Seasonal changes and fleeting scenery wait for no one; mulberry fields and blue seas can change in an instant.
Time flies, it's already mid-March.
Guan Zhiyue's daily routine now consists of teasing Chang Le, checking what to plant in the land behind the mountain, or growing vegetables for herself in her cold palace courtyard.
It's no exaggeration to say that Guan Zhiyue shines like the stars in the sky whenever she thinks about food.
Especially now that little Chang Le is here, everyone in the Cold Palace is working with extra energy. Everyone likes to tease little Chang Le, and even the older nannies are urging Guan Zhiyue to give birth to a prince with the Emperor as soon as possible, so that their palace will be even more lively.
After all, joy is found where there are children; this is an unchanging truth.
Guan Zhiyue blushes every time she talks about this. She still has many things to do, after all, she is still too young to have children.
She's only nineteen this year and twenty next year. She won't even be fully developed by the time she has a baby!
Even though they've already... you know, Guan Zhiyue still blushes when she hears about things like this that encourage having children.
The weather is gradually getting warmer, and those thick padded jackets are no longer comfortable to wear. The sunlight is so dazzling that it feels very glaring.
The Golden Palace.
Li Qiji sat on the dragon throne. Just after Hua Quan finished speaking about the start of court, a young eunuch ran in and whispered something in Hua Quan's ear.
"What? In that case, summon him to the palace immediately."
When Li Qiji spoke, all the ministers were puzzled. What could possibly happen so early in the morning?
Why is the Emperor so anxious? What happened?
"Guards, announce this immediately!"
Hua Quan stepped aside and loudly proclaimed, "The messenger is here to announce the arrival of the imperial messenger."
The ministers were momentarily confused as to what had happened and why messengers had entered. Li Qiji looked at the ministers in the hall and said softly, "Letters from overseas countries."
"Someone, go and summon the Vice Minister of the Court of State Ceremonial."
Hua Quan gave a wink to a young eunuch beside him, and the eunuch quickly ran towards the door.
The messenger also entered from outside at this moment. He was a big, burly man who immediately knelt on one knee as soon as he entered!
"Your humble servant greets Your Majesty! Long live the Emperor!"
"No need for formalities, rise!"
The messenger stood up, took the bamboo tube that was being carried on his back, and saw a lacquered red bamboo tube with a lid wrapped with hemp thread. He opened the lid and poured out three or four letters.
Hua Quan, being very perceptive, brought over a tray from behind and placed all four letters on it.
The ministers craned their necks, eager to see which countries had sent the letters that had summoned the messenger to the palace.
This was an order from Li Qiji. Since the construction of the asphalt road, many foreign friends have come to our country. However, our country's foreign language proficiency is still insufficient. Therefore, the post stations were notified that any letters with foreign language documents should be sent to the palace in one go to prevent anyone from interfering. This is also why this messenger can enter the palace.
"Your Majesty, let this servant come." Hua Quan gestured to a small eunuch beside him to take the tray, while he took out a pair of gloves from his sleeve.
If Guan Zhiyue were here, she would definitely notice that the disposable gloves Hua Quan was wearing were the ones they gave us when we ate crayfish last time.
"Your Majesty, this servant has examined four letters and found that the handwriting and style are all different," Hua Quan said, bowing.
Li Qiji looked at the four neatly arranged letters, then glanced at Hua Quan, signaling him to open the letters in front of the ministers.
Hua Quan opened the letter and found that the writing inside was incomprehensible to him. After opening it completely, he found that there was nothing wrong with it, and then presented it to the emperor.
Li Qiji glanced casually at the tray held by the eunuch. It seemed unfamiliar to him, yet it looked so familiar. He figured it must be one of the four foreign languages the Empress taught him!
Since the Foreign Languages Institute started offering classes, Li, the Vice Minister of the Court of State Ceremonies, has basically only attended the morning court session when he has a class, and only attends when he doesn't. This was approved by Li Qiji. However, today happens to be his day, so he is currently in the classroom diligently teaching the students foreign languages.
"What? There are letters in foreign languages that need to be translated! Is it Persian?" Lord Li asked.
The little eunuch shook his head, clueless. How would he know? He had rushed over after receiving a look from the head eunuch, and had no idea what language it was.
"This servant was unaware. Please, sir, enter the palace as soon as possible. The Emperor is still waiting for you!"
Lord Li was speechless. He was only half-baked himself. Wasn't the Empress in the palace? Why didn't the Emperor go to see her? Coming to him was a waste of talent, going to all this trouble!
Lord Li stumbled along with the young eunuch and hurried into the Golden Palace. This was the first time in his life that he had ever ridden a horse at full gallop!
His life is in danger.
"This old minister greets Your Majesty! Long live the Emperor! Long live the Emperor! Long live the Emperor!"
"Alright, stop with the 'Long Live' greeting. Get up and read what this letter means!" Li Qiji waved his hand. What he feared most was that this was a declaration of war. Their country was not yet very mature in naval warfare. After all, the navy was only established last year and certainly could not fight at sea.
If foreign countries want to attack them, they will inevitably be completely annihilated at sea. It's not that he looks down on his country's navy, but mainly that the navy has just been established.
Lord Li, panting heavily, took the tray from the eunuch and glanced at the opened letters on it. Oh dear, so many of them were unfamiliar to him!
"Your Majesty, I am filled with trepidation! I only know Persian, and even that is just a superficial understanding. I beg Your Majesty to let Her Majesty see the remaining three letters," Minister Li said, kneeling and pleading guilty.
Li Qiji didn't say anything. After all, their country had just established this foreign language institute, so it was normal for them not to know foreign languages. He said casually, "Get up. I was mistaken. The Empress is fluent in foreign languages. Why did you go to such lengths?"
"Someone, take this letter to the Empress and ask her to translate it," Li Qiji ordered loudly.
These words caused a stir among all the women in the harem. If they knew a foreign language, would the emperor think more highly of them?
If I were the one who could read the letter, I could relieve the Emperor's worries!
What Li Qiji didn't know was that his actions inspired the concubines in the harem to start thinking about how to learn foreign languages one after another.
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