Xi Yu stepped into Song Shuwen's clinic again that day.
His eyes swept around and saw that the clinic was in order and everything was going well.
The five apprentices were busy, either studying medical books or pounding medicine and prescriptions. They were all focused and learned very seriously.
Xi Yu nodded slightly, feeling a little relieved.
Song Shuwen looked up and saw Xi Yu, put down the work in his hand, greeted him, and smiled and said, "Prime Minister, why are you free to come here today?"
Xi Yu replied, "I always think about this place in my heart, come and take a look. Now that I see them so dedicated, I feel relieved." After that, the two looked at each other and smiled, and walked together to check the students' learning progress.
When several apprentices saw Xi Yu coming, they stopped their affairs and wanted to salute and say hello.
Xi Yu hurriedly raised his hand and said gently: "No need to be polite, just keep doing your own business."
An apprentice spoke first, with respect in his words: "Prime Minister, what do you have to explain to you here?"
Xi Yu smiled and shook his head: "There is nothing important, just come and see your academic progress casually."
"We dare not slackew in the slightest sense of teaching by the Prime Minister. We must work hard to learn medical skills."
Xi Yu nodded and praised: "It's so good, the road to studying medicine is long, you need to be persistent."
Xi Yu looked around everyone, feeling relieved. After a few words of encouragement, he let them continue to be busy, and he walked aside and started to talk softly.
After Xi Yu came out of the clinic, his mind moved back to the recruitment of female officials mentioned by Wenxuan.
He knew very well that if a woman was able to take on the position of a female official, receiving education was the primary priority.
So he called the soldiers and ordered them to post notices all over the country.
The notice was sincere and strongly advocated that women actively participate in their studies and actively participate in the exams held in the future.
His article reads: "Now that the country is about to prosper, the people need to work together, and women also occupy half of the sky. I hope that all women will break their old thoughts, go to school to seek knowledge, and work hard to learn. When the exam is over, they will show their glory and add color to their home and country."
As soon as this notice came out, it was like a huge rock entering the water, causing ripples everywhere.
Xi Yu sorted out his robe and walked towards Liu Xie's palace.
Along the way, he looked at the familiar scenery on both sides of the palace road and had a lot of thoughts.
Stepping into the palace, Liu Xie was sitting in front of the desk and flipping through the bamboo slips. Hearing the footsteps, Liu Xie raised his head, and a trace of surprise and joy flashed in his eyes: "Xi Yu, you are here."
Xi Yu saluted respectfully: "Your Majesty, I haven't seen you for a long time."
Liu Xie stood up and greeted him in person: "It's been a long time. I'm here today, but what's the important thing?"
Xi Yu stood up straight and said slowly: "Your Majesty, the affairs of the court are becoming more and more complicated. I have been thinking about how to inject more fresh blood into the court. I think that the position of female officials can be opened so that women can also have the opportunity to participate in the government affairs."
Liu Xie was slightly stunned, and then walked and pondered for a moment and said, "A woman is an official, this is unprecedented, and she is afraid that it will cause a lot of criticism."
Xi Yu hurriedly said: "Your Majesty, there are many intelligent and capable women. If they can be trained and appointed, they will be able to share your worries and help the country. Moreover, I have sent people to post notices across the country to encourage women to study and take exams, and women's schools are gradually being built in various places. If this trend can prevail, it will be of great benefit to the country and the people."
Liu Xie stopped, stared at Xi Yu, and after a long time, he nodded gently: "Since that's the case, you can let go, but you need to act cautiously and don't cause turmoil in the morning."
Xi Yu was overjoyed and quickly responded: "I obey the order and will do my best to live up to your Majesty's entrustedness."
Liu Xie smiled and ordered people to put on the chessboard, the chess pieces were settled, and the chess game started.
Xi Yu took the black man first, and the calmness of the past was carried out. Liu Xie was calm and responded freely, while Bai Zi fell lightly, as if it had a deep meaning.
At first, Xi Yu was able to share the same beauty with Liu Xie based on his experience, but after a few rounds, he realized that Liu Xie's chess skills are different from the past.
Liu Xie's layout became more and more exquisite, with each step hidden mystery, and there was a pattern in attack or defense.
Fine sweat beads gradually oozed out of Xi Yu's forehead, and the black figure in his hand also slowed down. He had to think more about the solutions.
Xi Yu was secretly amazed in his heart, thinking about when Liu Xie had practiced his chess skills so well. It seemed that in this palace, Liu Xie had never stopped self-hardening and improving.
Soon, the end of the game, Xi Yu looked at the plate of chess pieces and shook his head helplessly, knowing that he had lost in this game. He raised his head, with a little admiration on his face, and said to Liu Xie: "Your Majesty, your chess skills are getting higher and higher. I am convinced today."
Liu Xie showed a complacent smile on his face, and he waved his hand gently, "Haha, Xi Yu, when I was free in this palace, I often played chess with those little eunuchs. After I played a lot, I naturally figured out some tricks and improved my skills."
After saying that, he signaled the servant to reorganize the chessboard and looked at Xi Yu, as if asking if he would have another game.
Xi Yu bowed slightly and said with a little apology: "Your Majesty, I am afraid that I can no longer play games with you today. I wonder if it is feasible?"
Liu Xie was open-minded and immediately smiled heartily and responded: "Of course it's OK. If you have something to do, just go and do it first."
Xi Yu hurriedly thanked him: "Thank you for your understanding, so I will leave first." After that, he saluted respectfully, then turned around and slowly retreated, leaving only Liu Xie sitting in front of the chessboard as if he was thinking.
After a while, a little eunuch walked over quietly. When he approached Liu Xie, he saluted respectfully, and then spoke carefully: "Your Majesty, I accidentally heard what the Prime Minister and Your Majesty said. The Prime Minister was ready to set up a female official. Then I came to tell Your Majesty. I felt that this move seemed a bit unkind. For such a big thing, I should come in advance to ask Your Majesty what he meant."
When Liu Xie heard the little eunuch's words, his face suddenly sank, his eyes full of displeasure, and he snorted coldly: "Hmph, now I can't control anything in this state affairs. All the matters have been handed over to the Prime Minister to take care of. This was what you said at the beginning. Are you talking about this here now? Is it not that you want to sow discord and shake the trust between me and the Prime Minister?"
When the little eunuch heard this, his face turned pale. He knelt down with a "thump". His body couldn't stop trembling and he hurriedly kowtowed and begged for mercy: "Your Majesty, forgive me, I have no intention of this. I just spoke quickly for a moment, and I said it when I thought about it. Your Majesty, please spare me, I will never dare to do it again."
The little eunuch said and kowtowed, his forehead rumbling on the ground, and he was filled with panic, hoping that Liu Xie would forgive him this time.
Liu Xie looked at the little eunuch kneeling on the ground and shivering, and his anger did not subside.
He stood up, waved his sleeves, turned his back, and said in a cold voice: "I miss you for many years in the palace. I will spare you this time today, but if there is another time, I will definitely forgive you."
The little eunuch was as if he had received a general amnesty and hurriedly thanked him.
"Thank you for your magnanimity. I will remember your Majesty's kindness and will never violate it again." After saying that, he still crawled on the ground and did not dare to get up.
Liu Xie was silent for a long time and slowly sat back to his original position, but his heart was filled with turmoil.
Liu Xie sat there, his eyes seemed to fall on the object in front of him, but his mind was already drifting away.
The words of the little eunuch were like a stone that was thrown into his heart, causing ripples in his originally peaceful heart.
He knew very well that he was on the throne, but he had long been like a puppet, and many state affairs were decided by the Prime Minister. Although it was a situation that was forced by the situation at that time, how could the emperor be willing to be controlled by others?
At this moment, he couldn't help but think carefully, thinking about how to take back his own power little by little in the future, and how to make things in the court more through his own weighing and decisiveness without having too much conflict with the prime minister, and also make himself truly the lord of the world, and no longer just having a false reputation and being at the mercy of others.
After returning to the Prime Minister's Mansion, Xi Yu walked straight into the study room, stepped back from the left and right, sat alone at the desk, frowned, and fell into deep thought.
Although Liu Xie agreed to the constitutional monarchy before, after the long days, Xi Yu knew in his heart that would Liu Xie be willing to maintain this state?
After all, he is the king of a country, so how could he have no idea in his heart?
That appropriate metaphor appeared in Xi Yu's mind, just like a person who has been poor and has been used to poor days, and he doesn't think anything is wrong. But by chance, he suddenly became rich overnight, and he was full of joy and thought that he could change his destiny and enjoy everything that wealth brought.
However, later I realized that this wealth did not belong to me at all, and was just a temporary management.
When we have to hand over the wealth, everything returns to its former balance, but how can this person easily balance it in his heart?
Liu Xie's current situation is not the same. From an emperor who originally controlled the world's major affairs to gradually leaving only a name and losing power, although it seems that they are peaceful now, they may not be calm in the future.
Xi Yu sighed. He knew that in the future, he would have to be more cautious and considerate in dealing with the government and getting along with Liu Xie. He would never let the situation that he had finally maintained easily appear cracks.
Xi Yu sat at the desk, tapping his fingers gently on the table, his eyes showing a little hesitation and thought.
A thought arose in his mind, thinking about whether to arrange a secret guard secretly to follow Liu Xie, so as to always know Liu Xie's every move and see what kind of thoughts and actions he will have in the future.
But as soon as this thought arose, Xi Yu couldn't help but shake his head with a self-deprecating feeling, thinking to himself whether this was a bit too much. After all, although Liu Xie does not have much actual power now, he is still the king of a country. If he does this himself, if he is discovered, it will completely destroy the already subtle trust between each other.
And if you think about it carefully, even if Liu Xie had some thoughts in his mind, in the current situation, many affairs inside and outside the court were under control. How big a storm can he cause? I'm afraid it's just a matter of increasing worries.
Forget it, Xi Yu finally gave up this idea and decided to face Liu Xie with honesty, relying on subsequent communication and cooperation to stabilize the court situation and ensure that everything can develop smoothly as planned.
The thief Zhao Qiang was sitting in the bumpy carriage at this time, and the carriage continued to move forward along the muddy road.
His eyes looked out of the car window from time to time with vigilant eyes, and his fingers were uneasy and twisting the corners of his clothes.
The sky was getting darker and dark clouds rolled in. After a while, raindrops as big as beans fell and hit the roof of the carriage, making a dull sound.
The rain became heavier and heavier, the road became more and more difficult, and the speed of the carriage slowed down.
I happened to arrive at a small town, and the night was completely covered.
Zhao Qiang and the coachman decided to go to the inn in the town for a while.
The two rushed into the inn in the rain, and the rain flowed down their clothes and gathered into a small stream of water under their feet.
The inn was brightly lit, and the warm breath was in sharp contrast with the cold and dampness outside. Zhao Qiang breathed a sigh of relief, but he still did not forget to secretly observe the crowd entering and leaving the inn.
Zhao Qiang walked into the inn room and quickly took out the letter hidden in his arms carefully. After carefully checking it, he found a hidden corner to hide it properly.
In the past, when he was in a complicated place, his restless hand would habitually reach out to other people's property and do something stealing.
Today in this inn, he felt that there was an opportunity to take advantage of it, and his eyes were quietly visiting the crowd, looking for suitable targets.
However, just as he was about to take action, a thought suddenly flashed in his mind and changed his mind temporarily.
He thought to himself that if this letter could be delivered to the Prime Minister successfully, the Prime Minister would definitely give him a generous reward. In this way, he could get money openly, so why should he take the risk to steal?
Thinking of this, there was a little more anticipation and determination in his eyes, and he only hoped to arrive at his destination as soon as possible.
Zhao Qiang never expected that after he set out on the road the next day, he would encounter a robber.
The carriage walked to a remote place, surrounded by weeds and rugged rocks.
Suddenly, several burly men rushed out of the woods beside the road, holding long swords and sticks, blocking the way of the carriage.
The robber in the lead shouted viciously: "I opened this road, and I planted this tree. If you want to pass by it from now on, leave it to buy wealth!"
The coachman hurriedly pleaded: "Dear masters, I am just a driver of the car. I earn hard money and I really don't have much money."
But the robbers ignored it, and one of them said impatiently: "Stop talking nonsense, get off my carriage, and the passengers are coming down, we want to search!"
Zhao Qiang was shocked. He tightly covered the part where the letter was hidden, and his face turned pale.
He knew very well that if this letter was searched by the robbers, not only would his dream of getting rich would be shattered, but it might also cause death.
The coachman looked at Zhao Qiang helplessly and slowly got off the car. Zhao Qiang could only get off the car with his teeth, staring at the robbers' every move with vigilant eyes, his brain was running rapidly, thinking about how to save the letter and escape the disaster.
The robbers rudely searched Zhao Qiang and the coachman, and soon plundered all the coins on them.
The coachman was full of sorrow and pleaded with courage to plead with the robbers: "Dear men, we still have to rush our way. Let us leave some for us, otherwise we will not be able to survive the road."
After hearing this, the robbers looked at each other and actually threw a few coins on the ground.
But when they found Zhao Qiang, they found the letter.
Seeing this, Zhao Qiang was anxious and shouted: "This letter is very important to me. You can take all the money away, just want to leave the letter!"
The robbers were unmoved, and the robber in the lead sneered: "Hmph, important? In my eyes, this may be a valuable treasure, don't try to get away with it."
As he said that, he wanted to take the letter away.
Zhao Qiang held the letter tightly, his eyes full of determination. He knew that once the letter fell into the hands of the robbers, the consequences would be unimaginable.
When several robbers saw that Zhao Qiang dared to resist, one of the robbers with a hot temper kicked Zhao Qiang violently, and Zhao Qiang staggered and fell to the ground.
The robbers took the opportunity to grab the letter and turned around and left.
Zhao Qiang struggled to get up and shouted loudly: "This is a letter, not a valuable thing. What's the use of taking it away? But it is really important to me!"
However, the robbers ignored his shouting at all, thinking that the letter might hide some secrets, and they might gain greater benefits from it.
At this time, Zhao Qiang was anxious and didn't care about the fact that there was gold under the man's knees. He knelt on the ground with a "thump", folded his hands together, begging the robbers: "Masters, please return the letter to me. This letter is more important to me than life!"
The coachman also said, "Dear men, this letter looks ordinary and is indeed worth a lot of money. I'll pity him and return the letter."
However, the robbers just burst into laughter. The robber shook the letter in his hand and said jokingly: "You are so gentle. Who knows if there is any shocking secret hidden in this letter? Maybe it will make us rich!"
Seeing that the robber was about to leave, Zhao Qiang suddenly had an idea and stood up and said loudly: "If you take away the letter, you will bear the consequences! Do you know who this letter is to be given to? It is the Prime Minister! If you don't believe it, you can take it apart and look at it."
When several robbers heard this, they exchanged glances with each other, and couldn't help but hesitate.
Although they were robbers, they also knew that the Prime Minister was in great power in the court. If he rashly robbed the letters related to military information as this boy said, he would probably cause big trouble.
Zhao Qiang looked at the reaction of the robbers and felt secretly glad in his heart. At the same time, he silently prayed that the contents of the letter would be as he expected, with the clear title or relevant information of the prime minister so that the robbers could retreat and return the letter to him.
At this time, a kidnapper frowned, stared at Zhao Qiang, and shouted boldly: "Hmph, don't scare people with such things, who knows if you are talking nonsense here!"
Zhao Qiang just sneered, with a little confidence in his eyes, and responded: "I don't believe you can just take it apart. I have already reminded you. What kind of disaster will happen at that time? Don't blame me for not saying hello in advance."
After hearing this, the kidnapper muttered in his heart. He held the letter in his hand and hesitated for a moment, wondering whether he should open it and find out.
Chapter completed!