"Elder Zhou is the backbone of the country, it is normal that you do not know much about the younger generation," Rong Xia ticked off a few names on the list, "Since zhen has ascended the throne, there are many things to be done in the world. Next year, zhen will open the imperial examinations and accept talents from all over the world."
"His Majesty is wise." Several courtiers saluted in unison. In the past few years, many scholars had been persecuted because of the Jiang family. Now that His Majesty was opening the imperial examinations, the happiest people would be the scholars of the world. The only problem was that if the announcement was posted all over the country, some scholars in remote areas would not be able to make it to the capital in time.
Zhou Bingan raised this issue. Rong Xia said, "Since the imperial examinations are not held according to the rules, there is no need to stick to the past time. It is convenient to set the time to the end of April."
"His Majesty is benevolent and considerate of the scholars of the world. This humble subject thanks His Majesty for his grace on behalf of the scholars."
"In zhen's opinion, this imperial examination will be in charge of you, Yao Peiji, and Liu Banshan," Rong Xia had long been used to these old foxes flattering him. He never took it seriously, "Beloved Official Liu is still young. The important matters should be decided by the two of you."
Letting them be in charge of the first imperial examination held after the new Emperor ascended the throne was a great honor and also showed the new Emperor's trust in them. Zhou Bingan and Yao Peiji were both smart people. They knew that His Majesty intended to cultivate Liu Banshan. They immediately agreed and praised Liu Banshan while they were at it.
Liu Banshan was only thirty years old and already held the position of Supreme Court Chancellor. There was a lot of room for promotion in the future. Even if it was for the sake of their descendants, they did not want to offend this person.
After the courtiers left, Rong Xia once again looked down at the list that Zhou Bingan and the others had presented to him. The red brush paused on Xie Qilin's name for a long time before finally crossing out his name again.
"His Majesty, the Empress is here."
"Quickly invite her in." Rong Xia stood up and wanted to welcome her at the door. But when he looked down at the list, he casually took a memorial and changed it.
"Rong Xia." Ban Han walked in with a plate of desserts in his hand. It looked like the desserts that Rong Xia had eaten in the Ban Family. He had not eaten it for a long time, so he could not remember the taste. He only knew that this plate of desserts was more valuable than this plate of silver.
"I brought this chef from my mother's home. Try it." Ban Han put the plate on the table, picked up a piece and put it in Rong Xia's mouth. "Is it good?"
Rong Xia nodded.
"You stay in the Hall all day dealing with affairs, don't tire yourself out." Ban Han sat him down on a chair and massaged his shoulders.
Rong Xia grabbed her hand and pulled her into his arms. "Tell me, did you go out and cause trouble?"
"Ah?" Ban Han looked at Rong Xia in confusion. "Why would I go out and cause trouble?"
Seeing her confused and innocent expression, Rong Xia fed her a piece of dessert. As he fed her, he said: "A few days ago when you left the palace, you came back very late from playing. You are also so warm to me."
"You say it as if I don't treat you well. Ban Han ate the dessert and bit Rong Xia's fingertip hard. Who knew that Rong Xia did not dodge, and just smiled and allowed her to bite.
"Are you stupid?" Ban Han saw her teeth marks on his fingertip. She felt distressed and guilty. "Isn't it snowing outside? I want you to accompany me out of the palace to see the snow."
"Tomorrow?" Rong Xia thought for a moment. "Okay, I'll go with you after court."
"You said it, so you can't change your mind." Ban Han kissed him on the cheek. "Be good and continue to deal with your memorials. I won't disturb you."
"Wait a moment." Rong Xia pulled her back and kissed her on the lips. "You little heartless girl. Leave after you've achieved your goal. Sit here with me for a while."
"Then you deal with the memorials. I'll read the storybooks with you." Ban Han wrapped her arms around his neck and smiled. "If you want me to wash the brush and grind it for you, I can do that too."
"Fine." Rong Xia picked her up and put her on the cushioned chair. "You can sit here with me."
He called Wang De over and asked him to bring over two storybooks that Ban Han liked. He also prepared some fruits and desserts for her. Only then did he return to his desk and do his own work. Even though the two had different hobbies and personalities, when they sat together, they were strangely harmonious.
After a while, Rong Xia saw that Ban Han had fallen asleep on the edge of the desk. He shook his head and chuckled. He covered Ban Han with his cloak, picked her up by the waist and walked out of the imperial study. The eunuchs and palace maids waiting outside saw this and hurriedly held up umbrellas and pots to shield the Emperor and Empress from the cold wind blowing in from outside.
"Your Majesty …"
The female official had just opened her mouth when she was scared back by Rong Xia's cold gaze. He looked at the wind and snow outside and quickened his steps to carry Ban Han back to the back hall.
"You can all leave." Rong Xia sat on the edge of the bed and looked at the sleeping Ban Han. He had everyone else leave the room.
The room quieted down. Rong Xia looked dazedly at Ban Han. He looked at this face almost every day, but he never got tired of looking at it. People said that when parents looked at their children, the more they looked, the more they felt that no one could compare to them. But he was Huahua's husband. Why was it that every time he looked at her, he also felt that no woman in the world could compare to her?
The more he looked, the more he felt that his wife was better than anyone else. Her eyes were brighter than others, her mouth was smoother than others, and her eyebrows were prettier than others. Even when she was angry, she was so beautiful that it made his heart melt.
He couldn't say that he treated Huahua as his own daughter, could he?
He laughed at himself. When he walked out of the inner hall, he saw a few palace maids standing quietly outside. He stopped and looked at one of them: "You are called Ru Yi?"
"Nubi Ru Yi has complained to Your Majesty."
"You have always served Niangniang?"
"Your Majesty, nubi has served Niangniang since I was ten years old. I have served Niangniang for ten years." Ru Yi was surprised. His Majesty never spoke more than a word to Niangniang's servant girls and didn't care what they were called. When Niangniang was present, His Majesty almost didn't see any other women. Today … what was going on?
Ru Yi was a little uneasy, but she didn't dare to show it. She could only wait for His Majesty to speak.
Rong Xia wanted to ask her about Huahua and Xie Qilin, but when the words reached his mouth, he couldn't ask. His eyebrows moved slightly, "Zhen knows. Serve Niangniang well."
"Yes." Ru Yi didn't want to continue asking. She bowed and retreated to the side.
After Rong Xia left, Yu Zhu asked curiously, "Sister Ru Yi, what happened to His Majesty?"
"His Majesty's thoughts are not something you can guess." Ru Yi glared at her fiercely, "If you can't suppress your curiosity, it's better to send you to the Duke Manor early to avoid causing trouble for Niangniang."
Yu Zhu's expression changed, "Sister Ru Yi, I was wrong."
Ru Yi learned her lesson and her tone became better, "It's not that I'm strict with you. It's just that the son-in-law is now His Majesty. As Niangniang's servants, we should be more careful with our words and actions."
Yu Zhu nodded obediently. She wouldn't dare in the future.
"His Majesty," Wang De held the umbrella and bowed as he walked, "This old servant sees that your complexion is not very good. Should I call for an imperial physician to take your pulse?"
"No need," Rong Xia shook his head and said to Wang De, "Zhen is very well."
Wang De hesitated for a moment and then said, "His Majesty, you … are not very happy after hearing Princess An Le's words?"
Rong Xia stopped walking and tilted his head to look at Wang De.
Wang De felt cold from this stare. He handed the umbrella to the taijian behind him and knelt in the snow to beg for forgiveness.
"Rise. Zhen doesn't blame you," Rong Xia put his hands behind his back and looked at the wind and snow outside the corridor, "You have served in the palace for so many years. Is Princess An Le's words true or false?"
"When niangniang was engaged to Xie Erlang, how old was she?" Wang De carefully looked at Rong Xia's expression and forced himself to continue, "Nubi has served in the palace. Even though I don't understand niangniang, nubi still knows niangniang's personality."
Rong Xia raised an eyebrow at him.
"Clearly distinguishes between love and hate. She would never wrong herself emotionally," Wang De bowed and saluted, "If you say that the book of poems that was given to Xie Erlang was found with great difficulty, nubi doesn't believe it. At most, I just happened to find a copy. None of the relatives and friends around liked these so I gave it to Xie Erlang."
"None of the young masters and misses that niangniang is close to, like these things."
Rong Xia's expression was subtle. He raised an eyebrow at Wang De: "Is that so?"
"Nubi is a eunuch. How would I know about the feelings of children," Wang De laughed dryly, "I just made inferences based on what I saw and heard."
"You're right. Giving a book of poems is nothing," Rong Xia raised his chin, amusement in his eyes.
In the past, Huahua had given him so many rare and one-of-a-kind books, but she had never been reluctant to part with them. Even more so, at that time, they hadn't been fiancées. Huahua had been so generous to him. Xie Qilin had been Huahua's fiancé for two years and had only received a book of poems that Huahua disliked the most. He really couldn't say that he liked them.
Returning to the imperial study, Rong Xia made a note next to Xie Qilin's name.
Send him to Xi Zhou as the Zhizhou.
Since he had some talent and he didn't want to see him, it was best this way.
That night, Xie Qilin received the letter of appointment from the court. Looking at the seal on it, he was surprised and had an indescribable feeling.
Rong Xia was willing to give him an official position. This was far beyond his expectations.
Looking at his excited parents, Xie Qilin suppressed all his speculations in the bottom of his heart. He walked out of the room and looked at the snowflakes floating down from the sky. His heart was full of mixed feelings. He couldn't say whether he was happy or sad.
Perhaps there was also some indescribable emptiness. Even he didn't understand why this feeling of loss was like this.
Not to be ignored, a carriage drove out of the Zhuque Gate. The shaft of the carriage left a deep mark in the snow.
The carriage passed through the downtown area and only stopped when it reached the ice rink in the suburbs of the capital. This ice rink was built by a certain playboy in the capital. In the winter, he would invite a few friends and beauties to play on the ice. Or he would invite a few ice skaters to play some tricks for them to enjoy. It was a very interesting thing.
This playboy's surname was Qian. His status in the capital was neither high nor low. Usually, high level playboys like Zhou Bingan and Ban Heng wouldn't bring him along to play. So when he heard that Ban Heng, the Imperial Brother-in-law, wanted to use his ice rink, Qian gongzi was so happy that he didn't sleep the entire night. He had the servants at home clean the ice rink several times. After confirming that even if a few horses were thrown on the ice, it would still be stable, he was finally relieved.
Qian gongzi had been waiting outside the ice rink early in the morning. When Ban Heng, Zhou Bingan, and the others appeared, he warmly welcomed them. But he quickly found that these high and mighty gongzi didn't immediately enter the ice rink to play. Instead, they had a group of personal guards tightly surround the ice rink.
These personal guards were all tall and strong, with swords at their waists. Their eyes were powerful without being angry. Qian gongzi was so scared that his voice was a bit shaky.
"Don't be nervous," Zhou Bingan patted his shoulder, "We are waiting for a noble to come, so it's inevitable that the guards are a bit strict. Please don't mind, Qian gongzi."
"I don't mind, I don't mind," Qian gongzi hurriedly waved his hand, "It's my duty, it's my duty." He secretly looked around. According to this situation, even a mosquito wouldn't be able to fly in. Which noble had such a great background that even the dignified Imperial Brother-in-law had to be so careful?
About an hour later, a carriage stopped outside the ice rink. Qian gongzi was about to go forward and say that this was private property and outsiders weren't allowed to stay. But he saw Ban Heng trot all the way to greet them. From the carriage came a woman wearing a red cloak. When he accidentally saw the woman's face, he froze in place.
When he came back to his senses, he found that this stunning woman was accompanied by an equally outstanding man. He sighed with emotion. Sure enough, this stunning beauty was accompanied by Ruyu gongzi.
Ban Han held Rong Xia's hand and turned his head to look at Rong Xia with a smile, "Play with me for a while, okay?"
Rong Xia looked at the smooth ice surface and then looked at the smiling woman beside him. He was somewhat absent-minded. More than ten years ago, he also wanted to sneak onto the ice surface to play. Coincidentally, there was a little girl who wanted him to play with her, so he went with the flow.
But he had only taken a few steps on the ice surface when he was discovered by the palace servants. He was punished when he returned home. Since then, he had never played on the ice surface again. Now that Huahua suddenly brought him here, it reminded him of his childhood.
"I won't," Rong Xia smiled gently at Ban Han, "I'll just watch you from here, okay?"
"It's okay, I'm here," Ban Han took off his cloak and put on his ice skates. He pointed at Du Jiu, "Du Jiu, help your master change his skates."
"This subordinate … this …" Du Jiu looked at Rong Xia and Ban Han, very conflicted.
"It's fine," Rong Xia smiled helplessly, "I'll do it myself."
Ban Han handed over a pair of skates and helped Rong Xia put on his head, knee, and wrist guards. These things were slightly cumbersome, but for someone who had never played ice, it was very good protection.
"Watch, I'll give you a run."
Rong Xia raised his head and his gaze landed on Ban Han. His entire body almost froze.
Red plum blossoms on the ice, enchantress in the snow.
Rong Xia looked dazedly at Ban Han. Even after Ban Han skated back and stopped in front of him, he still hadn't recovered.
"What's wrong? Are you stunned by my beauty?" Ban Li extended a fair and delicate hand in front of him. "Come, follow me."
Du Jiu and the other guards looked nervously at Rong Xia. They were afraid that the Empress would accidentally drop His Majesty. If this was known by the other officials, who knew how much trouble it would cause.
Rong Xia extended his hand to Ban Han. He didn't see the confidence he expected because when he took his first step, he stumbled.
"Careful," Ban Han held his waist, "Don't panic, one step at a time."
"Good."
Rong Xia smiled. He followed Ban Han as they stumbled on the ice. Sometimes the two would fall together, scaring Du Jiu and the others until they broke out in a cold sweat. In the end, the two would lie on the ice and laugh.
Du Jiu looked dazedly at His Majesty's sorry state. He had almost never seen His Majesty so clumsy. Usually, His Majesty was omnipotent and calm.
But today, he had to rely on the Empress to walk forward a few steps and then fell on his back. This was almost never seen.
"Get up," Ban Han climbed up from the ice and pulled Rong Xia up, "You are so stupid. When I was a few years old, I learned how to play ice."
"En, our Huahua is the smartest."
"I like what you say," Ban Han's cheeks were red and the corners of his eyes were full of smiles, "But even if you are stupid, I don't dislike you. No matter how stupid my husband is, it is still our family's best. "
"Huahua …" Rong Xia held Ban Han's hand and suddenly pulled her into his arms.
The snowflakes drifted down, the faint coolness suppressing the heat on Ban Han's body.
"As long as the sky doesn't grow old, love will never end," Rong Xia hugged Ban Han tighter, not letting the wind and snow fall on her body, "Huahua, don't let me down."
Ban Han's heart trembled. She reached out and gently held Rong Xia's waist. She was silent for a long time, so long that Rong Xia thought she would not speak. Finally, she nodded gently, "Okay."
Beside the ice rink, Zhou Bingan squatted on the ground, holding his chin as he said to Ban Heng, "His Majesty and your sister, have they always … been like this?"
Ban Heng changed into his ice skates and said to Zhou Bingan, "What's wrong?"
"Nothing," Zhou Bingan shook his head and said, "I just think … it's pretty good."
Ban Heng snorted and stood on the ice, saying, "If you have the time to look at others, why don't you play with yourself?" After saying this, he turned his head to look in his sister's direction. The two had already let go of each other. His Majesty was still twisting and turning as he walked, but his sister had let go of His Majesty's hand. Like a flower, she glided away beautifully.
Ban Heng looked away. Why did His Majesty fall in love with a woman like his sister, and was so infatuated with her?
For the entire afternoon, Rong Xia had barely learned not to fall on the ice, but he knew nothing else.
Ban Han sat in the carriage with him, lying in his arms and poking his chest, "His Majesty is so stupid when he's playing on the ice."
Rong Xia hugged her tighter and said with a smile, "But I'm very happy today."
He finally experienced the carefree feeling of playing on the ice. No one scolded him for being unambitious, addicted to playing, and having no manners. The woman beside him said that he was stupid, but every time he fell, she hurried over, as if he was a child who didn't know anything and was being loved and protected by her.
"As long as you're happy," Ban Han wrapped her arms around his neck, "Every year, every season, I will secretly take you out to play. But I can't be lazy. I don't want to be recorded in the history books as a disaster. "
"Then what do you want to be?" Rong Xia tapped the tip of her nose.
"Later generations will definitely praise you as a wise ruler. I want to be a famous empress. For example, the empress who is loved by the Emperor the most, the most virtuous empress, or … the empress who is loved by the Emperor for a lifetime, but the Emperor has never taken a concubine." Ban Han looked at Rong Xia with a faint smile, "I want future generations to think of me when they mention you."
"Good," Rong Xia held her hand, "You are my only empress, the only woman I have ever loved, the only woman. If I can't do it in this life, I will die a horrible death, and the country will be lost in my hands. "
Ban Han closed her eyes and smiled: "I don't want the country to be lost in your hands. When the time comes, the people will be the ones to suffer. If you break your vow … "She slowly opened her eyes and stared into Rong Xia's eyes," I will let you live a thousand years, and be lonely for the rest of your life, alright? "
"Alright."
Outside the carriage, Du Jiu pulled on his cloak and pretended that he didn't hear the conversation inside the carriage.
A lifetime of loneliness was sometimes more painful than dying a horrible death.
As the Emperor, it was harder to keep a vow like this than normal men. His Majesty dared to make such a vow. Did he have confidence in himself, or was he so infatuated with the Empress?
In the winter of the first year of Cheng 'an, the officials found that His Majesty's complexion was getting better by the day. Even his gaze was more lively. When winter passed and spring came, and he came of age two years ago, an official suddenly presented a memorial saying that the Empress and His Majesty had been married for almost three years and had no children. His Majesty, in order to win the world, should expand the harem and have more children.
This official didn't think that after these words left his mouth, His Majesty would become angry. Not only did His Majesty say that he was addicted to women in front of all the officials, he also said that he couldn't even manage his family well, so how could he be an official in court? His Majesty directly ordered him to be stripped of his official position.
After this matter, the officials didn't dare to mention the matter of taking concubines to His Majesty. Even the officials who wanted to send their daughters into the harem didn't dare to openly mention it. If it was a normal woman, they could insinuate that the Empress was a disaster. But the Empress was different. She had fought together with His Majesty to conquer the world, and had fought for His Majesty. She was greatly respected by the officials around His Majesty, so they didn't dare to say more.
But as officials, they didn't want His Majesty to value the Empress the most and not them.
The officials didn't want to see the Emperor dote on the harem, and they didn't want to see the Emperor value the eunuchs. What they wanted the most was for the Emperor to think highly of them and value them the most. If they could win the title of a loyal official, it would be even more perfect.
It was a pity that His Majesty acted appropriately and the world was orderly under his rule. If they wanted to find an excuse to say that His Majesty was muddle-headed, they would be suspected of rebellion.
That was why the courtiers were not satisfied with an emperor who was too clear-headed and too capable.
Ever since the decree of the Keystone Festival was issued, Rong Xia's status among the literati increased. At the beginning of spring, many examinees from all over the country rushed to Jing.
Some of the examinees were coming to Jing for the first time and were very curious about Jing, so they often heard some interesting gossip from the people of Jing. For example, a certain official wanted to send his daughter into the harem, but His Majesty disliked it.
Another example was a family that wanted to curry favor with the Emperor's father-in-law, but the Emperor's father-in-law directly sent them out with gifts and said that he was just a hedonistic son who never interfered with the matters of the court.
Another example was that the Empress was a very beautiful and powerful woman. Her martial arts were able to mount a horse and kill enemies. Her literary skills … although she wasn't very literary, she was very eloquent. It was said that there was a foreign envoy who mocked the men of Great Ying for being too weak. In the end, he was mocked from head to toe by the Empress.
"The Empress said to the envoy, you can't even beat me, a woman in martial arts, and you still have the face to mock the men of Great Ying? The men of Great Ying are skilled in literary and martial arts, how can a barbarian like you understand? The bears and tigers in the mountains are not only strong, they can also eat people. Can I say that they are more powerful than all the men in the world? "
The examinees listened with great interest and urged the commoner to continue.
"Young masters, are you all here to participate in the Keystone Festival?" The commoner took a sip of tea and sized up the examinees. He slowly said, "Our His Majesty values talented people the most. Young masters, you all have dignified appearances. This humble one wishes you all to be able to pass the examinations and be the top scorer."
The examinees couldn't help but sigh. As expected of the capital, even the commoners knew how to speak.
Below the teahouse, a carriage slowly stopped and a jade-like hand lifted the curtain.
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