soy sauce lady

Chapter 23

It's already the climax of the moon, Xiao Duan is still sitting in the restaurant drinking leisurely.

On the opposite side, Lu Fang lowered his voice and mumbled: "My lord has been very close to Mr. Wen recently. From this appearance, is it possible that something good is coming?"

"The closeness is true, is it a good thing..." Xiao Duan hooked the corners of his lips, and took another sip of the fine wine.

Lu Fang was not surprised by his behavior of betrayal for a long time, so he didn't ask much, after drinking a glass of wine, he raised his eyes and asked him: "By the way, Lord Pingyang, why did you drag Fu Qingyu into this matter? Seeing that she is not a clever master, what if something happens?"

When I first arrived at the restaurant today, I heard King Pingyang talk about it, and Lu Fang was very worried.

"This king doesn't need her to be smart, besides, she has already played a role now." Xiao Duan smiled mockingly, put down his wine glass, and waved his hand, "Let's not talk about this, now that the alliance is settled, the focus of the court is Should we turn to Jiangnan to suppress the rebellion?"

Lu Fang nodded, "What the prince said is very true, the regent has already started to order us to make arrangements."

"Hmm..." Xiao Duan responded casually, pointing his fingers at the table, rolling his eyes slightly, not knowing what he was thinking.

After a while, he chuckled suddenly, and said, "It is necessary to send troops to counter the rebellion, and the court must also start to consider the candidate for the commander. Lu Fang, I want you to take the initiative to invite Ying."

After the morning court on the second day, Wen Su officially took up his post and rushed to the Imperial Study to teach His Majesty the Emperor.

Walking through the road under the majestic palace wall, turning and passing through a palace gate, you can faintly see the corner of the imperial study room.

On the way here, she ran into many ministers one after another. Except for Mr. Shoufu who was still arrogant, the rest of them saluted her honestly despite their dissatisfaction with her.

So Wen Su's mood at this time is just one word: cool!

He walked to the door in good spirits, before the little eunuch guarding the door could report, he saw the door was opened, and the person who came out was Wang Dingyong.

Seeing Wen Su standing outside the door, Wang Dingyong's face was complicated, he couldn't tell whether it was embarrassment or resentment, "Young Master Wen is polite."

"Master Yushi is polite." Wen Su bowed back and glanced behind him, amused in his heart.

Judging by his appearance, he must have come here unconsciously.He has been teaching the emperor these days, so get used to it as you go.

Seeing the teasing in her eyes, Wang Dingyong became more and more uncomfortable, and was about to leave after a hasty goodbye.

"My lord, stay behind."

"Is there something else for Wen Shaofu?" Wang Dingyong turned his head and smiled at her.

"It's nothing, I just hope that Lord Yushi will remember His Majesty's current appearance, because in the future, I will definitely show you a different Majesty."

This smile...is it evil?Wang Dingyong broke into a cold sweat, "What does Wen Shaofu mean by this?"

"It means that I will let the adults see the results, and one day, the adults will definitely agree with me!"

Wang Dingyong was startled, the woman in front of him had already turned around and opened the door to enter.

The words "Wen's family" in the court hall that day were still in my ears, so what Wen Su said was actually a bit of anger, but after careful calculation, it was actually a kind of struggle.

In comparison, Mr. Ding is stubborn to death. As long as there is a little possibility, he will beat her, a deviant woman, back to the grassroots class, and will never let her have a chance to get involved in the court again.

But Wang Dingyong was different, he just took a wait-and-see attitude towards her, neither praise nor derogation.In other words, he guards his bottom line, as long as he doesn't go out of line, he can accept it.It wasn't until that day that Ri Wensu was canonized as a first-rank Shaofu that he couldn't help but say what was in his heart. The etiquette of his ancestors was really taken too seriously in his eyes.

Therefore, at this time, Wen Su was shaking his ideas, and one day he wanted to make him agree that a woman can also be an official and make some achievements, instead of just shrinking behind a man and being unknown for a lifetime.

The words are very strong and powerful, but after seeing the state of the little emperor, Wen Su feels that this is actually an extremely difficult challenge.

His Majesty the Emperor was lying weakly in front of the table, and he also looked dispirited when he saw her salute.

"Your Majesty, it's time to study." Wen Su kindly reminded.

"Young Fu, I'm not in the mood to stop for a day." The emperor continued to be melancholy without raising his eyelids.

"Your Majesty, an inch of time and an inch of gold cannot be wasted."

"But I'm really not in the mood..."

Wen Su shook his head and sighed, "Could it be that Your Majesty is sad because of Her Majesty's departure?"

Yusong from East Germany had already set off to return home yesterday morning. His Majesty the Emperor personally sent him out of the city gate, and his eyes were even red when he looked at it from the top of the building. It was clearly two little mandarin ducks who were reluctant to part with each other.

Tsk tsk, Wen Su felt emotional at that time, His Majesty the Emperor is really precocious.

When sad things were mentioned, His Majesty the Emperor was even more powerless, and he didn't even want to reply.

Wen Su was a little amused, looking at his appearance, it actually looked more like he lost a partner.Thinking of this, Wen Su recalled that Xiao Zheng had mentioned before that the emperor had no brothers, only a few sisters, who were similar in age but did not see each other often, so they must have been very lonely all the time.

She glanced at Fugui who was standing beside her, and said in a low voice, "Your Majesty, why don't you let Fugui accompany you out to play, just to relax."

"Ah?" Both Fugui and the emperor looked surprised.

"Young Fu, are you serious?"

"Of course, today's lesson is to teach His Majesty how to play, and tomorrow I will come to hear His Majesty's experience." She winked at the emperor, turned and went out.

The emperor sat in a daze for a while, and gradually became happy again. At this moment, look, this teacher is still good!

Back at the residence, as soon as I walked to the gate of the courtyard, I saw the servant girl, Xi Que, coming up to her with a smile, "My lord, the slaves and servants have prepared everything for you."

"Hey, Magpie, you're really getting smarter and smarter." Wen Su praised her, and didn't forget to take out some pieces of silver from her sleeve and stuff them for her.

The magpie took the money, thanked it with a smile on his face, and became more and more devoted to his duty, "My lord, do you want my servant to deliver the things for you?"

Wen Su waved his hand, "No need, I can go by myself, you can go to work."

The magpie agreed and walked away happily.

Wen Su entered the room and saw that there were two sets of ready-made clothes on the table, several boxes of rouge and gouache, and more of these were high-quality pens, inks, papers and inkstones.

These were what she ordered Magpie to go out and buy before going to court, and she was going to give them to Fu Qingyu.

These days are like going through a new life. First, she has decided her life goals and then her emotional affiliation. Wen Su's emotions have been fluctuating and jumping in excitement, so after she wakes up, she suddenly remembers that she has neglected someone.

In terms of feelings, she only thought of Liu Ke getting hurt, and almost forgot about Fu Qingyu.Compared to Liu Ke, Fu Qingyu felt even more uncomfortable. Excluding the factor of the regent, now that she entered the mansion at the same time as an aide, she has become a high-ranking official. What should she think in her heart?
Wen Su sighed, picked up the gift and walked towards Fu Qingyu's yard.

The courtyard was very quiet, only two maids were cleaning. They seemed to be newcomers, but they were very clever. Seeing that she was holding so many things in her hands, she quickly stepped forward to help, and each of them took half of it. She immediately felt relieved.

"Master Fu is reading a book in the house, and the maidservant is going to report." A girl took a few steps towards the door with her things in her arms.

Wen Su curled her lips. In the past, she always barged in directly. It seems that she should pay more attention in the future.

As soon as he walked to the door, he suddenly heard a sound, which seemed to be the sound of a teacup falling to the ground. Wen Su was taken aback, walked quickly a few steps, stepped into the room, and met Fu Qingyu's panicked expression.

"Qingyu, what's the matter?" Wen Su couldn't help being puzzled seeing her expression becoming more flustered after seeing him.

"Su, Susu, why are you here?"

"Oh, let me bring you something."

The two girls had already put the things on the table, Wen Su stepped forward and showed her one by one, "These are two spring clothes, you only know how to read all day long, and never know what clothes to wear for yourself, this The color of the two looks good to me, and I can wear them when I go outing in the next two months."

"You usually don't use rouge and gouache, so I gave you more pens, inks, papers and inkstones. I originally wanted to pick you from Bozhou, but the boss said they didn't arrive, so I picked this one. I think it looks good. Look at it. What do you see?"

Raising her hand to hand over the brush, Wen Su couldn't help being taken aback, only to find that Fu Qingyu had been in a daze, wondering what she was thinking.

"Sapphire?"

"Oh..." Fu Qingyu came back to her senses, waved off the two girls, and sat down slowly, "Why are you giving me these?"

Wen Su smiled, and sat down opposite her, "I haven't had time to visit you these days, so I can't come empty-handed. By the way, last time I asked you to help me find out my ancestors."

Fu Qingyu's face turned pale again, and she wanted to take a sip of tea to calm down, but found that the teacup had been broken on the ground and had not been cleaned up yet.Slightly raised his eyes to look at the woman sitting across from him, and suddenly smiled wryly, "I know your intentions, I know everything about you and the regent, as well as your promotion..."

There was a moment of silence in the room, and after a while, Wen Su's plain and slightly solemn voice sounded: "Yes, Qingyu, I did have a guilty heart before I came here, that's why I brought you so many things, But it’s more about caring, you and I entered the palace at the same time, not to mention close friends, but we have walked together all the way so far, in my heart, you are well-educated, talented, and will always be a friend worthy of my admiration."

Fu Qingyu subconsciously grabbed the hem of the skirt with her hands on her knees.

"I'm really sorry to talk about the Prince Regent, but I'm here today to be honest with you, not to ask for your forgiveness, because the feelings come from the heart, and I love him, so I shouldn't lie to you. As for the promotion..." Wen Su paused, and looked at Fu Qingyu with firm eyes, "Qingyu, you are an ambitious person, you should understand my feelings, now I have the same mentality as you, in comparison, it's just a comparison You just had one more chance, so I have no regrets about this matter."

Fu Qingyu looked up in astonishment, "You mean you are an official now because you have ambition?"

"Yes."

She opened her mouth, unable to speak.

Everything Wen Su said was reasonable, her relationship with the Prince Regent was from the bottom of her heart, and she was in love with a concubine, so what right did she have to dictate?She became an official because she had ambitions. Could it be that if she couldn't realize her ambitions, she had to accommodate those who were successful?

Wen Su had already left, but those words still echoed in his ears.Fu Qingyu slumped to the ground, blaming herself for embarrassment.

She used to read the books of sages, why did she become such a person?
As if suddenly remembering something, she got up from the ground and rushed out.The two maids outside were startled and hurriedly followed, but retreated quietly after seeing her enter the East Nuan Pavilion.

Fu Qingyu pushed open the door, without paying attention to the person reclining on the couch, she said directly: "Prince Pingyang, I'm sorry, I can't cooperate with you anymore."

"Oh?" Xiao Duan opened his eyelids to look at her with a calm emotion, "Why?"

"The lower officials can't harm Wen Su."

"Hey——" Xiao Duan chuckled, his eyes suddenly turned sharp, "Didn't you already do it?"

After talking about that identity, do you still want to take it back?As long as he is willing, that identity can change into countless versions. What's the use of her regretting it now?

Fu Qingyu took a step back unconsciously, and after a while, finally walked out in a daze.

Not long after, two more people walked into the room, they were the two girls who were in charge of serving Fu Qingyu.

"Keep an eye on her, don't make any trouble." Xiao Duan ordered lightly.

"Yes, master."

The weather is getting warmer and the grass is growing and the warbler is flying. It is the most beautiful scene in the year in Jiangnan, but the imperial court is discussing the plan to use troops in the area.

The little emperor was very annoyed by the quarrel for several days, and he still looked worried when he was attending class in front of Wen Su.

"Young Fu, how do you think the matter in Jiangnan should be resolved?"

"The rebels are stubborn and must use force. This is inevitable. Now that Qinghai is resisting foreign aggression, His Majesty does not need to worry too much. Jiangdong, Jiangnan and other places will surely return to His Majesty's hands."

"Oh, I hope." The little emperor sighed, and flipped open the book in front of him, "What are you going to learn today?"

Wen Su laughed: "Your Majesty, my book knowledge is not enough, maybe you have to teach me."

"Ah?" The emperor was stunned, "Then what do you want to teach me?"

Wen Su saluted him respectfully, "Teach Your Majesty how to be a king."

The way of being a king is first of all benevolence.

This is what Confucius said, but this is how he treats the common people. What Wen Su wants to teach the emperor is a set of tricks.

——The strategy of dealing with the court and dealing with the ministers.

But these are not just Wen Su's personal knowledge, many of them also come from the writings of that text Zijin.

The theory of Zhou Xuan recorded in the book is very subtle and amazing, and after Wen Su integrated it with his own insights, it became the knowledge that he wants to teach the emperor today.

However, considering His Majesty's age, she only chose the simplest part of the foundation. As for the rest, it will depend on him to learn from his own life the day after tomorrow.

She told Wang Dingyong that she wanted to create a different emperor, but she didn't just say it casually.

"For an emperor, if he wants to control his ministers, he must first understand the characteristics of each of them. This is called knowing oneself and knowing the enemy in the art of war, and one can fight a hundred battles without danger."

The imperial study room was lit with tranquilizing incense, and the atmosphere was peaceful and peaceful. The little emperor sat quietly behind the table, watching the woman in a dark blue official robe walking slowly and talking eloquently.

"To control the characteristics of each minister is not something that can be accomplished overnight. You need to read more and talk less. The superiors are uniquely blessed. They can make the ministers eloquent without talking too much. If you talk too much, you will lose, and you will inevitably expose your nature. Even weaknesses, these are exactly what His Majesty wants to control."

"There are many courtiers, so there must be relatives. Your Majesty should restrain your emotions. If you like it, don't say it's good, and if you hate it, don't say it's bad. Make the best use of the situation and put the right courtier in the right place, and the best effect will be exerted."

"If there are people with deep scheming, you should have the determination to control them, not shy away from them. You need to know that such people are the most prone to retreat and advance. Your Majesty should keep this in mind."

"..."

It was originally a boring lecture, but Wen Su also knew how to quote some examples, many of which came from the current court, and some of them analyzed the characteristics of individual ministers.

The more the little emperor listened, the more engrossed he became, and he didn't come back to his senses until the end of a class.

Wen Su's mouth was dry, and she hurriedly bowed and said goodbye, intending to find some water to drink first, but was stopped by him, "Why did Shaofu tell me this?"

Wen Su had already reached the door and paused, Wen Su turned her head and smiled, "Your Majesty is extremely intelligent and intelligent, but what you have come into contact with is too decent knowledge, I want to teach you some crooked things. Dao, this is what enriches your life..."

"..." The emperor twitched the corner of his mouth, what kind of reason is this?

Before going out, Wen Su added another sentence: "Young Master Weichen only intends to teach His Majesty three lessons, one is the last time you played, one is today, and the other one is over. Please come back and continue to teach you. Homework."

"This..." The emperor was inexplicable, and she had already left gracefully.

I have to say that this education is still somewhat effective, at least in court on the second day, His Majesty the Emperor already knew to use the opportunity of the quarrel between the ministers to collect information.

The previous few quarrels were all due to hesitation on whether to start a war against Jiangnan at this time. Perhaps the good times have passed for a long time, and some ministers even flinched a little.Later, it was the regent who spoke, and it was settled.

This battle is imperative.

But now, the ministers have begun to argue endlessly about the candidate for the head coach.

In terms of military generals, there is a king regent on the girder, and Lu Fang and the generals below, there is still no shortage of manpower.But the problem is that those people are of military origin, and they are more or less involved with the regent, which makes the royalists very uncomfortable.

However, most of the royalists are Confucian scholars, so they can't lead troops to fight, so the quarrel has not been resolved until now.

Ding Zheng went round and round in those few sentences, which meant nothing more than to choose a middle-level general, but the middle-level generals glanced over and reported their names one after another, all of which were rejected by Xiao Zheng.

This World War I is different and crucial.Speaking of the imperial court's preparations so far, if the flag cannot be set off to win, what will the people of the world think?
So be sure to choose a reliable candidate.

The two sides were arguing endlessly, reaching the point where they couldn't fight each other. Even Xiao Zheng, who was surprised by this appearance, pinched his brows with a look of impatience.

His sleeve was pulled slightly, he turned his head slightly, and saw Wen Su who was in the same row with him smiling at him.

Comprehending her comforting intentions, Xiao Zheng nodded lightly, and when he turned his head away again, he returned to his usual indifferent majesty.

"Chen Lu Fang said, I am willing to lead the troops, and I hope His Majesty will approve."

The sudden loud plea for orders made everyone stunned. Looking down, Lu Fang, Minister of the Ministry of War, had already knelt down on the ground.

Xiao Zheng was a little puzzled. He and Ding Zhengyi had been fighting against each other for a long time. If he made such a move at this time, he might cause a bigger quarrel.

Sure enough, before he finished thinking about this idea, Ding Zhengyi had already yelled: "Lord Lu is the Minister of the Ministry of War, and the overall planning and scheduling needed for the war is still in your hands. If you go to battle in person, who will do these things?"

Lu Fang was unmoved, "I only know that the lords are arguing endlessly, and they have reached the point where they are in a mess. If we don't make a decision as soon as possible, I'm afraid the Jiangnan rebels will take the lead."

Xiao Zheng's eyes flashed, and he nodded secretly, his words were true.

"Hmph!" Ding Zhengyi snorted coldly, turned around and cupped his hands at the emperor, and said, "Your Majesty, I don't think Mr. Lu is suitable for leading the army. Thinking back to the time when he fought on the battlefield, he was only a lieutenant under the regent and never fought alone. How can such a crucial battle be entrusted to you?"

The little emperor pursed his lips and remained silent, but felt that there was some truth in his heart.

"What Master Ding said is true."

The hall suddenly fell silent, because the regent suddenly spoke, and every quarrel seemed to end after he spoke.

"Since the debate has been going on, I feel that what you all said is very reasonable. The position of the head coach is of great importance. If you are not a reliable person, it is really hard to make people feel at ease."

Ding Zhengyi stroked his gray beard and nodded, a rare expression of approval, and he did not forget to stare at Lu Fang who was kneeling on the ground, implying that he should give up as soon as possible.

"What's your opinion, uncle?" The little emperor raised his hand towards Xiao Zheng, signaling him to continue talking.

"This king just thought of a very suitable candidate."

"Oh? Who, Uncle Huang, tell me quickly."

Xiao Zheng tilted his head slightly, and glanced at Wen Su.

This look is a little special, as if there is something to say.Wen Su's heart tightened, and when he suddenly heard him say it lightly: "The candidate is the king."

Everyone was in an uproar, the regent wanted to lead the army himself?
It has been several years since he cleared the frontier troubles. Although he is in charge of the whole country, he has never visited the barracks again. It seems that he has broken away from the past.
Seeing that Ding Zhengyi couldn't help but want to speak again, Xiao Zheng was the first to cut him off and said, "Your Majesty, you must know that the traitors in Jiangnan and other places are from the royal family. To deal with such family thieves, it is most suitable for me to go."

So Ding Zhengyi had no reason to refute.

In fact, Xiao Zheng didn't have this idea just now. He has been busy arranging this matter these days, and he will definitely consider the coach's problem, but he only regards himself as a backup when he has to.Just because the war is different from the previous disaster relief, I am afraid that it will not be possible to handle government affairs at the same time. Another reason is Wen Su.

It's not that she is addicted to the gentleness and cannot extricate herself, it's just that she has just started to work hard in the court, if she leaves him, will she be alone and helpless?

However, by now, it had to be dealt with.As Lu Fang said, endless quarrels and indecision will only give rebels a chance to recharge their batteries.

In addition, there is another reason that cannot be explained away, because Xiao Zheng has been dispatching spies to activities in Jiangnan and other places, otherwise the letter written by the emperor last time to the Jiang family would not have been delivered.Coupled with the information provided by the King of Shu last time, he himself is actually the person who knows the other party best.

Therefore, he is indeed the most suitable candidate for the coach.

The little emperor groaned silently, the regent's words were all reasonable, but he had to be scruples.

Originally, he was already at the height of his power, so it is not an exaggeration to say that the world only knows the regent but not the emperor.And based on his past achievements, he has a great chance of winning this battle, and his momentum will definitely be even stronger at that time. Will he, the emperor, never have a bright future?

Although he thought of these things, he couldn't think of a proper solution. His Majesty the Emperor could only sigh and nodded in agreement: "Everything that the emperor said is reasonable, so let's do it, and you must play."

Xiao Zheng raised his hand to salute, "Thank you Lord Long En."

Wen Su took a look at his side face, narrowing his eyes slightly.

When she retired from court, she quietly followed him out of the palace gate without saying a word.

"Why don't you talk?" Xiao Zheng turned to look at her, smiling gently.

"Nothing to say."

"What? Angry?"

"No."

"Why is that?"

"Because everything you said is reasonable, I have nothing to say but support."

Xiao Zheng smiled slightly, walked quietly, and said nothing more.

Under the sun, the figures of the two are one behind the other, almost at the same pace, so they have always maintained the same distance.

However, not long after walking out of the palace gate, Wen Su only felt her waist tighten, and when she came to her senses, Xiao Zheng had already embraced her by her side, and they finally became walking side by side.

"Don't worry, I'll be fine."

Wen Su had complicated emotions in her heart, and wanted to say something, but in the end she didn't say anything, just gave a soft "um".

(End of this chapter)