"Hahaha. Do you find it strange? Do you want to know why I am suddenly so happy?”The Emperor saw the puzzled looks of the officials and teased.
"We are stupid, please tell us, Emperor!”All the officials said respectfully. At this time, the Empress who was always decent and generous beside the Emperor was also piqued. She gently pulled the Emperor's clothes and said,"Emperor, don't keep me in suspense. Quickly tell ChenQie what this means! What was so special about a bucket of ginger? Our palace has as many as we want!”The Emperor couldn't stand the Empress 'coquettishness and finally smiled,"Alright, alright. Zixun, you're the one who gave it to me. It's better for you to explain the meaning behind it!”Hearing this, Zhang Zixun covered her mouth and smiled. She bowed to the Emperor and Empress and turned to the ministers."Milords, may I ask what this is?”She pointed at Jiang beside her. Wasn't this nonsense? Wasn't it just a bucket of ginger? Who didn't know him! What was this little girl playing at?
"Everyone, answer according to Zixun's instructions.”Since the Emperor had spoken, everyone naturally did not dare to disobey. They said in unison,"This is a bucket of ginger."
"What if we add this?" As Zhang Zixun spoke, she gestured for Qing 'Er to light up the small fireworks that she had prepared beforehand. With a bang, fireworks exploded in the sky. The most surprising thing was that the fireworks in the sky actually showed the map of the Stellarsky Continent. It was like a miniature Stellarsky Continent. Everyone clicked their tongues in wonder. "Now, you should know what it means, right?" Zhang Zixun asked.”Everyone thought for a while, and finally, someone reacted and said with an expression of realization,"I know. This is the Mountain and River Diagram of the Stellarsky Continent. A bucket of Jiangshan!" The ministers finally understood. However, these people were all old foxes who had been in the officialdom for many years. They knew when to flatter appropriately. Therefore, everyone immediately knelt down and shouted,"Long live the Emperor! I wish the emperor to unite the Heavenly Star and rule the country!”
"Haha, I'm not sure. Alright. Unify the country! Today, I am very happy, especially because of the surprises that Prime Minister Zhang's daughter Zixun has brought me.”Zhang Zixun looked at the Emperor's happy expression and knew that she had caught this point today. Whether it was ancient times or modern times, as a ruler, he would never complain about having too much power. Power was always the most tempting thing. When Zhang Zixun first saw the emperor's eyes, she knew that this person's ambition was definitely not limited to a small country like Ziyue Kingdom. The world was his true goal. So, just in case, Zhang Zixun had used a spell to instruct Qing 'Er to prepare according to her instructions. Ginger and fireworks were all made by Qing 'er in a hurry.
"Zixun, your performance made me the happiest today. Tell me, what reward do you want? Just say it! Zhen can afford anything!" Zhang Zixun fell silent. She didn't want anything, but the Emperor was always temperamental. She had already rejected him once. If she rejected him again, the Emperor would feel embarrassed. At that time, she and her father, Prime Minister Zhang, would suffer. So after a moment, she decided to do something for her nominal father. She raised her head and said respectfully,"Thank you for your reward, Your Majesty, but I really don't need anything." How about this, I have a request that I hope the emperor can agree to.”
"Oh? What request? Tell me." Zhang Zixun glanced at Premier Zhang from the corner of her eye and took a deep breath."I hope the emperor can promise me that my father, the prime minister, will act like a prime minister. It meant that since my father was the prime minister, he should have the real power of the prime minister. He couldn't bully anyone in the court, at least those who were of a lower rank than him. Oh no, even if he was higher than him, he had to treat my father respectfully. He couldn't say whatever he wanted. Only then would he be considered a true Prime Minister!”
"What do you mean? Could it be that I intend to weaken Zhang Heng's power? Saying that the Prime Minister was just a title and had no actual power? How audacious! How dare you!" The Emperor was immediately enraged when he heard this. He slapped his throne with both hands and stood up abruptly. He glared at Zhang Zixun as if he wanted to execute her immediately. Seeing the Emperor suddenly fly into a rage, the hearts of all the officials thumped. Immediately, they knelt down and said,"Emperor, please calm down!" This time, the Prime Minister was so scared that he broke out in a cold sweat."How can this unfilial daughter say such disrespectful words? Isn't she tired of living?”Looking at the officials, they were also whispering to each other. Some felt sorry for the Prime Minister, some were gloating, and some were watching the show coldly. Especially Li Ruonan and her daughter. They looked like they were pleading for mercy, but they were actually overjoyed."Like I said, you won't be proud for long. How is it now?" She looked at Zhang Zixun viciously and thought to herself.
"Emperor, please forgive this little daughter's ignorance. This old minister was unable to discipline her properly and said such disrespectful words. I'll definitely discipline him strictly when I get back!”The Prime Minister finally couldn't wait to plead for mercy.
"Lord Prime Minister, this is not something that can be settled with just a sentence of lack of discipline. This is a crime of great disrespect and you will be beheaded!”At this moment, a male voice suddenly sounded. His words added fuel to the fire. The Emperor's face had already turned ashen. The Prime Minister turned around and saw that this person was none other than Lord Li from the Ministry of Revenue, who had always been at odds with the Prime Minister. He was also Li Ruonan's father, Li Hun.
"You." He added fuel to the fire, and the Prime Minister was instantly furious. Zhang Zixun looked at the current situation and could not help but sigh."Sigh. This was the royal family. As the saying went, accompanying the monarch was like accompanying a tiger. Emperors were all so temperamental and wanted to kill people at the drop of a hat.”
"Imperial Father, please listen to your son." The Fourth Prince walked forward and bowed to the Emperor.
"What are you trying to say?"
"Father, I just want to say that since Miss Zhang can make such a request, she must have her reasons. Why don't Father listen to her before making a conclusion?”Hearing this, the Emperor's expression eased a little and he said in a low voice,"When did I say I wanted to convict her?”Premier Zhang heaved a sigh of relief and gave the Fourth Prince a grateful look. The Fourth Prince looked at Zhang Zixun, who was kneeling on the ground, with a complicated gaze and returned to his seat.
"What did you mean by that? Finish it." At this moment, the Emperor's expression had already returned to normal as he spoke to Zhang Zixun. After the incident just now, Miss Zhang still looked up at the Emperor and calmly said,""This official's daughter's meaning is that she wants my father, the prime minister, to act like a prime minister. From the moment he started to understand, he knew that his father was not satisfied with being the Prime Minister. He was honest and did not want to associate with some people in the court, so he was ostracized everywhere. Does he still look like a prime minister?"
"Daughter, shut up. Don't say anymore!”The Prime Minister tried to stop her from continuing, but the Emperor shouted,""Let her continue!" The Prime Minister did not dare to say anything else. Zhang Zixun was still extraordinarily calm as she said,"So I beg the emperor, you are a wise ruler (should be Kang Xi), can't you have a loyal minister by your side? It is the prosperity of the country to be close to virtuous ministers and alienate villains.”
"Emperor, I don't care if you kill me today, but since ancient times, honest advice is unpleasant to the ear.”Silence. Everyone fell silent. At this moment, there was almost no sound. After an unknown amount of time. Zhang Zixun felt her legs go numb from kneeling. Suddenly, the Emperor laughed and said,"Good." As expected of the Prime Minister's daughter, she had guts! I promise you today!" This sudden sentence shocked everyone. However, the Prime Minister knew that he had escaped this calamity today. The emperor was like this. The life and death of others were in his hands. Tonight, Premier Zhang felt like he was on a roller coaster. Even now, he was still in shock. The Emperor stood up and gestured for Zhang Zixun to stand up as well. Then, he announced,"Zhang Heng, come forward and receive the decree."
"Your subject is here!" Zhang Heng immediately stepped forward.
"Zhen doesn't have time to draft an imperial edict. From today onwards, Zhang Heng will still be the current Prime Minister, but I will give you a special privilege. Other than me, anyone else who sees you must kneel and salute. Of course, this was only limited to the ministers. As long as you are an official in our dynasty, regardless of whether your rank is higher or lower than Zhang Heng, you must treat him with courtesy. If there are any violators, they will be punished for deceiving the emperor. From now on, as long as Prime Minister Zhang finds any corrupt officials in our dynasty, he can act first and report later. This is the full strength I give you. No one is allowed to disobey. In the future, Prime Minister Zhang can disobey anyone except me. Listen carefully, I'm talking about anyone! Alright, get up."
"Thank you, Emperor!" Premier Zhang stood up excitedly and almost lost his balance. Fortunately, Zhang Zixun caught him in time and prevented the awkward scene from happening. He could not be blamed for this. One had to know how significant the Emperor's words were. From then on, Zhang Heng could almost do whatever he wanted in the court. He was only below the Emperor. What kind of power was this!
"Father, now that the emperor has made a promise, I hope that you can do your best to benefit the people in the future. Don't let your daughter down!”Zhang Zixun whispered into Premier Zhang's ear.
"You scared me to death today!”Premier Zhang scolded.
"Zixun, are you satisfied now?”The Emperor asked with a smile. Zhang Zixun smiled sweetly and bowed."This official's daughter thanks the emperor for the reward!" This action immediately stunned the somewhat lecherous emperor. Premier Zhang knew that something was wrong and interrupted,""Your Majesty, Your Majesty, Your Majesty."
"Oh, Zhang Heng, you really gave birth to a good daughter!”The Emperor patted Zhang Heng's shoulder casually and said,""You two go back to your seats first."
"Yes, Your Majesty." At this moment, the Emperor sat back on the dragon throne. However, there was a surging undercurrent below. When Li Hun and his daughter, Li Ruonan, saw Zhang Zixun and Zhang Heng walking down in the limelight, they immediately gritted their teeth and widened their eyes. It was just that after the Emperor's words, they didn't dare to do anything to Zhang Heng and could only endure it.
"Father, what should we do? Are we just going to let them be arrogant?" Li Ruonan said indignantly.
"Hmph, just wait and see. Let's see how long you can be arrogant for. Don't think that you can do whatever you want just because you have the emperor's support.”Li Hun said coldly. At the same time, the father-daughter pair revealed a terrifying smile.
On the other side, Zhang Zixun was not in the mood to care about what others were thinking. She had originally planned to keep a low profile and get away with it. Who knew that she would become a person in the limelight by accident? This was going to be troublesome.
"Miss, what should we do next?”Qing 'Er asked softly as she returned to her seat. Even she had been tormented miserably today. After receiving the order from the young miss through telepathy, she had worked hard for more than half a day before she was ready. Now that she was no longer a god, it made her back ache. Now, she was almost beheaded!
"Sigh. I don't know. I just hope to go home and sleep. This place is really not very good." Zhang Zixun said helplessly.
"Zixun, what's wrong?" At this moment, Zhao Zeyi's voice came from behind. When Zhang Zixun turned around, the former was already in front of him,""Your performance today really made me look at you in a new light! I didn't expect you to sing so well. Also, you actually dared to make such a request to my Imperial Father in person, and you weren't afraid at all when facing him. I really admire you!”The Fourth Prince said with heartfelt admiration. Zhang Zixun shook her head with a bitter smile. If she had not been impulsive and wanted to compete with Li Ruonan, she would not have become the center of attention now. He originally wanted to avoid getting involved with the Imperial Palace, but now…
"Fourth Prince, don't laugh at me.”Just as they were about to say something, the Emperor's voice suddenly rang out,"Everyone, it's already late tonight. Let's end the banquet here! Zhen is very happy!"
"Thank you, Emperor!" After thanking them, everyone left one after another. Zhang Zixun finally heaved a sigh of relief.
"It's finally over. We can go home!”However, she did not expect that things were not as simple as she thought. After Zhang Zixun bid farewell to the Fourth Prince, she prepared to return to the Prime Minister's Estate with her father. At this moment, a palace maid ran over and stopped Zhang Zixun. "Miss Zhang, the Emperor has issued an edict saying that you have contributed a great deal tonight and have been specially granted a night's stay in the palace." The emperor also said that it was already late and asked the young miss not to decline, otherwise it would be defying the imperial edict!”What a combination of carrot and stick! Zhang Zixun didn't know whether to laugh or cry. He didn't want to have anything to do with the Imperial Palace, but now he couldn't get away. But she still wanted to give it a try.”
"Young miss, don't make things difficult for this servant! The emperor said that if miss doesn't stay, then this servant will be guilty of dereliction of duty and die! I beg Young Lady not to make things difficult for this servant!" As she spoke, she knelt down, her eyes filled with tears. Zhang Zixun was depressed! How could there be such an overbearing emperor? He would die if he couldn't complete his orders. What was going on?
"Alright, alright, I promise you. You can get up first.”Zhang Zixun helped the palace maid up and looked at Zhang Heng and Qing 'er helplessly. "Xun Er, since this is the case, the emperor's orders cannot be disobeyed. You should stay." Premier Zhang said worriedly. However, the palace was different from home. He had to be careful!”In fact, Premier Zhang was also feeling uneasy. From the way the Emperor looked at his daughter, he seemed to feel that something was wrong. Now that he wanted his daughter to stay over, he hoped that he was overthinking.
"Qing `er, you stay here with the young miss. It will be easier to take care of her.”Zhang Heng ordered.
"Yes, Master." The Green Girl also had the same intention.
"Alright, then I'll go back first. Remember, be careful!"
"I know, Father." Zhang Zixun replied. Watching Zhang Heng leave, Zhang Zixun sighed softly,""I hope everything will be over soon.”
"Miss, the maidservant will bring you to a place to rest.”the palace maid said. Without waiting for a reply, he had already led the way. Zhang Zixun and Qing 'Er looked at each other, shook their heads helplessly, and followed. After passing through one long corridor after another, Zhang Zixun finally saw a quiet attic in front of her. The palace maid stopped in her tracks."Young miss, this is the place. This servant will take her leave first. The water for the bath will be delivered later." Zhang Zixun replied with a smile. She pushed the door open and entered. What appeared in front of her was not a magnificent palace, but a quiet and comfortable room. This place was full of elegance. Above the door, the three big words "Yu Lan Ju" made this place even more poetic.
"It's quite poetic!" Zhang Zixun could not help but praise.
"Miss, are we really going to rest here tonight?”The Green Girl looked around and felt that it was not bad.
"What else can I do? They were already here. Since you're here, let's take it as it is." Then, he lay down on the comfortable bed and stopped talking.
"Miss, you still need to bathe! Miss, Miss. This young lady was really fast. She fell asleep the moment she fell.”Qing 'Er had no choice but to cover her with a blanket and settle everything. Miss is tired enough today. Let her have a good sleep.
He did not know how much time had passed, but he knew that it was already late at night. Qing 'Er was woken up from her sleep. When she opened her eyes, she saw that it was the palace maid who had led the way for them just now.
"What's the matter?" Qing `er asked in a daze.
"Young Lady's bath soup is ready, this servant will go down first.”With that, he left.
"What's wrong with this person! Why are you taking a shower so late at night? Really!"
This book comes from：m.funovel.com。