Chapter 145 Emperor
Jun Qiulan remained expressionless and let the man look at him.
Two years is neither long nor short.
It’s hard to explain the resentment from the past, and my mentality is different now. There’s no need to argue about this with an old man.
After a long while, the old emperor finally spoke.
"Lan'er looks more energetic than before. She seems to have grown a little taller and has a more upright figure."
What should Jun Qiulan say? Play the family card, thank you for thinking of me?
He said expressionlessly, "Thank you, Your Majesty, for your concern."
Jun Qiulan's attitude was neither cold nor hot, and his etiquette was impeccable, so the old emperor could only sigh.
"How have you considered the issue in the imperial edict? Are you willing to accept it when you return this time?"
What to receive?
Take over this mess?
Jun Qiulan sneered inwardly, "Whether you're willing or not, I'll have to wait until I have a look at the situation before I can say anything."
This sentence is also extremely arrogant.
The emperor appointed the regent, but this person still had to observe the situation before deciding whether to become the regent.
If it were most people of this era, they would probably find it difficult to understand this problem.
To put it bluntly, the Regent is second only to the emperor and above everyone else.
No, even before the emperor took power, the status of the regent was not much different from that of the emperor.
Even the one who holds power is the regent, and the emperor has to show respect to him whenever he sees him.
That’s it, and Jun Qiulan is still picky?
The emperor didn't look angry at all, and even smiled.
"Qiulan has really grown up."
The eunuchs who served the emperor couldn't help but feel frightened.
He even thought that if His Majesty did not have a biological son, this pair of adopted father and son might have become a beautiful story passed down in history.
What a pity, what a pity.
Jun Qiulan did not answer. For a moment, he could not fully understand what the old emperor meant.
After all, he has been the emperor for decades. How could his thoughts be so easily seen through?
The emperor waved his hand and said, "Well, you can go to court together tomorrow."
Jun Qiulan did not refuse. He wanted to go to the court to see how chaotic the situation was.
The emperor added, "The palace you left to build your own residence has been cleaned up for you. You may continue to live there."
The prince originally lived in the East Palace, but later when the emperor had a biological son, he found an opportunity to move out of the palace and build a residence so that he could move around more conveniently.
Of course, it complies with regulations.
Jun Qiulan had lived in the old palace for more than ten years, and now that he was going to move back in, he couldn't help but feel complicated.
Jun Qiulan thought about it for a moment, "There are so many concubines in the palace now. It's not appropriate for me, a foreigner, to live in the palace. Besides, that's the Eastern Palace, not a place for common people to live."
What's more, living in the palace would probably be inconvenient, as there would probably be people monitoring you when you enter and leave the palace.
Yan Jing should also find a way to come with him again.
He only had a guess as to what miraculous things had happened to the Yan family back then, but there was also a Yan family bookshop in the capital, and Yan Jing should find a way to go and take a look.
Besides, he also needs to contact General Huo’s Mansion.
Living outside the palace is indeed safer and more convenient.
The emperor was silent for a moment, as if he had thought of something.
"Well, your mansion outside the palace was also empty before." He gave the eunuch next to him a look.
The eunuch naturally understood and slowly withdrew to find someone to clean up.
Jun Qiulan bowed and said, "Thank you, Your Majesty."
The etiquette is still impeccable.
The emperor looked at him and said, "Sit down and tell me what happened in the border town in the past two years. I also want your sweet potato."
Jun Qiulan sat down readily. The old emperor asked this, which meant he probably knew a lot about the border town.
I just don't know how much he knows.
He was silent for a moment. "The sweet potatoes were obtained by chance. I heard that the imperial farm had this kind of food and it was very productive."
He pushed the question back.
I really want to know why the imperial farm has such high-yield grain but has never promoted it among the people.
As for the origin of the sweet potatoes in the imperial farm, there is no need to think too much. They must have been brought by a predecessor who traveled through time, that is, Yan Jing’s grandfather.
The old emperor automatically ignored the question and said, "It's a good grain. When you come to power, you can promote it nationwide. What do you think?"
Jun Qiulan really couldn't help but sneered, "Your Majesty, if you want to promote it, you can start next year."
This year's sweet potatoes were originally planted as drought reserve food, and each household did not get much. But after seeing the high yield of sweet potatoes, everyone spontaneously kept the sweet potatoes.
Just waiting to be used as grain next year.
If we were to promote it nationwide now, every household could exchange some of their grain, accumulate it into a large amount, and then send it to the south for planting, so that we could harvest two crops a year.
By the next year, nationwide promotion will no longer be a difficult task.
It is really ironic that the emperor said this and then promoted sweet potatoes after he came to power.
According to the emperor's nature, if he became the regent, the function of promoting sweet potatoes would no longer be his.
His coming to power means the new emperor has ascended the throne.
The Regent has immense power, but how could it be so easy?
Jun Qiulan guessed that in addition to him, the emperor would probably also arrange some regent ministers.
Most likely, he did not want his relatives by marriage to be too powerful. He, the regent, and the relatives by marriage formed a three-way offsetting relationship to maintain the balance in the court.
It is impossible that he, the regent, has the final say.
So, the sweet potato thing will be promoted after the new emperor ascends the throne in order to win the support of the people.
Even if he wanted to take the credit, the ministers of state and the relatives of the emperor would not agree.
The abacus beads really hit his face.
Jun Qiulan said slowly, "On the way to exile, my family ate moldy coarse-grained buns and cold water. When I was extremely hungry, I snatched a piece of meat from a dog's mouth. I thought life like this was pretty cool."
He was silent for a moment, then continued, "Only when I arrived at the border town did I realize how much harder the people were suffering. They were busy all year long, barely able to eat a full meal every day. Otherwise, when the harvest was lean, someone in my family would starve to death."
Starving to death, these two words are so light and light, it is really hard to imagine for those in power like them.
The emperor's meal consisted of dozens of dishes, and it was considered very good if he could eat one or two bites of each dish.
They would rather deal with the leftover food, such as feeding it to livestock, or throw it away directly, rather than leave it for others to eat.
Because the eunuchs and palace maids in the palace are not considered human beings, how can they be worthy of eating the food that the emperor has eaten?
They should eat food that belongs to their level.
Occasionally, when the emperor was in a good mood, he would reward the palace maids and eunuchs with some leftovers, which was considered a great favor from the emperor.
The rich have wine and meat, but the poor freeze to death on the streets.
Jun Qiulan had personally experienced the meaning of this poem.
Look, even when Jun Qiulan said this, the old emperor was not moved at all.
"Thank you for your hard work on the road of exile."
He just said this one sentence, and he seemed to be deaf and blind to the plight of the people.
When people are speechless, they really want to laugh.
Jun Qiulan had experienced this emotion several times today, so it was unnecessary for him to say the latter part.
After seeing the emperor's behavior, he became more determined in his heart to stick to his own ideas and their future plans.
After chatting with the emperor for an entire afternoon, talking nonsense all afternoon, and even being kept and given an imperial meal, the emperor let Jun Qiulan return home.
The former Prince's Mansion was cleaned up in just half a day.
The door plaque had not been hung yet. Jun Qiulan looked up for a while, feeling a little complicated.
The eunuch guarding the gate said, "His Majesty has ordered the imperial plaque to be prepared. It will take several days to complete. I apologize for the inconvenience."
Jun Qiulan didn't say anything and walked straight in.
It’s still the same courtyard as before.
Although everything was cleaned up, Jun Qiulan still felt a bit desolate.
He was assigned all the eunuchs and palace maids to serve him, and he also saw a few familiar faces, all of whom had served in the Prince's Mansion in the past.
When Jun Qiulan first returned to this kind of life, he was not used to it.
The hot water was brought to the bathing room in buckets by the palace maids and eunuchs.
There are several towels, one for wiping hair, one for wiping body, one for wiping lower body, and one for wiping feet. They are all made of soft fine cloth.
Some people wanted to stay and help Jun Qiulan take a bath, but Jun Qiulan asked them to leave directly.
He had never liked being served in the bath, and after two years of being on his own, it was even more unacceptable to him.
What's more, he has a boyfriend.
Thinking of her boyfriend, Jun Qiulan quickened her shower, put on clean pajamas, and went straight back to modern times.
Yan Jing had been waiting for a long time.
As soon as Jun Qiulan opened her eyes, she fell into Yan Jing's arms again.
When Yan Jing smelled the scent of soapberry on him, he buried his head in Jun Qiulan's shoulder and took a deep breath, just like sucking the scent of a cat.
Jun Qiulan pushed his head away and asked, "What are you doing?"
This state is more ambiguous than kissing.
Yan Jing smiled and said, "I've been waiting for you for a long time. How are things going today?"
He saw that Jun Qiulan did not look anxious, which naturally meant that he was safe now.
Jun Qiulan sighed: "As soon as I entered the city today, I was taken to the palace and talked nonsense with the old emperor all day."
Yan Jing handed over a bottle of Coke: "Drink something sweet to moisten your mouth."
Jun Qiulan took several sips from his mouth.
Don’t mention it, although he doesn’t like to drink things that are too sweet, he actually likes to drink sweet things.
"Next time, buy me a cup of three-cent sweet milk tea. I haven't had it in a long time."
Yan Jing couldn't help laughing: "There's no need to go up and down."
He took out his phone and ordered takeout.
Count the ladies next door in too.
It's only eight o'clock now, it's still early.
Jun Qiulan: "In ancient times, this would have been a curfew."
I am also very emotional.
Dasheng has always had a curfew, and in fact, the border town also has it, but people don’t observe it as strictly.
Yan Jing's eyes were gentle, "Tell me about what happened this afternoon? What did you talk about with the emperor?"
There was no need to hide this, Jun Qiulan told Yan Jing everything.
Yan Jing and Jun Qiulan had the same analysis.
The emperor wanted him to be the regent in order to balance the court and pave the way for his son.
"Did he show any favoritism towards any prince in his words and deeds?"
Jun Qiulan shook his head. "No, but the servants of the youngest prince came to report that the little prince was in very good health today. The emperor was very pleased and gave him quite a few gifts."
He also mentioned the divination made by the Imperial Astronomical Observatory: the new leader will lead them to glory.
It happened to be when this little prince was born, but he was in poor health right after birth, and he has been carefully taken care of until now.
The head tax was collected before so that the prince could enjoy the welfare of all the people.
"It seems that this youngest son is indeed favored."
"He is not the youngest prince now. Two more were born in the second half of the year, and they both seem to be in poor health." Jun Qiulan said.
Yan Jing pondered, "You said the color of his eyes isn't normal, and he looks a lot older, but he's in good spirits?"
Jun Qiulan nodded. "We chatted all afternoon today. Even I feel a little tired, but he seemed fine. He took some medicine in the middle of the conversation. It looked like some kind of pill."
Yan Jing tutted his words, "You said before that the emperor's pursuit of immortality is probably due to taking elixirs containing lead and mercury. This kind of elixir has poisoned countless emperors in our history."
The biggest feature of this kind of elixir is that it can make people look particularly energetic for a short period of time, but in fact it consumes their own bodies.
In addition, this kind of elixir is inherently poisonous. If taken for a long time, the toxins will accumulate to a critical value and even gods cannot save it.
Jun Qiulan had indeed seen this situation when he read the history of this era before, but he didn't think about it in this direction today.
Listening to Yan Jing's analysis, it's almost correct.
Yan Jing: "Don't stay any longer this time. Cut the Gordian knot as quickly as possible and leave when it's time to go."
Don't wait until the emperor falls ill. By then, he, the deposed crown prince who has returned to the court, will be a thorn in the eyes of those princes and relatives.
Regardless of the position of regent, it was definitely the most dangerous at that time.
Jun Qiulan nodded: "I understand, don't worry."
Yan Jing: "So can you take me there tomorrow?"
Jun Qiulan was a little hesitant. Logically speaking, if Yan Jing needed to contact the Yan family, it would be more appropriate for him to go there in person.
However, his current situation is awkward and dangerous. If he cannot stay with Yan Jing all the time, he is also worried about Yan Jing.
And how was he going to explain to others why there was suddenly a man in his room?
The eunuchs and palace maids in the palace were the surveillance sent by the emperor, there was no doubt about that.
Yan Jing said confidently: "It just so happens that I can go over and confuse others. I can just say that I am your male favorite."
Male favorite...
Jun Qiulan was speechless, "How do you look like a male concubine?"
A person's temperament contains many things.
Someone like Yan Jing, even if he was wearing coarse linen clothes, could be seen at first glance to be from a wealthy or noble family.
And judging from his face, he undoubtedly lives a life of luxury.
Is such a person a male concubine?
Yan Jing remained calm, "Don't forget that I'm the director. Now you just need to send a signal to the outside world that you like men and can't accept women. In your world, to a certain extent, such a person is basically out of the question for the throne."
As a result, other ministers, relatives, and even the emperor may be less wary of Jun Qiulan.
Jun Qiulan admitted that Yan Jing had some truth in what he said.
"But you also have to understand one thing: male favorites have no human rights. Even if you are my male favorite, you are still someone who can be bullied by anyone."
No one would take a male favorite seriously.
Yan Jing: "Why do you care about this? As long as you don't do anything sneaky, can't you protect me?"
Assassination and poisoning are hard to guard against.
As for the superficial problems, what difference does a few words of verbal insult make to them?
Do they still care about this?
The thoughts are not on the same level.
It's just like the speeches of those fake people and those stupid quotes on the modern Internet. They just treat them as a joke.
Jun Qiulan knew that Yan Jing was not only worried about him, but also did it for the sake of the Yan family.
He sighed, "What does Grandpa Yan say now?"
He originally wanted to wait until he had time and go talk to Grandpa Yan directly.
But looking at Yan Jing's situation, even if he was taken to the capital, it would be impossible for him to act alone. If he was secretly kidnapped, where would he go to rescue him?
Today he went to the palace in Beijing and chatted with the old emperor for an entire afternoon. This news was enough to keep many people awake.
I'm afraid they are all trying to figure out how to deal with him.
Taking Yan Jing out, even if he didn't care about the verbal humiliation from those people, he would never let Yan Jing travel alone.
What's more, Yan Jing was unfamiliar with the ancient world.
If I want to find Yan, I'm afraid I still need his help.
He looked at Yan Jing and said, "That day in Yan's bookshop, I probably guessed it. The first time Master Qingheng saw me, he told me that he had seen someone in a similar situation to me decades ago. Coincidentally, I also heard some news about the Yan family being wiped out overnight."
Taking all factors into consideration, it is not difficult to guess Grandpa Yan’s identity.
Yan Jing smiled and said, "I was waiting for you to ask me."
Jun Qiulan: "Grandpa Yan has kept it a secret his entire life. If he really wanted to tell me directly, he would have come to me the day he knew my identity, and would not have waited until now."
Yan Jing quickly explained: "It's not because of your status as a royal family member, but because grandpa doesn't know how to tell you."
"I understand." Jun Qiulan knew very well that Grandpa Yan was a very good person.
Even though they were not from the same place, Grandpa Yan had always been very kind to him and was keen on doing charity.
Yan Jing continued, "That day I brought some snacks back and asked for the letter from Shopkeeper Yan. Grandpa told me to find a chance to confess to you. He himself was a little embarrassed to speak up."
Jun Qiulan couldn't help laughing: "Then confess?"
Yan Jing also smiled: "What do you want to know?"
You already know everything, so why confess?
Jun Qiulan: "To be honest, I've only heard sporadic news about the Yan family's demise. Mr. Su and his nephew Yan Su are both considered descendants of the Yan family, but they don't know much about it."
Of course, he couldn't understand everything, he just had some guesses of his own.
Sure enough, Yan Jing’s next words confirmed Jun Qiulan’s guess.
The administrator's ideas and various modern policies are unacceptable to ancient people, no, just to those in power in ancient times.
It is a rebellion against Tiangang and a heinous crime.
If it is more serious, it is a serious crime punishable by the execution of nine generations of the family.
It was because those ideas and policies could not be spread that they were secretly dealt with by the late emperor.
Perhaps they were also thankful that it was handled secretly, giving the Yan family a chance to escape.
A large aristocratic family has at least hundreds of people, including direct descendants, collateral descendants, wives' families, etc.
In a secret assassination, the big families will also have their own people, and they can resist a little and buy some time to escape.
If we deal with it directly in court and issue an imperial decree to arrest you, don't even think about escaping. All the egg yolks in the palace will be shaken apart.
Jun Qiulan sighed, "It's been tough on the Yan family. They've been torn apart for so many years, and Grandpa Yan has never seen his family again."
These are problems of the old times.
He had never met the late emperor, but in their world, the late emperor was actually considered a wise ruler.
Otherwise, even if the emperor had spent twenty or thirty years building it, it would be impossible for the current foundation to remain.
But even a wise ruler who is praised by everyone can still have corrupt ideas.
Thinking about these problems, they are also the problems they will inevitably face after the future uprising.
Among those in power, apart from those black crows, there are actually some good people.
It's impossible to kill them all at once.
But the conflict in thinking must be resolved.
It would be best if they could accept it and join them, but if they cannot, or even if it is because they want to maintain the orthodoxy or tradition in their hearts, then it would be difficult to solve the problem.
Kill them all?
That would be tyranny.
Moreover, they cannot send such a signal to the people, and cannot let the people feel that anyone in power is the target of their liquidation.
The people are innocent, but there is always evil in their hearts.
The modern and contemporary history of this world has already taught Jun Qiulan a lot of lessons.
We have to find a suitable balance, neither allowing these people to continue to be arrogant nor allowing the people to attack them.
"Let's take it step by step," Yan Jing said. "If we can't subdue them all at once, there are naturally other ways. I'll check the information again and then discuss it with your management."
There is always a suitable way.
Jun Qiulan nodded. "I've strayed from the topic. What does Grandpa Yan think now? Does he want to go back? If he wants to go back to see his family, it might be troublesome in the capital. Once he returns to the border town, he can first meet Su Changxun and Yan Su, and then notify the rest of the Yan clan."
Yan Jing: "The problem now is that every time you travel through time, you can only return to the original place. When grandpa fled for his life, the last place he stayed was hundreds of miles away from the capital. You all have this ability. Did he lead you there? Or did you lead him there?"
The landing place is far away.
Jun Qiulan thought for a moment and said, "Then when we get back to the border town, I'll bring Mr. Su and Brother Yan over to meet Grandpa."
As for the problem that Yan Jing is worried about, we can experiment with it when the time comes.
Don't be too anxious.
Yan Jing nodded, "So, you agree to take me there?"
Jun Qiulan held his forehead with his hand: "What else can I do?"
The milk tea has also arrived.
Jun Qiulan and Yan Jing went next door to deliver milk tea, then said hello and had to go back first.
The servants over there were still waiting outside the door. He had been showering and changing clothes for over half an hour, so it was time for him to show up.
I have to take Yan Jing with me.
As for how to explain it to the eunuchs and palace maids?
It has to be said that this decadent era also has its conveniences.
He was the master of the mansion and had no need to explain anything to the eunuchs and palace maids who served him.
Sure enough, when Jun Qiulan took Yan Jing out of the bathroom, the palace maids and eunuchs guarding the door were shocked and did not dare to ask a single question.
I didn't even dare to look at it any more.
Yan Jing has also broadened his horizons.
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