91 Qixi Festival (Part 1)
◎She took off the curtain and leaned confidently into Lu Jing's arms.◎
Gu Ningxi wanted to say hello to her friends, but when she heard Lu Jing's words, she silently retracted the friendly smile that was halfway to her face.
She just said, "What a coincidence."
The two sides stood facing each other for a while. With the help of the bright light, Xie Qian and the other two could see the face of the girl in blue more and more clearly. She was so beautiful that it made people feel unworldly.
She stood beside His Majesty, and the atmosphere between them was strangely familiar.
She... is indeed Lord Gu.
It's too noisy here and not a good place to talk.
Of course, Lu Jing had no intention of finding a quiet place to chat with his friends.
He held Gu Ningxi's hand and said to the three people opposite him, "I don't have time today. Let's talk another day."
After saying that, he leisurely took Gu Ningxi and left first.
Xie Qian and the other two stayed where they were, watching His Majesty and Lord Gu go away, without moving for a long time.
Qin Yu looked at the busy streets and couldn't help but doubt himself: "Were we really not dreaming just now?"
"Three people can't be dreaming, right?" Xie Qian said, taking a bite of the pancake in a daze. "This pancake is cold. It's not as delicious as it was when it was fresh out of the pan."
They blocked the way for many people. Zhen Yuan came to his senses first and led the two of them to the side of the road.
After sorting out my worries, the lantern stall not far away was still bustling with activity.
Zhen Yuan asked, "Huaicheng, are you still going to play pot tossing?"
There were still many lanterns on the stall as lucky charms. Xie Qian spread his hands and said, "I don't have a loved one to give it to, so there's no point in throwing it in." He looked at the other two, "Do you have any?"
Zhen Yuan shook his head truthfully, and Qin Yu asked, "Are you still going to the Lantern Festival?"
The three of them looked at each other, and Xie Qian made the final decision: "Since we're here, let's go shopping!"
Zhen Yuan agreed, and Qin Yu took them to eat fried cakes according to the planned route.
"Tonight is truly mysterious." Qin Yu said with emotion.
"That's right! I said there's an indescribable closeness between Your Majesty and Lord Gu."
Zhen Yuan was confused: "Then when did Your Majesty know Lord Gu's identity?"
"They grew up together, maybe they knew it when they were young?"
"Yes, back when we were in the Imperial College, someone said that Lord Gu looked like a girl. Your Majesty even helped Lord Gu teach that person a lesson, saying he was blind..."
The three of them chatted with each other as they walked through two or three streets. The lanterns along the road were dazzling, but they could only appreciate two of them.
In another direction, Gu Ningxi lowered his eyes and looked at his own Jinping Huazhan Lantern.
This lantern is truly beautiful, with a brocade screen and flowers of the four seasons painted on all four sides. When the lantern is on, the flowers appear to be in full bloom, shining brightly.
Gu Ningxi couldn't let it go; no wonder the stall owner offered it as a jackpot. Holding the lantern in her hand, she even felt that the demanding conditions for the pot-throwing game were reasonable.
Seeing her happy, Lu Jing's already good mood became even better.
He had a string of candied haws and a bag of crispy biscuits in his hands, and Gu Ningxi had just eaten two hawthorn fruits.
We walked along two more streets and admired beautiful lanterns, each with its own unique charm.
It was getting late, and by this time, Gu Ningxi was feeling a little hungry.
Lu Jing smiled and said, "What do you want to eat?"
"Let's go eat some dumplings?"
She looked at the road and saw that they were not far from a restaurant they used to go to.
They were lucky. After they entered the store and waited for a while, a separate table became available.
"What would you two gentlemen like to order?"
"Two bowls of sesame dumplings, a plate of roasted mutton, and a plate of biluo."
"Okay!"
Gu Ningxi and Lu Jing sat down, put a towel on the corner of the wooden table, and then carefully placed the lantern on it.
She admired the flowers painted on all sides, and this hibiscus flower perfectly matched her clothes today.
Soon, two bowls of steaming hot dumplings were served, and the mutton and biluo would have to wait for a while.
Lu Jing scooped up a glutinous rice ball, blew it cool, and then fed it to Gu Ningxi's lips.
Gu Ningxi opened her lips and ate it, still cherishing her lantern.
The glutinous rice balls are soft and glutinous, and the sesame filling is just the right sweetness, leaving a lingering fragrance in your mouth.
Lu Jing also tried one, and Gu Ningxi said with a smile, "After all these years, this place's glutinous rice balls are still the best."
Lu Jing agreed, and a voice from outside the shop seemed to echo him: "In all the years I've been in Kyoto, this is the place that makes the most authentic sesame dumplings."
The receptionist was standing by the door, smiling and ready to welcome three customers into the store.
Business was booming tonight, and there were no empty tables in the restaurant. There were stools, and the customers had agreed to share tables.
The waiter said, "There are only two young guests at the west table. You three can—"
He was halfway through his words when the three new guests all stopped in their tracks.
Lu Jing and Gu Ningxi also raised their eyes at the square table where the waiter was leading them.
The store was not big, and there were many people facing each other. After a moment of stagnation, Xie Qian, Qin Yu, and Zhen Yuan sighed at the same time and turned away as if escaping.
Xie Qian missed the tangyuan and left a message: "We'll come back later."
The waiter was completely bewildered. A plate of biro had just come out of the oven, so he went to serve it. He couldn't help but chat with Lu Jing and Gu Ningxi, "Do you two know those three guests?"
He was really curious. Gu Ningxi lowered his head and said, "Well, the three of them owe us money."
"No wonder he left as soon as he saw you two!" The waiter slapped his thigh and understood immediately, "Then enjoy your meal, sir and madam."
Lu Jing tried hard to suppress his smile. The waiter took the tray and left with a convinced look on his face.
After leisurely finishing his midnight snack, Lu Jing paid the bill, picked up the lantern and said, "Let's go?"
Gu Ningxi had regained some energy and was very excited: "I just heard from the guests at the next table that there is a revolving lantern nearby. Let's go check it out."
"OK."
She handed the lantern to the secret guard and asked him to return it to the carriage safely.
The moon in the sky is bright and the lights on the ground are dazzling.
It was almost midnight when the lantern festival ended, and Lu Jing carried someone to look for the emperor's carriage.
Gu Ningxi felt sleepy. There were few people in this area, so she took off the curtain and leaned confidently in Lu Jing's arms.
The windows of the carriage were half-open, and the breeze was blowing. The evening weather was very comfortable.
Different paths lead to the same destination. On the way back to Prince Zhao's mansion, Qin Yu and the other two rode their horses and also took this alley.
Even though he wanted to ignore his master, Xie Qian finally pulled the reins.
People who practice martial arts have excellent eyesight. From his position, he can see through the carriage window that there is a person sleeping peacefully in His Majesty's arms.
"You just went back too?" Lu Jing covered Gu Ningxi's ears and lowered his voice.
"Yes, it's not as good as His Majesty under the moon and in front of the flowers."
Xie Qian ate snacks along half the street, so at least his lantern viewing experience wasn’t in vain.
"Everyone, come to the Imperial Study at noon the day after tomorrow."
This was about political affairs. Qin Yu and the other two straightened their expressions and kept it in mind.
Lu Jing closed the carriage window and ordered to return to the palace.
In his arms, Gu Ningxi had actually woken up a long time ago, but she just didn't want to face the situation in front of her, so she simply buried her face in Lu Jing and pretended to sleep.
Looking at the direction the carriage had left, Zhen Yuan understood: "No wonder Your Majesty has been staying at Prince Zhao's Mansion so often lately."
"That's right." Xie Qian hit the nail on the head. "It's inconvenient to meet inside and outside the palace. Sure enough, everything has a reason."
The moonlight illuminates the way home, and the prosperous imperial city gradually returns to tranquility.
…
Two days later, Gu Ningxi met Xie Qian outside the imperial study. When they met, he didn't know how to start the conversation.
Xie Qian laughed dryly at first. Ever since he knew that Lady Gu was a girl and the Majesty's sweetheart, he would have to be more careful in getting along with her in the future.
But in his heart, he still regarded Gu Ningxi as a friend and was very happy to interact with Lord Gu.
"Please come in, Lord Gu," he said casually.
Gu Ningxi smiled at him, and went into the imperial study with Xie Qian one after the other.
Wei Fan is already waiting in the imperial study. Today, His Majesty summoned him and Marquis Wu'an to come in order to redivide the local prefectures and counties.
With Gu Ningxi by his side, it was convenient for him to draft orders at any time.
The map of the Great Jin Dynasty was hung in the center of the imperial study. The Central Plains was unified. From the previous dynasties to the separatist rule of various princes, there were more than 700 states established in the local areas.
Some of these states only have one county under their jurisdiction, which can be merged and the number of officials can be reduced.
Lu Jing handed this matter over to Wei Fan. Besides the prefectures and counties, the temporary xingtai (mobile offices) previously established to facilitate the Jin Dynasty's foreign military operations, as well as the Dudufu (military governor's office) responsible for governing several prefectures, were also to be abolished. Xie Qian, familiar with military affairs, was assigned to assist Wei Fan.
The two received the emperor's order, and Gu Ningxi wrote down the decree.
As for how to manage above the state, the three provinces also reached a conclusion.
Above the prefectures, the Dao (prefecture-level administrative division) was established, but the Dao served only as a supervisory region designated by the central government and had no permanent officials. This avoided the problem of redundant officials at the Dao-prefecture-county level and strengthened the connection between the central and local governments.
Wei Fan, newly appointed Minister of the Imperial Court, held a fourth-rank rank at a young age, becoming the de facto head of the Imperial Court. As long as he completed the crucial task of merging prefectures and counties, he would be promoted to the position of Minister of the Imperial Court.
State affairs were discussed from the beginning of the afternoon till the middle of the afternoon. Sun Jing brought some tea and snacks and rested for a while in the imperial study.
Gu Ningxi took a sip of this year's tribute tea. It was bitter at first, but the sweetness aftertaste was not obvious.
Perhaps it was because the tea was new, she was not used to it. She frowned slightly and shook her head at Lu Jing.
Lu Jing gestured to Sun Jingzhong to make a cup of tea, handed a piece of cake to Gu Ningxi, and placed the teacup farther away for her.
Xie Qian saw all the actions. Even though he was not good at tea ceremony, he still moved the teacup and pretended to taste tea.
He glanced at Wei Fan and saw that he was completely absorbed in the map and was oblivious to what was happening in the imperial study.
Xie Qian turned around again and saw that His Majesty and Lord Gu seemed to be sitting closer.
He let out a long sigh.
When Wei Fan returned to his seat, he was surprised to find that the position of Marquis Wu'an had been moved next to him.
Xie Qian smiled and said, "I have long admired the talent of Master Wei. This is a good opportunity for me to learn from him."
"Your Excellency is too kind. This is my honor."
…
Gu Ningxi is on duty today and will stay in the palace at night.
It was already getting dark, and the government affairs in the imperial study had not yet been settled. Gu Ningxi was still in the palace accompanying Lu Jing.
She just opened a new policy question. It was from the court meeting half a month ago that His Majesty asked all the officials what to do when the country was just stabilized and bandits arose all over the world.
Over the past few days, court officials have been submitting petitions one after another. These petitions were delivered to the Secretariat, where Gu Ningxi and two other secretaries were responsible for sorting them out.
The articles all expressed their own opinions, but no matter how they were written, the final point was nothing more than that they were divided into two camps: benevolent governance or strict law?
This is to determine the national policy of this dynasty, which will greatly affect the promulgation and implementation of future government orders.
Gu Ningxi ground some ink and wrote down a brief summary.
After reviewing the local military affairs, Lu Jing rubbed his eyebrows and rested his eyes for a while.
He closed his eyes and rested, then asked, "What did the officials who submitted the petition say?"
Gu Ningxi then explained one by one, and a group of officials, led by the Minister of the Central Secretariat, advocated severe punishments and harsh laws.
Gu Ningxi read the main point of the article: "For three generations, people have been cunning. Our dynasty was founded after a period of great chaos, and the people are difficult to educate. Therefore, we must use strict punishments to restrain them and use strict laws to establish authority. The lingering habits of the chaotic times have not yet been eliminated. If we rely solely on preaching benevolence and righteousness, it would be like papering a window; it would be difficult to withstand the wind and frost."
There are also those who support benevolent policies that benefit the people, but they are inevitably criticized by another group for being bookish and talking nonsense that will harm the country.
She read out her lines one by one, in a clear and logical manner, with concise and clear wording.
After listening to the conversation between the two families, Lu Jing opened his eyes and saw Gu Ningxi looking thoughtful.
He said, "What do you mean?"
There was no one else in the study, so Gu Ningxi didn't need to worry. She said, "People in troubled times are not necessarily difficult to educate. People who have enjoyed peace for a long time are prone to arrogance, and when they are arrogant, it is difficult to educate them. People who have experienced loss and chaos are often filled with sorrow, and when they are sad, they are easier to educate. Just like a hungry person is not picky about food, and a thirsty person is not picky about water."
She continued, "In the past, the Yellow Emperor conquered Chiyou, Tang exiled Jie, and King Wu defeated Zhou. They all inherited their kingdoms after great chaos, and without resorting to harsh laws, they were able to personally achieve peace under heaven, earning them accolades that will be passed down through the ages."
She looked at Lu Jing: "Your Majesty has already made some considerations, right?"
The lingering glow of the sunset dyed the sky red, and the wind gently blew the pages of the book.
The two smiled at each other.
【Author’s words】
There will be another update in the evening, around 11 o'clock~
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