The Three Spirit Stones

On the top floor of the Xuande Tower, Song Zhenzong Zhao Heng was taking the crown prince and concubines to admire the thorny basin lanterns on Panlou Street and the Bodhisattva lanterns on Imperial Street. Below, there were dozens of stands built along the street, where the prime minister, deputy prime minister, privy councilor, six ministers and their families sat.

This year, Cao Wei came to Beijing, and the emperor, as a token of his favor, specially summoned him and several other important officials who came to Beijing to watch the lanterns together.

The king and his ministers were watching the lanterns and chatting about various matters. Somehow they talked about Cheng Yu. Zhao Heng asked Cheng Yu if he had come to watch the lanterns.

Chen Lin, the chief eunuch beside Zhao Heng, had sharp eyes and saw Cheng Yu in the crowd. He pointed down and said to him, "My lord, the Marquis of Loyalty and Bravery is down there."

"Oh! What a coincidence? Go and ask him to come up,"

Zhao Heng said to Chen Lin,

"Yes, official,"

Chen Lin went down to find Cheng Yu and told him that the emperor and Governor Cao were watching the lanterns on the Xuan De Tower, and they specially summoned Marquis Zhongyong to watch the lanterns with them!

That's it!

Cheng Yu was just about to tell Yuechan to look after Ah Cai and that he would be back soon,

When Acai heard this, she was excited!

The emperor is nearby? That's Emperor Zhenzong of Song! This is much cooler than a star! It's cool to see a star in person, let alone the emperor?

"I'll go too,"

She grabbed Cheng Yu who was about to leave. Everyone looked at her, feeling puzzled. The emperor didn't summon her, so how could she go?

"I have not seen the Emperor yet,"

Cheng Yu said helplessly, "Caibao, you can't see the emperor just because you want to."

"I will follow you quietly, without saying a word, just to take a look,"

"Please, I just want to see your face!"

Cheng Yu was so angry that he laughed. He touched her nose and said, "How many times have I told you not to use idioms carelessly?"

"Seeing a beautiful face is used to describe a woman, a treasure. Meeting the emperor is not a joke, you should understand that,"

Ah Cai saw Cheng Yu's serious expression and realized that he was not joking. She could only nod dejectedly and said, "Okay, I understand. I won't go then."

Then he let go of his hand.

"That's good,"

He pulled her to Yuechan and said solemnly, "Watch her, don't let her leave your sight within a foot."

Watching him leave, Ah Cai muttered,

"Is it that serious? Are you going to guard against me like you would a thief?"

Yuechan thought, what's the point? It's your fault for having such a bad record.

Others looked at her strangely, wondering if she was stupid or naive? Didn't she know that she was not allowed to enter without a summons? Moreover, meeting the emperor was not an easy task. If one word was wrong, one could lose one's head at any time. Wasn't she afraid?

Cheng Yu followed Chen Lin up to Xuande Tower and saw Zhao Heng kneeling down and shouting "Long live the emperor" three times. Zhao Heng asked him to stand up and give him a seat. Chen Lin whispered a few words beside him. Zhao Heng drank his tea and spit it out with a "puff", then laughed and said, "Haha! Take a look at my beautiful face! Haha..."

"Mr. Cheng, your wife is truly adorable!"

When Cheng Yu heard this, he thought to himself, "Oh no!"

Sure enough, Zhao Heng continued, "My dear, since your wife wants to see me so much, let her come up!"

Cheng Yu quickly stood up and bowed, saying, "Your Majesty, let's not do it. My wife was born in a rough and uncouth family in the mountains and doesn't know the rules. I'm afraid she will offend Your Majesty, which would be bad."

There was some sweat on his forehead.

"Hey~, I am having fun with the people tonight, why are there so many rules? Those who don't know are not guilty."

He looked at Cao Wei for help, and Cao Wei shook his head slightly. He understood, lowered his head and said yes to Zhao Heng.

Then, Chen Lin went to convey the emperor's order to Acai again. Acai was very excited to hear that she was going to meet the emperor. Yuechan was very worried and quickly pulled her aside to teach her the basic etiquette of meeting the emperor.

Going up to the Xuande Tower, she bowed her head and knelt down as Yuechan had taught her, shouting "Long live the emperor" repeatedly. Then, she stood there with her head down, waiting silently for the emperor to ask questions.

Seeing this, Cao Wei and Cheng Yu finally felt relieved.

Cao Wei was most afraid that she would run over and touch the emperor. Cheng Yu was even more worried because this person had different ways of doing it every time. Fortunately, she was still well-behaved for the time being. It seemed that Yuechan taught her temporarily.

Zhao Heng's eyes lit up when he saw Ah Cai. A beautiful young lady with a beautiful figure and a graceful figure stood before him. He thought, "Lord Cheng said she was from a rough and unsophisticated family. How could she be like that? Such a beautiful lady! She must want to hide herself so that I can't see her!"

Then he said to Ah Cai, "You... didn't you say you wanted to see my face? How can you see what I look like if you lower your head?"

Usually in this situation, the minister should say, "I am afraid of offending the emperor and dare not face your majesty directly." Then the emperor would say, "I forgive you for being innocent."

But she didn't understand any of this, so she nodded and said, "Yes, the government is right."

Then he looked up at Zhao Heng, then at the Crown Prince, then at the concubines behind him.

Zhao Heng is a middle-aged man with a round face, deep eye bags, and a short beard.

Prince Zhao Shouyi was a child of seven or eight years old.

When she saw the concubines behind her, her eyes lit up!

Regardless of whether these concubines were beautiful or not, the most important thing was that their heads were covered with pearls and jade, and their bodies and hands were covered with sparkling and expensive jewellery.

Wow!

They are all Forbes rich ladies! They are wearing antique jewelry on their bodies and heads! Any piece of jewelry is worth millions!

Zhao Heng was surprised to see that she was not nervous at all and was looking around. He asked her, "Now that you have met me, what do you think of the commander?"

This sentence can easily get someone killed.

If you flatter the emperor and say that he is handsome, you are lying and the emperor will say that you are deceiving him. If you say that he is fat and round, the emperor will be unhappy and will say that you disrespect his majesty. You will also be in trouble.

Cao Wei's palms were sweating, and so was Cheng Yu. He thought, if things get to the point where they are irreversible, he will just hold the crown prince hostage.

Poor little Zhao Shouyi, he had no idea that he had become a bargaining chip in the adults' game.

What do you look like? Ah Cai tilted her head and scratched it.

You're handsome? No, my husband is way better than you! You're fat? No, it's very rude to say someone is fat, not to mention that I'm not really fat, I'm just a little fat.

How should it be described?

She racked her brains to find a suitable adjective in her poor Chinese vocabulary.

Zhao Heng looked at her tilting her head and frowning at him, and couldn't help laughing in his heart. This woman was quite interesting.

She thought for a while, and finally said seriously, "Sir, you look..."

"Well, ... he looks very rich!"

No one expected her to say that. Zhao Heng was stunned for a moment, then burst into laughter.

"Hahaha! You look very rich. Well, well said!"

Only then did Cao Wei and Cheng Yu breathe a sigh of relief.

Others flattered him, saying that the Song Dynasty was blessed to have an emperor, that the emperor was benevolent and courteous to the wise, and that the country was rich and the people were strong. Some even wrote a poem on the spot to praise Zhao Heng, which made Emperor Zhenzong of Song laugh out loud.

A Cai looked at these people with a bit of confusion. I just felt embarrassed to say that the emperor was fat, so I said he was rich. After all, he was indeed very rich, otherwise how could his concubines have so many good things to wear on their heads?

But you guys praise him to the sky, and it's easy for him to become proud. People should be humble!

"I heard from Mr. Cheng that your hometown is in South America. What is that place? What is it like?"

South America?

She looked at Cheng Yu, and Cheng Yu winked at her.

Oh! She understood immediately.

"...There! Uh... the scenery is beautiful, the sun is shining, the view is pleasant, and it's like spring all year round..."

She had to find a suitable adjective in her poor Chinese vocabulary.

It's as good as not saying anything.

"…I am asking, what are the characteristics of South America?"

What are the characteristics of South America?

She thought for a moment, recalling the introduction to South America in the geography book, and said, "South America has the Andes Mountains, with high terrain in the west and low terrain in the east. It covers an area of ​​about 17 million square kilometers, accounting for about 12% of the world's total land area, making it the fourth largest continent in terms of land area. The Andes Mountains run almost across the entire western part of South America and have the highest mountain in the Americas - Mount Aconcagua."

Zhao Heng was stunned when he heard this. He thought, what is this Andes? What is Kongchagua? I have never heard of it. It must be a very far away place.

Then he asked, "How come you are from such a faraway place? Why do you look exactly like us people from the Song Dynasty?"

Because the maritime trade in the Northern Song Dynasty became more frequent, there were already many foreigners with different skin colors and strange looks living in Bianjing.

Hearing this, Cao Wei and Cheng Yu became worried again.

Ah Cai scratched her head again, thought for a while and said, "Actually, I don't look exactly like you people from the Song Dynasty."

"oh?!"

"I'm much better looking than you guys!"

After a short silence, everyone burst into laughter, especially Zhao Heng, who laughed so hard that he couldn't even sit still.

"Hahaha!"

"Ha ha ha ha!"

Cheng Yu held his forehead and sighed! Who would praise themselves like this?

But Acai doesn't think she is bragging. According to the theory of evolution, she has evolved nearly a thousand years earlier than the people of the Northern Song Dynasty. Genes survive the fittest, so isn't it normal that she looks better than them?

She looked at these people blankly, not understanding what was so funny.

She suddenly felt a little bored!

The emperor was just like that, not very good-looking, so he might as well go and watch the lanterns. Then he said, "Your Majesty, if there is nothing else, I will leave. I still have to go and watch the lanterns."

Everyone stopped laughing and looked at her. Zhao Heng said, "You just got here, and you're leaving after just a few words?"

Several concubines nearby also said, "Yes! Why are you walking so fast?"

"What you said is so interesting, tell us a few more jokes!"

"Yes, name a few more!"

A Cai was even more confused. I didn’t tell a joke. I don’t know how to tell a joke.

Cao Wei cursed these concubines in his heart, calling them ignorant women. Do you know who she is?

This is the descendant of a god, but you treat her as someone who speaks nonsense. What will you do if her ancestors find out?

Cheng Yu saw her confusion and quickly stood up and bowed to Zhao Heng, saying, "Your Majesty, my wife is naive and ignorant. She just says whatever comes to her mind."

Then she said to the concubines, "My dear ladies, I really don't know how to tell a joke. Please forgive me."

Zhao Heng also saw that Ah Cai's expression was not fake, so he said to her, "Well, since you want to see the lanterns, then go! It's a rare opportunity for you to come here, so I don't want you to return empty-handed. Tell me, what reward do you want?"

There's a reward? That's different!

Zhao Heng saw Ah Cai's face was obviously surprised and he thought it was funny. Isn't she just a child? She was immediately happy when she heard there was a reward!

What kind of reward would you like?

Or, do you want the jewelry on the concubines’ heads?

But would they be willing to give such a valuable thing? But besides that, I can’t think of anything else to ask for?

She played with her fingers and said to Zhao Heng shyly, "Your Majesty... um, I'm embarrassed to say it,"

"But it doesn't matter,"

"I, I want them..."

She pointed at the concubines.

Ah! Everyone looked at each other in bewilderment.

She wanted these concubines? Why did she want these concubines? She was not a man, and besides, could she steal the emperor's woman?

"...jewelry on the head,"

Oh! So you want someone's jewelry.

"Haha! My beloved concubines, please enjoy the show!"

Zhao Heng turned and spoke to the concubines.

Concubine Cao Xian and Cao Wei are half-siblings. She knows the relationship between Cao Wei and Cheng Yu, and she likes Ah Cai very much.

She first took off a filigree golden phoenix hairpin from her hair and placed it on the plate brought by the eunuch, then took off the golden phoenix bracelets inlaid with rubies and emeralds on her hands and placed them down as well.

Seeing this, Concubine Shen also put down a pair of golden hairpins with eight treasures and kingfisher feathers and a pair of gold-emerald earrings. Concubine Du put down a pair of high-ice jade bracelets and a gold-emerald hairpin.

Seeing the eunuch bringing over a plate full of glittering jewellery, Ah Cai could no longer suppress her inner ecstasy!

These jewellery are so beautiful!

Facing the light, she picked up this piece and looked at it, then picked up that piece and looked at it, smiling foolishly as she looked!

Others looked at her cute and silly look and thought that this girl was too naive!

Seeing that she was only looking at the jewelry, Cheng Yu hurriedly said to her, "Caibao, why don't you thank the emperor and the ladies for their gifts!"

"Oh!"

Only then did she come to her senses and quickly knelt down and kowtowed to express her gratitude!

Zhao Heng asked her to stand up and had someone bring a box for her. When she took the box that was filled with Shen Xunxun's name, she was so happy that she couldn't control herself!

The officials are too rich, and the ladies are too generous! If these jewelry were kept a thousand years later, would I still have to work hard to earn money?

When she left, she blew several kisses to Zhao Heng and the ladies, saying, "I love you guys, muah!"

Then, he left with the box in his hand and followed the eunuch!

Seeing the surprised looks of Zhao Heng and the others, Cheng Xian hurriedly explained that this was the custom in her hometown, an expression of gratitude after receiving a gift.

When Ah Cai followed the eunuch out happily, holding the box, Cao Xi and the others were waiting outside anxiously.

Especially Sun Yuechan, she was familiar with Ah Cai and knew that she could easily cause trouble.

Cao Qian saw her uneasiness and comforted her, saying that her father and cousin were in there, so she shouldn’t worry too much!

Although Cao Qian and Cao Xi had both quarreled with A Cai, the Cao and Cheng families were closely connected, and they didn't want anything to happen to her.

Sun Yuechan heaved a sigh of relief only after the eunuch brought Ah Cai back to them. She hurried over to thank the eunuch and presented him with some silver as a token of gratitude. The eunuch accepted the money with a smile and went back to report!

Ah Cai was very excited. She opened the box and showed off the jewelry inside to Yuechan, saying, "Look, Yuechan, these are gifts from the emperor and the queen. I'm rich!"

Everyone gathered around to watch and politely congratulated her.

Cao Qian had seen good things before, and she curled her lips and thought, what's so exciting about this? It's just a few pieces of gold and bead jewelry. A shrew is a shrew, an ignorant person.

Just as I finished thinking, I saw her pointing at her chest and said proudly, "Everyone, enjoy your meals tonight. I will pay the bill!"

"Lets go,"

Everyone looked at each other in shock!

elder sister?

You little girl, who among us is not older than you? How dare you say you are the elder sister?