A kitten dressed as an empress

This box of gadgets really made Wen Ruyan realize that the ancient people's enthusiasm for certain things should not be underestimated.

The emperor worshiped all the officials and accompanied him. Zhang Youmou's cheeks were red and swollen and he lowered his head so he didn't dare to be seen. Xie Min's sharp eyes saw the red and swollen patch on his handsome face, and the corners of his lips raised teasingly: "Master Zhang, is this a big somersault?" ?”

The big-hearted Zhao Rong turned his head and called out in surprise, "Master Zhang, you should ask your sister-in-law to apply the medicine."

Zhang Youmou coughed with a thin skin and said, "I came out in a hurry this morning, so I didn't take care of it for a while."

Now that Gu Lanxing might not have woken up, Zhang Youmou had the nerve to say that his wife was injured by drunkenness, so he could only stammer and haw.

Xie Min looked at the red seal, and could vaguely see some fingerprints, while Zhang Youmou's eyes were still light blue, and his expression showed a little tiredness. Mrs. Zhang was very drunk when she left the banquet yesterday, and she seemed to be taking care of her.

The ceremony at the imperial temple was only over three days later, and when Zhao Yao returned to the palace, it happened to be Kui Shui, so it had to be postponed.

The little milk cat looked eagerly at Zhao Yao who was resting in the soft nest, and stepped on the books that were put aside with her soft paws. Although the strength was pitiful, the paper was wrinkled several times.

Holding the hand warmer in her hand, Zhao Yao reached out helplessly to caress the little milk cat who didn't take medicine because of gas.

"Meow!" The little milk cat came out of the palm, and nestled on Zhao Yao's lap along the thin blanket with its pink paws, and its fluffy hair almost covered its little ears.

"You said a few days ago that you're not interested in me, what's your temper now?" Zhao Yao kneaded her soft ears with her fingertips, and combed her hair lightly with one hand.

Probably because of the hair, the little milk cat is particularly warm, even warmer than a hand warmer, Zhao Yao couldn't put it down and hugged her.

The little milk cat leaned its head on Zhao Yao's arm and refused to talk to anyone. Its big amber eyes were clearer and brighter than the glazed lamps in the palace. It was supposed to be a delicate and handsome beauty cat, but its chubby cheeks Add a bit of naivety.

Seeing Zhao Yao's pale face, Wen Ruyan didn't think of it being too noisy, and rubbed her round head against her palm.

Zhao Yao pinched the soft and elastic paws with her fingertips. The pink and tender paws were like plum blossoms, and the white hair made them look extremely cute.

It was probably because the inner hall was too warm, and the little milk cat fell asleep in his arms, with his head back on all fours and sleeping soundly.

Zhao Yao carefully supported the soft ball with one hand, although she knew that the kitten was soft and boneless, she still put her arms around her head, and her palms fell on the soft buttocks.

Picking up the book on the side with one hand, she smoothed the wrinkled pages with her fingertips. When she was turning over the next page, she saw that the leaves and petals she had collected back then were already a little dry, and the leaves were as thin as the wings of a cicada. Veins can also be seen.

Zhao Yao carefully placed the branches and leaves behind, so that she would have to doubt herself if she didn't find the branches and leaves one day.

When the Shangyuan Festival was approaching, I wanted to go out to play with Wen Ruyan in the palace, so as to please her.

But the state of Chi in the north is a bit uneasy. The guards of the capital once arrested several spies from the state of Chi. Xie Min personally interrogated them, and then reported to Zhao Yao that he feared that the state of Chi had something wrong with the south.

The capital city of the Southern Kingdom is under the foot of the emperor, and even if there is a secret agent to sneak in, it is impossible for Zhao Yao to take Wen Ruyan out of the palace to take risks, so she stopped thinking about going out for fun.

The scientific examination in March in Yangchun is coming soon, and the court has many government affairs of its own, and Zhao Yao can't get away from it.

In the morning, Song Qing from the Political Affairs Cabinet said: "Although Mr. Zhang is the chief examiner, the topic of the selection of officials in the imperial court naturally needs to be discussed and finalized by the Political Affairs Cabinet. What are you planning to do by hiding it alone?"

Zhang Youmou responded calmly: "Lord Song, this is just to prevent leaks in the scientific examination. The questions for this scientific examination were written by His Majesty himself. Why should I hide them?"

"you……!"

Song Qing originally wanted to use this imperial examination as a bargaining chip to show the elders of the Song family, but Zhang Youmou was stubborn and refused to accept the soft and the hard.

How can we secretly manipulate the scientific research?

Holding the teacup in her hand, Zhao Yao raised her brows lightly and said, "Scientific examinations are the responsibility of the Minister of Rites. Song Aiqing should do her best."

This sentence of duty is already a tactful reminder not to interfere with the duties of the Ministry of Rites, so Song Qing had no choice but to keep silent.

Su Hao, Minister of the Ministry of Punishment, was happy to see Song Qing slumped. When the ministers of the Cabinet of Ministers withdrew from the side hall one by one in the afternoon, Su Hao called Zhang Youmou who was in front of him.

"Brother Zhang, do you have time to have a drink together today?"

"Brother Su, if it's about the scientific examination, please forgive Zhang for being helpless." Zhang Youmou frowned when he thought of the people who lined up in front of Zhang's mansion to give gifts in recent days, and he could only sneak out from the back alley when he went out in the morning .

Su Hao was not surprised to see Zhang Youmou's reaction in this way, but changed his words: "Brother Zhang is worrying too much, it's just a drink, you and I don't talk about government affairs."

Zhang Youmou looked at Su Haoying: "Then how about having a drink with Brother Su after the scientific examination?"

"Aren't you afraid of offending civil and military officials of the Manchu Dynasty?" Su Hao said bluntly with a changed expression.

The reason why the southern country has survived for hundreds of years is because of the aristocratic and powerful families.

The scientific research, the euphemistic name is that all the men in the southern country can be elected as officials in the court, but in the end it is still a struggle for power, and the aristocratic families will never let go of such a good opportunity.

This piece of You Mou is now considered stable by the empress' attention, but once he loses power in the future, the aristocratic family will have to tear him apart and drink his blood.

Zhang Youmou stood aside with his hands behind his back, looking at Su Hao with a very serious expression. He used to think that Su Hao was different from ordinary aristocratic families, but now he realized that he was wrong.

The children of the aristocratic family have always only worked for the benefit of the aristocratic family, and how the southern country has never been in their consideration.

"As an official, he should have dedicated himself to the southern country and died. Zhang has this heart, so he has nothing to fear."

Seeing that Zhang Youmou turned around and left, Su Hao was not only a little pity, but Zhang Youmou was a rare talent after all.

It's a pity that he is a bit too stubborn, provoking the big family with his own power, even the empress has repeatedly forbeared because of scruples about the Song family, Zhang Youmou is just a pawn of the empress.

Chess pieces will be kept if they are useful, and if they become useless in the future, they may have to be discarded.

In the evening, Xie Min entered the palace to report the news about the secret work of the Chi Kingdom. In the pavilion of the Chaotian Palace, Zhao Yao sat in front of the main table full of dishes, frowning slightly: "Chi Kingdom's wolf ambition, it seems that I have to make early preparations for the battle , you send a personal soldier into the country of Chi to find out the details."

"Yes." Through the green veil, Xie Min could vaguely see Scholar Wen sitting beside the Empress, and couldn't help being surprised.

Sitting at the same table with the emperor has always been only for the royal family, the Zhao family has no direct blood, and the empress is too close to this scholar Wen.

When Xie Min retreated, Wen Ruyan picked up the fishbone, put small pieces of fish into Zhao Yao's bowl and urged, "You eat first, and the government affairs will be dealt with later."

Zhao Yao stretched her brows and responded, "Okay."

After the two finished their meal, Wen Ruyan wanted Zhao Yao to go for a walk after dinner, but Zhao Yao was full of attention on government affairs.

In the middle of the night, Wen Ruyan was yawning all over the place, but Zhao Yao looked at the large map on the screen with an extremely serious expression. She was wearing a bright yellow royal robe that was a little bit bright under the light. Embellishment is naturally dazzling.

"It's fast, aren't you still asleep?" Wen Ruyan approached.

Zhao Yao took a pen and leaned over to draw a detailed description on the map: "I'm not sleepy yet."

Wen Ruyan curiously looked at the half-person-high map, and saw that there were not only continents, but also oceanic islands. This was like unfolding a globe into a plan view, although the terrain was completely different from modern times.

"What kind of places are you drawing?" Wen Ruyan watched Zhao Yao concentrate on drawing a piece of land.

"The north of the South Kingdom is the Chi Kingdom. The Chi Kingdom has a vast land and is rich in rice. The two countries have not had territorial disputes for several years. If there is a war, it may be to compete for the gold mines on the border of the South Kingdom, so a surefire strategy must be made."

Seeing Zhao Yao's ability to draw maps by hand, Wen Ruyan was really convinced.

"You haven't been there, how do you know the terrain outside the Southland?"

Zhao Yao responded with pen and ink: "One of the responsibilities of the Punishment Department is to investigate the details of various countries, including the inspection of important terrain such as gold and silver mines, military camps and granaries. Therefore, I can know the world's affairs without going out of the palace."

"Chiguo, why haven't I heard of this name before?" Wen Ruyan has been watching the gate all these years, and has never heard it mentioned by ministers.

"At the beginning, my aunt made an alliance with the Chi country. The two countries will not invade each other's territory, and they will not allow business between the two countries, so there is almost no contact."

"Why does this feel like a feeling of being separated from each other forever?" Wen Ruyan held the inkstone and moved closer to ink Zhao Yao.

Zhao Yao picked up a pen and tapped the inkstone to answer: "I heard that the emperor of the Chi Kingdom at that time had a bet on archery with my aunt. If my aunt won the country of Chi, the soldiers and horses on the border would be withdrawn. But if my aunt lost, I would ask my aunt to marry the emperor of Chi concubine."

Wen Ruyan didn't think that the Supreme Emperor would have such a romantic past, and he held the inkstone in his hand and replied, "The emperor of the Chi Kingdom thought so beautifully, if your aunt loses, then Nan Guo will give it to him as a dowry by the way."

"At that time, the struggle for power in the Southern Kingdom was already devastated. If the emperor of the Chi Kingdom had taken action at that time, the Southern Kingdom might have been split into countless small countries. My aunt had no choice but to make the agreement."

"So the emperor of Chi Kingdom is still a gentleman, and he really didn't take advantage of the chaos to send troops."

"Gentleman?" Zhao Yao laughed coldly, and drew a small hill with a brush, "It was rumored in the gambling game that the emperor of Chi and my aunt shot the prey at the same time. The arrow in the head of the prey was the winner. Later, it was found that the arrow that hit the head of the prey was a unique arrow in the Southern Kingdom. The ministers of the Chi Kingdom had to compromise. The emperor of the Kingdom of Chi felt that his face was shameless, so he made a 30-year agreement Take another gamble."

When the emperor of the Chi Kingdom agreed to the game carelessly because he despised women, he had already lost the game.

After losing the game to a woman, the emperor of the Chi Kingdom could not repent and get angry, so he had no choice but to make a 30-year agreement, obviously thinking that even if the Southern Kingdom was given another 30 years, it would only be slaughtered by others.

"Could it be that the emperor of Chi Kingdom still wants to come to the 30-year appointment?"

Zhao Yao shook her head and said, "This year is No. 20, the emperor of Chi Kingdom died earlier than my aunt, so now his son is succeeding to the throne."

Wen Ruyan saw that Zhao Yao drew dense dots on the southern border and asked curiously: "Then what are these you drew?"

"These are the gold mines in the Southland."

"But you drew a lot of dots in the southern country. Are these all gold mines?"

The land in the southern country is really rich. No wonder the emperor of the Chi country has been obsessed with it for 30 years. Even his son still wants to make money in the name of going to the appointment.

Seeing Wen Ruyan's surprised expression, Zhao Yao raised her hand and lightly scratched her nose in response: "If these are all gold mines, then the treasury of the Southern Kingdom would not have been so thrifty earlier."

Wen Ruyan blinked and said, "Then why are you drawing so many?"

"Although these are dots, they are of different sizes and shapes. The largest dot is gold ore, the middle one is silver ore, and the smallest dot is iron ore."

Well, Wen Ruyan got closer, only to realize that there were mostly small dots, not many big dots.

"Chi country doesn't feel like there are any dots, don't they have any?"

Zhao Yao wrote a small square drawing in the territory of Chi State: "The plains of Chi State are suitable for planting rice, and are rich in livestock such as cattle and sheep. There are relatively few minerals, but the salt mine is still self-sufficient."

"Then they should live comfortably." A life with rice and meat is the only requirement of modern people.

"It was possible." Zhao Yao put down the pen in her hand, reached for a handkerchief to wipe her hands, and picked up the teacup, "However, in recent years, floods and natural disasters have continued in the country of Chi, so most of the rice fields have been destroyed, and the people have been displaced. The ensuing famine caused violence, and the Chi Kingdom sent troops to suppress it, which consumed a large number of troops, and the treasury could not even make ends meet.”

Wen Ruyan could really recite this familiar plot.

This is not good in ancient times, because science and technology are too underdeveloped, people can only rely on the sky for food, if there are a few natural disasters in a year, there will be famine immediately, so the replacement of dynasties is even more commonplace.

No wonder thrift is a traditional virtue, which is the lesson left by every disaster.

Zhao Yao took a sip of tea, saw Wen Ruyan was in a daze, raised her hand in front of her and asked, "Are you sleepy?"

Wen Ruyan regained his composure and responded: "I was quite sleepy at first, but I seem to have forgotten after listening to your story."

"Tell a story?" Zhao Yao put down the teacup, raised her hand and took the inkstone from Wen Ruyan's hand, "Then go to bed earlier."

"Don't you draw anymore?"

Zhao Yao grasped Wen Ruyan's hand and looked at her ambiguously, "Anyway, the drawing is almost done."

After Zhao Yao came out of the shower, the palace servants extinguished some of the lamps and retreated.

Ye Mingzhu lit up in the dark night, Zhao Yao slowly sat on the bed, but was a little stunned as she lifted the gauze curtain with her fingertips.

The person on the bed was already sound asleep, Zhao Yao glanced at the thin and somewhat see-through dress, and sighed helplessly.

I thought she was just thinking about it, and Zhao Yao went out of her way to choose the clothes, but this is such a rare opportunity, why did she fall asleep?

Zhao Yao reached out and touched the thick eyebrows lightly, her thin lips were pursed and then parted, but in the end she couldn't bear to wake her up.

It's been a bit busy these days, and it's not easy for people who are always sleepy to stay up late at night with themselves.

When Wen Ruyan woke up overnight, Zhao Yao had already changed into court clothes by the palace servants.

When the two of them left Chaotian Palace, the sun was shining outside the window, and Zhao Yao was still holding a hand warmer in front of her.

Wen Ruyan recalled last year's Peach Blossom Tour, and missed the Lantern Festival this year, and probably won't be able to leave the palace during the beautiful spring days.

The officials of the early court reported the complicated government affairs in a very dull tone. Wen Ruyan felt a little sleepy when he heard it, so he could only raise his hand and pinch his own, and then regained some energy.

When turning her head to look at Zhao Yao who was handling government affairs in an orderly manner, Wen Ruyan felt that Zhao Yao was really remarkable.

"Your Majesty has re-measured and recorded the land in the Southern Kingdom today." Gu Feng handed over the memorial, Su Qing glanced at Wen Ruyan, and saw her staring at His Majesty stupidly, she couldn't help being stunned, just as she was about to go down to receive the memorial.

Wen Ruyan met Zhao Yao's small eyes, and slowly got down from the dragon chair, her cheeks were still a little hot.

It is very embarrassing to peek and be caught by the person concerned.

Zhao Yao accepted the memorial from Wen Ruyan, with a slight smile in her eyes, but her face was still calm and composed.

Su Qing on the side looked at the empress' doting expression, and could only pretend that she didn't see anything.

Together with the memorial, there is still a thick book, Zhao Yao hastily glanced at the memorial, but did not make a judgment immediately, but turned to ask about other government affairs.

Song Qing, who had been in a bad mood, heaved a sigh of relief. After all, Gu Feng had erased some fields properly, and the empress should not be able to see anything.

At the end of the morning court, Gu Feng flattered Song Qing and said, "Master Song, don't worry, the books are all clean."

Song Qing responded with a smile: "Brother, you have done a good job. If there is another younger sister in my family, I would like to marry you and get closer."

Seeing this, Li Yi, Qing Qing of Dali Temple, sighed with a very serious expression, and happened to meet Su Qing when he was turning the corner, and the two of them were stunned for a while.

Su Qing came to his senses first, turned sideways and saluted, "Master Li is well."

"Is Miss Su okay these days?" Li Yi asked hesitantly.

"Everything is as usual." Su Qing glanced at the palace servant holding the memorial behind his hand, "Your Majesty still has something to order, so I will take my leave first."

Li looked sideways at Su Qing who was walking in a hurry, and after a while he came back to his senses, and looked up to see that it was raining suddenly when the sun was shining brightly before.

If he had chosen the Su family back then, what would have happened?

Su Qing thinks that a talented woman has a very high heart, and I am afraid that she is even more reluctant to use her.

Su Hao, Shangshu of the Ministry of Punishment, came out of the side hall and happened to see this scene from a height, his brows were furrowed.

When Su Qing led the palace servants into the side hall, Su Hao stopped her.

When the two reached a corner, Su Hao whispered, "Are you and that Li Yi still inseparable?"

Su Qing was stunned for a moment, and couldn't help thinking of the previous encounter, she frowned slightly and replied: "Brother, please don't make random guesses!"

"The Su family was so miserable by him back then, you'd better not have any contact with Li Yi, otherwise I..."

"Otherwise, will elder brother kill me?" Su Qing looked at the angry Su Hao indifferently.

"Elder brother is like father, little sister, you haven't promised marriage yet, you have to think twice before doing anything, and you can't lose the face of the Su family!" Su Hao said in a low voice with a restrained expression.

The face of the Su family is all for the sake of the Su family. It was like this back then, and it is still like this now.

Su Qing looked at Su Hao with a sneer: "As long as my brother is not afraid of seeing a dead body, you are free to marry me!"

The two broke up unhappy, and Wen Ruyan in the hall looked at the drizzle outside the window, thinking it was a sunny day, but too many changes.

The green leaves of the potted plants were ticking by the rain, and Wen Ruyan was pouring the tea, unable to withstand Zhao Yao's mocking gaze, and said, "When will you see it again?"

Holding the memorial, Zhao Yao responded with a smile: "Who told you to look at me in a daze?"

Wen Ruyan glanced at Zhao Yao with reddened cheeks, put the tea beside her hand and replied, "My neck is too sore, don't be so pretty."

"What do you mean by stinky?"

amount……

"Think for yourself." Wen Ruyan sat aside and studied ink, unwilling to pay any attention to Zhao Yao.

Zhao Yao picked up the teacup and took a sip, and after thinking for a while, replied: "I don't understand."

Wen Ruyan studied the ink carefully with one hand and said proudly, "So you didn't understand it either."

"I'm not a saint. Everything in the world is different. How can I understand everything?"

"You are the honorable emperor of the Southern Kingdom. If I know something that you don't know, then I am not your master."

Zhao Yao looked at Wen Ruyan with sly eyes, and pursed her thin lips in response: "I don't want to call you master."

"Then I won't tell you." Wen Ruyan added some water, deliberately arousing Zhao Yao's interest.

Unexpectedly, Zhao Yao really stopped asking, and spent most of the day reviewing the memorial.

Wen Ruyan had a barbecue in the afternoon, and Zhao Yao suddenly said, "You only eat meat, and you will worry about growing fat in your stomach in summer."

Suffering a sudden blow, Wen Ruyan shivered and put down the meat that was about to be brought to his mouth, and picked up the vegetables, chewing like wax.

Zhao Yao looked at it with eyes full of smiles, but she didn't expect Wen Ruyan to take the green vegetables from her side, her eyes dangled in front of her, and she said meaningfully: "You only eat green vegetables, no wonder they don't always grow. "

This meal took longer than usual. Zhao Yao ate a small plate of barbecue and sipped two or three cups of tea during the meal.

On weekdays, Wen Ruyan had never seen Zhao Yao eat so much meat on her own initiative, and wondered if she had accidentally hurt her self-confidence?

When the palace servants tore down the dishes, Wen Ruyan saw Zhao Yao sulkingly reviewing the memorial all by herself, she felt like laughing but she could only hold back, she leaned aside to look at her with a cold expression and said, "You first laugh at my belly fat , why are you so angry?"

"I'm not angry." Zhao Yao glanced at the man with a bright smile, and felt even more sulky in her heart.

Wen Ruyan looked at this duplicity person, Tanjin lightly pecked those thin lips and said with a smile: "Actually, the steamed buns are quite cute."

Before she finished speaking, Zhao Yao's face turned even redder. Wen Ruyan was surprised to find that the person who had always been so thick-skinned was actually blushing shyly.

This can't be a fake Zhao Yao, can it?

"That's not what you said before." Zhao Yao realized that she was being stared at and responded with a cold face.

Wen Ruyan was happy to see Zhao Yao showing such a shy look. She always had a bad taste and liked to tease people, and this finally touched her weakness.

"I was teasing you." But Wen Ruyan didn't want to annoy her, after all, a rabbit would kick an eagle when it was in a hurry, not to mention being as proud as Zhao Yao, so it was hard to coax her.

Although Zhao Yao didn't reveal it on the surface, she remembered it in her heart.

The author has something to say: First of all, I would like to thank 15 lovely readers who silently clicked on the bookmarks to support and encourage them~~O(∩_∩)O~~