Chapter 1494 Heartache
Wei Zhi was very angry. If it weren't for the virtuous queen who saved him twice, he would have had a detailed talk with the emperor about Queen Dowager Xuan of Qin and Empress Lü.
But for the queen, he endured it, and then he felt even more upset.
When the emperor saw that his face was about to turn blue, he instantly felt refreshed. He ate two more bowls of rice at dinner and successfully held on. After dinner, he and the queen went for a walk in the garden to digest the food.
The Queen asked with a smile, "Your Majesty, what makes you so happy?"
Of course the emperor couldn't tell her, so he smiled and said, "Nothing, I just suddenly had a big appetite."
The Queen didn't ask any further questions and smiled, "Then next time you see Zhou Man, ask her for some hawthorn pills. She gave Mingda a bottle last time, and they taste sweeter to me than the ones made by the Imperial Hospital. They're quite delicious."
The emperor readily agreed.
But after leaving the palace, Wei Zhi became more and more dissatisfied, so he talked to his wife for half the night. Mrs. Wei had no choice but to send a letter to the palace the next day to subtly admonish the queen.
The queen was slightly stunned, and then she realized what happened in the front hall yesterday.
She thought for a moment and smiled, "Madam, go back and tell Lord Wei to rest assured. Zhou Man's achievements were not achieved overnight. Not to mention that she cured me and the Crown Prince, the memorial they submitted to the Imperial Medical Bureau alone is enough for the Emperor to make an exception and admit him."
Madam Wei bowed slightly and smiled, "That's true, but Doctor Zhou is still young after all. He has been promoted to a fifth-rank official so quickly, and his rapid promotion is bound to attract criticism."
The Queen shook her head and smiled, "There's nothing we can do about it."
She said meaningfully, "You have to be given a higher rank so that you can be demoted later. Otherwise, if you're demoted later, you'll be out of the palace, and who will be able to handle the work of the Imperial Medical Bureau?"
Madam Wei was stunned. After leaving the palace, she told Wei Zhi exactly what she had said. She asked curiously, "I haven't seen this Doctor Zhou before. Is she... naughty?"
Wei Zhi also thought about it, and after a while he shook his head and said, "He's not naughty at all, he's still a very obedient and well-behaved child, it's just that..."
Wei Zhi thought about it carefully and thought to himself: She is just a little too bold. She not only dares to think but also to act. She is also smart. It is indeed easy for teenagers to make mistakes. It is normal for the queen to want to protect her with her high position.
Wei Zhi finally felt relieved. Seeing that Yang Heshu had already cleaned up Chongwenguan and started to let everyone move in, he let go.
Manbao didn't know that this official position was intended for her to be defeated. She took the emperor's memorial to the Ministry of Works to get back her official uniform, official hat and official seal. That night, she wore the official uniform and had dinner with everyone, which made everyone look at her constantly.
It was just such a coincidence that Bai Dalang was sitting opposite her.
Looking at Man Bao, who was showing off in his official uniform across from him, Bai Dalang was so devastated that he didn't want to talk. God knew that a few days ago, when he was in class at the Four Gates Academy, a classmate from the next class who had just finished riding and archery class came up to him and told him, "Bai Zhi, is Bai Cheng from the Imperial Academy your biological brother?"
Bai Dalang's first feeling was that his brother was in trouble, so he immediately nodded nervously and asked, "What's wrong?"
The other person said to him with an enviable and complicated expression: "Your brother has been selected to be admitted to Chongwen Academy. He will be entering Chongwen Academy soon to be the prince's companion."
Bai Dalang was stunned for a moment, then he came to his senses and ran to the Imperial College to find his brother, only then did he confirm the matter.
Bai Dalang has become accustomed to it, although he still doesn't know how Bai Erlang was selected into the Chongwenguan.
However, many things in this world are like this. Who would have thought two years ago that Bai Er could enter the Imperial College?
You should know that he couldn't even get into Yizhou Prefecture School.
Bai Dalang looked up at Bai Shan, then straightened his head and looked at Zhou Man opposite him. After looking at the ages of both parties, he became discouraged. Forget it, the age difference was too big, and he didn't want to follow them around.
After dinner, Bai Dalang patted Bai Erlang on the shoulder and said, "Erlang, you should have fun with your senior sisters and brothers from now on."
Bai Erlang slapped his hand away and asked, "Brother, what's wrong with you?"
Bai Dalang: "I feel a little melancholy, but you won't even pat your shoulder."
Bai Erlang scratched his head and raised his shoulder. "Then pat me again? But use less force. It hurt so much just now."
Bai Dalang glanced at his shoulder and shook his head, saying, "Forget it, I won't shoot anymore. I'm not only feeling melancholy but also overwhelmed. Go pack your things for the palace."
"Manbao has asked Eunuch Wu. There are many things we can't bring into the palace. Apart from a few sets of clothes, shoes and socks, we can only bring some books and notes. If we want to bring Lu'er in, we have to apply to the Imperial Guards and pay for it."
Bai Erlang was discussing these troublesome matters with his elder brother, saying, "Green Ears have to pay two taels of silver per month to enter the palace. If they eat concentrated feed, they have to pay more. It's much more expensive than keeping them at home."
Bai Dalang: ...
Bai Dalang said angrily, "Don't we have horses in the palace? Why do you have to bring them?"
"They're not ours. Every day when we get home, no matter how busy we are, we feed them some beans ourselves. Now they're very close to us," Bai Erlang said. "We asked Daji, and he told us that this is how we raise horses. That way, they'll be close to us and listen to us."
Bai Dalang said, "You don't need this little money, just pay it."
He said, "It's just perfect. You can come to the palace and stay for free, and even the tuition fee for the Imperial College is waived. How great! Just think of it as them eating your money, isn't that fine?"
Bai Erlang said, "It doesn't cost anything to go to the Imperial College."
Bai Dalang felt a little depressed. He almost forgot that Bai Shan and Bai Erlang entered the Imperial College because of Bai Qien's patronage. After the court favored the loyal and brave people, not only did they exempt them from the tuition fees, but they also received some subsidies every month.
Unlike him, who studied hard for ten years and even had to pay for his studies after passing four college entrance exams.
Bai Dalang raised his hand again and patted his shoulder hard, asking, "Is it because Manbao is reluctant to spend that little money?"
Bai Erlang said, "Yes, not only is she unwilling to pay, but Bai Shan and I are also reluctant to pay. However, there is no other way. If we want to play with Lu Er and the others, we have to pay."
"Then stop worrying about it. Come on, I'll go show you what you packed. Don't bring anything into the palace that shouldn't be brought in."
Bai Erlang was full of confidence, "I just brought clothes, shoes, socks and some books."
Then Bai Dalang took out several storybooks from his bookcase, and he looked up at Bai Erlang.
Bai Erlang hesitated for a moment and asked, "Are storybooks also banned?"
Bai Dalang immediately confiscated the storybooks and said, "When you have nothing to do, read more books and less storybooks. Oh, and what about the storybook you wrote for Mr. Xiang?"
"It's okay. We have a day off every ten days. Just bring it out to the bookstore when you leave the palace."
Bai Dalang suddenly discovered what was most frustrating for him: he would no longer be able to see his brother's manuscript first.
Bai Dalang was heartbroken beyond measure. He stood up, holding the storybooks in his arms, his face gloomy. "From now on, I'll be living alone in this courtyard. It seems so empty."
"It's okay," Bai Erlang comforted him casually, "Brother, we come back to stay for two days every eight days. If you're scared, you can move in with Lixue and the others."
Bai Dalang: ...
See you at 4 p.m.
(End of this chapter)
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com