After laughing for a while, Zheng Rong pointed at Qiu Yizi and said, "Yizi, it's your turn."
Qiu Yizi hurriedly said, "Yizi is not a famous person, how dare I compete with you brothers? Please forgive me for this drinking order today!"
Zheng Rong said with a bit of anger on his face: "What brand name? I just said that there is no need to be bound by any false formalities today. In addition, since you were adopted by me as my adopted son, everything is the same as my biological sons. Don't say such distant words in the future."
After hearing this, Qiu Yizi felt a warm current surge in her heart and her eyes were filled with tears.
Although Zhongli Kuang did not say it, in fact, among the four disciples, he valued Qiu Yizi the most in his heart. Seeing that Qiu Yizi was moved and had lost his composure, he hurriedly tried to smooth things over and said, "Yizi, since the emperor has ordered it, you should answer it properly."
Qiu Yizi agreed, thought for a moment, and said, "The original character of Qi is Qi, and adding a dot to it is Qi. Remove the dot next to Qi and add Qian to it, and it becomes Qi - a dragon swimming in shallow water is bullied by shrimps, and a tiger in plain land is bullied by dogs."
As everyone was reminiscing about the feast, Emperor Zheng Rong suddenly stood up from his seat, stared at Qiu Yizi solemnly, and asked, "Yizi, what is the meaning of your drinking order?"
Qiu Yizi couldn't help but tremble all over when asked by the emperor. How could he sit still? He quickly stood up and bowed, saying: "I just talked nonsense. I did not do well. Please punish me, Your Majesty."
"No, you are not talking nonsense. This is what you really think!" Zheng Rong said seriously.
Qiu Yizi became more and more frightened after hearing this, thinking that he had offended the emperor with his words. He quickly knelt down, kowtowed several times, and said, "Your Majesty, I do have some resentment in my heart. I have disturbed your Majesty's interest, and I really deserve to die."
But Zheng Rong said, "I am a person who tolerates the world. Can't I listen to your little complaint? Let me tell you, I am not afraid of hearing good words or bad words, but I am afraid of not hearing the truth. You, Qiu Yizi, have just been appointed as the county magistrate. A case that was set in stone was refuted by some insignificant officials, and you were reprimanded for no reason. Of course you will have complaints. What is the truth? This is the truth! If I punish you for this, who will dare to be honest with me in the future?"
When Zheng Rong said this, Qiu Yizi was immediately touched. Tears could not stop flowing from her eyes and she lay on the ground sobbing.
But Zheng Rong continued, "Qiu Yizi has made great contributions to me, and we have a father-son relationship. Although you are only a small county magistrate now, you have the meaning of tempering and training. How can you let those dirty bureaucrats abuse you at will?"
Zheng Rong turned around and said to Zheng Xin, "Although there are still some doubts about the case that Yizhi mentioned during the day, I have discussed it with Mr. Zhongli and it is indeed the case. When you go to Jiangnan to judge the case this time, you must enforce the law impartially and not buy favors privately. If you encounter shameless and greedy officials, you must deal with them mercilessly."
After hearing this, Zheng Xin hurriedly stood up, clasped his hands and said, "Father, I understand your will."
Zheng Rong nodded, raised his lips, and smiled again. He said to Qiu Yizhi who was kneeling on the ground, "Alas, why are you talking about state affairs while we are having a good meal? Yizhi, please sit down." He then said to Zheng Sen, "Zheng Sen, it's been a long time. Have you thought of your drinking order?"
Zheng Sen said hurriedly: "I figured it out, I figured it out. It's like this: the character 水 originally means water, and two dots mean ice; remove the two dots, and 卧尸 means urine - eating, dressing, pooping and peeing."
As soon as he finished speaking, everyone at the table burst into laughter.
Zhongli Kuang said with a gloomy face: "Zheng Sen, what kind of drinking game did you make? It's really terrible. Aren't you afraid of ruining the fun?" After saying that, he couldn't help laughing.
Zheng Sen pouted and said, "I told you I couldn't do it well, but you still asked me to do it. If I did it indecently, you scolded me..."
Zheng Rong chuckled and said, "Your master is right. You did a bad job and deserve to be punished! What should be the punishment?"
Zheng Sen scratched his head and said, "How about this. I went to the Ministry of War a few days ago, and Lord Yuchi was just conducting a military exercise. He said that my swordsmanship was too stupid. So I will show off my skills in front of my father, master, and a few brothers. I will take it as punishment!"
After he finished speaking, he stood up and subconsciously touched the place where his sword used to hang on his waist. He found that it was empty and only a belt was left. He could only stick out his tongue helplessly and said, "I can't show my embarrassment. I left my sword with the guards when I entered the palace."
Zheng Rong smiled and said, "I am an emperor who leads troops to fight. How can I be short of precious swords? A few days ago, Japan offered a few Japanese swords as tribute. Why don't you go into the palace and choose one?"
After hearing this, Zheng Sen quickly agreed and ran towards the Shuli Palace. After a while, he returned to the shed with a precious sword in his hand.
He bowed to everyone present and said, "Then I'll show you my skills!" After that, he drew out his Japanese sword, made a stance, and then began to dance it up and down.
This move, which seemed "silly and stupid" to Yuchi Lianghong, was extremely satisfying, sharp and imposing in the eyes of Qiu Yizi and others. After practicing the sword skills, the crowd didn't even have time to cheer.
Zheng Sen put away his sword, wiped his sweat with his sleeve, and said, "This is my sword skills. I am not worthy of your father's approval. I accept the punishment."
Zheng Rong said, "You are quite proficient in this sword technique, but you are too rigid in your moves and don't know how to adapt. No wonder Yuchi Lianghong said you are dumb and stupid."
Zheng Sen nodded and said, "Yes, yes, that's what Lord Yuchi said about me. It's exactly the same as what my father said."
In fact, Zheng Rong did not see any flaws in Zheng Sen's swordsmanship. He just deduced it from Yuchi Lianghong's comments. He did not expect that it coincided with what the martial arts world's number one master said. He felt proud and said, "Your swordsmanship is enough to kill enemies in ordinary battles, but you will suffer if you meet a real master. So, this Japanese sword in your hand is a reward for you. You must learn martial arts from Yuchi Lianghong and don't let others say that I, the son of the Zheng family, only know some fancy moves."
This reward was much more valuable than the 100 dan of rice that Zheng Xin received and the cart of spring water that Zheng Miao received, and Zheng Sen immediately smiled with joy.
But Zheng Xin said, "Brother, this is a blessing in disguise, please let it be known!"
Zheng Sen was also delighted. He immediately filled his glass with wine and drank it all in one gulp happily.
So, everyone drank happily until late at night, and then dispersed. Zheng Rong stayed overnight in the Shuli Palace. Zhongli Kuang, Zheng Xin, Zheng Sen, Zheng Miao, Qiu Yizhi and others left the palace, chatting and laughing.
It goes without saying that Zheng Xin and the other three princes each have their own palaces. Since Qiu Yizi has a very good relationship with Zheng Miao, she stays in his palace.
Because she slept late last night, Qiu Yizi did not wake up until noon the next day. She asked the servants in the palace, but learned that Zheng Miao had not returned from the court early in the morning. Helplessly, Qiu Yizi had to wait patiently.
After waiting for less than half an hour, Zheng Miao had returned to the palace. He had not eaten for the whole morning and was already starving, so he asked the servants to prepare lunch and chatted with Qiu Yizi while eating.
The two brothers had been inseparable since they met, and had never been apart for several months in the past ten years, so they had a lot to talk about. So they talked about everything and had a great time.
But Zheng Miao changed the subject and said, "I wonder how long you will stay in Beijing this time? We two brothers can chat for a few more days like we did today."
Qiu Yizi said, "Things are different now. I still hold an official position. If I am absent for a long time, I will inevitably be impeached by my superiors. Tomorrow I will visit my master, elder brother, second brother, Prince Heluo, Marshal Dai and other old friends and elders in turn. After saying a few words to Yuchi Lianghong, I will receive the imperial decree and leave Beijing."
Zheng Miao said, "Brother, what you said is funny. Apart from the emperor, you only have Mr. Zhongli above you. We brothers are equal to you. Why should we pay attention to those mediocre bureaucrats? In my opinion, you should not go back. Right now is the time to recruit people. It would be a waste of your talent to be a minor official. Wouldn't it be better to stay with the emperor and share his worries? You and I brothers can see each other more often."
Qiu Yizhi looked at his third brother and knew that he was the most kind-hearted among his brothers. He could not tell him that he had taken the initiative to ask for a job as a county magistrate to avoid trouble. So he could only sigh and said, "I have been exhausted both physically and mentally in the past year and cannot bear any more fatigue. I think being a leisurely county magistrate is a great blessing. I also want to ask my brother to work less and not overwork."
Zheng Miao nodded and said, "I heard what my father said last night. It seems that he wants to follow the example of Jiangnan officials and rectify the administration of officials throughout the country. This is a big issue that concerns the long-term stability of the court. If we really want to unfold it, it will definitely involve a lot of people. As his sons, we can't take a break at this time!"
After listening to what Zheng Miao said, Qiu Yizi couldn't help but admire him: the emperor only let out a few hints at the banquet last night, but his third brother had already guessed the emperor's intention. He was so smart and quick-witted, no wonder the emperor wanted to pass the throne to him.
However, such words must never be said openly, otherwise disaster will follow.
So Qiu Yizi raised his glass and took a sip of wine, then changed the subject and said, "It is said that my elder brother is in charge of the Ministry of Rites, and the reception and farewell of foreign vassals should be in charge of my third brother. Therefore, I would like to ask my elder brother for a favor and send me a note so that I can go to the Siyi Pavilion to meet Princess Yiran tomorrow, okay?"
Zheng Miao's eyes widened, and he asked in surprise, "How come you don't know? Not long after you left Beijing, Princess Yiran returned to the grassland to recuperate due to poor health due to acclimatization. The one who stayed in Luoyang to handle Bohai's affairs is Prince Wudun, the son of Dali Khan."
Qiu Yizhi was stunned for a moment and muttered to herself, "Why didn't Yiran tell me about this? Even if she sent a letter, it would be good..."
Zheng Miao also knew that Qiu Yizhi and Yiran had a special relationship, and he didn't want to get involved, so he toasted Qiu Yi with a glass of wine and said, "Brother, do you mean to stay for only two more days? I think it's too hasty. Since you insist on going back to be the county magistrate, why not take this opportunity to meet and talk with the emperor more often. To be honest, whenever we have political or military affairs that we can't handle, the emperor always praises you a few words!"
What Qiu Yizi was most afraid of was that her adoptive father, the emperor, who was a man of unfathomable cunning, would always talk about her, so she quickly changed the subject to deal with it. After eating and drinking, she said goodbye and left the palace to meet the guests.
One afternoon, Qiu Yizhi visited the Second Prince Zheng Sen and Heluo King Zheng Hua successively. Zheng Sen was also a busy man now, and before he could say a few words, countless military affairs came to him. Qiu Yizhi didn't want to disturb him, so she said a few words and left.
However, Heluo King Zheng Hua still looked detached from the world. He was happy to see Qiu Yizi, and when he heard that Qiu Yizi had become friends with the famous celebrity "Mr. Bansong", they chatted for a long time before reluctantly letting Qiu Yizi leave.
Even so, after walking around, it was already night.
Qiu Yizi didn't want to disturb Zheng Miao any more, so she had dinner outside before returning to Zheng Miao's palace. Without informing Zheng Miao, she went back to her room to sleep. (To be continued)