It wasn't until Wang Mi's letter asking for an audience was handed over that Sheng Shaoqing vaguely remembered that the great master Nanjing was still wandering around the capital.
I lost my mind and couldn't even remember that this person existed.
"The foreign minister pays homage to the Queen Mother. The Queen Mother is a thousand years old!"
Sheng Shaoqing looked at Wang Mi who seemed to have lost a lot of weight in the past few days. He was just curious, but Wang Mi himself said, "I would like to thank the Queen Mother for the hospitality. In just a few days, I have already let the foreign minister visit Bianjing."
After reading it all over, I found that the customs in Bianjing City are indeed different from those in our southern country."
Sheng Shaoqing listened to Wang Mi's words of thanks and could hear the gnashing of teeth. She had good intentions at the beginning, but who could imagine that the people in the Ministry of Etiquette were so sincere and arranged the schedule so tightly. She wished she could use three days as one day, just like when she went shopping
It took a whole day to visit the Forbidden City, and Wang Mi visited the entire Bianjing city in three days. It was really difficult for him.
What's more, in order to allow him to better appreciate the scenery in Beijing, the Ministry of Rites did not arrange carriages and horses, but asked Wang Mi to take the No. 11 bus to slowly tour, and a tour guide would be used to guide him every time he reached a scenic spot.
Therefore, Wang Mi was the only one who was tired after three days.
So, Sheng Shaoqing said with a smile, "If I have the chance, I would also like to feast my eyes on the scenery of the South."
Wang Mi immediately replied, "Now that we have such an opportunity, the leader of our country has agreed to form an alliance with the Queen Mother. Why not choose Shunchang as the location?"
Sheng Shaoqing opened the map and searched at the speed of light, and found that Shunchang is really a good place. It is close to the border between the two countries and is surrounded by mountains. Not only is it safe, the scenery is also very beautiful.
Sheng Shaoqing nodded accordingly, "Then I will wait for your good news, Mr. Wang?"
Wang Mi didn't expect that Sheng Shaoqing would become so talkative this time. He was stunned for a moment, then his expression returned to normal, and he continued, "The things lost in Beiliang will arrive soon together with my credential."
After Wang Mi withdrew, Sheng Shaoqing thought that since it was still early, there was nothing interesting to go back to Yongguang Palace now, so he might as well drop by to see Yuan Che.
But when they arrived at the study room, they didn't hear the sound of books being read loudly, and they were told that Yuan Che didn't come to the study room at all after the court. In other words, this naughty kid had disappeared after the court?
After thinking for a moment, Sheng Shaoqing called out to Aning who was about to look for him, narrowed his eyes slightly and sneered, "I know where he is!"
When she went to court today, she saw that Yuan Che couldn't sit still as if he had a barb on his butt. As soon as he left the Qinzheng Hall, he immediately ran away with He Yuning. She was happy in the morning that this child was
He was so thirsty for knowledge that he didn't expect that this child didn't study at all!
Okay, how old are you now that you dare to skip school!
Aning asked doubtfully, "Queen Mother, do you know where Your Majesty is?"
Sheng Shaoqing sneered, "Where do those seven gourd boys live?"
"gourd?"
"Uh," Sheng Shaoqing raised his forehead and said, "Are they the companions chosen for Che'er?"
Aning reacted quickly, "They live in Siyuyuan."
"lead the way!"
Sheng Shaoqing and his entourage rushed to Siyu Courtyard aggressively. As expected, they saw Yuan Che standing in the courtyard with his hands on his hips, dictating to the six children kneeling on the ground, "You guys! Go and move the pile of firewood in the backyard to the front for me."
Come to the hospital and chop them apart one by one. You won’t be allowed to eat until you finish chopping them!”
Yuan Che was unaware of the approaching crisis and was still giving orders in the courtyard. It was not until the young eunuchs around him knelt down when they saw Sheng Shaoqing's arrival that Yuan Che felt the slightest bit of weirdness in the atmosphere.
But he waved his hands to those people and said, "I didn't tell you, you get up!"
"I tell you to get up, get up!"
Yuan Che suddenly saw that his own shadow was shrouded by another bigger shadow, and He Yuning in front of him was also winking at him crazily. He thought to himself that something was wrong. He turned around and saw his mother-in-law with a dark face.
Staring at him silently from behind.
It's over, it's over, how did the Queen Mother know that she was here?
"Queen mother, me."
Sheng Shaoqing looked at Yuan Che who was feeling extremely guilty and smiled in confusion. Why don't you go to school and show off your authority here?
Seeing that something was wrong, He Yuning hurriedly knelt down and kowtowed, "It's all my fault. It's your Majesty's fault."
Sheng Shaoqing passed by He Yuning who was eager to grab the pot without saying a word, and sat on a stone bench in the courtyard.
When those young gentlemen saw the Queen Mother, their bodies were shaking like chaff, and they were even shaking on their knees.
Yuan Che became anxious when he saw that He Yuning was eager to take the blame for him, and hurriedly said, "It was all Er Chen's idea. Don't blame An Ning. I, Er Chen."
Sheng Shaoqing smiled and said, "Aijia said you were wrong?"
Eh?
Sheng Shaoqing picked up the tea presented by An Ning, blew the foam on it and then said leisurely, "Someone, please tell Aijia what new tricks you are playing?"
"My son."
"you shut up!"
Yuan Che shut his mouth tightly. Based on his understanding of his mother, the queen was on the verge of rage. If he added to the anger, his butt would be in danger tonight!
The six people saw the Queen Mother's eyes wandering between them, and understood that the Queen Mother was asking them to send a representative to respond. After looking at each other, they jointly selected the person they thought was the most eloquent to take the blame.
"When I came back to the Queen Mother, Your Majesty saw that I was alone and weak and wanted to help us strengthen our bodies, so he asked me to carry firewood and chop wood."
Oh? Pretty clever.
Yuan Che snorted coldly when he heard this, who asked them to help cover it up, not to mention that it was the one who bullied him the most who spoke up in the first place!
Sheng Shaoqing took another sip of tea and then slowly put down the teacup and said slowly, "Let's get started."
These children are all wide and fat, as strong as a calf. It can be seen that they have been carefully cared for by the family. How come they are so weak? However, Sheng Shaoqing is not in a hurry to expose him. He just waits to see what else is going on.
The reactions of five children.
The child who spoke was the first to get up and go to the backyard. He endured the calm for a while and took a step back to open up the world. At this time, of course, it was wise to protect himself.
The four children beside him also got up and followed him.
Now only Yuan Che, He Yuning and the child kneeling in the corner are left in the courtyard.
Sheng Shaoqing turned to ask, "Why, why don't you go?"
The child gritted his teeth, shook his head, and still refused to move.
He knew he was stupid, so it would be better not to speak.
Cui Yun, who was beside Sheng Shaoqing, saw the clues and asked softly, "Just say it, the Queen Mother will not blame you."
He glanced at His Majesty, who was biting his lower lip, and then at He Yuning, who was clenching his fists. He still shook his head and refused to speak.
Yuan Che was anxious, "My mother asked you something, but you did the talking!"
The child was also driven into panic and blurted out, "I...I feel that your Majesty's move is inappropriate!"
Sheng Shaoqing didn't give Yuan Che a chance to speak and asked directly, "Then tell me what's wrong with His Majesty."
"Hey, yes, why am I wrong!"
Yuan Che felt slightly relieved when he saw that his mother seemed to be here to support him, and he boldly asked.
"I...I thought that rewards and punishments are clearly defined in the palace. If you make mistakes, you will be punished, and if you make merit, you will be rewarded. But...I don't know what mistakes I made and why I was punished?"
Yuan Che searched around in his mind and couldn't remember who the stubborn child in front of him was. The one who took the lead in bullying him was the one who spoke just now. He didn't seem to recognize the person in front of him.
"Then, you don't have to move, you can go back."
Yuan Che thought that by saying this, the matter would be settled, but the child was still kneeling there and refused to get up. His eyebrows were tightly knitted together, as if there was something unspeakable.
"Can…"
"Are you still not satisfied? I won't punish you!"
The child seemed to have the courage to say, "But what's their fault?"
Yuan Che was dumbfounded now. How could there be such a arrogant person in the world? How could he still care about others even if he was spared?
Sheng Shaoqing imitated his example and asked Yuan Che, "Mother, I would like to ask you, what's wrong with those children and you want to punish them?"
Yuan Che was stunned. Didn't his mother know that? Why did he ask again?
"Because they spoke rudely to me before!" Yuan Che said confidently.
"But at that time, His Majesty suddenly broke in and his words were quite casual. It is normal for Li Zhoufu to remind you to pay attention to the palace rules." The child retorted with reason.
Sheng Shaoqing ate the melon with gusto. After listening to Yuan Che's words that day, she really thought that those aristocratic families had bullied Yuan Che, but she didn't expect that there was such a problem in the middle.
"I am in my own palace, do I still need to be careful about my words and actions?!" Yuan Che looked shocked.
"The Emperor sets an example for the world and is always cautious no matter where he is. Your act of disguise was out of line. Although Li Zhoufu contradicted you with his words, his intentions were all good. I don't know why Your Majesty feels so dissatisfied."
Hearing this, Sheng Shaoqing whispered a few instructions in Cui Yun's ear, and Cui Yun ducked out of Siyuyuan.
Yuan Che's face turned red when he heard this, and He Yuning was also embarrassed. Sheng Shaoqing then asked, "Che'er, what happened that day?"
Seeing that he couldn't hide it, Yuan Che could only whisper, "I just want to find someone to play Cuju with. That Li Zhoufu said that there was a Cuju captain in the Jin Dynasty. Could it be that I didn't want to make progress and wanted to be the captain?"
Two?"
"Didn't you tell your mother that they dislike your low status and refuse to associate with you?"
Yuan Che said anxiously, "After Li Zhoufu said such things, those who were close to him behind him would no longer pay attention to him... so..."
"Is this the reason why you made this up?" Sheng Shaoqing said angrily.
A child can be useless, but his character cannot be ruined!
Yuan Che fell to his knees with a plop and said aggrievedly, "My son is wrong."
He Yuning also knelt down. When he saw His Majesty's identity at a glance, he naturally did not follow Li Zhoufu and others to persuade His Majesty, but instead took refuge with His Majesty early on.
"You also know about this?" Sheng Shaoqing asked He Yuning.
He Yuning nodded helplessly, and Sheng Shaoqing then asked, "Then do you think, is His Majesty or Li Zhoufu right?"
He Yuning did not expect that this question of death would be his turn, so he lowered his head and did not dare to answer.
Yuan Che calmly said to He Yuning at this moment, "Aning, it's okay, just tell me!"
Sheng Shaoqing couldn't help but be a little disappointed with He Yuning. He originally wanted to find a good reading companion for Yuan Che. Naturally, he wanted to play together, but he also had to have a good character. Otherwise, those who are close to red will be red, and those who are close to ink will be dark. The child will not learn well.
what to do.
He Yuning gritted his teeth and said, "Back to the Queen Mother, I feel that both Your Majesty and Li Zhoufu are at fault in this matter."
Sheng Shaoqing raised his eyebrows slightly, "Go on."
"When His Majesty came here incognito, he was just looking for people to play with, so he was naturally suspected of being playful. Today, he punished people for this, which is more like seeking personal revenge. But what Li Zhoufu said that day was indeed a bit excessive... There was a lot of contempt in his words,
That’s why Your Majesty is so angry.”
"What do you think?"
Sheng Shaoqing turned to the child who just refused to be punished and asked. The child nodded and said, "This is fair."
Yuan Che glanced at He Yuning gratefully, and he knew that his friend was not wrong. If it were his words, the queen mother would definitely be even more angry.
"May I have your name?"
After the child had gone through this, the fear in his heart faded a bit, and he replied neither humble nor arrogantly, "My surname is Liu, and my single name is Yi Chen."
"Liu Chen?"
It's a good name, Chenma. It means treasure, which shows how much the family values him.
"yes."
"Would you like to stay in the palace and be His Majesty's companion?"
Liu Chen raised his head in shock. He thought that his life might not be saved today. Can he still stay and read with him now?
Yuan Che reluctantly said, "Mother!"
Although He Yuning is good, his character is too weak, and he will only follow Yuan Che when things happen. Yuan Che lacks such a friend who dares to speak out.
Although Li Zhoufu dared to point out Yuan Che's mistakes that day, now that he knew Yuan Che's identity, he had to give in.
Seeing Liu Chen stunned, Sheng Shaoqing had no choice but to repeat the question just now, "Are you willing to stay?"
Liu Chen bowed solemnly and said, "I will definitely live up to my command!"
Afterwards, Sheng Shaoqing took Yuan Che back to Yongguang Palace, and ordered the remaining princes to return home.
Reading accompaniment is not expensive, but two are enough.
As soon as he entered the Yongguang Palace, Sheng Shaoqing grabbed Yuan Che's ear and said, "You have learned to lie to others now, haven't you?!"
"Have you forgotten what my mother taught you before?!"
Yuan Che cried anxiously, "I haven't forgotten! I haven't forgotten! How dare I forget!"
"Have you not forgotten? Have you not forgotten that you lied to your mother? Have you not forgotten that you used punishment indiscriminately?"
"My son, it's just a small punishment but a big warning. If they met me, it would be fine. If they met anyone else, they would have been kicked out with dozens of slaps!"
"You!!" Sheng Shaoqing didn't expect that this naughty kid would dare to make excuses, and said angrily, "I can't control you anymore! See who can control you! Go find it yourself!"
Yuan Che saw that Sheng Shaoqing was really angry, so he didn't dare to argue any more. He just said aggrievedly, "I am the emperor, how can I let a minister point his nose and scold me?!"
"Then tell your mother first, is Li Zhoufu right or wrong?"
After a long time, Yuan Che muttered, "Well...it makes some sense. I'm just here to test them!"
"Test? The test is to catch them and play Cuju with you?! If they don't play, you say they look down on you? The emperor, you have so much magnanimity?!"
Yuan Che was shocked. He didn't expect that his mother had already found out everything. So by not exposing it just now, it was considered as saving face for him?
