Chapter 10 Generous Dowry
Seeing Chang'an Jun approaching to talk to Jiang He, the female official and maid who followed Jiang He slowly backed away, leaving a distance of ten feet.
"No reward for no merit." Jiang He handed the gourd out again, but Zhao Jiao didn't take it.
"Sister-in-law Wang," he calmed down his playful and rolling temper yesterday and said quite solemnly, "This is a medicinal powder that activates blood circulation and removes blood stasis. Just mix it with Sister-in-law Wang's hand cream and apply it to remove scars."
Jiang He looked slightly startled and understood.
Zhao Jiao saw her wrist yesterday and noticed that it was a stagnant scar.
"It doesn't matter," Jiang He forced a smile, "There is an imperial doctor in the palace who can prepare medicine for me."
"It's better to say goodbye," Zhao Jiao shook his head and stepped back, "They like to ask questions here and there to get to the bottom of things, which will make Brother Wang unhappy."
He didn't say that Jiang He would be unhappy, but that Zhao Zheng would be unhappy, meaning he could guess who caused Jiang He's injury.
After Zhao Jiao said this, he laughed happily, so that the palace maid who was retreating could hear his words clearly, and said loudly: "Although this gourd is not worth a few dollars, it was grown by me in my house last year." .'Gourd' means 'good fortune'. I wish Mrs. Wang and Brother Wang many children and good fortune."
Zhao Jiao smiled slyly at Jiang He, with a bright and naughty expression. He held the red silk tied with a gilded silver sachet and swung it. The fragrant wind filled the air, and he laughed.
Jiang He looked at his back and smiled.
I'm in a good mood today.
The breakfast was delicious, I won the chess game, the Queen Mother gave me gifts, and even the Lord of Chang'an sent me medicine to heal my injuries.
"Your Majesty the Queen, please send the Queen Mother's reward to the treasury."
When they reached the corner of the corridor, the maid holding three precious jade Ruyi and a gold and silver bowl said respectfully.
"it is good."
Jiang He turned around with a smile, but instead of walking towards Zhiyang Palace, he walked briskly towards the warehouse.
Compared to that dark palace, she preferred to stay in the private treasury filled with gold, silver and jewelry.
Walking into the courtyard where the warehouse is located, a man hurried over to say hello.
This is the Zongjun whom I met early in the morning.
Zongjun is responsible for the management of all is indispensable for the transportation of utensils into and out of storage, as well as daily dust removal and maintenance.
Zongjun bowed his head in greeting, but his expression was a little 's like someone forced me to do something wrong, but I don't know how to explain it.
There is a bronze plaque hanging on Jiang He's private treasury, with two large characters "Houzang" engraved on it.
"Open the door," the female officer stepped forward and said, "The queen has received a new reward and wants to put it in the storehouse."
Zongjun opened the door and stepped aside. The female officer who walked in first couldn't help but say "Huh".
Jiang He looked inward, and his water-like pupils couldn't help but widen.
The warehouse was clean, not even a mouse.
"Where is Qi's dowry?" she asked suspiciously, having already made an inference in her mind.
Only then did Zongjun move over, his face turning red.
"After the queen left today, I went to the Xuande Hall to report. At first, the steward didn't say anything, but then he came out again, and then..."
Just emptied my private treasury? Outrageous!
I only moved one, two, three, four... about ten or twenty things from him, but he ruthlessly emptied a whole house of my treasures! Before Jiang He asked any more questions, Zongjun was so frightened that he knelt on the ground and said repeatedly: "I said that Your Majesty was never willing to use that warehouse, but now it was taken away by the Queen for use, so she became angry. Her Royal Highness the Queen Don't be impatient, go and say a few nice words to His Majesty, and Your Majesty will definitely return the favor. I made a mistake in my work, please punish Her Majesty the Queen."
Zongjun was trembling, with a cry in his voice, and the hand holding the key trembled.
When a woman marries, she obeys her husband, but the dowry from her mother's family is private property.
There are many places where money is spent in the palace. Although the monthly silver is quite a lot, it cannot support the huge expenses.
Now that Jiang He has become a country, without his dowry, he is stretched thin and unable to move forward.
But this matter has nothing to do with Zongjun.
She was the one who started the matter. It seems that when you are with a mean and unkind person like Zhao Zheng, you not only have to be cruel, but you also have to be patient.
"Director Zong, get up." Jiang He said with a smile as his surprised look faded, "Since my private treasury is gone, let's put the things that the Queen Mother rewarded this time into His Majesty's private treasury."
Zong Jun opened his mouth in shock, thinking he heard the wrong words.
"But……"
He hesitated, looking sad for Jiang He.
"Because it is a gift from the Queen Mother and the treasure is valuable, I will put it in His Majesty's best private treasury. Do you think it will work?" Jiang He said in a persuasive manner.
Although Zongjun was worried about Jiang He, he thought that perhaps giving His Majesty two things would calm His Majesty's anger, so he followed Jiang He's instructions and walked to the private treasury, which looked slightly smaller but was the most tightly protected, and opened the door.
Jiang He's maid put the utensils in. Jiang He walked to the door and took a look at the bronze medal hanging on the door.
On the top of the bronze medal are two straight words: "Jun Zang."
She raised her hand and took off the bronze medal, then hung up a new one.
That was the plaque Jiang He had just taken off on the door of his private treasury. It had two words that were very pleasing to the eye: "Hou Zang."
Zongjun was stunned and at a loss.
Jiang He gently stroked his palm and said, "Yes, it should be worth the dowry of my entire palace."
"Won?"
There was no need to wait for Li Wenzhou, the head chamberlain, to come in and report. Zhao Zheng had already heard his surprised voice outside.
The chamberlain who brought the news didn't know what he said. Li Wenzhou walked in with a wry smile and saluted Zhao Zheng.
Zhao Zheng frowned slightly, wondering what he was thinking. "It seems that Princess Qi is really good at chess." Li Wenzhou took down the cold tea with a hint of pleasure in his voice.
No matter what Zhao Zheng said before, now the queen and the king are closely related.
If the queen wins, she will be able to defeat the prime minister's prestige and prove that her choice of marriage with Qi is correct.
"Did you win?" Wei Nanxu has superb chess skills. It is not easy to beat her.
"You win," Li Wenzhou said again, "It's two coins. I heard that the prime minister's daughter was so angry when she left the palace that she fell down two steps and broke her knee."
Playing chess is an elegant thing, but losing is so embarrassing. I'm afraid Miss Wei's reputation will change in the future.
but……
Zhao Zheng held the writing brush in his hand, and half of the approval document had been written on the opened bamboo slip, but he could no longer write.
Why……
Jiang He was just a female official in the Qi State's marriage mission.
She is listed as a female officer on the roster, but in fact she does everything from cleaning, washing and cooking.
The first reason why she was chosen was because she spoke the language of Qi well and could fool the ministers second is to see how quick and agile she is and how she can kill people and save lives, so she might be useful.
In addition to this, she is also good at cooking, and her duck porridge is excellent.
Playing chess is not something that palace maids or female officials have the opportunity to of all, you need to start early, and secondly, you need to have a strict order to train Wei Nanxu, Wei Xiang invited famous chess players from all over the seven countries, but why couldn't he win against a maidservant in the Qi State's mission?
Maybe he took it for is necessary to check Jiang He's true identity.
There was silence in the palace. Seeing that Zhao Zheng was worried, Li Wenzhou added as a joke: "The queen went to the private treasury."
Zhao Zheng gave a rare smile.
Today, after hearing that Jiang He had moved away his private possessions and rewarded them casually, Zhao Zheng decided to retaliate and had all of Jiang He's dowry removed and hidden.
He felt that he had been a little strange recently, actually getting angry with a little girl.
This feeling is very special, like having a jar of unopened new wine. Although I know it is spicy, I can't help but want to taste it.
Or it might be like encountering a ferocious beast in the mountain forest. Although you know your life is in danger, you still don't want to shoot the bow and arrow, and you have the idea of taming it.
"Are you angry?" Zhao Zheng said.
Li Wenzhou shook his head, smiled wryly, put the fly whisk in his hand on the crook of his arm, and bowed: "The queen changed the bronze medal, and now the words 'Houzang' are hung outside your majesty's best private treasury."
actually……
Zhao Zheng smiled hoarsely: "Is this still possible?"
Yes, it's okay to just change back. Do you actually think that you can seize the master's things in this way? Li Wenzhou also laughed.
He added casually: "One more thing. When the queen returned to the palace, she met Lord Chang'an, and Lord Chang'an gave her a gourd as a gift."
Zhao Zheng's expression changed.
He looked at Li Wenzhou. Although he didn't ask, his eyes were suddenly cold and alert.
Li Wenzhou suddenly seemed to understand something, and immediately said: "I was far away and couldn't hear clearly. I will ask you now."
He lifted his feet and walked away, disappearing at the entrance of the palace. Not long after, he came back panting and already a little out of his mind.
"Your Majesty," Li Wenzhou's voice was full of urgency, "the queen opened the gourd when she returned and turned away the maid. This slave deserves to die, but she didn't..."
Before Li Wenzhou finished speaking, he suddenly heard a "pop" sound as the bamboo slip fell and ink spilled on the black clothes of Zhao Zheng, the king of Yong Kingdom, flashed before his eyes, and he had already walked outside the palace gate.
Zhao Zheng did not pass the sedan chair, but his aloof figure jumped down the steps and walked quickly towards the bedroom, like an eagle gliding across the ground.
Li Wenzhou hesitated for a moment and chased after him, but he couldn't catch up.
"Master, what's wrong?"
the little chamberlain on duty asked timidly.
"This is incredible!" Li Wenzhou's face turned pale, but he could not say another word.
Is it medicinal powder?
Jiang Heping retired the maids on his left and right and sat in front of the dowry.
She took the gourd in her hand and looked at it carefully.
Sure enough, the gourd, which looks smooth and round on the outside, has a small gap at the top. If you separate it along the gap, you can see what is inside the hollowed out gourd.
Gently pour some out, it's black He carefully sniffed the smell inside, distinguishing rosin, borneol, lard, silverberry and plantain.
These are indeed medicinal materials for stopping bleeding and removing blood stasis.
However, the medicinal powders are processed and mixed together, which masks some other smells, making it impossible to distinguish them all.
Jiang He stopped sniffing carefully. She poured a little more cardamom pearl cream and mixed it with the medicinal powder.
The white pearl frost quickly turns to gray.
Does it work? Jiang He folded his sleeves, revealing the scars on his wrists.
Because she sat up in a fright last night, her bruises were more obvious and there was some swelling and pain.
Jiang He scolded Zhao Zheng in his mind and picked up the gray ointment with a hairpin.
……
注释 [1] In ancient times, male eunuchs, except for the Qing Dynasty, all called themselves be a slave means to be a maid.
(End of this chapter)