Chapter 186 Decryption
Yu Huatang immediately said, "I dare not. I just want to learn more, and because I know Master Zhao, I asked him to take me to Tianjing Pavilion."
"Lord Zhao? But you're the Minister of Works, Zhao Yan?"
The Queen asked very detailed questions, but she didn't understand, so she answered honestly, "Yes, Your Majesty."
The Queen sat down, took a sip of tea, and asked, "I heard that you were husband and wife before?"
Yu Huatang didn't know why, so she lowered her head and said, "Yes, but we divorced five years ago, so there's no relationship between us now."
The queen smiled, and the female official who had just appeared also smiled. Yu Huatang heard the laughter and knew that she was just curious and observing.
After laughing for a while, the Queen said, "I think the Imperial Household Department is in need of a female official like you. Why don't I tell the Emperor that I've seen your craftsmanship and it's quite good. You don't have to take the female official examination. You can just take a small position. When your skills become more sophisticated, you can serve as a tribute to the palace."
Yu Huatang was stunned. She didn't know what to do. The Queen was of noble status, so she immediately stood up and knelt again. "Your Majesty, I have never thought of staying in the palace. I come from a humble background. I only hope that more people will see the lanterns of my hometown, but I have never thought of staying in the capital. I only want to learn more skills, return to my hometown of Quanzhou, and continue on my journey."
The queen didn't say anything. The room was silent and the atmosphere was suddenly strange.
Yu Huatang thought that she couldn't just refuse a noble person in the palace, especially since this person was the Empress. Thinking of this, she felt a little scared, and she was also afraid of bringing trouble to the Zhao family.
Just as she was nervously thinking, the Queen was silent for a while before saying, "I see. I hadn't thought of that before. Well, everyone has their own aspirations, and not everyone likes this place."
"Thank you, Your Majesty..." Yu Huatang bowed her head in thanks.
Then the Queen stood up and left.
"Okay, Miss Yu, please come with me." said the female official.
"Yes." Yu Huatang followed him out.
On the way, Yu Huatang was still nervous. Only when she got here did she understand why so many people were so scared when they saw people from the palace. This was because the minds of the nobles were difficult to guess. They held the power of life and death, and disaster could befall them if they were not careful.
Therefore, if I refuse like this today, will the Queen remember me? It is not good for a powerless person to be remembered by the Queen. What is worse is that when she returns to Quanzhou in the future, will the Zhao family in the capital be implicated?
She wanted to ask someone, but there was no one to ask.
When they returned to the Zhao family and were about to go their separate ways, Yu Huatang said to Anfu, "Could you please help me see if Master Zhao is home? I have something I want to ask Master Zhao."
When Anfu heard this, his eyes lit up and he said anxiously, "Okay, I'll go right away." Then he immediately ran towards Lanyuan.
Yu Huatang waited for a while, and Anfu came over and said, "I'm sorry, Miss Yu, the young master must be too tired today and has already rested. I will talk to you tomorrow morning."
Yu Huatang immediately said, "Okay, thank you for your help."
Anfu was already worried about his master and wanted to get the young master up right away. He immediately said, "No need to bother. Miss Yu, please don't be polite."
Yu Huatang then returned to Chunhuating, but she also felt strange. Zhao Yan usually would not rest at this time. She saw that he was having difficulty moving this morning. So what on earth did he go to do? Why did he take so long? And after coming back, he was having difficulty moving again?
She couldn't figure this out, and she didn't want to think about it anymore.
The next morning, she opened the door and saw Zhao Yan standing in the yard.
It was still early, and the servants were preparing breakfast in the backyard. The heavy snow had covered the entire Zhao Mansion with a layer of white. He stood in the garden, looking indescribably handsome.
He walked over slowly and said gently, "Anfu said you were looking for me. Also, did the Empress summon you yesterday?"
Yu Huatang said, "Yesterday, Her Majesty asked me to help pick a lock, and I did. Later, Her Majesty was so happy that she said she would let me join the Imperial Household Department without taking an exam. I panicked and refused outright, but I didn't dare to look at Her Majesty's face. I didn't know if I had offended Her Majesty and brought trouble upon you."
Zhao Yan felt disappointed, but quickly consoled her, "Don't worry. Since you've helped the Empress, she'll only be grateful to you. The Empress' surname is Yuan, and she used to sell straw sandals. The court officials have had some dealings with her. Even when she impeached the officials for her background, she never did anything. She relies entirely on His Majesty in the palace, and is generally lenient to others, so there's no need to worry."
"In that case, I feel relieved. I was just afraid of saying something wrong." Yu Huatang breathed a sigh of relief.
Zhao Yan looked at her and said, "You really don't want to join the Imperial Household Department... or stay in the capital?"
Yu Huatang shook his head and smiled, "No, Quanzhou is my home."
Zhao Yan felt dejected, and after a long moment, he said, "That's right. One's life is naturally about living the life they want. Status and position are sometimes fleeting."
"Then I'll go out first."
Zhao Yan nodded and watched her leave quietly. After her figure disappeared, he slowly sat down, holding on to the branch next to him.
As expected, there is nothing left for her to miss here. When she returns to Quanzhou, perhaps in a few years she will become a role model for women in the world.
It was not until three days later that Yu Huatang heard that Ouyang had died of drunkenness.
The news came from a servant of the Zhao family, but the servant couldn't explain the whole story. He only said, "Ouyang Zui was on his way back from the western suburbs preparing supplies for the palace for the New Year when he accidentally fell into the river and died. When he was found, he had already turned into an ice sculpture."
This statement is highly unbelievable. First of all, Ouyang Zui is not a dedicated person, so there is no reason for him to be in the western suburbs so late at night.
Secondly, when Ouyang Zui travels, he usually brings many servants with him, so why is he alone?
Finally, if he fell into the river, he should have been able to climb out. How could he have frozen to death?
But since the news was like this, Yu Huatang naturally didn't care. He just felt that God had mercy on him and let this evil man who raped the girl die.
Zhao Yan was indeed right about the Empress. That day, the female official came to take her into the palace.
This time, he didn't want to open any lock, but took out a palace lantern and asked her to see it. Is it okay as this year's tribute?
Yu Huatang took a look and said, "There's nothing wrong with the style or the frame. It's just that the decorations are too ornate, with all the jade and Shu brocade. It's better than what people wear." Then she added, "Your Majesty, please forgive me for speaking without restraint."
"It's okay. I think you are absolutely right. This was presented by the Ministry of Internal Affairs. I also think it is too gorgeous. A lamp requires so much jade. Other craftsmen have seen it and will follow suit. Soon, the tables, chairs, and basins will all be inlaid. It's uncomfortable to sit on them, and you will get bumped when washing your hands. It's too extravagant." said the queen.
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