Chapter 78
Zheng Yuheng asked the palace guards at the door of the palace, and he was told that the concubines of each palace had left, so he entered the palace.
Unfortunately, he did not ask more questions, and the little girl outside was too young to explain. As soon as Zheng Yuheng stepped in, it was not Dong Lingjiu who was alone, but the emperor Meng Cheng and the queen Wang Wanrou who were accompanying him for dinner.
Almost all the female officials and eunuchs who could be named were waiting by the side, including Aunt Ruixue, Aunt Yuewan, Xuan Duzhi, Zhao Qingzhao, all surrounded them, together with the imperial attendants and Chen Duzhi of Fengzao Palace... The three serious masters of the imperial city were having dinner, and the well-known imperial attendants held their breath and waited.
Zheng Yuheng's breathing paused for a moment, and when he saw Dong Lingjiu looking over, he could not turn around and leave. Fortunately, he had something important to do, so he stepped forward to serve medicine.
Dong Lingjiu was chatting with Meng Cheng. When he saw him coming, he glanced up and down, and his eyes stopped at the tip of his ear, which was still slightly red. He knew that the little doctor Zheng was very obedient, and he thought that he hadn't taken it off yet.
The little emperor was also staring at him.
Dong Lingjiu took the medicine bowl, turned the edge of the bowl with his fingertips, and said casually: "Leave it for serving dishes."
If it were normal times, Zheng Yuheng would certainly agree happily, but at this moment, he just felt that the queen was going to embarrass him and play with him again. He looked at her with wet eyes and looked very aggrieved.
This is a bit of eye contact.
The little emperor suddenly coughed.
Zheng Yuheng immediately retracted his gaze, took the serving chopsticks from Aunt Ruixue, and stood beside her to serve Dong Lingjiu dishes.
Dong Lingjiu drank the medicine and rinsed his mouth to remove the bitter taste in his mouth. His appetite was not very good, so he just drank tea lightly and continued with Meng Cheng: "...There are three things after the New Year. I mentioned it to you before. You should not be busy these days and have a good rest, but we have to discuss it again after the end of the year. The method of saving that the queen just mentioned is one of them..."
The emperor and the queen listened respectfully and put down the chopsticks in their hands.
Dong Lingjiu briefly talked about these things, and then stopped talking. He ate a little of the dishes arranged by Zheng Yuheng, turned to him and said, "Sit down."
This was a family banquet of the royal family. What was the matter with him sitting down? Zheng Yuheng hesitated in his heart, and felt a faint sense of shame in front of the emperor, so he did not move for a while.
Meng Cheng looked over. Although his face was not very good, after these days of education and growth, he was not as emotional as before. Especially in front of Dong Lingjiu, he became more patient and calm on the surface: "Since the Empress Dowager has granted you a seat, it is a reward for the meritorious service of Doctor Zheng. My mother's illness is thanks to you for taking care of her. There is no need to refuse." Zheng
Yuheng then sat down beside her.
He subconsciously leaned very close to Dong Lingjiu, but did not dare to break the rules. In addition, he was anxious and his ears were still hot, so he was a little distracted
. Dong Lingjiu continued to talk to the queen and talked to Wang Wanrou about the additional or reduced expenses in the harem. The queen responded to these tedious palace affairs one by one, and her words were very measured.
Dong Lingjiu nodded, and then ate something attentively. She didn't speak, and no one else dared to speak. Only Meng Cheng mentioned the princess: "Yingying lives in the palace and won't come today."
Wang Wanrou said: "Yesterday, the princess stayed up late, so I think she went to bed late. It's okay for her to get up late."
Meng Cheng paused and said: "Before New Year's Eve, my mother ordered someone to draft an edict. When the Ministry of Revenue brought it to Guiyuan Palace, I took a few glances. Yingying is young. Should we consider it again for important matters such as making imperial edicts and reviewing government affairs in the Secretariat?"
More than just consideration, when Meng Cheng saw this imperial edict, his mind buzzed - it didn't have much to do with power struggles, but he felt that his mother must have some "other arrangements", but he couldn't guess his mother's intentions, which made Meng Cheng feel frustrated and confused.
If it were in the past, he might have believed the words in the imperial edict and believed that Dong Lingjiu was thinking this way. But after Li Zhuo's embezzlement of military pay, murder of the imperial envoy, Shang Kai's abuse of power, the Ministry of Revenue's false accounts... and so on, in the process of self-reflection and calmness, Meng Cheng has been able to taste the unusual double meaning in Dong Lingjiu's imperial edict, so he asked this question.
Dong Lingjiu responded hesitantly, and casually said: "Does the emperor think it's not okay?"
Meng Cheng hesitated and did not answer, turning his head to look at Wang Wanrou.
Just as the young couple exchanged glances, Zheng Yuheng, who was watching his nose and heart to reduce his sense of existence, suddenly felt a gentle force... He lowered his eyes and saw the undisciplined white-haired imperial cat lying under the table.
I don't know when Aiai slept here, and now it is energetic. It stood up and shook its fur, shook its ears, and gave Zheng Yuheng a lazy look, but its claws scratched the corner of his robe.
Zheng Yuheng was afraid that it would touch something it shouldn't touch, so he held his breath and carefully moved back a little bit.
This cat always let him bully it, but this time it actually bullied him back. It was very surprised and stepped on him, hooking the corner of his clothes and jumping up.
Zheng Yuheng had to reach out to catch it, so as to prevent this heavy and fluffy cat prince from stepping on the bell. His heart was burning, but on the surface he just frowned slightly and looked upright.
Dong Lingjiu tilted her head and asked him in a low voice: "What's wrong?"
Zheng Yuheng showed her the cat in her arms.
Dong Lingjiu couldn't help but smile: "Qing'er has been looking for it for a whole day and couldn't find it anywhere. It turned out that it ran under the table. It's also because the cloth covered it too tightly, so it hid inside and was lazy."
In front of everyone, Zheng Yuheng's eyebrows were gentle and his attitude was very polite and humble: "It's because the Queen Mother loves it that she allows it to be so spoiled."
Dong Lingjiu glanced at him and thought, you can say this about yourself, but when have you ever been generous enough to praise other cats?
Zheng Yuheng had to be generous. He had knots and bells tied under his clothes. Although those things were small and hidden, and didn't make any noise, it would be a lot of fun if the bad cat stepped on them.
He was originally very thin-skinned. He was able to be so tough thanks to the teachings of the Queen Mother. However, this had already reached the limit of Zheng Yuheng's shame. He couldn't imagine what would happen if this scene was discovered... Even if the little emperor beat him to death on the spot and called him lewd, Zheng Yuheng felt that he couldn't refute it.
It was indeed lewd. He thought with shame.
For this reason, the young doctor Zheng quietly asked her for help: "Madam, please take it over."
Dong Lingjiu said: "You don't want to hold it?"
"No, it's just..."
Before he could clarify, the royal cat saw Dong Lingjiu, and stretched out its claws to rub her coquettishly, and arched from Zheng Yuheng's arms to her side.
The young doctor breathed a sigh of relief and said, "Ai Ai still likes you."
Dong Lingjiu smiled and said nothing. She stretched out her hand in a gentle and kind manner. Her fingers passed under the cat, rubbed the top of Zheng Yuheng's robe, and touched the warm place. When she slowly rubbed it, she could still feel the traces of the knots tied through the clothes.
Zheng Yuheng's breathing suddenly stagnated. He couldn't help but tighten his hand on Ai Ai until the cat bit his hand with a "wow". He reacted slowly and embarrassedly and suddenly let go of his hand.
He lowered his head, not daring to look at Dong Lingjiu's face, nor the expressions of others. His eyes were only fixed on her fingers, moving with her knuckles, watching her hand cover him, and staying on him for a very short moment, like comfort, but also like punishment.
Dong Lingjiu took the cat away, leaning against the back of the chair to rub its fluffy head and rub its thin ears.
This matter is long to talk about, but in fact it only happened in a few breaths. Meng Cheng on the other end of the line had just exchanged glances with Wang Wanrou, and replied: "I dare not, but this matter will inevitably cause an uproar among the court officials, and by then, gossip about the Queen Mother and Yingying will be rampant. I think... even if I want to teach Yingying government affairs, I can do it step by step."
"Yes." Dong Lingjiu agreed with his answer, "You are right, it should be done step by step. This imperial edict is just for them to see. The emperor must both observe and learn from the next matter."
Although Meng Cheng was puzzled, he still responded: "I will remember this."
"Okay." Dong Lingjiu stroked the smooth fur on her back, "You two should go back. It's New Year's Day. Why are you always staying here with me?"
Meng Cheng looked at Zheng Yuheng beside her, and a little unwillingness rose in his heart again. This time it was not because of the fantasy of his parents' "deep love", he had already recognized the facts. But after all, he always felt awkward because of his upbringing and his status. He was afraid that Zheng Yuheng's position in his mother's heart would surpass his, so he said with a hint of warning: "Zheng Yuheng."
Zheng Yuheng stood up, lowered his head and replied: "I'm here."
Meng Cheng looked at him suspiciously. This man was usually stubborn and obstinate, not afraid of any imperial power or majesty, and was spoiled and difficult to discipline. Why was he so docile and obedient today? Even in front of his mother, he didn't show any signs of breaking the rules.
Zheng Yuheng was sweating in front of him. The little emperor was usually fierce, and he would yell and get angry at any time, and angrily told him to get out - why did he hold back this time? He really wanted to get out. He couldn't eat a single bite of this meal.
Meng Cheng looked at him for a while, didn't find anything wrong, so he kept up appearances and ordered: "The Empress Dowager's health has not been good. The prescriptions for keeping her pulse safe and healthy are all entrusted to you. Fortunately, she didn't get sick this winter. This is the credit of your dedicated care. This means that you are serving in the right direction. The Queen also mentioned it to me a few days ago. This is the credit of your seriousness and carefulness, and you work day and night. I deserve to reward you."
Dong Lingjiu rubbed the cat's ears silently, dignified and leisurely, pretending that he had not done anything bad.
Zheng Yuheng said slowly: "It is my duty... It is my life's blessing to serve the queen."
"No," Meng Cheng couldn't stand his innocent look. He looked obedient and docile, and had no desires. In fact, he was very stubborn in private. He insisted on rewarding Zheng Yuheng. "This is a reward from me and the queen. You did a good job, so you deserve it."
Zheng Yuheng sighed softly. He was not stubborn at the moment, but Dong Lingjiu made him more energetic in other aspects. If there was no table in the way, Meng Cheng would be very happy to reward him with a death sentence.
Dong Lingjiu said at the right time: "It would be disrespectful to refuse again. Thank you."
This was Dong Lingjiu covering for him. Zheng Yuheng knelt down to thank him as it was natural. He looked so gentle and respectful.
Meng Cheng looked at him strangely for a few times, always feeling that something was not right, but he couldn't tell what was wrong. Instead, he was coaxed into comfort by Zheng Yuheng's gentle attitude. After rewarding him, he said goodbye to Dong Lingjiu.
When Meng Cheng and Queen Wang left, most of the attendants in the palace also left. Ruixue and Yuewan both led people to see the emperor and empress off, and the side suddenly became quiet.
Dong Lingjiu didn't move, and the cat in her arms blinked.
Zheng Yuheng didn't dare to move either. He waited until the surroundings were completely quiet, then he pulled the corner of Dong Lingjiu's clothes and looked up at her.
Dong Lingjiu coughed lightly, lowered her head and said, "Are you feeling better?"
Zheng Yuheng's hand passed by the embroidery on the bottom of the gorgeous clothes, rested on her knees, pushed Ai Ai aside, and said hoarsely, "It hurts..."
"How does it hurt?" she asked.
"It's swelling..." he said, "Please..."
Ai Ai was squeezed so hard that her tail was thick and a circle of hair exploded, and she breathed at him.
Zheng Yuheng didn't care about it at all. All he could see was Dong Lingjiu. He was young, and it was the first time for him to be nice to someone, which made the Queen Mother go crazy.
Aiai was pushed away by him. He stood up and circled Dong Lingjiu in the chair, hooked her waist, and took advantage of the gap when the two aunts went to see the emperor and empress in person to pick up the Queen Mother from the chair, hugged her tightly, buried his head in her shoulders and took a few deep breaths, as if he had just come alive.
Dong Lingjiu whispered, "Is it really that uncomfortable?"
He nodded sullenly.
"Go to the bedroom." She said gently, "Let me see."
The author has something to say:
The "Loving Family" group chat has been established.
"Meng Cheng" joined the group chat
"Meng Zhaiyue" joined the group chat
"Wang Wanrou" joined the group chat
"Zheng Yuheng" joined the group chat
Meng Cheng:?
"Zheng Yuheng" was removed from the group chat by the administrator "Meng Cheng"
"Zheng Yuheng" was invited to join the group chat by the group owner "Dong Lingjiu"
Zheng Yuheng: OvO Thank you for the invitation.
Meng Cheng: ...