Volume 2: Residence in the Capital Chapter 211: Chewing Sugarcane
The first time Zhang Shou entered the palace, he was picked up by a sedan chair sent by the Qingning Palace to see the Empress Dowager. The second time, he was suddenly summoned by the Emperor from the Lu family to attend the court. Now, the third time he entered the palace, when Zhang Shou walked into the Qianqing Gate, he felt much calmer than the previous two times. He walked through the Bei'an Gate, just in time to avoid the procession of officials leaving the court. When he saw the Qianqing Gate, he also took a look at the imperial carriage that was withdrawing.
It was obvious that the emperor had just returned to the Qianqing Palace from the Fengtian Hall.
The eunuch who led him today was Lu Chan, a semi-acquaintance whom he had met once in the outer court of the Silijian. He had just talked about the past and the present and was very talkative. Now that they had entered the Qianqing Gate, they were no longer as casual as before, and dared not say a word. They led Zhang Shou to the bottom of the steps, reported inside, and soon heard a sharp voice.
"The emperor is changing his clothes, please wait a moment, Dr. Zhang."
Although the wind was a bit strong at the moment, Zhang Shou's official robe was specially made for the Duke of Zhao's Mansion and was padded inside, which was enough to keep out the cold and keep warm in weather like this. Zhang Shou saw that Lu Chan hesitated for a moment after hearing what he said, as if he didn't know whether to go in. He simply didn't urge him or ask. He lowered his eyes, stood there calmly, waiting, and ignored the scrutinizing eyes around him.
Taking advantage of this free time, he thought about the prototype of the spinning jenny that he saw when he went to the blacksmith shop last night. Although he had not really tried the machine, Zhao Si also said that it still needed fine-tuning. Luo Xiaoxiao had not yet completed several iron components, but they were not far from what he remembered. As for whether it could be used, he would probably have to go back and ask Wu for help.
Although weaving and spinning are not in the same field, his mother is always better than a pure layman like him.
He waited like this for quite a while, even getting distracted out of habit, when he suddenly heard a voice behind him: "Why let Dr. Zhang wait outside the door in the wind?"
Zhang Shou turned around and saw that it was Chu Kuan, the secretary of the Imperial Household Department, who was walking towards him from the Qianqing Gate. He nodded in greeting, but Chu Kuan only smiled and returned the greeting. He glanced at Lu Chan next to him with a little anger, and then quickly walked up the stairs. Soon, a middle-aged eunuch came out quickly, with a bit of anger on his face, but before he could say anything, Chu Kuan sprayed him back.
"Liu Feng, it's true that you are the steward of the Palace of Heavenly Purity, but Dr. Zhang was specially invited by the emperor, and he is also the teacher of the third and fourth princes. Is this how you treat court officials?"
Liu Feng, the manager of the Qianqing Palace, wanted to retort. He was just a sixth-rank official. How could he be considered a minister of the court? Especially when he saw Zhang Shou standing there calmly and not paying any attention to the dispute between him and Chu Kuan, he felt even more unhappy, but more of it was because he felt guilty. After all, the emperor only ordered Zhang Shou to wait a little longer, but did not tell him to wait outside the Qianqing Palace!
He was not the Queen's man, so he had no reason and no courage to show his displeasure to Zhang Shou because the man in Kunning Palace was still under house arrest. If he hadn't heard by chance that the Queen Mother in Qingning Palace didn't like Zhang Shou very much, and didn't like him to get involved in royal affairs, he wouldn't have hinted to others to let Zhang Shou stay outside to get some information.
Therefore, he could only bite the bullet and say, "It was just a momentary negligence of the person who delivered the message. It's just a small matter. Why does Eunuch Chu have to exaggerate it?" As he said that, he immediately forced a smile and greeted Zhang Shou, "Dr. Zhang, please come in. I will definitely teach that idiot who couldn't even deliver a message a lesson!"
Zhang Shou said calmly, " Since the emperor has sent a message for me to wait, and has not summoned me to the Palace of Heavenly Purity, how can I enter without permission? Although I used to be an idler in the mountains, now that I am a doctor of the Imperial College, I naturally cannot let people say that I don't know etiquette."
Chu Kuan saw Zhang Shou pushing Liu Feng back without any hesitation, and immediately glanced at the name of the Qianqing Palace manager with a half-smile, and then immediately strode into the palace. He was a person who was specially authorized to enter and leave the Qianqing Palace without reporting, and could enter at any time of day or night, so after Liu Feng was startled, he didn't care about Zhang Shou and hurriedly chased after him.
As the two men left, Zhang Shou laughed secretly. Chu Kuan and Liu Feng were obviously at odds, so they took advantage of his waiting here to have some arguments. However, although he did not have any clear preference, he had not entered the Qianqing Palace before, and now the emperor had not summoned him, so hadn't he waited in vain?
Feeling his hands a little cold, he raised his hands and blew out a breath gently.
He had just done half of this action when he suddenly caught a glimpse of two palace servants in the corner of the yard, sweeping the floor and secretly peeking at him. When they met his gaze, the two palace servants, who were obviously quite young, lowered their heads hurriedly, and one of them poured a bucket of water a little higher, and the water droplets immediately splashed far away, and a few drops of water just splashed onto the hem of Zhang Shou's official robe.
Seeing this, one of the palace maids was immediately frightened. She subconsciously took a rag and stepped forward to make amends. But before she could get close, Zhang Shou smiled and said, "It's just a few drops of water. It's no big deal. In this dry weather, it will be invisible after it dries up."
The emperor who just came out saw Zhang Shou talking to him tenderly, while the young palace maid was excited and terrified, repeatedly kneeling to apologize. He inexplicably found this scene very interesting, so he stood there and watched for a few more seconds, but who knew that a voice that ruined the mood came from behind: "You lazy girl, I asked you to clean up with others, how dare you flirt with Dr. Zhang!"
Zhang Shou had just sensed that someone had arrived, so he turned around and saw the emperor looking at him with a smile. Chu Kuan was standing behind him, and the person pointing fingers on the other side was none other than Liu Feng, the manager of the Qianqing Palace. He bowed and said, "Your Majesty, someone made a careless mistake while sweeping the floor. I know that Your Majesty is always lenient and will certainly not blame you for such a small matter."
"I am indeed always lenient, unlike those who make a fuss over nothing." The emperor chuckled with a double meaning, and found that there was no sound behind him, as if even his breathing had stopped. He nodded slightly at Zhang Shou and said, "The Ministry of Rites will send someone to send those guys to the corridor of the Qianqing Palace in a while. I was planning to take you to see the Queen Mother, but now I think it's better to forget it."
He waved his hand and called Zhang Shou forward, then motioned for him to follow him into the Qianqing Palace. As he walked, he said without looking back, "The Empress Dowager has ordered the Queen and I to reflect on our mistakes behind closed doors. These days, apart from attending court meetings and paying respects at the Qingning Palace in the morning and evening, I have not left the Qianqing Gate at other times. If I make an exception today just because you are here, I don't know what people will say about me!"
Liu Feng was about to go in with the emperor, but when he heard these suggestive words, he shuddered immediately. Especially when he found that Chu Kuan was looking at him with a sneer, he couldn't help but regret it even more.
Although Zhang Shou was not a high-ranking official, and had not yet married Zhu Ying, who was always favored by the emperor and the empress dowager, it was obvious that the rumor that the emperor loved her very much was actually true! He was really crazy. He believed the gossip about Qingning Palace that others spread, and now he was doing something wrong!
He didn't care whether Chu Kuan would use this incident to stir up trouble, and hurriedly followed him in. However, he thought Zhang Shou would follow the emperor's words and continue the topic that had just been left outside to blow the cold wind, but Zhang Shou didn't mention it at all, but was talking to the emperor about the former Taizu's relics.
"You are so thoughtful. I have placed the original manuscript of Taizu's letter in the Gujin Tongjiku for safekeeping. As for the copy, I have read it several times when I had nothing to do. Unfortunately, I can't understand anything. I can only hope that you can figure it out."
"I can only say that we should give it a try. But this is different from the previous things . It is very difficult. I have to tell Your Majesty in advance that there is little hope. After all, those symbols are unheard of and unseen, so I have no idea."
"It's okay. I'm not in a hurry. There are many similar manuscripts in the Ancient and Modern Collection. They have been piled up for nearly a hundred years, and they still can't be deciphered. We should try our best. I won't rush you. If you have any progress, just write to me directly. Well, use the box I gave you before, and you and I will agree on a password."
Chu Kuan, who followed Liu Feng in, happened to hear these words. He felt his heart skip a beat and said quickly, "Your Majesty, the Taizu manuscripts in the Ancient and Modern Collection have been stored for many years. Why not let Dr. Zhang take a look at the manuscripts?"
Zhang Shou had heard a long time ago that there were many Taizu manuscripts preserved in the Gujin Tongjiku. At the beginning, the emperor even joked that if he made more contributions, he would be allowed to go in and take a look. But later he was warned by Ge Yong that even many university scholars were not allowed to get permission, so he gave up the idea. Now that Chu Kuan mentioned this, he quickly thought about it in his mind and finally shook his head.
"Those words are too strange. Even with more references, I can't figure out anything for a while. Eunuch Chu, please don't worry. After all, I asked Zhang Chen and Lu Sanlang to copy several copies and distribute them to various parties. With collective efforts, there will always be results."
Seeing the emperor nod in agreement with Zhang Shou's words, Chu Kuan could not say anything more even if he was unhappy. And then the emperor smiled and only talked about the matter of choosing a son-in-law, so he could not change the subject. Soon, a woman's voice came from outside: "Your Majesty, Princess Deyang, Princess Yongping, Princess Xinyang, and Princess Ninghe are in Qingning Palace. The Queen Mother ordered me to report it."
After hearing the last sentence, Zhang Shou finally recognized the voice. It seemed to be the voice of a middle-aged female official who had served beside the empress dowager in Qingning Palace. At this moment, he pondered her words and felt that the empress dowager's move seemed to be a precautionary measure. She was probably worried that the emperor would bring his daughter and niece to choose a son-in-law together!
The emperor smiled as if nothing had happened and said, "My mother is really worried. Go back and tell her that she was furious because of Qingning's incident. Now I dare not be so rebellious. Okay, Chu Kuan, go and see where everyone is. When they arrive, place them in the front corridor and prepare tea and snacks for them. Then I will meet them one by one according to the list!"
As Yuquan agreed and left quietly, Chu Kuan also hurried out with a smile on his face. When he left, the emperor saw Zhang Shou standing there, with a calm look in his eyes, dignified and generous. He glanced at Liu Feng, who had a worried expression on his face, and said with a smile: "Liu Feng, find a seat for Zhang Shou, then make the best tea and prepare snacks."
"Forty people, even if we ask each of them three or five questions, it will probably take until the afternoon to see so many people. Be prepared to spend a lot of time and not even have time to eat lunch. Zhang Shou, if you can't hold on any longer, just tell me. You are the touchstone."
Zhang Shou saw the emperor's meaningful expression and immediately understood what the emperor meant. He was angry and amused at the same time. Obviously, the emperor was not afraid that he would be unable to sit still and stagger around, which would ruin his image. He was probably hinting to him that if he couldn't hold it any longer, he should go to the bathroom! Forty people, even if he saw one of them every five minutes, it would take more than three hours. It was indeed a protracted war!
While no one had arrived yet, Liu Feng had already hurried out to prepare. He simply said without hesitation in a confident tone, "Can I borrow the clean room first?"
The emperor was slightly startled, then he couldn't help but smile. He pointed to a young eunuch next to him and said with a smile: "Go!"
Zhang Shou heaved a sigh of relief when he saw that the emperor did not send a palace servant to follow him out of spite. When he was relieved in the emperor's spacious but elegantly furnished toilet, he was somewhat surprised to see that there was no chamber pot or toilet bucket, and the design of directly using water from a high water tank to wash away the dirt. Needless to say, the ancient imperial palace could have such a design, which must have been thanks to Emperor Taizu.
When he came out, he saw a large armchair placed to the right of the emperor's throne, with a tall table next to it, on which was a small and exquisite plum blossom teacup, and next to it was a red lacquer storage box. He walked closer and saw that there were four kinds of small pastries inside, almond pastries, beef pastries, green bean pastries, and crystal pastries, all of which were bite-sized.
He couldn't help but thank the emperor and then sat down. During the free time waiting for the arrival of the emperor, the emperor asked him about the noble children of Banshan Hall with great interest. Many of them were the ones who participated in the final selection today, so he patiently explained them one by one. Liu Feng, who was standing beside the emperor, saw Zhang Shou talking and laughing freely, and was not pretentious about the advantages and disadvantages of each person, and couldn't help but secretly wonder.
Even though the emperor had mostly appeared in front of his ministers with a gentle side over the years, he certainly knew how scary the emperor was when he was furious, and how ruthless he was when he was decisive in killing. And most of the ministers also understood that this was the Son of Heaven who had the power of life and death, and they stood in front of him with solemnity, fear, or caution... As for the three words "calmness", no one except the senior bosses could do it.
But Zhang Shou, the man in front of him who he once thought only had a good-looking face, actually did it so easily!
Just as Zhang Shou mentioned Zhang Chen in response to the emperor's question, Chu Kuan's voice came from outside: "Your Majesty, the young masters are already waiting in the corridor. According to the list, the first one is Zhang Chen. Do you want to bring him in?"
The emperor glanced at Zhang Shou, who was calm and composed, and suddenly laughed, "Just follow the list... But when you call people, tell them to go in reverse order. The last person on the list will be the first to enter the Palace of Heavenly Purity, and Zhang Chen will be the last. This is called chewing sugar cane backwards, and gradually achieving good results."
Zhang Shou was stunned for a moment, and then he couldn't help but take a deep breath. The list of the Ministry of Rites was probably arranged according to family background, and now the emperor's move was to put those with poor family backgrounds at the front. However , this was definitely not a good thing for those with poor family backgrounds, because they had to face the huge pressure of suddenly meeting the emperor without any psychological preparation!
This move of the emperor is really bad!
