blessing from heaven. She was so excited that she could hardly control herself and her whole body was shaking.

Don’t underestimate it as just a title. Many times, a title can hold a person back and determine how much power a person has.

This meant that she had an official identity and was no longer just a little maid standing beside the emperor, a servant who was ignored.

But she also knew in her heart that how could a woman be obtained so easily? Even if the emperor made a decision, it was only a choice after weighing all the pros and cons.

It will definitely require some fighting, but no matter how difficult it is, she must get it.

Power is so tempting.

Zhao Changning thought of those old, rigid and arrogant men in the cabinet. She knew she had to get through this hurdle with them. Her mind raced, and the more time passed, the calmer she became.

If she wants to get it, she has to take advantage of the delicate relationship between the emperor and the cabinet. She is best at surviving in the cracks.

Zhao Changning knelt down without hesitation.

She spoke earnestly, advising, "Your Majesty, Changning begs you to reconsider. The elders in the cabinet do not like me to be by your side, examining memorials. If you really grant me an official position, I'm afraid they will faint from anger. You must revoke your order, so as not to further provoke the conflict between you and the elders in the cabinet. As a mere woman, Changning feels truly ashamed."

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Author's words: Changning: Wow, it's my area of ​​expertise again? [Sprinkle flowers][Sprinkle flowers]