Yan's foreign relatives, give Da Yan a little Xuanwu Gate shock

Youshi (6pm), dusk.

Anlefang, Yuan Mansion.

A four-wheeled carriage with an ancient shape was pulled by pack animals and stopped in front of Yuan's mansion, bringing a large number of gifts from the real dragon to Yuan Congqian: a box of yellow copper cakes, three pieces of hand-sewn Shu brocade, purple ribbons and feathers, and an imperial edict that the officials repeatedly warned to be strictly preserved.

The purple ribbon is an ornament that only officials of the third rank and above are qualified to wear.

Feathers are feathers inserted into the crown to indicate honor.

Of course, in Yuan Congqian's view, none of these were as important as the final imperial decree:

"The emperor gave me a handwritten edict saying: I have allowed Yuan Congqian, the father of Yuan Congqian, to build a government office to enjoy the exclusive rights of western medicine and exempt him from taxes. I am grateful for your kindness and have said this. We should stick to it and follow your request."

To translate, it means: I have long known that your father is loyal to the country and can sympathize with the people. I have specially allowed you to organize people to establish an official Western medicine pharmacy, and enjoy the exclusive right to import and sell Western medicine. I have specially ordered that your taxes are exempted. I feel your feelings of serving the country, so I specially told you these words. The Western medicine pharmacy should be carried out from beginning to end. You and I will take care of it together, and all matters will be based on the contents of your memorial.

The official knew what this decree represented, and handed the prepared copies to Yuan Congqian: "Mr. Yuan, Western countries are barbaric and cruel, and do not know etiquette, but they can have more advanced calendars and medicines. This is our responsibility. For the cause of benefiting the people, we can only count on you."

"I dare not disappoint your majesty."

Yuan Congqian had no feelings for the real dragon, but he bowed respectfully in the direction of the imperial palace to receive the imperial edict.

The decree was issued faster than he had imagined.

There is a saying among the people that "small matters are discussed in the Dashiqu Pavilion, and big matters are discussed in the Xiaoshangshutai." This is probably what it means. When the emperor received a memorial, he did not need to discuss it with his ministers at the 4:30 a.m. court meeting. He only needed to discuss it with a few key figures, such as the Grand Tutor and the Grand Marshal, to make a decision.

The official sighed and continued, "His Majesty is hosting a family banquet tonight and specially invited you to attend. His Majesty is so kind to you. You can go back and change your clothes now and come with me into Chengtian Gate. Remember to wear your ribbon and feathers."

"Family dinner?"

"It's in Hanyuan Hall, just through Xuanwu Gate."

The official explained, then felt that the three words "Xuanwu Gate" were a bit hot to the mouth, and added:

"In addition, you can only bring one guard with you, and you are not allowed to bring swords or official seals. If you are found to be accompanied by other guards after passing through Xuanwu Gate, or if you carry weapons with you, those guards will be killed on the spot by the imperial guards. This is a special case, so I specifically inform you of this."

"I see. Thanks for telling me."

Yuan Congqian clasped his fists to him, solemnly put away the imperial edict, and returned home to change his clothes.

The impact of the Xuanwu Gate Incident, which was widely known in the capital, seemed to be more far-reaching than Yuan Congqian had estimated.

I must go. It is impossible to refuse the emperor's invitation.

The only choice for bodyguard is Qiu Fengshu.

Moreover, the official specifically mentioned that this was a family dinner.

The True Dragon Family Banquet represents the attendance of all members related to the royal family, including the Duke of Wei and the Duke of Shu.

"Duke Wei...ha."

Yuan Congqian laughed.

I wonder what kind of expression Wei Yanwu would have when he faced his younger brother and Yuan Congqian, his cousin who died with him at the hands of the Duke of Shu, after hearing about the Xuanwu Gate Incident?

Chapter 28 The True Dragon and His Animal Relatives

The so-called "correcting one's attire and hat", clothes and crowns have always been equally important.

Yuan Congqian wore a small-cornered scarf, which is what is called the "small-cornered scarf" in ancient books.

As for the higher-level crowns, such as the Diao Chan crown and the Qingyu hair crown, which were also stored in Yuan's mansion, Yuan Congqian was certainly qualified to wear them. But the Diao Chan crown extended down and covered the sides of the cheeks, which was far from the mainstream aesthetics and too formal, not suitable for attending a banquet.

Pin an ornate feather to the back of the kerchief and you're done.

"Why don't you wear the jade hair crown?"

Qiu Fengshu helped Yuan Congqian tie the purple ribbon around his waist, feeling a little curious.

Yuan Congqian stretched out his hand, and the small pistol slid into the cabinet:

"His Majesty treats me like a family member, so how can I go to see him wearing the hat of an official from the outer court?"

In his edict, Zhenlong said "we should guard it together", and the emphasis is on the word "together".

Only a family will guard a property together.

Besides, do other Yan officials wearing green jade hair crowns and Diaochan crowns have the qualifications to guard things with the real dragon? They are just the real dragon's subjects. How can subjects and monarchs guard the property together? Only the family of the real dragon can guard the country together with the royal family!

Yuan Congqian and Qiu Fengshu boarded the carriage and were slowly pulled by the beasts of burden to Suzaku Avenue and entered the imperial city.

You must get off the car when you reach Chengtian Gate, as cars and horses are strictly prohibited in the palace.

The contents of the palace are unremarkable. It is a whole city area, with nothing more than garden landscaping, armored guards and female officials. The Hanyuan Hall is in the Tingsui Palace in the upper right corner of the palace. After passing through the many long halberds, swords and axes, you can see the main guests of today's royal family banquet.

"Congqian, come here. Laoli is cooking today, don't miss it."

A middle-aged man with dragon horns and a dragon tail stood by the gate of Hanyuan Hall. When he saw Yuan Congqian, his eyes lit up and he took his hand and walked inside. "You are the last one to arrive today! I have read your memorial. You must explain it to your uncle later!"

"Lao Li?" Yuan Congqian heard an unexpected name.

The man in front of me looked familiar. He was not very serious and did not know much about politics and the rule of law.

Zongzheng Yan Junyan, Yuan Congqian's uncle and the brother of the current True Dragon. In the last month of Yuan Congqian's mourning, he mistakenly thought that Yuan Congqian's mourning period had ended, and rushed into Yuan Congqian's house with two jars of wine on the first day Yuan Congqian came through.

All I can say is, I was very impressed.

Yan Junyan curled his lips and said softly:

"The Minister of the Imperial Household, Li Cunshan, is the son of a wealthy businessman and Princess Xuanping. He climbed to the position of Minister of the Imperial Household by collecting money and cooking for His Majesty. But he eats in an ugly way. The pirates have contributed to his success."

It was not the old Li that Yuan Congqian was familiar with.

Lao Li's race is also dragon, and he is a relative of the royal family of Yan State. He went to Longmen perhaps because the Duke of Shu wanted to capture someone to appease the public anger after he came to power.

After walking a few steps, Yuan Congqian saw the real person wearing gorgeous silk.

The dragon horns and hair were as bright as fire, and his eyes were the same orange-red color as the dragon horns, as if the flames were burning. His face protruded forward like an animal, showing obvious features of the ancestors, constantly telling others that he was the contemporary true dragon of Yan Country.

The waiter whispered a few words to the real dragon, and the real dragon's eyes swept over.

"My nephew Congqian, I haven't seen you for a year, can you drink with me?"

"Uncle, according to the law, I am not yet of age to drink."

Yuan Congqian answered loudly in the tone that Zhenlong wanted, but lowered his head and did not dare to look directly at Zhenlong.

Wei Yanwu, Li Cunshan and another dragon ancestor sat beside the real dragon in turn.

The young Wei Yanwu exuded an extremely sharp aura. Even if Yuan Congqian lowered his head, he could feel his gaze. Chixiao was placed at his feet. The hair color of another dragon ancestor was much darker than Wei Yanwu's. He was wearing gold and jade, and had a faint scent of vanilla. It was obviously the Duke of Shu.

Compared with them, Yuan Congqian's uncle Yan Junyan is not even an ancestor.

Duke Shu looked at Yuan Congqian and said with a smile, "On the battlefield of Yumen, boys as young as fourteen began to drink. Yuan Tianshi was also a wine saint who made everyone in the capital drunk. When he went to Ursus as an envoy, the people there were also afraid of him."

"I have no intention of going abroad to drink, I only wish to protect the foundation of the pharmacy for your majesty."

Yuan Congqian still kept his head down and said so.

Wei Yanwu raised his head and pierced Yuan Congqian with a sharp gaze.

Zhenlong leaned his head against his fist and thought for a moment: "Pharmacy? Yes, pharmacy. The general told me that after your pharmacy is built, he will bring his brother to give you 5 million taels of medicine. I think the people of Dayan will also benefit a lot from it."

"I am deeply awed and hope that Your Majesty will exercise His Majesty's power and blessings."

Yuan Congqian quickly bowed to Zhenlong, trembling with fear: "The epidemic broke out in the capital, and the Imperial College had to attend classes because of it, let alone ordinary people? I saw the family that was deceived and wiped out by the quack doctor, and I felt pain in my heart. I just hope that after the pharmacy is built, no one in the capital will die of the epidemic again."

"Good." The real dragon nodded, "Sit down."

He didn't ask about the extermination of the Yuan family at all.

This made Yuan Congqian feel somewhat confused and uncertain.

The last temporary guest has already entered the banquet. After Zhenlong toasted everyone present with a glass of wine, the family dinner officially began.

As for the initiator of the family dinner, Zhenlong, he dragged his long skirt back to the palace.

He himself knew that with the emperor present, no one dared to pick up their chopsticks.

As soon as the real dragon left, the atmosphere of the family dinner became a little more lively, and everyone formed their own circles.

"The officials will make the final decision on the epidemic. Why bother talking about this disappointing thing at the family dinner? If the real dragon is upset because of this and the happy family dinner is disturbed by the epidemic, then you really said the wrong thing!"

Yan Junyan was not very happy and blamed Yuan Congqian a little.

"Mr. Yuan cares about the world, and your Majesty is wise, how could he blame you?"

A smooth and frivolous voice came from behind Yan Junyan. Li Cunshan, who was dressed mainly in black and gold, staggered to Yuan Congqian, and began to spit out the smell of alcohol from his mouth: "I have been begging His Majesty for a year, but I couldn't get the imported Western medicine. I didn't expect that you got it!"

Yuan Congqian replied calmly: "It is natural to pay a price and get a reward."

“Pay the price, get the reward, well, I like it.”

Li Cunshan responded subconsciously.

The Li family is a wealthy family in the Yan State. They have been doing business for generations. How could they not understand these things?

But Li Cunshan thought about it for a while and felt that something was wrong.

Read it again, pay the price and get the reward.

Li Cunshan used his brain, which was not working smoothly, to think: What was wrong? The harvest naturally referred to the imperial edict that Yuan Congqian had obtained to monopolize Western medicine. He also wanted to have it.

What price did Yuan Congqian pay?

--Snapped!

"Who?"

"who!"

There was a sudden silence in the Hanyuan Hall, and the guards came over one after another.

What fell to the ground and broke into pieces was Li Cunshan's crystal clear glass wine glass.

Li Cunshan's hands were shaking slightly, his face was pale, he took a step back, and stammered:

"Yuan, Yuan, Yuan Mansion! Could it be that Shu..."

Chapter 29: Laoli, Don't Elbow Me

Li Cunshan is a person who doesn't have any big ambitions.

As long as I can make money for the emperor for a few years, hold banquets for him and make him happy, it will be enough so that he can remember my hard work in the future.

When his son entered the Imperial College, he used his connections to get him admitted to the Shangshutai. He then retired, submitted his resignation to Zhenlong, and lived in seclusion in the vegetable market. He was not interested in the New Culture Movement, the Fragments of the Years, or the succession struggle between Shu and Wei. He wanted to stay as far away from them as possible.

But now, the rumor about the "Xuanwu Gate Incident" is spreading more and more widely the more it is banned in the capital.

Instead, it stumbled towards him like an antique car out of control, making the roar of an Originium furnace, and headed straight for him!

"Someone from the Yuan residence died. Did the damn Duke of Shu really take action? Then why didn't Yuan Congqian die? Why was he still alive and able to obtain the imperially granted monopoly on western medicine?

Could it be that the Duke of Wei was planning to attack the Duke of Shu instead of the Duke of Shu, and was acting out a drama with Yuan Congqian? Then what should I do? Why did he tell me all this? Why should I ask him for a share of the profits after drinking a few glasses of wine? "

The more Li Cunshan thought about it, the more frightened he became.

When he heard the rumors about the Xuanwu Gate Incident, he looked at everything as if he was looking at the shadow of Xuanwu Gate. Even if he tripped over a stone on the road, he would guess whether it was done by the Duke of Shu, who wanted to kill him, the emperor's money bag.

He felt like he was caught in a huge vortex of conspiracy!

Li Cunshan wanted to run away, shouting that he had never spoken to Yuan Congqian, but the soldiers had already gathered around to check the situation.

"Mr. Li! Mr. Yuan! What happened?"

The status of the people here is too high, and the emperor's attendants in the palace did not carry any weapons, so they could only run here empty-handed.

Yuan Congqian, who was sitting opposite Li Cunshan, was also afraid.

Why did he smash the cup? Was it a signal, or the shadow of an axe or the sound of a candle?

Damn it, is Lao Li going to elbow me?

"It's all a misunderstanding, it's all a misunderstanding!"

Lao Li quickly gave up his seat and smiled:

"I am vain and like to show off my wealth. I didn't use the wine cups provided by the palace, but brought this set of glass wine utensils from home... It has nothing to do with Brother Yuan. I apologize to everyone for disturbing your enjoyment."

"It's out of the way, it's out of the way."

Yuan Congqian waved his hands, and his acting skills came into play. He smiled and said, "Brother Li was originally enjoying the pleasure of being drunk, but because he was talking to me, he accidentally broke his beloved glass cup, and his drunkenness was shattered like the moonlight. Brother Li, you won't blame me, right?"

The Duke of Shu looked sideways, his expression neither happy nor angry, and sipped his tea with his lips pursed.

Wei Yanwu closed his eyes, as if he was asleep. Only a little girl who looked much younger than him was pestering him to play.

Yan Junyan listened to Yuan Congqian's hints in full, but didn't understand. He wanted to ask Lao Li why he suddenly reacted so strongly. He looked at the tense atmosphere around him, and his few emotional quotients warned him that he should come out to maintain the atmosphere.