The emperor entertained the researchers, and he offered a few encouraging words at the beginning, but then stopped short. Those people were researchers, and they certainly didn't like the official rhetoric. He saw that Princess Rongning didn't particularly enjoy their official jargon.
Princess Rongning prefers the more direct approach. Just tell her whether to provide research funding or not.
The emperor thought this was a good idea, as it would save him from going around in circles. As long as these researchers knew how to research and could come up with something, that would be enough.
The researchers attending the banquet were inevitably nervous. Some of them had originally been ordinary people; they had never held official positions, nor had their fathers or grandfathers. Some were capable, like hermits, but not all hermits were so powerful. Some hermits retreated into seclusion because they failed the imperial examinations.
Although there are some super powerful hermits, it doesn’t mean that all hermits are good.
Liu Yulian didn't just randomly find the people she was looking for. She didn't want those who just took the money without doing any work, nor did she like those who were high-handed and gave orders blindly.
The dishes for the banquet were all prepared early in the imperial kitchen, and some of them were already cold when they were served.
Liu Yulian barely touched her chopsticks, but the dishes in front of her were all relatively warm. Perhaps because she was a princess and a first-rank official, they assumed she was favored, so they served her warm food instead of cold.
When the emperor asked Liu Yulian a question, Liu Yulian subconsciously said, "The food is a little cold."
"..." The emperor did not expect Liu Yulian to ask such a question.
"Actually, some substances generate heat when in contact with water, and can be used to heat food," Liu Yulian explained. "At banquets, it's normal for food to get cold. But if you're alone and want to take food out, you can use these substances to heat it up without having to light a fire."
"Oh?" The emperor didn't expect Liu Yulian to think of this during a banquet. "You were useless before?"
"Not much." When Liu Yulian was in the northwest, she mostly ate at home. Even when she ate at the farm, it was always hot. "It was a little useful on the way back to Beijing. Mainly because there were sometimes no villages or shops nearby, and with children, it was necessary to heat up the food. However, some people also cooked directly on the roadside."
Overall, this self-heating thing has a lot of uses.
"Then let's give it a try," the emperor said with a smile, "and let everyone else try it."
The emperor thought Liu Yulian's idea was a good one, and as for Liu Yulian's complaint about the food being cold, the emperor couldn't possibly blame the imperial kitchen staff. The imperial kitchen staff had to cook for so many people, so situations like this were inevitable.
"If the food is cold, eat less to avoid harming your body," the emperor said. "You must keep your mind clear at all times."
"Yes." Liu Yulian responded.
The other researchers had initially thought the food was too cold, but some of them had eaten leftovers from other people's homes, which were merely cold and still edible. The food prepared by the imperial chef was indeed delicious, and they were reluctant to waste it.
Those researchers basically didn't talk much, with only a few people occasionally saying a few words about what they were researching.
The emperor didn't understand those things, so he just listened and occasionally said a few words. The emperor's intention was to let them study freely, as long as the research was useful, then they could do it.
Of course, the emperor couldn't let those people do random research, and he had to control the research funds.
Liu Yulian had no objection to the court's control over the project. It was the same in later generations. Just because you had a research project didn't mean you could get funding. It also depended on whether it was feasible, including writing a feasibility report and some analysis.
Otherwise, if you just say a word or express an idea, unless you are a big shot, who will believe you or be willing to pay you to do research?
Liu Yulian noticed the nervousness of the researchers. Fortunately, these people didn't have to go to the court all day. They just had to concentrate on their research.
After Liu Yulian attended the banquet, she learned that the Cen family had been thrown into jail.
Liu Yulian was quite shocked. She had originally thought that once the Cen family resigned from their official positions and returned to their hometown, that would be the end of the matter. Often, a person who commits a crime is not always punished. Sometimes, a person who commits a crime can escape punishment.
If an old minister like Mr. Cen had suffered a stroke, the royal family might let go of the Cen family.
"The late queen's family impeached the Cen family." said Marquis Jingning.
The late Empress's family had endured this for years, and now the Emperor had directly linked Concubine Cen to the late Empress's death. Naturally, those people seized this opportunity, and since they already had a lot of evidence of the Cen family's crimes, they immediately suppressed the Cen family.
The Qin family, the maiden family of the late queen, did not hold particularly high official positions, but some of them had even been promoted to the position of Chief Justice of the Dali Temple.
The Qin family was a family of scholars, and their ancestors had a tutor for the Crown Prince. The late queen was the daughter of the tutor, but the Qin family did not have as much power as the Cen family, which led to the late queen being suppressed by Concubine Cen.
If the emperor had married Qin first and was determined to make her empress, and not abandon his wife, then Concubine Cen might have really ascended to the throne. When the emperor ascended the throne, some court officials said that Qin's status was not high enough, and that Concubine Cen should be made empress and Concubine Qin a concubine.
The emperor did not compromise and still made Qin the queen.
After Queen Qin passed away, the Qin family endured it and they wanted to bring down the Cen family.
The Cen family sent someone to assassinate the prince, and they also destroyed the evidence. The Qin family went to look for evidence that the Cen family assassinated the prince. As long as those people had done something, there would be no evidence at all.
The Qin family also knew that the emperor did not want to let the Cen family go back, but he just didn't want to disappoint those old ministers. The emperor needed enough evidence, and the emperor also needed someone to stand up and speak about these things.
The Cen family also knew that something was wrong. The next day after they resigned from their posts, they were preparing to leave the city early in the morning. It was at this time that the Cen family was stopped.
There was no way the Qin family would let the Cen family leave the capital like that. It just so happened that the Dali Temple Minister was also investigating cases and had some power in some areas. The Cen family was stopped, some were directly imprisoned, and some were not. Old Master Cen had suffered a stroke, so the Qin family naturally didn't put him directly in jail.
For someone like Mr. Cen, let him go back to the Cen family and let Mrs. Cen take care of him. There are still some people in the Cen family house, and those people can naturally take care of the old couple.
The Qin family did this to give face to the emperor and to let the old ministers know that the Qin family was not going too far.
After hearing what Jing Ning Hou said, Liu Yulian didn't think about it. This matter had nothing to do with her. She had no connection with the Cen family and no conflict of interest.
As for whether the girls outside should continue to learn from the girls of the Cen family, Liu Yulian never said anything.
"It has nothing to do with us." Liu Yulian said.
"Indeed." Marquis Jingning nodded. "Just focus on your work and don't worry about these things."
The prince is not a naive person, he can't let the Cen family go easily. He can let the third prince go, but the Cen family must pay the price. If the Cen family members are all well, they can still become officials in the future, how can that be possible?
If the Cen family is to decline, then it will decline completely.
The Crown Prince had already thought about this: the Cen family would be barred from officialdom and imperial examinations for three generations. Those who deserved to be beheaded would be beheaded, and those who deserved to be exiled would be exiled.
What? Others can be killed and exiled, but not the Cen family?
Just because the Cen family are old ministers, should we let them go?
Impossible!
The Crown Prince knew that the Emperor wasn't unwilling to deal with the Cen family; the Emperor wanted someone else to speak up. The Qin family was the most suitable candidate, as they were the late Empress's family. The Crown Prince had been instrumental in this, and the Emperor's intentions were also at play.
The emperor took the lead, and the others immediately understood what he meant.
Did the emperor disappoint his old ministers? No, the emperor had initially allowed the Cen family to return to their hometown. Who could have imagined that the Cen family would commit such a serious crime? The emperor could not let the Cen family leave just like that.
At the Cen family, Old Master Cen lay in bed, unable to move after suffering a stroke. Even though he had anticipated the royal family's easy release, he still held onto a lucky glimmer of hope. As a result, they were captured before they even left the city gates.
"Master." Old Madam Cen's eyes were red. All the other people in the family had been arrested, and even the girls in the mansion had been thrown into jail.
The Cen family couldn’t be any better!
Old Madam Cen understood in her heart that she knew more or less some of the things that the Cen family had done.
The reason why the queen died of depression was indeed because of the pressure from the Cen family.
The prince was assassinated, and that was also arranged by the Cen family.
In addition to these two major incidents, the Cen family also fabricated evidence to exclude other officials and seized fertile land. However, some things were covered up, and when the Cen family lost power, they could no longer suppress the matter.
Those things came to light, and many people sued the Cen family.
The building collapses, the wall falls and everyone pushes it, the tree falls and the monkeys scatter...
Old Madam Cen wondered what would become of them in the future. Would the whole family be executed? If the emperor really treated the Cen family like that, then he would be too cruel.
"Ah." Old Master Cen was angry again today, and he couldn't say anything.
Old Master Cen felt that Concubine Cen's death had accelerated the downfall of the Cen family. They must never teach their daughters to use death to force others, and they must not think that such a method is good after tasting the sweetness. That is wrong, and those methods are not necessarily good.
That depends on whether the other person is stupid or not. For example, the current emperor is not that stupid. The current emperor must have wanted to deal with the Cen family a long time ago. And Concubine Cen rushed into it headfirst and wrote a blood letter that disgusted the emperor. How could the emperor not deal with Concubine Cen?
"Master, would you like some water?" asked Mrs. Cen.
Although the Cen family still has servants and maids, they all know that the Cen family is in trouble, and they may not necessarily take good care of Mr. Cen and Mrs. Cen.
"Ah." Old Master Cen was speechless.
If the Cen family in the capital was in trouble, the Cen family members far away in the northwest would naturally not be well either. However, it would take a long time for the news from the capital to reach the northwest.
In the northwest, Miss Cen was unaware of what was happening in the capital. She was still thinking about the bad marriage her father had arranged for her, as she was betrothed to a man of a thousand households. She was the daughter of the Cen family's direct lineage and the granddaughter of Mr. Cen, so why did her father choose such a man for her?
Miss Cen thought that if she could not marry a royal descendant, she should marry the son of the prefect or something like that.
Why did her father do this? It made her feel so embarrassed.
Miss Cen was not satisfied and did not want to marry that captain. Even though she had always obeyed her parents and followed their orders, that captain was a military commander with a low official rank, and Miss Cen did not like him at all.
"No, I don't agree." Miss Cen was unwilling.
Mrs. Cen also felt that her daughter was wronged, but her husband had personally arranged the marriage for her daughter, so she could not refute it.
"Mother." Miss Cen was unhappy. "We will return to Beijing in the future. Are you willing to let your daughter stay here alone?"
"I'm reluctant to give it up," Madam Cen said, "but this was decided by your father. He must have his reasons. This captain... maybe he'll be able to be promoted soon."
"If a rank of Qianhu could be promoted so quickly, then Liu Yulian's fiancé wouldn't have returned to Beijing to take the imperial examination." Miss Cen thought about how He Xiyuan had only managed to reach the rank of Qianhu, and how He Xiyuan had returned to Beijing instead of staying in the barracks. Miss Cen believed she was no less capable than Princess Rongning, and she absolutely couldn't afford to marry a Qianhu.
Miss Cen had been taught the Three Obediences and Four Virtues since she was young, but her experiences in the northwest had left her feeling quite angry. She didn't want to marry anyone casually; she wanted to marry someone better than Princess Rongning. Even if she couldn't marry someone better than Princess Rongning, she wanted to live a happier life.
If she just stayed in the northwest and just married a captain, how could that be possible?
"Your father decided it." Mrs. Cen said.
"Mother, if you don't care, I will cancel the engagement myself," Miss Cen said bluntly. "I am willing to listen to you, but this concerns my lifelong happiness."
If Madam Cen hadn't mentioned Liu Yanjing in the beginning, if Madam Cen hadn't mentioned General Xu's son, then Miss Cen might have listened to her parents and gotten engaged. The key point was that her parents had wanted her to marry someone better and had let her know, but Miss Cen was unwilling to accept it.
"You..." Mrs. Cen did not expect Miss Cen to say that.
"My daughter is not going there now. She just asked the maid to go and tell her. You can rest assured." Miss Cen said.
"..." How could Madam Cen be at ease? Since ancient times, no maidservant of a woman would talk about breaking off an engagement.
The captain originally thought that the Cen family's daughter was the daughter of a scholarly family, and that she would be well-educated and well-mannered. Even though there were bad rumors about Miss Cen, the captain was willing to get engaged to her, after all, it was considered marrying above his station.
However, Qianhu did not expect that Miss Cen was unwilling to do so. Miss Cen even asked the maidservant around her to go to his house and tell him, making his mother lose all face.
There was no way that the captain would give up, so he went straight to the Cen family and broke off the engagement. The girl from the Cen family was so powerful, he was not worthy of her.
This made Lord Cen very angry. He had received a letter from the capital some time ago, and he was not feeling well. They might not be able to wait until they returned to the capital, so they had to make preparations early.
Someone in the family was involved in the assassination of the prince, and the prince will sooner or later bring this matter to light.
Even if the prince doesn't bring up this matter now, he will bring it up when he ascends the throne.
The current emperor's health is not that good. No one knows how long he will live, maybe one or two years. What if the emperor only lives for a few more months?
The Cen family would be liquidated sooner or later, so it might not be a good idea to let Miss Cen marry into a wealthy family. I'm afraid that by then Miss Cen will die of illness. Lord Cen still cares about his legitimate daughter and arranged this marriage for her.
The candidate carefully selected by Lord Cen, although this person is a thousand households, his family is not complicated and his family is relatively wealthy. His daughter will have people to serve her after she marries. If the Cen family really encounters any problems, this thousand households are unlikely to be cruel to his daughter. He is from a small family and far away from the capital, so his daughter can live a more comfortable life.
He never imagined that Miss Cen was so dissatisfied with this marriage and would make such a fuss.
At night, Lord Cen sighed.
"Master, let's just forget about it." Madam Cen said, "That person has already come to cancel the engagement, and we have already accepted it."
"Forget it, we can't force him to marry our daughter." Lord Cen said, "I'm afraid it will be difficult for our daughter to find a suitable husband."
Lord Cen thought a lot about his daughter and arranged a path for her, but she refused to follow it.
"Things in the capital... I'm afraid they're not going well." Lord Cen knitted his brows. "If not for that, why would I let her get engaged so soon, and arrange such a marriage for her?"
Lord Cen did not choose those scholars, but chose military generals, mainly because some military generals valued friendship. How could a captain with such status as a captain be able to marry those noble ladies? Lord Cen gave the captain a chance because he wanted him to treat his daughter better.
In the future, if something really happens, that captain might still be of some use.
Unfortunately, Miss Cen didn't care about Lord Cen's plans at all, and Lord Cen couldn't tell Miss Cen those things directly, which led to the current situation.
"Not good?" Madam Cen looked at Lord Cen, "Isn't father still in the capital?"
"This isn't a question of whether Father is in the capital or not," Lord Cen said. "They did something stupid, a big mistake."
Just because Lord Cen didn't participate in the assassination attempt on the Crown Prince doesn't mean he didn't do anything detrimental to the Crown Prince while he was in the capital. They are from the Third Prince's line, not the Crown Prince's.
“…”Mrs. Cen stared at Lord Cen. What should their daughter do then?
Lord Cen was helpless. Their daughter must have reached her rebellious stage. Otherwise, how could their daughter be so bold as to ask the maid to talk about breaking off the engagement?
In the capital city, Su Qiuya heard about the break-up of the engagement between Miss Cen and a captain. She had heard of the beauty of the Cen family's daughter when she was in the capital.
The reputation of the Cen family girl has always been good, but Su Qiuya doesn't like the Cen family girl very much. She always feels that the Cen family girl is not real enough.
"If it weren't for the people in the first wife's house, the reputation of the Cen family girl wouldn't be so bad, and she wouldn't have fallen to the point of being engaged to a captain." Aunt Qing thought the first wife was too bad.
"The girl from the Cen family ruined the younger one first...she ruined Princess Rongning's reputation first." Su Qiuya didn't think the eldest wife was wrong. She had already returned to Beijing, so what did this have to do with the eldest wife?
Aunt Qing is a person with a mental problem. Su Qiuya really wants to roll her eyes.
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