Since ancient times, things like offering sacrifices to heaven have only become more and more complicated. Monarchs of all ages have spent countless manpower and material resources to flatter the eternally silent and indifferent sky, hoping to prove that their power over the world is due to the blessing of heaven.

Standing in front of the congratulatory table of the Circular Mound Altar, surrounded by sacred tablets made of azure satin, under which are the tablets of God Haotian, ancestors, sun, moon, stars, clouds, rain, wind and thunder, Shen Shiqing slowly followed the congratulations. Bow down slowly.

Her expression was solemn, but she was thinking silently in her heart:

"Gods in the heavens above, are you here or not? Are you kind to the world, or are you cruel? If you really have souls, consciousness and heart, why do the people of the world continue to suffer? If you have no soul, no knowledge and no heart, who is hiding from you? Behind you?

"That's all, I don't care about you, you are here or not, you are here or not, you are here or not, I don't care anymore. For stealing this body with the soul of a woman but not being punished by heaven, I just think that you all think that I can be the emperor. .I have deceived myself and others from the time of Three Sovereigns and Five Emperors to today. Even if I think about it, I, a woman, can’t count too much.”

Kneel three times and bow nine times, then stand up.

Lay jade and silk fabrics and bring in sacrifices.

Accompanied by Yale's "Chapter of Fengping" and the sacrificial "Dance of Qianqi", she carried the wine cup and walked to the tablet of God Haotian in the north.

Standing closest to God, she smiled and whispered:

"In that case, I won't be polite."

The strong wind blows and the flying snow scatters. The memorial tablet is carved from wood and is silent.

The bells are ringing, the musicians are beating the chimes, the calf is burning in the southeast, and the sky lanterns are hung in the southwest. What stands before the gods is the biggest lie in the world.

Lie stood there, as if extremely pious.

After worshiping the heavens during the winter solstice, the ministers no longer need to return to the official office. After sending the holy driver back to the palace, they can go home to reunite with their families and worship their ancestors.

As soon as Li Congyuan returned home, his wife Mi immediately asked someone to bring in a basin filled with hot water.

"Oh, my, my lady! Be gentle!"

"Is it useful to be light? After walking for dozens of miles in such a cold weather, your boots are soaked with snow and water. You are asked to put two more layers in your boots but you refuse. Do you think you are young?"

Mi held a handkerchief in her hand and rubbed it heavily on Li Congyuan's leg, making him wail again and again.

My wife is usually very talkative, but the more angry she is, the less others dare to provoke her.

Li Congyuan put his hands in front of him, not daring to push, but not daring to take them away, like an old duck about to be put into the pot, being burned clean by his wife's legs.

"Madam, don't forget to keep a copy of the sacrifice I brought back."

Mi glared at him and threw the warm handkerchief back into the hot water basin: "One of the sacrifices is reserved for the Shen brothers and sister-in-law. This happens every year, so why do you need to give me instructions?"

Li Congyuan was silent for a moment, then sighed, raised his head, and smiled again:

"Yuanze was recalled to the court by His Majesty this year. The road to the southwest is far away. Why did he arrive a year ago? Xuanchen, who has been with him these years, will probably come back. If he also returns to the court as an official, we will be able to do it on the anniversary of Hua Nian's death next year. We went to visit his grave together."

"Don't be too happy too early. In the past, you thought His Majesty was playful, but now he is no longer playful, and he has found another way to torment you old bones. When you want to work hard, think about your Hua Nian brother. He became the number one scholar earlier than you, his official career was smoother than yours, his talents and learning were higher than yours, so what happens now? Apparently so many people saw that he fell into the river to save Prince Duan Sheng, and the late emperor refused to even give him a posthumous title. “Here, if you people hadn’t come forward, I’m afraid I would still be accused.”….

Talking about the past, Mi Xinlan still felt angry in her heart. She was outspoken, otherwise she would not have been on good terms with Shen Shao's wife, Qin, who was born in a family of officials. Also because of her outspokenness, she would never say some words. Don't cover up.

The late emperor had great power, but he was ungrateful to his meritorious officials and unkind to his good ministers. He did not know how to make progress. Instead, he used various methods to create factions and fights among the people in the government, and ultimately allowed villains to control the government.

The younger one at the back was only slightly better, but he treated the court as a child's play. Even though he seemed to be more serious now, Mi Xinlan didn't think he could really change the Zhao family's bad intentions.

「

By the way, madam, have you got any more news about the Shen family's niece from Mrs. Liu?"

Mi Xinlan sat upright, threw clean pants and shoes and socks on Li Congyuan's legs and asked him to change into them.

"Since the incident in the British government, there have been fewer banquets everywhere, and now it's winter again... I haven't seen Mrs. Liu for a few months. I said before that the niece of the Shen family was at the Xie family's village, and I sent someone to go there. I've seen it several times from a distance, and the village is very lively. The maids around my niece often come and go, so I don't think I've been involved in the Xie family's affairs."

Li Congyuan put on his clothes, hugged the dirty clothes he had changed, and walked to the door with his wooden clogs. As he walked, he said: "Xie Wenyuan is a small man with great ambitions, talent, and stubbornness. Over the years, I have suppressed him and let him be a dog. The camp found nothing, but I was afraid that he would cause trouble and implicate my niece, but I didn’t expect..."

"Put your clothes at the door and grandma will come and get them after she packs up the sacrifices."

Li Congyuan did as he was told, not forgetting to fold the top neatly.

Mi Xinlan put his official robe on the fumigator, then drove him to lie down on the couch to rest. She took a book and sat next to him, saying:

"Speaking of Xie Wenyuan, Your Majesty didn't let the Crown Prince of Yingjun come out this time?"

Li Congyuan raised his hand and grabbed the hair on the back of his wife's head, and sighed: "No."

Mi Xinlan held the book and didn't move it for a long time.

Li Congyuan yawned and almost fell asleep, but he heard his wife say:

"Within a few months of confinement, Your Majesty has taken the Prince of England as a hostage."

Li Congyuan was shocked and sat up quickly:

"Madam, don't say this nonsense!"

Mi Xinlan smiled: "As a woman, I am talking in my own house. Am I saying nonsense? Or is it you men who have the final say?"

Li Congyuan closed his mouth and looked at his wife.

Mi Xinlan is slightly two years older than Li Congyuan. Scholars in the Great Yong Dynasty all waited to marry a beautiful lady after becoming famous. Even Shen Shao only met Qin Tongxi when he went to Beijing to take the exam, and then he accompanied Qin Tongxi to study in Beijing. Qin Shu, Li Congyuan is different. Mi Xinlan is the daughter of his mentor. When they met when they were ten years old, he called her sister Mi Xinlan. Before he took the provincial examination at the age of sixteen, his mentor made the decision for the two of them. The marriage was not delayed until after he was in high school, even when both junior and senior students were admitted.

The friendship they had been together since they were young has now become a family. Li Congyuan also knew that Mi Xinlan rarely spoke about government affairs, but since she did, she was somewhat sure.

"Madam, you mean, Your Majesty thinks that the King of England is going to rebel?"

Mi Xinlan smiled and turned a page of the book:

"I have done some rough calculations. Your Majesty has recovered three to five million taels of silver from his inspection of Taipu Temple so far. In addition to the money that was not confiscated from Zhang Wan's gangsters, it is enough to defeat Du'er headquarters... Your Majesty You haven’t mentioned the Western Expedition for a long time, right?”….

Li Congyuan was silent, the British government proposed to His Majesty a plan to provoke an internal fight between the two northwest tribes. This matter was a national secret and he could not tell Mi Xinlan, but since then he could also sense that His Majesty had lost interest in the Western Expedition.

No, it should be said that Your Majesty has found something more interesting.

Thinking about the Metropolitan Procuratorate, which was now the target of public criticism, and the female officials who stood on one side every morning, Li Congyuan slowly spoke:

"Madam, you are saying that the money your Majesty is raising now is to prevent the British king from rebelling?"

Seeing that her husband was so anxious that he was about to jump up, Mi Xinlan lowered her head and continued reading:

"Yes or no, what does it have to do with me, a woman?"

Li Congyuan was already standing on the ground wearing only socks, and the beard on his face was floating:

"The King of England has lived in Jiangxi for a long time. Jiangxi had little connection with the tribute, but your majesty transferred Yao Qian to Jiangxi to serve as censor, and also asked him to conduct a thorough investigation of the tea tribute and taxes in Jiangxi... So that's it, that's it!

Xie Wenyuan's mother is the aunt of Prince Ying. This relationship is not close or far. If Prince Ying is really rebellious, but is willing to send his son to the capital at the request of the county lord of Huaiyuan, either Huaiyuan is

The county lord had colluded with him in his rebellion. Either that, or the crown prince of Yingjun had a grand motive for entering the capital! Because of this, Your Majesty kept the crown prince of Yingjun in the Xie family, waiting for him to make a move!

"

After figuring out the key, Li Congyuan trimmed his beard, not looking as calm as usual at all.

"Madam, we have to get Niece Shen out of the Xie family... Xie Wenyuan! He has become such a waste and he still dares to be involved in rebellion! Really, really..."

"It's really a cricket helping a mouse fight a cat. It's not enough to be a dish for others." Mi Xinlan was still looking down at the book, her tone not anxious at all, "Don't worry, our niece is a successful person."

While talking, she casually inserted a bookmark between the pages of other books. There were some meandering outlines of notes on the bookmark, which seemed to be words, but they were unrecognizable.

After a while, Mi Xinlan raised her eyes and looked at her anxious husband, smiled, and then lowered her head.

Pretending that something was wrong, Li Congyuan didn't sleep well all night.

The court meeting was skipped on the second day, and His Majesty's morning class was also attended by Yang Shen. Li Congyuan still arrived at Wenyuan Pavilion early.

As soon as he sat down, he saw a woman wearing a plum blossom official hat walking in.

"Li Shangshu, I am here to retrieve the case files concluded in Dali Temple this year at the request of His Majesty. I would like to ask the cabinet to use the seal."

"file?"

Li Congyuan was a little confused: "This year's files are supposed to be reviewed and sealed next month. Gao Nuan, Your Majesty wants the files now. Dali Temple is afraid..."

"Don't worry, Li Shangshu. I took the female officials with me to Dali Temple to comply with His Majesty's order to obtain the files on the case of the woman's victimization and the case of the woman's harm."

Your Majesty wants to retrieve the files, and the cabinet seal is just a formality. Of course, Li Congyuan will not stop him. Seeing the high female official leading two rows of female officials away in the morning wind, Li Congyuan suddenly felt something in his heart.

After the niece of the Shen family escapes from the Xie family, she can also become a female official. At least she will have an official status and a salary, so she no longer has to rely on others.

Thinking this, Li Congyuan turned and looked at the seat of the Minister of Rites, where there were various lists of documents for selecting female officials.
Chapter completed!