flstandardbreds Chapter 284 July 2
Chapter 284 July 2
As time passes quietly, the cold winter gradually fades away, the snow on the branches begins to melt, turning into drops of water falling down, as if they are the farewell tears left by winter.
The originally dry branches have quietly sprouted tender green buds. The breeze blows by, bringing a hint of warmth and a faint fragrance of flowers, as if foreshadowing the upcoming arrival of the magnificent spring scenery with its blooming flowers.
February 2nd is both the Dragon Raising Festival and the birthday of the God of Land, who is also known as the God of Fortune and Virtue, and is in charge of the growth of grains and local peace.
Before this day, although spring had already arrived, it was still dormant, a phenomenon known as "the hidden dragon in the abyss." After this day, the yang energy rises, and the hint of spring becomes visible, hence the saying "seeing the dragon in the fields." As the name suggests, the dragon appears, and everything begins to unfold. On this day, the winter jasmine flowers begin to smile, signaling to everyone that spring has truly arrived.
Under Su Peisheng's persuasion, Yongzheng finally put down the red brush in his hand, raised his head from the pile of memorials, and prepared to go out for a spring outing to relax.
In Yonghe Palace, An Lingrong listened to the news reported by Xiao Luzi and sighed secretly.
It seems that the emperor has made up his mind to bring Zhen Huan back to the palace!
She slowly turned around and saw that Shen Meizhuang also had a sad face and frowned, obviously worried about this matter.
An Lingrong was the first to speak: "Sister, let's not dwell on all that nonsense right now. The most important thing right now is to ensure Sister Zhen can return to the palace safely."
When Shen Meizhuang heard this, a hint of doubt flashed in her eyes, and she asked, "Are you saying that someone might be trying to obstruct her return to the palace?"
"The Queen will definitely not let Sister Zhen return to the palace so easily. There is also the Queen Mother behind her!"
"What will they do?"
An Lingrong pretended to be thoughtful for a moment and said, "Sister, the Emperor believes in celestial phenomena the most. If they start from this excuse and use celestial phenomena to make a fuss, it will be very difficult. It might really cause Sister Zhen a lot of trouble."
"Astronomical phenomena..." Shen Meizhuang frowned slightly, muttering softly to herself as she pondered carefully. After a moment, she seemed to suddenly remember something, and a light flashed in her eyes as she said, "We don't know who the Director of the Imperial Observatory works for yet, but the Deputy Envoy Ji Weisheng is someone we can use."
"Well, sister, you are right. In that case, let's find a way to replace the supervisor and let Ji Weisheng take his place." An Lingrong nodded in agreement.
Shen Meizhuang pondered for a moment, the corners of her mouth curled up slightly, and she said with some confidence: "This is not difficult to do. After all, people eat all kinds of grains, so it's natural for them not to get sick. Xiao Shi, go find Wei Lin!"
An Lingrong looked at Shen Meizhuang's neat arrangements with admiration in her eyes. She smiled and praised, "Sister, you are truly amazing!"
"Glib tongue!"
As night fell and the lights came on, soft light shone into the house. The two of them sat on the couch and played chess.
An Lingrong rested her head on one hand, her eyes lowered in thought for a long moment before she gently picked up a black chess piece and placed it firmly on the board in a suitable position. Then, with a smile on her face and a hint of pride, she said to Shen Meizhuang, "Sister, look, isn't this Gobang quite interesting?"
Shen Meizhuang looked serious, nodded seriously, and responded: "Well, it is indeed suitable for you to play."
"That's right, sister. I have won two games today. Isn't that awesome?" An Lingrong became more and more happy, her face full of pride after winning the game.
Shen Meizhuang couldn't help but jokingly said, "But we've already played more than ten games!"
An Lingrong feigned anger upon hearing this, coquettishly tugging at Shen Meizhuang's sleeve and shaking it, saying, "Sister, if you say that again, I won't play with you anymore."
"Okay, okay, I won't say anything more. Keep going..."
After playing a few more games, Shen Meizhuang turned her gaze outside the palace and asked, "Rong'er, will the emperor definitely come? It's already so late!"
An Lingrong, however, had a confident expression on her face: "Don't worry, the Emperor will definitely come. I'm afraid Sister Zhen will hook the Emperor into a black bass today!"
As expected, not long after, Su Peisheng's highly recognizable voice was heard from outside the palace: "The Emperor has arrived!"
The two men quickly stood up and saluted, saying, "Greetings to the Emperor!"
Yongzheng raised his hand slightly and said in a loud voice: "No need to be so polite!" After that, he walked into the hall with light steps. His light steps seemed to carry the wind, and anyone could see that he was in a good mood at the moment.
He sat down on the couch, looked at the chessboard in front of him and said, "Are you playing chess?"
"Yes, Rong'er and I have nothing to do, so we play chess to relieve our boredom."
"Yeah! Not bad, but you won't be bored after a while!"
Shen Meizhuang tried hard to put on a gentle smile: "What do you mean, Your Majesty?"
"I went on an outing today and went to Ganlu Temple to pray. I met Wanpin and she has agreed to let me return to the palace!"
"Really?" An Lingrong and Shen Meizhuang said in unison, with expressions of surprise and joy appearing on their faces.
Yongzheng took in their expressions, and the pride and joy in his heart surged like a spring. He could no longer suppress it, and a smile spread across his face. "Of course it's true. I will take her back to the palace in a few days!"
"Thank you, Your Majesty!" The two men hurriedly knelt down and saluted, their words full of gratitude.
"I know you miss her too, so I came here in person to tell you this good news!"
"I'm very happy!" Shen Meizhuang responded first, her lips curling up slightly as she tried to maintain a look of joy, though the smile never reached her eyes. An Lingrong also nodded in agreement.
Yongzheng looked at Shen Meizhuang again and said, "I will issue an edict tomorrow to restore your authority to assist in managing the six palaces."
"I thank your Majesty, but Rong'er has not been in good health since the last incident. I would like to spend more time caring for her. Moreover, we have two children, so I am afraid I will not be able to do everything in my power." Shen Meizhuang said calmly, "The Empress has always been kind and generous, and all the concubines in the harem respect her. Now that she is well again, I am happy to let her take charge of the harem."
Seeing her refusal, Yongzheng sighed and said, "Well, you've worked hard these days, take a good rest!"
After Yongzheng left, An Lingrong asked curiously, "Sister, I'm almost well again. You don't have to take care of me anymore!"
"Alas, I thought I could take care of you with the power of assisting the six palaces, but in the end, I couldn't resist the emperor's words. What's the point of my hard work in assisting the six palaces? I'm just making wedding clothes for others. I'd rather spend more time with you and the children!"
"Well, what you said makes sense, sister. However, if you lose the power to assist in the management of the six palaces, it will be inconvenient for us to do things. Also, do I have to stop being lazy and go to Jingren Palace to pay my respects every day?"
"It's okay. If you don't want to go, then don't go. Besides, the emperor may not let me rest for long!" Shen Meizhuang said, and sighed again, "Alas, if he wants to give it to me, I have to take it. If he doesn't want to give it to me, I have to return it."
"Sister, you can be lazy in the future. Don't be too perfect. It's so tiring."
"Listen to you!"