Sometimes the palace is sunny

After the winter solstice, the city of Yanjing froze with confidence. There were few people in the imperial city, and the ground was paved with stone bricks, which was more frosty than other places.The eunuchs who were on duty in the Qianqing Palace huddled in the duty room on the side of the Qianqing Palace, warming up and waiting to be on duty in front of the imperial court, like a group of molted quails gathering to keep warm.

As soon as the three cats came in, the eunuchs stood up quickly.

"Grandpa Three Cats, sit here and keep warm!"

And the little eunuch used a fire hook to pull a few roasted chestnuts out of the ashes, and held them in front of the three cats with a padded sleeve:
"Grandpa Three Cats, would you like a chestnut?"

"Okay, don't pretend to be tossing around in front of Grandpa and me, just sit down!" The three cats who served His Majesty's meals every day couldn't be interested in these chestnuts hidden in nowhere, and waved their cat paws. , did not sit in the place given up by the eunuchs, but sat directly next to several young eunuchs.

A group of eunuchs sat obediently, snatched the pot and poured a cup of hot tea for Sanmao:
"Grandpa Three Cats is honored by his grandson's tea."

Sanmao didn't answer it, looked around, and called a tall and thin eunuch to come to him:
"what's your name?"

"If you go back to grandpa, your grandson's name is Lu Shouxi."

"Can you pour tea? You can pour a cup of tea for our family."

Lu Shouxi hurriedly took the teapot and cup from the eunuch just now, poured the water in front of the door, refilled a cup of tea carefully, and bent down, brought it all the way to the three cats:
"Grandpa Three Cats drinking tea."

The eunuch already knew that he took the lead in bullying the little eunuch, and the Sanmao eunuch knew about it, so he shrank his hands and begged for mercy:
"Grandpa Three Cats, I will..."

After being scolded for a while, the little eunuch shrank his neck and dared not make a sound.

After a while, he became discouraged and knelt down slowly.

He scolded and frightened these eunuchs so much that he forced them to sweat coldly around the hot stove.

"Grandpa Xie Sanmao is thinking about it. Xin, Xin replaced the charcoal, and everything is fine."

Sanmao really hates that iron cannot be made into steel. He is an eunuch himself. How could he not hope that the eunuchs will be favored by the emperor, but what are these eunuchs doing?In addition to forming a party for personal gain, it is corruption and perverting the law. Not only are they dirty in mind, but they also use despicable methods.

Sanmao glanced at him, with a half-smile:

When Zhao Mingyin heard this, his heart became half gray.

"It was said a while ago that the charcoal bought at the house in the corridor was not good, but is it better now?"

"Thank you Grandpa Three Cats, Grandpa Three Cats is the master for our children and grandchildren."

Yiji looked back at him: "What are you looking at?"

"However, female scholars also want to be masters in various female schools in Zhili. I have established [-] female schools in Zhili this year. Next year, I will push the selection of female schools and female scholars to Shandong, Jiangsu, Zhejiang, Lianghu, Guangdong, Guangxi and the area."

"There's nothing I can't say. When I was young, there was a younger sister next door. Recently, I was doing business for the emperor. I had time to meet that younger sister. I seldom go out of the palace. This is what she said was delicious."

Song Congzhuo went to Yiji with a wound on his face. Yiji persuaded him a few words, then turned around and cleaned up all the officials who took money to help hide things.

Yiji smiled: "What is there to panic about in our family? When did the emperor not compete with hundreds of boats and thousands of sails? Could it be possible that Sun Niande and others fell by themselves? In the past, the emperor liked to be obedient, but now the emperor likes to do things." Yes, if the emperor likes to be obedient, we will be obedient, if the emperor likes to do things, we will do things, if we beasts who are close to the emperor don't know that the emperor's preferences are being compared to others, then we deserve it."

The Langxia House is the place where the eunuchs live next to the Xiangfang under the Xuanwu Gate. Some eunuchs who are not of the highest rank can’t even get in the inner palace. When they are not on duty at night, they have to rush out before the palace gate closes. Palace to live there.

Immediately, several eunuchs stepped forward:

Lu Shou looked around beggingly for mercy, only to see that the little eunuchs who had been flattering and begging for mercy just looked at him, and then looked at Sanmao with pleading eyes.

Before she finished speaking, she was interrupted by someone: "Xueshi Zhao, these 150 female officials were originally selected to be masters in the inner study. Why did they have to be separated from the Duanji Palace? Now the Duanji Palace is investigating the eunuchs. The accounts of the temple have dispatched all the literate maids and officials in the palace, and the establishment of the inner study has stagnated, so Xueshi Zhao has already regarded the candidate masters of the inner study as his possessions?"

Suddenly, there was a crisp sound, and the tall and thin eunuch who had been waiting with a hot tea cup couldn't stand the heat, so he smashed the cup to the ground.

For all the things in front of her, she walked step by step on a road that no one had gone before. Even though she only took a few small steps, it made her feel very proud.

"I am also deeply admired by Master Zhao for inviting Yingying that day, but the inner study is also the foundation of Duanji Hall, the foundation of female officials inside and outside, and we must not delay. Besides, assisting the empress to build the inner study is also Duanji. As for the duties of the temple, how can Xueshi Zhao treat one more favorably than another?"

Any emotion seems superfluous!

Sanmao leaned over to take a look, opened the oil-paper bag and tasted a piece, his eyes narrowed involuntarily.

"Good at martial arts?" Sanmao, who grew up in the palace, had never seen a woman with martial arts skills, and the cat's eyes were round and round, "Chicken boss, your sister is a character like Hua Mulan and Mu Guiying? This is really rare, it's a pity that our emperor only recruits female scholars and does not recruit female guards, otherwise you can take care of her if you let her enter Jinyiwei."

Yiji put on the gauze hat and looked at Sanmao.

"Your Majesty, there is only one sentence for the courtiers to cooperate with the three divisions in revising the law. There is a shortage of people. Even if all the 150 female officials selected this time are left in the Duanji Palace, it is not enough, let alone distributed to the inner study..."

Yiji thought for a while and said, "It looks very similar to when I was a child, and I recognized it immediately."

"It's so delicious when it's cold, but it's definitely a must when it's hot, Boss Chicken, since you don't have a good reputation, how did you hear it?"

"understood."

Three cats are looking at their paws.

Looking at the blood stains on the trousers he changed into, Yiji smiled and said, "I haven't ridden a fast horse for a few months, and my butt is tender."

"That's good, Grandpa, it's rare for me to get blood on my hands. If I can't stop those who reach out after beating ten people in a row, I might as well take off this cat skin on myself and spread it at the gate of the palace to give it to others." Wipe your feet."

"Don't blame our family for not telling you that the house in Xiyuan has been cleaned. The female officials who have passed the female scholar examination outside the palace will enter the palace. For the first time this year, there will be 150 female officials. They can write and count, and they are obedient. Sensible, let alone us internal officials, those foreign officials outside are afraid of being robbed by them. The emperor wants to save money in the palace, and the selection of internal eunuchs for next year has stopped, hmph, in a few years..."

This matter was reported to the Supervisor of Rituals, and the eunuchs of the Supervisor of Rituals wanted to suppress it while the chicken and the dog were away, but they were caught under the paws of the three cats.

"That's all, let's not talk about these trivial matters, what is the matter with the emperor today?"

Yiji tidied up his appearance, and when there were few people in Qianqing Palace, he walked around from the back door to the front of the imperial court, and saw the emperor talking to Princess Yueqing.

Looking up, he saw a person guarding the door of the duty room on the other side.

Three cats narrowed their eyes and ate the remaining pieces of snacks:
"This snack is not bad. I'll ask that thief mouse to bring it back for me later."

Yiji remembered that after the woman had changed his horse, he held back a question to ask for refreshments, and felt that all the eloquent tongue he had practiced in the palace these years had really been fed into the chicken's intestines.

San Mao seemed to have forgotten about drinking tea, and was still asking a young eunuch:

Sanmao sat leaning on the kang and looked at the faces of a group of imperial eunuchs one by one: "In the past, there were gold and wooden cabinets with four corners in front of the imperial court, which were safe and secure. Now some people serve less in front of the imperial court. You feel that the cabinet is missing legs, and you don’t even think about your body, you think you can support your legs. As you don’t know, those who really want to support their legs have spent hard work and endured it. I am so wronged, every day I only know how to look at the dignity of the female officials in front of the imperial court, and in front of the courtiers, I can't wait to wring out jealousy from my two eyeballs! What's the use? How are you better than others? Children and grandchildren You have cut your roots and still think you are a master?!"

Besides her, there were several female officials standing in the hall. Although they all wore plum blossom hats on their heads, their faces were plain, which made the Qianqing Palace hall more solemn than usual.

Seeing that he refused, San Mao looked away and waved his hands.

Shen Shiqing sat on the throne and watched the two female officials argue with great interest.

"The emperor ordered that we have to bring you some small things when we go out of the palace, so that you can be honest and manage affairs in the palace. This is the old Chenfang's almond cake. It is said to be very delicious, but it is not well-known outside the palace. Show."

Only the three cats, not only have nothing to do, but also won the emperor's reward yesterday.

He wanted to tell people about the complicated feelings of being forced by his sister next door with a knife to give up his horse when he was a child, but facing this cat...

He was not polite, and he didn't order the eunuchs who were in charge of the ceremonial supervisor. He directly picked two rows of big-waisted eunuchs from the kitchen of the Shangshan supervisor, and took them to the inner court supervisor who was in charge of purchasing the charcoal from the corridor. Drag it out and fight.

Hearing this, Sanmao really wanted to poke Boss Chicken's tender meaty buttocks, so he raised his hands, thinking that Boss Chicken's buttocks could not be touched, so he put them back.

It was Xu Gongling who spoke.

Sanmao said with a smile: "There are so many cakes, it's really not enough."

"Hey, I feel comfortable listening to what the chicken boss said, Mr. Cat!"

"Yo?!" Sanmao widened his eyes, suddenly felt that the dim sum in front of him was even more rare, "Boss Chicken, how does the girl next door look like?"

"No need." Yiji shook his head, "She is now serving as a slave, and the master treats her well, and she is also loyal... She has been chivalrous since she was a child, and it is the same when she is serving as a slave now, but she follows her parents. Good martial arts."

Yiji paused for a while while pulling his hair, raised his foot and kicked Sanmao's foot:
"Can't you fill your mouth with something to eat?"

"Why, can't you bear it? How do you deal with others?"

Sanmao didn't scold him immediately, but first looked him up and down: "Hey, don't call me grandpa when you say that. Entering the palace to serve the emperor has ruined your ambition? Such a grandson Who dares to ask for it? If you can write and read and enter the Supervisor of Ceremonies, our family still thinks that you are a bit emboldened after saying this. Now only a maggot dares to come up to recognize the family. Do you dare to show jealousy to the female officials? You look at yourself, can you show your integrity if you burn it to ashes?"

After this incident, everyone in the palace also knew that the three-cat eunuch, who was fine and venomous, was not easy to get along with. Both chickens and dogs respected each other.

"I'm a slave, how can I be the master?" Sanmao refused and waved his paws, but his eyes were already narrowed.
He also taught these little eunuchs who were only a few years younger than him: "You have to do your job well when you arrive at the imperial court. Don't be lazy every day. Look at those female officials who read and write every morning and evening, and their hands are full of chilblains. It didn't stop."

On that day, she led the order to assist the queen to let the maids in the palace to study in the inner study. Unexpectedly, things got worse and worse. Zhao Mingyin took the initiative to ask Ying to bring her female accountants outside the palace into the palace to settle the accounts of the Taipu Temple. The queen naturally helped , Let all the palace ladies go to help, but temporarily put aside the matter of the inner study.

In the past, he and the three cats were not so close. Among the four people, he and the two dogs were in the same party, the three cats were only loyal to the emperor, and the four mice were also loyal to the emperor. Er Gou pleaded for mercy, and he and Sishu witnessed the Emperor's people... The Emperor's Meng De... Some trivial things about the Emperor, the barriers between the four were clearly gone.

"Boss chicken, even if you leave the palace, you can't ignore everything. Now that you're not here, Er Gou is just putting on a show every day, and I'll take care of all the little ghosts in the prison of ceremonies. Although we are a cat , After all, there is only one life, and it will be gone when you are exhausted."

These days, Ergou was relegated first, then the emperor reused female officials, and even Yiji, who was in charge of the ceremonial supervisor, seldom showed up in front of the imperial court. It depends on the money, [-] jin of coal was put on the house in the corridor, it was wet, broken and mixed with soil, and there was a night of north wind, even smoked and frozen, dozens of people fell ill overnight, some A few simply couldn't keep it.

Yiji changed his clothes, threw the blood-stained pants into the brazier, and pointed to the table:

The little eunuch was also a new servant in the Qianqing Palace in autumn, and he stumbled while talking to Sanmao's smiling cat face:

"……Yes."

Song Congzhu came out to stop him, but was slapped to the ground by Sanmao's paw.

"It's mostly about those things in the court. By the way, the results of the female officer selection in Zhili have been passed. There are a total of 150 female scholars, and [-] of them have become female officials to be elected. Three days later, they will enter Xiyuan to learn the rules, and then choose another Lun is the female teacher in the inner study. The rest were sent to the female schools that are running everywhere."

"Your Majesty, the Duanji Hall is currently at a loss for resources. Establishing the inner study, clearing the accounts of the Taipu Temple, and cooperating with the three divisions to revise the law are all major events. However, there are only more than 170 female officials in the Duanji Hall, and they have been transferred from various places. More than 100 people have been borrowed...Your Majesty, please allow the 350 female scholars who passed the Zhili examination this year to also be admitted to the Duanji Palace as scribes."

"Lu Shouxi, you'd better kneel down by yourself, so as to save us from doing it."

The little eunuch who just rushed to hold chestnuts for Sanmao said with a flat mouth: "Grandpa Sanmao, how can we compare with those female officials? They are all determined to stand in the court hall, we want to go there, people You can't even look down on us eunuchs!"

Zhao Mingyin looked at the mature and prudent Xu Gongling, knowing that he couldn't justify it, and then turned to look at His Majesty sitting on the throne:

When the words were almost finished, there was an eunuch outside standing in front of the door curtain:
"Grandpa Three Cats, Grandpa One Chicken is calling you."

Sanmao spoke with a smile on his face, and the others trembled when they heard it.

Stretching its muscles and bones, the three cats shook their heads and came out of the house, first shrinking their necks when they were blown by the cold wind.

He stood up and kicked Lu Shouxi on the body:

The tall and thin eunuch was trembling all over. It was impossible to imagine his rampant appearance when people held hot cups and knelt down on porcelain not long ago.

After finishing speaking, the three cats looked at the chicken.

Sanmao stretched, walked to the door, and pointed at Lu Shouxi with his chin:
"Let him kneel for three hours, drag him out, and don't put him in the palace again."

"As far as your idea is not on the table, do you think the emperor can know it or ignore it? But if there is one of you who can stand up to a high-ranking female official, he has already climbed onto the four heads of our house, and he is still in the house. Did you wait for the ladies to pick the peaches?"

"Don't mention it to our family, how did you punish Ning Xizi and the other little eunuchs? By the way, you made them kneel on broken porcelain."

Shen Shiqing looked at Zhao Mingyin, and now she understood that Zhao Mingyin knew that the 150 female officials couldn't move, so she focused on the female scholars.

No, wearing a blue shirt and red skirt, this is Zhao Mingyin, a scholar of Duanjidian University.

Sanmao tilted his head and thought for a while: "Boss Chicken, I remember that your father was a scholar in the past, but there was a disaster at home...how is your sister now? If life is not easy, I have been forced by the emperor recently After reading and learning some recipes, how about we raise some money to help her open a dim sum shop?"

"Look, Boss Chicken, are you panicking?"

He strolled over, and smiled as soon as he lifted the curtain: "Boss Chicken, you are a rare guest in the palace now, and you go out with Four Mouse every day...Boss Chicken, what's wrong with you?"

There are too many things to do, and she can't just focus on the present and ignore the future.

"Your Majesty, when will we take the female scholar exam again? If we have to wait until the end of next year, I'm afraid that the amendment of the law will be postponed."

Shen Shiqing lowered her eyes and smiled, looking at the imperial edict she was writing in front of her.

"You don't have to wait until the end of next year, and you can't just keep you busy like this. I'm writing a decree. At the beginning of next year, let the Ministry of Rites select [-] female officials from all over the country. Not many, use them first."

Shen Shiqing: I didn't expect it, I'm more courageous than you think