Chapter 50: How can these people be so blind...
Zhao Changning couldn't help but recall the day when the late emperor passed away. She fought tooth and nail to defend the emperor and refused to change her words. The emperor also protected her that day.
It is no exaggeration to say that she has made great contributions.
So what's wrong with her being an official? Why are these people so jealous of her? She didn't steal their official positions.
It would be inappropriate to continue listening, so Zhao Changning left quietly, pretending that he had never been back.
She was stimulated by the scene just now. She felt her blood boiling and her heart was excited. She faced the biting cold wind, not feeling the cold at all. Somehow she walked into the inner study hall. The sound of reading aloud inside made her feel peaceful.
Mingxuan happened to come out of the house, and their eyes met.
Mingxuan bowed in greeting, his handsome face calm and gentle, "Miss Changning."
Zhao Changning slowly exhaled, calming the heat in his heart. He smiled and said, "Master Ming, did you notice anything different in your lecture today?"
Mingxuan turned his head to look at the crowded room and said gently, "There have been an unusually large number of people coming these past few days, but that's normal. She's a seventh-rank female historian. The exemption from corvée service and generous salary are enough to motivate them."
Zhao Changning nodded with satisfaction. "The Empress went the extra mile to incentivize them. Only when the first person gets a clear benefit will those behind them be unwilling to fall behind."
"The Empress is a model mother to the nation and a role model for women of Dayong." Mingxuan said the greetings and then said softly, "Thank you so much for the other day, and for your guidance. I've always wanted to thank you, but I couldn't find anyone to meet."
Zhao Changning shook his head. "This exam paper is very good. I heard from Lord Song that you wrote it. It's you who used it, not me. There's no need to thank me."
She noticed Mingxuan's attitude and obviously took a step back, which made her very satisfied.
After leaving the inner study hall, Zhao Changning felt much calmer. The smooth progress of the female official's affairs, as well as the current affairs of the female secretary, were so exciting that she felt that nothing was impossible.
After checking the things sent to the Queen's Palace, Zhao Changning returned to the Qinzheng Hall.
At this moment, everyone had left, and only the emperor was practicing calligraphy quietly. The rapid rustling sound of the wolf hair brush rubbing against the rice paper showed that the person writing was in a restless mood.
Zhao Changning gently added charcoal to the fire and silently poured the emperor a cup of hot tea. While grinding ink, he said with concern: "Your Majesty, be careful not to use your eyes for too long, or it will hurt."
The emperor said "hmm" and put down his pen.
Zhao Changning thought he would say something, but the emperor said nothing. He just stood by the stove to warm his hands, then walked to the bookshelf and took out a book.
"Read it." The emperor threw the book into Zhao Changning's arms and said tiredly.
For some reason, Zhao Changning felt a sense of oppression from him that was similar to that from the scheming late emperor. This was the first time she had such a feeling.
She lowered her head and looked at the book, which was the Book of Songs.
The room was quiet and warm, with only the occasional crackling of charcoal fire and her voice as soft as water.
After listening for a while, the emperor slumped his straight back, leaned his head back on the soft chair, closed his eyes and dozed off, his Adam's apple rolling under the thin skin, and his index finger tapping on the armrest, revealing his anxiety and displeasure.
Zhao Changning didn't know whether he was upset because of the quarrel with the elders or because he couldn't do what he wanted to do, but she could feel that the emperor was in a bad mood.
She slowly closed the book and said softly, "Your Majesty, would you like to go to the Empress's place and rest for a while?"
The emperor shook his head, opened his inky black eyes, and frowned slightly. "No, ask the people from the Armory to bring out the bird guns, and invite the Portuguese envoy over."
He tilted his head, his eyes deep, "Let Yun'er come too, and let's go see if the old masters in the cabinet are still here. Let's go together and relax today."
Zhao Changning bowed, "Yes, Your Majesty."
There were envoys from many countries staying in the palace, especially those coming from the sea. It had long been heard that the emperor was close to the Portuguese envoys before he ascended the throne, and it was also heard that the emperor often talked with them about warships and firearms.
However, Zhao Changning was very surprised that the emperor could speak Portuguese very fluently.
The Portuguese envoy was named Tome, a young man with black hair, dark skin, deep eyebrows and eyes. He was obviously different from ordinary people. He seemed to be familiar with the emperor and they had a very pleasant conversation as soon as they met.
The emperor had already ridden away on his horse. The people from the Armoury Bureau led the way with their bird guns, Zhao Changning and Yunsheng and other servants followed behind, and several old men from the cabinet were sitting in sedan chairs.
The group walked on the snow and came to the back mountain of Jingshan Palace.
In the dead of winter, water turns into ice.
It was no problem for the young and strong men like them to wade in the snow, but the old men in the cabinet could hardly bear it.
Gao Yun's silver hair contrasted with the white snow, and he was panting all the time. After finally reaching the destination, he was about to sit down in the snow.
Zhao Changning naturally had to be responsible for these chores. He quickly called people over to put up tarpaulins for the old men to at least keep them out of the wind. He also served them hot tea, snacks, and silver charcoal that had been prepared long ago. Finally, he took good care of these old men who were half buried in the ground.
Yunsheng stepped on the snow, and after finishing his busy work, he breathed in the cold. "Aunt, why did the emperor want to play with bird guns today? There are no birds in this winter."
"You can still play with bird guns even if you don't have a bird," Zhao Changning said gently, "It's just a pastime. Only those who are hungry, hungry, and without freedom, and have no time to waste, will constantly pursue its meaning."
Yunsheng was stunned by what he said and was speechless for a moment.
This was the first time that Zhao Changning saw the emperor outside the palace, and also the first time he saw such an unrestrained and ostentatious emperor. He galloped on his horse, and his black fox cloak spread out on his body like an eagle spreading its wings, which attracted people's attention.
After a loud bang, with a puff of green smoke dispersing and echoes lingering, the snowman in the distance was blown away and turned into snow scattered all over the ground again.
"Uncle Emperor's spearmanship has improved again." Huo Yun raised his bird gun with a heroic look, but eventually put it down. "I'd better practice some more."
The emperor smiled and patted his nephew's shoulder, saying affectionately, "What are you afraid of? Are you afraid of losing face? Do we really need to do this?"
Huo Yun was so moved that he raised the firearm in his hand again. After one shot, he missed the target and was very frustrated.
Tomei was mumbling a lot, but no one could understand him, so the emperor had to translate.
"He said the new bird gun has a range of 80, but it's a bit unstable and can explode."
Huo Yun's face was filled with fear, and he quickly dropped the bird gun. "Uncle, if it explodes, it will kill people. Please stop fiddling with it."
Zhou Min, who was standing by, heard this and quickly stepped forward to advise, "Your Majesty, this thing is too dangerous. You should let someone else try it."
The emperor stood tall like a pine tree in the snow, looked at Zhou Min with cold eyes, and smiled slowly.
He reloaded an iron bullet and said calmly, "I believe that everything should be tried first before reaching a conclusion. There's no point in being afraid before it happens. Then what's the point of this bird gun? How can I be afraid of a small danger?"
As he spoke, he raised his musket, squinted one eye, and aimed at Zhou Min as if jokingly. As if feeling it was too close, he aimed at the figure behind the tarpaulin not far away, with the corner of his mouth raised, looking cold and evil.
Zhou Min's eyes widened and his body was stiff and unable to move. It was not until the black gun barrel was moved away that he breathed a sigh of relief as if he had escaped death.
At that moment just now, he felt that the emperor was really going to shoot him.
When Zhao Changning saw this scene, he felt his heart beating wildly like thunder. What was the emperor going to do?
In her eyes, he and the cabinet were far from this point. The emperor was not the former crown prince, and he did not have his own team, so he could not do without these old men. The court was complicated, and the officials were numerous, but he could not do without the old men.
Once the balance is broken, Dayong, which has not yet emerged from the shadow of the death of the former emperor and the former crown prince, will probably fall apart.
Unexpectedly, the emperor laughed and waved at Zhou Min gently, as if it was just an immature joke.
"Come, Lord, try it too. This thing is very interesting. I want to send someone to work on it. I want to set up an army that specializes in using firearms in the future."
Zhou Min waved his hands repeatedly to refuse, but he could not resist the emperor, so he reluctantly raised the firearm.
"Don't shake. Close one eye. Come on..." The emperor whispered softly and taught step by step. He pointed the barrel of the gun at the tarpaulin again. "Let's try aiming. Do you see it? Squint your eyes and look along the barrel of the gun. You can see it clearly..."
The emperor held Zhou Min's trembling hand, steadying it with force, and motioned him to follow his hand and look into the distance.
"See? This is the Prime Minister, Elder Gao, and this is Elder Sun..." He smiled and spoke in a gentle tone, no longer as loud as he did in the Qinzheng Palace. He pointed at them one by one with Zhou Min through the barrel of his gun, "Hey, Elder Qi can't see, he's blocked."
Zhou Min's eyes were already a little scattered. Although they were no longer shaking, her face had turned pale, and her lips were as white as snow.
"Your Majesty, your subject, your subject..."
The emperor seemed to feel bored, and also felt annoyed like a young man after his reckless behavior. Then he remembered that this was not a good thing, and quickly put away the firearm.
He sighed and said in a rather disappointing tone, "Lord, you are old now. You can no longer accept many new things. Far away from Dayong, on the other side of the sea, people there have started using this thing for hunting. Killing people is just around the corner. When one day, this iron bullet can kill a person in one shot and no longer explodes so easily, the world will change, just like Dayong today. My father has passed away, and many things must change accordingly. Lord, the world will always change."
The emperor patted Zhou Min's shoulder, who was already dazed, and walked over with a chuckle.
There is a hidden meaning in these words, but the meaning is very straightforward. How could people as smart as these sperms not understand it?
Not only Zhou Min, but even Zhao Changning was filled with surprise, looking at the emperor with a look that showed he had never truly known him.
Zhao Changning felt that the emperor in front of her was even more oppressive than the previous emperor. If one was careful, one could find clues to the previous emperor's temperament, and one could just stroke him boldly. But the emperor was no longer the same as before.
Thinking of the angry emperor in the Qinzheng Hall at that time, her mind suddenly became clear. All signs showed that the emperor, who was being obstructed in everything he did, could no longer tolerate it.
Yes, how could an emperor be so emotionally exposed? This was also inconsistent with his previous temperament. Now that he thought about it carefully, hidden in that slightly youthful and reckless yet deliberate temper was a subtle contest between him and the elders in the cabinet.
And she is just a fuse that can be trusted and used.
He knew better than anyone how to be a good emperor, how to fight in officialdom, and how to use power to suppress others.
No one wants to be suppressed, especially the emperor.
When Zhao Changning first met Yun Qiao, he couldn't wait to kill him, let alone the fact that he was the emperor who was above millions of people.
She threw away all the excitement in her heart and reminded herself that serving a king is like serving a tiger, and she had to take every step carefully on the road to success.
This trip to the Jingshan Palace ended in a hurry. On the way back, all the ministers in the cabinet were unusually silent, especially Zhou Min.
After Zhao Changning returned, he also felt a little depressed.
Xiaobai meowed at her unhappily, and his round eyes seemed to be complaining about her not having seen him for so long.
That day, heavy snow fell all over the ground, breaking many dead branches in the middle of the night.
At the hour of Yin, the sky was still pitch dark. As the palace gates opened, the palace servants, like ants, had already crawled out of their warm beds and began to get busy.
This huge and majestic palace complex has to be maintained like this every day. In the night, the palace lanterns are lit and people are everywhere. After cleaning the toilets and emptying the night incense, another group of people appear, carrying bamboo brooms and sweeping a path in the snow one by one.
By noon, the imperial city had completely returned to its cleanliness, tidiness, and tranquility.
Zhao Changning was already in the Queen's Kunning Palace, discussing with her the ladies' visit to the palace for worship and New Year's celebrations next month on the 25th day of the twelfth lunar month. Due to the heavy snow, the Queen also exempted the palaces from paying respects.
The Queen looked at the white snow outside the lattice window, stroking her belly and saying worriedly, "I've been having nightmares these past few days. I was thinking of making some warming soup for the palace maids to accumulate merit for my child."
Zhao Changning shook his head and said sincerely, "Your Majesty, due to several major religious ceremonies and natural disasters across the country this year, it's no longer appropriate to use silver to grant favors to the palace maids. The Emperor is still worried about the aftermath of the locust plague in Shaanxi."
The locusts not only ate food, but also ingots of snow-white silver. It would take a lot of effort to make up for and mediate the shortfall. If the palace continued to be extravagant, the queen would probably be reported.
The queen could only nod.
After talking for a while, Zhao Changning did not disturb the queen anymore, but left Kunning Palace.
Yunsheng was waiting outside. When he saw his aunt coming out, his eyes lit up, "Aunt, hurry up, come with me..."
Zhao Changning was stunned and asked in a deep voice, "What happened?"
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The author has something to say: [heart][heart][heart] Good morning, babies! [scatter flowers]
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