Hearing that the Crown Prince and Elder Chen were waiting, Su Qingyu also stood up and said, "Go and do whatever you want."
Shen Zhixiu's brows tightened slightly. What could be the matter that the prince was waiting to see him at this time?
From the moment he went to the Su family to propose marriage, there had been a rift between him and the Crown Prince. However, outsiders were unaware of this, and many people considered him a member of the Crown Prince's faction.
In fact, both he and the prince knew that he would not be loyal to the prince, and the prince would not tolerate him.
His continuous promotion was not what the prince wanted to see.
During this time, he had carried out several errands for the Emperor. The Emperor knew that he was only loyal to the Imperial power, not to the Crown Prince. Otherwise, the Emperor would not have allowed him to take charge of the Ministry of Personnel.
Shen Zhixiu signaled Su Qingyu to continue to have fun with them, and he would come back when he was done.
Su Qingyu instructed: "Just take care of yourself. We don't need you to take care of us. Apart from anything else, how can you not play?"
Not long after Shen Zhixiu left, Lin Wuchen came over wearing a servant's clothes.
"Where did he go?" Lin Wuchen looked around but didn't see Shen Zhixiu.
Su Qingyu explained a few words, and Lin Wuchen sighed in pretended disappointment.
"It's a pity he can't see me killing everyone in the pond."
Su Qingyu glanced at him and said, "Third cousin, get one up first before you say this."
Seeing the obvious distrust in Su Qingyu's eyes, Lin Wuchen snorted, "Just wait, I will empty Elder Shen's pond today."
As he spoke, Lin Wuchen walked into the pond and bent down to grab a handful of stones.
Su Shunci was so focused on fighting the fish at his feet that he didn't even notice Lin Wuchen coming.
She saw a fish running towards her, and it was a big fish.
She was fully prepared this time, having learned from her previous experiences. She reached out to grab the fish with both hands, one for the head and the other for the tail.
When Su Shunci ran towards the fish, Lin Wuchen also threw out a stone in his hand.
Then, Su Shunci was heard shouting, "Big sister, I caught a fish, I caught a fish."
Su Shunci held the fish in both hands and gestured towards the shore, wanting Su Qingyu to see it more clearly.
As for Lin Wuchen who was standing next to her, she simply ignored him.
Su Qingyu was stunned for a moment. The fish just swam over and was caught by Aci?
Or is this a stupid fish?
Although he was surprised, he didn't show it on his face.
Su Qingyu moved closer to the pond and said with a smile, "Our Ah Ci is really amazing. Such a big fish is enough for us to grill and eat."
Su Shunci smiled and looked at the fish in her hand curiously. As she looked at it, she was stunned.
"Why isn't the fish moving?"
"I pinched you to death?"
Lin Wuchen, who was standing aside, heard her mumbling and his mouth twitched.
Crushed it to death? What was this kid thinking? With her weak strength, could she possibly crush such a big fish?
Su Qingyu also noticed that the fish had stopped moving. Seeing that Su Shunci looked a little depressed, she consoled him, "It's okay if it's dead. It just died, so it's still fresh."
He then told the maid next to him to take the fish and let Su Shunci continue playing with it.
Su Shunci made up his mind to catch another one alive.
But after catching three fish in a row, all of them were dead. The little girl almost cried, looking down at her hands, wondering why she always crushed the fish to death?
When she caught the second one, Su Qingyu noticed Lin Wuchen's little trick, but did not point it out.
Anyway, whoever makes the child cry will be responsible for comforting him/her.
When Su Shunci caught the fourth fish, Lin Wuchen's grip shifted slightly, and the stone bounced from the fish directly into Su Shunci's hand.
Su Shunci saw it clearly and understood what was going on instantly.
He threw away the fish in his hand and turned to look at Lin Wuchen, "Third cousin, what are you doing?"
The little girl felt a little aggrieved because it turned out that these fish were not caught by her.
Su Shunci's mouth drooped and she was about to cry.
Lin Wuchen was so frightened that he quickly stepped forward and said, "Don't cry, I'm helping you, aren't I?"
Su Shunci sniffed in grievance, "Then you killed all the fish."
Lin Wuchen could only coax them softly: "They are not dead. If you don't believe me, go and check in the bucket. They are just fainted."
Su Shunci glanced at him suspiciously and quickly walked towards the shore. Lin Wuchen followed behind, muttering, "Walk slowly, be careful not to fall into the water."
When they reached the shore, the fish in the wooden barrel began to move, and Su Shunci felt much better.
Lin Wuchen continued to explain, "Aren't we working together very well? I can't catch fish, but I can knock them unconscious."
"If business doesn't work out in the future, we can go fishing together and earn enough to eat in a day."
Su Shunci snorted, "Then I'd rather help Big Sister farm than go fishing with you."
Su Qingyu looked at the two people who were soaking wet. "Hurry back to your respective courtyards to take a shower and change clothes. I asked someone to make ginger soup. Drink a big bowl of it for everyone."
Although it is midsummer, it is easy to catch a cold if you get wet and then get blown by the wind.
Su Shunci and Lin Wuchen felt uncomfortable in their wet clothes, so they went back to take a shower and change clothes.
Su Qingyu sat in a pavilion not far away, looking towards the capital, wondering what the prince wanted to see Shen Zhixiu about.
At this time, Shen Zhixiu had already arrived at the cabinet and went directly to the room where Chen Zheng usually handled official business.
When he entered, the prince was sitting in the main seat drinking tea.
The chief minister of the cabinet, Chen Zheng, was accompanying him. He was wearing a round-collared robe with a crane pattern and a right lapel, and a jade leather belt around his waist that was only used by first-rank officials.
After Shen Zhixiu stood still, he first saluted the prince and then bowed to his teacher.
The prince leaned back on the black lacquered armchair, legs crossed. Seeing Shen Zhixiu coming, he raised his hand to signal him to sit down and answer.
Shen Zhixiu sat down next to Chen Zheng.
The prince said, "The power to promote and employ people is now in the hands of Lord Shen. I have something I want to discuss with Lord Shen."
Shen Zhixiu's heart skipped a beat, but he didn't dare show it.
He bowed slightly and said, "Your Highness, please give your orders."
The prince waved his hand. "It's not an order, it's just a discussion. How dare I interfere in the affairs of the Ministry of Personnel?"
Logically, the Ministry of Personnel should be controlled by Chen Zheng, the Prime Minister of the Cabinet. However, the emperor suddenly let Shen Zhixiu take over the Ministry of Personnel, and the reason was obvious.
When Shen Zhixiu heard the prince say this, he subconsciously glanced at Chen Zheng. It had been an unwritten rule in the Great Zhou Dynasty that the Minister of Personnel was always the Prime Minister of the Cabinet.
He understood the emperor's intention. Originally, the Prime Minister was the emperor's confidant, and the Second Prime Minister was the prince's mentor. When the new emperor ascended the throne and the Prime Minister retired, the Second Prime Minister would naturally take over the position to assist the new emperor.
However, the Xu family fell suddenly, and Chen Zheng became the Prime Minister overnight. The emperor was in his prime, so he had to make new plans.
They understood the principle, but the relationship between teacher and student was no longer the same as before.
Chen Zheng's face naturally showed no abnormality. Shen Zhixiu said respectfully to the prince, "Your Highness, please give your orders."
The prince was very satisfied with Shen Zhixiu's attitude and spoke.
"The second young lady of the Su family will soon enter the Eastern Palace as a concubine."
"But her father was sent by Zhao Ji to guard the city gate. This makes me ashamed."
"What I mean is, can he be sent to the Ministry of Revenue to be a grain official?"
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