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◎From the beginning to the end, he only wanted to be the sword in the princess's hand.◎
After getting on the carriage, Yongkang began to read his sister's travel notes.
In fact, Yongkang doesn't like reading books, unless they are easy to understand and interesting storybooks. But this is his sister's, and it is a travelogue that his father went to great lengths to get the Imperial College to print and sell. Yongkang had no choice but to patiently read it carefully word by word starting from the preface.
After flipping through three or five pages, Yongkang lost her patience and only read the fragments where her sister was narrating. As for the part where her sister praised the scenery, Yongkang admitted that her sister wrote it very well, but she just wasn't interested.
Reading in a skipping manner made the process much faster. When the carriage stopped outside the Grand Princess's Mansion, Yongkang had already finished reading four volumes, namely "Mountain Chapter" and "Water Chapter".
After returning home, Yongkang continued to read the two volumes of "Min Pian", which mostly introduced the clothing, local dialect, diet and house construction characteristics of the people in various places. Because he interacted with the people, he encountered more interesting things. For example, when his father passed by a rice field, he actually took his second brother, Zhang Su and others to the field to learn how to harvest rice from the old farmer, and asked about the per-acre yield of the rice field in recent years. For example, his sister followed a few children to the sea in Fuzhou to pick crabs and other seafood. During the conversation, she learned about the hardships and dangers of fishermen going out to sea.
Yongkang was very envious because she had never seen the sea.
"Min Pian" begins with the spring plowing of the people on both sides of the Luo River outside the capital, and ends in the capital. Because it is the last section of the book, Yongkang read it more carefully.
"After nine months of touring the south, enduring the cold and heat, I have finally returned to the capital. I am deeply relieved."
"However, upon reaching the city gates, the Emperor was shocked to hear the tragic news of Duke Dingguo's passing. Father was devastated, and I, too, was overwhelmed with grief."
"Deng Chong, Duke of Dingguo, was a renowned general of the founding of the Great Qi. He led a campaign against the Pyu Kingdom to pacify the people of Yunzhou. Unfortunately, he contracted malaria upon achieving his goal."
“Soldiers fight for their country and their people, and they also come from the people. The emperor founded and governed the country, and he also came from the people.”
"Thus, the people come first, and then the ruler and the state. The ruler and the people are of one mind, and the nation is one, like a boat in the same boat."
"The subjects have a heart to serve their country, and we, the children of the royal family, will also devote our entire lives to ensuring that the Great Qi State is strong and prosperous, and that its power is feared by all the barbarians."
Yongkang's eyes were fixed on the last few lines of words, and he couldn't help but read them over and over again.
Even though her knowledge was limited, Yongkang knew that his sister's words were very well written, like the words of some famous ministers in the sages' books advising the king to love the people.
Then, Yongkang remembered that in the previous volumes, his sister would often express her admiration for their father's love for the people, including his sister herself, who would often start from some small things and talk about how to enrich the people.
Yongkang finally understood why his father liked his sister's travel notes so much, because his sister kept praising his father and had many words of praise for the people and mountains and rivers she met. After reading this book, the people would definitely think that their father is good, and that the princes and princesses of Da Qi are better than those princes and princesses of the previous dynasty who exploited the people and were arrogant!
Now that he understood the reason why his father wrote a book for his sister, Yongkang simply flipped through the last part, "Products". Unexpectedly, his sister made his mouth water several times after just a few quick glances. There were crabs that were extremely delicious when boiled directly in water, red crayfish caught from rice fields, and some specialty snacks loved by people from all over the country. It was indeed a travelogue.
In the evening, Yongkang called Fu Kui and his two children over. He first gave Fu Kui four volumes and two volumes to each of his children. He looked at the two children and said, "This is a book that the emperor has published for your aunt. You should all read it. If you like it, read it carefully. If you don't like it, you should understand what it says, so that you won't be confused when the emperor asks you about it later and make him angry."
Fu Kui hesitated to speak.
Fu Ming said unhappily, "The books that the royal grandfather gave to mother should be read by herself. The royal grandfather didn't give them to us, which means we don't need to read them."
Yongkang: "You know nothing! I let you read it because I really like my aunt's book. Do you want the emperor to misunderstand that I'm jealous of my aunt's talent?"
Fu Kui agreed with the eldest princess and gave his son a lecture. As for his daughter, Fu Xi, the way she lovingly caressed the book cover revealed how much the little girl loved it. It must be said that the Imperial College's books were indeed exquisitely bound, and one could tell they were good books just by looking at their appearance.
After the children left, Fu Kui looked at Yongkang and said, "I don't need to watch, right? The emperor won't discuss knowledge with warriors like us."
Yongkang glanced at him coldly. "If the emperor hadn't asked you, you wouldn't have taken the initiative to praise your sister? Are you satisfied with being a third-rank deputy commander? Zhang Su is almost a generation younger than you, and now he holds a higher position than you. You're still feeling proud of it, right?"
Fu Kui: “…”
.
Qin Bing, who worked in the Ministry of War, brought his sister's book back to Prince Jing's Mansion at dusk.
He and his sister accompanied their father on the southern tour. His sister's travel notes were not new to him, so Qin Bing didn't even flip through them for most of the day.
Princess Meng Yao loved it so much that she would hold the book before meals and read it again after finishing her meal.
Qin Bing played with his daughter for a while. After his daughter left with the wet nurse, Qin Bing went to hug Meng Yao and wanted to do what he liked most.
Meng Yao patted him with her hand and said, "Go away. Wait until I finish reading this book."
Qin Bing was annoyed: "What's so good about it? Haven't I told you everything?"
Meng Yao: "You only know how to brag about yourself. You don't say anything I want to hear."
Qin Bing was about to get angry when he suddenly remembered something. When he was on tour in the south, he was often scolded and despised by his father. Did his sister write about it?
This time, Qin Bing wanted to read the book more than his wife did. He picked up a book and checked it page by page.
In Prince Xian's Mansion, Qin Ren and Yan Zhenzhen were reading side by side. Because they read at different speeds, Qin Ren read the "Mountain Chapter" first, and Yan Zhenzhen read the "Products Chapter" first. As they read, Yan Zhenzhen became hungry and wanted to eat the same food that the little princess mentioned in the book.
Qin Ren looked at the princess, whose cheeks were much fuller than before she was pregnant, and hesitated, "...Do you really want to eat it, or are you just saying it casually?"
Yan Zhenzhen was also a little embarrassed: "If I really want to eat, will you laugh at me for eating too much?"
Qin Ren: "No, if you want to eat it, I'll ask the kitchen to make less for you to satisfy your craving."
Yan Zhenzhen kissed him happily.
The chef in the palace was very skilled and quickly prepared a plate of sugar-coated biscuits according to the recipe the prince had dictated from a book. The biscuits were crispy, sweet and fragrant.
Yan Zhenzhen thought of the delicious food from so many places recorded in the little princess's book, and said with longing, "Let's go travel to different places if we have the chance. The most authentic local dishes are still made by the locals."
Qin Ren: "Originally, you and I could have gone with you this time, but Father didn't agree."
Yan Zhenzhen: "Of course I can't agree to that. Father and the others are here to do some serious work. If you don't help and still want to take me around, what will happen?"
Qin Ren looked at her belly and said thankfully, "Luckily you didn't go. Otherwise, if you got pregnant on the way, what would you do if you got hurt by the bumpy ride?"
Yan Zhenzhen glared at him.
In Chongyuan Palace, Qin Hong had used his free time in the Secretariat to finish reading three articles during the day. After returning, he took the time to finish reading the last article, "Min".
When Qin Hong saw the last few sentences his sister said, his eyes actually turned red. He felt sorry for Deng Chong's death and felt ashamed of his sister's lofty ambitions.
Noticing his strange expression, Lü Wenrong put down the "Mountain Chapter" in her hand and came over to read it silently. Lü Wenrong thought of the Deng Kun brothers who had also received the book today, and guessed, "When they see this, they will surely be moved to tears by the emperor and his sister's remembrance of and praise for Duke Dingguo."
Deng Chong was destined to be passed down through the ages in the history of Qi, but the people of this dynasty might not have the opportunity to hear about the achievements of Duke Dingguo. The national history was kept in the palace, and the little princess's travel notes were circulated among the people. Then the little princess's words made Deng Chong famous, and I wonder how many meritorious officials would envy Deng Chong.
Qin Hong: "...I'm afraid that with their personalities, they wouldn't even read this kind of travelogue."
Deng Chong was a rough man. The brothers Deng Kun and Deng Tai also grew up in the common people and came to Beijing to become sons of the Duke's Mansion when they were in their teens. They were just as wild as Deng Chong.
Lu Wenrong smiled, got out of bed, put away her book, turned off the light, and lay back in her husband's arms: "It's getting late, go to bed."
Qin Hong nodded and reminded, "I will be up early for court tomorrow. Remember to give this travelogue to Zheng Ge'er and let him read it more when he has time."
Lu Wenrong: "Give him two copies first. I still need to read them."
.
On every court meeting day, ministers who needed to attend the court had to get up at the hour of Yin, and Duke Zhang Jie of Wei got up especially early.
When he arrived at the front yard, he saw his youngest son, who was the only one working in Beijing, already waiting outside the door. Zhang Jie nodded slightly as a greeting to his son, and then the father and son mounted their horses respectively.
After walking side by side for a while, Zhang Jie asked in a low voice, "When did you see it last night?"
The emperor had someone send the books for the father and son directly to the mansion. When Zhang Jie returned home yesterday evening, his wife had already read them all and was full of praise for the little princess.
Zhang Su: "...midnight."
In fact, I read it all night long. Sometimes, while I was reading, the appearance and actions of the little princess appeared before my eyes, such as her bending over and carefully looking for crabs hidden under the sand in the early morning at the beach in Fuzhou, and her figure shrouded in a golden halo by the morning glow at sunrise.
Zhang Jie: "The more prestigious the princess becomes, the more cautious you must be. Don't let your actions cause trouble for her."
The impetuous emotions in Zhang Su's heart were quickly suppressed by reason.
He understood the deep meaning of his father's words. The little princess had already taken on a crisis by entering the court. After the book was published, her fame would be as dazzling as the sunrise over the sea. However, the little princess's brilliance would inevitably overshadow that of others, thus creating a new crisis. If one's behavior is superior to others, people will surely criticize him.
After dismounting outside the palace gate, the father and son walked along the long palace road towards the front hall of Qianyuan Hall.
The father and son were always among the first group to arrive, but not necessarily the first two. For example, today, more than a dozen important civil and military officials had stood right beside them, and some of the civil officials were particularly enthusiastic and took the initiative to come over to Zhang Su and ask him about some interesting stories mentioned in the little princess's travel notes.
Zhang Su's responses were extremely concise, such as "yes", "hmm", etc.
After a while, the Crown Prince and the little princess came side by side from the direction of the East Palace. The ministers changed their enthusiasm and went straight to compliment the little princess.
It was only mid-February, and before the hour of Mao, both inside and outside the palace were completely dark. There were only a few more lights on in the Qianyuan Hall.
Zhang Su stood motionless in the front middle of the row of military officers, his eyes fixed on the blurry face of the little princess among the ministers.
He had been with the two princesses since childhood. Long before the little princess won the palace examination, he had already witnessed the little princess's increasingly bright brilliance before everyone else.
Even if he was lucky enough to become her consort, Zhang Su knew that he would never be able to share the same glory as the princess in his life.
Zhang Su never thought of competing. From the beginning to the end, he just wanted to be the sword in the princess's hand and do his best to protect her from troubles in the future.
【Author’s words】
Here they come, 100 little red envelopes, see you around 11pm for the second update~
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