Chapter 179 High School In

Baoci Palace, Minglan ordered tea for the Queen Mother. She first gently lifted the copper pot, turned her wrist slightly, and poured a thin stream of tea into the pot, boiling water bubbling. Then, Minglan gently scooped a spoonful of fine tea powder from the exquisite porcelain pot and put it into the teacup. She held the tea whisk, using her middle finger as the axis, and gently stirred it. As her wrist turned, the tea powder and water gradually blended and turned into a pool of jade-green tea soup, with layers of fine foam floating on it, just like a light gauze swaying gently on the lake in spring.

Throughout the whole process, Minglan's expression was focused and peaceful. The aroma of tea rose up and intertwined with the agarwood in the palace. The Queen Mother was intoxicated and squinted her eyes. She watched Minglan's every move with a gentle gaze, and a faint smile hung on the corner of her mouth.

"Your tea-making skills are really good. I feel happy and calm when I see it."

The Queen Mother smiled and praised Minglan, picked up the teacup, took a sip of the tea, closed her eyes and savored it carefully, enjoying this rare leisure.

Minglan smiled gently as she watched the empress dowager tasting tea, and replied slowly, "Your Majesty, you are very kind. The art of making tea was originally taught by a maid from the palace. Later, my aunt became interested in it, so she studied it in detail, and refined each movement of making tea more delicately. She also taught me the art of making tea. It depends on one's mood. Different moods give tea a unique flavor, which led to the scene you saw today. It is a blessing for Minglan and my mother to be favored by the empress dowager."

Minglan never avoided mentioning her mother in front of the empress dowager. The empress dowager was thoughtful and hoped that Minglan would be independent, but was also afraid that she would be out of control. Minglan mentioned her mother to tell the empress dowager that she had never forgotten her roots.

After hearing this, the Queen Mother smiled even more brightly, "Your mother is also a kind-hearted person, no wonder she gave birth to such an outstanding girl like you!"

Minglan thanked the Queen Mother in a general direction, "If my mother knew that you, Your Majesty, praised her so much, she would be so happy that she couldn't sleep."

The Queen Mother was amused by Minglan and after laughing, the topic naturally turned to what Minglan did on the street yesterday.

"I don't know how you have so many ideas in your head. You dare to swear in the street. You can remain calm after hearing others say unpleasant things. However, I like you because you are a smart and good child." "

I have an open mind. I have no reason to be afraid of other people's gossip about something I have never done. It is precisely because I have never done it that I dare to swear. After all, there is a god above me. Your Majesty, you don't know that I was riding in the carriage, and people were talking about me all the way. I don't want such unwarranted words to continue to spread, so I just said it openly and put everything in the open, so that they don't continue to talk about me behind my back."

Minglan stopped talking, with a hint of grievance in her words, but it made her integrity more prominent. The Queen Mother felt pity when she heard this, and said gently, "The innocent are innocent, and rumors will eventually stop at the wise. Don't worry." After

the Queen Mother said this, Minglan understood that this disaster was over with the Queen Mother.

As if she thought of something, the Queen Mother said, "I was so busy drinking tea and chatting that I almost forgot why I asked you to come here today." The

Queen Mother was upset, and Minglan was puzzled. She looked at the Queen Mother in confusion, "Does the Queen Mother have any important business for me to do?"

The Queen Mother smiled and said softly, "It's not that I want you to do something important, but the results will be announced tomorrow! The list of names from the Ministry of Rites was submitted early, and I... The Emperor and I finally had some free time yesterday to carefully consider and finally finalize the list."

The Queen Mother said, smiling and looking at Minglan, her eyes were self-evident, Minglan's eyes suddenly widened, "Queen Mother, is my brother on the list? I wonder which brother it is?" As soon as she said this, she realized that her question was a bit redundant. After all, Changbai is the most outstanding brother in the family, and the second brother should be in the middle.

The empress dowager smiled at first but said nothing. Later, she could no longer bear Minglan's pleading eyes looking at her, and said, "Your two brothers are both on the list!" Minglan's

eyes lit up instantly when she heard that, and she asked in surprise and joy, "Empress Dowager, you mean... my brothers... both passed?"

Seeing this, the empress dowager smiled even more deeply and said softly, "Yes, your two brothers both passed, Sheng Changbai and Sheng Changfeng, I am not wrong."

These words were like a spring breeze, and Minglan's heart was instantly filled with flowers. She forgot the red tape in the palace for a moment, stood up excitedly, her face full of joy: "Third brother also passed! It's great, two people in the family have been married. If this honor is passed back home, the whole family will be overjoyed. I wonder how lively the house will be!"

This is a happy thing. The Queen Mother did not care about Minglan's impoliteness. She also smiled happily at Minglan. The atmosphere in the whole Baoci Palace was full of excitement.

"Your two brothers passed the exam very well this year. Although I have many loyal old ministers around me, I also need to inject fresh blood to allow young talents to display their talents. They are your brothers, and I can trust them."

The Queen Mother's words with a smile made Minglan's back chilled instantly, and the previous joy quickly dissipated like morning mist. She secretly regretted it. She was so busy being happy that she forgot about this. The Queen Mother's mention of this made her alarm bells ring. Minglan's heart was hanging. She didn't want her brothers to be constrained by her. They should choose their own path.

But it was not easy to refute the Queen Mother directly. Minglan tried to keep a smile on her face and walked back to the Queen Mother slowly. "The Queen Mother's love for the brothers is a blessing for the family. If the brothers knew, they would be grateful. However, whether they can live up to the Queen Mother's high expectations in the end depends on their own efforts and luck." Minglan said tactfully and appropriately.

When the Queen Mother heard this, a hint of approval flashed in her eyes. She nodded gently, expressing her agreement: "You are right. Everything depends on their own luck. I just did my best. Whether they can seize the opportunity depends on their own ability and determination." After this, Minglan felt relieved.

Then, the Queen Mother waved her hand, and the palace maid took the book and handed it to Minglan, "This is the list of this year's high school entrance examination. Take a look and think about who I can use."

Minglan took the list with a beating heart. She had been happy for her brother's success, but she didn't know whether Qi Heng was also on the list. Minglan seemed to be flipping through the list carelessly, but in fact she was carefully browsing every name, fearing that Qi Heng's name would be missed.

Minglan saw Changbai's name first, and then continued to look down, one page, two pages, but there was no Qiheng's name. Minglan was a little anxious, sweat broke out on her forehead, and her heart beat uncontrollably.