At dusk, the purple curtains in the hall of Jinxiang Palace were made of dark red wooden boards, and a few rays of setting sun shining through the curtains decorated them like golden lace, shining gorgeously.
Guo Shao put down what he was holding and prepared to get up. He turned his head and saw Lu Lan talking to Li Shanggong. It was so quiet here that even if she spoke softly, he could hear her. Although she spoke in Kaifeng Prefecture Mandarin, she had an obvious Sichuan accent. The accent sounded quite nice coming from the young lady. Lu Lan said softly: I have already boiled the medicine. Just heat it up a little. Drink a bowl before going to bed and tomorrow morning.
Li Shang Gong nodded in agreement. She looked at Lu Xiaoniang differently from others. After all, Lu Xiaoniang was a beautiful young woman, just a doctor for the emperor, so Li Shang Gong was very polite.
After Lu Lan finished speaking, she came over with a jar in her arms, placed the porcelain bowl in her hand on Guo Shao's desk, and poured a bowl of dark soup. Guo Shao knew that Chinese medicine was very bitter, but the white porcelain bowl with lace was a lot more pleasing to the eye. The porcelain used in the palace was very delicate and beautiful. This was one of the few items in this era that could approach modern craftsmanship.
Lu Lan said softly: Some colds cannot be cured by any medicine. Decoctions can only be used to recuperate and make people feel better. To recover, you have to take care of your body. If you want to get better quickly, it is best to rest more. Your Majesty is already the emperor, why do you have to work so hard
Guo Shao said casually: "I can't say I'm working hard now. Look at this place. Compared with it, there are many people in the world who just hope that the roof doesn't leak, the clothes can keep warm, and the food can fill their stomachs. We are pampered here with fine clothes and delicious food, and we dare to talk about hard work. If you don't consider the world at all when you are in office, then you are really unrighteous."
After hearing this, Lu Lan didn't say anything. She reached out and touched Guo Shao's forehead. Guo Shao was stunned. She then picked up the porcelain bowl and handed it to him. When Guo Shao reached out to take it, he touched her fingertips and saw her lower her head in a hurry.
Guo Shao drank the medicine in one gulp and sighed: It's not as bitter as I imagined, it even has a slight sweet aftertaste.
Lu Lan said softly: I put licorice in it specially.
Such careful and attentive care made Guo Shao feel very warm. He vaguely recalled Lu Lan's careful care when he was halfway through the war to conquer Shu, when the attack was blocked and he was sick and depressed.
Guo Shao said: The doctor named Bai from your maternal uncle's family seems to have come to Beijing to be an imperial physician. I will meet Zuo You and say hello to him and ask him to be promoted to an official, first as the Chief of the Imperial Medical Bureau. Zuo You is the Shaoqing of the Taichang Temple and is in charge of the Imperial Medical Bureau, so this will be very convenient.
Lu Lan hurriedly said: Your Majesty, there is no need to do this.
That imperial physician is probably not your uncle, but he is still a relative. Now that he has been promoted, he can be more friendly to you when we meet. Guo Shao glanced at her and smiled again, saying, "It's not all for Madam Lu's sake, it just so happens that I need a few people to do something recently."
Lu Lan was skeptical: What can my uncle do
Guo Shao said: The armor of the Great Zhou Imperial Army is becoming more and more complete. Few can be killed on the battlefield, but they can also die if there is not enough medical staff after being injured. I am just about to ask people to form a special team of doctors to accompany the army, increase the number of military doctors, and reduce the loss of elite troops.
After hearing this, Lu Lan stopped refusing.
Guo Shao has people in his heart, so he can't love everyone wholeheartedly, and can only repay others with practical benefits. And he enjoys such a relationship, with limited emotions and enough power and wealth to maintain the warm treatment of others; most people know how to be grateful, so they will repay themselves with their hearts for the benefits brought by power, but this method is much better than threatening with power. Because Guo Shao now has the most external things such as power and wealth, so of course he does not refuse such an exchange relationship.
Guo Shao asked again: Would you like to move into the palace
Lu Lan hesitated slightly and said: I dare not disobey your majesty's order.
Guo Shao pondered and said: "Then I will take it as your consent. Don't worry, you are not a concubine yet. I will allow you to enter and leave the palace as easily as Jingniang, and it will be easy for you to see your uncle's family."
He whispered again: Do you know who the pregnant woman you and Jingniang took care of a while ago is
Lu Lan's originally relaxed expression changed slightly, and she shook her head and said: I really don't know.
Guo Shao thought that although this girl had lived in Hebei and Shu, she was just a girl from an ordinary family after all, so he reminded her clearly: Then you don't have to ask.
Lu Lan said: I know, Jingniang also reminded me.
As expected, after drinking the medicine, Guo Shao's condition improved and he recovered in a few days. At this time, the officials sent by the court to receive King Wei and Fu Zhaoxu also reported that they had arrived in Beijing and settled in Fu's own mansion. Not only Fu Yanqing and Zhaoxu, but Fu Liu also came.
Guo Shao decided to summon the King of Wei the next afternoon and host a family dinner.
He first told the Fu sisters, and they were both very happy and looking forward to reuniting with their family. After all, they had not seen their biological father and eldest brother for several years; Fu Zhaoxu had met him once when he went to Beijing to present the head of Li Jixun's son. Fu Yanqing probably had not seen his eldest daughter since Fu Jinzhan remarried the late emperor, and had not seen his second daughter since Fu Ermei got married.
Seeing their smiling faces, Guo Shao said: There is a saying that once you enter the palace, it is like entering a deep sea. You two are both in the palace, and it is not easy to see your family.
Fu Ermei laughed and said: Who said that? Why haven't I heard this before
I said so. Guo Shao made a joke to suit the situation, which did not affect their mood. After a while, he said to Fu Jinzhan: When the emperor's sister-in-law meets the King of Wei, she can persuade him to live in Tokyo for a long time in the future.
Fu Jinzhan smiled and said: My father was conferred the title of King of Wei and the prefect of Daming Prefecture. There are also a prefect and officials at all levels in Daming Prefecture. Even if he is in Tokyo, it will not affect the government affairs.
Guo Shao nodded: That's what I mean. The real power of the King of Wei is the Tianxiong Army Jiedushi, but now, except for the border, the power of the Jiedushi has gradually decreased, which is also the general trend. In the future, when the time is right, the financial power of the local Jiedushi will be taken back.
In front of Fu Jinzhan, there was no military secrets to discuss. Guo Shao spoke directly, but in order not to appear stiff, he said calmly that it would be better for the King of Wei to buy some property in the prosperous Tokyo, so that it would be easier to meet our family members in the future.
Guo Shao attached great importance to meeting Fu Yanqing, not only because of Fu Yanqing's family strength and prestige, but also because he was very special to Guo Shao. An important experience in his memory was when Guo Shao was a guard in the Prince Wei's mansion.