I really don't want to take shortcuts anymore

"In that case, Your Majesty has asked you to preside over the compilation of the history of our dynasty and complete the life of the late emperor. Why do you refuse? I believe that with you here, you will be able to eliminate bias and ensure fairness and impartiality."

"Fool!" At that time, Mr. Duan tapped his forehead gently with a ruler: "Do you know why, apart from those lucky ministers, no other great scholar is willing to take over? If I dare to speak out, I will die without a burial place!"

"The late emperor was a man of great talent and strategy. During his reign, he won the respect of people both inside and outside the country. Could there be some unknown secret?"

"Haha. Where there is light, there must be shadows. My disciples should be able to distinguish right from wrong. Think carefully about the rebellion of Prince Li in the first year of Zhenghe. What can you possibly conclude?"

"...Prince Li was framed by Jiang Cheng for a witchcraft case, and had no choice but to raise an army to rebel, which triggered the Zhenghe Rebellion, leaving corpses everywhere. Later, the late emperor executed Jiang Cheng's followers and recorded Yu Chu in the Jade Book, which means he must have understood right from wrong and felt regretful..."

"But the bad posthumous name of the Crown Prince Li has not been changed to this day. Guess again, how much of what happened back then was Jiang Cheng's own decision, and how much was it because the late emperor was afraid of the Crown Prince, who was in his prime and had full wings, and deliberately went along with it?"

"...Sir, have you also said these words to Senior Brother Gu?"

"No." The master patted his shoulder and walked out of the door leisurely, his back bathed in the sunlight: "You are different from him. Moreover, you have a deep connection with one of my early disciples."

Therefore, the disciple that Mr. Duan mentioned before was really the Xiang Hou in front of him, and he became his brother-in-law only recently. But why did Mr. Duan know about it a year ago?

Thousands of thoughts were turning over in his mind. Luo Xiao already believed it completely in his heart, but he just couldn't bring himself to call him "senior brother" simply.

"Brother-in-law. Even if you and Mr. have this connection, I still can't accept it without any effort."

"So this is not what I want to give you, but to comfort your sister." Mr. Mo interrupted him calmly:

"You and Gu Tang will enter the Imperial College. His Majesty intends to promote you two to be the doctoral students, assisting the five classics doctors and teaching 3,000 doctoral students. It's fine for him, as a descendant of the Gu family, who are three officials in the family, no one will question it, but you are different."

"I was born in the countryside, and my family has no official family members. My family is not noble, but I was lucky enough to be accepted as a disciple by Mr. Duan, and I rose to a high position in one fell swoop. Although I can't help you with knowledge and other aspects, people in the world often respect people by their clothes. With this shop, you will be much more relaxed."

Luo Qianhuai stood at the door and heard this, then slowly stepped in.

When she returned home that day, she hadn't even thought of preparing gifts for her two younger brothers, but Master Mo had already prepared them. Not only that, he had also put a lot of thought into it, and thought of every aspect more thoroughly than she had.

"Sister!" Luo Zhao saw her with his sharp eyes and stood up.

"Sister." Luo Xiao also bowed to her: "Just now I was..."

"I heard it all." Luo Qianhuai walked past them and said with a smile, "It's your brother-in-law's intention, so just accept it without worrying about it."

Luo Zhao was fine, as he knew more or less about Master Mo's previous behavior. Besides, he was a broad-minded person, and this sword really pleased him, so he followed his elder brother in declining it, and then went with the flow without saying anything more.

Luo Xiao still frowned: "Sister, you and your brother-in-law need money. I have heard that your brother-in-law was ordered to build the Zhengguan Division and recruited a lot of rangers to serve. The monthly expenses are not a small amount. I am afraid that the Minister of Agriculture may not really allocate funds, so this shop should be kept for now..."

Mr. Mo stood up, took Luo Qianhuai back to his seat, and interrupted him: "If Zhengguansi has to rely on this shop to survive, then there is no need for it to exist."

"Xiao'er." Luo Qianhuai really didn't want to waste his precious time on these trivial matters, so he also said:

"Since you have become Mr. Duan's disciple and followed him into the imperial court, you must learn to set your sights higher. This shop was given to you by your brother-in-law and I. With it, you will no longer value money."

Her eyebrows and eyes were light, her chin was slightly raised, and she looked intellectual under the candlelight. Mr. Mo looked at her with a smile, and his eyes were full of unconscious admiration.

"Officials should not have selfish intentions, but those who abuse their power for personal gain continue to do so. Why? Because the world is bustling with people who are all seeking profit. Whether you or someone else, if you want to do something practical for the world, you should not take money too seriously and truly be selfless. On this basis, you should conduct extensive investigations and research, and formulate policies and measures according to local conditions, so as to benefit the country. In a nutshell, 'Only those who do not value life are wiser than those who value life.'"

After the words fell, except for Luo Zhao who was confused, Luo Xiao and Mr. Mo were all silent.

"Only those who do not value life are virtuous." Young Master Mo muttered to himself, his eyes gradually shining brightly: "Only those who are not controlled by external things and have no vested interests can make the best decisions. Such a complicated matter, Madam, can summarize it in the simplest language - I am very grateful for your advice."

Luo Xiao also pondered for a long time, and suddenly bowed solemnly to Luo Qianhuai: "I was obsessed before. After hearing what you said, it was like a revelation. Since it is the good intention of my sister and brother-in-law, I will accept it. If I achieve something in the future, I will never forget the kindness of your teaching today."

They were serious, but Luo Qianhuai, who had plagiarized the wisdom of her previous life, did not feel anything. She had been hungry for a long time, so she simply responded with a few words and then sent food in.

It had been raining for two days in a row and the air was too humid, so Luo Qianhuai had someone prepare a dango hotpot.

The double-grid mandarin duck pot is placed on the bronze charcoal stove. Half of the red soup and butter are added with a lot of pepper and dogwood, and the aroma is overflowing as it simmers. In the brown mushroom soup pot, there are many kinds of delicious mushrooms such as porcini, hericium, and matsutake. Only a little salt is added to make it so delicious that it makes your tongue fall.

The seasoning was even more important. Luo Qianhuai specially had people prepare seafood sauce, garlic oil sauce, sesame sauce and mushroom sauce, as well as chives, coriander, cooked sesame, chive sauce, ginger paste and other ingredients. A complete set was served on each table on a mahogany tray.

She and Mr. Mo did not ask anyone else to prepare the seasoning. She first prepared a dish of seafood sauce for herself, adding shacha sauce and mushroom sauce, mixed with chopped green onions and coriander; then she prepared a bowl of sesame paste for Mr. Mo, adding sugar and red fermented bean curd, and specially added a spoonful of minced garlic.

Luo Zhao had eaten hotpot several times before and had his own experience in mixing the flavors. As for Luo Xiao, Xing Wu knelt on one side and prepared a variety of flavors for him. Luo Xiao tasted them one by one, but he was particularly fond of the mushroom sauce.

The pot was steaming hot, and the dishes were served in a stream. The fattest and tenderest parts of lambs less than three months old and bullocks that had accidentally "fallen to death" were taken out and cut into slices as thin as cicada wings, and arranged on the porcelain plate like peony flowers.

The delicious April sea bass was also scaled and freed of bones, then sliced ​​into snowflake-thin slices with extremely delicate knife skills. It was cleverly combined with the hand-peeled spring bamboo shoots next to it, creating a picture of snowy waves on the spring river.