Eunuch's Declaration of Loyalty

Chapter 35

A Lantern Festival that Liu Qingtang had just scooped up fell back into the bowl, splashing a few soup stains.

"You're two years younger than me?!" Liu Qingtang's eyes widened in disbelief, Qin Shu didn't know whether he should nod or shake his head now.

Before Qin Shu could think of how to answer, Liu Qingtang lowered her head, scooped up the Lantern Festival from the bowl, stuffed it into her mouth, and chewed angrily, her cheeks bulging while chewing.

She always thought that Qin Shu was the same age as her, because once in her previous life she accidentally asked Qin Shu's age, and both Zhui Yi and Tao Ye said that he should be the same age as her.At that time, she just asked casually, and she didn't go to ask Qin Shu for confirmation. Looking at his face, she was about the same age as her, and she always thought so, but she didn't expect him to be two years younger than her age? !
In other words, according to the psychological age, he is more than two years younger.Thinking about it this way, Liu Qingtang felt even more unhappy.

Looking at the Lantern Festival in the bowl, Liu Qingtang felt her stomach was congested, glanced at Qin Shu who was watching her at a loss, put the bowl into his hand and said, "Eat them all."

"Yes, Miss." Qin Shu picked up a bowl to eat Yuanxiao, while eating, he secretly glanced at the sulking person sitting next to him.He found that the empress dowager seemed unhappy, but he didn't say anything... Could it be that the empress dowager didn't like him being younger than her?Qin Shu regretted what he said just now, but he couldn't take it back after saying it.So he felt helpless again because he couldn't speak in front of the empress dowager.

From Qin Shu's point of view, it's just a slight difference in age, and the empress dowager shouldn't care too much about it.But obviously he failed to understand the truth that 'women in love tend to think wildly'. No matter how strong Liu Qingtang is, she is still an ordinary woman facing her sweetheart.

Seeing that Qin Shu had finished eating, Liu Qingtang stood up and patted her skirt and said, "Let's go and guess the lantern riddles."

The empress is still interested in guessing lantern riddles, so she should be fine, right?Qin Shu breathed a sigh of relief thinking about it, and quickly followed her.

There are many places to guess lantern riddles. One is that the government hangs countless lanterns in a large open space. Everyone can guess, and tell the answer to the person guarding there. If the guess is right, the lantern can be taken away.

The second is that some merchants and shops on the street have united to set up a long string of lantern displays in front of the door. They can also get the prizes by guessing the lantern riddles hanging under the lanterns. Some of them can also get prizes prepared by the stores. Each person in the shop can only guess three times.

The third is some small markets that specialize in lanterns. You can go in and guess the lanterns by paying some money at the door.

Of course, there are also some famous literati and refined scholars who hold lantern festivals in their homes. They can enter by writing poems and paintings at the door and getting the appreciation of their masters. Most of them are used to make friends; Put on lanterns, make friends with literature, and get lanterns for writing articles and poems he likes. Depending on how satisfied the owner is with the works, he can get a few taels to dozens of taels or even hundreds of taels of silver.

Qin Shu originally thought that the empress dowager would only go to the first three kinds of lamp markets. After all, the latter two would easily reveal her identity, but unexpectedly, she dragged him directly to the door of Wu Shangshu's house, the nearest household department.

There were already many people around, most of whom were scholars in long gowns. They were all looking at the people who were writing and wielding pens on the table in front of them, and then they were discussing something in a low voice. In his 40s and with a beard, Wu Hansheng, the Minister of the Household Department, looked gentle and elegant, walking around in front of those tables, with a look of satisfaction and admiration on his face from time to time.

Liu Qingtang straightened her dress and walked over calmly.Although Qin Shu had some doubts and worries in his heart, he couldn't see it on his face at all, and followed Liu Qingtang one step behind her.No matter what the Empress Dowager does, there must be her reasons. He doesn't care if he is right or wrong, he just sticks by her side.

There were three vacant tables, Liu Qingtang chose the last one, stood still behind the table, and Qin Shu rubbed ink for her knowingly.The surrounding onlookers were in an uproar when they saw a woman stepping forward. After all, in this situation, if they didn't have real talents, not many men would dare to step forward. Women are really rare.

Fortunately, in the Southern Dynasties, there have been many women who are as talented as men. Most of the literati did not show any disdain, but rather looked forward to it.It's just because the other party looks like an unmarried woman, so I don't want to get too close to see it rashly, so I glance over there from time to time.

Of course, Wu Hansheng also noticed the woman who appeared suddenly. Seeing that she lowered her head as if she was painting, he stroked his beard curiously and walked over to take a closer look at what was painted.Who knew that as she approached, she happened to see her looking up, that familiar face scared him so much that he almost pulled off his own beard.

The empress dowager was out of the palace to visit his relatives, and they, as ministers, naturally knew about it, but the empress dowager was not at Liu's house, so how did she come to him in a subdued way?Wu Hansheng saw the guards in ordinary clothes under the tree not far away, and saw that the person grinding ink was the Eunuch Qin who was brought by the empress dowager to court these days, so he completely believed in the man in front of him who looked like himself. The girl whose daughter is about the same age is the empress dowager who turned her hands into clouds and rain in the court hall, and she suddenly groaned secretly in her heart.

Having been an official for more than [-] years, it is natural to see that the empress dowager would not want to reveal her identity at this time, so Wu Han calmly approached and pretended to look at the painting, and said in a low voice: "My minister greets the empress dowager, neglect your empress, please Empress forgive me."

Liu Qingtang smiled, shook her head slightly to indicate that nothing was wrong, and her subordinates kept drawing her pictures of the Lantern Festival.It was because of the sudden arrival of the empress dowager, Wu Hansheng, who was terrified, looked at the painting that was gradually taking shape, and couldn't help nodding and showing an approving smile.Liu Qingtang finished the last stroke, thought for a while and wrote next to it: "Dongfeng night puts flowers and trees, and blows stars like rain."

In the end, when Liu Qingtang left with the highest prize of several hundred taels of silver and the most exquisitely crafted lantern, Wu Hansheng was still holding the painting and thinking about it.What exactly is the Empress Dowager here for? Is it for the several hundred taels of silver?However, the painting of the empress dowager alone is definitely more than the hundreds of taels, and the empress dowager should not be short of money.After thinking about it, Wu Hansheng simply took the painting and went into the mansion. No matter what, the painting should be put away first, it is worth a lot of money.

"Miss, so many people saw the painting that Miss painted today. If Wu Shangshu took out the painting in the future and said it was the masterpiece of the Empress Dowager, it would be inappropriate for people to associate it with today." Qin Shu followed Liu Qingtang and left. Seeing Wu Shangshu holding the painting, he couldn't help but say.

Liu Qingtang felt a little relieved when she heard Qin Shu's awkward beating around the bush and trying to get the painting back.She had long noticed that Qin Shu looked at the painting without blinking his eyes, which showed that he wanted it very much.But the more he wanted it, the more she refused to give it to him.In fact, as long as she opened her mouth, Wu Shangshu would definitely send the painting back without saying a word, but when she saw Qin Shu's reluctant eyes, she generously gave the painting to Wu Shangshu without even thinking about it.

If Qin Shu wanted it on weekdays, she would have given Qin Shu a painting, but today she is still angry, could it be that Qin Shu couldn't see it?The eyes are going to be stuck in the painting.

Liu Qingtang turned to look at Qin Shu, seeing that he didn't seem to notice that she was still angry and was still reluctant to part with the painting, she suddenly became angry, and said in a muffled voice: "Wu Hansheng is very smart, he doesn't know how to do such things .”

Being able to maintain neutrality between her and the two Chief Assistants for such a long time naturally has his merits.If you can win over this smart person, it will be a good help in the future.

She didn't come here suddenly on a whim, but she had planned it long ago.Wu Hansheng is still neutral now, but he will be drawn into Wang Shoufu and Feng Shoufu's faction soon, because his daughter is married to Wang Shoufu's youngest son.As for Wu Hansheng, what he cares most about in his life is calligraphy, painting and his daughter.Now that he hasn't been drawn over, of course she wants to fight for it.

Another important reason is Wei Zheng.Wei Zheng is the orphan of her father's generals, they used to play together when they were young, and they have a good friendship with each other.When she grew up, her father thought about letting her marry Wei Zheng, but neither of them had such intentions, and his father didn't want her to marry so early, and after she entered the palace, the matter would be settled.

After becoming the Empress Dowager, Wei Zheng was her right-hand man and did many things for her.In the previous life, Liu Qingtang didn't know that Wei Zheng had been in love with Wu Shangshu's daughter until a few years later, but Wang Shoufu's youngest son ruined Miss Wu's reputation and forced Miss Wu to marry him. died.

After Miss Wu's death, Wei Zheng was depressed for a long time, and died in an accident caused by Wang Shoufu.If Wei Zheng hadn't died, she wouldn't have been put under semi-house arrest in the palace to wait to die so easily. After all, Wei Zheng held half of the military power that she had inherited from her father, and he had fewer worries than his father, making things more convenient. .

After Wei Zheng's death, she handed over half of the military power to her trusted emperor's nephew, which gave him the confidence to tear apart the Liu family.

Thinking of this, Liu Qingtang felt guilt and anger surging in her chest at the same time, barely suppressing this emotion, she began to think about when to marry Wei Zheng and Miss Wu.She remembered that Wei Zheng said that the first time she met Miss Wu was at the Lantern Festival this year, so after she went back, Yizhi could be drafted first.

(End of this chapter)