Force a good concubine

The emperor kept what he said, and although the two of them still shared the same bed on the road afterwards, it was as if they were business-like, and there was no extra intimacy.The dragon bed was wide, the emperor lay on the inner bed, and Gu Yan lay on the outside. Almost without deliberate effort, there was a clear distance between the well water and the river water.

It was very quiet in the big tent late at night, the wind outside the tent could be heard, and the emperor's steady and soft breathing could be heard.Those unspeakable intimacy and the marks on Gu Yan's body faded away without a trace, giving her the illusion that nothing had happened to each other before, which made her feel sad and at ease.

Perhaps the distance between the ruler and the subject is the best way for them to get along.Seven emotions and six desires are unavoidable for everyone. The monarch's temporary indulgence, as long as the result is harmless, the courtiers have the responsibility to be tolerant. In this name, Gu Yan can calmly look at the things that the emperor did to her before. Temporarily infatuated, it is a kind of duty for courtiers to be upright and upright to admonish, but waiting for the emperor to calmly change his mind, isn't it also a way of tact without hurting the overall situation?

Could it be that the thunder and rain are not the grace of the emperor, as long as he keeps this thought, Gu Yan will be able to be indifferent to the emperor's love and humiliation, and can see his own position more clearly-she is just one of the emperor's many courtiers, those who seek the root of the emperor's affection Desire is out of status and out of season.There are many capable people in the palace, and one day, before Enke is as short as before, and after several years, the emperor will get tired of her, an incompetent secretary who can neither invite favor nor please, and send her out of the palace. In the years that followed, she was completely forgotten.

This is the best way, be a monk for a day and hit the clock for a day, waiting for the day when you leave the palace, no longer worrying about the gains and losses of those strangers.When the mind calmed down, the time passed extremely quickly. When the little maid was taught to be a teacher, Gu Yan's hand injury healed completely, leaving no scars, and a group of people also arrived at the Dingjiangkou Palace.

This is the first time that the emperor presides over the winter sacrificial ceremony in person. The nobles of the imperial family and the envoys of foreign vassals arrived very neatly, and they lined up for dozens of miles along the palace aisle. On both sides of the Minghuang barricades, there were countless people kneeling or standing in silence under the colorful sheds. It is black and dense, and all kinds of rituals, music and firecrackers are mixed together.

A group of people diverted at the entrance of the palace, and the palace people followed by the side entrance to resettle separately. The emperor's 64 people carried a chariot from the main entrance to the Hall of Zhaohe to receive worship.The mule cart of Gu Yuan and others followed at the end and stopped at the east corner gate. Wei Lian led a few young eunuchs to wait at the door, met a few people and saluted respectfully, watching the little eunuchs unloading the carts and holding their burdens, He led a few people to the emperor's bedroom to resettle.He followed Wei Fengchun to the palace first, and he had walked around the palace in the past twenty days, pointing out the scenery far and near as he walked.The palace is surrounded by mountains and rivers, and the palaces and pavilions are all green tiles and white walls. Although the regulations remain the same, without the yellow glazed tiles and those colorful paintings, the scattered mountains, rocks, flowers and trees give it a more relaxed atmosphere than the palace.

The emperor's residence is in the Taisu Hall, which is not in the same courtyard as the Zhaohe Hall, but connected by a winding corridor along the lake. The main hall and side halls are covered with thatch, with white walls and wooden doors, windows, and columns. , quite quaint and interesting.The three of them led the little maid to settle their luggage in the East Wai room, and the lady in charge of the case brought in a stack of briefcases, and after another incense stick, the emperor returned to the Taisu Hall on his shoulders , was blown by the cold wind on the lake, his face was a little pale, against the black gauze leather bean and the crimson gauze robe, he did not look timid, but on the contrary looked more jade-like.

There are seven rooms in the main hall of Taisu Hall, and in the middle of the Ming Dynasty, a throne is set up on the ground level as usual, and it is only used by courtiers to worship.Seeing that it was the time when the emperor usually took a nap, Gu Yan and Qiu Rong worked together to arrange the Xinuang Pavilion properly, and were about to draw the curtain out to the east to invite the emperor to rest, when they suddenly saw Wei Fengchun leading several clan princes into the courtyard through the window, Busy, I went back and waited in the Xinuang Pavilion.

Several princes came to report to the emperor about the arrangement of the evening banquet. Originally, Zongzheng went out, but because King Duan was shutting himself at home and thinking about his mistakes, he was replaced by the deputy Zongzhengwang.This is the first time he has been assigned such a glamorous and important mission. His complacent voice can be heard through several layers of floor coverings, enough to make people think of his high-spirited appearance. In contrast, the emperor's voice is clear and clear. , with a different kind of composure.Gu Yan looked at several princes who had accepted the decree and withdrew, and they were all leather robes. The same black gauze leather bean and crimson gauze gown, but the details of the hat seam and the jade pendant were different. The upper-middle class has good looks, but no one can wear clothes that look like jade like the emperor.

As she thought this way, Qiu Rong beside her had already said brazenly: "It is said that the Tian family is good-looking, and now your highnesses have seen all of them. After looking at it, our young master is indeed the prettiest."

"You can't compare the looks of a man and a woman, and you can't say something like that." Dongchun came in holding the emperor's uniform and crown robe, glared at her, and said in a low voice, "I just went to the Sizhiku. Wei's close ministers got together and talked openly about the young master's appearance, but they were bumped into by patrolmen and reported to him. They were judged as disrespectful, and each was fined twenty lashes. You are not allowed to participate!"

Qiu Rong shivered, shrank her head, and fell silent.However, Gu Yan felt that the emperor's good looks are well known to everyone, and in the past he seldom restricted his ministers' speech in this regard, so suddenly he was so strict that there must be something else behind him, but he saw that Dongchun refused to say more, so he didn't ask questions, and Wei Fengchun bowed Lifting up the curtain, the emperor turned to the side of the floor covering, hurriedly followed the imperial physician's instructions, and served the stomach-warming decoction on the case. The emperor drank the decoction and rinsed his mouth. It was time for the emperor to undress and go to bed.

The full-length mirror in the warm pavilion is larger than the one in the Qinghe Hall, and it occupies half of the wall continuously. The emperor stood quietly in front of the mirror, and let Gu Yan untie the jade ribbon belt for her, and took off the mirror. Take off the gauze robe on the outside, the red dress and the middle single on the inside.The light of the mirror can be seen, and the figure of the girl wrapped in the white silk tunic is extremely clear in the mirror, her waist is so slender that she can't even grasp it, Gu Yuan suddenly felt her heart beating like thunder, and the emperor in front of her was suddenly so strange that she was at a loss, and fell into a panic. The hand on the emperor's waist stopped involuntarily.

The emperor kept staring at the two people in the mirror, frowning slightly, as if he was thinking about something, and he spoke a moment later than usual: "What's wrong?"

"It's nothing." Gu Yuan stabilized his mind and continued to take off the white silk Ruyi dark flower trousers for the emperor.Undressing the emperor was the duty of the department, and the emperor didn't show any signs of overstepping the barrier, so why should I panic?

The emperor seemed to have something on his mind. He got on the dragon bed and didn't close his eyes to rest. He still frowned and watched Gu Yuan's every move. When Gu Yuan put down half of the curtain, he suddenly said again: "A Yuan, you lie down with me for a while. "She said, moving her body inward, leaving a safe distance enough to accommodate the two of them, "I just want to find someone to chat with."

This request is unreasonable for the secretary, but it is a matter of course for the bedroom.Gu Yan stood on the pedal, stood on tiptoe and lowered the curtain on the other side, accused the emperor, and lay down next to the edge of the bed: "What do you want to talk about, my lord?"

There was hesitation in the emperor's voice when he spoke: "Have you ever heard the nonsense about Zhen on the way?"

This is the tone of comparing rumors. Gu Yan thought about it carefully, but found nothing: "The servant is a person in front of the imperial court. Even if others have something to say in private, they will not casually talk to the servant, but I haven't heard anything. What is it? Talking nonsense? Could it be that the servant has added something to the young master?"

The emperor's frowning brows were loosened, and he looked relieved, but he refused to say any more, just said: "It's not about you, it's just some people's wishful thinking. I wish I had heard that you It’s better not to have heard of it.”

Gu Yuan was surprised, but the emperor had already changed the subject: "I remember that you are from Wuzhou, have you been to Zhenning Mansion?"

"Father used to be the master of the Shibo Department of Zhenning Prefecture, and the slaves lived with my father in Zhenning Prefecture for three years when they were young."

"Since you've been a boss, you must have dealt with those Westerners?"

"Yes." Gu Yan admitted frankly after a little hesitation, "Father is a scholar with a temper, and he doesn't know the shame of a scholar when it comes to Taoism. He asked those Westerners for advice, and later, because the documents translated by the clerk in the yamen always had omissions and fallacies, he told me to do it himself. Westerners have learned Western dialect, and the slaves were curious at the time, so they also learned a few words."

"So I asked the right person." The emperor became interested, half stood up, took Gu Yan's hand, and wrote it in the palm of her hand, "This, such a word, in Western dialect What means?"

The emperor's writing method is not the way of writing Western characters, but more like memorizing the graphics and then drawing them out. Gu Yan frowned and repeated it twice in his heart, and also wrote it in the emperor's hand: "Mr. Is the word asking? It means renting in Western dialect."

A flash of surprise flashed in the emperor's eyes, and he simply sat up, watching Gu Yan asking questions like a cannonball: "Does it mean the same thing as our lease? It's the same as signing a contract, paying the rent, and being kicked out when the contract is over or breached? Is there no other meaning?"

Gu Yan nodded: "As far as the servant girl knows, there is no other meaning."

The emperor nodded in relief, and lay down again as if he was relieved: "I also asked the general staff in the Hongwen Museum the same way, but none of them answered you so clearly and simply. Fortunately, they told me that they are proficient in Western things. They have a chime bell, and they don't even know how to fix it!"

"The mechanism inside the chiming clock is complicated, and it is not easy to repair."

The emperor turned his face to look at Gu Yuan, and raised his eyebrows: "You can speak Western dialect, and you have also practiced self-ringing bells. What other skills do I not know about? Westerners' mirrors, perfumes, calendar calculations, muskets, and iron armor You know all about boats, too, right?"

"Father has learned some calendars from a Western monk, but he is not proficient, and he has also taught slaves. I heard that mirrors and perfumes are only known by people from a few small Western countries, and they are very wary of other countries. As for muskets, "Gu Yan shook his head, "The slaves only read it in my father's notes, and said that they are different from the bird guns in Shenjiying.

"Although their ships are not as big as ours, they are stronger and more flexible. They travel far and wide across oceans. Their soldiers are brave and familiar with water. If there is a fight, Haizhou Wei will be fine, but Wuzhou Wei will suffer." The emperor frowned. Mei sighed, "This time they sent two muskets over when they met. I secretly sent people to try them out, and they were better than the ones from Shenjiying. I have already sent them to the manufacturing office, and asked them to dismantle them for imitations. Give it a try. If the people in the Shibo Division were as sincere as your father, and they were not just focused on making money, but let the court know the movements of these Westerners early on, why are they being bullied to come now? A few days ago, Annan Tianzhu The envoy who delivered the letter of credence said that Westerners are profit-seeking people and ambitious people who are eyeing the waterways established by Emperor Sejong back then, but there are still people in the court clamoring for long-distance friendship and short-term attack! It is a foreign vassal who pays tribute every year, who should I raise my troops to destroy?"

"Long-distance friendship and close-range attack are not advisable." Gu Yuan said, "Nowadays, the peace and prosperity of the foreign domain is the natural barrier of our Daqi. Even if the imperial court can defeat it, there are Rakshasa in the north, Japanese in the east, Persian Huizi in the west, and pirates in the south. Do you want me, Daqi, to deal with it alone?"

"That's right." The emperor nodded happily, "I don't think those vassal states are as rich and prosperous as the Central Plains. It's just a waste of money to maintain." She was worried that Gu Yuan would have a scholarly temper, and would talk lightly like some officials, and covet the reputation of the history of the surrender of the barbarians, but she didn't expect that Gu Yuan was thoughtful and did not have the habit of boasting, so she couldn't help but In a good mood, he simply confessed his worries straightforwardly: "Now Zhenning Mansion signed a lease agreement with Westerners without authorization, and actually rented half of the deserted island under the jurisdiction of Zhenning Mansion to them as a pier. Presumably those people are responsible for Shibo. They are full of money, and even the court has someone to speak for them. If I insist on taking it back, although I can do it, I will always break the contract first and lose the reputation of the court. A Yuan, you have lived in Zhenning Mansion, I heard How is the situation there now?"

"Rented half a deserted island?" Gu Yan frowned and thought for a while, "Forgive me to say bluntly, if that deserted island is Zhenming Island, those Westerners have been there every year since my servant's father was transferred from Shibosi Landed and dried the goods. At the beginning, my father went there in person and sent paperwork to the Shipping Department. I heard that some businessmen in Wuzhou Wei Admiral Road were not successful, and there was no trace of rebellion. They refused to send troops to expel them. Later, Zhenning The government yamen came forward and sent a few yamen servants to reprimand those Western businessmen, and then nothing happened. Have those Westerners rented the island now?"

"So that's how it is." The emperor sneered, "I haven't raised any rent for so many years, and I suddenly raised it this year? It seems that the foreign state exam is coming, and they thought of this trick because they were worried about being caught. No wonder those The Westerner’s petition stated that churches, hospitals, residences, etc. were built. I was wondering, since the lease was only signed this year, how could so many houses be built suddenly? Are they all grass and trees? Build it up? How can you say it can be a feudal barrier? You're so stupid!"

"It's not necessarily pretentious." Gu Yuan said, "My father once told me in the past that the island has a lot of rocks and little soil, and there is no spring water, so it cannot be self-sufficient. As long as you keep these two things firmly, what kind of tricks do Westerners have? Zhenming Island is the place where pirates must pass through. Since I think their muskets and ships are better than Wuzhou Wei, why not simply waive their rent and let them guard there as a reward? As long as you appoint a shrewd and capable official to secure the island's food and fresh water, you will have nothing to worry about. After all, Westerners have come from afar, and it is not easy to get supplies from their own countries. Wouldn't it be better if Wuzhou Wei became the climate in the future and the lease is full, and then take it back calmly?"

"I also want to deal with it calmly, but I am worried about raising tigers." The emperor lowered his eyes and thought for a while, then suddenly smiled, "Since A Yuan also said so, then it should be all right. In this way, I will accept them, first Reorganize your own family and talk about it."

Gu Yan shook his head: "How can the young master let the slaves decide on such a big matter? You should call the courtiers to discuss—"

"I will invite people to discuss it myself, but now we are just discussing it ourselves." The emperor stood up and glanced at Gu Yuan, then suddenly leaned over and kissed Gu Yuan on the face: "I have also asked others in private, not to ask me To appease is to ask me to expel all the Westerners, only Ah Yuan thinks the same as me."

The emperor's tone was extremely sincere, and Gu Yan felt a little complacent in his heart, and naturally raised his eyebrows and smiled at the emperor: "Although the servant girl is not a hero, she is fortunate to see the same as the young master."

The emperor was startled, but felt that Gu Yuan's smile was indescribably beautiful. She thought about it for a long time, and it was only when the two of them stopped talking and fell asleep that they suddenly realized that this was the first time Gu Yuan had entered the palace. For the first time he gave her a real smile.