Emperor Kangxi: The First Rule of the Palace

Chapter 71 Miss Smith leaves the Ao Mansion with her hair disheveled
Both of them were stunned.In Beijing, this is the third time they have met.The first time she met Shi Jianmei and Shi Longbiao's adoptive father and daughter at the Xiheyan Temple Fair, but they were separated again in distress; the second time Shi Jianmei called the police in the middle of the night and rescued Kangxi.From then on, the two passed on news through Liu Hua, Xiao Qi and others.It has been more than a year now, and has experienced many dangerous winds and waves during the year.When I saw Shi Jianmei today, her hair was disheveled, her face was pale, she was out of breath, and she looked devastated, how could it not make people feel sad!

After a long time, Wei Dongting opened his mouth to speak: "Meimei, I didn't expect you to suffer so much! I'm too busy with official duties these days, so I didn't take care of you! But I have already taken care of Tie Gai and told him not to embarrass his servants, why? ..."

"You don't need to talk about these things!" Jianmei said as she walked in, "I have something important to ask you." Wei Dongting hastily let her into his bedroom.

Everything here is still the same as it was a year ago. On the table are the books that Wei Dongting read that night.The embroidered pier that Jianmei sat on was still in place, and even the mirror table and wooden comb that Jianmei used to make up that night were still quietly placed in the same place, but it seemed that it hadn’t been cleaned for a few days, and there was a thin layer of dust on it. A layer of dust.Jianmei straightened her messy hair with her hands and asked, "What about our affairs?"

"You're becoming more and more like a flag girl!" Wei Dongting laughed, "What's this worth! If you come today, you're here. My mother misses me so much!"

"I'm telling you serious things," Jianmei blushed to the ears, bowed her head and said, "but you only choose these things to say!"

"Isn't this a serious matter?" Wei Dongting asked in surprise, "What else is there?" Shi Jianmei told how Mrs. Rong treated her after she entered the mansion, and how she deceived the Rong family from beginning to end.Now Rong has gone on a hunger strike. If he doesn't try, his life will be in danger.When it comes to grievances and sadness, I actually burst into tears.

After hearing Jianmei's words, Wei Dongting was both emotional and embarrassed: there are so many strange things in the world, and how complicated people's emotions are!The girl in front of me originally planned to be wiped out with Aobai's mansion, but because the Rong family treated her well, she turned around and begged for his life!Indeed, this is almost unimaginable, but it is all true.

"You... you, what should I say?" After hesitating for a long time, Wei Dongting stepped forward, gently stroked Jianmei's shoulder, and said in a heavy tone: "You know, the emperor is the one who decides now!"

"I know." Jianmei said coldly, "I'm not here to tell you. People must act according to their conscience when they live. If Mrs. Rong can't live, I will be a first-class wife, and I find it boring!" Standing up, he said with a sad smile: "I'm going now, don't stare at me, I can't die, I can find an old nunnery deep in the mountains, and I can spend my life in this life - alas, I have committed too many crimes in my life!"

Wei Dongting knew that she was leaving and that he would never see her again, so he took a step forward to block her, and grabbed Jianmei's shoulders with both hands: "Don't go! I'm with you!" Wipe it away: "Oboi's matter has not yet been decided, I will inquire about it again!" After saying this, he withdrew and left, then turned back and said, "My dear Meimei, you just wait here for the letter!"

The next day, Wu Ciyou sat on a green sedan chair, and next to him, Suo'etu came straight to the Forbidden City on a tall horse.At this time, Suo'etu was already a famous figure in Jinghua.Seeing him personally guarding the sedan chair along the way, the people on the side of the road all cast surprised glances, wondering what the origin of the person in the sedan chair was.

It was said that "Long'er" was going back to the city today, and the two of them traveled together and greeted the old lady by the way, but Wu Ciyou didn't really care.It was only when the sedan chair was heading north outside Zhengyang Gate that Wu Ciyou felt it was strange, so he stepped on the sedan chair and shouted, "Stop!"

The bearers looked at each other, seeing Suo'etu smiling and walking, they didn't dare to stop.Surprised, Wu Ciyou sat back again, kept looking at the scenery outside the window, his heart fluttered, not knowing where he was going to take himself.

When he was carried outside the Meridian Gate, he heard someone yelling: "Civilian officials get off their sedan chairs here, and military officials get off their horses!" Is it Mr. Wu's sedan chair?" Wu Ciyou only felt his eyes light up: the person who came here is a bright pearl!
Suo'etu got off the horse slowly, handed the reins to the attendant, and said with a smile, "It's Mr. Wu's sedan chair." Mingzhu then turned to tell the person who was blocking the sedan chair: "According to the emperor's decree, within the Forbidden City, Mr. Wu can take the sedan chair." Sedan!"

"Go in!" With a wave of the man's hand, the school captains flashed a way, and the sedan chair slowly entered again.It was also the first time for these porters to enter the palace, and they saw that there were three steps, one post, five steps and one whistle, and the atmosphere was majestic, and they all walked tremblingly.Wu Ciyou in the sedan chair couldn't speak, and sat there in a daze.

In front of the tall and spacious Hall of Supreme Harmony, there are officials with feathers, big and small, kneeling. They are surprised to see this small green cloth sedan chair commonly used in the market, and wonder how they are qualified to carry it here.What surprised them even more was that Suo'etu, the most favored minister of the emperor, actually guided him respectfully in front of the sedan chair. What happened?
The sedan chair was carried to the steps of the Hall of Supreme Harmony, and finally stopped.Suo'etu raised the car curtain and called softly: "Mr. Wu!" He reached out and helped Wu Ciyou, who was in a daze and dazed, to come out.Earlier, I saw Mu Zixu, the bodyguard in a yellow mandarin jacket, walking down the steps along the white marble guardrail imposingly, standing in front of Wu Ciyou and proclaiming loudly: "Wu Ciyou will come to the Hall of Preservation of Harmony for an audience, hereby!" Please Ann said, "Mr. Wu, you are overjoyed!"

"What... what's going on here?" Wu Ciyou looked at Suo'etu and then at Mu Zixu.When I was looking for the pearl, I didn't know when I had already left.The two people in front of them are familiar, unfamiliar, real, and dream—"Please explain clearly!"

Mu Zixu smiled and said: "You will know when you go up." Then, he and Suo'etu pulled Wu Ciyou's arm one by one and went up the stairs.Wu Ciyou only felt ringing in the ears, his legs were weak, and he stumbled every step of the way. He murmured as he walked, "I don't understand, I don't understand..."

But he soon understood.He foolishly followed the two into the Palace of Preserving Harmony.Led by Suo'etu, he performed three kneelings and nine kowtows step by step.When he looked up slightly, he couldn't help but froze all over. In the middle of the resplendent Palace of Preserving Harmony, sitting majestically on the throne carved with dragons and painted with gold, was exactly the student he had taught and respected each other for several years.Now he has "transformed" into the current emperor, looking at him with a smile.

On both sides of the geese lined up Bei Le Bei Zi and the nine ministers of the department in an orderly manner. There were always dozens of people standing in awe in the whole hall, and there was no sound at all.Mingzhu, Mu Zixu, Stubborn Donkey and Hao Lao Si who stood by Kangxi's side were all acquaintances.Jie Shu and Xiong Cilu were also vaguely familiar, and in an instant, Wu Ciyou woke up.Just as he was about to shout: "Dragon—" he immediately changed his words to: "Long live the Dragon Lord!" He kowtowed deeply.

Seeing Wu Ciyou, who is usually swaying and suave, now at the mercy of others like an idiot, Kangxi was proudly satisfied at first, and when Wu Ciyou changed his name from "Long Er" to "Long Live the Dragon Lord", he suddenly felt a kind of Gu Mo felt sad: "The relationship between teachers and friends is over!" He sighed slightly and said: "Mr. Wu."

Suo'etu, who was kneeling by the side, hurriedly pushed Wu Ciyou secretly to ask him to agree, but Wu Ciyou bumped his head on the ground in a daze, which was regarded as a salute.

"I have benefited a lot from teaching for several years." Kangxi said guiltily, "Mr. has not known the reason for the past few years. It is because I want to learn the truth and have to be honed. I have to do it as a last resort, Mr. Wan Wang understands. "

"If you want to learn the truth, you must go through tempering" is what Wu Ciyou said when he talked about "Mencius".At this time, Kangxi personally pointed it out again, which is really enlightening.Wu Ciyou came to a great realization at this point, and many unknown things suddenly opened up, and he kowtowed repeatedly: "I blaspheme the monarch with common clothes, make false statements about current affairs, and misinterpret the scriptures. There is no crime!"

"Qing has contributed to me, so what is the crime!" Kangxi said with a smile, "If you let me know the reason, I will not be able to listen to your words."

When Wu Ciyou heard this, he just kowtowed and did not answer.

"Mr. Wu, although the righteousness between me and you is determined, the friendship between teachers and students will last forever. I have authorized Mr. to call me 'Long'er'!" Having said this, Kangxi suddenly became excited, "Come on! Take the scroll!"

Mingzhu heard this, and hurriedly took a volume of documents from the eunuch's hand and presented it.Kangxi unfolded the scroll, looked at it again with a smile, and handed it to Jie Shu, saying: "This is the policy paper "On Enclosure and Chaos of the Country" that Mr. Wu took the exam three years ago. The writing is vigorous and magnificent, and it states the essentials of governing the country. , so profound, it is really a rare masterpiece. It can be circulated."

Although Jie Shu held the policy scroll in his hand, he listened to Kangxi's praises in his ears, so he didn't have the heart to read it carefully, he only browsed it briefly, and handed it to King Horqin next to him.After King Horqin read it, he passed it on to King Shuogong, King Yi, King Tai and a group of Baylor and Beizi in turn.By the time it was passed to Ye Bilong, the edges of the paper were wet with sweaty hands.

Ye Bilong knelt down and took the paper.He has heard the name of this paper for a long time, and he is also clear about the story caused by it.But I never got to read this article.When he got it today, he wanted to read it carefully.While watching, I felt ashamed, and a fine layer of sweat oozed from my forehead.When he passed the paper to the next one, he prostrated himself on the ground, sighed, and said in a loud voice: "The article is indeed very incisive in presenting the problems of the times and discussing the root causes of the chaotic government! Mr. Wu really deserves to be a pillar of the country!"

Hearing the praises from all the ministers, Kangxi couldn't help but feel complacent, so he stood up and paced in front of the throne, smiling at the same time: "Mr. Wu, I remember the first time we met in Yuepeng's shop. I benefited a lot from the fact that Mr. Wang made wine and talked about his fame. It’s still fun to think about.”

Wu Ciyou thought of the time he talked about fame and fame, and immediately sweated profusely. He just kowtowed and didn't say a word.

"Mingzhu," Kangxi said, seeing that it was getting late, "Mr. Wu is not suitable to live in Suo'etu Mansion anymore. You still accompany Mr. Wu back to the original Yuepeng shop to wait for the order. You can kneel down now."

With a deafening mountain call, Kangxi retreated.

(End of this chapter)