Farmer’s Blessed Girl

It was rare to take a rest. The emperor was swimming with Mei. He grabbed a handful of fish food and threw it into the water. A few fish swam in the water, and he was shrewdly chasing the fish food to eat.

The emperor shook his head and asked, "Why are there so few fish in this lake? I remember that I used to sprinkle a handful and I could swim a dozen fish."

Gu Zhong bent over and was about to answer when the beauty beside him hugged the emperor's arm and twisted, "Your Majesty, are you here to see the concubine or fish?"

The emperor laughed and said: "Naturally, I came to see the beauty, that's all, although the fish is a little less, it is still clever."

"Then why are you still talking about fish?"

The emperor's smile faded, and he said with a small smile: "Okay, let's not talk about the fish, um, I see that the scenery there is good, let someone row the boat over, let's go and see."

The beauty said: "There are no lotus flowers. The tops are full of lotus pods with different heights, and there are many mosquitoes. Your Majesty, let's go to that end. From there, you can go down the lake and enter the river, and down the river is Daming Palace."

The emperor said, "Why, Concubine Ai wants to go to Daming Palace?"

"I haven't been to the palace for many years. I heard that the Daming Palace is high and at the foot of the mountain. The summer and autumn are very cool and dry, not like the Taiji Palace. Because it is in a low-lying place, it is very hot and humid every summer and autumn, especially in the summer and autumn. In the spring, it’s uncomfortable.” The beauty leaned against the emperor’s arms and said, “I also want to go to see what the Daming Palace is like, so I can also greet the empress.”

The emperor didn't say a word, but a servant rushed after him in a small boat. After getting on the big boat, he hurried over to Gu Zhong to report to him.

Gu Zhong stepped forward quickly and interrupted the beauty's Yingying gaze, "Your Majesty, Lord Wei entered the palace to ask for a meeting, saying that he has something important to report, and he is waiting outside the Taiji Hall at this time."

When the emperor heard this, he got up immediately, "Wei Zhi is here to see me at this time, there must be something important, come here, go back quickly."

"Yes."

When they reached the shore, the emperor left the beauty behind and hurried to the Taiji Palace.

Although the beauty was dissatisfied, she didn't dare to delay the emperor's handling of state affairs.

After walking a little farther, the hurried emperor slowed down and started to avoid the sun, looking for the corridor and the eaves to walk. What's the matter?"

Gu Zhong smiled and said, "Master Wei didn't say it, but the little maid replied that Master Wei had a box in his hand. I guess he came to give gifts to His Majesty?"

The emperor couldn't help laughing out loud, and while walking back slowly, he said: "Gu Zhong, your joke is not funny at all, Wei Zhi gave me a gift? That's not the sun coming out from the west, but The sun didn't rise at all, did it?"

Gu Zhong also laughed, and then said: "Isn't your majesty laughing happily now? As long as your majesty is happy, the slave's joke is worth it."

He paused and said, "Maybe Mr. Wei really came to give gifts? He didn't enter the palace alone, but also brought Zhuang Shi to speak."

The emperor laughed loudly when he heard the words, and then asked, "Which servant is talking about it?"

Gu Zhong smiled and said, "Zhuang Shi from the Chongwen Pavilion speaks."

"Oh, Bai Shan and Zhou Man's teacher, Zhuang Shi, who is now teaching the prince?"

"Your Majesty has a good memory. It is this Mr. Zhuang."

Only then did the emperor quicken his pace a little, and no longer hesitated about whether or not to leave, "Go, go and see what they have to report."

When he arrived at the Taiji Hall, the emperor was sweating all over, which made him feel very stuffy, and sweating made him even more uncomfortable.

The emperor took the handkerchief that Gu Zhong handed over and wiped his face and hands before saying, "Xuan Weizhi, come in."

"Yes." Gu Zhong retreated to declare people, and as soon as he went out, a little maid walked up with two palace maids carrying a food box and said: "Father-in-law, this is the soup sent by the beauty, and she said it was her early in the morning. It was boiled because I wanted to have dinner with Your Majesty on the boat, but I didn't expect His Majesty to have a state affairs, so I asked the servants to wait for it to be delivered."

Gu Zhong only glanced at it and waved his hand: "Leave it to us, and we will send it to His Majesty in a while."

The little maid bowed his head and replied yes, left the food box and left respectfully.

Gu Zhong said to the left and right: "Take the food box down, and you can divide it up."

"Yes, thank you for the reward."

Gu Zhong nodded and went to invite Wei Zhi with a smile on his apprentice's face, "Master Wei, Your Majesty has an invitation."

He nodded with Mr. Zhuang who was sitting next to him, and said while leading Mr. Wei to the study: "Your Majesty was in the Imperial Garden before, and when I heard that Mr. Wei was coming, I immediately rushed over, because the weather was getting hotter. The clothes on my body are all wet, and I am changing clothes and waiting for adults..."

Gu Zhong sent Wei Zhi into the hall. Seeing Wei Zhi glanced at the people in the hall, Gu Zhong looked at the emperor, and when he saw him nodding slightly, he turned around and took all the servants in the room out.

"Go and make a pot of Mengding Stone Flower, and I'll serve tea to Your Majesty and Lord Wei in a while."

"Yes."

When the people retreated, Gu Zhong and a few people stood guard outside the door, and one of the servants took out a money bag and stuffed it to Gu Zhong, and whispered: "Sir, this is what the beauty put to the servant when I got off the boat just now. For adults."

Gu Zhong weighed it for a while and then put it back to him regretfully, and said in a flat voice: "Go back, we will not accept the courtesy of this beauty in the future."

The waiters were startled and quickly responded.

When they were all gone, Gu Zhong's apprentice couldn't help but ask, "Master, why didn't you accept her reward?"

"How can we be respected by others when we do things that cannot be done by others?"

The apprentice was at a loss, "Isn't she just asking Master to say a few good words in front of His Majesty?"

Gu Zhong glanced at him, raised his hand and patted his head, "Fool, after so many years, why can't you touch the edge?"

He said: "If your majesty likes, we can naturally say a few more good words, anyway, good words don't cost money, they get the benefits, and your majesty is also happy, but if your majesty doesn't like it and we say good words, it is equivalent to drinking in your majesty. Deodorizing socks during tea time, do you think Your Majesty is happy or not?"

"But wasn't His Majesty and the beautiful woman quite happy to swim in the lake just now?"

"I was happy at first, but I was unhappy later," Gu Zhong explained in more detail because he was his apprentice, and also taught him by the way, "The person that Your Majesty likes, no matter what their appearance and personality are, but they must act generously and fulfill their duties... …”

"But this is the harem..."

"The concubines in the harem also have grades, and they also have their own rules to abide by," Gu Zhong said, "Your Majesty likes people who follow the rules, and those who are talented, insightful, and cherish the world."

He snorted: "This beauty has surpassed her. She has no talent, let alone character. Your Majesty should not see her again in the future."

At least he won't take the initiative to see her, so there's no need to say anything nice for her.

Although the apprentice was honest and clumsy, he wasn't really clueless. After a while, he whispered, "Just like the Empress?"

Gu Zhong glanced at him approvingly, not a complete rotten tree.

Unlike other emperors who liked simple, kind and weak women, what he likes most today is precisely the women who can stand side by side with him, and he also prefers talented and virtuous women.

See you tomorrow, good night