Chapter 38 Chapter 38 Entering the Palace

Chapter 38

Jiang Yan and Du De were punished to be banned from taking exams for three years. Both of them felt that it was worth it, but their families did not think so, so they did not go home and lived in the Jiang family. They were so close to the water that they could see the moon first. Studying in the capital, they could feel the aura of a real dragon and would definitely pass the exam next time.

Jiang Yu's uncle was a hot-tempered person. He was kind to Jiang Yu, but he was never soft-hearted to his youngest son. Especially because of Du Haoyu's matter, he was stricter with his only obedient youngest son and came directly in a carriage.

In fact, Jiang Feng also wanted to call his son back, but he was too busy. In addition, he felt that Du Haoyu and Jiang Yu were watching him, so he only told him to think about it and did not say anything else.

However, Jiang Yan was trembling with fear. He always felt that it was not that simple. Jiang Feng had some tricks, but he did not show them.

Jiang Yu hadn't seen his uncle for a long time, so he was naturally very happy. Only Du De was frowning. There was a banquet at home in the evening, and she specially brought the banquet from Jiang Ji.

In addition to several signature dishes of Jiang Ji, there was also Jinling pressed duck that his uncle loved.

Du Ping's favorite was naturally his granddaughter Du Qing, and he couldn't let her out of his sight for a moment. If he couldn't see her, he would always ask, "Qing'er, what are you doing? Come to grandpa, there are good things for you."

After class, Du Qing liked to go to play with He Rui, but today because her grandfather was there, she naturally couldn't go. She was sensible and sat next to him reading a book obediently, and asked Du Haoyu about things that he didn't understand from time to time.

Du Ping had always known that Du Qing was smart, but he was very surprised to see that she had already started studying the Book of Songs when she was less than four years old. He touched Du Qing's head and said, "If Ayu wants to go to the Shanggong Bureau, let her go. Your mother said that if she is really too busy, she will come to help for a while, and your mother also misses Qing'er."

Jiang Yu was naturally very grateful. She didn't know how Du Haoyu convinced her family, but Zhou agreed very readily.

***

The weather gradually became a little cooler. Today, the Shanggong Bureau seemed a little festive because several new people came, and it was a fresh time.

The Shanggong Bureau was originally in the deep palace, but later moved to the outer palace.

When Jiang Yu entered the palace, she came with Du Haoyu, but she went to the Ministry of Personnel among the six ministries, while Jiang Yu went to the Shanggong Bureau.

Speaking of which, Du Haoyu was originally the initiator and was to be severely punished and fined half a year's salary, but he was demoted in name but promoted in secret and was transferred to the Ministry of Personnel to observe politics.

Xie Wenlan was naturally very happy to see Jiang Yu. She was wearing an official robe and looked majestic. Seeing Jiang Yu also changed into the official robe of the Shanggong Bureau, a green official robe of the fifth rank with a white pheasant patch. It was not a good-looking dress, but it looked particularly heroic on Jiang Yu.

"This one looks good."

Xie Wenlan and Jiang Yu walked in one on the left and one on the right. The Shanggong Bureau was not small, but it was full of women. It was really a place where women were more powerful than men.

This time, because married women were allowed to take the exam, but just as Jiang Yu guessed, there were still very few women who entered the Shanggong Bureau, and some of them were not eligible because of their poor academic performance.

Jiang Yu was the only woman among these people.

Because they were considered close ministers of the emperor and had to pay homage to the emperor, Jiang Yu and several new women, led by Xie Wenlan, went to the Qianqing Palace where the emperor lived.

But when they arrived at the Palace of Heavenly Purity, they waited in the back room but could not get the emperor's summons. A little eunuch came over and said, "Your Majesty is not feeling well today, everyone go back first."

Everyone was naturally disappointed, but the emperor was busy with many things, and the reputation of the Gongshang Palace Bureau was not big enough, so it was expected to be ignored.

The group walked back and happened to meet the prince and others who were meeting the emperor. He was wearing a dragon robe interwoven with gold and silver threads and a black wing-shaped crown. He was surrounded by people, like the moon surrounded by stars. Xie Wenlan knew the relationship between Jiang Yu and the prince, but others did not know that there was a new woman among them, who was born in a good family. She was Li Wenwan, the girl of the Wan family.

As her name suggests, although she was not particularly outstanding, she was gentle and moving, and she was also a rare beauty.

Li Wenwan was always very quiet when she came. Many people would find someone to talk to, and even want to understand the preferences of the superiors, and want to try to adapt in order to have a good future.

But Li Wenwan just sat there quietly, and everyone thought she was a quiet person. After all, she came from a wealthy family and was probably different from others.

But when Li Wenwan saw the crown prince Lin Bozhi, they suddenly stopped and asked, "Is that man the crown prince?"

Someone said, "It's the crown prince."

"What a god-like figure."

After all, what girl doesn't like a handsome man? Someone blushed and said, "They all say that our prince is the most handsome man in the capital."

"Not only is he a handsome man, but he is also deeply in love. Your Highness and Princess Jialan had already been engaged. Later, because of the disaster, your highness went to Lin'an, and Princess Jialan became a nun."

"I know about this too! Your highness married Princess Jialan after he came back."

"It's been four years, and there is only one woman, the princess, in your highness' room."

Several people echoed and spoke with great envy. Li Wenwan had not spoken the whole time, and Jiang Yu was naturally silent as well. Xie Wenlan said, "What are you talking about? Be careful not to misbehave in front of the palace."

No one spoke now, but their eyes kept looking at Lin Bozhi from time to time. Perhaps sensing the attention here, Lin Bozhi stopped in front of the female official.

Everyone was very excited at first, but now they all blushed and lowered their heads when they saw the prince looking at them. Xie Wenlan couldn't help but sigh, thinking that this year's few were not good enough, and it seemed that it would be a long time before the Shanggong Bureau was revived.

But when Xie Wenlan's eyes swept over Jiang Yu, she suddenly had some subtle feelings again.

Xie Wenlan led a few female palaces to pay tribute to the prince. The prince accepted the tribute, but did not leave immediately. Instead, he asked a few people's names, and finally fell on Jiang Yu.

Jiang Yu had been keeping her head down. Seeing everyone looking at her, she looked up and said, "I am Du Jiang, and I am honored to meet His Royal Highness the Crown Prince."

Lin Bozhi said, "You are an official now that you have joined the Shanggong Bureau. Why do you still need to use your husband's surname?"

Xie Wenlan felt a little strange. Although Lin Bozhi was cold, he was not the kind of person who would deliberately make things difficult for her. However, his words were obviously a bit harsh. Thinking about the relationship between Jiang Yu and him, she couldn't help but sigh for a moment, thinking that it was different from others. Whether it was a blessing or a curse depended on Jiang Yu himself.

Jiang Yu felt that what Lin Bozhi said made sense. She just said it subconsciously. Although Lin Bozhi's words were unpleasant to hear, they were not wrong. She nodded and said as if she had been taught, "Your Highness, please teach me. I know I was wrong."

Now it was Lin Bozhi's turn to be surprised. He stood for a while, and the morning sun shone on his face, reflecting his handsome face. In the luxurious dragon robe with gold and silver threads interwoven, there was an indescribable majesty.

Lin Bozhi's eyes softened, and he said in a gentle voice, "It is probably not appropriate for the emperor to see guests today. You should go back first."

These were very considerate words. People who knew Lin Bozhi well were a little surprised. Several accompanying officials couldn't help thinking that this Shanggong Bureau was still a little different. After all, the prince was a man, and with the fragrance of red sleeves, he would be happy even if he was busy. Could it be that the Shanggong Bureau would rise again on the prince's side? Naturally, he felt sour.

Eunuch Zhang sighed secretly in his heart, thinking that Jiang just lowered her head, and the prince was so friendly. Where would he have the courage to divorce his wife in Lin'an?

Everyone had their own thoughts, but when the prince turned around to leave, Li Wenwan, who had been silent all the time, suddenly said "ouch", and then fell towards the prince.

Lin Bozhi watched coldly, only glancing at the people next to him. A man with a dark face and thick waist squeezed over and caught Li Wenwan with quick eyes and hands.

As soon as Li Wenwan looked up, she saw Wanshun's big black face. The two knew each other. After all, Wanshun was the youngest son of General Wan, the last martial arts champion, and Li Wenwan, who came from a noble family, had also met before.

"Wanshun, you black bear, what are you doing?"

Wanshun scratched his head with one hand. He was protecting the safety of the prince. If she came so rashly at this moment, others would have to subdue her. But he gently supported her because they knew each other.

"Miss Li, the prince is so noble that you can't get close to him casually."

These words were very straightforward, exposing Li Wenwan's little thoughts in front of everyone. Li Wenwan's face turned red all of a sudden, and she was so angry that she was about to faint. She cursed, "I just missed a step, it was not intentional."

"Let me go!"

Wanshun was obedient and let go at once. Li Wenwan didn't expect Wanshun to let go of her arm without waiting for her to stand firm, and fell to the ground all of a sudden. This time he really fell.

It rained yesterday, and there was still water on the white marble slabs. Li Wenwan's official robe was wet all of a sudden, and dirty water splashed on her face. She loved beauty, and she had never had to worry about food and clothing since she was a child. She was also outstanding in talent and learning, and she had always been praised by others. How could she have made a fool of herself like this?

She couldn't help crying.

Xie Wenlan couldn't stand it anymore, her face was ashen, and she cursed, "Enough, you come here to embarrass yourself, and take the people away."

Li Wenwan was taken away, but the crying sound kept surrounding her, which seemed to verify the ridicule of the officials in the court to the Shanggong Bureau. What else can women do besides being jealous? It's really long hair but short knowledge.

Originally, the matter would have ended like this, but a new woman was frightened when she heard that Li Wenwan was going to be beaten with ten boards in court for inappropriate behavior. You know, an ordinary man would die after being beaten with twenty boards, and the woman was even more frightened. Ten boards would take half of her life. She was panicked for a while, and this time she really stepped on the puddles on the ground, slipped backwards, and fell backwards. It happened that the other women were standing together, and they were all pushed down at once.

Jiang Yu was originally standing next to Li Wenwan, and there was no one in front of her to lean on. She was pushed down by the sudden push and was about to fall to the ground. She stretched out her arms, thinking of resisting, and subconsciously closed her eyes, thinking that she was really going to fall today.

Wan Shun was upset by Li Wenwan's scolding, thinking that these female officials were really troublesome. He was obviously helping her, why didn't he know what was good for her?

As a result, in a blink of an eye, he saw another woman falling towards the prince, and he was angry. Even if he wanted to please the prince, this method was too clumsy!

Even the women in the harem would not compete for favor like this, right?

However, when people come over, they always have to be supported, otherwise they will bump into the prince again, which is also his fault. When he was transferred to the prince's side, what kind of battles had General Wan not seen? But seeing this situation, he was also worried. In the end, he warned him, "Your brain, I'm really afraid that you will cause trouble, but the prince didn't take a fancy to your smart third brother and called your name. You just need to remember to protect the prince with your life. If we don't have a mind, don't play. With a sincere heart, the prince can always see our loyalty. "

So Wan Shun has always respected the prince and followed his lead. He is not smart, but obedient? This is always right, so although he is upset at this moment, he is also quick to pull people.

But this time he miscalculated. The prince's face suddenly changed, and he hugged the woman over him. Of course, Wan Shun was not too slow to react. He stretched out his hand quickly. It was mainly because he was concerned about the prince. In addition, he had never seen the prince so nervous, so he was stunned.

Jiang Yu thought she would definitely fall to the ground, but when she opened her eyes, she saw Lin Bozhi.

Lin Bozhi didn't like incense, so he didn't have the smell that other people liked to use. In addition, the emperor liked ambergris, but he didn't use it for taboos, so there was only the refreshing smell of soap beans on his body. Jiang Yu was a little dazed for a while, and thought she had returned to the past. In fact, Lin Bozhi was not completely ruthless to her. Once it rained in Lin'an and the ground was muddy, he hugged her and walked for a while.

Of course, it was just that one time, but it made Jiang Yu secretly happy for a long time. Every time she was hurt by Lin Bozhi's ruthlessness, she would say to herself, you see, the prince also treats her well sometimes.

But in the end, she couldn't deceive herself.

All these thoughts were just a moment. Jiang Yu quickly came to his senses, pushed Lin Bozhi away, and then said, "Your Highness, please forgive me."

Lin Bozhi felt that his arms were empty. Seeing that Jiang Yu was avoiding him, his expression gradually became cold. Wan Shun also came to his senses. Seeing that the prince was unhappy, he was very angry and said, "What's wrong with you?"

But the prince was not as angry as before. He said, "Wan Shun?"

Wan Shun shut up immediately, and then heard the prince say, "Why is there so much water on the ground? Ask someone to wipe it clean. His Majesty must be waiting anxiously." Then he walked forward.

Wan Shun and a group of people hurriedly followed, and the matter was considered over. Xie Wenlan was surprised and felt lucky. If the prince was really angry twice, their Shang Gong Bureau would have no place to put their faces.

Several newcomers have always thought that Jiang Yu is a woman, different from them. In addition, Jiang Yu also had a calm expression and kept talking to Xie Wenlan. They didn't deliberately chat with her. However, after this incident, they felt more grateful. They all came over to thank her and said, "Thanks to Sister Jiang just now."

Xie Wenlan decided to teach several people a good lesson today. She said in a stern voice, "Once you enter the Shanggong Bureau, you are all officials, fifth-rank officials. How can you call me sister like you do at home?"

After this speech, several people didn't dare to speak and lowered their heads.

Xie Wenlan slammed the table in anger and cursed, "Is the prince so good-looking? Each of them looks as if they have never seen a man. If you want to get married so much, why do you need to enter the palace? Are these your ambitions?"

"I think your family has spent a lot of effort to cultivate you so that you can enter the Shanggong Bureau. When others are still talking about new clothes and jewelry with their sisters, weren't you studying hard?"

It is not an easy thing to enter the Shanggong Bureau. Someone once said that the examination papers to enter the Shanggong Bureau are no simpler than the imperial examination. Sometimes, because there are too many people and too few people admitted, the conditions are more stringent.

"Did you see the look in those people's eyes today? Don't you know what the officials in the court said about our Shang Gong Bureau? Now it's so embarrassing. It's fine if you have no shame, but you've brought shame to our Shang Gong Bureau. Sir Qi, Wang Shuyun, and other gentlemen have spent so much effort to support the Shang Gong Bureau. Our ancestor said that women are as good as men! To make men admire you is a real skill!"

Everyone was silent for a moment, "Kneel down."

Jiang Yu was about to kneel down, but was stopped by Xie Wenlan. Not to mention that she and Jiang Yu had an extraordinary relationship, she was reluctant to let go. Just because the prince treated Jiang Yu differently just now, she was afraid that Jiang Yu would fall, so she stood over nervously. Even a fool would understand, right?

If she knelt for an hour, she would walk with a limp. She was really afraid that the prince would be unhappy.

"Master Jiang, follow me to organize the scrolls."

One of them asked in surprise, "Why can Master Jiang not kneel?"

Xie Wenlan had not scolded enough, and after hearing this, she was furious and said, "What? Did I punish you too lightly? Tell me, was Master Jiang among the whispers over there just now? She has always behaved well, but you almost pushed her to the ground, and you saw her complain?"

"You wanted to thank Master Jiang just now, but now you want to drag Master Jiang to be punished together?"

Several people thought about it and realized that Jiang Yu really had not agreed with them in anything. He had always been dignified and polite, and had never lost his sense of propriety. They wilted again, feeling so ashamed that they said, "Master Xie, please don't say anymore. We know we were wrong." They went to apologize to Jiang Yu again, and then knelt down obediently.

After Jiang Yu and Xie Wenlan left, she could not help scolding Li Wenwan, "I knew it was inappropriate when she came. She didn't like to talk to us. Isn't she relying on her family being from the capital? It turns out that she also wants to get close to His Royal Highness the Crown Prince. How shameless!"

"That's right!"

"From now on, it's either me or her in this room."

Li Wenwan's move made her future situation very passive.

Xie Wenlan took Jiang Yu to the study of the Shanggong Bureau, where various documents were placed. "There is nothing important on weekdays. It's just that in the afternoon, His Majesty will go to the Imperial Study to discuss matters with the elders. His Highness will also be there, and we will wait by the side."

Jiang Yu nodded and carefully remembered Xie Wenlan's words.

Xie Wenlan admired Jiang Yu in her heart. It seemed that Jiang Yu had always been like this. No matter what happened, he was very calm. For example, the incident just now, others had to calm down at this moment, but Jiang Yu quickly devoted himself to official duties.

In fact, Xie Wenlan was overthinking. Jiang Yu's mind was full of various documents and dusty records. She even saw the notes of Mr. Qi, whom she had always admired.

It was this extraordinary woman who pushed the Shanggong Bureau to the front. At that time, she was almost on par with the Prime Minister in the court.

Smelling the scent of ink and looking at these handwritten notes with the precipitation of time, Jiang Yu felt like touching a treasure and looked at them page by page with great care.

When she was a child, she also thought that if one day she could be like a man... Today it seems that it can finally come true.

Thinking of this, the unpleasant episodes today are not important. Prince Lin Bozhi is just a prince, and she is just his subject.

Jiang Yu seems to finally understand the dream of those scholars to be loyal to the army and serve the country.

When it was time to eat, the imperial kitchen was slow to bring the food, and the food was already cold. It didn't matter. The Shanggong Bureau is now in a precarious position. Those eunuchs are used to serving people, and sometimes even the elders are ignored. How can they be attentive to the small Shanggong Bureau?

The newlyweds had been kneeling for an hour, and now they were all listless, but when they thought of Li Wenwan being carried out of the palace, they felt lucky.

However, their families were not bad. After all, it was difficult for men to study at that time, and the families that could let women study and not care about passing the imperial examinations were either rich or noble.

"The lard is all stuck on it."

"This rice is too hard."

Then they saw Xie Wenlan walk in, and they were scared for a moment. The youngest among them could not stand steadily. The first woman to fall, named Zheng Guifang, directly picked up the bowl to drink the soup. The lard stuck to her mouth, but she pretended not to see it and swallowed it hard, saying, "Sir Xie, we didn't say the food is bad. I can endure hardship."

The others hurriedly agreed. Sun Xiusheng took a spoonful of half-cooked rice, stuffed it into her mouth, and said, "I ate it too."

Xie Wenlan was still a little angry at first, but suddenly found it funny. Jiang Yu followed behind with a heater. Seeing that several people had eaten half of it, he said in surprise, "Isn't the food cold?"

Xie Wenlan said, "Hurry up and thank Sir Jiang. She asked someone to borrow a heater and asked us to heat up the food."

Jiang Yu turned on the stove, which still had charcoal in it. She put the bowl and chopsticks on it. After a while, the lard began to spread. Although it couldn't heat up the food, it was still slightly warm and edible.

"Master Jiang, you are so amazing!"

At this moment, several people completely lost their temper. They felt that Jiang Yu really knew everything, and their eyes were full of admiration.