—Jinluan Palace.
The glazed tiles glowed with a purple luster in the sun, making the palace look magnificent.
Sixteen sky-like pillars hold up this grandest palace in the Qi Dynasty. The straight and regular lines depict the rigor and majesty of this place from the side.
In front of the soft seat where the emperor was sitting, two lifelike bronze cranes were smoked with sandalwood in their mouths, which slightly diluted the tense atmosphere in the air.
"Your Majesty, this year there is a severe drought in the north of the Yangtze River and an insect infestation in the south of the Yangtze River. The officials below are urgently awaiting the government's allocation of disaster relief funds."
"Your Majesty, the construction funds for the Confucian Temple are tight and we are in urgent need of funds from the court."
"Your Majesty, the School of Science still has plenty of funds. Can you move some of it out? After all, this part of the expenditure is not a necessary expenditure item, and it will not generate any income in the short term or even in the last period. It is purely a redundant consumption of the national treasury. thing."
From the moment they came to court, the civil servants headed by the left prime minister acted like chicken blood, unanimously expressing their dissatisfaction with the construction of the School of Science.
Li Jingnan didn't expect that the finalized project would cause any disturbance, but the other party was obviously coming with a menacing attack, which caught him off guard.
"If I remember correctly, this matter was already drawn up when General Fu went to court two days ago. Why do you have objections now?" Li Jingnan's tone revealed impatience.
Prime Minister Zuo stood below with his head bowed. Prince Ning was in the same row with him. The two of them exchanged an imperceptible look.
next moment.
King Ning stood up and said: "Your Majesty, all the ministers are also thinking about the Qi court. Even though it is a good thing that Si Bing's wife proposed to build a science college, which can cultivate talents for us in Da Qi, it is also true that the national treasury is tight, and the current crisis on the border of Qi State is It has still not been lifted, and the military expenditures and the internal affairs of the imperial court are huge. There is really no need to build a science college with no prospects or results."
What he said was reasonable and well-founded, but it made Li Jingnan embarrassed.
Moreover, Prince Ning's stance gave Li Jingnan a headache.
It’s not that he and the Prime Minister have always been at odds with each other. When did these two people get together
"Who says it won't work? A military officer's wife has already asked the Liao Kingdom to initiate peace. In the future, the School of Science will train thousands of talents like military officers' wives for me and Daqi. Then, peace will prevail all over the world, and people from all over will come to pay their respects. It's not unattainable." Li Jingnan held on to some reasonable points and insisted on not compromising.
Who would have thought that after hearing this, Prince Ning's face flashed with a sarcastic smile: "Your Majesty, how come there are thousands of wives of military commanders in the world? Even if there are, who can ensure that these people are not loyal? Of course, the wives of military commanders are It’s awesome, but if an enemy or neighboring country gets one or two such talents, then... what kind of situation will it put Qi in in the future?”
"You! You are making unwarranted assumptions!" Li Jingnan slapped the dragon chair heavily. Unfortunately, this action had no demonstration effect at all. On the contrary, there was obvious contempt on the faces of the veterans.
"Your Majesty..." Zuo Xiang moistened his throat and stood up slowly: "Your Majesty, what King Ning said may not come true, but it is not irrational. This possibility is definitely possible, and the possibility of it being true is extremely high. After all, no one can predict what will happen in the next second, and therefore it is even more impossible to predict what will happen in the future.”
As Zuo Xiang spoke, he watched the reactions of other officials. Most of them nodded slightly in agreement with his point of view, so he paused and came to his own conclusion: "So Wei Chen also suggested that the School of Science be temporarily suspended. Preparations.”
"I second the proposal." Civilian A stood up and lined up.
"I second the proposal." Civilian B stood up and lined up.
"I second the proposal." Official C stood up and lined up.
Not long after, almost half of the officials agreed with the prime minister's point of view.
"You! You are doing this again!" Li Jingnan was completely furious and stood up quickly: "What if I insist?!"
"This..." The left prime minister and all the ministers were obviously in trouble.
The two sides reached a stalemate, and the atmosphere in the hall suddenly became very strange.
Suddenly, a high-pitched voice sounded: "The general has arrived."
Fu Tingye is here
Very good!
Li Jingnan's brows suddenly relaxed and he let out an inaudible breath.
Fu Tingye was wearing court uniform, with a resolute face and a calm, calm pace. He slowly came to the middle of the hall and raised his hands to Li Jingnan: "Your Majesty, I am dealing with urgent military affairs. Please forgive me for being late."
"It doesn't matter." Li Jingnan said quickly, thinking that you came at the right time. I want to see who can have the last laugh in today's scene.
"I'm afraid the General doesn't know yet. We are currently discussing the suspension of the School of Science. Does the General have any thoughts or opinions?"
Fu Tingye looked around. The official team was very clear. The expressions of Prime Minister Zuo and Prince Ning had changed subtly since he stepped into the Jinluan Palace. All these indicated that today was a major event.
He thought for a moment, and then said: "Now that Daqi is suffering from internal and external troubles, especially foreign troubles, I do not recommend that the academy be stopped."
"Hmph." Someone rolled his sleeves and snorted coldly.
Fu Tingye seemed not to have noticed at all, and continued to explain slowly: "The emperor once said that the late emperor once predicted that Panlong Mountain would have powerful weapons for the country. As a result, the emperor got Mrs. Si Bing. Mrs. Si Bing's new weapons have indeed restored the prestige of our country. , can truly serve as a weapon for the country."
Li Jingnan was suddenly startled, "Oh, why didn't I think of this?"
The late emperor puts it out to see which of you dares to make a mistake.
"And the School of Science aims to strengthen the country and reserve talents for our future work. It is actually a top priority and a top priority of the government."
Although he didn't say much, he was concise and to the point.
Suddenly, the situation in the court seemed to have changed.
A military attaché stood up and said, "I second my opinion."
Another military attaché stood up and said, "I second my opinion."
The two sides appear to be evenly matched in strength.
At this time, the emperor's opinions can become extremely precious.
"This matter is serious. Let me think about it again. Until I come up with a solution, everything should be done step by step." Li Jingnan cooperated with Fu Tingye, and he sang the double act very well.
Prime Minister Zuo and the people from Prince Ning's group showed displeasure, but they did not dare to say anything more, so the matter was suppressed for the time being.
After retiring from the court, Fu Tingye walked out of the hall, but unexpectedly found someone waiting for him.
The graceful and luxurious jade bowl, covered with light gauze, is luxurious and luxurious yet has extraordinary temperament.
In the whole world, only the current Queen Mother can ride in such a car, so the person waiting for him is the Queen Mother.
But Zheng Shumei had no intention of coming down. Through the gap in the gauze curtain, she could see her lazy posture and languid expression.
"The humble minister pays homage to the Queen Mother." Fu Tingye cupped his hands.
Deadly quiet.
The Queen Mother didn't seem to hear, and the servant next to Yu Chu didn't move.
Time seems to stand still.
But Fu Tingye knew that she heard it, and she was a little disdainful to talk to a warrior like herself.
But sometimes it's like this. The more you don't want to see someone, or the more you hate someone, fate will arrange for you to meet and even exchange a few words with each other.
Just like Fu Tingye and Zheng Shumei at this moment.
Therefore, Zheng Shumei finally spoke.
"General Fu is so majestic."
She said calmly, with a lazy tone. At first glance, it sounded like she was mocking, but if you look carefully, you can't see the slightest hint of mockery on that delicate and noble face.
After she finished speaking, the next moment, Yu Chu moved and slowly left from Fu Tingye.
Fu Tingye lowered his expression and respectfully watched Yuhu disappear.
Wearing court clothes on his body, he looked particularly energetic. His posture was upright, tall and majestic, standing far away like a green pine, standing between heaven and earth.
What is majesty.
What the Queen Mother suddenly said hinted at something.
Fu Tingye lowered his head slightly, raised the corners of his mouth quietly, and a meaningful smile appeared in an instant, then disappeared indifferently.
…
Like Hua Qingxue, Cheng Wanmiao was also invited to attend the imperial banquet.
This was something she had never thought of. Although the post was not sent to her personally, but to Madam Fu, the First Grade Lady, the words on it in Juanxiu small regular letters asked her to bring her family members to attend.
Mrs. Fu was ill in bed, so naturally she couldn't go to the banquet, but... Cheng Wanmiao could go.
"You can go instead of me. I'm an old man, and I'm just going to blow the wind. It's better to lie down in the house and feel more comfortable." Mrs. Fu has been a little confused in recent days, but most of the time, she is still awake.
"Aunt, Wanmiao is not going. Wanmiao will stay in the Hou Mansion to take care of you." Cheng Wanmiao's eyes sparkled and she was about to cry.
Mrs. Fu frowned slightly: "Crying and crying all day long... Do you hope that I will die soon, as if you are crying in mourning?"
After all, she is not my own daughter, so she is not soft-spoken at all when she dislikes her.
Cheng Wanmiao immediately put away her tears and squeezed out a smile that was so forced that she felt guilty: "Aunt, Wanmiao, stop crying. You must get better soon."
In fact, what I was thinking was, just keep lying down like this.
If you don't lie down, your cousin won't come back, and I won't have a chance.
"How is mother today?" Fu Tingye went down to court and immediately came to Mrs. Fu's room to say hello.
Mrs. Fu frowned and snorted angrily.
Fu Tingye is not upset either, the result is predictable.
I have known for a long time that she is stubborn, but to still be so stubborn in such a situation is a respectable spirit.
If everyone on the battlefield could have such firm faith, then why would the Daliao cavalry need new weapons to deal with it.
"Cousin, my aunt is much better today. I made the red date glutinous rice dumplings for lunch with my own hands. Maybe my aunt loves me so much that she ate a few more." Cheng Wanmiao answered the conversation at the side, seemingly chatting casually, but in fact she deliberately expressed his own merit.
With her eyes moving and shining with hope, Cheng Wanmiao lowered her head slightly, expecting something.
Mrs. Fu lay on the bed and snorted again.
For some reason, she obviously wanted to bring Cheng Wanmiao and Fu Tingye together, but she couldn't get used to Cheng Wanmiao being so pretentious.
So I suppressed the nausea in my heart and didn't take it seriously.
Fu Tingye said calmly: "Yes, okay."
Cheng Wanmiao's breathing was a little stagnant, but she adjusted herself instantly: "Cousin, are you hungry? I'll have the kitchen heat up rock sugar and white fungus porridge. You can drink it when you come back next morning. It's good for your health."
"No need." Fu Tingye felt that Cheng Wanmiao was acting strange today and subconsciously refused.
Cheng Wanmiao looked disappointed.
"You are tired after taking care of your mother all day. Go down, I am here." Fu Tingye said.
"..." Cheng Wanmiao felt more and more aggrieved, but she didn't have the nerve to stay any longer, so she could only move toward the door.
"Cousin, if you need anything, call me anytime." Cheng Wanmiao walked to the door and finally added a line to herself.
Fu Tingye didn't look back, didn't even look at her, and just waited for her to disappear. Unexpectedly, at this moment, Mrs. Fu coughed: "Wanmiao, I want to drink some water."
"Hey." Cheng Wanmiao's figure flew in like a dragonfly, circled into Fu Tingye's line of sight, and served Mrs. Fu a drink of water.
"Aunt is still used to me taking care of you, otherwise... cousin, I'd better stay. If you have anything to say to your aunt, I'll stay by your side quietly and won't affect you at all."
"..." Fu Tingye frowned slightly, but said nothing more.