The first time he entered the palace, Zhang Shou was taken into the palace to see the queen mother by the sedan chair sent by the Qingning Palace, and the second time was suddenly summoned by the emperor from the Lu family to go to the court, and now the third time he entered the palace, when Zhang Shou walked into the Qianqing Gate, the mood was much calmer than the first two times. He walked the Bei'an Gate, which happened to be staggered with the official team of the lower dynasty, and when he saw the Qianqing Gate, he also glanced at the upper dynasty Luan who was withdrawing.

Obviously, the emperor had just returned to the Qianqing Palace from the Fengtian Palace.

The chamberlain who guided him today was Lu Chan, a quasi-acquaintance he had met in the outer office of the celebrant and eunuch, who had just talked about the past and the present along the way, and was very talkative. At this time, he had already entered the Qianqing Gate, but the people were not as casual as they had just now, and they didn't dare to say a word of gossip, so they led Zhang Shou to the bottom of the steps, and after making a report inside, they heard a sharp voice after a while.

"The emperor is changing clothes, Dr. Zhang will stay for a while."

Although it is a bit windy at this time, Zhang Shou's official robe is specially made by the Zhao State Mansion, with cotton in the inside, which is enough to keep warm in the cold in today's weather, Zhang Shou saw that Lu Chan hesitated for a moment when he heard this, and seemed to not know whether to go in, so he simply didn't ask, his eyes were lowered, and he stood there calmly waiting, ignoring the scrutinizing eyes around him.

Taking advantage of this free time, he thought to himself about the prototype of Jenny's spinning machine that he had seen when he went to the blacksmith's shop the previous night. Although he hasn't really tried the machine yet, Zhao Si also said that he still needs to fine-tune it. A few iron components, Luo Xiaoxiao has not yet been completed, but they are not far from what he remembers. As for whether it can be used, I'm afraid I'll have to go back and ask the Wu family when I go back.

Although weaving and dyeing and spinning are not peers, his mother is always better than a pure layman like him.

He waited like this for a while, and even when he was a little habitually distracted, he suddenly heard a voice behind him: "Why do you let Dr. Zhang wait outside the door?" ”

Zhang Shou turned around and saw that it was the master of ceremonies who was walking towards him from the Qianqing Gate, so he bowed his head and saluted, but saw Chu Kuan returning the salute with a smile, and glanced at Lu Chan next to him with a little anger, and then walked up the steps quickly. Soon, a middle-aged waiter walked out quickly, with a little anger on his face, but he didn't have time to speak, so he was directly sprayed back by Chu Kuan.

"Liu Feng, it's true that you are the steward of the Qianqing Palace, but Dr. Zhang was specially invited by the emperor, and he is the teacher of the third prince and the fourth prince, so you treat the ministers of the court slowly like this?"

Liu Feng, the steward of the Qianqing Palace, wanted to ridicule him, a six-grade petty official, what kind of minister of the imperial court, especially when he saw Zhang Shou standing there calmly and calmly, ignoring the dispute between him and Chu Kuan, he felt even more unhappy, but more of a weak heart. After all, the emperor just ordered Zhang Shou to stay less, but he didn't say that he would let people wait outside the Qianqing Palace!

He is not the queen's person, and he has no reason and no guts, because the one in Kunning Palace has been ordered to think about it behind closed doors, so he gave Zhang Shou a look. If it weren't for the coincidence that the Queen Mother in Qingning Palace didn't like Zhang Shou very much, let alone get involved in royal affairs, he wouldn't have hinted to let Zhang Shou blow the wind outside.

Therefore, he could only bite the bullet and say: "It's just that the person who passed the word before was negligent for a while, and it was just a trivial matter, why did Grandpa Chu exaggerate it so much?" As he spoke, he immediately squeezed out a smile and greeted Zhang Shoudao, "Dr. Zhang, please come in, that dog just now who can't even speak, I will definitely teach him a good lesson!" ”

Zhang Shou said unhurriedly: "Since the emperor asked me to send a message to me to wait for a while, and did not summon me to enter the Qianqing Palace, how could I enter without permission?" Although I used to be an idler in the mountains, but now as Dr. Kuniko, naturally I can't be said to be rude. ”

Chu Kuan saw that Zhang Shou pushed Liu Feng back without being soft or hard, and immediately glanced at the Qianqing Palace steward with a smile, and immediately strode into the palace. He is a person who can enter and exit the Qianqing Palace without notification, and can drive straight in regardless of day and night, so after Liu Feng was startled, he couldn't care about Zhang Shou anymore, and hurriedly chased after him.

And when the two of them left, Zhang Shou suddenly secretly hehe. Chu Kuan and Liu Feng were obviously at odds at a glance, so they had to pinch it because he was waiting here for this little thing. However, although he didn't have any distinct biases, he hadn't entered the Qianqing Palace before, and now he wasn't summoned by the emperor, so didn't he wait in vain before?

Feeling that his hands were a little cold, he raised his hands and sighed softly.

This action was only halfway done, and he suddenly caught a glimpse out of the corner of his eye, two palace people in the corner of the courtyard were sprinkling and sweeping while secretly peeping at themselves, and when they met his gaze, two palace people who were obviously quite young hurriedly lowered their heads, one of them splashed a scoop of water a little higher, and the water droplets suddenly splashed far away, and a few of them splashed on the hem of Zhang Shou's official robe.

Seeing this scene, one of the palace people was frightened, and she subconsciously took a rag and stepped forward to make up for it. But before she could get closer, Zhang Shou smiled and said, "It's just a few drops of water, it's okay." This kind of dry weather, when it dries, you can't see it. ”

And the emperor who happened to come out saw Zhang Shou Wen talking to each other, and the people in the small palace were excited and frightened, and they curtched and apologized again and again. He inexplicably felt that this scene was very interesting, so he stood and looked at it twice, who knew that there was a loud voice behind him: "You lazy girl, let you and others sprinkle and sweep, how dare you dare to boldly ride Dr. Zhang!" ”

Zhang Shou just felt that someone was coming, and at this time he turned around, and saw that the emperor was looking at him with a smile, and Chu Kuan was standing behind him, and the other side was pointing at Liu Feng, the previous Qianqing Palace steward brand, so he saluted and said: "Your Majesty, someone has a slight unintentional mistake when sprinkling and sweeping, and the minister knows that the emperor has always been lenient, and he will definitely not blame such a trivial matter." ”

"I have always been lenient, unlike those who make a fuss." The emperor smiled with a pun, and found that there was no sound behind him, as if even his breathing had stopped, so he bowed his head slightly at Zhang Shou and said, "The Ministry of Rites will send someone to send those boys to the corridor room of the Qianqing Palace in a while, I originally planned to take you to meet the Queen Mother, but now that I think about it, forget it." ”

He beckoned Zhang Shou to step forward, and motioned for someone to follow him into the Qianqing Palace, and said without looking back while walking: "I and the queen have all been ordered by the Queen Mother to think about it behind closed doors, I have been going to the Qingning Palace in the morning and dusk to greet each other, and I will not go out of the Qianqing Gate at any other time, if I make an exception today because you arrived, I don't know what gossip will be said!" ”

Liu Feng was about to go in with the emperor, however, when he heard these words, he shuddered, especially when he found Chu Kuanzheng sneering at him, he couldn't help but regret it more and more.

Although Zhang Shou is not a high-ranking official, and he has not really married Zhu Ying, who has always been very favored in front of the emperor and the queen mother, it is obvious that the rumor that the emperor loves him quite a lot is true! He was really crazy, and when he heard other people chewing his tongue and passing on the gossip of Qingning Palace, he believed it, and now it was self-defeating!

He didn't care if Chu Kuan would use this incident to fan the flames and make waves, so he hurriedly chased after him. However, he thought that Zhang Shou would follow the emperor's words and continue the topic of being left out with a cold wind, but who knew that Zhang Shou would never mention this matter, but was talking to the emperor about the previous Taizu relics.

"You have a heart, the original manuscript of Taizu's Codex, I put it into the collection of ancient and modern Tongji Library, as for the manuscript, I have turned it over several times when I have nothing to do, but unfortunately I can't understand anything, I can only hope that you can solve it."

"The minister can only say give it a try. But this is different from those things before, the difficulty is very high, and the minister has to say to the emperor in advance, there is little hope. After all, those symbols are unheard of and unseen, so the minister has no clue. ”

"It's okay, I'm not in a hurry, there are many similar manuscripts in the library of ancient and modern times. It's been piled up for almost a hundred years, and it still can't be solved, and dead horses are treated as live horse doctors, so you just have to do your best. I won't rush you, if you make any progress, just write to me. Well, just use the box I gave you earlier, and you and I agree on a password. ”

Chu Kuan, who came in after Liu Feng, happened to hear these words, he only felt his heart jump suddenly, and then hurriedly said: "Your Majesty, those Taizu manuscripts in the ancient and modern Tongji library have been placed for many years, why don't you let Dr. Zhang also take a look at the manuscript?" ”

Zhang Shou had heard about it a long time ago, and there were many Taizu manuscripts preserved in the ancient and modern Tongji library, and the emperor had teased that if he made meritorious service again, let him go to see it, but later he got a warning from Ge Yong, and even many scholars were not approved, so he gave up this thought. Now that Chu Kuan mentioned this, he quickly summed it up in his heart, and finally simply shook his head.

"The words are so weird that even with a few more references, I won't be able to see anything for a while. Father-in-law Chu, please don't be anxious, after all, I asked Zhang Chen and Lu Sanlang to copy out several copies and distribute them to all parties, and with the concerted efforts, there will always be results. ”

Seeing that the emperor nodded in agreement with Zhang Shou's words, Chu Kuan couldn't say anything more even if he was worried in his heart. And then the emperor smiled and only talked about the selection of a son-in-law, and it was even more difficult for him to turn to this topic. Soon, a woman's voice came from outside: "Your Majesty, Princess Deyang, Princess Yongping, Lord Xinyang, and Lord Ninghe are in Qingning Palace." The Queen Mother ordered the slave to report it. ”

Hearing the last sentence, Zhang Shou finally recognized the voice. It seemed to be the voice of a middle-aged female official standing beside the Queen Mother that he had seen in Qingning Palace. And at this moment, he pondered her words, and only felt that the queen mother's move seemed to be a rainy day, probably because he was worried that the emperor would take his daughter and niece to choose a son-in-law!

And the emperor smiled casually: "The queen mother is really not at ease, you go back and tell the queen mother, because of the matter of Qingning, she was furious, and I don't dare to be so deviant now." Okay, Chu Kuan, you go and see where everyone is. When they arrived, they were all placed in the front porch, prepared refreshments for them, and then according to the list, I will see you one by one! ”

As Yuquan outside agreed, he left quietly, and Chu Kuan hurriedly walked out with a smile on his face. As soon as he left, the emperor saw Zhang Shou standing there, his eyes were quiet, dignified and generous, he squinted at Liu Feng, who had a melancholy expression on his face, and with a hook of the corners of his mouth, he opened his mouth and ordered: "Liu Feng, show Zhang Shou a seat, and then go make the best tea, and then prepare refreshments." ”

"Forty people, even if each person asks three or five words, so many people may have to see the afternoon, and they have to be prepared for a lot of time, and they don't have time to eat lunch. Zhang Shou, if you can't hold on, just say, you are a touchstone. ”

Seeing the emperor's meaningful expression, Zhang Shou immediately understood what this son of heaven meant, and he was angry and funny for a while. Obviously, the emperor may not be afraid that he will not be able to sit still and ruin his image, but he may be hinting at him, and he will hurry up if he can't hold back his urgency! Forty people, even if they meet one in five minutes, it will take more than three hours, and it is indeed a protracted battle!

Before anyone arrived, Liu Feng was already busy going out to prepare, so he simply said in a straightforward tone without hesitation: "Can you let the minister borrow the clean room first?" ”

The emperor was slightly stunned, and then couldn't help but laugh. He pointed to a small chamberlain next to him, and said with a smile: "Go ahead!" ”

Seeing that the emperor had no bad taste and sent a palace man to follow, Zhang Shou suddenly breathed a sigh of relief. And when he relieved his burden in the emperor's spacious but elegantly furnished clean room, he was a little surprised to see that there was no night pot or clean bucket here, and it was directly designed to wash away dirt with running water from a high water tank. You don't have to think about it to know that the ancient palace can have this kind of design, it must be thanks to Emperor Taizu.

When he came out, he saw that a wide armchair had been placed at the right hand of the emperor's throne, and there was a high table next to it, on which was placed a small and delicate plum blossom pattern tea cup, and on one side was a vermilion lacquer box. When he approached and looked at it, he saw that there were four-colored snacks inside, almond crisp, beef crisp, mung bean cake, and crystal cake, all of which were the size of one bite.

He thanked the emperor and sat down. During this spare time waiting for the visitors, the emperor actually asked him with great interest about the noble children of the Banshan Hall, many of whom were people who participated in the final election today, and he patiently explained them one by one. And Liu Feng, who was standing beside the emperor, saw Zhang Shou talking and laughing freely, and he was not pretentious about everyone's strengths and weaknesses, and he couldn't help but secretly wonder.

Even if the emperor has mostly appeared in front of the ministers with a moderate side over the years, of course he knows how terrifying the emperor is when he is angry, and how ruthless the emperor is when he kills decisively. And most of the ministers can understand that this is the Son of Heaven who lives and dies, standing in front of the emperor or solemn or solemn, or frightened or careful...... As for the three words of ordinary heart, no one can do it except for senior bosses.

But in front of him, Zhang Shou, who he once thought only had a good-looking face, did it easily!

Just when Zhang Shou finally talked about Zhang Chen at the emperor's request, Chu Kuan's voice came from outside: "Your Majesty, the princes are already waiting in the corridor, according to the list, the first one is Zhang Chen, can you bring him in?" ”

The emperor glanced at Zhang Shou, who was calm, and suddenly smiled: "Just follow the list...... However, when you call people, you tell them that if you come backwards, the last person on the list will be the first to enter the Qianqing Palace, and Zhang Chen will be the last. This is called nibbling on sugar cane, and gradually getting better. ”

Zhang Shouxian was stunned for a moment, and then couldn't help but take a light breath. The list of the Ministry of Rites is likely to be arranged according to family background, and now the emperor's hand is to let the family background be ranked first. However, this is not good for those who have a slightly worse family background, because they have to face the huge pressure of suddenly seeing the Son of Heaven without psychological preparation!

The emperor's move is really bad enough!