Chapter 1123 Hesitation
Chen Fulin returned home and locked himself in the study. He was silent for a long time. He took out a blank letter, opened it, and raised his hand to grind ink.
He picked up the pen and dipped it in ink, but he couldn't write the first word. Chen Fulin hesitated for a long time and finally put down the pen.
Mrs. Chen felt that he had been acting a little strange recently. Today, he had stayed in the study for most of the day and hadn't come out. She couldn't help but come over to find him and asked, "What's wrong, Master?"
Chen Fulin lowered his eyes, put the blank letter aside, and shook his head, "Nothing."
Mrs. Chen vaguely knew that he was angry about the promotion. She had been 80% sure that he would be promoted. She had secretly prepared clothes and jewelry, waiting for the banquet after his promotion. But now...
She felt very sorry, and after sighing, she stepped forward and said, "Master, don't think too much. If it doesn't work this time, we'll just wait for next time. You are in your prime, and there are plenty of opportunities."
Chen Fulin's face was sullen, and he rarely lost control of his temper. He said, "I'm already past the age of knowing my destiny. How long can I wait?"
Mrs. Chen paused and was speechless.
Chen Fulin lowered his eyes and said, "What do you think about me submitting a petition to retire?"
Mrs. Chen was startled and quickly stopped him, saying, "No, Master! It's just one missed promotion. There will be many more opportunities in the future. If you retire, what will happen to our son? He has just been sent out, and he will need your help to return to Beijing in the future."
Chen Fulin's face was tense and he couldn't speak for a long time.
He couldn't help but glance at the empty memorial beside him, and kept saying in his heart: She is right. If he really retires, his son will be affected in the future.
Didn’t Zhuang Xun say that as long as he didn’t take action, he wouldn’t pursue the matter further?
At this moment, Chen Fulin began to believe in Zhuang Xun's character again, and felt that he would not kill him.
But Manbao, Baishan and Baicheng were unaware of his psychological changes, and from that night on they began counting the days until Chen Fulin would leave the capital.
The next day, when Manbao went to the palace to see a doctor again, his good mood remained.
The queen had another comfortable nap, and when she woke up she went to see Manbao and Mingda who were sitting together playing.
When Mingda saw that his mother had woken up, he immediately stood up and saluted.
The Queen pressed her hand, pulled her back to the couch, exempted Manbao from the formalities, and asked with a smile, "What are you playing?"
Manbao said, "Mingda is teaching me how to play chess. She's really good."
Mingda smiled and said, "My chess skills were taught to me by my mother."
The Queen smiled and stroked her hair, then said to Manbao, "I feel that Mingda's cheeks have gained a little more flesh these past few days. The imperial physician said that her spleen and stomach have indeed become stronger. Thank you for the dietary prescription."
Manbao smiled and said you're welcome.
The Queen said, "You deserve a reward for your merit. I see you're not someone who needs money, so it wouldn't be nice to just give you jewelry and cloth. What reward would you like?"
Manbao: No, she thinks jewelry and cloth are good. Not to mention jewelry, cloth can be used directly as money. The cloth awarded to her by the queen is particularly good, and one piece can be worth a lot of money.
Fifth brother has already asked about it, and she decided to save a little more. She can make a lot of money by selling new clothes before the New Year when many people are making them.
But facing the queen's sparkling eyes, Manbao was too embarrassed to say anything, so he said, "The queen can give me anything."
The queen smiled and said, "Then I'll give you a few notes."
Manbao: "Post?"
The queen nodded slightly and turned to look at Aunt Shang.
Aunt Shang went to the small study and fetched a few invitations. The Queen took them and handed them to Manbao, saying with a smile, "Tomorrow is the Queen Mother's 1000th birthday. His Majesty will host a banquet for all officials in the Wude Hall to celebrate the Queen Mother's birthday. Didn't you say you have two junior brothers? Why don't I give you a few invitations and you can come to the palace tomorrow to join in the fun?"
Manbao looked at the three invitations in his hand in surprise. After rolling his eyes, he asked, "Has His Majesty also agreed to let us enter the palace?"
The Queen looked at her meaningfully and said, "I agree, but I feel that tomorrow is the Queen Mother's birthday, and the most important thing for an old lady's birthday is to celebrate it happily, don't you think?"
So tomorrow is not a good time to complain.
Manbao nodded.
After looking at the three invitations in her hand, she looked up and asked, "My Lady, does Yin Huo have any invitations?"
The Queen was puzzled, "Yin or?"
"He is the youngest son of the Jingzhao Yin family."
The Queen understood immediately, "It's the Yin family's Seventh Prince. If he wants to enter the palace, he can go with his grandmother. However, the child has always been weak and seems to have never been to the palace before."
"He's feeling much better now."
When the Queen heard her say this, she thought of the Yin family's actions over the years and the recent rumors outside, and said to Aunt Shang with a smile, "Go get another letter for her."
The Queen smiled and said, "Okay, then, he can come in if he wants to, and he can stay out if he doesn't want to."
Manbao smiled happily, "Thank you, Queen."
The Queen smiled and shook her head, saying to her, "Your fellow apprentices are scholars. Have them prepare well. There are many students from the Imperial Academy participating this time. The Queen Mother loves to listen to people compose poems and essays. When they perform, those scholars will have to show up."
Manbao understood that the emperor was paving the way for them to file a complaint.
Manbao smiled and nodded repeatedly.
She happily left the palace with the four invitations. This time, Mingda accompanied Aunt Shang to accompany her for a while and talked to her on the way.
She took out a silver ingot from her purse and gave it to Manbao, saying with a smile, "You told me yesterday that I didn't know what silver looked like. This ingot is for you. Could you please buy me those bamboo dragonflies you mentioned?"
Manbao was speechless for a while when she saw the silver ingots. She pushed them back and said, "Forget it, keep them for yourself. They are just some toys. I'm giving them to you."
She said, "A bamboo dragonfly is only three cents. If you give me a ten-liang silver ingot, I won't be able to change it if I use it to buy a bamboo dragonfly."
Mingda was puzzled, "Why can't I find it?"
"Because ten taels of silver is too expensive."
Mingda has never left the palace since she was a child. Unlike her sisters, who have gone out several times, she has never been out due to health reasons. She only heard them say that it is fun outside.
Now she has made a new friend outside and finds the outside world more fun, but there are still many things she doesn't understand.
Manbao didn't know how to explain it to her, so he smiled and said, "You'll know when you go out and see it later. I'll take you to visit the main streets of Beijing, and then you'll know how the money was used."
Mingda put the silver ingot away and said, "It's settled then. Bring some in for me tomorrow."
Manbao patted his chest and said, "No problem."
When Aunt Shang saw that they had finished talking, she sent Manbao to the palace gate and watched her get on the carriage and drive away before turning back.
See you tomorrow
(End of this chapter)
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