How could she know that?!
Shen Mingzhu: There are still two boxes of Longquan inkpad!
One box is worth a fortune.
He glared fiercely at Shen Mingzhu, trying to kill her with his eyes just like Lord Zhang Qiren did.
In the end, he was forced to bow his head by the sharp look of Crown Prince Yan Beichen and await his predetermined fate.
Guagua, I've heard that for Longquan ink paste, eight skilled craftsmen working non-stop for five hours can only extract one qian (approximately 3 grams) of lotus root fibers. Over ten thousand jin (approximately 5,000 kg) of lotus stems yield only about two jin (approximately 1 kg) of lotus root fibers. Furthermore, these fibers must be left to rest for a year before being used the following year. At that time, cinnabar, pearl powder, and other minerals are added and ground into a fine powder using a mortar and pestle to ensure the ink paste has a vibrant color and strong adhesion.
Finally, the oil must be prepared. It is said that this oil needs to be air-dried for more than six years and processed through a series of complex steps before it can be qualified.
Longquan ink paste requires three years of aging to reach usable quality. From the extraction of lotus root fibers to the paste's market release, the entire process takes at least ten and a half years. And yet, Lord Li bought two boxes at once—truly impressive!
Lord Li: Please, stop talking!
Since you know so much about it, you must really like it. How about I give you those two boxes of Longquan inkpad?
Shen Mingzhu: Oh no!
Shen Changyuan: My precious daughter wouldn't want that!
Host, Longquan inkpad is indeed very precious! Even if a work is preserved for a thousand years and all the ink has dissipated, the seal remains as clear as ever. Even if burned, the seal on the paper will still be visible.
[In a word, expensive!]
All the officials: We know it's extremely expensive!
Every time people hear news about Longquan inkpads, they spend a lot of money to buy them.
Crown Prince Yan Beichen: I'll go to Lord Li's house to confiscate his property in a little while. I'll take two boxes of Longquan ink paste, give one to my Crown Princess, and keep one for myself.
Okay, that's the arrangement.
Emperor Jingyuan: My good eldest son, he really knows how to allocate resources.
I don't know where you place your own father, the emperor.
Crown Prince Yan Beichen: Didn't someone present Father Emperor with a box of Longquan ink paste before?!
Emperor Jingyuan: Good, good, good!
My Crown Prince has such a good memory; he still remembers things from ten years ago!
Crown Prince Yan Beichen: ...
Prince An: May I ask a question, if you could spare half a box of Longquan ink paste for me?
Emperor Jingyuan: Get out!
Prince An: I will be back!
Host, I've discovered that, apart from the emperor, everyone in the entire Great Yan seems to be quite wealthy!
General Tian Xuezhou: Nonsense, this general has no money!
Just a few days ago, I bet on Master Shen at Tianxianglou and won a little money.
There was no money in my family before.
Otherwise, the old wife at home wouldn't be embroidering handkerchiefs to supplement the family income.
Guagua, this is normal. The national treasury is empty these days, and there are many disasters in various places. Disaster relief and war—all of these require money.
Emperor Jingyuan: That is indeed the case.
...
The commotion after today's court session was still quite significant.
The Zhang and Li families were both raided, while Lord Qian and Lord Sun were kept in the palace.
Lord Sun: There's still a glimmer of hope! He must make it clear that he paid for the wild ginseng.
Mr. Qian: I am willing to donate my entire fortune to show my loyalty!
Shen Mingzhu went to the Hanlin Academy after court today.
Her colleagues at the Hanlin Academy were all very happy to see her.
"Greetings, Lord Shen."
"Greetings, Lord Wang."
"Lord Shen has finished court!"
"Yes, Zhao Hanlin~~~"
Seeing her enthusiastic colleagues, Shen Mingzhu was in an exceptionally good mood.
She went to her room oops office and lay there lazily.
Ugh...Guagua, getting up early for court every time feels like torture. And it's not even winter yet! When the north wind howls in winter, I'll be frozen solid!
Host, don't worry. You have the Moon Shadow Phoenix Feather Cloak, and your second brother brought back a fox fur cloak from the north. With a hot water bottle, you'll be very warm and shouldn't get cold.
Ugh...so sleepy! By the way, Guagua, did Princess Chaoyang succeed in seeking help at Cining Palace?
Host, the empress dowager is not allowed to interfere in politics, so there's nothing she can do! She's the empress dowager, her son is the emperor, she's the most honored woman in the Great Yan Dynasty, she's seen it all, and now she just wants to enjoy her retirement. Why should she care about their petty squabbles?
Guagua, you're telling me that Princess Chaoyang, as a daughter, isn't worried at all now that her mother, the Consort, has gone to the Cold Palace. It's a waste of her upbringing! All she thinks about now is Consort Liang, completely unaware that her consort is about to go mining too. She and Princess Changle are two of a kind in this respect!
That's true, but Princess Chaoyang is no match for Princess Changle at all!
Indeed, look how carefree Princess Chang Le is, having so much fun!
The colleagues in the Hanlin Academy looked at each other in bewilderment.
And there's this big juicy gossip.
It's really delicious!
They dared not imagine the joy of attending court with all the civil and military officials.
Fortunately, Lord Shen is from their Hanlin Academy.
Occasionally, we can eat some melon to quench our thirst.
Guagua, is Princess Chang Le still having a good time? Will Tian Dachui beat her to death?
Shen Mingzhu: I feel like the name Tian Dachui sounds like someone who would commit domestic violence.
Host, what are you thinking! Tian Dachui is overjoyed after marrying the princess, and he's currently serving Princess Chang Le very well, making her extremely happy!
Wow, that's really good!
Su Huaiyuan stayed in his office, his face full of gossip.
Finally, I can enjoy the gossip to my heart's content. It's so great to be on my own turf.
Shen Mingzhu chatted with Guagua for a few minutes, then closed her eyes and went back to sleep.
By now, she has gotten used to taking a nap after court.
After she woke up, the system excitedly told her.
Host, good news! Good news! The Shi family is willing to marry their daughter off! They're just waiting for your cousin Hao to return!
The beautiful mother plans to have Cousin Hao wedding to be on the same day as her second brother and sister-in-law.
Would the Shi family be willing?
Host, the Shi family is very willing! Besides, given the current situation of the Shi family's youngest daughter, she must get married as soon as possible.
That's true, it seems my beautiful mother will be busy all the time!
Yes, there are so many things to do!
Fellow scholars: Is Xie Hao getting married to Miss Shi?
This is so sudden!
Su Huaiyuan: Sure enough, it went very smoothly.
As expected.
When Madam Shen came out of the Shi residence, she couldn't stop smiling.
Everything went smoothly.
She needs to go back and prepare more betrothal gifts, and also urge Xiao Wu and the others to return to the capital as soon as possible.
Of course, they also need to notify Emperor Jingyuan so that he can write imperial edict for him to come back quickly.
The main hall of the Shi family residence.
Shi Dewei sat upright, looking at Shi Wenxuan at the bottom of the table, and was furious.
But thinking of her pregnancy, he couldn't bear to punish her.
"You better behave yourself and get married properly! Xie Hao is one of the finest young men in the North and even Shengjing. At such a young age, he followed General Xie to fight against the Hu people and protect the country. You've really hit the jackpot!"
"If you dare to cause me any more trouble, don't blame your father for being ruthless and beating you to death to preserve the reputation of the Shi family."
Looking at their father's imposing expression, the whole family knew he wasn't joking.
If my younger sister Wenxuan dares to make any more trouble, my father will really enforce the family rules and beat her to death!
Shi Wenxuan: Looks like I can only wait to get married!