vncnus Chapter 99 Father-in-law
Chapter 99 Father-in-law
Tingqin hesitated and said, "It should be so. Your Majesty, this Consort Yuan is truly extraordinary. Right now, your health is not suitable for carrying the Emperor's child, so Consort Yuan cannot be kept. She is such a seductive vixen, yet the Emperor favors her more and more often, and her relationship with the Emperor is not ordinary."
She would also devise these bizarre and ingenious tricks to bewitch the emperor, which would only make him more and more interested in her.
The Empress looked at Granny Qu.
Granny Qu shook her head. "The more things are like this, the less we should act rashly! Your Majesty, so many things have happened in the palace. The eldest prince was poisoned, Consort Song lost her pregnancy, Consort Pan lost her pregnancy, and Consort Yuan even made a false pregnancy. Even Your Majesty has been plotted against."
The Empress Dowager was already displeased. If she were to attack Consort Yuan at this point, it would be best if she could strike decisively, but if she revealed even the slightest weakness, the situation could become very difficult to resolve.
Listening to the zither was about to continue when the Empress stopped her, saying, "Let's wait and see for now! I don't have a son to rely on, so I'm ultimately not confident. The Emperor has always been suspicious of the Pei family, but these days it seems that the Emperor treats her differently than he used to treat Consort Shu."
"What the old woman said makes sense; we should consider this matter carefully."
The Empress felt that the time for her to fight Shen Shixi had not yet come.
Shen Shixi hadn't expected so many people to be waiting for her and the Empress to have their ultimate showdown. Right now, she was only concerned about keeping warm in the winter.
She only found out today that there was an underground heating system in Zhaoyang Palace; she had originally planned to ask Li Yuanke to open the warm pavilion to her.
Chao En smiled and said, "Don't worry, Master. The east and west side halls, as well as the main hall, have all been equipped with underfloor heating. It will be even better to use charcoal for heating in the future."
Shen Shixi laughed, "You certainly know how to flatter. How did you know I'd definitely be able to stay in the main hall?"
Chao En chuckled foolishly, scratched his head, and thought to himself, "If you can't move in, you won't deserve a position in this palace from now on."
The emperor's favor was immense, but the master's methods were equally numerous.
The master may seem not to vie for favor, but his methods are even more effective than those who do.
The cost of charcoal for heating in the imperial city every winter is a huge expense. This year, using stone ash for heating will save a lot of money.
In Qianyuan Palace, after Shen Xianzhang submitted his resignation, Li Yuanke invited him to lunch and had someone invite Shen Shixi over.
It didn't mention that her father was there either.
Bai Ping was organizing her new clothes for the year, and she watched from the side. When she got interested, she dressed up nicely.
She chose a pine-colored Shu brocade jacket with floral and bird patterns, a rouge-red blouse with gold floral patterns, and a necklace with white pearls and small gold beads that made her swan-like neck appear even whiter and more elegant. She wore a matching wide-sleeved shirt over it, and a moon-white shawl fluttered at her sides.
Lan Ying styled her hair into a peony bun, making her look more dignified. She wore a set of headdresses and ornaments made of red gold filigree and inlaid with pink pearls, with osmanthus and pale yellow dots of rouge between her eyebrows. Her smile was captivating.
Lunch had been prepared, but Shen Shixi had not yet arrived. The father was accompanying the Emperor, feeling extremely anxious.
He was glad he had resigned. He wondered if he could discuss with the Emperor whether his daughter could be spared from being implicated if she committed a heinous crime in the future.
"Yuan Jieyu has arrived!"
Finally, the eunuch's words were like a pardon for Shen Xianzhang.
He saw his daughter come in, and her outfit almost blinded his old eyes.
As soon as Shen Shixi entered, she couldn't find her father anywhere and rushed towards Li Yuanke, crying, "Your Majesty~~"
She grabbed Li Yuange's face and was about to kiss him when Li Yuange panicked, coughed twice, and winked at her father. Shen Shixi turned her head and saw her father kneeling on the ground with his head buried in his chest.
"Ah, Father?" She rushed over to pull her father up, but he refused to get up. "Father, you're here, why perform such a grand ceremony? Does the Emperor expect you to kneel all the time?"
Li Yuanke looked her up and down with a smile. She had dressed up specially today, probably for his sake.
nice!
A delicate and beautiful girl!
Shen Xianzhang was on the verge of tears, utterly embarrassed, but his daughter seemed oblivious to the meaning of embarrassment!
"Your Majesty, Consort Yuan is young and doesn't quite understand etiquette. Now that she has entered the palace, I no longer have the responsibility to teach her. However, rules cannot be disregarded. I beg Your Majesty to take good care of her and prevent her from doing anything that violates etiquette, lest she end up harming herself."
Parents, as parents, must plan far ahead for their children.
Li Yuanke remained silent for a moment, then personally helped Shen Xianzhang up, saying, "Father-in-law..."
Shen Xianzhang's legs went weak, and he knelt down again with a thud. "Your Majesty, spare me! You mustn't call me that, Your Majesty! It's improper, it's unacceptable!"
If people find out, they'll riddle the Shen family with bullets!
"Minister Shen..." Li Yuanke reluctantly changed his words, "I will take care of Xi'er's affairs, so you don't need to worry about it. Although she may seem to disregard etiquette, she has always been very sensible and acts in a very methodical manner."
Compared to those who outwardly obey the rules but secretly misbehave, I would prefer someone like her by my side.
Shen Xianzhang was relieved and looked at his daughter. "She is my only daughter now. She has always been a thoughtful child. I hope she will live a healthy and peaceful life. I hope Your Majesty will take good care of her since she has been with you since she was a child."
"You don't need to tell me that; I will take care of it myself," Li Yuanke said. "Lunch has been served; let's eat first!"
Then, Shen Xianzhang saw his daughter actually asking the emperor for food.
"I want to eat this!" she said, pointing to the plate of white dragon jelly in front of Li Yuanke.
Shen Xianzhang was furious.
Li Yuanke had someone bring the dish in front of him to her, while she had someone bring the fermented fish with rice wine, which she didn't like, to her father.
After nervously finishing his meal, Shen Xianzhang eagerly brought up his resignation, saying, "Your Majesty, I hereby submit this memorial requesting my resignation. I wonder if you would grant my request?"
"Xi'er has told me about this matter. I have also carefully read the draft of the imperial examination reform that you sent for me. The reason I summoned you and your daughter here is to hear your opinions in person."
Shen Xianzhang then stated all the regulations he had listed, saying, "Consort Yuan's opinions go far beyond these, but considering the current situation of our dynasty, I have omitted some."
Shen Shixi said, "I have no objection to anything else, but I think it is imperative to establish the subject of 'Gewu' (investigation of things). The use of stone as a combustion energy source, the glass that Li Yuanyin is making, and the steelmaking experiment that the Emperor ordered the Ministry of Works to conduct are enough to prove that 'Gewu' is of great use."
Now, the Great Zhou Dynasty appears prosperous and powerful, but the surrounding countries still covet our territory. The Northern Sands possess a formidable cavalry, the Western Ling soldiers are equally fierce, and the Eastern Sea Kingdom has warships far superior to ours, frequently harassing us. Only by developing "investigation of things" and strengthening our military can we face powerful enemies without fear and safeguard our borders.
She asked, "Your Majesty, how are the steel-smelting experiments going?"
Li Yuanke nodded. "Very successful. We produced a small batch, much faster than before, and the performance of the swords and spears is also very good."
He said to Shen Xianzhang, "Xi'er's words make a lot of sense. The imperial examination will be conducted according to Shen Qing's suggestion, divided into four levels, with the final level being the palace examination, which I will preside over."
The exam content will be arranged from easy to difficult, divided into classics, policy essays, and mathematics. As for the study of things, what are Xi'er's thoughts on how to test that?
Shen Shixi said, "Since the examination of 'investigating things' cannot be conducted for the time being, Your Majesty can establish an institution, just like the Jixian Academy of the past, to recruit talented people. On the one hand, let them make some useful inventions and creations, and on the other hand, record these inventions and creations. Your Majesty will then discover that the seemingly small 'investigation of things' can always create great value."
Technology is the primary productive force; this is no exaggeration.