Chapter 62: First Release You, Aren’t You Afraid? ...
When the emperor saw the smile on her face, he knew that she had seen it.
"What? The memorials I reviewed are so funny?"
Zhao Changning quickly knelt down, "Changning deserves to die, Your Majesty. I am deeply moved that Your Majesty has defended me so much. I am willing to sacrifice my life to repay your kindness."
The emperor asked her to stand up and said softly, "Aren't you afraid?"
Zhao Changning was stunned. "Your Majesty, why should I be afraid?"
"I'm afraid I won't do a good job, I'm afraid this female secretary won't last long," the emperor paused, then said wearily, "I'm afraid I'll be hated by everyone, I'm afraid everyone will scold me."
Zhao Changning heard the hidden meaning in his words, but feigned ignorance, shaking her head. "This is a special favor from the Emperor. He broke all precedents, and even earned me a scolding from the elders, to allow me to finally obtain the Nüshu Order. I absolutely do not want to give it up, and I will never give it up. I am not afraid, and I will not let you down. I will work hard to move up and make those people shut up..."
She bit her lip and hesitated, "As for being scolded, before I became the seal, I was always scolded by those palace maids and eunuchs, both openly and covertly. They still scold me now, I'm used to it."
The emperor couldn't help laughing when he saw her slight restraint. "You are quite free and easy."
Zhao Changning said seriously, "I'm not being carefree. I know opportunities are rare, and I dare not waste them. Your Majesty, if we are afraid of this and that, then what can we do? The Qin Emperor and Han Emperor are still reviled by scholars to this day, which shows that even the greatest and wisest monarchs have their haters. Look at those traitors, aren't they recorded in history books? Yet they acted without hesitation. Why didn't they consider whether they were afraid or not?"
The emperor's eyes suddenly changed, "Did you say this yourself, or did your father teach you?"
Zhao Changning raised his head and said, "I figured it out myself. When I was in the inner school, there were always teachers who shook their heads while explaining history, mostly criticizing it, and I was very dissatisfied."
The emperor smiled and shook his head. "You just seem quite unconvinced now, Changning. I really didn't notice it before."
Seeing that the emperor had recovered as usual, Zhao Changning pursed his lips and smiled.
She was not talking too much today out of spite. If the emperor had not charged ahead and felt fear, how would she have had the chance to climb up with him?
Early summer has arrived. The sun is already scorching hot, and there are even sparse chirping of insects at night.
The imperial city remained calm.
Except for some people who knew that there was a war in Yunnan, ordinary people who had no idea about these things were still living a leisurely and comfortable life.
Zhao Changning formally submitted a memorial to the emperor, stating that she wanted to join the Maritime Customs Office to see if she could find a way to increase revenue. However, the emperor was still considering the matter.
Perhaps he felt that she was not suitable, or perhaps the obstacles to this matter were too great, or more likely, the emperor no longer had the spare time to think about it.
His mind was now preoccupied with suppressing the rebellion in Yunnan. This was the first formal challenge to the throne he had faced since he ascended the throne.
Unfortunately, Zhao Changning was only a sixth-rank official and was not qualified to serve in the court. Although she could stand behind the emperor, she could not actively participate in discussions like these officials.
Occasionally, she could even feel the disgusted glances from a few people, which was completely different from the feeling of being treated as air and ignored casually in the past.
Zhao Changning was delighted by this. Did this mean that she had become somewhat of a threat?
Although she didn't get promoted this time, she was not in a hurry. Over the years, her patience has been well-developed.
When the news of the first victory came, the report of victory spread layer by layer into the palace walls, and the sound of cicadas could be heard.
After a long war in Yunnan, there was finally the first ray of good news.
The ice basin in the Qinzheng Hall melted, spreading waves of coolness. Purple smoke curled up from the Boshan furnace. After people passed by, the smoke rolled and dissipated.
Zhao Changning opened the ice container and took out the quinoa and lemon juice inside. He smiled and said, "Congratulations, Your Majesty. Congratulations, Your Majesty. All your hard work and perseverance these days have paid off. Finally, there is good news."
She stood aside, grinding ink for the emperor.
The emperor drank the quinoa and lemon juice in one breath, breathed a sigh of relief, leaned back in his chair, and read the memorial again and again, feeling extremely satisfied.
"Changning, they've surrounded the rebels. Seeing the situation was getting worse, the chieftains from Guizhou and Sichuan also joined the resistance..."
Complete suppression is just around the corner.
Zhao Changning was also very happy. A stable country is always better than turmoil.
"Your Majesty, you've been working really hard these days. The Empress told me yesterday that you've lost a lot of weight. Today is a rare opportunity. Why don't you go sit in the Empress's Palace and rest for a while? The rest of the things are not urgent."
Now that the queen is about to give birth, Zhao Changning knows that she is looking forward to it, but the emperor is busy with state affairs and it is difficult for him to speak up. Today she has an excuse.
The emperor smiled and nodded, "That's fine. The queen is about to give birth. I have indeed neglected her these days."
He looked at Zhao Changning and saw that her eyes were gray and bloodshot. He said with relief, "You've worked hard too. You've been here with me day and night these days. Go and rest today."
Zhao Changning was overjoyed, "Thank you, Your Majesty."
She was planning to leave the palace in the near future. She hadn't been back to her little house for a long time and missed it a little, especially the quilt that Grandma Xu always kept dry. It was fragrant and soft, and made people sleepy as soon as they lay on it.
Yunsheng followed her early in the morning. He didn't have to go to the inner study today, so he just waited for his aunt to take him out of the palace.
After the two men left the palace under the scorching sun, they were just about to rent a carriage when they heard someone shouting.
"Yunsheng, Yunsheng?" Taiping was surprised and waved to the two of them while sitting in the carriage.
Yunsheng and Taiping had met each other many times and had a good relationship, so he hurried over.
"Taiping? Why are you here?" He looked at the tall and spacious carriage in surprise and said without hesitation, "Master Ming can afford a carriage?"
Taiping curled his lips, looking bitter. "Don't mention it. My master is still using that slow ox cart. This carriage was bought by your aunt. Now I have to shovel endless cow and horse manure and fork endless hay every day. Ouch..."
Yunsheng turned around and looked at his aunt, very happy, "Aunt, is it true?"
Zhao Changning nodded and looked up at his carriage. It had a green roof and was unpretentious. The wood should be elm. The carriage was decorated with plain green curtains. It was indeed spacious and looked clean and fresh.
"Let's go. It's so hot, why are you just basking here?"
Taiping quickly asked someone to get on the carriage, pulled Yunsheng, and insisted that he sit with her outside the carriage. As soon as the carriage started moving, she began to complain.
"You don't know what kind of a life I've been going through lately."
Yunsheng was curious, "What's wrong? Don't you just look after Miss Yunqiu every day and wait for the master to come home?"
Taiping complained bitterly, "If only it were that easy. My master goes to the inner study hall every day and never rests. Even when he's supposed to be resting, he switches places with others, saying he wants to go into the palace to inquire about the situation and maybe even run into your aunt. Alas, he's just a teacher now, what can he possibly find out?"
Yunsheng also didn't understand, "What does your master's rest have to do with you? Don't you still have to do the work?"
Taiping sighed, "Master's rest is none of my business, but I have too much to do. I don't have a single day off. I have to send the girl to Granny Xu's every day, and then I have to clean the cowshed and shovel cow dung. Now, I also have to feed your aunt's horses and shovel horse dung. These are fine, but then my master got crazy and insisted that I wait at the city gate in the hot weather, saying that you must be leaving the palace these days. Oh, my master is almost a half-immortal now, and I waited here for half a month before I saw you..."
"Ah? You've been waiting for so long? But there's been a lot going on in the palace lately. There's even a war going on in the south."
"Really? Then my master is not wrong."
"But what does Lord Ming want to find out? Can't you just wait and ask my aunt?"
"How would I know what I'm going crazy about? Look, look, my face and hands are all black. Look at my neck, isn't it obvious?"
"It's true." Yunsheng deliberately compared his wrist with his own, and his words were particularly heartbreaking. "Taiping, you're as black as charcoal. Look at me, I'm so white."
Taiping: “…”
"Just shut up."
Yunsheng said again: "Taiping, you are so stupid, why don't you just park the carriage in the shade?"
Taiping was so angry that he wanted to hit him, "Do you think this is your home at the Imperial City? Anyone can park there? There are only a few places to park carriages. Otherwise, you will be driven away. The whole place is exposed to the scorching sun... You are the only one who is smart, you are the only one who is smart..."
Zhao Changning heard the two people joking and joking in the car and couldn't help laughing too.
She looked up and saw that the carriage was one-third wider than the rented carriage. The benches on both sides were far enough apart for her buttocks to sit on completely. There were also a few small cabinets installed in the empty spaces on the walls of the carriage. When she opened them, she saw a few books inside.
Pretty good.
They soon arrived at Shuier Lane. Granny Xu was embroidering something with Yunqiu. When she saw the carriage coming back, she immediately smiled.
"Oh, I was wondering when the girl would come back, and now she's back today, great, great."
She was a careful person, and kept asking, "Have you eaten? Are you hungry? Why have you lost weight? Oh, your clothes are too loose, you look so pitiful..."
Zhao Changning was not hungry at all. Perhaps it was because she had been tense for a few days and it was rare for her to relax. She had just been wandering around in the carriage for a long time, and her stomach felt a little uncomfortable.
"Mother-in-law, you don't have to worry about me. You guys do your own thing. I'm going into the house."
Grandma Xu hurried in to clean up again. "The quilt has just been dried in the sun. I'll get you a thin blanket. The breeze is cool, so you can't just ignore it..."
Zhao Changning fell on the bed almost as soon as he entered the room. When he was about to fall asleep, he took off his coat in a daze and fell into a complete dream.
Granny Xu felt distressed when she saw this, so she came out and pulled Yunsheng aside to ask, "What's wrong with you lately, girl? Is it very hard?"
Yunsheng nodded. "Auntie has been very tired recently and has hardly slept. Mother-in-law, let her have a good sleep."
As the sun rose overhead, Grandma Xu became more and more worried.
"Go wake her up! How can she sleep like this? She needs to eat. She has a bad stomach. I specially cooked yam porridge in a clay pot today. It's very good for her stomach. I also made pumpkin buns and fried chicken. They are perfect for her."
Yunsheng hesitated and knocked on the window.
Zhao Changning was actually already awake, awakened by the aroma of food. When he heard the knock on the window, he answered with a smile.
After getting up, she took her time to wash up. In the palace, she had to do everything quickly and well, but here, she didn't have to think so much and it was very relaxing.
When she left the room, Granny Xu, Yunsheng and Taiping were preparing to set the table for dinner.
Li Yunqiu was following along, waiting expectantly, when he suddenly heard something, stood up and ran out.
Zhao Changning quickly called out to her, "Yunqiu, don't run around."
She hurriedly followed him out and saw that Li Yunqiu's beautiful and clear face showed a sweet smile for the first time, and she was staring at the entrance of the alley.
"What's wrong?"
I saw an ox cart swaying slowly towards the alley. Wasn't that Mingxuan?
Taiping also ran out. Seeing his master, his eyes lit up and said, "Master, you are back so early today."
Mingxuan was sweating profusely and looked disheveled. The ox cart was shaking, and even his hair was a little messy. It was obvious that he was in a hurry to get on with his journey.
He was relieved when he saw Zhao Changning.
"I didn't see Taiping at noon, so I guessed you were back. I'm glad you're safe. I haven't been able to get any news from you. I only know that you've been locked up. I'm sorry, I can't help you..."
As soon as Li Yunqiu's brother came down, he pulled his sleeve and was very affectionate.
Mingxuan also smiled and touched his sister's head, then took out a piece of melted candy from his sleeve and said, "Here, this is today's candy. You can't eat it tomorrow."
Zhao Changning shook his head and said softly, "I've been doing fine. Thank you for your concern. Come in quickly. It's time for dinner."
Everyone started eating only after Mingxuan finished washing up.
Mingxuan helped her scoop out the porridge and couldn't help asking, "It was very dangerous this time, wasn't it? You were imprisoned for a few days, and that's it?"
Zhao Changning tilted his head to look at him. After the third place scholar came down to earth, he became much more down-to-earth, but he was still scheming. He probably wanted to recreate the same momentum he had when he fought Hu Gouer.
"Master Ming, the shadow of the Hu Rebellion has not yet dissipated. The losses are so great that even you cannot fathom them. Dayong cannot withstand such a situation. You are the third place winner in the imperial examination, so you naturally understand what I mean, right?"
Mingxuan nodded in understanding and sighed, "That's true, but I just can't accept that I can't catch those greedy parasites."
Zhao Changning just smiled and said nothing.
She did these things not to catch corrupt officials, nor for the country and the people. She was a selfish person, and she did all this only for power.
However, it’s enough for you to understand these words in your heart; it won’t sound good if you say them out loud.
After the meal, everyone started looking for a shady place to sit and enjoy the cool air.
Only Taiping got up miserably and picked up the fork to pick up the hay. It was hot at the moment, and the cows and horses had just rested and were very hungry. They also had a big shit.
Surrounded by flies, his face looked even more miserable.
Zhao Changning really wanted to laugh when he saw Taiping's appearance. He looked at the ox cart that was becoming increasingly dilapidated. At least it was quite straight before, but now it has been on the road for a long time, the wheels are worn out, and the cart is cracked. It looks very simple.
It’s really hard to imagine the third place winner driving a bullock cart to class. It’s funny just thinking about it.
But when I think about how hard he has worked these days, all for me, I feel that I shouldn't treat him so unfairly.
She pointed at the ox cart and said, "Master Ming, shall we sell this ox cart?"
Mingxuan immediately shook his head, "I can't sell it. I still need it. Although the ox cart is not as good as the horse carriage, at least I don't have to run on my legs."
Zhao Changning looked at Taiping's expectant eyes and smiled, "I'm also trying to save money. I've added a carriage, and Granny Xu doesn't know how to feed the dog. It's quite tiring for Taiping to help feed him, so I have to pay her an extra wage. I don't use the carriage much anyway, so I'll just consider it as you helping me feed the dog and take it for a walk, which saves me the wages."
Taiping nodded repeatedly, very grateful.
"Sir, since Auntie has said so, you should agree, right? The daily cost of fodder is not small. Save the money for the girl's medical treatment. Then I will have less work to do and can spend more time with the girl to play, so she won't be bored..."
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The author has something to say: Taiping: Please consider me, a poor ox and horse [Please][Please][Please][Please][Please]
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