novelraw Chapter 1696 - 1671: Friends
Chapter 1696 - 1671: Friends
Envoys staying at the post house don’t have to pay, and some envoys from tributary states even stay in the post house for three to five years and that’s quite common.
You can live without spending money, but you must pay for food, drink, and clothing.
Especially food; the post house doesn’t provide three meals a day, so you either pay to eat and drink at the post house, or eat outside.
Most people in Chang’an surprisingly eat white flour and white rice, which in their country, even the nobles can’t afford to eat for three meals a day.
They didn’t bring much money, mainly because the currency is different, and silver is valuable in their country, and they didn’t bring much of it.
In the end, they had to sell some of their precious items to exchange for money, and a lot has been spent on social interactions recently.
If they don’t get into the Imperial Academy, they probably won’t be able to live in Chang’an. By then, they would only bring the ceremonial gifts from the Great Jin back to Goryeo.
That would mean their mission would be considered half a failure.
Unexpectedly, Bai Shan and the others seemed quite distinguished; could they use their connections?
While they were thinking about this, Manbao and the others were already heading into the palace. After watching them enter the palace, Daji and others turned and rode home.
Manbao and three others returned the items to the bedroom, where she took the important documents, held them in her arms, and turned to the Chongwen Pavilion to check in.
After writing a few pages of medical books, she got up to see three disciples practice acupuncture, gave them some pointers, then went to see the Crown Princess. Afterward, she went back to have lunch with Bai Shan and the others, rested for a while, and then returned to Chongwen Pavilion to revise books.
It wasn’t until she was hungry and tired in the afternoon that she took the folded petition and her medical kit to see Prince Gong. After seeing Prince Gong, she went to see the Emperor, and handed over the oral petition.
The Emperor originally didn’t plan to see him, took his petition, and was about to send him away, but then remembered something and asked the attendant to call Manbao back after she had already walked down the steps.
Manbao resignedly turned and entered the hall, paid her respects to the Emperor, and stood aside with her medical kit.
The Emperor was also busy and tired after a whole day, so he waved his hand, asked Zhou Man to put down the medical kit, and asked, "How is Prince Gong’s health?"
Manbao calculated the Crown Princess’s due date and said, "The Prince’s health has improved somewhat, but I see that his will is not strong, so he must exercise more to avoid suddenly stopping and regaining weight."
The Emperor thought for a moment, then nodded, "He can practice slowly, don’t always force Prince Gong, I heard that you made him cry several times?"
Manbao did not admit it, "Prince Gong finds exercise uncomfortable, but still persists for the filial piety to His Majesty and the Empress, hence he cried."
The Emperor hardly believed her, but as her words were pleasant he skipped over what she said, anyway, he had just one requirement, treat him slowly, don’t be too impatient, it’s fine if Prince Gong achieves success in losing weight by the next year.
It happened that Manbao thought the same.
The ruler and minister reached a reconciliation, so the Emperor leaned back on the dragon chair and chatted casually, "I heard you took the princesses to see the Goryeo handsome men on the eighth day?"
Manbao immediately replied, "They’re not attractive."
The Emperor raised his eyebrows, "Didn’t you all converse amicably? Why turn around and say they’re not attractive?"
Manbao said, "Just somewhat more attractive than average, definitely not as handsome as Scholarly Senior Brother Yang. We usually see quite a few handsome people, Bai Shan and Yin Huo are both more attractive than them."
She paused and then gave them some advice, "Besides, superficial beauty is temporary; they lack insight and knowledge, hardly deserving the term beautiful."
The Emperor couldn’t help but become curious, "Why are you speaking ill of others?"
Manbao denied it, "I was being truthful."
After speaking, she was still a bit annoyed, she hummed twice, "Your Majesty, they want to send doctors to study at the Imperial Medical Office, but pretentiously look down on the Imperial Medical Office, thinking our doctors are merely craftsmen. Hmph, medicine is vast and profound, even the Yellow Emperor constantly researched it, so why do they look down on us?"
The Emperor was slightly surprised, immediately comforting her, "Clearly, they are shortsighted, the Imperial Medical Office still relies on the collaboration of all doctors, who would dare look down on you?"
Although knowing the status of medicine was indeed lower than that of scholars, the Emperor’s words nevertheless made Manbao feel comforted.
Once Manbao was gone, the Emperor laughed with Gu Zhong, "This little girl does have quite the temper, someone just said a phrase and she came to complain."
Gu Zhong bent over, laughed and said, "Lord Zhou Junior is still young, not yet able to hide her thoughts."
The Emperor laughed and said, "If she can’t then she can’t, her medical skills are good, it’s enough that she focuses on researching medicine."
Manbao carried her medical kit, strutting off, after walking a short distance, she encountered Mingda and Changyu waiting specifically at the front.
She immediately picked up her medical kit and trotted forward, "Why are you here?"
"We heard you came over, so we waited for you. It turns out after seeing Third Brother, you left."
Manbao looked left and right, lowered her voice, "The Emperor asked me to write an apology petition, I brought it to him, naturally avoiding others."
Mingda was curious, "What mistake did you make?"
Manbao complained, "Because I took you to see beautiful men."
The two princesses immediately felt embarrassed, Mingda asked, "Did Father punish you?"
Manbao shook her head, "The Emperor doesn’t want the court officials to know, so the petition didn’t go through the Censorate. What do you want from me?"
Only then did Changyu remember the important matter, pulling Manbao aside to talk about pleading for the Goryeo envoys, she recounted precisely what the Emperor spoke that day to Manbao, then sighed, "I already promised Lou Mian, it’s not right to break my word."
Manbao paused, she had already complained.
She swallowed and said, "What you did isn’t considered promising, at most it’s agreeing to give it a try."
"Then let’s try, I haven’t tried yet."
Manbao stared at Changyu curiously, "Do you like Lou Mian very much?"
Changyu said, "Mainly reluctant to see beauty upset, he’s so pale, so gentle, what if he’s hurt and frowns?"
Manbao turned her head to Mingda, "It’s lucky she’s not a prince, otherwise if she became Emperor, wouldn’t the harem be in chaos?"
Mingda thought about the scene and couldn’t help but laughed heartily and gleefully.
Changyu stamped her foot, "I’m seriously talking to you, yet you mock me."
Manbao thought for a while, and then quietly said to Changyu, "I think it’s difficult because I just spoke ill of them to the Emperor."
Changyu was stunned, after a moment widened her eyes, "Just because Gao You looked down on the Imperial Medical Office?"
Manbao nodded, "He looked down on the Imperial Medical Office, I also look down on them."
"But what does this have to do with Lou Mian?"
Mingda laughed, "Sister is confused, Lou Mian is his study companion, shared glory and shared loss, it’s inevitable."
Changyu pouted and looked at Manbao.
Manbao scratched her head, after a while asked, "Shall I change my words to the Emperor another day?"
"Absolutely not," Mingda stopped her, "You arbitrarily judge the Emperor’s intentions, be careful he accuses you."
Although beauty is important, friends are also important, Changyu sighed, "Indeed, you can’t speak again on this matter, If my father gets angry, it’ll be extraordinary, better if I go plead myself."