I dialed the charcoal basin, and a warm feeling rushed towards my face.
It was getting colder gradually, the winter in Nanhuai was extremely cold, and my body, who was afraid of the cold, couldn't help but freeze a little.
The tea-pickers Mo Xichen mentioned left a deep impression in my mind. In the cold winter, they have no tea to pick, so what will their livelihoods be! As a disadvantaged group in this era or in any era, women are always victims, or suffer from hardships, or live in the dust. They have no ability to dominate their own lives, and even waste their youth for life!
And who is the initiator of all this!
For the time being, I blame all my anger on Huang Shangshu of the Ministry of Household. He is greedy, so Limin pays heavy taxes, so women are so pitiful! The tea-picking girls should be young girls with blue and white flower headscarves, singing folk songs and picking joyfully. They should be the sparrows in spring. How could a corrupt official ruin this most beautiful scenery!
I was irritable, got up and walked back and forth a few times, then lifted the curtain and walked out.
Yin Yi was invited by Linluo to teach the children. Recently, she has been so busy that she leaves early and returns late, so naturally she will be hard to see in autumn. Xiaojia is busy with housework, and she is too busy to take care of me by herself. Chat alone.
I sighed and strolled around the street for a while, and the tofu stall of Ramie closed early, and there was nowhere else to go.
I walked aimlessly, thinking about my thoughts along the way without paying attention to where, until someone bowed to me, only to realize that I had unconsciously entered the Ziwei Palace, Beichen Shaoyuan's hotel.
I am amazed how I got here! Beichen Shaoyuan has been with Princess Weiyang for the past two days. He will not be here, and because of this, I have had a few days of leisure. But since you're here, let's go in.
Thick brocade curtains are hung on the four walls of the study room of the hotel, and the newly built charcoal stove in the corner is still burning with high-quality agarwood charcoal.
Who knew I was coming? So well prepared. I snickered twice in my heart, took off my robe and stretched out my hand to keep warm.
"Bookstore! You are here!"
The lazy tone of voice made me almost jump up, I turned around, Beichen Shaoyuan stood behind me, his deep eyes were faint.
"Your Highness?" I wondered, "Is Your Highness accompanying Princess Weiyang?"
"The bookstore is teaching where the king should be?" Beichen Shaoyuan raised his eyebrows and sat down with disapproval.
"It's up to you of course where you go!" I muttered.
Beichen Shaoyuan didn't do anything, didn't pay any attention to me, just leaned on the back of the chair and closed his eyes slightly, he actually recovered.
Anyway, his actions were never something I could speculate, so I left it to him and I took care of myself.
But I had nothing to do, so I just happened to "walk" over and have a fire on the way.
"Book line, the emperor's reward on the cabinet, you can record it."
I was thinking hard about Huang Shangshu, but Beichen Shaoyuan suddenly asked me to do such chores, what a talent! I moved over reluctantly and registered the row full of royal-gifted treasures one by one.
This collection of Beichen Shaoyuan is really amazing. I played with it while recording it, and I couldn't help but marvel at it. They are all rare treasures!
Among the piles of jade articles, I picked up a dragon and phoenix with a tail and a ring, which always seemed familiar.
After thinking about it carefully, my eyes lit up, it was Huang Shangshu's jade belt buckle! Because it is very eye-catching and has a very special shape, I noticed it early on.
"My lord! This jade buckle?" I was suspicious and couldn't help but want to find out.
Beichen Shaoyuan glanced at it briefly, closed his eyes again, and said leisurely, "This is the only white jade that Yaosang Kingdom paid tribute to."
It's a tribute! But if this is the only one, what happened to Huang Shangshu's one!
Steal the dragon and turn the phoenix? Darkness Chencang? Full of personal pockets? Many thoughts popped into my mind at once.
"My lord! This jade buckle can be used for borrowing books!"
Without waiting for him to answer, I held up the jade buckle, shook it, and ran out.
In the pavilion not far from the household, I met Huang Shangshu as I wished. I knew that he would drink tea and rest in the pavilion every day, and the four seasons would not change.
"Huang Shangshu!" I pretended to meet him unexpectedly.
"Scholar Jun!" He was obviously surprised when he saw me, and immediately laughed, "I haven't congratulated the scholar Jun for your promotion!"
"Where is it! One day is a teacher and a lifelong father, and students always come from Huang Shangshu's family!"
Putting on a high hat, he fluttered and spoke easily.
"Master Jun came back to see the Ministry of Housing?"
"Students have long wanted to do this!" I wondered again, "It's just that the emperor has been worried about taxes recently, and students don't dare to take time off!"
After he finished speaking, Huang Shangshu's eyes twitched and his face twitched unnaturally. I stared at him closely, and had a good understanding of these details.
"I don't know what the emperor said?" he asked me tentatively.
"I heard that it was involved with the tribute in the palace, and the emperor was very angry." I simply scare him again, I shook my head and said, "If I find out, it will be a worrying end!"
Suddenly, Huang Shangshu was stunned, and the nerves of the sun were beating fiercely.
"Hey! Huang Shangshu, what's wrong with you?" I deliberately stepped forward to help him.
When I touched him lightly, he shuddered in fright and broke away from my hand. I sneered in my heart, I don't do bad things, and I'm not afraid of ghosts knocking on the door.
"It's okay, it's okay!" Huang Shangshu waved his hand to cover up.
"Huang Shangshu scared me to death! I thought it had something to do with Huang Shangshu, but you are shocked!"
"I'm shocked? No!" He hurriedly cleared it up, "How could this old man be related to such a rebellious thing!"
"I think so too!" I pretended to be relieved, and said again, "You are pale, so you are not sick, are you?"
"Ah?" He touched his face, his soul was still uncertain, and he said absentmindedly, "It may be that I haven't rested well in the past two days."
"Oh." Then I exclaimed as if I had discovered a new **, "Yeah! Your jade belt buckle is so special!"
"Scholar Jun! Can you not be so surprised!" Huang Shangshu was startled again, and then he touched the buckle of the jade belt and said, "It's just an ordinary thing."
"No!" I took out the jade pendant I took from Beichen Shaoyuan, held it up in front of him and shook it, "This is what His Highness Prince Xie just rewarded me, it's exactly the same as yours! The prince said this is a tribute, no Ordinary things!"
In an instant, Huang Shangshu's complexion turned white and bleak.
But then, he regained his composure and looked at me vigilantly, while I continued to study while pretending to be innocent.
"Scholar Jun got it wrong! How can this old man's things be compared to tributes! It's just similar!" He took two steps back, preventing me from taking a closer look.
"Then I have to go back and ask His Royal Highness Xie Wang, and let Xie Wang tie it for identification!"
"This-"
He clenched the jade belt buckle, for fear that I would snatch it away.
"How can such a trivial matter be used to annoy King Xie!" He was extremely reluctant.
"All right!"
Seeing my promise, he secretly let out a sigh of relief, and I saw it all.
"Scholar Jun, this old man really feels a little uncomfortable." Afterwards, he stroked his forehead and said, "Old bone can't stand the wind, so let's say goodbye!"
After that, Huang Shangshu left the pavilion as if he had fled.
I squinted at the direction in which he left, there is absolutely no mistake in the quality of the jade buckle, just two!
This time, it can be determined that the taxation is inseparable from Huang Shangshu. If he can start with him, it would be good to combat the trend of corruption and bribery in the court.