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墨書 Inktalez
In fact, even he, an outsider, could see that the Emperor was cold on the outside but kind-hearted, simply not good at expressing himself. Yet Miss Mei Shuang twisted the Emperor's intentions into the opposite meaning and spoke with such conviction, which was truly infuriating.
However, it was no wonder that Miss Mei Shuang thought this way. One incident after another, each one bore her shadow.
Regarding the matters of the Eastern Kingdom, Miss Mei Shuang had foreseen them, allowing the Emperor to grasp the situation in advance. Without making a fuss, he turned the border issues from conflict into peace, thus preserving the Jiu Rang Family—truly a twofold achievement. And this treasure hunt was fraught with danger; the chances of returning were only one percent, relying entirely on luck. But indeed, it would be impossible without Miss Mei Shuang...
The only comforting thing was that Miss Mei Shuang had exceptionally good luck, repeatedly escaping from perilous situations. It remained uncertain whether she could escape this time...
A thick stack of memorials arrived from Jiangnan. Due to recent events involving Mei Shuang in Yangzhou, the court had dismissed the biased Yangzhou Prefect and punished several officials who had condoned local criminal activities. This provided an opportunity to rectify the corrupt practices in Jiangnan's officialdom, causing everyone there to feel anxious and significantly improving efficiency.
The pilot program for compulsory primary education in Yangzhou had citizens cheering with joy. Many children from families who could not afford schooling were now able to attend classes.
Moreover, the enrollment rate of school-aged children became one of the metrics for evaluating local officials' performance. In no time, various places in Yangzhou began "building schools," and it became a trend for children to start school at the age of four and a half.
The court's actions earned widespread praise from the locals, who lauded the Emperor's wisdom.
Although the memorial contained plenty of flattering words, it also held truths.
"Regardless of noble or humble birth, all are equal in learning; the goal is to select talented individuals for the nation. The Emperor's actions are unprecedented and will surely be remembered through the ages..."
Upon reading this, Xiao Luo lifted his gaze from the memorial and happened to catch Li Gonggong staring blankly at it.
He observed Li Gonggong, who had never made such a mistake before, with a cold eye and remained silent until Li Gonggong realized his own lapse.
This time, without Xiao Luo needing to speak up, Li Gonggong's legs buckled as he voluntarily knelt down and forced a smile. "Your Majesty, I shall slap myself."
"You've been distracted today; tell me how many heads you have?"
Ever since returning from Qizhou, the Emperor had spoken so sternly. In the past, even if he occasionally lost focus, it would only earn him a frown from the Emperor. Now all that anger seemed directed at him. Alas, wasn't it all because he cared? Being a servant truly felt like a thankless job.
Li Gonggong dared not speak back and merely said, "Ever since I returned from Qizhou, I've felt somewhat unwell..."
Hearing the words "Qizhou," Xiao Luo's gaze darkened. He withdrew his eyes and coldly said, "If that's the case, why not go find the imperial physician?"
"I went, but the physician insisted there was nothing wrong, saying it must be due to the unfamiliar climate from traveling to another region..." Li Gonggong observed Xiao Luo's expression and forced a bitter smile.
Xiao Luo shifted his gaze away from the Fire Stick and fixed it on Li Gonggong's distressed face.
His already deep-set eyes appeared even darker, and Li Gonggong felt a jolt in his heart at just one glance. That gaze was too piercing, as if it could see right through his thoughts.
Xiao Luo said lightly, "That statement doesn't seem honest. You've been in Qizhou for several days; how come you didn't experience any discomfort there?"
Li Gonggong's heart sank as he thought, oh no, how did I forget about that?
He had been leading the conversation towards Qizhou, and it seemed he couldn't hide it anymore. He simply closed his eyes and bowed down, saying, "Your Majesty, allow me to speak a word that could cost me my head. I know you don't wish to mention her, but Your Majesty, I must say—she is currently in grave danger!"
Xiao Luo's heart skipped a beat, but on the surface, he remained unperturbed as if he hadn't heard anything.
Although Li Gonggong dared not breathe loudly, he noticed the emperor's hand tremble slightly with the red brush.
He let out a small sigh of relief; he understood the emperor's thoughts—he still cared deep down.
Unexpectedly, Xiao Luo's next words shocked Li Gonggong greatly.
"You have been careless in your duties these past few days. I will consider this your first offense and won't pursue it further. You... go back and take care of yourself..."
As Xiao Luo spoke, he continued to write and draw on the Fire Stick with a bamboo brush.
Li Gonggong was stunned upon hearing this; it sounded like he was being dismissed from his position!
He immediately burst into tears and kept bowing, "Your Majesty, I deserve to die! I shouldn't have spoken recklessly. Please forgive me this time. I cannot disregard Your Majesty!"
Xiao Luo completely ignored Li Gonggong's pleas until the guards dragged the sobbing Li Gonggong out...
The next day, Zheng Yi woke up early and saw his mother cooking over the fire. He quietly sneaked into her room.
In his mother's room, he looked around and suddenly noticed something wrapped in a red cloth on the table.
He approached and opened the red package, only to find that it was just a broken Porcelain Bottle. Why was it wrapped up?
Suddenly, he stuck out his tongue and glanced behind him. Fortunately, his mother hadn’t come in; otherwise, if she saw the broken Porcelain Bottle, she might think he was responsible.
He hurriedly wrapped the red cloth back around it. The Porcelain Bottle was too unsteady; when he lightly touched it, it almost fell off the table.
Zheng Yi was quick and managed to catch the Porcelain Bottle while also grabbing what was inside.
It was a round, shiny golden object that dazzled his eyes. He looked at it and carefully peeled away the outer gold paper. What could this round object be?
He lifted it up and squinted at the sunlight. His eyes widened in surprise—there was actually a little figure inside!
This thing was so much fun.
After carefully wrapping it up again, he turned his shiny black eyes around and then restored the red cloth on the table to its original position.
Just as he finished, he heard his mother’s voice from outside, “Zheng Yi, are you up? It’s time for breakfast. After eating, I need to go out for a bit.”
Zheng Yi quickly lowered his head and ate at the table, nearly choking on the last bite.
“You child, always playing around. You can’t even eat your meal properly,” his mother scolded when she saw how anxious he looked.
Zheng Yi set down his chopsticks and bowl, then said, "I'm full. I'm going out to play for a while, and I'll come back to study at noon and practice my calligraphy in the afternoon..."
His mother was taken aback by Zheng Yi's sudden and orderly arrangement of his plans. Although she found it somewhat strange, she couldn't pinpoint anything wrong with it. She simply told Zheng Yi to return for lunch at the nearby aunt's house.
Before she could finish speaking, Zheng Yi had already dashed out the door.
Zheng Yi's cheerful figure moved quickly along the path, his heart bursting with joy.
He chuckled to himself, thinking how happy his sister would be when she found out he had prepared a fun gift for her.
In a hazy dream, countless people walked back and forth around Mei Shuang, their distant and near voices causing her a splitting headache.
She wanted to speak up to stop them but realized she couldn't make a sound. She didn't even have the strength to wave her hand, forced to watch the faces of these strangers swirl in front of her, leaving her feeling anxious and unsettled...
"Princess, it's been three days. The imperial physician has used all available remedies, yet Shuang'er remains unconscious. What should we do?" Abbot looked at the unresponsive Mei Shuang with deep concern.
The princess sat at the edge of the bed, staring blankly at Mei Shuang. After a long moment, she shook her head sadly and said, "We have done all we can..."
The few people surrounding them felt a chill in their hearts. Could it be that the princess was giving up?
Master Jing noticed the bloodshot eyes of the princess and couldn't help but feel pained. He urged gently, "Princess, you haven't slept properly in three days. You should rest for a while; I will keep watch here. As soon as Shuang'er wakes up, I will let you know."
The princess seemed not to hear him as she reached out to gently stroke Mei Shuang's delicate skin, which was now pale as snow...
A few imperial physicians entered the room, checking Mei Shuang's forehead before taking turns feeling her pulse. They exchanged glances filled with difficulty and concern.
Aunt Yu, who had rushed overnight to Qizhou, entered after a brief rest. Seeing the expressions on the faces of the skilled physicians, her heart sank.
Aunt Yu approached the princess and, after bowing, looked at the still unconscious Mei Shuang. She turned to the imperial physician and asked, "Zhang Taiyi, how is the young lady's condition?"
Zhang Taiyi quickly knelt and replied, "Aunt, currently the patient's body temperature has decreased, but her pulse is weak, and her internal vitality is insufficient. Additionally, she must have been poisoned severely before, which has greatly depleted her strength. Now it seems..."
The physician's words tightened Aunt Yu's heart, and those present were even more alarmed; it sounded as if Mei Shuang's illness could not be treated.
Master Jing noticed that the princess seemed oblivious to everything around her, staring blankly at the sleeping Mei Shuang, causing his own heart to tighten.
Sigh, the princess had always been deeply concerned for this child. Now that her severe illness was initially recovering, just as she was preparing for a mother-daughter reunion, such a major incident occurred. Was their mother-daughter bond truly so fragile?
The Abbot couldn't help but sigh at this situation.
Having spent a long time in the palace, Aunt Yu naturally knew that one could not fully trust the physician's words. These slippery characters often hesitated on uncertain medical cases to protect themselves from blame.
She couldn't reprimand the physicians in front of everyone, so she called them outside and began to speak sternly to them. "Zhang Taiyi, I fear you have been in service for too long and have forgotten the rules of the Empress Dowager, haven't you?"
Zhang Taiyi was rarely met with Aunt Yu's cold demeanor and was taken aback while beads of sweat formed on his forehead. "This..."
"Do you understand? Why did the Empress Dowager send me here personally with you to treat this young lady? Hmph! Let me tell you, this is not a trivial matter. The Empress Dowager was serious about this; if you all do not work together to save the young lady, it will not be as simple as losing your heads!"
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