soy sauce lady

Chapter 2

The first year of Chongde, spring.

The first month has just passed, and the spring is cold.Just after a burst of spring rain, the streets of the capital seem to have been washed over and over again. At a glance, the colors that catch the eye seem to be much clearer than before.

Wen Su held the package in one hand, tightened the collar with the other hand, and sniffed hard.In this weather, she seemed to be suffering from a cold.

In fact, not long after she arrived in the capital, because her dependent father died of illness a year ago, she came to the capital to join her aunt.It's just that she didn't expect that her aunt had already moved away. It took Wen Su more than three months to rush from Jiangnan to the capital, but it was a waste of time.

Now she is thinking about what to do next.

It is impossible to go back to the south of the Yangtze River. The family's fields have been taken by the tribe, not to mention that King Wu's rebellion has expanded to the south of the Yangtze River.But it is also difficult to stay in the capital, with no relatives, how will she live?
A gust of wind blew past, and Wen Su shivered all over.Even God didn't pity her, and it rained again on a good day.

She was wearing a plain jacket and skirt, which was filled with old cotton from last year. After light rain, the cold air invaded from all directions, how could she keep warm?
Wen Su ran forward with the package on her back. It is only serious to find a place to hide from the rain first.

Someone passed by and bumped into her suddenly, Wen Su fell to the ground all of a sudden, threw the burden away, was immediately picked up by that person, and then quickly ran away in the opposite direction.

"Ah, it's a robbery! Come here!"

Wen Su yelled in a hurry, but no one paid any attention to her.She was in a hurry to catch up, and a group of people came hula-la in the head-on direction. Those people used to be gathered together. At this time, they started to look for shelter from the rain when they were drenched by the rain.After being hit by this rush, where can I still see the figure of the robber?
Wen Su wants to cry but has no tears, it is already miserable enough, and this kind of thing has happened, and now she has nothing, how can she survive?
The rain was getting heavier, she wiped her face, resisted the urge to cry, and hurriedly looked for a place to hide from the rain.

After running a few steps forward, I saw at a glance that there was a wall where those people had gathered before, and there was a small eave extending from above. There was a person standing on the left and right, and they seemed to be hiding from the rain.As soon as she felt relieved, she rushed over in three or two steps.Standing in the space between the two, while patting the raindrops off his body, he turned his head to look at the two of them, but was stunned at the sight.

I didn't see clearly before, but now I realize that these two people are actually wearing uniforms.After she came to the capital, she was fortunate enough to see it a few times, and it seemed to be the costume of the imperial army.

So she was hiding from the rain with the two imperial guards?
Seeing her rushing over, the two people who were standing straight looked at her strangely, then at the wall behind her, and said in unison: "This place is not a place to hide from the rain, girl, please go elsewhere."

"Ah?" Wen Su followed their gaze and turned around, facing a piece of yellow silk written in black.

That's Zhang Huangbang.

Thanks to her father, Wen Su is literate, not only that, but also quite a lot, so she can understand the content at a glance.

The thunderbolt on a sunny day!It's crazy, Liang Guo actually wants to let a woman enter the court as an official?

This is not true, is it?

Wen Su opened his mouth and looked at the imperial list without any image, tending to be messy in the wind.No wonder so many people ran over just now, they were all looking at the imperial list.

Really shocking!
"Girl, this place is an important place to publish the list. If the girl has no intention of revealing the list, please leave."

The two imperial guards were quite good-tempered, maybe because Wen Su was pretty good-looking, and she was considered a beauty with big eyes and a straight nose, otherwise it was possible to just throw them out.

"Hmm... Unveiling the list?"

When Wen Su heard this key word, she read it carefully again, only to find that the imperial list clearly stated that the Prince Regent's Palace is recruiting female aides, who not only have the possibility of being recommended to the court as officials, but also provide board and lodging. support……

Ding!
There was a clear sound in Wen Su's mind, good conditions!For her who was worrying about survival at this time, the regent was simply a bodhisattva who rescued those in distress, and being an official in the court was nothing but floating clouds, the key was to provide board and lodging.

Wen Su tilted her head and winked at the Imperial Guard on the left: "Is it difficult to be a female staff member of the Prince Regent's Palace?"

The forbidden army obviously saw her intentions, and their serious expressions eased a lot. After all, the emperor's list has been released for a few days, and no one dared to reveal it. The regent is worrying about this matter.

"Don't worry, girl, the prince said, as long as she is a man of insight and a woman, there is no difficulty."

Wen Su rolls his eyes, a man of insight...

Before her father passed away, she had reminded him of the faces of those tribesmen, and now they have come true one by one. Is this considered very insightful?
Gollum...

There was a cry of hunger from her stomach, Wen Su smiled awkwardly at the imperial guard, watched Huangbang swallowed, and stretched out her hand tremblingly, but just halfway through, she suddenly withdrew her hand again.

This matter is too weird, where is the Prince Regent's Mansion, what if there is no entry but no exit?
But she was really hungry, she couldn't just starve to death on the street, right?

Forget it, I'm going to die no matter what, and I'll be a full ghost when I die. When I go to the underworld to meet my father, I will say that I only became a female staff member of the Prince Regent's mansion.
Wen Su made up her mind, closed her eyes, gritted her teeth, stretched out her hand and took off the imperial list...

Today's court is very lively, and all the officials are having a heated discussion on the New Deal.

"My minister thinks it's impossible!" Ding Zhengyi, the chief assistant who was over seventy years old, roared angrily.

His old man is a staunch royalist, and he is an absolute machismo.After hearing about the regent's decision to let a woman enter the court as an official, he almost rolled his eyes and wanted to accompany the late emperor. After being poured back by his wife with half a bowl of brown sugar water, the first sentence he said was: "Woman! They are all short-sighted people, delusional to take on great responsibilities, it is really a big joke in the world!"

So his wife put the empty bowl in her hand on his head.

At this time, the old man was wearing half a bowl of lipstick marks on his forehead, and continued to fight against the regent in the hall: "My minister thought that this matter must never be done. Empress Wu usurped the country, and Shangguan became prime minister, these are all lessons learned from the past, so it can be seen that it is inappropriate for women to get involved in the government!"

As soon as this remark came out, the curtain behind the little emperor moved slightly, and Empress Dowager Li coughed softly inside.

Master Ding, are you scolding Aijia?

As soon as Ding Zheng realized that he had made a slip of the tongue, he quickly corrected his words: "In any case, it is absolutely impossible for a woman to become an official in the court, and it will definitely shake the foundation of the country! Qinghai Kingdom should feel lucky that it is married to our Celestial Kingdom, but they are still picky and picky. It's ridiculous!"

Regent Xiao Zheng stood quietly at the head of the officials, with a calm face and silent.

The little emperor quietly glanced at Xiao Zheng, and secretly applauded Ding Zhengyi in his heart: Well done, Master Ding!

Standing behind Xiao Zheng, Lu Fang, Minister of the Ministry of War, glanced at his back, and said: "Master Ding's words are wrong. You must know that there are still border troubles at this time. The marriage with Qinghai is for the overall situation. Taking the overall situation into consideration, the temporary New Deal is not important. As for destabilizing the foundation of the country, wait until the marriage is completed in the future and just withdraw the New Deal, what's wrong with that?"

The princes' party heard the words and echoed:

"Yes, yes, why not?"

"Don't be so rigid..."

"No, it's too old-fashioned!"

"..."

The emperor's face was half black.

"I also think it is impossible." Dingyong, the censor of Zuodu, came out and saluted the emperor: "Since ancient times, there has been no precedent for a woman to enter the court as an official. The law of the ancestors cannot be abolished. Your Majesty should immediately remove the imperial list."

If Ding Zhengyi opposed the regent because he was a royalist, Wang Dingyong had no party affiliation at all.

Wang Dingyong is in his fifties this year, his face is white and beardless, and his face is upright, just like his character, old-fashioned and pedantic.For him, preventing all new things is his mission, his duty, and the goal he is willing to fight for for life!

Lu Fang went on to say: "I believe that marriage with the Qinghai Kingdom can preserve the frontiers without costing me a single soldier. His Majesty should dare to be the first in the world."

"It's nonsense! We are a big country in the sky, and foreigners, barbarians, invaders, and send troops to expel them. Why do we need the help of those women!"

Master Ding was angry again, and following his voice, the royalists also expressed their support:

"That's right, what skills can those women have? Could it be that they really have to rely on them to protect the leader?"

"It's absurd that a woman should stay at home and take care of her husband and children, but she should go to and from temples!"

"That's right, our heavenly kingdom, can't we still be no match for those barbarians?"

"..."

A smile appeared on the little emperor's face again, Mr. Ding was full of fighting spirit, and Wang Dingyong calmly waited for the result.

"well said……"

There was a sudden silence in the hall, only because Xiao Zheng opened his mouth unexpectedly.He turned around slowly, stretched out the sleeves of the black court clothes, raised his arms to caress the front of the clothes, and then raised his eyes to scan all the officials present, his eyes were like unsheathed swords, causing a chill inexplicably.

"It's really good that the Heavenly Kingdom is not afraid of foreigners, barbarians and Di Di." He squinted his eyes: "How many of you here have actually been on the battlefield? How many of you know how much a war costs? How many soldiers will be lost?" What kind of misery will it cause?"

All the people present were speechless and didn't know how to answer.

Xiao Zheng started to lead the army before reaching the weak crown. The title of King of Jin was obtained after he took Jincheng with few victories and many victories. Today, the power of soldiers and horses is all in his hands.What's more, some bold people once claimed that half of Daliang's current country was laid down by him.

If it wasn't for this reason, the first emperor would not have given him the position of regent. To put it mildly, he trusted him, but to put it badly, he was just afraid that he would rely on his merits to stand on his own. It would be better to give him a sweetener to keep the emperor's country.

So when it comes to war at this time, who in the court has the right to argue with him?

"Now that Xiao Jun is occupying Jiangdong, he has been waiting for an opportunity. If he spends his troops defending against foreign races, it will be a move to shake the foundation of the country!" Xiao Zheng's eyes flickered coldly: "What else do you want to say, my lords?"

Ding Zhengyi and Wang Dingyong looked at each other, and the little emperor's face finally turned dark.

"Uh, the Regent..."

After all, Queen Mother Li couldn't help but want to say a few words for her son, after all, she howled all night at her place last night, didn't she.

"The Queen Mother understands what the Queen Mother means. Women should be respected, just like you, Queen Mother."

Eh?Empress Dowager Li thought to herself: This is quite right.Uh, no, she didn't mean to say that...

"The implementation of the New Deal is a foregone conclusion, and there is no need to discuss it again. My lords, you can leave the court if you have nothing to do."

"..."

Xiao Zheng made a final decision, walked out of the hall first with a flick of his sleeves, leaving behind him a group of ministers staring at him.

As soon as he left the palace gate, Zhao Quan greeted him: "My lord, someone has revealed the list."

With the implementation of the new policy this time, apart from the Jiangdong area, the emperor's list was posted in other places in Liang State.However, there is the ancestral motto that "a woman's lack of talent is virtue". Although the net was cast on a large scale, the total number of people who finally revealed the list was only seven people.

I heard that there are many talented women in Jiangnan, but now it is the territory of Wu Wang Xiaojun, so when Xiao Zheng heard that one of the seven people came from Jiangnan, he was very surprised.

And Wen Su didn't even know that she had already become the representative of the Jiangnan region. Her biggest wish was to stay in the Prince Regent's mansion to eat and drink, and then earn some money to go out to make a living and live her happy life.

After revealing the imperial list, Wen Su was taken to the Prince Regent's Mansion, but because the other candidates who were far away had not yet arrived, she was not received by the Prince Regent immediately, but was placed in a side courtyard of the Prince Regent's Mansion. Good news.

This waited until the end of February, when the spring blossoms and the willow branches sprouted, the other six applicants finally arrived.

After breakfast, Wen Su was idly admiring a clump of wild flowers that had just bloomed in the corner of his small courtyard, when someone came to report that the regent had summoned him.

As soon as she heard that she was about to be received by the regent, who had the power to overwhelm the world, she hurried back to the room, picked up the comb, combed her hair, adjusted her old jacket and skirt, and then followed the servants out of the yard.

The Prince Regent's Mansion occupies a very large area, with pavilions, terraces and pavilions scattered in a well-proportioned manner. There are more trees than flowers and plants in the courtyard, and there are not many brilliant colors. The green wood and gray tiles show a simple and elegant state.

Walking all the way to the back garden of the Wangfu, I saw a lake in my eyes. The clear water of the lake shimmered under the sunlight. Occasionally, it was rippled by the spring breeze. The sunlight sprinkled on it seemed to be broken, and the golden light jumped little by little.

There is an octagonal pavilion in the center of the lake, the base is made of white marble, and a string of copper bells hangs from each of the eight corners, jingling and swaying in the wind.

Wen Su saw the other six applicants standing in the pavilion at a glance. Because they were far away, they were facing her sideways. They could not see their faces clearly. They only saw that they were dressed in different colors. The only thing they had in common was They are all dressed in brightly colored clothes, which seems to have a special style in this spring day.

She lowered her eyes to look at the plain jacket and skirt on her body, curled her lips, then looked up, and saw that there was still a person sitting in the pavilion.

Wide-sleeved black clothes, sitting against the fence, with one hand resting on the railing, only the hair tied with a long silk ribbon, the hanging hair and the ribbon fluttered gently in the wind, half of his face was immersed in the Under the sun, it is warm and smooth, with a posture like a lonely mountain waiting for the moon, and a capacity like flowers blooming in spring.

Wen Su sighed in her heart, when she was still in her hometown, she heard that King Jin was brave and good at fighting, but his appearance moved the world. Although he didn't get a glimpse of the details now, only this handsome demeanor is admirable.

After entering the pavilion, the regent looked up, his vermilion lips were slightly hooked, and the corners of his brows and eyes were full of flair. Wen Su could only hear a gasp or a suppressed low cry around him.

Fortunately, she is calm enough. Although the regent is beautiful, she is not so disappointing.

"I'm sorry, I stepped on you." On the right, a woman in plain clothes like her moved her foot away and looked at her embarrassedly.

Wen Su lowered her eyes and saw that there was indeed a footprint on her old shoe. She just looked at the regent and didn't know the pain! ! !
This...is considered calm...

"Everyone can be called a hero in the female middle school because you can get down the imperial list and come here. This is the first time this king sees you all. You might as well tell me your first name, surname, and place of origin."

Xiao Zheng's voice was steady and low, and just as he finished speaking, Wen Su heard a satisfied gasp as expected.

Someone on the left was the first to introduce himself: "Reporting to the lord, the little girl's name is Qin Rong, and she is the daughter of the Taiyuan prefect."

Ah, the daughter of the official family!Wen Su turned to look at her, her face was like a lotus, and she was dressed in beautiful clothes, no wonder.But...Miss Qin Rong, why do you keep blinking at the prince?

I said, you... are actually here for a blind date...

Xiao Zheng glanced at Qin Rong, nodded, and didn't say much.

Afterwards, someone rushed to introduce himself, and coincidentally, he was another lady from the official family.

And even more coincidentally, this official lady also came for a blind date.

The third, fourth, and fifth were also from official families, and they all winked at His Royal Highness the Regent in unison.

Xiao Zheng sat steadily, only the corners of his lips were tightened.

"Fu Qingyu, a daughter of the people, is from Jiangxi. She was born in a poor family, and her long-cherished wish is only to be revealed."

A faint voice rang in Wen Su's ears. She turned her head and saw that the woman who had stepped on her foot lowered her eyelashes slightly, and made a man's boxing salute to the regent.

Xiao Zheng's expression suddenly became clearer, and even a smile appeared on his lips: "Oh? What's your long-cherished wish?"

"I would like to serve the country with what I have learned in my life."

There was no sound in the pavilion, Qin Rong and others looked at her inexplicably.

Is this woman crazy?I really want to be an official!

Wen Su looked at her differently, she never thought that there would be such a woman with great ambitions in the world.

"Fu Qingyu, that's right, I've made a note of it." Xiao Zheng smiled slightly, seemingly satisfied.

Fu Qingyu put her hands back and stood still, and breathed a sigh of relief almost imperceptibly, Wen Su felt her nervousness, thinking that it would be her turn next, she couldn't help but get nervous.

"What about you? What's your name?"

Xiao Zheng turned his head to look at Wen Su, with a search in his eyes.The six girls have been introduced just now, so she is the only girl from Jiangnan.

"See the prince, Wen Su, a girl from the south of the Yangtze River."

Sure enough, Xiao Zheng looked her up and down: "Wen? What is your father's name?"

Wen Su frowned, my lord, don't you think I'm the descendant of a scholarly family from the south of the Yangtze River?
Her father was actually just a teacher.

"Well, my lord, the girl's family is poor, and she is not from a scholarly family."

"Oh..." Xiao Zheng was indeed a little disappointed, but since he came here, he must have some skills after all.He glanced out of the corner of his eyes and saw the unnamed woman headed by Qin Rong staring at Wen Su with resentment, a trace of displeasure flashed in his heart.

In order to respect the woman, he had already sent away several concubines in the mansion, and he had no plans to add a few more before his successful marriage with the Qinghai Kingdom.

Xiao Zheng stood up and flicked his sleeves: "Everyone have a good rest in the mansion. Someone will arrange the board and lodging. At the end of March, the king will preside over a test, and only those who pass the test can stay." After speaking, he walked out of the pavilion, and Zhao Quan came from the side in the dark. Flash out, follow him away.

Qin Rong and the others screamed, and Wen Su was so frightened by his words that he almost fainted, didn't he, still need to test?

Sure enough, it's not easy to eat and drink together...

The news that Daliang implemented a new policy of respecting women in order to respect Qinghai Kingdom soon spread to Qinghai. Her Majesty the Queen was shocked but also really moved.

Unexpectedly, the high and mighty Celestial Dynasty would be willing to make such a huge change in order to marry her. Her Majesty the Little Queen decided to reconsider the matter of marriage.

After receiving the reply, Xiao Zheng felt at ease. In order to let the Queen of Qinghai make up her mind as soon as possible, she even added a clause in the new policy: women are allowed to participate in the next imperial examination.

The reason for the next session is because this session of the imperial examination is about to begin.And by the time of the next session, three years have passed, maybe the marriage has already been settled, and whether women will be allowed to take the imperial examination is still to be determined.

The imperial examination is the only way for poor scholars to enter the official career, and it is also an important means for the country to select talents.Now that Daliang is employing people, this year's imperial examination is particularly important.

As early as February, the streets and alleys of the capital could be seen with constant exchanges of students. Now that it is March, the exam date is approaching, and it is time to arrive no matter how far away they live.

Wen Su was walking on the streets of the capital, seeing the Confucian shirts of the elegant students flying up and down, all of them looked longingly, and couldn't help but feel admiration.

Han Chuang has studied hard for decades, isn't it just for this dynasty?

After walking for a while, she turned her head and waved to Fu Qingyu, signaling her to hurry up.

Fu Qingyu was pulled out by Wen Su, and the accommodation was rearranged last time. The two of them were arranged to live in the same room, and they are now roommates.Wen Su was very worried about the Prince Regent's test at the end of the month, so she asked her to accompany her out to buy books, intending to have a temporary hug.

The reason why Fu Qingyu was asked to help was not just because the two were roommates. Only after getting along with her for a while did Wen Su know that she was a really learned woman, proficient in everything from piano, chess, calligraphy and painting, and could write poems and songs at her fingertips. Those who eat and wait to die are ashamed.

As far as the only shortcoming is concerned, it is a bit too cold.

It's not that Fu Qingyu is taciturn, it's just that the two of them really have nothing in common.

This can't be her fault either, who told Wen Su to interrupt the news that the kitchen cooked braised pork tonight or that Qin Rong took a few girls to knock on the door of the regent's room in private while she was thinking about the theory in the book.

If it weren't for her being a good person, Fu Qingyu would actually be reluctant to come out. Seeing Wen Su's carelessness, it was the eve of the test, but she was still caring. She could not erase her fighting spirit.

Alas, in fact, Wen Su is not as motivated as she thought.Because she had the idea of ​​staying and eating, her requirements were not high, as long as she was in the middle of this test so that she could continue to stay, as for other good things to be an official, I really didn't dare to think about it.

The two searched for a long time, and finally found a bookstore at the corner of South Street. Wen Su rushed in first, and accidentally bumped into the person who was about to go out. The person fell to the ground and cried out in pain, The book in his hand was scattered all over the floor, Wen Su rubbed his forehead and almost burst into tears.

"Girl, are you okay?"

Unexpectedly, in the end, people greeted first.Wen Su looked up apologetically while rubbing his forehead, the person in front of him was a student in blue shirt, with a handsome face, probably because he was wearing too little clothes, his face was blue and purple from the cold, and there was a swollen piece on the left cheek, which was hit by Wen Su's forehead. from.

"I'm fine, I'm really sorry." Wen Su apologized while bending down to pick up the book for him.

The man then bent down and smiled: "The girl is also unintentional, so there is no need to be polite."

Wen Su picked up the last book, saw that the name was Ce Lun, and couldn't help being a little surprised: "What book is this?"

"Oh, this is a book discussing the strategy of governing the country. It is only because this year's publication is relatively complete and covers many theories of everyone, so I came here specially to buy it."

Wen Su's heart moved, talking about the policy of governing the country, since the regent wants a woman to enter the court as an official, he will definitely take these contents into consideration.

She stood up and praised the book to Fu Qingyu who was slowly walking into the door of the bookstore: "Qingyu, just buy this one, I think it might be useful."

(End of this chapter)