Force a good concubine

It's dog days, it's hot outside, and there is no wind in the small tea shop, so the coolness is limited.Xu Huan had been sitting for a long time, the back of his robe was wet with sweat, he picked up the tea bowl and drank a couple of sips, he felt that such inferior tea was not worthy of his respect, so he couldn't help but be more apprehensive to the chattering poor scholars on the opposite table. A little more complaints.

"It's not a problem." Cui Chengxiu next to him has been pampered for a long time, and he is even less resistant to heat. His clothes are soaked in sweat, and sweat drips down his fat face. He wiped the towel of the well water thoughtlessly for a while, and discussed with Xu Huan, "It's a good day today, and there's a lot of excitement in Beijing. I'm not afraid that these Jiangnan bumpkins won't be tempted. Let's just find a place." , choose a cool and open place, let them watch the excitement without delaying the paper, and the young master will not blame him."

"Baoguo Temple and Cheng'en Temple have scripture-divide dojos." Xu Huan thought for a while, then shook his head, "But these bookworms are not people who respect the Buddha and Taoism, so I'm afraid they won't be able to attract them."

"Master Xu, why did you forget?" Cui Chengxiu blinked her thin eyes, "Beside the moat in the north of the city, don't the elephant rooms outside the Beijing Camp and the Imperial Horse Prison be used to bathe and tame elephants! The Fuqing Building is just across the moat, and the private seats are bright and spacious." It's cool, the food and wine are carefully prepared, and the ice bowl is the first in Beijing—what a suitable place!"

Xu Huan was stunned and did not answer. Seeing him hesitate, Cui Chengxiu was also a little anxious, and said in a subdued voice: "Let's talk about it, the heat is too hot, young master, it's hard to explain when you go back. I know your lord's concerns. There was a pair of mother and child elephants. When the young master arrived at Fuqing Tower, he asked the elephant slave to quietly lead the baby elephant back. The mother elephant must lead the group of elephants to follow. After about half an hour, they all entered the elephant room, and brother Shang Zhiwei If you protect me, what else can happen?"

"What the chief executive said is true." Xu Huan winked at the door, indicating to his servant to report the letter early, got up and went to the opposite table, and reported a few words in King Sui's ear. Sure enough, King Sui thought about it and stood up. Tuantuan cupped his hands: "Meeting is fate. I decided to set up tables and seats in Fuqing Building. You guys won't be disrespectful, right?" He laughed a few times and said to the girl in the next seat, "Xiao Shi One, it's rare for us sisters to meet a few bosom friends, so we have to do our best to be the landlord."

In terms of these people's sophistication, the emperor was always willing to listen to King Sui's words, and at this moment he stood up and nodded graciously: "What sister said is that there are so many troubles these days, today I will return the table."

The ladies who went to the women's department humbled a bit, but in the end they were still young and tender, but they couldn't refuse, so they had to plead guilty, packed up their pen and ink, and boarded the mule cart hired by Xu Huan together with the emperor.

"Master," Cui Chengxiu's apprentice came out from the tent in the small tea shop. Seeing that the group of people had wandered away, he hurriedly led the gray donkey over for him, "These ladies are so stingy, they talk and talk for half an hour Refusing to exchange money for tea, I think the color of the tea in the tea bowl has been washed away. As the old saying goes, Jiangnan's iron abacus is true until death. When meeting such a generous and kind person as our young master, the banquet in Fuqinglou, If they eat it once, even if they pay back ten times, it won't be enough!"

Cui Chengxiu straightened the big sun hat on his head, turned on the donkey's back, and said "hey": "Don't talk about this meal, this is the way, go to the Zhiwei guerrilla to drive the car, and the imperial chief to hold the line-these people are If you lose the first place, this life is enough!"

Having said that, Cui Chengxiu didn't show any contempt or disgust on his face.The Great Qi Emperor was very humble. Counting from the Taizu Emperor, no one could honestly stay in the palace for a lifetime. The late Emperor was a good Buddha. Every year, he must pretend to be a pilgrim and go to Baoguo Temple several times, or burn incense, practice Zen, or enjoy sweet-scented osmanthus. Today, he was nine years old and became a great treasure, and he has kept himself safe for five years. This year, he finally couldn't resist the white dragon fish suit, and got mixed up with these poor ladies who came to Beijing to rush for the exam. —He smacked his lips, raised his hand and whipped the donkey's butt lightly, and then whispered to his apprentice: "You are serving at the table, which lady is the closest to the young master?"

"Ms. Gu in the blue dress." Cui Sanshun said without hesitation, "King Sui praised her article several times, saying that she is the leader. Although the young master didn't talk much, he nodded and asked Mrs. Gu about the population of her family! Mrs. Gu is a good person, seeing me serving at the side, she said she saw my hard work, and ordered me a bowl of plum soup out of her own pocket—"

"A bowl of plum soup will accept you boy, your tongue is so worthless?" Cui Chengxiu scolded with a smile, and she has a plan in her heart. The emperor is a careful person. Although his temperament is neither hot nor cold, he has always been generous to his subordinates. Harsh, this Miss Gu is young, has good literary talents, acts like the emperor, and looks not bad—"Forget it," he pondered for a while and said, "I think the family background here belongs to this Miss Gu." After the banquet, you send them back to the inn, and ask Miss Gu to pack up and live in our neighboring courtyard, and say that it will be more convenient for the young master to discuss with Miss Gu."

Cui Sanshun was in trouble: "Didn't Mr. Xu say that the courtyard would rather be empty than for outsiders to live in—"

"What outsider?" Cui Chengxiu yelled bitterly, and then explained in a low voice, "You forgot what women's department does? Miss Gu is talented, good-looking, and good-natured, she is destined With the materials for entering Luanyi Bureau, if Aunt Zheng catches her eyes and puts her next to Young Master, it will be a step up to the sky! Even we have to curry favor, what kind of outsiders are we?"

Cui Sanshun suddenly realized.

For some unknown reason, Da Qi has been in a pattern of yin prosperity and yang decline since the Taizu emperor, and now there are eight emperors, only two male emperors, and six female emperors.Because of the inconvenience, after Emperor Mingzong ascended the throne, he chose a confidant female official from the palace to be in charge of the Rites and Supervisors, called Luanyi Division, and a female officer who practiced martial arts was selected to be in charge of the Zhenfu Division, the Punishment Division and the Palace Guard, called the Luanyi Bureau. In the last years, it was even more ingenious to set up a women's department in addition to the imperial examination. If you win, you can enter the Zhen Fusi to study. Some clerical work, but they are already close ministers of the imperial court. If they are appreciated by the emperor, they will become the emperor's confidant - this is an incomparable shortcut to heaven. Before the imperial court, she also served the empress, and she was most taboo to associate with the imperial court, so many of them delayed their youth or were unable to marry in their lifetime. Fortunately, the atmosphere in Qi Dynasty was open, and it was not uncommon to form a contract or adopt a child, and they could always find someone to depend on in the end.

"Oh," he rubbed his head with regret, "I heard Miss Gu's tone, but I just want to get a title and go back to teach in my hometown, and I have no other thoughts. I heard that her family is engaged. If it wasn't for A widowed mother and young brother can’t afford to look good, and they’ve been married long ago, so how can they grow up in the palace?”

"On Dengyun Road, who is willing to retreat?" Cui Chengxiu laughed again, "Now she doesn't understand, and when she understands, will she still want to enter the palace? How many eunuchs and maids in the palace can be like this with the young master?" Speak up? If you don’t enjoy the blessings, the Lord will not agree!"

The horse inspectors in Fuqing Building had prepared to respond early on, so Cui Chengxiu didn’t rush forward to serve him—he mentioned the idea of ​​Fuqing Building, so Xu Huan would naturally explain it clearly to King Sui, and the imperial supervisor Therefore, it is necessary to have the tolerance of the prime minister's overall situation, not to show courteousness in front of the imperial court all the time, and suppress others to keep people from showing their faces.Seeing that it was still early, the master and apprentice rode donkeys to the front of Fuqing Tower, and stood downstairs chatting with sleeves and hands, chatting lively, Xu Huan's close servant, Xu Gui, and a servant went downstairs in a hurry , the little servant looked shocked, came over hurriedly and knelt down and said: "Chief Manager, something went wrong!"

"What's the matter?!" Cui Chengxiu was terrified, and grabbed Xu Gui's lapel, "I'm far away, but I just watched the young master enter Fuqing Building!"

"Young Master Baifu protects you, it's fine." Xu Gui responded, and Cui Sanshun supported the little servant with strength, "What kind of place is this! What are you kowtowing for?"

"If you get exposed, I will kill you!" Cui Chengxiu spat at the servant, "Tell me, what happened? Who is your master? Who taught you such an apprentice?"

"Slave—the villain is under the hands of Eunuch Xu Chao of the imperial dining room. I panicked for a while, and asked the chief manager to give me an idea for the sake of my master." The little servant said with a sad face, "Master came to Fuqing Upstairs, the banquet started within a short time of burning incense. For some unknown reason, the soup and vegetables were all served, and I wanted another dish of boiled radish. The radish was the best Yanqing radish. The villain tried it with a silver plate and gave it away I went up, but later I had to boil the radishes again, and I ordered all the radishes in Fuqinglou, even that dish—these ladies are not easy, they are talking all over the place, what to say, the imperial dining room Can people still live?"

"I think it's something, so that's what it is for." The head of the imperial court is an expert in handling people. Cui Chengxiu has always been a little at odds with Xu Chao. She suppressed the pride in her heart, raised her face and pretended to think for a while, then lowered her head and sighed, " It’s not me, your master is too good at counting money! Our young master is thrifty, but if a dish is rare, we don’t spread it too much. If a province reports a natural disaster, we don’t even spread the meat and vegetables. The people are suffering together," he forcefully forced out two tears, "We servants, not to mention sharing the Lord's worries, but we also have to face the master's thoughts, but you master, boiled cabbage stuffed into the stomach of a goose Boiled in the oven, stewed radish stewed in seafood broth, squandering fat goose and seafood without asking for money, and managing the House of Internal Affairs asking for money, now it should be the scene? This is a crime of deceiving the emperor, how can I help you?"