Chapter 674 A Dream of Youth 206
The next day, Xie Ning was surrounded by onlookers when he went to court.
"Young Master Xie, I heard you took the imperial examination for children? How did it go?"
"Young Master Xie, what did you memorize during the exam? Did you find it difficult?"
"Thank you, young master..."
Xie Ning almost covered her face and ran away, but Xie Wangzhi blocked her way in the end. He didn't say anything else, but only mentioned the grandsons of the elders, and then successfully stopped the conversation.
Xie Ning finished the morning court session with a straight face, but unexpectedly, when she was on duty to take the emperor's pulse today, she was teased by the emperor again.
Although he felt embarrassed, Xie Ning thought the current situation was alright. There wasn't much opposition in the court, which meant that most officials had gotten used to it.
What Xie Ning didn't know was that the officials hadn't gotten used to it, but rather they understood the emperor's stubborn temperament; once he made up his mind about something, he basically wouldn't change it.
Just like the new law, except Xie Ning puts out the benefits early on, making them eager to try.
Today, someone in court criticized the new law again, which is bad enough, but there's even a split among those responsible for implementing the new law, giving the emperor a huge headache. Add to that the recent assassination attempt on Princess De'an... nothing is peaceful anymore.
Xie Ning was giving the emperor acupuncture when he noticed the dark circles under his eyes. He advised, "Your Majesty, you need to rest. If you keep working like this every day, even if you are in good health, it will be difficult to recover. No amount of medicine can compare to a good night's sleep."
The emperor knew this, but some things were not so easy. He wanted to be a good emperor and manage the country better, so he could not slack off.
Xie Ning twirled the needle, and seeing that the emperor still couldn't sleep, he didn't force him. "Your Majesty, I have developed two new hemostatic drugs, including the muscle-regenerating ointment, which I have already handed over to Chief Physician Jiang. The pharmacy will start producing them in a unified manner."
It wasn't exactly something she invented; rather, it was something from later medical books that she copied down and modified based on some modern medicinal herbs.
"Minister Xie is truly wise and understanding." After praising him, the emperor pondered how to reward Xie Ning. A promotion was out of the question, so he decided to bestow gifts upon him.
"Your Majesty flatters me."
Xie Ning glanced around and, seeing that only Eunuch Ding was nearby while the other palace servants were far away, lowered his eyes and asked, "Is Your Majesty stockpiling medicine for the army?"
Her question was tactful, but she actually wanted to know if the emperor intended to send troops to Northern Jin.
If it's because of the assassination attempt on Princess De'an, then it's unlikely.
Xie Ning, Xie Wangzhi, and Xie Qi reviewed the situation over the past few days and all agreed that it was highly likely that the border friction between the Great Zhou and the Northern Jin had been increasing over the past two years, and the emperor could no longer tolerate it.
The assassination of a member of the royal family by the Northern Jin people should be considered a trigger.
However, Xie Ning had doubts, because the assassination attempt on Princess De'an was a bit... too obvious.
Therefore, she suspected that someone wanted to provoke a war between the Great Zhou and the Northern Jin, but who could it be?
Furthermore, she didn't know if the emperor and others had discovered this suspicious point, or if they had, whether they had investigated it in depth. Also, it wasn't impossible that the Northern Jin had orchestrated this whole thing, trying to force the Great Zhou to break the treaty first.
Upon hearing Xie Ning's words, the emperor instinctively tried to get up, but then remembered the needles on his back and didn't move.
"Minister Xie, what is your punishment for presumptuously interpreting His Majesty's intentions?"
If the emperor truly wanted to punish Xie Ning, he wouldn't still call her "my beloved minister." Xie Ning remained unmoved and continued, "This humble subject only wishes to share Your Majesty's burdens. If Your Majesty truly cares, simply preparing medicine is not enough."
If the Great Zhou really wanted to send troops, she would naturally want the Great Zhou to win.
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