"Official Fu, please stay."
His Majesty's light words startled the officials who had already reached the palace gate. Could it be that His Majesty had taken a fancy to the young man's essay on the strategy of war?
Especially the ten Jinshi scholars including Shi Yiming and Fang Wenxing, they were full of suspicion and envy.
We all came to Chengtian Hall together, and we all took part in the palace examination together. Why did His Majesty leave him alone?
Fu Xiaoguan was also surprised. He thought that the table at Sifanglou had been booked, but it seemed that he could not have it. Could it be that the emperor wanted to treat him to a meal?
I don’t know what the food in the palace is like.
All kinds of meaningful glances swept across Fu Xiaoguan, and then the huge palace fell silent.
The emperor walked down from the dragon platform, put his hands behind his back and looked at Fu Xiaoguan, who also looked at the emperor with a smile on his face.
The emperor looks quite handsome, about forty years old, with a slightly plump face and bright eyes. Even the goatee on his chin looks particularly energetic because it is curled up.
"You, are very good!"
Fu Xiaoguan was very happy to receive the emperor's praise, so he grinned.
"Eunuch Jia, arrange for someone to take him to Dieyi Palace."
"I obey your order."
Afterwards, Eunuch Jia called a eunuch and asked him to take Fu Xiaoguan to Dieyi Palace, and then accompanied the emperor out of Chengtian Palace.
Is that it?
Aren’t you treating me to a meal?
What is Dieyi Palace?
Fu Xiaoguan was full of questions, but he didn't ask the eunuch who was leading the way. He followed him around the Chengtian Hall and passed several palaces. It took him a full half hour before he arrived at the Dieyi Palace.
A woman was standing in front of the palace gate. She was wearing a red dress, holding a piece of red silk in her hand, and had a red hairpin in her hair with a string of red agate hanging on the hairpin. Her rosy smiling face and clear eyes were looking at him happily.
Yu Wenjun!
Fu Xiaoguan also laughed, and the autumn sun shone bright red, covering the ground.
…
Concubine Shang, dressed in casual clothes, sat at the top, with Yu Wenyun and Fu Xiaoguan sitting on her left and right.
On the table were three exquisite meat dishes, three vegetable dishes and a bowl of stew, which made Fu Xiaoguan's appetite very excited.
He is hungry!
"Just treat it like you're at home and have dinner."
"Thank you, Madam!"
Following Concubine Shang's words, Fu Xiaoguan didn't hesitate and started to eat voraciously. He was still silently commenting in his heart that the meals in the palace didn't seem to be as good as those in Sifanglou. It was not until he drank the soup in the bowl that he sighed that this bowl of soup was truly a rare delicacy in the world.
Not talking while eating and not talking while sleeping is the rule of this era. Normally, Fu Xiaoguan is very casual and never cares about this, but now in the palace, since Concubine Shang and Yu Wenjun are silent, he is naturally happy to eat comfortably.
So most of the dishes on the table were eaten by Fu Xiaoguan, and even the bowl of soup was drunk up by him in the end.
Concubine Shang felt amused. This kid really treated his family like his own. This was good. He was a straightforward person, and his personality was quite similar to Wen Yun's.
Then Concubine Shang took Fu Xiaoguan and Yu Wenyun to the garden. She did not weed or prune the chrysanthemums, but sat down in Xiuchun Pavilion. A maid brought fruits, vegetables and tea, and the three of them sat down.
"It's been nearly two months since we parted at Linjiang, and you've only written the sixty-second chapter of Dream of the Red Chamber. It's been a while since you've published anything new. Have you been very busy these days?"
"My lady, please don't tell me you're really busy."
Fu Xiaoguan briefly told Concubine Shang about the events in Xishan and why he had to come to the capital.
Imperial Concubine Shang already knew all this, so she asked again, "Since you knew the consequences, why didn't you seek my help when you came to the capital?"
Fu Xiaoguan smiled awkwardly. "Actually, my original thought was to ask the Empress for help. This storm is quite severe, and there aren't many trees that can shelter the Fu family. The Empress is of course the biggest one among them. If we can hold onto the Empress, then no matter how strong the storm, the Fu family will be safe and sound."
"Then why did you change your mind?"
"It's not that I've changed my mind, actually. I just happened to come across the court debate that Your Majesty posted, and I figured if I could write a useful essay that would please Your Majesty, I'd have a chance to see you in the palace. If I could, maybe I could even meet you, Your Majesty. Isn't that exactly the situation right now?"
This kid has a smart mind. If he really wanted to come find me, he could easily do it through Shulan, but he used other methods. This is because he didn't want to owe me such a big favor. He is a smart guy at a young age.
Now that His Majesty has taken a fancy to him, he only needs to give a few officials in the court a warning, which saves a lot of trouble.
"I heard that you scolded Minister Shi in Chengtian Hall until he vomited blood and fainted... Why were you so reckless?"
"Your Majesty, this is really not my fault. I haven't even met him. I don't know why he has to pick on me. I actually have a pretty good temper." Fu Xiaoguan shrugged rather aggrievedly, and added, "If my actions were inappropriate, I will personally go to the Shi Mansion to apologize after leaving the palace."
Concubine Shang stood up and walked to the front of the corridor. She looked at the chrysanthemums in the garden for a long time and said, "Remember, you must maintain your original heart!"
Fu Xiaoguan understood that the Empress did not mean to blame him, but rather admired him.
Thinking about it this way, His Majesty did not stop me in the Golden Palace and allowed me to run rampant. This is probably what it means.
This couple is quite interesting.
"I will keep this in mind!"
"Autumn is approaching. What do you think of the flowers in my garden?"
"That's quite beautiful!"
Yu Wenjun chuckled. This guy is so shameless!
"Then write a poem. If it pleases me, I will ask His Majesty to write the words 'Fu Mansion' for you. How do you think?"
Fu Xiaoguan was overjoyed. The words "Fu Mansion" written by His Majesty himself were probably a talisman. Who in the world would dare to smash the sign written by His Majesty?
This poem must be written, and it also has to suit Concubine Shang's wishes, which is quite difficult!
Fu Xiaoguan also stood up and looked at the flowers. After a few breaths, he called out, "Wenyun, grind the ink!"
Did this person have another flash of inspiration?
Yu Wenjun was very happy. If he really got his father's calligraphy, the Fu family's predicament would be over.
Fu Xiaoguan picked up his pen and Concubine Shang came behind him.
"Seeing the Chrysanthemum Garden
I built my house in a human world, but without the noise of carriages and horses.
How can you do this? The mind is far away and the place is far away.
Picking chrysanthemums under the eastern fence, I leisurely see the southern mountains.
The mountain air is beautiful at dusk, and the birds fly back together.
There is a true meaning in this, but I have forgotten the words to express it.”
After Fu Xiaoguan put down his pen, Concubine Shang read the poem carefully. She was extremely happy in her heart, but she did not show it on the outside.
This is a reflection of her state of mind. She was originally a famous talented woman in Qizhou. She used to be in a peaceful state of mind, and all she thought about was the life of picking chrysanthemums under the eastern fence and leisurely looking at the southern mountains.
It was just fate that made her become a royal concubine and possess all kinds of tricks and strategies, but her original intention never changed, so there came into being this garden of chrysanthemums.
Now that kind of leisurely life has long gone away from her, perhaps it will only remain in a dream, so far away.
"This poem is very pleasing to me, but it cannot be shared with others."
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