The First Auxiliary Road from the Imperial Examination

Chapter 1233 Nursery Rhymes
"From Yan to Chen, from Chen to Chu, the succession was all due to the lack of a crown prince; who can rule the country? History has long been searching for the emperor's uncle!"

As soon as Sheng Yuan sat down in the teahouse, he heard a nursery rhyme coming from afar.

She looked out the window in the direction of the sound, and saw a dozen naughty children, some holding windmills and some holding toys woven out of bamboo leaves, running and singing, and soon they ran to the other end of the street.

The childish chorus gradually disappeared, but Sheng Yuan's expression became increasingly serious.

"Huh? I didn't expect that you, Wen Zhen, would be so interested and even have the leisure to make tea in the teahouse!"

A familiar voice of laughter suddenly rang in Sheng Yuan's ears. Sheng Yuan turned around and saw who else was coming, not An Suiyun, his old friend? !
"Lord An?! Please take a seat!" When he met his old leader, Sheng Yuan immediately put aside his previous thoughts and hurriedly bowed and chatted.

After calling a waiter and ordering a pot of the best tea and some snacks, Sheng Yuan finally had time to take a closer look at the old man who was about to retire.

Wow, you're right, it's been such a short time since I last saw him, but the wrinkles on Mr. An's face seem to have decreased a lot, and even his originally dry hair has become moist and shiny.

"I haven't seen you for a long time. You look radiant!" Sheng Yuan poured tea for the old leader and expressed his admiration. Then he asked jokingly, "Old man, you are very happy without people chasing you for debts, right?!"

"Of course not! I don't have to deal with scoundrels, and I don't have to pretend to be a scoundrel myself. How happy it is!" An Suiyun smiled and drank tea, nodding and admitting that his life is pretty good now.
"I am now also transitioning to a life of leisure and ease! Of course, my current life is pretty good, I enjoy a leisurely life in the Hanlin Academy, and I am just waiting for the retirement procedure to be completed, so that I can completely leave this world of fame and fortune!"

"You are quite free and easy."

"In fact, I can't say whether I am free and easy or not. It all depends on who I compare myself with! Compared with my colleagues in the cabinet, I am much more relaxed!" An Suiyun stroked his beard lightly, his eyes gleaming with anticipation. "Maybe before I retire, I can go out of the capital to supervise the examinations in the provinces!"

"Then you can travel on business! How great!"

"Yes, not only can we travel on official business, but we also get travel expenses!" An Suiyun gestured to Sheng Yuan, "Since the emperor ascended the throne, he has increased the salaries of examiners many times. Now the travel allowance is three times the original amount!"

"Wow, this is such a great treat!"

"Who says it's not true? Nowadays, officials who want to retire want to get into the Imperial Academy, where they can be retired officials without any mandatory tasks. When they have free time, they can teach for a few days at the Imperial College or any other official school and get a high salary, not to mention going to Beijing to be an examiner!"

When talking about his current life, An Suiyun is very content.

"You are always satisfied, but you keep me in the Ministry of Revenue." Sheng Yuan sighed and said to him while counting on his fingers, "The current situation is that the treasury is too full, which worries me; but if the treasury is empty, I will be even more worried!"

"Minister Sheng, please stop complaining! When you open your eyes and close them, all you'll see are account books, abacus and copper coins. You'll get used to it!" An Suiyun stroked his beard happily. "This is normal in the Ministry of Revenue!"

"I, your humble servant, am now looking forward to a way to make a steady profit without losing money, so that the Ministry of Revenue will not have to worry about money."

"There is such a good thing?!" An Suiyun shook his head with a smile, changed his tone, and said, "Wenzhen, the Ministry of Revenue should not be too busy now, right? You should relax when you need to, and don't always think about solving problems for your future self. The current situation is chaotic, and the various ministries may not rush to the Ministry of Revenue for money. What's more, based on my understanding of them, they are the kind of people who will leave a way out when something happens, and they will definitely not embarrass you!"

An Suiyun said it with great confidence, but Sheng Yuan felt it was not easy: "That is what you said, but only by being prepared can you avoid danger... This is what you taught me!"

"The situation when I was here is different from yours now." An Suiyun pointed at the street outside the window and asked with a smile, "Did you hear the nursery rhyme just now? Even the common people are clear-headed, not to mention those cunning people in the court!"

Sheng Yuan had just suppressed her complicated thoughts, but An Suiyun suddenly pointed it out, which immediately made her feel overwhelmed: "Master An, the nursery rhyme has no logic and the words are made up randomly, why do you take it seriously!"

"Well! Wen Zhen, if you didn't take it seriously... then why did your face suddenly change color?"

Sheng Yuan unconsciously put a little more strength into the hand holding the teacup.

"The Crown Princess is only missing temporarily. As long as the court does its best to track her down, it is only a matter of time before she is found. Who knows, there may be good news soon!" Sheng Yuan really didn't like the reaction of the court cabinet.

Obviously, the most urgent task is to find a crown prince, but those officials are calculating who might take the throne!

"Each party has its own calculations! After all, not everyone is as sincere as you, Sheng Wenzhen!" An Suiyun's smile gradually faded, and he tapped the teacup gently, "It's true that the common people like to hear bizarre stories, but it's unrealistic for them to know about the disappearance of the princess, the vacancy of the crown prince, and the succession crisis so quickly! Even if the court asked all of them to learn to read, it would be difficult for ordinary people like them to do it!"

"The sword is pointed at the two mansions of the Sheng family representing the Queen. The songs and rumors hint at the idea of ​​learning from the past, which makes people think too much!" An Suiyun took out a handkerchief to wipe his hands, and looked at Sheng Yuan with a meaningful look.

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"If it was done by the cabinet, then there is nothing to be afraid of. But if someone from the Sheng family or the other two mansions fanned the flames, then... I have always been timid and like to look ahead and behind... I am afraid that when the princess returns, too many people will be embarrassed!"

……

Sheng Yuan left the teahouse and just jumped onto the saddle, the reins in his hand trembled slightly, and he turned his head and told Xiao Yao: "Go back to the Five Military Commander's Office and help me keep an eye on it. Remember to find me if there is anything else!"

"What about you?!" Xiaoyao saw that Sheng Yuan looked a little unhappy, and nervously pulled Sheng Yuan's collar to ask.

"I have to go back home first." As Sheng Yuan said this, he heard a group of naughty children running towards him singing songs, and immediately pursed his lips.

"Miss, how about we ask the City Patrol to take care of it? This nursery rhyme... can't be sung casually!"

"Humph, you already know about this, but the patrol officers and the city guards don't care. Why do you think that is?" Sheng Yuan held back his anger, staring into the distance with a heavy gaze, and said in a cold voice, "As the saying goes, it is better to guard against the mouths of the people than to guard against the river. What's the point of just covering their mouths if you don't solve the problem from the root? What's scary is not the children singing nursery rhymes. They are ignorant, what can they understand?"

"It's really scary. He knows it but still does it!" After Sheng Yuan finished speaking, he said no more. He just gave Xiao Yao a few more instructions, then pulled the reins and quickly went towards the Yongxing Marquis Mansion.