Hello Chang’an

Chapter 86 She didn’t want to be an official

Duan almost blurted out the sentence "Can you help me dream about when my unfilial son will get a wife?"

She still knew the importance very well, and she said with emotion: "Her Royal Highness the Eldest Princess and the First Crown Prince are twins, and they are connected to each other... Madam Chang and Her Royal Highness the Eldest Princess are also destined to be together."

Madam Chang and Her Royal Highness the Eldest Princess have a close relationship. She had said it before when she saw the handwriting in Dayun Temple.

Perhaps because of this, the more Mr. Duan looked at the little girl in front of him, the more he closed his eyes and fell in love with her.

Then he asked softly: "Besides this, what else did you dream about, Your Highness the Princess?"

"They are all irrelevant..." Chang Suining looked hesitant, as if he was worried that speaking out these irrelevant dreams would offend Her Royal Highness the Princess.

Duan smiled nonchalantly: "There are no outsiders here, it's just a dream and a casual chat!"

Chang Sui Ning paused and then said: "Her Royal Highness the Eldest Princess said that she can't even find anyone down there who can fight."

Duan was stunned: "..."

This is too much for Your Highness!

The taste is too orthodox!

Chang Sui Ning seemed to find it ridiculous: "But Your Highness is so weak, how can you like to fight with others?"

Duan smiled and was noncommittal.

He just asked again: "Did your Highness say anything else?"

Chang Suining nodded: "His Highness told me something in my dream that I need to convey to my wife, so I came here today."

"It has something to do with me?" Mrs. Duan immediately sat up straighter, her eyes filled with anticipation - after all, what the little girl said before was so true!

Chang Suining: "Your Highness asked me to prepare more chestnuts and bring them to my wife when she goes to offer sacrifices."

Mrs. Duan opened her mouth: "...The kind that has been peeled off?"

Chang Suining nodded: "Exactly."

Duan immediately showed a look of regret: "Look at how careless I am. I never even thought of bringing some chestnuts to the sacrifices in previous years..."

How could His Highness be so greedy that after a lifetime of being wise and powerful, he was reduced to the point where he had to use dreams to beg for chestnuts with his juniors!

Duan immediately called the maid: "Go to the kitchen and ask if there are any chestnuts in the house. If there are any, steam them all and bring them over. If there are no chestnuts in the house, think of a way to buy some. The sooner the better!"

Duan was heartbroken and blamed herself for a moment: "Your Highness probably thinks I'm so stupid that he didn't come to tell me directly in my dream."

Chang Suining: ...Isn’t this just a direct explanation?

Since it was difficult to say such shocking words, she put gold on her face, and after all, the gold was herself: "Perhaps as Madam said, His Highness and I have some fate."

Duan sighed and nodded: "Although many things sound illusory, they may not be entirely unbelievable... I really want to meet Your Highness in my dream so that I can talk to her."

After saying that, he looked at Chang Sui Ning expectantly: "If Madam Chang dreams of Your Highness again, can you convey something to me?"

Facing those eyes full of nostalgia and nostalgia as they recalled the past, Chang Sui Ning felt a little astringent and nodded: "Madam, please speak."

Duan said softly: "When I was young, Your Highness and I were playing around and making bets. We once buried a box in the eldest princess's palace. Your Highness and I each gave half of the contents in the box. At that time, Your Highness said, whose embroidery will be the best next month?" Whoever wins with praise from grandma will own the box—"

Hearing that she actually mentioned this, Chang Sui Ning's excitement disappeared immediately. With the mentality of "it depends on whether you are a good person or not", he asked tentatively: "...so who won?"

Duan sighed softly: "I narrowly won that time."

Chang Suining: "..."

As expected, Duan Zhenyi rarely disappointed her when it came to being a good person.

The reason for that bet back then was because both her and Duan Zhenyi's embroidery skills were poor. She was busy with the war and had no time to care about it, while Duan Zhenyi was a loser with no talent.

I still remember the time when their embroidery was delivered to the new nanny in the Princess Mansion who specialized in female embroidery. The nanny remained silent for a long time, as if she had encountered the biggest challenge in her life.

Duan Zhenyi asked grandma, who can embroider better?

Faced with such shameless questions, the corners of Mammy's eyes twitched uncontrollably, and in desperation she could only give out four words - indistinguishable.

This is difficult to handle.

As a result, the box could not be dug out, and the two agreed to gamble next time.

But after Duan Zhenyi got engaged, she was busy with the war for several years and could not return to Beijing again, so the matter was forgotten.

Now it seems that Duan Zhenyi is very obsessed with this, and even in her dreams wants to ask her where the box is buried -

"The things in the box are not valuable at all. They are all old belongings of His Highness and I when we were young. They can be said to be thoughts..." Mrs. Duan said, looking a little sad.

"..." The good acting skills accumulated in his previous life prevented Chang Sui Ning from showing any strange expression.

The bet was huge, and Duan Zhenyi had put up half of his net worth to tempt her to bet more, so the box was filled with gold and silver jewelry, as well as some beloved originals.

This is what Duan Zhenyi said at this time: "not valuable", "an old thing from childhood", and "a thought".

It's hard for Chang Suining not to remain silent.

Mrs. Duan finally warned: "Therefore, if I dream of Your Highness again, please ask me a question for me, little lady."

After a moment, Chang Suining nodded in agreement.

"Tomorrow is His Highness's birthday. I originally planned to go back to the eldest princess's residence to offer sacrifices. Since Miss Chang has been dreaming about His Highness lately, why not come with us?"

This was the purpose of Chang Suining's trip, and those ghostly nonsense were just the foreshadowing.

It was the best thing for Shi Shi to take the initiative at this time.

But Chang Sui Ning always feels that... this guy's purpose is not pure, and he may not have the intention of strengthening some sense of fate between "she and the eldest princess", so that they can meet each other in dreams, so that she can ask her where the box is. .

Regardless of the cook's selfish intentions, he still wanted to eat the food that was handed to his mouth. Chang Sui Ning seemed to agree happily, and chatted with Mr. Duan for a while. Since his purpose was achieved, he planned to leave.

But who would have expected that at this time the female envoy from before turned back and reported to Mrs. Duan that there happened to be two baskets of chestnuts in the house, and she had already ordered the kitchen to start cooking.

Mrs. Duan then smiled and said, "Since this dream is the result of Mrs. Chang, there is nothing to worry about. Why don't we peel chestnuts together to prepare for tomorrow's sacrifice?"

Chang Suining: "...?"

There are three things she dislikes the most in her life. The first is the instability of the country, war, famine and the displacement of the people. The second is the fact that people who are inferior to her stand taller. The third is why good chestnuts have to lay in their shells -

But it was she who said it, and it was really difficult to get off the ground.

As a result, Chang Suining endured half a day of torture in Zheng Guogong's mansion, and almost peeled back all the chestnuts he had never peeled in his previous life.

And because it was a sacrifice prepared for the "eldest princess", out of reverence, there was no possibility of eating it, so they could only peel it but not eat it, which was even more torture among tortures.

Moreover, Mr. Duan frequently slacked off openly, calling the steward to ask about the affairs of the house, instructing the kitchen to prepare lunch, thinking about each dish for a long time, sighing that his shoulders hurt because of his age and needed someone to touch them... It was perfect. Restored the thorny look on his body when he was doing homework with me when he was a kid.

However, as a junior at this time, she was not qualified to offer opinions.

It was supposed to be nourished for a thousand days, but it was put to good use.

After all this suffering, after leaving Duan's courtyard in the afternoon, Chang Sui Ning felt a sense of relief that the donkey had finally been put to the grindstone. However, on the way out of the house, he met Wei Shuyi who was returning home from duty.

"Seeing the Chang family's carriages and horses outside the house, I knew Mrs. Chang was here." Wei Shuyi, who was wearing official robes, asked with a smile: "I wonder if the food in the house is still to Mrs. Chang's taste?"

Chang Suining, who was peeling chestnuts and doubting his life, nodded perfunctorily: "It's a good fit." "That's good." Wei Shuyi turned around with a smile, walked with Chang Suining, and made a "please" gesture: "As a thank you, I'll give it to you." Wei, give it to Mrs. Chang."

Chang Suining walked forward: "Why are you saying thank you, Minister Wei?"

Hearing the word "again", Wei Shuyi laughed. He did not rush to answer, but praised and exclaimed: "Ms. Chang is really a divine person. She has such a keen and unique foresight -"

Chang Sui Ning was clear: "Has the person been chosen to take over as the Minister of Rites?"

The smile in Wei Shuyi's eyes grew stronger: "Yes, it's Taifu Chu."

"The court has been arguing about this for more than half a month, and it has been a stalemate. No one is willing to give in..." Wei Shuyi said slowly as he walked: "Until today, the sage proposed that Taifu Chu should take over, and the whole court was full of opposition. The only objection worth mentioning is Just one person."

Chang Sui Ning said without thinking, "That must be Mr. Chu himself."

Wei Shuyi laughed in surprise: "Ms. Chang is really amazing."

Chang Sui would rather smile than say a word.

After all, when her teacher was teaching her, she often imagined the leisurely vision of listening to the breeze while playing the piano and watching the waves while fishing after resigning from office and going into seclusion. The teacher had been preparing for this for a long time, but because the court refused to let her go, she stayed in preparation. stage.

This delay brought me to the age of sixty-seven. Seeing the dawn and dusk approaching, at this moment, I suddenly became the Minister of Rites—

The cool breeze and waves are gone, but the cusp of the storm is enough.

"However, it is difficult for Mr. Chu to refuse because of the public's expectations." Wei Shuyi said with a smile: "Now the stalemate has been resolved, and this method was offered to the saint privately by Mr. Wei, so I am grateful."

Since he was so frank, Chang Sui Ning was not polite: "Then Minister Wei owes me one more time."

Wei Shuyi nodded calmly: "Wei just remember it, just waiting for Mrs. Chang to ask for it at any time."

Chang Suining looked at the lush scenery in front of him. It was indeed the Duke of Zheng's mansion who had built a house in the garden. Everything he saw was full of vitality -

She said: "In the coming spring, all the young people from poor families can go all out and don't have to worry about being let down."

The smile on Wei Shuyi's face was slightly lighter, but he was more serious: "That's exactly the reason."

The Sage chose to attack the Pei family, and Pei Min's location was a major incentive - the Sage wanted to promote the children of poor families into official positions to compete with the gentry, so he established the system of selecting scholars through the imperial examination. However, the imperial examination has always been under the control of the Ministry of Rites, and important positions such as the Minister of Rites have always been It was left to the officials of the gentry, and with them blocking the emperor's door like a hand covering the sky, this road was destined to not be smooth.

The prince was getting older, and the saint could no longer wait.

But except for Pei Min, it was only the first step -

The next step is to select a new Minister of Rites.

The saint naturally wanted to choose trusted officials from poor families, but those noble forces had just experienced the decline of the Pei family and were naturally unwilling to give in due to the sense of crisis.

The saint cannot give in to this step. Once he gives in, all his previous efforts will be wasted.

If the situation between the two sides is as incompatible as water and fire, then Taifu Chu is like a mountain.

Even though the mountain looks like a mound from a close distance, it can effectively block water and fire—

Three generations back, Taifu Chu could be considered to be from a small gentry clan, but his family had long since declined and was far away from the sphere of influence of the big gentry clans whose interests were closely connected.

Taifu Chu's wife came from a poor family, and her children and grandchildren have not even entered the official career.

And he himself has never formed a party with others, nor is he a minion of the empress. What is even more valuable is that he is old and has reached an age where accidents will easily happen if nothing happens -

Even if you are lucky enough to reach your seventies and become an official, you only have three years left.

In this way, the noble forces still have three years to plan. When the time is right, they will have the opportunity to take back the city in one fell swoop.

The same is true for the empress.

A power struggle involving far-reaching power is never resolved overnight. This time, each side takes a half-step back to maintain a superficial balance, and the competition will not stop under the balance.

Wei Shuyi didn't say this clearly, but in front of the girl who had predicted all the directions from the beginning and directly pointed out the answer to the mystery, there was no need to say it at all.

He couldn't help but ask again: "Does Mrs. Chang really have no intention of going to court?"

This question was more sincere than the last time, which seemed like a casual conversation.

"It's far from that." Chang Sui Ning was rarely modest: "At my age, I should only study more."

Wei Shuyi looked at her with interest: "What kind of reading does Mrs. Chang refer to?"

I always feel that her "reading" is not too ordinary -

"I plan to go to the Imperial College to study." Chang Suining said in a casual tone.

Although he was prepared for something unusual, Wei Shuyi was still surprised at this moment, and more puzzled: "Ms. Chang, you should know that there are different schools in the Imperial College, and the students can be roughly divided into three categories. One is officials of third grade or above. Or the children of the third or fourth class clan, the second is those who have at least passed the provincial examination and are famous, and the third is the children of ordinary people. They need to pass three examinations before they can be listed as supervisors - "

He finally said: "Of course, these are not the most important things to Mrs. Chang. The most important thing is that no matter how you enter the Imperial College, being a man is the first priority."

This point has not changed even if today's saint is a woman.

Today's Imperial College has been tied to the imperial examination, and it is impossible for women to enter official positions through the imperial examination. Female officials have always been selected only by the inner court.

Chang Sui Ning said: "I don't want to be a prison student, I just want to study under the Imperial Academy."

Wei Shuyi was a little confused after hearing this, so he just followed her words and asked, "Then how does Mrs. Chang become a disciple?"

Chang Suining clasped his hands and walked forward: "I want to take my third father as my teacher."

Wei Shuyi: "...Third father?"

"Guozijian Qiao offers wine—"

Uncle Wei smiled knowingly: "It turns out that this is how Madam Chang said about going to the Imperial College to study."

At this point, he couldn't help but remind her: "Even if she is worshiping Qiao Jijiu as her teacher, Mrs. Chang is neither a supervisor's student nor a daughter. Therefore, there is no possibility of becoming an official."

"I said I don't plan to be an official." Chang Suining said again, "I just want to study."

Wei Shuyi smiled and sighed: "Ms. Chang's heart for learning is so pure, but Wei, who is open-mouthed and has become an official, is too utilitarian."

There was a trace of regret in his sigh.

Chang Suining had no explanation.

Zhichun has nothing to do with her, and studying is just a cover.

After all, she only said she didn’t plan to become an official—

I didn’t say I wasn’t going to do something else.

…

The next day was the day when Chang Suining went with Duan to the Chongyue Princess Mansion to offer sacrifices.

Good night everyone

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(End of chapter)