Happy Little Scholar

"There are some people here that I'm not very familiar with, but since you selected them, they shouldn't be too different." Li Yi put down a list in his hand and said, "That's it, let's settle it for now. Wait for a while and then conduct another assessment.”

The eldest princess nodded, thought of something, and said: "Today is Concubine Cui's birthday. Although you have many differences with the Cui family, according to etiquette, you should give a gift, otherwise, I am afraid it will attract criticism."

The old lady had already warned about this matter two days ago. According to the rules, with Concubine Cui's rank, there are only a handful of people in the harem who are older than her. She is a concubine after all. Since the Cui family has sent an invitation, Even if you don't plan to go there in person, you still have to prepare a gift so as not to appear disrespectful.

Nowadays, he has too many names on his shoulders, and he is not as single as before. There are some things that should be paid attention to.

"Then send a few boxes of fresh vegetables. They are lush and green, which is unusual in this season."

It is naturally inappropriate to give such a gift in later generations, let alone to a noble concubine, but it is different here. In today's season, a handful of fresh vegetables cannot be bought with money. The old emperor used to give it to important ministers The green vegetables, which one is not wilted, are definitely not as green as the ones I gave them, they are so green.

"That's good. Although this gift is not heavy, it is meaningful." Li Mingzhu nodded and said: "In the past few years, the Cui family failed to win over Shen Xiang, and the Shen family just gave an ordinary painting. The same is probably true for those important ministers in the court who are unwilling to take sides.”

"Let this matter be like this. There has been nothing major in the court recently. After this incident, you should rest for a while..." Li Yi told her a few words, stood up and said, "I'm going back first. I'm staying at home. Soup, it should be almost ready..."

I don't know if it was because she was due to give birth in two months, but Ruyi had lost her appetite recently. He also developed several new soups, which not only nourished the fetus, but also had an appetizing effect.

Li Mingzhu escorted him to the entrance of the palace and suddenly asked: "You came here recently, why didn't you bring any soup?"

"Forget it, it doesn't seem to have any effect, so I won't bring it anymore..." Li Yi shook his head and sighed.

"Bring more when you come next time. I really like that soup."

Her body stiffened slightly, she spoke calmly, then turned around and walked back to the palace.

In front of the bed, the eldest princess of Jingguo, who was the first to personally lead the government and supervise the country on behalf of the king, took off her coat and loosened her corset a little...

From the past few days, if the corset is as tight as before, I will feel a little breathless.

…

Every August, there are two major events in Kyoto.

One is of course the Mid-Autumn Festival night on August 15th, which is a carnival for all people in Kyoto. There is no curfew on the Mid-Autumn Festival night. The entire Kyoto is decorated with lights and colorful decorations. Goulan wine shops and brothels are also open all night, making it very lively.

Although Concubine Cui's birthday is far from comparable to the Mid-Autumn Festival, the curfew is only postponed for an hour for the convenience of guests, but every August 23rd, just the carriages and sedans lined up in front of Cui's house have to occupy At least two streets and alleys.

The night had just begun to cover, and two people were walking on the crowded street. One of them looked forward and spoke in surprise.

"Sir, when Concubine Cui had her birthday last year, all the guests' cars and sedans were lined up here, right?"

Magistrate Liu nodded and said, "I remember that this year there is one less street than last year."

Zhao Captou thought for a while and said: "It's no wonder. At this time last year, His Highness the King of Shu was still in Kyoto. Many officials naturally had to pay attention to His Highness the King of Shu's face..."

Magistrate Liu did not intervene, but he knew in his heart that even if the King of Shu were still in Kyoto today, the scene in front of the Cui Mansion would not be much better than it is now.

Because of the cars and sedans parked here last year, during this year, some of their owners died, some were imprisoned, some had their homes ransacked, some were exiled, and some felt that this year and the future, there would be no It was necessary to come.

Capt. Zhao did not continue the topic, and asked again: "Sir, this year I still want to put down the gifts, go in and sit for a while and then leave?"

Magistrate Liu shook his head and said: "Tonight, if you wait a little longer outside and give such a generous gift, you must get back some of your capital..."

At this time, there were not many guests in front of Cui Mansion. County Magistrate Liu walked over and handed over the gift list.

A servant of the Cui Mansion looked through it a few times, then immediately bowed and said: "Master Liu, please..."

…

In Cui Mansion, somewhere in a side hall, Cui Qingze, the head of the Cui family, was holding a thin book in his hand, with a slightly gloomy expression.

"Is that all?"

The Cui family servant next to him said in fear: "That's all."

Behind, a middle-aged man has stood up, his face extremely gloomy, "All? The number of people who came to the house this year is not even half of last year. They really thought that my Cui family would fall if Your Highness went to Shuzhou." !"

Another voice came from behind, "Could it be that many people are on the road before it's time?"

However, this voice was extremely low, and it seemed that even the owner of the voice knew that he had no confidence in saying this.

"In the past year, too many things have indeed happened." Cui Qingze put down the roster in his hand, took a deep breath, and said, "Don't mention this matter again. Your Majesty is coming soon, so get ready..."

Today's Cui family is not as lively as in previous years, and the mansion is still crowded. Although the King of Shu's line is temporarily in a downturn, it is still a force that cannot be ignored in the court.

Some important guests will naturally not be with many people. In another quiet hall, the environment is much quieter than other places in the house.

"Your Majesty attaches great importance to filial piety. This time, His Majesty is not allowed to return to Beijing for the birthday of the Queen. The document jointly submitted by the Ministry of Rites was struck down as soon as it was handed over. Now the eldest princess is asked to manage the government and supervise the country. You think, Your Majesty, in your heart, What do you think?"

There were only a few people in the hall, and the one who spoke at this time was the Minister of Rites.

"It seems that the last time His Highness did something like that, it really touched His Majesty's objections. Alas, I don't know who gave His Highness the idea. We didn't know anything about it, otherwise------ things It won’t get to this point.”

"You have also seen how much we have suffered over the past year. The Cui Mansion today is completely incomparable to what it was a year ago."

"Now they want to build an academy and support the Hanmen. Whether it is the court or the people, our influence cannot continue to be stable..."

…

Every year on Concubine Cui’s birthday, the officials and dignitaries who defected to the King of Shu gathered together. It was a key day for the King of Shu and his family to jointly plan for great things. Several people in the hall were whispering to each other. At a certain moment, someone suddenly raised his head and asked: "Now that His Highness is in a difficult situation, I wonder what Minister Zeng has to say?"

Several people's eyes turned towards him.

Although the Zeng family has only risen in recent years and has a shallow foundation, it cannot be compared with families like the Cui family and the Chen family. However, Zeng Shichun is really extremely powerful. They have been planning things together for so many years. They have already understood this. meeting.

Zeng Shichun, who had been sitting there just drinking tea since he entered the hall, raised his head after hearing this, looked around blankly, nodded and said: "The tea is good tea, not bad... Mr. Chen, what do you say?" Woolen cloth?"

Chen Chong picked up the teacup, took a sip, and said calmly: "It is exactly what Mr. Zeng said, this tea is not bad."

As soon as he finished speaking, there was a loud noise outside. Someone from the Cui Mansion hurried in to report that the imperial concubine had arrived.

…

"Ms. sir, can you really tell so much from single eyelids and double eyelids?" When she was telling a bedtime story, she heard him talking about certain things. Ruyi looked at Li Yi and asked in surprise. .

"Actually, many things in this world follow rules." Li Yi smiled and helped her tuck in the quilt and said, "It's not difficult to verify this. You just need to find some parents who have single eyelids. Just look at their children.”

Ruyi thought for a while and then said with some surprise: "To be honest, in Liuye Village, there were several couples with single eyelids in the past, and their children did not seem to have double eyelids..."

She looked at Li Yi and said with a smile: "However, how can anyone always stare at other people's eyelids when they have nothing to do on weekdays? How boring it is. How careful you need to be to discover these patterns... But, what about my husband?" found?"

"That's not necessarily true." Li Yi shook his head and said, "Maybe there are people who are both attentive and boring..."

Cui Mansion.

When the graceful Concubine Cui walked from the front, the visitors stood on both sides, nodding slightly. In the middle of the crowd, one person quietly raised his head.

[PS: In fact, some things are already very obvious and will definitely be written about later. It is meaningless to say it clearly now. For example, the metaphor at the end of the last chapter, I wrote it out, but a very small number of readers saw it. That's good. Writing a book is not just for living, but also for other things... Well, that's all.

When writing PS, I will count the words and calculate them. The number of words in brackets is free of charge. 】