Chapter 396: Shi Lang's Questioning
Liu Rushi came in and took Jiang Xiaomei away. Princess Kunxing and Zhao Xiaofei talked alone in the western warm room of Kunning Palace.
"Is this your former confidante?" asked Princess Kunxing.
"Yes, but we broke up a long time ago! I've been in poor health recently and suddenly collapsed and was sent to the hospital. She picked up the jade pendant and discovered my secret..." Zhao Xiaofei was interrupted by Princess Kunxing before he could finish his words.
"Is she threatening you? If she is threatening you, it is better to get rid of her as soon as possible!" Kunxing said.
"No, she didn't threaten me. It's just that she was the one who gave me this jade pendant. I feel guilty towards her, so..." Zhao Xiaofei said a little embarrassedly.
"My husband is a man who values friendship. If she is really talented, I will make use of her." Kunxing said.
"Thank you, Princess! This is a favor I owe you. I really didn't know..." said Zhao Xiaofei.
"You and I are husband and wife, so what's there to thank each other for? Do you still have Miss Jiang in your heart? If so, why not marry her?" Princess Kunxing said.
"No, apart from guilt, I have no feelings in my heart. I just hope she is safe!" said Zhao Xiaofei.
"Okay, I understand!" said Princess Kunxing.
Liu Rushi brought Jiang Xiaomei to the nearby East Warm Pavilion. Jiang Xiaomei excitedly said, "Are you Liu Rushi, the great master Liu?"
"Yes! Have you heard of my name?" Liu Rushi asked.
"Yes! You are the most beautiful among all the girls, and your talent is no less than that of men!" Jiang Xiaomei said.
"Are you disappointed to see me? My charm is long gone now. As for my profound knowledge, that was just a reputation given to me by others. I don't deserve the reputation." Liu Rushi said.
"No way! My sister is as beautiful as a fairy, and her talent is unmatched!" Jiang Xiaomei said with a smile.
"I can't compare to the prince and the admiral in talent, and I can't compare to the prince's concubine Kou Baimen in beauty," Liu Rushi said. However, she was still very happy when someone praised her beauty and talent.
"What talent do these two brothers have? Especially Zhao Xiaofei, his handwriting is terrible, it looks like dog crawling!" Jiang Xiaomei said.
Liu Rushi chuckled and said, "It seems that the young lady and the prince are very familiar with each other!"
"We grew up together. I didn't expect that he would become such a big shot here and even a prince!" Jiang Xiaomei looked disdainful.
"Oh! Are you and the prince childhood sweethearts?" Liu Rushi asked.
"Yes, but our fate has ended long ago, and now we can only be friends." Jiang Xiaomei said somewhat dejectedly.
"Why?" Liu Rushi asked.
"He is so lustful! He marries one woman after another. I hate this kind of man the most!" Jiang Xiaomei said this with a gritted teeth look.
Liu Rushi looked at it and said nothing more. Jiang Xiaomei was just jealous, which was one of the seven grounds for divorce in the Ming Dynasty. Not being able to marry the prince was a good thing. If she was actually divorced, it would be even more tragic.
As Jiang Xiaomei spoke, she flipped through the memorials on the table. After reading a few, she picked up one and said, "Which bastard official wrote this memorial? It says there was a flood and corpses were everywhere. Doesn't he have the household registration books to know how many people died? He asked the court for disaster relief without sending anyone to count the exact number. He also doesn't have a specific number of fields destroyed. How can he be a county magistrate? If I were the emperor, I would dismiss him immediately!"
Liu Rushi was so frightened after hearing this that she broke out in a cold sweat. She turned around and looked around. Fortunately, no one else was around. She said, "Don't say such nonsense. If you were the emperor, you would not say such words!"
Jiang Xiaomei knew she wasn't paying attention when she spoke, so she quickly covered her mouth and said, "I'm sorry, sister. I didn't think before I spoke. I was angry about this memorial."
"Because of the Jiashen Rebellion, too many officials died or surrendered. The prince, princess and queen mother were unwilling to use them anymore, and new officials have not been trained yet, so..." Liu Rushi said with a sigh.
"Then you can write a work manual for them, letting them know what to do every day and how to deal with natural disasters, and come up with at least two or three emergency plans!" Jiang Xiaomei began her long speech.
She finally said, "Zhao Xiaofei has learned and done this before, so why didn't he remember to tell you? I think he's been in a woman's arms for too long every day and has forgotten everything!"
Liu Rushi was amused by Jiang Xiaomei's outspokenness again. Seeing Liu Rushi's smile, Jiang Xiaomei said, "Sister, you are so beautiful. If I were a man, I would marry you and keep you as a treasure!"
"Hahaha, what nonsense!" Liu Rushi said with a smile.
After a day of interaction, the two became friends. That evening in the West Warm Pavilion, Liu Rushi knelt before Princess Kunxing and replied, "Your Highness, this woman is truly exceptionally talented. Not everyone can compare to her, and even I am far behind."
"Oh! How are you worse than her?" asked Princess Kunxing.
"It's knowledge! I think my knowledge is not inferior to men, but compared with her, I am far behind. Especially data statistics, I can only say that I have just started to understand it, but she has already mastered it." Liu Rushi said.
"Oh! It turns out that she is so talented. Then let's give her a position as a fourth-rank female official! If she performs well in the future, I can continue to promote her!" Princess Kunxing said.
At Tianjin Wharf, Zhao Xiaokun had already led the fleet northward, while Wu Sangui and Kong Youde had already held a banquet in Busan City.
Wu Sangui summoned the daughters of Korean officials every day and walked around with them, changing one every day and being the bridegroom every day.
The same goes for Kong Youde, Geng Jingzhong, and Shang Zhixin. Every day when they wake up, they don’t know the name of the beautiful woman next to them, and then when they wake up, there is a new one.
Shi Lang did not dare to relax and continued to train his troops on the beach.
Inside the central army tent, a messenger entered, knelt, and said, "Sir, the King of Joseon has sent Song Siyeol, the head of the Censorate, to negotiate peace!"
"Bring him in!" Shi Lang said.
"I am honored to meet you, Lord Shi!" Song Shilie said with a bow.
Shi Lang glanced at Song Shiyeol and said, "Why don't you kneel? You, Korea, are known as Little China, but are you so ignorant of etiquette?"
"Sir, the situation is different now! The Qing Dynasty is our suzerain state, please forgive me! Moreover, your country does not treat my officials and people with courtesy! Sir, look at what those soldiers are doing? They are simply treating my officials' families as playthings!" Song Shilie said.
"Really? What is the name of your place? What is the name of your ethnic group?" Shi Lang asked.
"North Korea! Our people become Koreans!" said Song Shiyeol.
"When the Japanese pirates invaded, who helped you drive the pirates out of the entire Korean Peninsula?" Shi Lang asked.
"It's Emperor Wanli of the Ming Dynasty!" Song Shiyeol said.
"Since you know this, why don't you kneel? Don't forget who gave your country its name. It was our Emperor Taizu!" Shi Lang suddenly shouted, "Without us, there would be no Joseon! You are such traitors!"
Song Shiyeol was speechless and had to kneel down.
Shi Lang walked over, lowered his head and asked, "What are you doing here?"
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