"No"

There was a loud bang. The emperor broke his favorite ink stone. Xu Chongshan and Eunuch Lin were silent any longer, especially Xu Chongshan, who was worried that the emperor would be angry and do something that he regretted. They all stepped forward, ready to intervene.

At that moment, the door to the study creaked open. Chao Xiaoshu stepped over the threshold and closed the door behind him. He turned, lifted his turquoise robe, knelt on the ground, and kowtowed his head three times in solemnity. It was his farewell ceremony.

He stood up, bowed slightly to Xu Chongshan and Eunuch Li, and then walked towards the palace entrance. With no eunuch or maid to lead him, he walked alone, as if patrolling the garden. He has visited the palace many times in the past and has a deep affection for it. He didn't have much opportunity to visit in recent years, so he missed it.

When he arrived at the lake called Lihai, Chao Xiaoshu put his hands behind his back and looked at it thoughtfully. He looked at the fish swimming happily in the lake, his lips slightly upturned, and his smile lit up his face like the sun.

The fish in the lake stopped moving completely, and his smiling gaze fell on them. They look like ornamental jade fish, floating lifelessly in the crystal waters.

Chao Xiaoshu muttered to himself, "I escaped from the cage and returned to freedom."

Heaven and earth are a great prison for trapped people. The heart is the cage of the body. Once the cage of the mind is broken, the cage of the world will be broken.

...

...

In the imperial study, a crown was hurriedly thrown in the corner. The Emperor stared at the words he had begun to write this morning, his face full of willfulness and regret.

Little did he know that in the corner of the shelf, there was the next sentence that could complete his writing.

He jerked his head up and looked out the window at the Imperial Garden. His furrowed brow relaxed, and he finally calmed down. "Maybe, you might be right." He whispered self-deprecatingly.

In the huge palace, a priest about forty years old was feeling the pulse of the queen. His brow furrowed sharply, and he drew a long line on the queen's flesh wrist rather rudely, then turned to look behind him.

The queen looked at him worriedly. The head of the country, who has always been calm and friendly, behaves differently from himself.

The priest seemed to look out in shock. Suddenly, he beat his chest and wailed, "I was wrong. I was really wrong. I should have advised Your Majesty to release the little tree earlier. Or let him enter the academy......"

"With the ability of the dean of the academy and the attainment realm of Xiao Shu, the Tang Empire should become the strongest in the world. We can even fight against the Southern Jin Kingdom. What a pity. It's a pity that it's ten years late!

In the alley near the laundry station, Ning Que sat in the carriage, staring at the lifelike statues. They look like they're going to come back to life at any moment. Ning Que's face turned even paler, and his heartbeat accelerated. All his senses seemed to disappear in that moment.

In front of the Vermilion Bird Gate...

A middle-aged man stares at the stone beast adorned on the eaves. He smiled happily, and his laughter sounded strangely carefree, bringing. It's a real laugh without any other thoughts or intentions. The beast on the eaves seemed to understand his laughter and returned to a calm silence.

He left the palace gates, his turquoise robe fluttering behind him, his carefree laughter still echoing in the air.

After today, there will be no more old tide of Chunfeng Pavilion to lead Chang'an.

Instead, there will be one more person in the know to watch the fish in the lake.

Back in the backyard of Lin 47th Street, Ning Que took out the matte wooden waist card from his chest and threw it on the bed, as if he had thrown a piece of garbage.

Sangsang sat on the edge of the bed, his cold calves buried under a comfortable and warm blanket. She focused on mending his old and torn jacket. When she saw the waist tag being tossed onto the blanket, she curiously picked it up and placed it in the sunlight oozing from the ceiling. She opened her eyes wide and observed in detail for a long time before asking, "Young Master, what is this?"

"The label of the palace bodyguard... For secret guards, it refers to those who do things in the dark. Ning Que sat at the table and began to take a few sips of water from the small teapot. Recalling that he didn't even drink a glass of wine when he came to the palace today, he felt a little dissatisfied.

Knowing that Ning Que had a place in the official ranks, just like she had predicted last night, and getting a good reward for what he did, Sang Sang couldn't help but grin. However, when it comes to rewards, she's so straightforward.

"How much money do you make each month?"

Ning Que was taken aback. He put down the teapot in his hand and recalled his previous conversation in the palace. Then he hesitated and said, "I think it's about 40 to 50 silver, right?"

Sangsang began to frown as a feeling of displeasure appeared on her little swarthy face. She commented: "That's not a lot.

Ning Que shook his head and reprimanded her with a smile, "Now that the two silvers are richer, we have to express ourselves more generously."

Hearing his words, the displeasure on Sangsang's face disappeared, and she smiled and gestured to her little hand. She said, "Young Master, when you left, that person secretly sent the silver.

Ning Que was a little puzzled. He walked over to the bed, leaned against the maidservant, and asked curiously, "Where did you put them?"

Sang Sang secretly glanced outside the store a few times before putting down the needlework. Then she grabbed the two corners of the blanket with a pair of small hands, nervously pulled open a small gap, and motioned for him to look at the gap.

Ning Que raised his eyebrows and looked suspiciously at the bottom of the blanket. First, he saw a pair of thin legs. And then next to the legs were stacks of silver. Even though they are obscured by a thick blanket for most of the light, and even if only the dim light reflects off the silver, they are still as charming and captivating as ever.

He opened his mouth slightly, forcibly suppressing the excitement in his heart. Then he pretended to be calm and reprimanded, "I said before......*cough*... We need to be generous. It's only two pieces of silver, and you're already excited...... No wonder I find it strange when you cover yourself with a blanket in bright daylight. In the end, you're just worried about the silver. Didn't you notice that they were blocking your way?

Sangsang raised his face and shook his head firmly. This means that the silver will never stand in her way.

Ning Que coughed twice, he snuggled the maid's head, and said, "You may still hide two thousand taels of silver under the blanket." What if your young master earns two more pieces of silver in the future? How are you going to hide?

...

...

Spring in Chang'an is very beautiful, with heavy rain pouring from time to time, watering the grass and flowers along the streets. Whether you're standing inside a barricade or under a shelter, there's a colorful and lively landscape to see everywhere. Lin 47th Street in Dongcheng seems to be alive, full of bright and lively colors and bustling crowds.

After the Chunfeng Pavilion incident, the Minister of Taxation was demoted, and the entire logistics department was swept away. There was no conclusion on the issue of land reclamation, which lasted for several months. The fence around the warehouse of the logistics department is also as quiet and desolate as a cemetery. Although the Ichthyosaurus Gang was forced to surface, it did not forget its role in "cleaning up" the urban underworld. At this moment, no one on Zhao Xiaoshu's street dared to move, not even to speak.

It is actually a very desirable place for business and commerce. Now there is no pressure from officials and gangsters, and the shops are open again. Whether it is a new store opened by a newcomer, or an old owner who sees an opportunity to buy back a shop, they are all making big profits for this spring.

Business needs public relations, so the main focus is on gathering people to do business with you. In the past, there was only one shop on Lin 47th Street, and somehow, it exuded a deadly aura that people were unwilling to approach. Therefore, business is not good. However, now that all the shops are open, and the weather is so good in the spring, more people are starting to gather on the streets to shop.

Compared to the neighboring stores, Old B

ush Pe

Shop's business isn't good. However, the situation is much better compared to the first few days of their opening. Although Sangsang is busy every day, the smile on his face does not seem to fade. She even told her young master that there was no need to hire more helpers.

After all, Ning Que still has the mentality of a young scholar. As he stared at the crowd, he began to recall how bad business had been in the past. The more he thought about it, the more he despised the customers who came to buy his calligraphy. Now that he has two more silver, he is not bothered by the meager income given to him by the old brush shop. This is also the reason why he has significantly increased the price of calligraphy. For him, he doesn't need money now. Since they were all so cheap and came forward to buy his calligraphy, the more they should pay. So that he can win back his reputation and avenge himself at the same time.