Hao Cheng took a bite of the iced steamed bun, feeling the cool and soft kudzu powder melting in her mouth, with the sweetness of red bean paste. She sighed with satisfaction, and then she said, "What do you want to say? Just say it directly. There is nothing that cannot be said between the two of us."
Jiang Mengzhen looked around and said, "Zhu Qing, take the others away."
Zhu Qing, who had moved a stool and fanned himself beside the ice basin, stood up and cleared the room until only Hao Cheng and Jiang Mengzhen were left in the room. He said, "The palace examination will be held in a few days. With my wife's ability, she will definitely be on the list and become an official."
Hao Cheng scratched his ear embarrassedly: "I haven't taken the palace examination yet, so it's hard to say whether I can become an official in the court."
Jiang Mengzhen smiled and said, "I have never asked my wife about her ambitions, but today I want to ask you, if there is an opportunity in front of you that can put you in a high position, but it requires taking great risks. The other is to be safe and stable, but it may take a long time to fight for the position, what do you think you will choose?"
This question really stumped Hao Cheng for a moment. She figured out that she had been a leader in her previous life, that is, a class monitor in high school. Being a chef could be considered a leader, but that was a master teaching an apprentice, which was very different from being an official.
She pursed her lips and said, "I don't know what my husband wants to say to me, but if I had to choose, I would choose the second option. My original motivation for becoming an official was to give my husband a better life and to let the world know that you did not choose the wrong person."
In fact, if she hadn't met Jiang Mengzhen, she might have passed the imperial examination and become a juren. With the title, she could have lived a peaceful life as a restaurant owner, cooked her favorite food, and married a gentle husband.
But the person she was with was Jiang Mengzhen, who was from a prominent family and married with a generous dowry. Even if she did nothing and only relied on her husband's dowry, she could enjoy a lifetime of wealth and glory.
But if he was just a cook or an ordinary restaurant owner, Jiang Mengzhen's status would naturally be lower than before, and he might even be looked down upon by his former playmates.
Even if these words were just sweet talk, they would be enough to move any man. Moreover, Hao Cheng was not just talking. After spending such a long time with her, Jiang Mengzhen certainly knew that what she said was true.
If it weren't for him, Hao Cheng would never have put so much effort into seeking fame. Jiang Mengzhen felt sad when he heard this, and his eyes became a little moist.
Hao Cheng didn't really like men crying, so he lowered his eyelashes, picked an orange-flavored drink, and stuffed a steamed bun into his mouth to hide his tears.
Then he said vaguely: "This is so sour, it makes my eyes sore too."
That shouldn't be the case, Hao Cheng picked one up with chopsticks doubtfully. The filling was made of orange jam, and it tasted sour and sweet, which was completely different from the word sour.
Maybe Jiang Mengzhen couldn't eat sour food, or maybe he had eaten something sweet before and now felt it was particularly sour. Hao Cheng didn't think much about it and used a small spoon to scoop the sweetest core from the middle of the steamed bun and put it into Jiang Mengzhen's mouth: "Then eat something sweet."
After feeding him, she asked again, "Do you have anything else to tell me?" If it was just for her ideals and ambitions, there was no need to close the door and drive out the servants in the room.
Jiang Mengzhen wiped his mouth with a handkerchief and said, "Yes, there is one more thing. Didn't you say yesterday that you ran into Emperor Thirteen?"
Hao Cheng nodded and replied: "It should be said that he bumped into me. What's wrong? Why are you talking about him?" Jiang Mengzhen couldn't be jealous of the Thirteenth Emperor, right? He was such a petite boy, his hair hadn't even grown fully yet. She was not a pedophile, so she wouldn't be interested in the Thirteenth Emperor.
Jiang Mengzhen lowered his voice and said word by word: "She is not the emperor's daughter, but the emperor's daughter."
A man dressed as a woman? A woman dressed as a man? She had not forgotten that yesterday, the emperor was wearing women's clothes, and it was obvious at a glance that he was a boy dressed as a woman. And if she remembered correctly, that cousin Bing Xin also said that this was the Thirteenth Emperor.
Today Jiang Mengzhen suddenly said that the other party was a woman. When could a girl become an imperial minister? Seeing Hao Cheng's eyes widened, he looked incredulous.
Jiang Mengzhen confirmed: "She is indeed a woman."
Hao Cheng asked, "You went out today and looked a little dazed when you came back. Was it because you suddenly heard the news?"
Jiang Mengzhen nodded, and Hao Cheng sighed in his heart. As expected, he thought about it again and felt that something was wrong. He successfully grasped the key point: "Then tell me, how did you know she was a woman?"
People of Emperor Thirteen's age cannot be identified as male or female from their appearance. His Adam's apple is so small. Some women with obvious throat apples may look like they have a small Adam's apple.
If you want to distinguish between men and women, you can only look at the more private parts. The Thirteenth Emperor is petite, maybe he hasn't started to grow yet. If the upper body is as flat as a man's, then we have to look at the lower body.
Although Jiang Mengzhen and the other party are cousins, she has not forgotten that this is not the modern era where close relatives cannot marry. Instead, it is the ancient times where families are willing to let cousins marry for the sake of the so-called purity of blood.
The Thirteenth Emperor was not young anymore. When she thought about her husband actually wanting to see the private parts of a strange woman, she felt sick and her face changed suddenly.
Jiang Mengzhen saw her expression and knew what she was thinking. He quickly explained, "She just took off her shirt and I turned my face away. I really didn't see anything else!"
Hao Cheng's expression eased a little, but he still had a sour look on his face, with a few words written all over his body: "I! Am! Not! Happy!"
Jiang Mengzhen tried to comfort her quickly, and Hao Cheng slowly came to his senses before he put forward several conditions in a row: "You should have less contact with her in the future! Also, you can't look at other women besides me, even if she strips naked for you to see!"
Jiang Mengzhen didn't know whether to laugh or cry, but he still promised repeatedly: "I was caught off guard for a moment, otherwise, with her skinny figure, I don't know what she would do." He even got stye after looking at her.
When he said that, Hao Cheng's face swelled up again: "What you mean is that a skinny body is good-looking?!"
Jiang Mengzhen quickly shook his head: "No, no, no, no matter how beautiful a person is, I won't look at them."
When his anger had almost subsided, Hao Cheng changed the subject: "You suddenly asked me such a question today, did she say something to you?"
Jiang Mengzhen would say that, it must be that Thirteenth Emperor who put forward the conditions. She looked at the sky seriously: "You don't have to tell me, but no matter what she said, I will not allow you to do anything risky. Moreover, she has concealed her identity for more than ten years, and now she suddenly revealed it, and she wants you to work for her so easily, does she think that everyone else is a fool?"
Jiang Mengzhen was silent for a moment, but still told Hao Cheng all the conversation he had with Xie Jin. Of course, he skipped the part about taking off clothes.
Hao Cheng looked at him steadily: "If you are unwilling, you don't have to do this for me. Even if I become powerful in the future due to your efforts, I will not feel happy. Because this is earned by my husband for me, not my own achievement."
Seeing that Jiang Mengzhen remained silent, she continued, "If you want to pursue power, I won't stop you, but before you do anything, think twice and leave a way out. Before making any decision, you must discuss it with me first. I will also work hard, so that even if you fail, I can still protect you."
If she could stop him, she would naturally try her best to stop him, but if Jiang Mengzhen insisted on doing so, she could only try her best to leave a way out.
This time it was Jiang Mengzhen's turn to look at Hao Cheng steadily: "So even if I fail, you won't give up on me, right?"
Hao Cheng asked her back, "A husband and wife are one. I've said before that you should inform me before making any decision. If you didn't betray me, and I knew about it and let you do something stupid, and I couldn't stop you, then naturally I would have to bear the consequences with you."
Hao Cheng is actually a very protective person in her heart, and this is different from Jiang Mengzhen hiding it from her and then doing something stupid. Since she knew about it and let Jiang Mengzhen do it, it is naturally impossible for her to share the benefits if he wins and then get herself out of it if he loses.
Of course, if Jiang Mengzhen hid it from her, then that would be a different matter. She couldn't guarantee that she would still love Jiang Mengzhen so much by then.
Jiang Mengzhen responded softly: "Don't worry, I won't lie to you again."
Hao Cheng pressed the issue again: "You haven't told me yet, what exactly are you thinking? Do you really want to agree to the Thirteenth Emperor?"
Jiang Mengzhen shook his head: "Of course not." He had to choose a team, so he naturally had to choose a suitable team with the greatest chance of winning. Although Xie Jin's words sounded good, when you think about it carefully, Xie Jin's chance of winning is not great.
If he were a girl, he would naturally work hard to make a good future, even if it meant taking risks. But he was a man, and there were many things in the court that he could not touch.
It is true that he could manipulate his wife Hao Cheng to do it, but Hao Cheng was not very ambitious, so he naturally did not have the intention to take advantage of this hard-earned good wife.
What's more, he wanted to have a child as soon as possible, otherwise his health was not good, and he was afraid that it would be even more difficult to conceive a child when he was 30. If he had to worry so much, it would be even more impossible to have a child.
Hao Cheng was relieved to see him like this, and the topic turned to Fang Yu: "The doctor came today, and I heard her say that Fang Yu's leg may not be completely healed. Although it would be more convenient for Sister Fang to avenge herself, see if we can do anything to help her."
Fearing that Jiang Mengzhen would be unhappy, she added: "I found a place for her to live. After some time, she should be able to settle down. But she doesn't have anything to support her now. I think we can't keep supporting her like this, right?"
Jiang Mengzhen listened to her patiently and said, "If you want to help Fang Yu, I have no objection." After all, if Fang Yu is in a good situation, Hao Cheng will be relieved. She is no longer worried about Fang Yu, and he feels relieved.
He pondered for a moment and said, "Well, I do have a job that is very suitable for her. If she is really capable, she may be able to use this job to seek revenge. Of course, if she doesn't have that ability, I can't do anything."
Hao Cheng showed a delighted look on his face: "Tell me quickly, what is this job?"