In the fifteenth year of Yongxing, the twenty-first day of the lunar month, the fourth quarter of Yin.

Meng Changqing got up, Dai Dongwen had already prepared breakfast in her room, and the ironed court clothes were also hanging beside her.

Looking at the breakfast on the table, the sauce meat buns, flower rolls, shortbread ......, are all things she likes to eat.

Unfortunately, she got up too early now, had no appetite at all, and barely ate two bites.

"Is there tea?"

As soon as Meng Changqing finished speaking, Dai Dongwen brought a cup of strong tea, the temperature was moderate, just in the mouth, the bitter taste of the tea was flooded when it entered his mouth, and his brain was sober.

"Young Master, let's eat some more." Dai Dongwen said, "I don't know when the court will end, and when you are hungry, you can only endure it." ”

"I'll take two buns and eat them on the way." Meng Changqing looked out, and the sky illuminated by a few lights in his yard was even darker than thick ink.

"The carriage is ready, it's still early, and the eight directions haven't gotten up yet, you can change your clothes later." Dai Dongwen said, "If you really can't eat, it's better to go back to bed and squint for a while, I remember the time, and make sure to wake you up in advance." ”

"Thank you, Uncle Dai."

Dai Dongwen tucked the quilt for her, Meng Changqing closed his eyes but opened them faster, "Uncle Dai, if I enter the palace today, there is a high probability that there will be no problems, but it is difficult to guarantee that something will happen, and I can't predict what the result will be."

In case the emperor is furious and puts me in a prison cell, it is not impossible. ”

"Young master, don't say such bad things."

"Even if you don't say it, it's still bad luck when you should be unlucky, but because you didn't take care of it in advance, it caught you off guard." Meng Changqing continued: "In case of such a situation, as long as Your Majesty does not kill me immediately, someone will always save me, don't worry, don't let your family do irreparable things." ”

"Why are you so worried?" Dai Dongwen asked.

"Yesterday I met the prince privately, and the prince told me that the emperor is not the emperor before, I don't know if he was born in the midst of changes to sigh like this, or if this is the case."

Dai Dongwen frowned, and at this time, Bafang ran in from outside, "Young Master! Master! He had a white breath on his lips, and his jacket had not yet been fastened, so he could see that he had hurriedly gotten up from the bed. It's not late, and you're still lying down. ”

"The young master has already had breakfast, you hurry up and eat some, and then go to the carriage to see if there is anything missing."

Bafang rushed to the table, rolled two pieces of shortbread and stuffed them into his mouth, and said vaguely: "I'll go over now." ”

"Young master, it's useless to think too much, let's rest for a while." Dai Dongwen closed the door and guarded outside.

Meng Changqing didn't lie down for long, and when Dai Dongwen pushed the door in again, she had already put on her court clothes and sat on the chair.

"Come early, I can't let the adults of the Ministry of Rites wait for me."

In the cold winter of Layue, in the early hours of the morning, it was the coldest time, but in Meng Changqing's carriage, there was not even a trace of cold wind.

Everything in the carriage was grilled in advance, and the sauce and meat buns that were ready to be eaten on the road were being warmed on the soup woman.

Bafang leaned on the carriage and yawned, "Fortunately, you didn't become a Beijing official, if you go to court twice in three days, who can stand it." ”

"Anyone who is an official in the court, who doesn't want to have a place in the court, so that he won't back down because of this matter."

"That's what I said." Bafang touched the plate, "Young master, eat the buns, now the car is tightly stuffed and can't burn charcoal, and it can't be hot anymore when it's cold." ”

When the carriage arrived on the street in front of the Suzaku Gate, Meng Changqing's steamed buns had just finished eating, and he felt thirsty, but he didn't dare to drink water.

When the carriage stopped, Bafang went out to look first, "Young master, the car can't go forward, we have to get off here." ”

"Get out of the car."

Bafang helped Meng Changqing put on a thick cloak and carefully arranged it to prevent the official uniform from being pressed out of the creases.

As soon as the two of them walked onto the white jade bridge, the official of the Ministry of Rites greeted them yesterday, "Master Meng, you came early." ”

"The adults arrived before me, and the officials shouldn't have been."

The adult took Meng Changqing to find a shelter from the wind, "I have to wait a little longer, the palace gate may not open on time, sometimes it will be early." ”

Meng Changqing asked, "Then are we a little far away from the palace gate?" ”

"It's okay, we'll stand at the end anyway, and we'll just keep up when the adults are almost inside."

Meng Changqing exchanged a few words with the official, and during this time, she found that several adults nearby looked at her from time to time.

In that case, she simply listened to what those people were saying.

"Do you guess the palace gate will open early today?"

"There are many people in the early dynasty, it should be opened early, right?"

"How about we make a bet?"

Meng Changqing lowered his eyes and listened carefully, listening vigorously, but there was a series of discordant footsteps in his voice.

"Young Master Meng, do you remember me?"

Meng Changqing saluted him, "Lord Zou." ”

The person who came was Zou Duyu, the servant of the ministry.

"Young Master Meng has a good memory." Zou Duyu said, "After the dispersal of the dynasty, this official wants to invite Young Master Meng to have a cup of tea, and also invite Young Master Meng to appreciate his face." ”

"Lord Zou invites you, and the lower officials naturally want to go."

"So, that's it." Zou Duyu said with a smile, "After the dispersal of the dynasty, this official is still waiting for you here." ”

Meng Changqing nodded and smiled, but after seeing him take a few steps, he immediately pulled over the eight directions and whispered: "After I enter the palace, you go home immediately, bring my horse here, and wait for me at the closest place to the palace gate." ”

"Young Master, since you don't want to go, can't you just refuse him?"

"This person is very verbose, if I don't agree, he will be annoyed."

The official of the Ministry of Rites standing next to him pretended to be temporarily deaf and just looked at the palace gate in the distance.

The lord who bet that the palace door opened early seemed to have bad luck.

The palace gates opened, and the guards with spears lined up one by one.

Meng Changqing followed at the end of the line, watching the people in front of her approve the seal and sign to enter, and she followed suit.

When you enter the palace again, it is a different door and a different road.

In this hall, Meng Changqing didn't know how many times he had looked at it behind his back, but it was the first time he stood in front of it.

When I first entered the palace gate, I could still hear the slight chatter among the ministers, but the further I went, the quieter the crowd became.

After taking a few steps, she finally came to the front of the temple gate, and the officials led her to a red pillar next to her, "You are waiting here." ”

She watched all the officials enter, and there was silence inside, and then the emperor arrived and began to deliberate.

The door of the hall was open, and the sound inside was a little louder, and Meng Changqing could hear it clearly outside.

I heard that Chaoshang was really talking about the Southern Haikou.

An unfamiliar voice said: "Yesterday, the southern coast reported that the pirates had not been out for three days, and the government soldiers and official ships searched the sea, but they still couldn't find the hiding place of the pirates. ”

Another voice said: "After the coordinated interrogation of the gentlemen of the Siyi Pavilion, there are now eyebrows, this is the confession of the prisoner compiled by the Criminal Department, and I also ask Your Majesty to look at it." ”