Xie Chenghe was stunned, and for a moment he didn't know what Pei Annan wanted to say.

"You will say that you don't want to propose marriage for the time being. This is fate and cannot be forced." Pei Annan said word by word, staring into Xie Chenghe's eyes, "This is what you said when my father wanted to grant you a marriage two years ago.

.”

"Then now when it comes to Ding Yueluo, these words are no longer applicable? You didn't even ask Ding Yueluo for her own opinion."

"It's because you know that if you ask, she will definitely say this, right?"

Xie Chenghe gradually became embarrassed. He knew that Pei Annan was smart, but he didn't know that she was so smart. She had already seen everything with just a casual question.

No need to ask, Pei Annan must already know Ni Shan's plan, and also know the purpose of Xie Chenghe coming here today.

Listening to the fact that she didn't even call out "Master Xie", but only called "Master Xie" who was not far away, I knew that there was no room for change in this matter.

Seeing Xie Chenghe's helplessness under the pressure, Pei Annan smiled, admiring his embarrassed look while flipping through the new readers' comments:

[How disappointing. How can Xie Chenghe decide on a woman’s marriage on the grounds of so-called national affairs? This man is useless, let’s kill him.]

[Have you read the novel carefully upstairs? Hehe didn’t agree to Ni Shan at all. I came here just to ask Huaihuai why he didn’t agree! 】

[Isn’t this what he means when he comes here to ask? Don’t let Xie Chenghe’s party wash their hands of it.]

[Jianlou raises his hand: Why do I think Xie Chenghe wants to test whether Huaihuai is really special to him? 】

[Me too, me too! Ni Shan said so much that he didn’t have any fluctuations, but he only reacted when Huaihuai saw him in his eyes! 】

[Wow, you need a double arrow?! Come on Huaihuai! Get him! 】

Looking at the soaring number of comments, Pei Annan's thoughts changed.

She stood up and coughed as she reached for the teapot on the table. The cloak draped over her shoulders slipped down with her movements. The sudden cold wind shocked her and she sat back down.

After approving the memorials for several hours in a row, Pei Annan didn't drink a drop of water. At this moment, the paleness and weakness on his face no longer needed to be acted out.

Xie Chenghe was startled. He no longer cared about past grudges and forgot to remind himself of the insidiousness of the woman in front of him. He stepped forward in three steps at a time and protected her shoulders, so that she did not hit the table.

Pei Annan leaned on Xie Chenghe's arm and slowly sat up with his help. Then he took his hand away, polite but distant: "Excuse me, sir."

Hearing these shouts of thank you, Master, Xie Chenghe was upset, as if the person in front of him was silently walking away from him, farther and farther away, slowly but surely.

For no reason, Xie Chenghe was so panicked that his heart palpitated, and he couldn't straighten up his bent body, so he subconsciously grabbed Pei Annan's hand.

Pei Annan tilted her head to meet him, and Xie Chenghe happened to be leaning over, with his head not far or close to each other. The two of them looked at each other and could count each other's eyelashes.

Time seemed to have frozen, and Xie Chenghe felt a loud noise in his ears. He wondered if it was the rumble of autumn thunder, which made him dizzy and breathless.

But when he saw Pei Annan, he was startled for a moment, then he came over with a smile, stared at Xie Chenghe's trembling lips, and breathed out like a blue: "Master Xie is really... willing to go all out for Ding Shanggong's marriage."

As soon as he finished speaking, Xie Chenghe, who had regained consciousness, let go of Pei Annan's hand like an electric shock, and fled away with a blushing face, leaving only Pei Annan's low laughter lingering behind.

Walking on the bluestone road, the autumn wind blew, and Xie Chenghe finally woke up. He could understand that the restless rumbling sound was not thunder, but his uncontrollable heartbeat.

The scenery in the palace was all in Xie Chenghe's eyes, but how could the ever-blooming flowers in the royal garden resemble Pei Annan's lips, and how could the night wind blowing behind his ears become Pei Annan's embarrassing words like a joke? Everything became

It revealed the source of his upset and made him miserable.

After finally returning to Xuanyi Hall, he saw Ding Yueluo standing in the hall waiting, and reminded him of that woman, which made his heart tremble.

"Thank you, Sir." Ding Yueluo saw that his eyes were evasive and his behavior was strange. Although she was confused, she didn't ask anything and pretended not to see him and bowed.

Then, she raised her hand, and the maid next to her walked forward holding a wooden plate and handed it to Xie Chenghe.

Before Xie Chenghe could ask, Ding Yueluo said first: "This is the token sent by His Majesty. With this token, Mr. Xie can freely enter and exit any place at any time, including His Majesty's Qinzheng Building."

Seeing Xie Chenghe's astonished expression, Ding Yueluo explained with a smile: "Your Majesty said that government affairs are very busy these days, and he can't think of anything when he is busy. He really feels sorry for letting Mr. Xie wait outside the palace, so he issued this order."

Xie Chenghe looked at the token in front of him. It didn't matter if he took it or not.

Since the founding of the country, the royal family has never had such a token that can enter and exit all places. Pei Annan set a precedent for him, just because he stood outside the palace and waited for an hour today!

Ding Yueluo just came to deliver something. She was about to leave after delivering it, but was stopped by Xie Chenghe.

He hesitated for a long time and finally asked:

"Ding Shanggong is now nineteen years old. At this age, most girls from ordinary families have already discussed marriage, and the maids in the palace are about to be released from the palace to find a husband. Since you have His Majesty's support and are not burdened by family background, why?

What if you don’t consider marriage?”

Ding Yueluo turned around and looked at Xie Chenghe, still smiling, but this time her smile was a little more sincere than before:

"Since Mr. Xie knows that Xiaguan is not burdened by his family background, he also knows that Xiaguan was abandoned and came to the palace to find a way to make a living. Unlike those wealthy officials who came to the palace to serve nobles, Xiaguan came to the palace to do this.

The work is the hardest and most tiring."

"I entered the palace at the age of ten, and it has been nine years now. Seeing the sisters around me leaving the palace to get married, and being taken away by the nobles, have I never thought that one day I can rely on men to get rid of all this and dress luxuriously?

Wearing beautiful clothes and elegant makeup, sitting at a banquet, being served by the same girls as me?"

"But after I met His Majesty, I realized that none of this was what I wanted. Your Majesty is stronger than all the men in the world, so why can't he be the emperor? I have worked hard since I was a child, and I have done all the work of the six ministers in the harem.

If you are the best, then why can’t I become a minister at a young age?”

"I have heard about Master Ni. If you want to ask me, my answer is no."

"This journey is much more difficult for women than for men, but in my opinion, the most difficult thing is not to suffer a broken head, but to give up halfway."

"Master Xie, you are a good person. I will not speak high-sounding words to you, but only speak the truth..."

"I have to be worthy of myself."

After Ding Yueluo finished speaking, she bowed and was about to leave. Xie Chenghe spoke in a slightly hoarse voice and awkwardly finished the sentence: "She has caught a cold. Let's ask the Imperial Medical Bureau to take a look."

"yes."

Ding Yueluo smiled generously, which made Xie Chenghe feel petty. He then turned around and entered the palace. Sitting on the bed, he realized that he had already firmly grasped the token that belonged to him in his hand.

Early the next morning, a figure that no one expected appeared.

Chen Yanshu was dressed in official uniform and looked very energetic. He was holding the Chao Hut in his hand. He stood in the middle and said loudly: "I have something to report!"

Pei Annan nodded: "Chen Aiqing, please speak."

"The late emperor passed away and your majesty ascended the throne. There are ambitious people inside who are ready to take action, and there are countries outside that are coveting. Now is the time to employ people, but in recent years, both civil and military, there are fewer and fewer people available, and I feel very anxious."

Pei Annan nodded in agreement: "Ai Qing's words are reasonable. I wonder what Ai Qing thinks about it?"

"I was born in a thatched cottage, and I was lucky enough to learn a few poems and essays, and then I took root in Beijing. In order to make a living, I sold calligraphy and painting, wrote family letters, and worked as an accountant. In my spare time, I made friends with like-minded people at the gathering place for literati in Beijing.

Scholars."

"After many years of struggling and wandering in the market, the minister discovered a problem. I sold calligraphy and paintings for one cent per cross, but the mother-in-law selling calligraphy next to me still had an endless stream of people selling calligraphy and painting. I worked as an accountant and kept accounts with an abacus.

Everything is handled by the shopkeeper’s wife herself, but the shopkeeper knows nothing about it.”

"Folk wisdom mostly explains some truths. Nowadays, everyone in the market understands that women can do too much. On the contrary, we parents and officials, who wear official uniforms, are still obsessed with the difference between men and women, which goes against the ancestral teachings."

"Therefore, I propose to open official schools for women and relax the control and discrimination against women in various industries. It is better to start by allowing women to participate in the imperial examinations."

The whole place was in an uproar. Those old pedants looked at Chen Yanshu as if they were looking at a monster. Many people made sarcastic comments, saying that some scoundrels in the market are not worthy of publicity, and that they are only superficial but still mud. Some even said directly:

"Aren't you the same Chen Yanshu who wrote an article to ridicule His Majesty a few days ago?! You were still opposing His Majesty's female accession to the throne, and now you are talking about opening up official schools for women. Isn't it ridiculous?!"

However, Chen Yanshu's expression did not change, he accepted all the insults and sarcasm calmly, and responded directly:

"It is precisely because of the narrow-mindedness in the past that I am open-minded today. Is it possible that I, a street gangster, can learn and make progress, but you, the officials of the imperial court, relatives of the emperor, and adults with noble blood, can't accept it?

"

As soon as these words came out, he was really put on the fire. Many people relied on their old age and wanted to punish him and tell him to learn the rules.

But at this time, Xie Chenghe stood up and made everyone speechless with just one sentence: "I believe that everything Master Chen said is reasonable."

The court, which had been bustling with people just now, was so quiet for a moment that one could hear the sound of gasping for air. Everyone's eyes were turned to Xie Chenghe, including Pei Annan.

Since the new emperor came to power, except for the few old ministers who have died, Xie Chenghe can be said to have been the most tortured important minister, so that everyone knows that Pei Annan can't gnaw this hard bone and has put it back.

Since he returned to the court, he has never broken these three rules: not to be polite, not to call your majesty, and not to call himself a minister. Pei Anan also acquiesced to his willfulness and gave him enough face.

These old guys are different from the readers in the book review section. They will not indulge in this kind of evil CP. They will only look directly at the essence of the matter. So they all know in their hearts that Xie Chenghe will become the first person to check and balance Pei Annan, and is indestructible.

So at this moment, Xie Chenghe suddenly spoke up for Chen Yanshu, calling himself "Chen Yanshu", which made everyone dumbfounded. Those who had different intentions, who had previously planned to let Xie Chenghe take the lead, were struck by thunder.

Who doesn’t know that what Chen Yanshu said today was all approved by Pei Annan? Then Ding Yueluo from the harem is waiting for an opportunity to step into the front court!

These people were not sure whether Xie Chenghe had defected to Pei Annan, so they neither dared to antagonize him easily nor tried to test him again.

Although there were a lot of discussions in the court, no one raised any objection after all. Xie Chenghe was able to silence the farce with just one word.

Pei Anan's face was calm and expressionless, but the fingers in her sleeves were tapping the dragon chair happily: "In this case, let Chen Aiqing handle this matter, and the staff will co-organize it."

"Retreat!"

After the dynasty was over, Xie Chenghe hurriedly weaved in and out of the crowd, looking for Chen Yanshu, but Chen Yanshu was already prepared and stood there waiting for Xie Chenghe to come.

The two looked at each other, smiled, extended their hands to invite each other, and walked forward side by side.

"I know what Mr. Xie is curious about." Chen Yanshu said with a smile, "After you let me go back that day, another person came to the palace, saying that it was His Majesty's invitation."

"I thought that no one would die since ancient times, so I made all the preparations to go. Unexpectedly, His Majesty treated me with courtesy. He first praised my literary talent, and then sighed and said that it would be a loss for the imperial court for people like me not to become officials.

.”

"I was skeptical at first, but then I discovered that His Majesty is really talented in writing. He would change my article to a higher level by just changing a few words. Only then did I realize how narrow-minded I had been.
To be continued...