next day
Hearing the chirping of birds outside, Gu Qi opened his eyes, and the warm sunshine shone in.
The room was very quiet. Gu Qi got up, put on her coat, and looked inside. Yuan Zhe was not in bed.
After washing up, when he was going out to pour water, he saw Yuan Zhe walking back along the gravel road.
"I didn't get up until I knew you were here, so I brought you some dumplings." Yuan Zhe raised the food box in his hand and waved it in front of Gu Qi's eyes.
Gu Qi smiled and put the basin aside and reached out to take the food box.
"how is the taste?"
With dumplings stuffed in his mouth, he couldn't speak, so he just pointed his thumb at Yuan Zhe.
Suddenly I found that he was very different today. In the past, he had a few strands of hair loose, but today he was neatly combed.
Huh? The wooden hairpin on Yuan Zhe's head looks so familiar.
"Your Highness!" Gu Qiyi was anxious, and the crumbs of rice spurted out from his mouth.
Yuan Zhe, with quick eyes and quick hands, covered his face with a fan and looked at Gu Qi with disgust.
Gu Qi stamped her feet anxiously and pointed to the wooden hairpin on his head: "Why do you have this in your hand?"
Yuan Zhe raised his hand and touched the wooden hairpin on his head, and said with a smile: "When I woke up this morning, I saw you were still sleeping soundly. There was a box in my hand. I took it out and saw that it was a wooden hairpin. Although I have the same identity as the king, It’s not worthy, but it’s also exquisite, so I reluctantly accepted it.”
"I...that's me...mine."
Gu Qi's voice became smaller and smaller, and she didn't know how to explain to him.
Yuanzhe looked over and asked, "What? What are you talking about?"
Gu Qi smiled awkwardly: "It's nothing, as long as His Highness doesn't dislike it."
I’ll explain it to Yan Churong later, alas.
"Master Pei."
It seemed to be Wei Li's voice.
Gu Qi came out and saw Wei Li standing in the courtyard.
"Eunuch Wei, happy New Year."
Wei Li smiled and replied: "Happy New Year, Mr. Pei. Your Majesty is waiting for you in the imperial study. He said that he wants to take a look at your detailed water control strategy. Please pack up and follow me there."
Gu Qi wiped her mouth with her hand and said with a smile, "Okay, please wait for me."
Turn around and go into the house and take down the roll hanging on the wall.
He followed Wei Li to the Imperial Study Room and handed Yuan Chengxi his handwritten detailed water control strategies and river course drawings.
Yuan Chengxi sat on the chair and looked at it for a long time, and said with a smile: "With this detailed plan, I feel much more at ease. Many places in Lan Country are close to water, and they are often troubled by floods. The people are in dire straits, so we must deal with floods in various places as soon as possible." thing."
Gu Qi knelt in front of the table, lowered his head and said, "My lord, I am willing to share your worries for Your Majesty."
Yuan Chengxi's voice came from overhead: "Pei Qing, get up."
"Thank you, Your Majesty!"
Gu Qi stood up and saw Yuan Chengxi waving to Wei Li. Wei Li greeted several palace maids and left the imperial study, and the sound of the door closing behind him was heard.
"Pei Qihuan, I have high hopes for you," Yuan Chengxi stood up and walked over and said, "Since I saw your article in the provincial examination, I know that you are a rare talent. But your talent should be put into benefiting the people of Li. , focus on sharing my worries, and try to interfere with other things as little as possible."
Gu Qi hurriedly knelt down, her face almost touching the ground, her hands trembling slightly: "Your Majesty, I have no second thoughts, and the sky can tell you!"
The surroundings were eerily quiet, and I suddenly thought of Li Mao. The detailed plan for flood control has been handed over. Will he be executed by Yuan Chengxi here today?
"Get up." While he was thinking wildly, Gu Qi breathed a sigh of relief when he heard Yuan Chengxi's voice.
Yuan Chengxi sat back and said seriously: "How have you been getting along with your uncle during this time?"
Gu Qi wiped the sweat from his forehead and replied: "Your Majesty, I get along quite well with His Highness King Zhe."
"Did you notice anything unusual?"
Gu Qi opened her mouth, wanting to tell her about Yuan Zhe pretending to be drunk yesterday.
Suddenly thinking of Song Lian's warning and the scene of watching the fireworks with Yuan Zhe last night, he breathed a sigh of relief and said, "There was no unusual behavior. His Highness King Zhe was a little depressed because of the incident with Concubine Zheng some time ago."
Yuan Chengxi said "hmm" and said, "Please step aside first. You will have an early morning court meeting with other ministers tomorrow. Don't be late."
Gu Qi knelt down and saluted: "I obey your order."
When I arrived at the small courtyard, I remembered that I had not brought back the detailed plan for flood control.
After entering the room and sitting down, Yuan Zhe was reading a book and said lightly: "But it's about water control?"
"How does Your Highness know?"
"I saw that you came with detailed plans for flood control. Now that spring has begun, we need to start making arrangements as soon as possible."
Gu Qi nodded and said: "Yes, it is easy to get wet in spring and summer, so you should make plans in advance."
"In a few days, I will return to Qingzhou."
The separation came unexpectedly. Gu Qi looked at Yuan Zhe. He was still holding the book and reading, but it seemed that he had been reading that page for a long time.
next day
Gu Qi got up early and followed Yuan Zhe outside Fengtian Hall.
Yuan Zhe walked forward, and Gu Qi was at the end of the civil service queue.
While waiting for the morning court, I saw several carriages passing by in the distance, heading towards the harem.
"Pei Qihuan!"
Chang Bin suddenly jumped out, startling Gu Qi.
"Why are you here too?" Gu Qi saw that he was wearing an official uniform and holding a wat tablet, and he looked very energetic.
Chang Bin straightened his clothes and said, "I don't know. Yesterday, Eunuch Wei, who is with His Majesty, went to the Hanlin Academy to send a message, asking me to go to court today."
"Oh," Gu Qi held the wat board and continued to look at the carriage in the distance.
"What are you looking at?"
Gu Qi pointed to the carriage driveway: "There are so many carriages entering the palace so early. Do you know why?"
Chang Bin smiled and said: "You don't know this. Today is the second day of the Lunar New Year. In ordinary people's homes, today is the day to go home. The ladies in the palace can't go out, so they can only let their parents come to visit."
"So that's it."
Gu Qi muttered and heard the eunuch shout from the front: "The minister enters the palace!"
The team in front started to move. Chang Bin stood behind Gu Qi and followed him into the hall.
This was the second time Gu Qi went to court. Yuan Chengxi sat high on the dragon chair, looking down at the ministers.
Gu Qi followed the example of the ministers and knelt down to salute. After getting up, he listened to the ministers' memorial.
What was discussed the most was the current situation and people's taxation. Several ministers were arguing endlessly, which was a headache.
After this incident passed, Gu Qi secretly yawned.
Song Lian held the wat board in his hand and took a step forward: "Your Majesty, although it is spring now, farming has not started yet. I believe that this is a good time to control the floods."
Yuan Chengxi nodded and said: "That's what I mean, Pei Qihuan."
Gu Qi was startled, took a step forward and knelt on the ground: "I'm here."
"I reviewed your detailed plan yesterday, and it is quite complete. But the top priority right now is not Zezhou, but Tuzhou. The terrain of Tuzhou is different from that of Zezhou. It is mostly hills. Although there are no floods, it is Many places are affected by the environment, making it difficult to draw water. I order you to go and investigate and see if there are any countermeasures."
This put Gu Qi in a difficult position. He knew nothing about flood control, and the detailed water control strategies he had obtained were of no use in Tuzhou!
Gu Qi knelt on the ground and said tremblingly: "Your Majesty, I...I have never been to Tuzhou, so I might not be able to take on such a big responsibility."
"Oh, what's so difficult about this? Xue Peilin."
"I'm here." A man stood out from the team. Gu Qi raised his head slightly, but could only see his feet.
"I order you to go with Pei Qihuan. Firstly, Pei Qihuan doesn't know much about Tuzhou. You have experience in building canals and roads, so going together can help. Secondly, it is also convenient to communicate with the governor of Tuzhou and ask them to fully cooperate. .”
Xue Peilin bowed and replied: "I obey your order."
Gu Qi couldn't say anything more, so he could only follow up with "I obey the decree."
After receiving the imperial edict, he stood up and returned to the team.
Yuan Chengxi added: "Liu Jigang, Chang Bin."
"I'm here." Liu Jigang stood up with a wat board in hand. Chang Bin took a step behind Gu Qi and knelt down.
"There is no need to delay the flood control in Zezhou. I will order you to go to Zezhou together to see the situation in Zezhou and lay a solid foundation for water control."
"I obey the decree!"
After Chang Bin stood back in the queue, Yuan Chengxi sat on it and looked around. Seeing that no one was playing anymore, he waved to Wei Li.
Wei Li shouted "Retreat from the court——"
Everyone knelt down and saluted until Yuan Chengxi left, then Fang stood up and walked out.
"You don't seem happy?" Chang Bin came over with a smile, holding the imperial edict and the scroll containing detailed strategies for controlling floods.
Gu Qi glanced at the scroll in his hand and sighed.
Chang Bin put his arms around Gu Qi's shoulders and said with a smile: "Don't worry, the credit is always yours. I'm just doing simple things. I don't know how to control water. I'll have to rely on you when the time comes."
Gu Qi took his hand away and said, "That's not what I meant."
This feeling of being out of control makes people feel uneasy.
I thought that with a detailed plan for water control, even if I arranged to go to Zezhou, I could complete the water control step by step.
I never thought that Yuan Chengxi would suddenly arrange for him to go to Tuzhou. If he failed, he would lose his official position or his life.
We still need to find an opportunity to find a way to communicate with Han Zizheng.
When they reached the corner, Chang Bin stopped Gu Qi and said, "Now you and I have plans to say goodbye to you. I won't see you off before you leave."
Gu Qi raised her head and saw that he had put away his smile and his eyes were full of reluctance.
Chang Bin cupped his fists and said, "Good friend, take care."
Gu Qi smiled and nodded.
After Chang Bin left, Gu Qi stood at the corner and looked in the direction of Yuan Zhe.
He was chatting with someone. Perhaps he noticed something, glanced in Gu Qi's direction, and waved to Gu Qi.
Do you want me to go there?
Gu Qi stretched out his official uniform and walked over quickly.
"This is Mr. Xue," Yuan Zhe introduced to Gu Qi: "He has also made great achievements in flood control. You will go to Tuzhou with Mr. Xue in a while. Remember to learn more from Mr. Xue."
"Your Highness is too modest," Xue Peilin lowered his head and said with a smile: "I am old, and I am not as thoughtful as young people. I am going here to assist Lord Pei."
Gu Qi looked at the man in front of her. He had a few strands of white hair hanging in his black hair and a few age spots on his face. Although he did not have the high-spiritedness of a teenager, he remained elegant in his twilight years, which made people feel heartfelt. A sign of admiration.
"Master Xue, this junior is polite." Gu Qi bent down and bowed deeply.
Xue Peilin held Gu Qi's arm and said with a smile: "You and I are officials in the government for the benefit of the people, so there is no need to be so polite."
Yuan Zhe stood nearby and asked, "I wonder when Mr. Xue plans to set off?"
Xue Peilin thought for a while and said: "I feel that this matter cannot be delayed, so I rushed from the capital to Tuzhou in as little as half a month. If I am delayed on the way, it will be even later to arrive in Tuzhou."
Yuan Zhe said: "According to Mr. Xue's opinion, it is best to start the journey in one or two days?"
Xue Peilin nodded and looked at Gu Qi: "What do you think, Mr. Pei?"
Gu Qi smiled and said: "Although it's a little rushed, it's easy to arrange. Since it's an urgent matter, why not pack up in these two days and set off on the fifth day of the new year."
Xue Peilin said: "Okay, let me go back first."
Yuan Zhe said: "Well, Mr. Xue, walk slowly."
