The fleet moved south and blocked the entire canal, making it impossible for commercial ships to pass.
Fortunately, water transportation was changed to sea transportation, which only delayed merchants and did not involve food.
Through the window, a pair of villains chattered.
"This boat is so small, not half as big as ours..."
"Hehe, this boat is so fun, and it even has a flag!"
"Is there any fish in this river? Father, can we fish?"
The twins were lying on the emperor's couch, extremely curious about the canal scenery outside the window.
The boats, people, docks, buildings, and even the turbid river water all surprised them.
The older one is called Yu'er and the younger one is called Jue'er. One is wearing a blue and white underskirt, and the other is wearing a blue and green underskirt. They are wearing Nezha pigtails, pouting, holding Zhu Yixi's hands, coquettishly, Want to fish.
Zhu Yixi couldn't laugh or cry: "There are no fish in this canal."
"Father, you're talking nonsense." Yu'er said with disbelief: "The river is so long and there is so much water. There must be fish. We can catch fish in the mountains and under the house, so we can definitely do it here."
"Yes, yes!" Jue'er agreed and echoed her sister.
"Houses in the mountains are originally built on the water, but there are no fish in the canals because the boatmen have caught them all."
Zhu Yixi started to tell lies: "Look, there are so many boats, even if one person catches one, they will be fished out no matter what, right?"
"Ah?" My sister Yu'er opened her mouth and looked like she was about to cry: "All the fish have been caught, and Yu'er has no fish to eat."
"Jue'er has no fish left!"
Just like that, the two villains dropped their pearls and burst into tears. Seeing the battle getting bigger and bigger, Zhu Yixi had no choice but to say:
"Don't cry, don't cry. When we get to Jinan City, my father will take you to the city to see the bubbling spring water. The gurgling water will not stop!"
"Let's fish together then."
"Okay!" My sister Yu'er hadn't said anything yet, but my sister Jue'er immediately changed her mind and cheered: "There are so many bubbles in the spring water, it must be the fish inside that are blowing."
"There will definitely be a lot of fish to eat then."
"I want to eat grilled fish!"
"Steamed fish is delicious!" Sister Yu'er immediately reacted, raised her hand and said: "Grilled fish is not delicious!"
"No, I want to eat grilled fish." My sister Jue'er said unconvinced.
With that said, the two of them crossed their waists and began to quarrel mouth to mouth, biting up all the air on the opposite side, causing them to suffocate and collapse.
Zhu Yixi watched the two sisters' quarrel with interest, but did not interfere.
Because he knew that once he got involved, the conflict would escalate.
"Master, this is Laiyang pear."
At this time, Liu Afu handed over a plate of small fruits, which immediately attracted the attention of the two sisters.
"Is your mouth dry? Eat some fruit, it's very sweet!"
Zhu Yixi looked at the two of them with longing faces and greeted them quickly.
The two sisters were forgetful very quickly, so they ran over to eat pears holding hands, holding them in both hands, nibbling them close together, and their little faces were all sticky.
Zhu Yixi laughed at this, and then started reading the memorial.
Although he was far away in Shandong, the cabinet draft came along the canal. Even if the queen approved it, he would read it again.
Governing the country must be rigorous.
Now the lunar calendar is in May, but the solar calendar is in June. The news from Russia finally arrived in front of the emperor after thousands of miles of transportation.
Russia and Poland ceased war.
On January 30, 1667 AD, representatives of Russia and Poland signed an armistice agreement at Androsovo near Smolensk:
Parts of Ukraine and Belarus on the left bank of the Dnieper River and Smolensk and other provinces belonged to Russia.
Ukraine and part of Belarus on the right bank of the Dnieper River still belong to Poland.
The Russo-Polish War ended.
The Cossacks launched a great uprising, which benefited the Russians.
However, the Kingdom of Poland-Lithuania is still strong, and the Russians will not solve it in a day.
At the same time, news came from Europe that the Second Anglo-Dutch War was in full swing, but England had been exposed.
European countries have reached a consensus that the two countries will inevitably reach an agreement this year.
Because this war lasted for nearly three years, it can be said that both sides suffered losses.
The Netherlands, supported by France and Denmark, has already shown signs of victory.
Funny to say, what will end this war is not victory or defeat, but natural disasters.
The first was the Black Death, which ravaged London, killing and injuring tens of thousands of people, and almost reducing the East End to empty space.
Secondly, there was the Great Fire of London.
On September 10, 1666, a rare fire came to London. It burned for 4 days and 4 nights, destroying 2/3 of the city of London, and causing economic losses of more than 800 to 10 million pounds (note: the economic losses have exceeded 20 million pounds). After the first war with the Netherlands), Britain was unable to fight anymore. Starting from January 1667, it continued to contact the Dutch in the hope of conducting peace negotiations.
It can be said that even if England still wants to fight again, its finances no longer allow it to mess around.
"Peace comes to Europe?"
Zhu Yixi laughed dumbly.
It is indeed a strange thing that both Eastern and Western Europe should armistice in the same year.
However, through two Anglo-Dutch wars, Zhu Yixi smelled the key news:
The Netherlands, which is at its peak, is about to face the loss of its hegemony.
The British surrender was just a temporary way to recharge their batteries.
As long as the British navy exists, it will not stop provoking the Netherlands.
At the same time, Louis XIV, the hero, had reached adulthood and began to seek hegemony over Western Europe, and the Netherlands was the stumbling block.
At the same time, facing provocations from Britain and France, Zhu Yixi expressed pessimism about the prospects of the Netherlands.
There is Britain at sea and France on land. They are flanked by the two. How can the Netherlands, with a population of less than one million, persevere?
“The East Indies are just around the corner too.”
Zhu Yixi showed a happy smile.
The Dutch East India Company, tens of thousands of troops, and a huge navy roamed the world. Even the Ming Dynasty did not want to provoke them.
Once the mother country suffered a heavy blow, the Dutch East India Company would be rootless.
When we arrived at Jinan Prefecture, it was already May 21, and the entire fleet traveled fifty miles a day, taking our time.
As usual, everyone in Jinan knelt down by the canal to welcome him.
Zhu Yixi fulfilled her promise and took the two little sisters to Jinan City.
Before this, the entire Jinan City had already been busy.
The filial sons, filial daughters, chaste wives, chaste maidens, royal wives, and others from the province who had received imperial honors in the past few years also arrived in Jinan in order to prepare for the meeting.
Filial sons, filial friends, and filial integrity are registered one by one by officials from the Ministry of Rites, and then officials from the Protocol Department are responsible for teaching everyone how to perform rituals in front of the emperor.
As for the women with different statuses, the eunuchs and aunts sent by the inner court were responsible for teaching them how to walk when meeting the concubines.
"Now that the Queen is in the capital, the concubines you have met are the noble concubines, so you must not neglect them..."
Aunt Li is in her fifties, wearing a fairly close-fitting skirt, with gray hair, a rosy complexion, her head held high, her face full of majesty, and the wrinkles on her face look like a list of her merits.
At this time, she walked around and said loudly, "Don't be afraid, everyone, wait for me to take a look, the appearance must be correct!"
She spoke in a crisp Beijing style, but her speech was deliberately slowed down so that everyone could understand her.
Aunt Li walked in front of the girls one by one. Her eyes were very sharp and her eyes were everywhere. Yan Yao stood up and argued. When she felt uncomfortable, she would tug on the person's clothes:
"Your clothes are too gorgeous. This is not about choosing a concubine. Although you should pay attention to your appearance, the more expensive the clothes, the better!"
She sniffed and seemed to smell the smell of copper.
The woman's face was filled with shame.
However, in a blink of an eye, she stuffed a stack of banknotes into her arms, changed her clothes, and returned to the team again.
Immediately, a few ugly ones were also screened out.
Then, eight outstanding women were selected.
Each of them has fine white skin, picturesque eyebrows, elegant expressions, and each has its own style. At a glance, I am fascinated by the five colors and can't tell which one is more beautiful.
Qi Qin was also one of them, and she felt something was wrong.
Isn't this an audience with the imperial concubine? Why choose looks?
For these eight people, Aunt Li not only looked at them, but also touched them with her hands, touching their skin and hair. Then she held their hands, inspected them repeatedly, and finally said, "Please sit down and bring some tea."
The deacon's aunt personally brought tea and sat with them to chat. Aunt Li asked Qi Qin:
"Your surname?"
"My mother's surname is Qin, and my husband's surname is Qi."
"Listening to you, you sound like you have a southern accent. Where are you from?"
"Yangzhou native."
"How many years have you been married in this province?" Qi Qin was a little hesitant, but still reported truthfully.
"Five years."
"Your hands are so thin and white. You can tell from a good family." Aunt Li asked.
"Your husband is gone? When did he pass away? Who else is there in your family?"
"Yes, my late husband passed away before I came into the slave family. He has a sister-in-law who is just nine years old this year."
Qi Qin couldn't help but feel a little sad when she said this.
My fiancé has been in poor health since he was a child. The key is that my parents-in-law are also in poor health.
Before she got married, her fiancé passed away. Within two years of her marriage, her parents-in-law passed away one after another because they missed her son so much. It was really tragic.
There was no other way. As a daughter-in-law, she had to shoulder the responsibility to carry on the business and continue the business. She could not let the lintel fall down and become dilapidated.
At the same time, he raised his sister-in-law and married her in a glorious way.
Therefore, as usual, she had to adopt a child from the clan, inherit her husband's legacy, and raise him as an adult.
Her family and her natal family were very powerful, so they naturally applied for a chaste wife plaque for her.
But this doesn't completely bind her, so don't even think about remarrying.
Aunt Li smiled: "In that case, you are still a virgin."
For some reason, Qi Qin always felt that there was something in her words, and her smile made her feel panicked.
Qi Qin blushed, nodded and replied, "Yes."
Aunt Li stopped asking any more questions and turned around to ask the people next to her. She asked them one by one. She knew everyone's net worth well before she spoke:
"Everyone, don't move. Let me look at your feet."
After saying this, all the girls involuntarily retracted their feet, hiding them deeper and deeper within their skirts.
Aunt Li smiled even more satisfied.
All ladies attach great importance to a pair of feet, and protect them extremely closely. They pay attention to sitting without showing their toes, listening to themselves, and hiding their feet behind them. This is a clear proof of their dignified behavior.
She said this deliberately as a test, and the results of the test were undoubtedly satisfactory.
This group of temperate women is obviously the same on the outside, and there is no such thing as sluttishness.
"In the future, when ladies from all families come to the Queen's presence, I hope that you can still have such a regular etiquette. Don't speak lightly without asking the Queen."
As she spoke, she glanced at Qi Qin and left with a smile on her lips.
Qi Qin became more and more panicked: Why are you just looking at me?
Two days later, the emperor summoned the filial sons, filial friends, and filial incorruptibles in the province who had honored the imperial court;
On the day when the imperial concubine summons chaste women and martyr women, everyone gets up early in the morning, puts on their clothes, and goes to the garden gate early to wait for duty.
The others just paid it off, but Qi Qin had other feelings.
Forced by the situation, we had no choice but to give it up. After decorating it, it became the place where Emperor Xi Xing stayed.
The government has already sent people to contact her and the clan. When the emperor returns to Luan in the future, the garden will not be handed back to the Cao family, but will be used as an official school of Jinan Prefecture.
But even if there is a little money from the Ministry of Internal Affairs, what use can it be used?
This is the ancestral home!
It's simply too much of a lie.
The Ministry of Internal Affairs has a back-up car, and the girls from various families are accommodated in it, so they don't have to worry about the hardships, but sitting in the car, staring at each other in silence, is not an easy experience.
After waiting for more than 4 hours, I saw a figure flashing at the gate of the garden. It seemed that an official from the Ministry of Rites came out according to the order and called everyone into the garden to have an audience.
The girls entered the pavilion, and in the bright light, six or seven women in grand attire were sitting upright, looking at several people.
Qi Qin remembered the rules taught by Aunt Li and did not dare to look too much when she entered the door. She knelt down on the worship mat placed at the door and said, "Women of the common people, please bow to the imperial concubine. She will live a thousand years, a thousand years, a thousand years."
After performing the ceremonial ceremony of kneeling three times and kowtowing nine times, the ladies slowly stepped forward and knelt down on the worship mat, waiting for the concubine to inquire.
The imperial concubine Miaoxian has always been cold-tempered and kind-hearted. Seeing these women wearing long gowns with long sleeves and heavy hairpins, and having difficulty moving, she felt pity for them:
"Everyone, get up and talk."
She looked at the girls with a smile, but when she glanced at Qi Qin, her face was moved.
What a beautiful woman.
His beautiful face and extraordinary demeanor are very different from the ordinary.
Her skin was snow-white, her beautiful eyes were gleaming, her lips were as delicate as petals, as if she had applied a layer of elegant lip gloss, and her cheeks were pink and smooth, like a 28-year-old girl, but with the temperament of a young woman.
There is even a hint of elegance in it.
Even though Miao Xian has always been elegant, he was still surprised by it:
What if the emperor saw him later?
…
At this time, the Jinan government office, the governor of Shandong and the minister of the internal affairs, Wang He, were drinking tea and listening to music, and they had a special feeling in their hearts.
"Brother Wang, is this really possible?" The Shandong governor's mouth was filled with distaste.
Good guy, presenting a beautiful woman to the emperor would have ruined your reputation in the past!
If Shilin knew about it, his official career would be over.
"Don't worry!" Wang He said with a faint smile: "If you are worried, I will say that I did it alone."
"That's not necessary! We'll all share the same responsibility!" the governor said hurriedly.
(End of chapter)
