This competition was presided over by Dr. Liu, who is good at pharmacology, and supervised by the hospital, and the momentum was grand, and the entire Chaohui Hall was almost full.

That's also, after all, in the past, only the officials who could enter the palace to participate in such a banquet were the officials and dependents of the fourth grade or above in Beijing, but now in order to recruit talents, there is no threshold, as long as they are Beijing officials, they are qualified to enter the palace to show their faces.

When Qin Niang and Qi came out of the queen's place, many people had already come to the Chaohui Palace, and everyone recognized the two of them, and some people saw them coming out of the queen's place, so the eyes that looked at them were also full of inquiry.

However, those low-grade women and nobles did not dare to come forward to inquire without authorization, but they couldn't stand those who believed in their status, and came to their side from time to time.

"The two young ladies of the Gu family, I really didn't expect you to come too." A woman dressed in purple brocade stepped forward and approached them enthusiastically, "I have long heard that the two young ladies have always been very talented, if you participate, then where can we individuals have any hope." ”

In one sentence, Qin Niang and Qi were praised to the sky.

The corners of Qi's mouth twitched, did the other party slap Qin Niang's ass and piggyback on her by the way? If it comes to talent, she doesn't dare to accept it.

Although the Qi family was born in a family, the piano, chess, calligraphy and painting are naturally all connected, but when it comes to being outstanding, it can't be talked about, she married Gu Chen's eldest brother Gu Ye, there was no intersection before marriage, and it was the feelings that were cultivated after marriage, but what attracted Gu Ye was not her talent, but her true temperament.

Speaking of which, she also belongs to the mother's family of today's queen, but it is a side branch, the queen's father British Duke and Qi's grandfather are brothers of the same mother, although they have now separated, but this kinship is still very close, and the two families are in the capital, and they move around quite frequently on weekdays, and the relationship is also very close.

Because of this relationship, the marriage between the two families is just because they are right, and there is absolutely no reason for outstanding talent.

In fact, many real families with deep roots do not disdain to let their daughters go to any banquet to show their faces to choose marriage, they will pick out some objects with good character in the high-ranking families in Beijing to inspect and choose, as long as the character is satisfied, then those talents and the like are not the most important.

Therefore, Qi knows very well that his talent is not enough to compare with Qin Niang, and this lady is so nonsense that she is speechless.

"Mrs. Zhuang really won the award, although I know the piano, chess, calligraphy and painting, but I don't know everything, at least pharmacology, like everyone, I have only learned some in recent years, and we just came out of the queen, and the queen also said, even if I and my sister-in-law participated, the final ranking has nothing to do with us, we just came to make up the numbers." Qin Niang said, smiling with a pal covering her lips, very modest.

The corners of Qi's mouth twitched invisibly, looking at her brother-in-law's appearance, she was about to start digging a pit for people.

Everyone knows that this Mrs. Zhuang is famous for her big mouth, and she can't sit still, looking at so many people sitting here, although they are all very curious about what the queen said when she saw them alone, but no one dared to come forward to investigate.

Only this Mrs. Zhuang relied on her identity and the gossip heart, and she couldn't hold back to come forward to talk to them, if Qin Niang wasted such an opportunity in vain, then she would be really stupid.

Thinking of this, Qi glanced at Mrs. Zhuang sympathetically.

"Mrs. Gu Er Young is really joking, who in this capital doesn't know that Er Young Lady Gu is very smart, even if she can't, she will be able to learn it, and now that Gu Er Young Lady is still leading the army, because of this, the queen will not treat Second Young Lady Gu badly." After Mrs. Zhuang said a few polite words, she pulled the two away a little, avoided the crowd for some distance, and then approached them and whispered, "I don't know what the queen mother has to do to host this competition." ”

Qin Niang was stunned, look, it's coming so soon.

Immediately, she smiled incomprehensibly, and said with a smile: "This is a deep meaning, how dare we women speculate arbitrarily, but Niangniang mentioned two things to us and asked us if we had any good ideas." ”

When Mrs. Zhuang heard this, her eyes immediately lit up, her face covered with powder trembled with excitement, and almost fell out of a few grains of powder, she held back her eagerness, lowered her voice again and asked, "I don't know what the queen mother is anxious about?" ”

After finishing speaking, she was afraid that the two would misunderstand that she liked to inquire, so she hurriedly smiled: "I don't mean anything else, I just want to share the queen's worries and come up with ideas, and the two young ladies are so relaxed and relaxed, and there is not so much pressure." ”

Qi really couldn't hold back, and rolled his eyes silently.

However, fortunately, Mrs. Zhuang's eyes were focused on Qin Niang, and she didn't notice her.

Qi thought that since her brother-in-law married Gu Chen, because of the blackness of the inker, she was almost black and purple, and look, this Mrs. Zhuang was so pitted that there would be no scum left.

"Queen, cough cough, let's sit over there and drink some tea first, we're almost dying of thirst, we didn't dare to drink two sips of water at the queen's place before, and we sweated all over the body, really, we're dying of thirst at this time." Qin Niang said, deliberately hanging Mrs. Zhuang's appetite, and led the Qi family to the table in the corner where there were few people.

The palace people saw that there were people sitting at the table, and immediately served them tea and snacks, and after Qin Niang drank a cup of tea, there was no one around, and Mrs. Zhuang looked at her eagerly again.

To be honest, she was too curious about what the queen said when she saw them alone, did she reveal more inside information about this competition, and what if she won?

Although everyone came to this spring banquet with the purpose of letting their own girls show their faces so as to take the opportunity to get a little bit of royal eyes, the queen did not say what reward the winner would have, and even whether there was a suitable candidate in her heart.

Although everyone is here to show their faces, people always have a little expectation, and they are motivated to do things.

Therefore, after Qin Niang and Qi came out of the queen's place, she couldn't sit still, and others didn't dare to come forward to inquire, but she dared.

"The queen has been very troubled these days." Qin Niang put down the cup and said with a sigh.

Mrs. Zhuang immediately asked, "What's the trouble?" ”

Qin Niang's brows tightened, and she hesitated for a moment before she slowly spoke: "You also know, now the east is embattled, and the treasury has not been full in recent years, and now it costs money to fight anywhere, even if our Gu family is willing to fill the treasury with all the silver they earn, but it is still not enough, and now the military department is still recruiting new soldiers, which all need to spend silver, and the soldiers went to the battlefield, all kinds of knee pads, boots, are missing, and these special medicine bags come out, and they also need silver." ”

In a word, Donglin is now short of silver.

Mrs. Zhuang understood at once, this queen summoned the two young ladies of the Gu family, most of them to take out some silver from their pockets.

Qin Niang saw that she understood, so she stepped up and said: "Don't talk about the problem of removing the silver, just talk about this medicine bag, once someone wins, you have to rush to a large number of methods according to that recipe and style, this labor is also a problem, just by mobilizing these people in Beijing is not enough, after all, many people don't know medicinal materials at all, if you admit the mistake, it will be difficult to do." ”

When Mrs. Zhuang heard this, she immediately blurted out: "This is not easy to do, as long as the medicinal materials are enough, let the special person keep an eye on it, as for those medicinal materials, let the special person divide it, and then send it to those people below to sew it into a sachet." ”

I have to say that under the temptation of interests, people's brains will become very active, and some things only need to be started, and naturally someone can help come up with countless methods.

This is the so-called heavy reward, there must be a brave man.

Qin Niang sighed and said, "It's easy to say, but who wants to do this?" It's so hard, and besides, which of the people in this capital is still short of silver? I'm afraid that if I give thirty or fifty taels, these people can't look down on it, but if I give too much, the treasury is really unbearable, so ......"

As she spoke, she refilled another cup of tea with a sad face and took a leisurely sip.

Mrs. Zhuang was silent, she didn't talk for a while, and she didn't know what she was thinking, and after a long time, she asked probingly: "Then, you said that the queen has two things to worry about, and what about one thing?" ”

Qi's family couldn't bear to let Qin Niang sing a one-man show here, so she interjected at the right time: "There is another thing that is naturally the marriage of His Royal Highness the Prince, she said that it is really difficult to find someone who understands the general situation and can share the ups and downs with the prince, and now that the east is in danger, if she chooses a concubine for the prince at this time, I don't know if it will hurt others." ”

As she spoke, she also sighed pretending to sigh and took a drink from her teacup.

"Isn't it? If you choose a princess in peacetime, it will be simple, the daughters of the family around are so much, and choose one of them to show off their wisdom, but now that the national disaster is at hand, this princess must be able to share the worries for the prince, to understand the general situation, and to have the spirit of not being afraid of hardships and hardships, but there is a shortage of materials ahead, and I heard that many soldiers' shoes are worn out, so if you go to the battlefield and have no shoes to wrap your feet, then ......"

The latter words, Qin Niang didn't say any more, and the Qi family also sighed in a timely manner, the latter words are enough for the Zhuang family to imagine on their own, anyway, the emptiness of the treasury is something that everyone knows, even if they copied the mansions of so many corrupt officials and corrupt officials before and got those silvers, it is not enough for the war ahead.

Even the women of the inner house know that fighting a war is the most expensive thing to do.

On weekdays, if those neighboring countries do not come to attack, but once a war starts, they have to burn silver.

If you want to keep the glorious and wealthy life in Beijing, you have to ensure that the soldiers in front of you are well fed and clothed, otherwise, once the front is lost, then the army commander will drive straight in, and when the time comes, where can they be allowed to seek power and profit in this frequent imperial capital?

After a short period of thought, Mrs. Zhuang figured it out.