Chapter 145 (3,000 words) I like what you give me...
It is still a bit damp and cold in early spring, but some green buds have already sprouted on the dry branches, adding a touch of spring.
Within the majestic palace, everything was as solemn and silent as ever, standing firm in the center of the capital, unmoved.
In the early morning, palace maids swept the long paths in the palace gardens in groups of three or four, occasionally speaking in low voices.
"In previous years, the winter and spring seasons were always prone to typhoid fever, and many people fell ill. Fortunately, the Empress was kind and generous, prescribing medicine and adding charcoal fires, so the suffering was not severe."
"Yes, the maids in the laundry department would get sores on their hands from freezing in winter and spring. The wounds would repeatedly open and bleed, which was very painful to watch. Now they wash clothes with warm water and are given hand ointment to protect their hands."
"Now, the Empress has granted us leave during festivals and holidays. In the past, palace maids could only leave the palace once every three to five years. Most of them had to spend a lot of money to arrange for this, which was very difficult."
During the conversation, the palace maids talked about leaving the palace to visit relatives, which rarely added some cheerful smiles to dispel some of the early spring chill.
The female official Chunli passed by the long palace road, listening quietly to the conversation without disturbing the diligent palace maids.
There is no need to say much about Empress Yin's character. Not only did she favor the palace maids, but she also took good care of the female officials of the Wanqi family.
After all, only a kind and benevolent queen can calm down a suspicious lord, and naturally the female officials serving her will also be less vulnerable to hidden dangers.
Speaking of visiting relatives, Chunli has not returned to his hometown since he came to the capital.
Today is the first time that the master has allowed me to return to the Wanqi family's territory.
For many years, Chunli has not had any contact with his parents in the clan. Because he is a close minister of the lord, he needs to avoid suspicion.
If Queen Yin had not accidentally asked Chunli and proposed it to the Lord, the Lord would probably not have made such an arrangement.
But this time, the female official Chunli did not just return to her hometown to visit her relatives. The power of the six elders was divided and was not enough to threaten the master.
The new candidates from the clan still need to be observed, especially the issue of who will be the Crown Princess, the details must be found out in advance.
When Yun Zhangsi retired and no longer participated in any court affairs, the Lord let him go lightly and did not pursue his faults.
Ji Zhangsi and Xin Zhangsi were under surveillance for a whole year. It was not until now, when the power shifted between the court and the government, that the Lord allowed them to return to their homeland. This can be considered a good beginning and a good end.
The elders have controlled the lifeline of the Wanqi family's internal clan power for many years. Even if they have no merit, they have worked hard, not to mention helping the empress to seize the throne. If they are killed, it will inevitably cause resistance from the clan members and add to the trouble.
The carriages slowly approached the palace gates. The courtesan, Chunli, came back to her senses and saluted, saying, "Are the two officers ready to depart?"
After he finished speaking, the people in the carriage did not respond, and it was obvious that they were dissatisfied.
The female official Chunli knew Ji Zhangsi's temper, so she didn't say anything more. She got on her horse and led the long team out of the palace to avoid wasting time.
At this moment, Ji Zhangsi in the carriage closed his eyes and did not say a word.
Chief Xin looked at the long street outside the curtain and couldn't help but sigh: "It seems that allowing you and me to return to our homeland is probably the master's final concession."
"If you give in, you underestimate the master. Now that the young bloodlines of our respective clans have taken over the position of the head, we will be under great surveillance and vigilance if we send them back. Divide and conquer is indeed a good strategy."
"There's nothing we can do. We're old now, and our Lord knows all the power within the Wanqi family. If those younger generations were to disobey, they wouldn't have stayed silent for so long."
It is obvious that the internal forces of the Wanqi family have been firmly controlled and held hostage by the master.
The elders can only return to their original position of service, otherwise the next time they disobey, there will probably be a bloody purge.
Ji Zhangsi couldn't help but sigh. He never thought that the crazy little princess back then could be so cunning and resourceful.
The relationship between the new chief and the elders is that of blood relatives as well as competitors. Unless they kill each other, they will have to stop fighting.
The transition of power cannot be sloppy at all. Any mistake can result in life-threatening consequences.
Therefore, the Lord will not show mercy anymore, because the emperor's power is supreme, and no powerful person, including the Wanqi family, can disobey or provoke him.
The sound of horse hooves echoed as the horses passed through the long, busy street. The market stalls were bustling with activity, the fresh soup was boiling, and the aroma was fragrant, attracting diners passing by to stop and salivate.
Bowls of wontons with thin skin and large fillings were quickly brought to each table. The delicious hot soup went into the stomach, relieving the cold and warming it up.
"This spring, the Empress issued an order to completely abolish local head taxes. It's said that due to the extensive repairs to the rivers and ditches, last autumn's harvest was abundant, and granaries across the country are overflowing with grain. We haven't seen anything like this in years."
"Yes, there were many famines and disasters during the reign of the previous emperor a few years ago. The capital had to provide disaster relief. The horrific scenes are still vivid in my mind. People starved to death were common."
As they were talking, the woman at the stall was sending her little girl to school. A few people teased her, saying, "Oh, such a little girl wants to go to school. Aren't you afraid of being bullied by boys?"
"This is the capital city. If you are like illiterate country folk and blind, you will be laughed at." The woman vendor retorted angrily.
After he finished speaking, no one said anything else. Everyone knew what was good about reading.
Few people do not covet fame, wealth and power.
However, it was unheard of in the past for a woman to study and become the top scholar, so there were always people who couldn't help but make sarcastic remarks about her.
However, because the empress issued an edict to change the imperial examination to be held once a year and vigorously promoted schools, and many powerful and wealthy ladies participated in the imperial examinations, people gradually no longer found this matter strange.
After all, the current empress dared to marry and establish a queen despite the world's disapproval, so other things are not surprising.
It was a rare time when the situation in the dynasty had eased and the world was at peace. The people did not have to bear the hardship of taxes, and even if there were still some objections, they gradually ceased to cause any disturbance.
Watching a group of people finish their meal and leave the stall, Shangguan Sheng slowly tasted the wontons, clearly feeling that the new changes were silently integrating into people's daily lives, bursting with vitality.
After a while, Jiang Yun came to the table and sat down. He ordered food without hesitation and said with a smile, "It's really strange. How could you be willing to take the initiative to treat me?"
"It's been a long time since we last met. If I don't spend some money, I'm afraid I can't invite you." Shangguan Sheng spoke bluntly without any politeness.
If you are too polite to Jiang Yun, you will easily be tricked into giving her free food and drinks again and again.
As they were talking, hot wontons were served. Jiang Yun drank a mouthful of the soup to warm his stomach. It tasted very good. He replied confidently, "Am I that stingy?"
"If you were so generous, how could you remember so clearly the only time I didn't treat you?"
"That only proves that I have a good memory, otherwise I would have almost eaten your funeral that time, hahahaha!"
Shangguan Sheng was speechless after hearing this. She thought Jiang Yun was really outspoken and she couldn't argue with her.
Jiang Yun quickly finished most of his wonton bowl and asked bluntly, "I heard you were appointed as the chief examiner for this year's imperial examination. Why do you look so downcast?"
In the past dynasties, the chief examiners were all the heads of the Gongyang family, which shows how important this position is.
"Being the chief examiner is not an easy job." Shangguan Sheng felt that the gap was getting narrower and narrower, and he even felt a little breathless.
"It seems that your Shangguan family has not given up. Do you want to take further action?" Jiang Yun understood the situation at a glance. The imperial examinations have always been a good excuse for the powerful families to get people in.
In the past, it was perfectly legitimate for powerful families to have the right to recommend candidates.
Now that the empress has taken back all the power to appoint and confer titles, the examiners of the imperial examinations naturally face plenty of temptations and pressures.
Presumably, the entire family will even put pressure on Shangguan Sheng. In this situation, if he is not careful, he may trample on the bottom line of the empress, get into trouble, and even the destruction of the family is not impossible.
After all, even a family as prestigious as the Gongyang family could be strangled by the empress, let alone other families.
But if Shangguan Sheng draws a clear line with the entire family, he will be deserted by everyone and become a lonely man. After all, who can be heartless?
Shangguan Sheng wasn't surprised by Jiang Yun's words. This guy usually laughed and joked, but he was actually very perceptive. He said calmly, "Yeah, what would you do if it were you?"
Jiang Yun raised an eyebrow and responded without hesitation: "If it were me, I would report the Shangguan family for attempting to bribe people. It is better to curb it as soon as possible. Otherwise, if the world knows about the crime, the empress can justifiably punish them, and the outcome will be even more tragic."
That empress was very good at killing people with someone else's knife, and she was very good at killing people without shedding blood, which made people's backs cold.
When Jiang Yun learned that the empress had changed the medicinal fumigation that Liu Ci used to deal with the puppet Gu and used it to deal with the late emperor, he deeply felt the horror of this woman.
What's more, there is a natural conflict of interest between the aristocratic families and the royal family. Perhaps the empress has been waiting for an opportunity.
Hearing the sound, Shangguan Sheng came back to his senses as if he had suddenly been enlightened, and he couldn't help but feel a little scared.
The empress asked him to be the chief examiner of the imperial examination just to test his own sword.
Therefore, it is impossible for the empress to be unaware of her own dilemma, and perhaps she even knew the movements of the members of the Shangguan family for a long time.
But even so, the empress still wanted to involve herself in the whirlpool of her family, probably with the intention of taking advantage of the opportunity to take action.
The Xiahou family suffered a heavy blow, and as a result, a man named Xiahou Qing emerged who was loyal to the empress.
Now the Shangguan family has a self who is deeply trusted by the empress. It is obvious that he is the empress's knife to stir up interest disputes within the family and then break them down one by one.
"Thank you, you are right. If you don't make a decision, you will suffer the consequences." Shangguan Sheng suddenly realized that Jiang Yun actually had the ideas and means to mediate the court struggles, but she was just too lazy to get involved.
"You're welcome. Just remember to pay." Jiang Yun ate one wonton at a time while peeling a tea egg in his palm with great skill.
Shangguan Sheng looked at Jiang Yun helplessly, raised his hand to take out his purse, and said with emotion: "Speaking of which, how could your sister-in-law be so affectionate with His Majesty for so many years?"
That Miss Yin looked innocent and naive, and obviously didn't have many thoughts, but the Empress' thoughts were so numerous that they were frightening and difficult to fathom.
Even Shangguan Sheng couldn't see through the empress's intentions. The saying "to serve the emperor is like serving a tiger" is so true.
Jiang Yun swallowed the tea egg in a satisfied gulp, drank another mouthful of the soup, and said with a smile: "One of them is simple-minded, and the other is full of thoughts. What a perfect match."
In fact, Jiang Yun didn't understand it at first, but since the empress disregarded the secular world and appointed Yin Xing as the queen, all other inappropriate things became irrelevant.
As for how the two of them could be so loving for so many years, Jiang Yun could only attribute it to magical fate!
Upon hearing this, Shangguan Sheng actually felt that it made sense.
"A-choo!" Yin Xing, who was far away in the deep palace, sneezed suddenly, feeling a little strange.
The hall is still heated, so it doesn't feel cold.
Is someone cursing me behind my back? !
Yin Xing wrinkled his nose, collected his thoughts, looked back at the clay figure with a crooked neck in front of him, and fell into silence in surprise.
Help! This is the 120th clay figure I’ve made!
"It seems that your craftsmanship is not very good." Xuan Yizheng's eyes swept across the rows of clay figurines on the shelves in the hall. He was holding an ugly clay figurine with a strange shape in his fingertips. He was playing with it casually, but it revealed a natural dignity and looked down on everything.
Yin Xing raised her eyes innocently and looked at Xuan Yizhen opposite her, who had the aura of the client's mother. Her cold and beautiful face was somewhat comfortable, and she looked bright and clear. He was a little suspicious that she was deliberately making fun of him!
"Why are you looking at me like that?"
"Since Yizhen thinks the clay figurines I made are ugly, why did you ask me to make them?"
Xuan Yizhen calmly met Yin Xing's clear, round eyes, blinked her beautiful eyes, and replied softly with a gentle smile: "Because I like you to make clay figures for me, is that not okay?"
To make clay figures, Yin Xing needs a reference, so she has to look at herself repeatedly for comparison.
It just so happened that Xuan Yizhen really liked the way Yin Xing looked at him intently, as if he was everything to her.
No one can take away Yin Xing's attention except herself.
Yin Xing looked at the beautiful Xuan Yizhen and spoke frankly and affectionately. His cheeks were burning hot. He pinched the clay with his fingertips helplessly, not offering any resistance at all. He stammered, "Of course, I'll make as many clay figurines as Yizhen wants."
Not to mention making clay figures, even if Xuan Yizhen wanted the stars in the sky, Yin Xing would climb the ladder and work hard to pick one for her!
As for his previous suspicion that Xuan Yizheng was playing a prank on him, Yin Xing felt that it must be his own illusion.
Such a gentle and beautiful wife, there is no way she would cheat on me!
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