Yan Shu was surprised to get such news out of the blue, and asked hurriedly, "Are you really the Grand Academician of Zhongji Palace who had a friendship beyond the revolution with the Empress Dowager?"
System, "Yes, it's Qi Shuguang, the Grand Academician of Zhongji Palace who was the top scholar in the 10th year of Xuande, who became the Prime Minister at the age of thirty despite his talent, and served the Empress Dowager loyally all the way. After developing feelings beyond the revolutionary friendship with the Empress Dowager, he resolutely resigned and returned home for fear of bringing trouble to the Empress Dowager."
Yan Shu, "..."
Tsk, look at this super long suffix adjective like a train, it's indeed the Grand Academician she has always been most curious about.
But... why did the Emperor suddenly invite him to the capital?
Isn't this a bit too abrupt?
But the system said, "Master Qi is a truly learned man with great talent. After he resigned from his post, he returned home to be a teacher. However, because of his unique vision and knowledge, he quickly attracted many students, and opened a college in just a few years. All the students he taught became officials and became very famous in Langya. He is a great scholar and teacher, and the emperor invited famous scholars from all over the country. Why can't he have a share?"
Yan Shu, "!!!"
This really proves the saying that gold shines wherever it goes!
Master Qi is so capable!!!
And hearing this makes people even more curious about him!
But...
no matter what, this is too coincidental, right?
When the emperor asked her last night, she thought about it quietly, did he really call someone this morning?
Why do I always feel that something is a little strange?
But I heard the system say, [After the incident at Songhe Academy, the emperor took it over as the property of the court. Now that it has been renovated, it is reasonable to use the names of famous scholars to promote and build momentum so that the common people and students can regain their confidence in this academy. However, the invitation list was recommended by the Ministry of Rites and local education officials. The emperor issued an edict after reading it. It was probably just a coincidence.]
Yan Shu, […So that's it.]
She said, could it be that the emperor has the ability to read minds?
And even if he has the ability to read minds, he probably can't deliberately bring the empress dowager's former ambiguous object close to him, right?
In this way, the doubt was solved, but this news still made her eyes light up -
doesn't it mean that next month the Queen Mother will have the opportunity to meet the person who had helplessly passed by?
Tsk tsk tsk tsk, this is really exciting just to think about it!
However, I don't know if this great scholar has started a family?
If he has already married and had children, it is better not to meet him.
But the system said, "That's not the case. After returning to his hometown, the great scholar Qi devoted himself to the cause of education and did not have the leisure to deal with marriage. Of course, it is also possible that he has never met anyone who moved him. Anyway, he has been with students every day, and these ten years have passed the same day. 】
Yan Shu couldn't help but sigh when she heard this -
he hasn't met anyone who moved him in more than ten years. Does it mean that he has real feelings for the Queen Mother?
Oh, it's really sad.
But of course, the Queen Mother is the Queen Mother after all. Madam Mu can remarry, but the Queen Mother is different.
She can only fantasize about the kind of plot where the couple reunites by accident, and she dare not hope for it to become a reality.
Therefore, she just thought about that idea casually last night, and she didn't even dare to mention it to the emperor.
But no matter what, it is still very exciting for two people who once fell in love with each other to meet again after so many years.
Thinking of this, she hurriedly asked the system, [Does the Queen Mother know the news?]
System, [No, the Queen Mother is not in the mood to care about political affairs these two days. Seeing that Madam Mu will leave in two days, the Queen Mother is concentrating on bidding farewell to her good friend. 】
Yan Shu,【That's right. Besides, it's only the beginning of May now. Songhe Academy won't open until June, so there's still a month to go. Besides, whether Qi Dashi will come or not is another matter. 】
【However, if he comes, it would be even better to surprise the empress dowager without warning. Anyway, keep a close eye on it and let me know when there's news. 】
System,【No problem. 】
So, this Yuanjing gossip is temporarily over.
Yan Shu got up, dressed, washed and combed her hair. After a bit of tidying up, she had a leisurely breakfast.
Well, now is the time when fish and shrimps are plump. The kitchen will debone and slice the mullet, boil soup and cook porridge. Order a bowl of fish slice porridge. The fragrance of rice mixed with the fragrance of fish meat is thick and dense, and it is the most delicious.
There were also fresh shrimps and baked wheat, each of which was sweet and crispy, making people extremely satisfied.
In addition, she ate a freshly fried dough stick, which was crispy and delicious, and drank a bowl of sweet soy milk, which made her stomach very comfortable.
A breakfast that combined the north and the south filled her stomach. Before she could think of what to do next, she saw the palace maids from Ci'an Palace coming and saying that the Queen Mother summoned her.
Yan Shu didn't understand why, but she had to quickly agree and went to Ci'an Palace.
At that time, she saw that Madam Mu was also in the palace, talking to the Queen Mother, and her daughter Ni Xiangwan was playing with Xiao Lanjun on the side.
After recognizing her parents, the little girl smiled carefree and looked even more beautiful.
Yan Shu was very relieved and bowed to the Queen Mother first, "Your Majesty, I pay my respects to you."
The Queen Mother nodded and said, "Get up. I called you here because I have something to entrust to you. There will be a Dragon Boat Festival water play in two days, and a banquet will be held at Jinming Lake. I don't have the energy right now, so you should take care of it."
Yan Shu was stunned. Does this mean... that she is asked to take charge?
Tsk, this is really rare.
But think about it, now besides her, the only person in the harem is Wang Zhaoyi who is in charge of night watch.
She is the only one who is free, and you can't ask Wang Zhaoyi to have multiple jobs.
She had no choice but to respond quickly, "I obey your command."
After the words fell, the Queen Mother nodded, but she saw Madam Mu said to her, "Speaking of which, I still have to thank you, Madam. If you hadn't recommended Dr. Jiang Yu that day, I don't know what would happen to my daughter now."
After speaking, she bowed to her with a very serious attitude.
Yan Shu hurriedly said politely, "Madam, you are too kind. I actually mentioned it when I thought of it at that time. The credit still goes to Dr. Jiang Yu. Of course, it must be the blessing that Madam has accumulated for doing good deeds every day, so that your daughter can escape safely."
The words were said appropriately and pleasantly, and the empress dowager nodded.
She thought that this girl looked heartless, but in fact she had some brains.
No wonder the emperor chose her as a shield.
Of course, Yan Shu could not hear these words. But
the empress dowager suddenly spoke to her, "I was in a hurry that day and almost misunderstood you. Don't take it to heart."
Tsk, is the empress dowager apologizing to her?
Yan Shu was flattered and bowed her head, "How dare I?" She
couldn't help but sigh in her heart - the empress dowager was an open-minded person, no wonder she could become the
empress dowager. At this moment, she saw a palace maid enter the hall to report, "Your Majesty, Zhang Yuanpan is here to check your pulse."
Hey, Zhang Shengkang is here?
Yan Shu immediately frowned. The Queen
Mother nodded and said, "Let him in."
The palace maid agreed and went out to pass the message.
Then, the sanctimonious judge of the Imperial Medical Bureau, Zhang Shengkang, entered the palace. After
the formalities, he immediately took the Queen Mother's pulse. Not long after, he said
, "Your Highness has been in good health recently. But now that midsummer is here, you must be careful not to eat raw or cold food and don't catch a cold." The Queen Mother nodded and said to him, "It's a good opportunity to take a look at Miss Ni as well. They will be leaving in a few days. I don't know if she can hold on."
Zhang Shengkang agreed, and Madam Mu hurriedly called the maid to come over.
After a pulse check, Zhang Shengkang nodded and said, "From the pulse, Miss Ni is now in good health. As long as she is not too tired on the road, there should be no problem." He
sighed again, "It seems that Doctor Jiang Yu is indeed more skilled, which is convincing." After saying
this, the Queen Mother nodded.
Yan Shu raised her eyebrows in her heart - would this person be so generous to praise someone with better medical skills than himself?
[Of course not.]
The system immediately jumped out, [This person felt something was wrong since he found out that Jiang Nianqi had rescued the little girl from the Ni family. He even arranged for someone to go to the Jiang family in the middle of the night to inquire the day before yesterday.]
Yan Shu immediately became nervous, [So what did he find out?]
System, [Nothing. Doctor Jiang Yu is not stupid. How can he stay in the palace if he can find out something so easily?
Yan Shu breathed a sigh of relief silently, "That's good."
However, it can be seen from this that Zhang Shengkang is really good at pretending
. He has fooled the Queen Mother, who is so capable, into believing in him for many years. Just when she was thinking about this, she heard the Queen Mother say to Zhang Shengkang, "Doctor Jiang Yu looks so young, but I didn't expect him to be so amazing. It's a good thing that the Imperial Hospital has such a talent. As the judge of the hospital, you should dig out and cultivate him. The court and the people need such people."
Zhang Shengkang bowed and said, "My Queen, the position of Chief Physician in the Imperial Hospital is vacant at the moment. I am considering whether this Doctor Jiang Yu can do the job." The Queen
Mother showed a satisfied look and nodded.
Yan Shu didn't believe it.
——The chief physician is already a fourth-rank official. Would Zhang Shengkang be so kind as to promote a young competitor? He
probably just said this to the Queen Mother.
But then, Zhang Shengkang asked her, "Speaking of which, Doctor Jiang Yu is not on duty today. Does Concubine Yi know where Doctor Jiang Yu came from?"
Yan Shu immediately understood. Wasn't he trying to test her?
She then smiled and said, "I don't know about that. I only know that he is not from the capital, and his hometown is probably in the South Vietnam area. However, does this matter have anything to do with appointing him as the chief physician?"
Zhang Shengkang explained hurriedly, "This is because this matter is not something I can decide on my own. I have to discuss it with several imperial physicians and several officials from the Ministry of Personnel. If I know where his teacher is, I can introduce him to him."
- This explanation is actually a bit far-fetched. As a judge of the court, he didn't even know where the teachers of his outstanding talents came from, and he even came to ask a palace concubine? The empress
dowager glanced at Zhang Shengkang with a suspicious look.
Seeing this, Yan Shu immediately added, "Then wait until he is on duty, and Zhang Yuanpan will go and ask him in person. However, he is probably very busy these two days. I heard that there was a thief in his house in the middle of the night, and he is probably reporting to the police in Jingzhao Prefecture."
Zhang Shengkang was stunned when he said this.
The Queen Mother frowned and asked, "Why is the public security in the city still so chaotic?" Yan
Shu hurriedly explained, "I heard that it has improved a lot recently, but there are always some petty thieves."
Madam Mu also said, "There are such thieves everywhere, and it is inevitable." The Queen
Mother nodded and said, "That's true."
As soon as the voice fell, Zhang Shengkang hurriedly bowed his head and said, "I will not disturb your majesty, and I will take my leave first." The Queen Mother nodded
, and he hurriedly left the palace with the medicine box.
System, [Very good, the position of Director of the Imperial Hospital has been vacant for many years. He has been seeking for it recently. He is afraid that the Queen Mother will suspect him. So he will probably be honest for a few days.]
Yan Shu, [Humph, protect our treasure, Doctor Jiang Yu!]
She knew that after the incident with the little girl from the Ni family, Doctor Jiang Yu could no longer hide his sharpness. With Zhang Shengkang's jealousy, he would definitely notice him.
But at the moment, it seems that the Queen Mother still trusts him, so a small fight may not shake his position.
Instead, it will alarm the other party and cause them to suspect Doctor Jiang Yu's life experience.
This matter needs to be carefully planned.
~~
After bidding farewell to the Queen Mother, Yan Shuyuan returned to Ganlu Palace.
Not long after, she saw Fu Hai leading two people to ask to see her.
"Your Majesty, these two gentlemen are the stewards appointed by the Taichang Temple. The Dragon Boat Festival water show is coming soon. In addition to the necessary training of the Ministry of War, there will also be some water plays for the emperor and his ministers to watch. These two would like to ask you to take a look and see if the arranged plays are suitable."
Yan Shu, "..."
The people came just after she promised the Queen Mother? Too efficient.
She nodded and saw that the other party handed over a list of prepared plays. She
took it and looked at it. She saw that they were all water acrobatics, water puppet shows, water singing and dancing, etc., plays that everyone likes. It's still pretty good.
However, the puppet shows consisted of eight or nine old-fashioned plays such as "Emperor Huan of Han Dynasty Swimming on the River", "Emperor Wen of Wei Raising an Army", "Emperor Wu of Jin Dynasty Attending a Meeting", "Liu Bei Crossing the Tan River" , etc.
She said, "These stories are good, but they are probably only liked by men. If we can add a few love stories such as The Legend of the White Snake and The Cowherd and the Weaving Girl, I think the women will like it more."
"By the way, there will probably be many children. Why not prepare a few more mythological stories such as The Eight Immortals Crossing the Sea, Sun Xingzhe Making Trouble in the Dragon Palace, and Chenxiang Splitting the Mountain to Save His Mother? I'm sure they will like it too."
Hearing this, the two managers of the Taichang Temple immediately said, "Your Majesty is right. We will arrange it now."
Yan Shu hummed and looked down again, but was caught off guard -
what?
They also arranged for storytellers to tell stories?
Gee, there were even books written by Xiaoyao Gongzi among them? ?
? The names of "The Talented Man and the Pretty Lady", "The Evil Wife and the Man Who Treated the Man in a Clever Manner", and "The Plum Blossoms Again" which was just published two days ago were clearly listed!
Yan Shu, "..."
What the hell is this?
Seeing her look of surprise, Fu Hai, one of the few people who knew her pseudonym, explained, "I heard that this young master's masterpiece is very popular recently. I think the Taichang Temple made such an arrangement because they think the audience will like it."
After the words fell, the two stewards nodded and said, "What Fu said is that every year there are many people rushing to watch the water show. This young master's story is the most popular in and outside the city, and it is very educational. So we made this arrangement specifically because we thought that the people would like to listen to it, and we want the emperor and the people to enjoy it together."
Fu Hai also hurriedly added, "It is mainly because I heard that the Queen Mother likes this young master's work very much."
The other two immediately agreed.
Yan Shu, "..."
Well, in order to make the Queen Mother happy, she will suppress her embarrassment.
But the first two are okay, but "Plum Blossoms Two Times" is still a little inappropriate.
——After all, Madam Mu was present, so it was better not to embarrass the person involved.
She then said, "Actually, I've also seen "The Talented Scholar and the Beautiful Lady" and "The Evil Wife's Skillful Treatment of the Romantic Man" which are not bad, and they also cater to the current trend of strict punishment of officials in the court. Let's forget about the last one, as it is likely to cause controversy."
Although the emperor was open-minded, it was inevitable that some people still cared about widows remarrying.
The two of them immediately nodded in agreement and crossed out the script.
Next, several songs and dances and shadow plays were selected, such as "Three Crossings of the Flaming Mountain" and "Zhu Bajie Carrying His Wife on His Back". I believe that children will like to watch them.
The cultural performance part was finalized.
Fu Hai was about to lead the people to say goodbye, but Yan Shu asked again, "Do you want to take a look at the menu?"
As soon as this was said, the two managers were surprised and said, "That's the best. We were afraid of disturbing the queen's rest, so we didn't dare to ask..."
Yan Shu waved her hand, "No problem, just bring it."
Compared with other things, eating is the top priority, so she must check it carefully!
The person who came hurriedly agreed and ran to get the menu immediately.
...
~~
In this way, seeing that everything was arranged properly, after three days, everyone in the palace went out early and arrived at Jinming Lake.
As for the great name of Jinming Lake, it can be said that everyone in the capital knows it.
——This is an artificial lake that Emperor Gaozu ordered people to dig in order to watch water battles. The pool is so large that dragon boats can be rowed and warships can be accommodated.
Later, in order to share the joy with the people, Emperor Gaozu ordered the wall to be demolished, and the Jinming Lake became the first royal garden without a wall.
And the best thing is that it is right in the center of the capital, which can be said to be very close to the people. In
normal times, people and tourists often come to the lake to enjoy the cool air and the scenery. During the Dragon Boat Festival, the streets are empty, which can be said to be the best example of the emperor enjoying the joy with the people.
However, this is Yan Shu's first time here.
She has been full of curiosity for a long time.
After getting off the carriage, she immediately looked over and saw a rainbow bridge corridor in the pool, with vermilion lacquered gates and goose pillars, which is what the people call Camel Peak.
There are also five buildings connected at the bridge head, which are magnificent and magnificent, and are exactly the place where the king and his concubines enjoy the scenery every year.
At this time, there were already pleasure boats and warships lined up neatly on the shore, making people look forward to the next scene.
Yan followed Yu and the Queen Mother into the palace.
Speaking of which, now there are only her and Wang Zhaoyi left in the harem, especially today Wang Zhaoyi still claimed to be sick and did not come, so apart from her, the emperor and the Queen Mother, there are only the palace maids accompanying them.
Fortunately, there are Lan Yun and Madam Mu, mother and daughter, to make up the number, so it doesn't seem so thin.
However, today there are still ministers with their families to participate, and they have been waiting on the side.
After several people sat down, they came up to pay their respects.
The first to come out were still the close relatives, the eldest princess and her husband.
Behind them were the Ankang County Lord and his wife, and their two children - six-year-old son Yao Mingxu and four-year-old daughter Yao Minghan.
This large family was so prosperous that the palace was suddenly lively.
"Your Majesty, the Empress Dowager, and Concubine Yi are here to see you."
The eldest princess happily led the family to pay her respects.
Yuwen Lan also politely said, "Aunt, you don't have to be polite. Please take a seat."
The family agreed and took their seats.
Yan Shu observed quietly and saw that the county lord and his wife were smiling and looking at each other from time to time. Their relationship seemed to be sweeter than before.
Ahem, it seems that County Master Yao's treatment of horses is effective.
Doctor Jiang Yu has really benefited countless families.
Yuwen Lan, "..."
That's right, he has a deep understanding of this. Doctor Jiang Yu has really benefited many people.
The adults took their seats, and the two little kids of the Yao family immediately played with Lan Yun and Ni Xiangwan.
The palace was full of laughter and was very lively.
The Queen Mother sighed meaningfully, "It's still more lively with more children."
As he spoke, he glanced at the emperor.
[Isn't this brat in a hurry? ]
[Why can't you ask Zhang Shengkang to take a look? ]
[Treat her if she's sick. Is it really more important to guard against her than to have no heir? ]
Yuwen Lan, "..."
To be honest, he was a little speechless for a moment.
Yes, he was indeed on guard against the Queen Mother at first, especially after the incident with the Prince of Liaodong, he was very wary of the Queen Mother for a time.
But... now it's no longer necessary.
Seeing that he has sown so many times, I believe that when the time comes, there will be results.
Thinking of this, he glanced at Yan Shu again.
Yan Shu, "..."
Look, every time the Queen Mother said this, he came to see her.
But she can't make the decision on this matter.
It takes time for seeds to germinate, right?
It's been less than a month, how can it be so fast?
There was some awkwardness in the hall for a while, but fortunately, ministers came to pay their respects one after another, diverting everyone's attention.
Yan Shu has participated in many banquets now, and is familiar with the ministers in the court.
But today it was a little strange that the Minister of Works came with swollen eyes.
- Did he secretly hide in a deserted place and cry again last night?
System, [Speaking of which, it's all thanks to you. This person is a fan of your books. I have been immersed in your new storybook these two days and can't extricate myself. I have cried several times for the protagonist's tortuous and bizarre love.]
Yan Shu, "..." He
actually cried like this while reading her storybook? ? ?
Tsk tsk tsk, this is too touching.
She was moved and distressed for a moment, and thought to herself, why not give him an autograph one day to comfort him?
Yuwen Lan, "..."
He wanted to persuade her to forget it. If the other party really saw her handwriting, he might be even more sad.
Then, the Guangyang Marquis who loved to eat paper came on stage.
——It was not long before the Queen Mother's birthday banquet, but this man was thinner again.
The Queen Mother was very worried and asked, "Is the Guangyang Marquis really sick? Why did he lose weight so much? But don't be afraid of seeing a doctor."
Seeing this, before the Guangyang Marquis could say anything, his wife said with a worried look on her face, "The Queen Mother is right. The Marquis has had a very poor appetite recently, but he has seen a doctor and taken medicine, but there is no improvement."
Hearing this, Yuwen Lan was also a little worried.
I thought to myself that if it really doesn't work, I'll just remind him not to eat those messy things...
But before I could open my mouth, I heard Yan Shu thinking, [Today I specially asked the chefs to prepare something suitable for him, let's see how it works?]
Yuwen Lan swallowed his words and immediately became curious -
she specially prepared it?
What kind of food can be suitable for Guangyang Hou?
Could it be food made of paper?
Tsk, how do others eat it?
Just thinking about this, I saw the palace servants bring several snacks one after another.
One of them was made of pancakes to look like a book, and there were words written on it with spinach juice, which was refreshing.
Yuwen Lan paused and looked to the side.
He saw that Guangyang Hou's eyes were already staring straight, and he was excited and said, [What is this? Is it edible? It looks delicious! 】
He hurriedly said, "Hurry up and take a seat, have some snacks and drink some tea, you're welcome."
Guangyang Hou agreed and immediately sat down to eat.
In a blink of an eye, he ate two small pancake books, and a satisfied look appeared on his face.
[Well, this tastes better after all! ]
Yan Shu was finally relieved.
Now the wife of Guangyang Hou should know what to give her husband to eat, right?
- Ahem, although the big pancakes in their hometown are a little harder to chew, they are still very nutritious.
Yuwen Lan was also very pleased to hear this.
- My beloved concubine is kind-hearted and touching.
Immediately afterwards, a message rang out outside the palace, "The Earl of Loyalty is here to see you..."
Yan Shu was stunned, the Earl of Loyalty?
Isn't that her father?
Sure enough, right after that, she saw her parents enter the palace together, both dressed in neat and gorgeous clothes, and bowed to them solemnly.
Yan Shu was surprised, she didn't know that her parents would come today!
Speaking of which, because outsiders were not allowed to enter the harem, although she had met her mother and grandmother, she had never met her father.
Unexpectedly, she met him today!
It was really exciting.
Seeing this scene, the king on the throne was in a good mood.
Nodding, "No need to be polite, take a seat quickly."
The Li couple agreed and sat down in the palace. The
queen mother also specially allowed Li's mother, Zhu, to sit next to the concubine.
Yan Shu sat next to her mother happily, and her heart was so happy.
Then several waves of people came one after another, and after they bowed one by one, they all took their seats.
When the time was almost up, two pleasure boats were seen sailing onto the water in front of the palace, and the first show of the day, water music and dance, began.
This was the first time Yan Shu and her mother Zhu had seen such a scene, and they watched with great interest.
But not long after, the Minister of Revenue entered the palace and asked the king for instructions, "Your Majesty, the newly appointed deputy envoy of the Salt Commissioner wants to see you."
Today, the king and his ministers were having fun together, and since the official was newly appointed, Yuwen Lan would not refuse, so he nodded and said, "Let him come in." The
Minister of Revenue agreed, and soon, he led a man in his thirties or forties into the palace.
The man introduced himself and said, "I am Luo Zhixue, and I am here to see your majesty."
Luo Zhixue?
Yan Shu was stunned for a moment, and felt that the name sounded familiar.
She remembered that her father had a friend with this name?
But she heard the system say, "Yes, this is the person who borrowed 20 taels of silver from your father to go to Beijing to take the exam, causing your father and your mother to quarrel, and after high school, he didn't pay back the money and pretended not to know you."
Yan Shu was stunned.
Hey, isn't this a case of enemies meeting on a narrow road?