"A few days ago, I wrote a 'Flood Control Strategy'. The emperor thought it was good and gave me a reward."
Fu Zhiyao said lightly, picked up the teacup beside him and took a few sips.
Although he downplayed it, Wen Zhu knew that he had put a lot of effort into this book, and the emperor's praise was indeed what he deserved.
"By the way, my son has to go to the Censorate soon."
Fu Zhiyao raised his eyes and said, his gaze clear and firm.
"What are you going there for?"
The Duke's wife asked in confusion, seeming to be somewhat curious about this matter.
"The Emperor has ordered me to concurrently serve as the Right Censor-in-Chief of the Censorate."
Fu Zhiyao spoke slowly, his tone calm as usual, as if it was just a trivial matter.
"This is another promotion, it's really a good thing!"
A smile appeared on Zhao Manxiang's face, and her eyes narrowed slightly, looking particularly bright.
The Duke's wife looked at her son quietly, knowing that the child had come to announce the good news, but his expression seemed as if he didn't care at all.
"It's really a triple blessing."
The Duke's wife sighed softly, and the corners of her mouth rose unconsciously.
"What's another happy event?"
Fu Zhiyao looked at his mother with some confusion, wanting to hear her further explanation.
"Wen Zhu is carrying the room!"
The Duke's wife replied with a smile, a gleam of relief in her eyes.
Fu Zhiyao smiled and looked at Wen Zhu, who was a little reserved, and nodded: "Indeed, if you count it this way, today really can be regarded as three happy events coming at the same time."
Zhao Manxiang, who had originally relaxed, suddenly became irritated again.
When it was late at night and everyone was asleep, she returned to her residence, Qifangyuan, her heart filled with anger that had nowhere to vent.
She walked around the room for a while before she managed to calm herself down a little.
"Young Madam, please go to bed early."
Miyou came in cautiously with two maids, one holding a basin of warm water and the other holding a soft towel, intending to help Zhao Manxiang wash her face and hands as a sign of respect.
"No, I can't sleep!"
Zhao Manxiang glared at Miyou unhappily, with obvious displeasure and annoyance in her tone.
After a moment of silence, she suddenly stood up and said, "I can't sleep anyway, Miyou, come with me and take a walk."
After he finished speaking, he took off the cloak hanging on the wall, put it on his shoulders, turned around and walked out the door.
Miyou and another maid Qingmei exchanged glances and immediately followed Zhao Manxiang.
It was late in the evening in November, and the air was filled with a biting cold wind and heavy dew.
But Zhao Manxiang seemed to particularly prefer such cold weather. In her opinion, only this bone-chilling coldness could bring a little relief and calm to her chaotic mood.
The glazed palace lanterns emit a soft and bright light, illuminating the way forward.
Zhao Manxiang walked forward with her arms clasped tightly, a cold look on her face.
Suddenly, she paused, her eyes focused on an inconspicuous corner of the ground, and found that there seemed to be a small object lying there quietly.
"What is that? Show me."
She immediately stopped and spoke to Miyou who was serving her, with a hint of subtle doubt and expectation in her voice.
Upon hearing the order, Miyou immediately walked lightly to the object, bent down, and carefully picked it up. Then she quickly turned around and walked back to Zhao Manxiang, respectfully handed it to her and replied, "It's a purse."
Zhao Manxiang stretched out a hand and took the purse that Miyou handed to her. Her fingers nimbly untied the thin rope on it, and slowly opened the seal to check what was inside.
Just a glance and a blush suddenly appeared on her cheeks.
"Whose scoundrel's stuff is this?"
She uttered a low curse, then swung her arm vigorously and threw the purse to the ground, with obvious disgust in her tone.
Seeing this, Miyou, who was standing not far away and watching this scene curiously, felt a little confused. She instinctively lowered her head and dared not say anything.
But Qingmei couldn't suppress her curiosity and couldn't help asking, "What's inside?"
Hearing Qingmei's question, Zhao Manxiang adjusted her mood a little, making her expression look less serious. She patted her chest a few times to comfort herself, and then said slowly: "Qingmei, pick it up, and don't say anything. I want to see who did this!"
After hearing the order, Qingmei hurried forward, squatted down, picked up the purse that was extremely despised by its owner from the ground, and opened it very carefully to take a peek at the contents inside.
Among them was a small cylindrical ornament made of warm jade and a finely embroidered white handkerchief.
Through the half-open corner of the handkerchief, you can see that there seem to be some faintly embroidered patterns depicting a scene of a man and a woman embracing each other.
After seeing this scene, Qingmei snorted in disdain, and pinched the entire purse with just two fingers and moved it away from her body.
"Put it away first."
At this moment, Zhao Manxiang's calm but firm voice sounded in her ears again. After saying this, she took another step and continued to move forward.
Not long after, the three of them saw a little maid not far ahead.
The girl was holding a small and delicate wind-horse lantern that was flickering, and she was concentrating on searching for something carefully by the roadside, which attracted their attention.
"What are you doing up in the middle of the night?!"
When she saw the little maid's appearance clearly, Zhao Manxiang shouted loudly, with a hint of anger in her words.
The little maid, trembling with fear at the sudden questioning, raised her head to meet the gazes of the masters before her. Her face instantly turned extremely pale, and she quickly bowed her head and knelt to apologize to the distinguished people: "Your servant... Your servant has dropped a silver bracelet and is looking for it."
"What kind of silver bracelet?"
Zhao Manxiang did not immediately show dissatisfaction with the other party's answer. Instead, she smiled slightly and asked gently.
The maidservant became even more nervous upon hearing this, and stammered as she described the lost item: "It's...it's one of those common plain bracelets."
"What's your name? Where do you work?"
After listening to this basic information, Zhao Manxiang raised two new questions.
Faced with the continuous questions, the little maid could only try her best to remain calm and answer: "My name is Ganju, and I serve the Second Young Lady."
"Oh, I see."
Zhao Manxiang said gently, "It's already very late. You don't have to worry too much about looking for it. If you really can't find it, just go back and get some rest."
"Yes, Madam, I know what to do. Thank you for your understanding."
Ganju was obviously relieved, and the hand holding the wind horse lantern trembled slightly. Then he turned firmly in the direction he came from, and walked away step by step. The light gradually became blurred in the night.
After Ganju's figure completely disappeared, Qingmei came closer and asked in an almost inaudible voice.
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