Chapter 176 We must suppress Li Nanke.
"You child, I'm talking to you, are you even listening?"
Seeing that Zhao Wanqing was blankly unresponsive, Song Hui frowned and gently patted her.
Zhao Wanqing shrank back and whispered, "Mother, the princess seems to have a bad temper. I...I'm scared."
Can I not choose a princess companion?
"no!"
Song Hui raised her eyebrows and glared at her fiercely.
"What do you know, you're just a little kid? So what if the princess has a bad temper? Just go along with her and coax her a bit, won't that solve the problem?"
Zhao Wanqing's eyes reddened.
"But...but I'm just scared, I don't want to go."
Since being flogged, Song Hui has been filled with resentment and is determined to get revenge.
He had no intention of coaxing Zhao Wanqing at all; instead, he pinched her lightly, feeling exasperated.
"You silly girl, how can you be so useless? That's a princess, the emperor's daughter, and you've become her study companion."
She enters and leaves the palace daily, interacting with nobles and officials of the court; naturally, she will marry into a high-ranking family and enjoy endless wealth and luxury.
"Let me tell you, you absolutely have to choose a princess's companion, and you absolutely have to be chosen!"
"But...but..."
"No buts!"
Song Hui interrupted her impatiently, gripped her hand tightly, and said loudly, "I'm telling you, Li Nanke will also participate in this selection."
You must perform well, you must suppress Li Nanke, and you absolutely cannot let her be chosen as the princess's companion, do you hear me?
Her voice was shrill, and her eyes almost bulged out of their sockets from her anxiety.
Zhao Wanqing trembled with fear, tears streaming down her face.
"Mom, it hurts, my hand hurts so much."
Song Hui then realized that she had been too excited and had gripped Zhao Wanqing's small hand so tightly that it was almost deformed.
She quickly let go, her expression softening slightly.
"I'm making all these arrangements for your own good. You don't understand now, but you'll be grateful for my good intentions in the future."
"Don't worry, Mother will never let Li Nanke become an obstacle for you. You will definitely be able to become Princess Zhaoning's study companion."
Since arriving in the capital, she has been constrained in every way and has been repeatedly outmaneuvered by Song Yi.
It's all that little bitch Li Nanke's fault!
This time, she would absolutely not allow Li Nanke to become the princess's study companion.
Zhao Wanqing opened her mouth, but dared not refute.
He stammered, "I understand."
Song Hui then revealed a satisfied smile.
"Then it's settled. To ensure you get elected, you must stay home and prepare diligently these days."
She instructed her maid, "Please invite Granny Cui from the Left Prime Minister's residence over."
A woman in her forties entered through the door. Her hair was neatly combed, and she had a serious expression.
"Madam Cui greets Madam Zhao and Miss Zhao."
A smile appeared on Song Hui's face.
"From today onwards, my Wanqing will be in the care of Granny Cui. Please teach her the rules of the palace properly."
I've heard that you, Madam, were involved in the selection of companions for the previous three princesses. Could you please also instruct my daughter on the selection process?
Granny Cui kept a straight face, her lips pressed together with meticulous precision.
"I have been entrusted with this task, so I will do my best to fulfill it. Before Cui came, the Left Prime Minister's wife had already given me instructions, so Madam Zhao can rest assured."
As she spoke, she took out two books and handed them to Zhao Wanqing.
"In the past, the first test for selecting princesses was either the Classic of Filial Piety or the Admonitions for Women. Miss Zhao's first task is to memorize these two books thoroughly within ten days."
Not only do they need to memorize it, but they also need to be able to write it from memory, and they also need to learn the rules...
Zhao Wanqing stared at the two thick books in her hands, speechless with astonishment.
This is so thick, and I have to memorize and write it within ten days?
Oh my god!
"Smack!"
Suddenly, she was hit hard on her left arm. The pain snapped her back to reality. She screamed and tears instantly streamed down her face.
It hurts!
Granny Cui put down the ruler in her hand and glared at her with a serious expression.
"Miss Zhao, this ever-smiling face is absolutely unacceptable in the palace. In the palace, you must walk with your head held high, never smile with your teeth showing, never be shocked, and certainly never shed tears easily. Do you understand?"
A piercing pain spread along her left arm, so much so that Zhao Wanqing could barely hold the book in her hand.
She bit her lip and sniffed hard, suppressing her tears with a sense of grievance.
What kind of terrifying place is the palace? Why are there so many rules?
She looked at Song Hui with a pitiful and helpless expression, hoping that Song Hui could say a few good words for her.
Seeing her daughter looking so aggrieved, Song Hui felt a pang of sympathy, but thinking of the princess's companion, she gritted her teeth and swallowed her heartache.
He turned his head and pretended not to see Zhao Wanqing's plea for help, then got up and walked straight out.
Stepping outside, he still felt uneasy, so he called his personal maid over.
"Go, find a way to inquire at the Marquis of Anping's residence and see what preparations Li Nanke has made."
Know yourself and know your enemy, and you will never be defeated!
The personal maid acknowledged and left.
Song Hui thought for a moment and decided to go to the backyard to see her parents.
After being dismissed from his post, Song Cheng and Zhang Shi originally planned to stay at the Zhao family's house for a while before moving away. However, Song Cheng developed a coughing up blood problem and spent most of his time in bed.
In addition, she lost all of Zhang's money selling grain, so the old couple really had no money to move out and had to stay at her house.
Just as I turned to leave, the butler ran over.
"Madam, Master has returned, and...and there's an imperial edict!"
"My husband is back?"
Song Hui was both surprised and delighted, and quickly lifted her skirt to go out and greet them.
More than a month has passed since Zhao Hong went to Changyuan for disaster relief, and he has finally returned.
The imperial edict was for Zhao Hong, who had just returned from disaster relief work in Changyuan County and was going to the palace to meet the emperor and hand over all the disaster relief matters.
He did his best and was very careful during this disaster relief effort, not daring to make the slightest mistake.
The disaster victims have been properly comforted and are now beginning to rebuild their homes with the help of the magistrate of Changyuan County.
His Majesty praised him for doing a good job and issued an edict to transfer him from the Censorate to the Ministry of Works as Vice Minister of Works.
He went from being a fifth-rank censor to a fourth-rank official, a promotion of two ranks in one go.
The couple received the imperial edict with joy and excitement on their faces.
Song Hui, in particular, shook off the dejected and gloomy mood of the past few days and wanted to burst into laughter three times on the spot.
Indeed, choosing to marry Zhao Hong after being reborn was the right decision.
Although the past few years have been a bit tough, Zhao Hong has risen through the ranks even faster in this life than in his previous one.
He has only been in the capital for less than half a year and has already become the fourth-rank Vice Minister of the Ministry of Works. Given time, he will soon become the powerful Prime Minister!
At that time, she will be the Prime Minister's wife, whom all the noblewomen of the capital will line up to pay their respects to!
Holding the imperial edict, he looked at it from left to right, and after being happy for a while, he sighed.
"Why not the Ministry of Revenue or the Ministry of Rites? The job at the Ministry of Works is tiring and thankless."
Zhao Hong frowned slightly.
"What do you know? Although the Ministry of Works is a tough job, it is directly related to military affairs and the Grand Canal, and it is an important position in the court!"
Song Hui was so engrossed in her joy that she didn't notice the subtle change in Zhao Hong's attitude towards her.
"Let's take the imperial edict to Father. He'll be very happy to see it."
Song Hui excitedly pulled Zhao Hong to the backyard.
Song Cheng, who was recuperating in bed, finally smiled when he saw the imperial edict.
He said to Song Hui, "Your younger brother will be back next spring to take the imperial examination. It's a good thing that your son-in-law is getting promoted at this time. He can help your brother in the court then."
Zhao Hong's expression darkened almost imperceptibly.
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