"It is said that Mr. Ji is honest and frugal, and today he is indeed extraordinary. He even saved money on mounting clothes." He Shen joked with a smile when he saw him.
Xiang Nan watched TV and knew clearly that this was Qianlong's deliberate mischief. The purpose of sending someone to replace the scrolls in the painting box was to tease him and see how quick he was to deal with it.
So Xiang Nan pretended to be embarrassed, puzzled, and confused, "Uh... this... um..."
Seeing Xiang Nan's expression, Emperor Qianlong couldn't help but smile evilly.
Ji Xiaolan often makes mistakes when speaking out, which makes him unable to get off the stage. Now he is embarrassed in public. It's really funny and fun!
"Open it and take a look." He urged, just waiting for a good show.
"Master Ji, your Majesty can't wait any longer. Open it quickly." As Emperor Qianlong's number one henchman, He Shen naturally did not waste any time in urging.
Xiang Nan pretended to be embarrassed and unfolded the book. I saw that it was empty, not a single word!
For a time, everyone in the court was shocked!
Even the Queen Mother showed displeasure.
"Bold Ji Xiaolan, you actually congratulated the Queen Mother on a blank sheet of paper on her birthday. Do you really see the Queen Mother in your eyes?!" Fukangan scolded her sternly when he saw it.
"Ji Xiaolan, on the Queen Mother's birthday, you just give me a blank piece of paper?" Emperor Qianlong also said with a straight face.
"Your Majesty, minister..." Xiang Nan pretended to be frightened and cursed in his heart, "Obviously it was you who sent someone to switch the job, but you turned around and accused me of being rude. Accompanying a king is like accompanying a tiger. A high-ranking official can crush people to death!"
"Your Majesty, Mr. Ji would never be so rude on the Queen Mother's birthday." He Shen came out to smooth things over and said, "Have you forgotten it somewhere? Let's look for it~"
He knew that the emperor was playing pranks and deliberately teased Ji Xiaolan. Since it's a joke, it can't be made real. Otherwise, it would be uninteresting to blame Ji Xiaolan for this matter, and it would also destroy the good intentions of the Queen Mother's birthday.
Xiang Nan smiled, knowing that the real "Birthday Ode" must have been hidden by the emperor, and it was in this hall. As long as you look for it, you will definitely find it, and when the time comes, you will be able to resolve this crisis.
But if he really stuck his butt out and looked for it, he would really become a joke.
Fortunately, in the play, Ji Xiaolan perfectly resolved this problem.
Therefore, Xiang Nanzhao painted the gourd and painted the ladle, and also asked He Shen for help, bringing over the longevity ornament he had given, which was made up of 108 Hepu pearls as big as the size of a thumb's belly.
…
"Ji Xiaolan, what are you going to do? You have to be careful. These pearls of mine are priceless." He Shen reminded.
Xiang Nan smiled and placed the pearl and longevity ornament in the middle of the hall without explaining.
"Your Majesty, what I presented is not a blank piece of paper, I have written words on it." He then smiled.
"Nonsense, where are the words?" He Shen retorted.
"To report to the Emperor and the Queen Mother, the word "Chen" is written with the essence of heaven and earth. Ordinary people cannot see it. Only those who live as long as heaven can see it." Xiang Nan explained.
"Nonsense and sophistry!" Fukangan also scolded.
"If you don't believe me, please take a look, Queen Mother." Xiang Nan smiled and placed the white paper in front of the word "Pearl Life".
The sunlight comes directly from outside the hall, passes through the pearls, and hits the white paper. For a moment, the word "Shou" appeared on the white paper, shining with jewels and radiance.
"Oh, I saw it, it's the character for longevity!" the Queen Mother exclaimed happily.
"The Queen Mother is truly as long-lived as Heaven!" Emperor Qianlong flattered with a smile.
When the Queen Mother heard this, she became even more joyful, "I see that among the many birthday gifts given by the civil and military officials of the Manchu Dynasty, the Bachelor of Science and Technology should be the first, and he should be rewarded heavily!"
"Queen Mother, Ji Xiaolan is clearly opportunistic, these pearls are gifts from me." He Shen reminded him immediately when he saw that Xiang Nan had stolen the limelight.
"Alas, this is different from what you said, sir." Xiang Nan said with a smile, "I am borrowing flowers to offer [Buddha]!"
Hearing what he said, the Queen Mother became more and more happy, "Reward!" Emperor Qianlong naturally would not disobey, and smiled and nodded, "Reward!"
"Thank you, Your Majesty, thank you, Queen Mother!" Xiang Nan saluted again, knowing that he had passed safely this time.
Seeing that Xiang Nan not only saved the day, but also stole his own limelight, He Shen, Fu Kang'an, and even the civil and military officials of the entire dynasty couldn't help showing jealous expressions.
…
After the birthday banquet, Qianlong discussed his merits and rewarded them.
"Ji Aiqing, I took away your "Birthday Ode"." He explained with a smile, "The civil and military officials of the entire dynasty sent them congratulatory gifts. They were either gold, silver, jewelry, or silk and satin. They were all the same. You really shouldn't even look at them. .
So I just want to have some fun and see how adaptable you are. Ji Aiqing really did not disappoint me, well, she is indeed a great talent! "
"Thank you for the compliment, Your Majesty." Xiang Nan smiled.
Thinking of Emperor Qianlong's evaluation of Ji Xiaolan in the history books, "To promote excellence and save it", these prostitutes and actors are just being teased for fun.
Thinking of this, Xiang Nan felt quite sad.
"A false alarm will not let you suffer in vain. Let's do this. I will promote you to the position of admiral of academic affairs and go to Yunzhou Mansion for inspection." Qianlong said with a smile again.
"I thank you, Lord, for your kindness." Xiang Nan kowtowed.
The admiral oversees academic affairs and is mainly responsible for scientific examinations and educational work at the provincial level. Although he has no rank, his power is the same as that of the Chief Envoy and the Inspector-General, about the same as a third-grade official, and his treatment is the same as that of an Imperial Envoy.
Wherever he went, local officials would be respectful and sweep the couch to welcome him, not daring to neglect him. So it's a great blessing!
…
After turning around, Xiang Nan officially set off for Yunzhou Mansion.
Although the journey was tiring, Xiang Nan was still fascinated by the unpolluted natural scenery of the 18th century. Three hundred years later, how could we see such a scene!
But along the way, he also saw many miserable scenes.
Not to mention the beggars and homeless people who beg and sell their children and daughters along the streets, even the villagers are dressed in rags and patches. Children as young as eight or nine are still running around the streets naked.
When Xiang Nan saw it, he couldn't help but feel sour in his heart.
Is this the legendary [Kang-Qian Dynasty]? The rulers really like to put gold on their faces.
…
And when Xiang Nan went to Yunzhou Mansion, another strange thing happened in the palace.
The emperor's wet nurse was actually poisoned and her life was in danger. Suddenly, the palace was filled with dark clouds and heavy rain was about to come.
The wet nurse had nurtured Qianlong since he was a child and had a very high status in his heart.
Who is so bold as to dare to harm her? ! Moreover, the Forbidden City is strictly forbidden, and anyone entering or exiting must be searched and no one is allowed to be detained. Where did this poison come from?
If this matter is not investigated clearly, the wet nurse will die today, and the concubine, emperor, and queen mother will die tomorrow! ! Therefore, everyone in the Forbidden City is in danger and feels that the end is coming.
When Qianlong heard about the nanny, he was also surprised and immediately came to visit.
"Your Majesty, I've finally waited for you." When the wet nurse was dying, she handed him half of the golden lock, "Yunzhou Mansion... is looking for the White Snake. Your Majesty... you are not a Manchu... you are a Han... the White Snake is You...are your biological mother..."
"Nanny, what did you say?" Qianlong was shocked, but the wet nurse had already breathed her last.
However, her words, like Huang Zhong Dalu, still echoed in Qianlong's heart.
