Chapter 1758 Sleepiness
Only officials of the sixth rank and above in the capital had the right and responsibility to attend the grand court assembly. Manbao was of the fifth rank, a minor official, and there were only a few sixth-rank officials behind her. She should have been in line at the door, and because she was young, she was pushed to the back rows.
Her seat was in the fourth column of the second-to-last row, only one row away from the window.
Fortunately, the windows are closed in winter. Even if there is a draft, I can hold my official uniform tightly and put my hands in my pockets, and I won’t feel so cold anymore.
Manbao sat down in her seat. When she looked up, she saw Lord Tang sitting diagonally in front of her. He walked to his seat and was about to sit down when he lowered his head and met Manbao's eyes. They both fell silent for a moment.
It was Manbao who came back to his senses first. He raised his hand and greeted him happily.
Master Tang nodded at her and was about to sit down when he saw Manbao looking in his direction with a look of surprise, and then he waved his little paw excitedly at him.
He turned around and saw Yang Heshu coming in after greeting the adults outside. When he saw Manbao, he smiled and didn't rush to sit down. Instead, he went up to her and said, "You came early."
Manbao said proudly: "After all, this is my first time attending a grand court meeting, so I can't be late."
Yang Heshu nodded approvingly to her.
Yang Heshu and Tang He were sitting side by side, right in front of Manbao. Soon, a handsome middle-aged man came over. Both Tang and Yang greeted him and called out, "County Magistrate Guo."
Manbao knew that this was the county magistrate of Wannian County. He was sitting behind Tang He, right next to Manbao.
County Magistrate Guo returned the greeting, then turned around and saw Manbao pause before bowing, "Master Xiao Zhou."
Manbao immediately stood up and returned the greeting, calling out, "Master Guo."
The officials nearby came to their seats one after another, and whether they knew Manbao or not, they all greeted him, "Young Master Zhou..."
"Master Xiao Zhou..."
"Doctor Zhou..."
Manbao bowed and saluted everyone, regardless of whether he knew them or not. He would call out to those he knew and bow more deeply to those he didn't know in return.
Finally, everyone finished the ceremony and sat down in their respective seats to wait.
The first to arrive were these minor officials. The adults were either talking outside the hall or sitting in the side hall waiting.
They waited until the time was almost up before entering. When the time was up, the eunuchs called out the emperor's name, announcing his arrival. Everyone then stood up from their seats and stood aside. When the emperor sat down on the dragon throne, everyone followed suit and bowed deeply, saying, "Your Majesty, may your Majesty be well."
The emperor waved his hand and said, "No need to be polite. Please take a seat."
Gu Zhong, who was standing beside the emperor, shouted loudly, "No need to be polite, please take a seat——"
Everyone then straightened up and took their seats.
Manbao sat cross-legged on her low seat. He felt that the chair was not only a little cold but also a little uncomfortable without any cushion. He wondered if she could bring a soft cushion next time...
However, the cold wind that had been blowing faintly from the window on the left seemed to have disappeared.
Tang He and County Magistrate Guo were much taller than Manbao, and sat in the last row. As soon as they sat down, they blocked the only ventilation. Manbao couldn't help but secretly glance at County Magistrate Guo on his left and County Magistrate Tang in front of him on the left, and was very satisfied with his position.
Just as I was daydreaming, the court meeting had already begun.
The first thing everyone discussed was the important reports submitted by various places. For example, now that it has started snowing in various places, all places must report the amount of snowfall to verify whether there is any disaster.
Manbao listened for a while but didn't hear any news from Luojiang County. These things were not of interest to her, so she became distracted.
As her mind wandered, her eyelids couldn't help but become heavier and heavier, her little head slowly drooped, and her breathing became longer and longer.
Koko: ...
This was the host's own behavior, and it did not conflict with the collection behavior. According to the program, it should not interfere, but it still couldn't help but remind it, "Host, it's hard to sleep during the court meeting, right?"
This voice rang in his mind, and Manbao agreed deeply. Then he felt vaguely awake and was trying hard to wake up and listen carefully.
Koko received the host's "I know" in his mind, and then the host's radio waves fluctuated, and he fell into a deeper sleep.
Koko: ...
It doesn't care.
Manbao fell asleep with her head lowered, but her sleep was not sound. She could still vaguely hear the speeches in the court. Several times when Koko thought she was going to be discovered, she raised her head slightly, opened her eyes and looked ahead, moved her numb body, and then lowered her head to continue dozing off.
Koko was stunned. It had grown up with her, and it was the first time it knew she had such ability.
Unfortunately, it didn't know how restlessly Manbao was sleeping. She was struggling in her heart.
It was like there were several little people inside me, one of whom said, "Sleeping is wrong."
One said, "If you get caught, your salary will be fined."
Another said: "It's so embarrassing, in front of so many people."
But the little person sitting in the middle just couldn't wake up, so she could only wake up from time to time and look around.
Of course, she thought it was from time to time and the intervals were not long, but to Koko, it was like sleeping all the time.
Zhou Man thought she was being subtle, but County Magistrate Guo, who was sitting next to her, was no fool. He hadn't noticed it at first, so how could he not have noticed it after such a long time?
He turned his head to look at Zhou Man, whose head was nodding, opened his mouth, but said nothing for a long time.
Never mind, she’s not much older than his daughter.
Her main duty was to be the imperial physician, so why did she have to attend court? Those officials were too troublesome.
County Magistrate Guo turned his head away, pretending to ignore the incident.
With no one disturbing him, Manbao slept more and more deeply, and slept longer and longer.
Suddenly, Manbao was poked and she woke up instantly. She opened her eyes, raised her head and looked ahead innocently.
She saw Lord Tang stand up and straighten his clothes. While doing so, he turned his head slightly and glared at her secretly.
Manbao sat up straight instantly, not daring to doze off anymore. However, she felt much more energetic now, even though it felt like she had only slept for less than half a minute.
She couldn't help but ask Koko: "How long have I been sleeping?"
Koko: "One hour and twelve minutes."
Manbao couldn't believe it. How could she have slept for so long? It only felt like she was gone for a short while.
While he was pondering this, Lord Tang had already stepped forward and, bowing slightly, replied, "Ms. Xu has confessed that she was ordered by Yu Shui, the steward of the Yang family in Shuile Street. I interrogated Yu Shui yesterday, but Your Majesty, I would like to question Yang Rong personally."
Yang Rong is the uncle of the fifth prince and the elder brother of Yang Guifei. He only holds a nominal position and no real job, so he is not in the court at this time.
The emperor said expressionlessly, "You are allowed to ask. You are the magistrate of Chang'an County, and he is from Chang'an County. Is there nothing you can do to ask him?"
"Your Majesty, the servants in the Yang Mansion said Yang Rong was not at home, but they could not tell me where he had gone. I have been on guard since noon until evening yesterday, but have not seen him."
Emperor: "Yin Li."
Yin Li bowed and said, "I will go too, but the Yang family is a descendant of a duke, so I cannot force my way in without an imperial decree."
The main reason is that they don't have Yu Shui's confession. He either said that he was wronged or that he was the one who ordered it all, and he even wanted to commit suicide at one point.
They had no evidence to force their way in, and Yang Guifei and the Fifth Prince were still in the palace, so the two of them were a little restrained.
See you at 4 p.m.
(End of this chapter)
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