soy sauce lady

Chapter 6

Xiao Zheng's birthday is on the sixth day of April.That day, he was busy with government affairs in the palace for a day, and when he turned around, he was called by Empress Dowager Li to congratulate him, and it was already night when he returned to the mansion.

According to his previous instructions, the mansion did not make any arrangements, and it was quiet as usual.

He went back to his room and changed his court clothes, and was about to deliver dinner when he heard Zhao Quan report that King Pingyang invited him to the front hall.

Because in his own mansion, Xiao Zheng was wearing snow-white casual clothes, which were loose and comfortable, and his jet-black hair had already been untied, and he was tied casually with a headband. Although he was not solemn enough, he was very elegant. He walked all the way to the front hall At that time, the clothes and belts were in the wind, just like the immortals walking out of the painting.

Walking to the door of the front hall, he opened the door and entered, but his face changed instantly when he saw the situation in the hall.

The hall is full of Chinese lights, delicious food and wine, full of guests, very lively.

Xiao Zheng glanced around lightly, and walked in. His steps were slow and steady. In the eyes of everyone, they looked the same as usual. Only Zhao Quan, who was following behind him, and Xiao Duan, who was sitting upright on the right, noticed him. displeasure.

Xiao Zheng's displeasure was not because Xiao Duan didn't listen to him and held this banquet for him, but because he invited so many ministers.

Almost all the people who came were his confidantes or good friends in the court. This banquet was not so much a birthday celebration as a private meeting.If he was caught by someone with a heart, it would be his regent who took the lead in forming a clique.

But the people had already arrived, so it was not easy for him to drive them away. When he went up to sit behind the desk, Xiao Zheng became the regent in the eyes of everyone, indifferent and majestic, aloof.

Seeing this, Xiao Duan secretly breathed a sigh of relief, and raised his glass first: "My nephew congratulates the emperor's uncle on his birthday."

The ministers below, led by Lu Fang, also stood up and toasted, and said in unison: "Congratulations on the birthday of the lord, and may the lord live forever."

"Birthday is a trivial matter, I am ashamed to thank everyone for coming here." Xiao Zheng raised his glass and nodded slightly, and glanced at Xiao Duan with neither salty nor weak eyes.

He called these ministers today, is he trying to help him with practical actions?
After scanning around the guests present, Xiao Zheng noticed that several aides in the mansion were also there, and suddenly remembered that there were two female aides in the mansion, so he ordered Zhao Quan to invite them to the banquet, otherwise it would be a lack of courtesy .

Zhao Quan had to order to do it, but just as he went out, he bumped into Wen Su and Fu Qingyu who rushed over.

Knowing that there will be a banquet tonight, the two even dressed up specially.Wen Su wore a water red skirt and a short shirt with a blue collar and white face. It was fresh and elegant, and against the white skin and black eyes, she looked more aura.

Fu Qingyu was wearing a light blue silk dress, with a rare hairpin on her hair, and even some rouge and gouache, but compared with Wen Su, who has fair skin and soft appearance, it is hard to lose her heroic spirit.

The two walked into the hall respectfully, and instantly attracted everyone's attention.

This is the first time a female staff member has appeared in public.

Wen Su held a food box in his hand, which contained a new type of pastry that he had painstakingly developed. He followed Fu Qingyu and kowtowed under Xiao Zheng, "I wish the prince a long life, and the two people will never repay the favor of the prince. , I can only use a box of pastries to do my best."

After hearing this, Xiao Zheng glanced at her.It turned out that this was what she was busy with these days.

He is not interested in cakes, but thinks that she sings Jiangnan folk songs well, and every time he is upset and goes quietly to listen to it for a while, he feels bored.

"Bring it up."

When Wen Su heard this, she immediately got up and took the cake over, and respectfully put it on the table in front of Xiao Zheng.

Xiao Duan raised the corners of his mouth uncontrollably.

The box was opened, and there were only two pieces of pastries inside, both of which were made into the shape of beauties. The clothes were fluttering and lifelike. I don’t know what kind of sauce was used to describe the shape of the clouds, and there was a slight fragrance of fruit. The whole combination looked like a fairy Coming on the clouds, elegant and graceful.

Such a wonderful food, even Zhao Quan, who has always hated Jiangnan pastry, admired it a little, but Xiao Zheng's face darkened.Because there is one word written on each of the two cakes, the combination is the word he most taboo: beauty.

There was a sudden silence in the hall, and everyone below was a little surprised why the regent was silent. They all stretched their necks to see what kind of pastries were in the food box, but Xiao Zheng suddenly put the box The cover was closed heavily, the movement was so loud that Wen Su couldn't help shrinking his neck in fright, and went to look at the regent, facing his gloomy face.

Although he didn't say anything, the displeasure between his eyebrows was too obvious.

Wen Su was a little uneasy, and couldn't help raising his eyes to look at King Pingyang, already sure in his heart that what he revealed to him was false information.However, Xiao Duan just raised his glass and drank lightly, without looking at her, the corners of his mouth hidden behind the loose sleeves slightly curled into a mocking smile.

The atmosphere in the hall was coercive, and after a long silence, it was Xiao Zheng who finally broke the deadlock by himself: "Good job, you two have a heart."

Xiao Duan was taken aback when he heard the words, and looked at his uncle in disbelief, and was even more astonished when he saw that he still had a smile on his face.

Following Xiao Zheng's gaze, Xiao Duan's gaze fell on Wen Su, and he frowned slightly. Could it be that uncle has taken a fancy to this woman?

He has read Wen Su's answer sheet, but he is just a mediocre person, and it is a miracle that he can stay in the palace. How can such a person be worthy of a character like his uncle?
However, what surprised him was still behind, Xiao Zheng not only lost his anger, but also asked Zhao Quan to arrange a seat for the two female staff members on his left side, and sit on top with them.

This move has already shown that he attaches great importance to the two.

Lu Fang and others below thought of the future of the Qinghai State Mission, and they were not surprised, only Xiao Duan was very upset.

He was puzzled, he is still his own nephew, and he can't even say "beautiful woman", so why is the girl surnamed Wen all right?Uncle is too partial!

Wen Su is also taking a peek at Xiao Duan at this moment, feeling very depressed: Where did she offend King Pingyang?Why would he deliberately reveal a false news to punish himself?
Fu Qingyu, who hadn't figured out the situation all this time, approached her and asked in a low voice: "What happened just now?"

Wen Su immediately raised a smiling face and shook his head, covering up the past.

One thing more is worse than one thing less. It can't be said that King Pingyang deliberately punished her, right?

I thought that this banquet would be all about sitting, eating, drinking and drinking, but later on, everyone started to discuss state affairs, and their interest was getting higher and higher.

Fu Qingyu listened very seriously, and Wen Su even felt that she was holding back her words so she didn't come out and participate in the discussion.She was not interested in these things, but sat very close to Xiao Zheng, and couldn't let go of her belly to eat and drink, so she could only endure the endless discussions, she was almost drowsy.

boring……

However, she might not be the only one who felt bored, because the Prince Regent also had a dispirited look on his face at this time, only holding a light drink with a wine cup, without saying a word.

When Wen Su turned her head and glanced over, she happened to see Xiao Duan staring at her uncle thoughtfully, with unclear meaning in his eyes, as if there was a hint of temptation in his eyes.She suddenly felt that this banquet was not simple, so she listened carefully for a while, only to find that most of the topics they talked about were switching between the unknown of the emperor and the wise and mighty regent.

Picking up the wine glass, and covering his face with his sleeve while holding it up, Wen Su smiled imperceptibly.

My lords are too obvious, I said, if you want to rebel, you should keep a low profile anyway, right?

Perhaps seeing that the regent had nothing to say, Lu Fang and Xiao Duan looked at each other, and soon the discussions below increased a lot, until they were interrupted by the sound of a heavy wine cup falling to the ground.

Wen Su's arm was bumped, and when she turned her head to look, she saw the Prince Regent falling headlong beside her, reeking of alcohol.

drunk?

This amount of alcohol... is calculated in drops, right?
The hall suddenly fell silent, Zhao Quan hurried to help Xiao Zheng, but was stopped by Xiao Duan, "I can just send uncle back to the room to rest." He bent down to help Xiao Zheng up, and held him with some difficulty go out.

Wen Su could see clearly that King Pingyang's complexion was not good just now, he seemed very upset.

The situation here is really complicated.Wen Su shrugged, the only thing she could do was to eat a few more mouthfuls of food before the meeting ended.

"Uncle, there are no outsiders here, so don't pretend to be drunk." As soon as he arrived in the garden, Xiao Duan let go of Xiao Zheng, with a hint of annoyance in his voice.

Xiao Zheng stood firm, straightened his clothes, which had been intentionally wet with wine, and glanced at him calmly.

Although he couldn't see any emotion, Xiao Duan still felt his whole body sink, he knew that this was his uncle's habit, he would not speak out when he was unhappy, but the pressure in his eyes was overwhelming, making it impossible to escape.

Xiao Duan stabilized his mind, curled his lips and smiled casually, "Is uncle angry because my nephew played tricks on a girl surnamed Wen?"

He will avoid the seriousness and take the lightest.Xiao Zheng stared at him, the lights hanging in the corridor reflected in his deep eyes, the meaning was unclear, "It's a pity that you have always looked down on the emperor, this alone shows that you are as ignorant as him, and you do things only on your own Just like it."

"What?" Xiao Duan couldn't help but be astonished.

"Wen Su is a staff member in the mansion, why are you punishing her if you have nothing to do?"

Xiao Duan came back to his senses, and said mockingly: "I only want to make cakes for my uncle, don't I just want to serve others with sex?" He raised his eyebrows and looked at Xiao Zheng, "Uncle protects her like this. Didn't you really fall in love with her?"

Xiao Zheng sneered, "If it's easy for me to fall in love with someone like this, then I don't know how many women there are in this mansion."

"But uncle treated her extremely politely today."

"I want to tell you that she is a female staff member. If the marriage between Qinghai Kingdom and Daliang is not successful, she will still be useful. You should also treat her with courtesy, instead of teasing her like an ordinary woman."

Xiao Duan fell silent when he heard the words.

Xiao Zheng raised his eyes and glanced in the direction of the front hall, with a slightly impatient look on his face, "As for the banquet you arranged today, I will pretend it never happened, but there must never be another time!" When Xiao Duan answered, he had already left in a flick of his sleeves.

"Prince Pingyang."

Someone approached behind him, Xiao Duan turned around, it turned out to be Lu Fang.

"How? Is the prince really drunk?"

Xiao Duan smiled helplessly, "Lord Lu, I'm afraid Uncle is planning to become a character like Zhou Gongdan."

Lu Fang frowned, shook his head and sighed: "My lord is a genius, a king's talent, what a pity..." After a pause, he asked again: "Then what is the lord of Pingyang's next plan?"

Xiao Duan glanced at him, raised his eyes to look at the courtyard not far away with a gleam of light, and said with a smile: "Next, I will obey my uncle's instruction and treat the two female staff members kindly."

"Huh?" Lu Fang was confused.

In the early morning of the second day, Wen Su yawned and opened the door, and saw a figure standing at the door, and almost ran back in fright.

"Ping, Prince Pingyang, what are you doing?"

Xiao Duan only wore a plain white coat, and carried a few thorns on his back. Although he didn't break his skin, he looked weak at first.

"This king is here to plead guilty. The cake incident yesterday was because I deliberately teased the girl. I hope the girl will forgive me."

ha?
Wen Su swallowed her saliva, and said weakly: "No need..."

Xiao Duan smiled gently, "Miss, can you forgive me?"

"Forgive, forgive, my lord, you are really a spoiled girl." Wen Su was on the verge of crying.

"In this way, the king will feel at ease." Xiao Duan breathed a sigh of relief, turned around and walked out, even with the thorns on his back, he was handsome, calm and personable.

Wen Su was not in the mood to appreciate it, she was rubbing her forehead and sighing: Is the world changing too fast?Is it popular for princes to play this again?

It was not long before the envoys from the Qinghai State visited, and Xiao Zheng began to think about who to choose as a representative to show the progress of the New Deal.

From morning to lunch, he had read the answer sheets of Fu Qingyu and Wen Su that day no less than dozens of times in the study.

After thinking about it again and again, I still feel that Fu Qingyu is more reliable, and Wen Su is clever, but after all, it is the first time to meet the envoy of Qinghai Kingdom, so it is always right to be on the safe side.

As soon as he had made up his mind, Xiao Zheng ordered Zhao Quan to inform Fu Qingyu that he was going to go to court with him tomorrow.

It is still necessary to walk around in advance.

Wen Su has recently become obsessed with the legendary storybook, and was reading it with gusto in the room, when she saw Fu Qingyu rushing over excitedly, pulling her and yelling: "Susu, Susu, I'm going to be an official!"

Wen Su blinked her eyes, and when she understood the meaning of her words, she hurriedly congratulated: "Congratulations, don't forget about riches and honors!"

It is very important to build a good relationship at this time.

Fu Qingyu smiled embarrassedly. Although she tried her best to conceal it, she seemed to be overflowing with joy, and she couldn't hide it no matter what.It was the first time for Wen Su to see her showing such obvious emotions, and it seemed that she had been looking forward to this day for a long time.She was also happy for her, but then she thought of something and couldn't be happy again.

Fu Qingyu is going to be an official, so will anyone who can't be an official be sent out of the government?
No……

Seeing Wen Su's bitter face, Fu Qingyu thought she was disappointed that she was not reused, and she never dared to express her joy too obviously, and she did not forget to comfort her with kind words: "Susu, don't worry, I will There is a chance."

Wen Su was not easy to explain, so she just nodded along with her meaning.After thinking about it, out of good intentions, she couldn't help but remind her: "Qingyu, this time as an official is for the New Deal, and the New Deal is for Daliang's marriage with the Qinghai Kingdom, so... you'd better be careful."

Although Fu Qingyu has real talents and learning, but if he is too obsessed with his official career, he tends to ignore other aspects.After getting along these days, Wen Su has seen that she doesn't care about marrying Qinghai country at all, and pays more attention to serving the country with the knowledge she has learned.

Wen Su is different. She has been bullied by her clan since she was a child, and if she is a little careless, she will be taken advantage of, and everything in the family will be robbed.This has resulted in her character that she can't help but think more about everything she does, and she is very cautious.

Of course, the new policy this time is not as high-sounding as the imperial list said. She has already found out clearly that it is just to cater to the policies of neighboring countries.

To put it bluntly, the two of them are just a decoration, used to stabilize Qinghai's pawns, but Fu Qingyu is not conscious of this, so Wen Su wants to remind her.

Fu Qingyu only had a half-knowledge of the meaning of her words, maybe he was too excited, and didn't think much about it, so he nodded perfunctorily as a response.

Naturally, Wen Su didn't want to say too much. If she said too much, she might be considered to be jealous of her and deliberately scare her. Fu Qingyu was arrogant, and she knew it very well.

Before dawn the next day, Zhao Quan knocked on the door and told Fu Qingyu to prepare to go to court. Wen Su was woken up, sighed and buried her head in the quilt to catch up on sleep.

When Fu Qingyu saw it, she thought she was sad, so she couldn't help comforting her, but this comforting actually made her drowsy go away.

Wen Su couldn't refute, so she responded one by one helplessly, and when Fu Qingyu went out, she thumped the bed board hard.

Irritable, who wants to be an official, it's inhumane to wake up so early! ! !

I thought Fu Qingyu would take a long time to go to court, but Wen Su saw her back just after breakfast.

"Huh, so fast?" If I knew there were so few things to do, I would have slept more, what a waste!

Hearing the words, Fu Qingyu didn't seem to hear her question at all, her brows were slightly frowned, her expression blank.

Seeing this, Wen Su couldn't help but feel a little strange, and leaned closer to her to look left and right, then pulled her to sit down at the table, "Qingyu, what's wrong?"

"Actually, I can't tell." Fu Qingyu glanced at her, and suddenly asked a nonsensical question: "Susu, do you think there is something wrong with the clothes I'm wearing today?"

She is wearing new clothes today that she has been reluctant to wear. The dark blue silk is very solemn.Wen Su shook his head, no problem.

"What's the matter?"

Fu Qingyu hesitated for a moment before saying in distress: "Today the court discussed political affairs, the lord asked me to express my opinion, so I expressed my own opinion, who knew that the Chief Assistant would criticize me as soon as I finished speaking .”

"And then?" Wen Su had vaguely guessed the result in his heart.

"Then I argued with him a few words, but in the end all the officials in the court looked at me strangely, and then the prince told me to go back to the mansion first..."

really!

Fu Qingyu had the experience of disguised as a man when she was a child, and she didn't care about the difference between men and women, but the court has always been dominated by men. The first time she saw a woman go to court, she couldn't help but want to give her a favor. Dismounted.However, with Fu Qingyu's lofty temperament, it is rare for him to have the opportunity to display his talents, so how can he tolerate being suppressed.

Wen Su sighed in her heart, I'm afraid that the few words she said to argue with Mr. Shoufu... were not very gentle.

"Not only is it not gentle, it is simply too sharp!"

In the study, Xiao Zheng who just came back sighed helplessly to Xiao Duan who was sitting opposite.

The royalist party headed by Ding Zhengyi did not want women to enter the court, and Wang Dingyong also blocked the new deal on the grounds of ancestral etiquette, and the little emperor was even more reluctant.But under such circumstances, Fu Qingyu offended all those people with a rebuttal.

After listening to the process, Xiao Duan couldn't help laughing out loud, his long eyelashes trembled slightly, he was indescribably elegant and moving, "From what my uncle said, this Fu Qingyu is really capable."

"It's true that you have real skills, but it's true that you don't have a good temper." Xiao Zheng raised his hand and pinched the center of his brows, quite worried.

I thought it would be safe to choose Fu Qingyu, but I didn't expect it to be a worry.Since ancient times, men are superior to women, but she doesn't care at all, she is serious and noble, today's remarks made the civil and military of the Manchu Dynasty have resistance to women's entry into officialdom, what results will they show to the envoys of Qinghai?

Xiao Duan didn't have his uncle's anxiety at all, took a sip of tea leisurely from the teacup in front of him, and said with a smile: "Then what's your uncle's plan going forward?"

Xiao Zheng lowered his eyes and pondered, the light in his eyes half-curved, and after a while, he raised his head and said to the door: "Zhao Quan, go and invite Wen Su to come here."

"Uncle intends to use her?"

Xiao Zheng nodded.

In fact, he was also a little worried, but he had to give it a try, after all, he had no other choice right now.

Wen Su was met by Zhao Quan at the gate of the courtyard. In fact, she was waiting here by herself.

Since Fu Qingyu caused the current situation, it is inevitable that her chess piece will come in handy, but it will be a big blow to Fu Qingyu, so she still stops here, and it is better not to let her know the news for the time being .

Arriving at Xiao Zheng's study, Wen Su was a little embarrassed when he saw King Pingyang was there.

The scene of pleading guilty to thorns that day was really shocking, and it caused her to have nightmares for several nights in a row, all of which were King Pingyang chasing her with thorns on his back.

Injustice...

After saluting the two princes one after another, Wen Su stood with hands down, staring at the upper of the shoe and waiting for instructions.

"Wenqing is interested in officialdom?"

Xiao Zheng's words made Wen Su's stomach hurt for a while, and only the word "Qing" also showed that she was indeed going to be used.

"Well, to report back to the lord, the daughter of the people has no intention of being an official, but if the country needs it, she should serve herself."

Xiao Zheng's eyes lit up when he heard the words, she was really a clever woman, and she threw the topic to him again with a word.

Xiao Duan at the side couldn't help but look Wen Su up and down, as if meeting her for the first time.

Xiao Zheng smiled, "Then this is the time. The Qinghai Kingdom will send envoys to inspect the progress of the new policy. This king wants you to become an official in the court. Do you understand what to do then?"

Wen Su lowered her eyes and thought for a while, then said respectfully: "Ministers are stupid, please tell me what to do."

Xiao Duan's eyes swept over Wen Su's body, looked at his uncle, exchanged eyes, and smiled knowingly.

That's her.

What the court needs at this time is not a well-educated female Zhuge, but a piece of dough that can be kneaded into any shape, as long as it can handle Qinghai Kingdom.

Xiao Zheng was really glad that she was kept at that time, round but not slippery, flat but not mediocre, it was considered a piece of rough jade yet to be carved.

"The Master said: 'The doctrine of the mean is a virtue, and it is the ultimate! The people have been rare for a long time.' Today I saw this virtue in Wenqing."

Wen Su thought to himself, lord, you are really good at talking, but you obviously have no skills, but you said that you are a middle-aged and high-virtuous person. When it comes to this point, you are really destined to be driven out of the market, and there is no turning back...

"My lord praises me a lot. Although the daughters of the people are not talented, they will definitely serve the country with all their heart."

Xiao Zheng nodded in satisfaction, but suddenly heard her say: "However, there is still one thing I want to ask."

"Huh? What's the matter?"

"Qingyu..." Wen Su said hesitantly, "She has real talents and real learning. If she loses the opportunity because of me, she will be ashamed."

Xiao Duan couldn't help clapping his hands when he heard the words, "It turns out Miss Wen is still a person who values ​​love and righteousness."

Wen Su twitched the corner of her mouth, sir, do you have to be so sarcastic?
"I understand what you mean, I will arrange it myself, you can rest assured."

Wen Su heaved a sigh of relief, and hurriedly saluted and thanked her.

After all, she knew Fu Qingyu's ambitions after getting along, and it was fine if she couldn't enter the officialdom, but she was still given the place by an ordinary person like herself, and she couldn't accept it otherwise.

After everything was arranged, Fu Qingyu was still struggling when she returned to the courtyard, and Wen Su couldn't say much, pretending nothing happened.

She went to bed very early that night, mainly because she would get up by herself for fear that she would not be able to get up the next day.In order not to let Fu Qingyu know, she told Zhao Quan not to call her tomorrow morning.

Although it was already April, the sun was still very short, and when Wen Su yawned and sat in the Regent's carriage the next day, it was still the darkest moment before dawn, but it also covered up her sleepy appearance very well.

At the gate of the palace, there were eunuchs carrying lanterns to guide the way, Xiao Zheng saw that Wen Su was still wearing his usual clothes, blue background and white flowers, very simple and elegant, but his words in court seemed too petty.

And Wen Su just smiled, pretending he didn't see it, and obediently followed him towards the palace.

After all, it was the first time entering the imperial palace. Wen Su's knees felt a little weak when he thought about facing the leadership core of this huge empire. Finally, when he saw the rising steps and the majestic palace gate, he finally couldn't help stretching out his hand. He tugged at Xiao Zheng's sleeve.

"My lord, how will I deal with it later, can you tell me something first, so that I can feel at ease?"

Seeing her slightly pale face, Xiao Zheng softened his heart a bit. After all, she is a woman. Unlike Fu Qingyu's strong support yesterday, she directly showed timidity.

"Don't worry, no matter what, I'm still here."

That's right, with the Prince Regent around, the Emperor has to be courteous, so what are you afraid of?
Wen Su breathed a sigh of relief, calmed down, followed Xiao Zheng up the steps, and walked towards the center of power step by step...

(End of this chapter)