The emperor really didn't expect that the person Bai Yuanze was talking about turned out to be Meng Shu.
"Wang Fusheng." The emperor whispered.
"My servant is here." Wang Fusheng came forward quickly.
"Tell Princess Jiahe to find a reason to invite people into the palace in the past two days." The emperor ordered.
Wang Fusheng nodded repeatedly: "Yes, I will quietly go to Yaohua Palace where the princess lives."
……
The next morning, after Meng Shu packed up, she went out.
The master sent someone to tell her that there was no need to go to his house to avoid complications.
The master and apprentice made an appointment to meet at a more elegant teahouse in the north of the city.
Meng Shu wore a veil and deliberately walked around the first few streets. After making sure that no one was following her, she went to the private room in the most secluded part of the tea house's backyard to wait for Bai Yuanze.
When Bai Yuanze came over, it was almost noon.
"Shu'er, after my teacher had an old friend, he was poisoned by a strange poison. The remaining poison has not been cleared for many years. He took the detoxification pill refined by my teacher and got better. However, to completely detoxify, you need to use the Nine-Turn Golden Needle. Let me help you." Bai Yuanze did not go around in circles and went straight to the point, explaining his purpose.
The emperor's side has not yet made arrangements, and Bai Yuanze has not revealed his true identity for the time being.
"Okay." Meng Shu nodded in agreement.
This was just a piece of cake for her, and Meng Shu was very happy to be able to help her master.
"Why did Master suddenly agree to the Queen Mother to enter the palace to help the Emperor refine elixirs?" Meng Shu was still worried about this matter.
Although the elixir refined by the master is different from those Taoist priests with false reputations, it will not eat dead people, but can maintain health, but the emperor's body is too weak, who knows how long it can last?
If one day the emperor cannot hold on any longer and dies, the master will be in danger.
He might become a scapegoat.
Meng Shu remembered that Master once told her that he would never leave Qixia Temple in his life and would live in the temple until his death.
The master also said that if a Taoist like him is contaminated with too much worldliness and cause and effect, his lifespan will be shortened.
This old man obviously cherishes his life.
Why enter the palace and wade in troubled waters?
"My master once received favors from the Queen Mother, who sent someone to Qixia Temple to invite my master to enter the palace. How could I refuse?" Bai Yuanze looked at his disciple with a gentle look on his face.
"Then Master, you must be more careful. The emperors of the past dynasties, as long as they were contaminated with the elixir, their lives were not short-lived. After their death, the alchemists who paid tribute to the elixir almost did not end well." Meng Shu's voice was suppressed. Very low.
Even though the Empress Dowager now places great importance on her master, expecting him to refine elixirs to prolong the emperor's life, if the day comes when the emperor dies, they might fall out.
There is no one in power in the palace who is not ruthless.
Bai Yuanze knew that as a noble daughter of the Meng Shu family, she could say these words to him because she really cared about him as his master.
There are just some things that he can't tell her yet.
When it comes to the struggle for imperial power, the fewer people who know about it, the better.
"Don't worry, Shu'er. Master has the ability to protect himself and will not put himself in danger." Bai Yuanze said with a smile.
Meng Shu nodded.
It was getting late and she couldn't stay here for long, so she quickly left with Su Ye and Qingdai.
When Meng Shu returned to the house, it was long past lunch time. Mrs. Lu was worried that her daughter would be hungry, so she specially let the small kitchen warm the food.
At this time on weekdays, Mr. Lu would have already taken a lunch break, but today he was waiting for Meng Shu.
"Shu'er must be hungry. Mother will ask someone to bring the food." Mrs. Lu held her daughter's hand and said softly.
"Mom, I took Su Ye and the others to Yunxiang Tower for lunch on the way back. I'm not hungry yet." Meng Shu turned around and smiled.
The capital is so big and there are so many restaurants. There are no rules in the Zhou Dynasty that prohibit women from being exposed in public. Of course, Meng Shu will not starve herself.
After she returned to the capital three months ago, her cousin Meng Wan highly recommended Yunxiang Restaurant to her. Her Western cousin had lunch there and it was really good.
Passing by Yunxiang Tower on the way back today, Meng Shu would not miss the opportunity to taste delicious food.
The master and servants ordered a large table of dishes and ate happily. They felt very full now.
"My son is not hungry, and my mother is relieved!" Mrs. Lu laughed.
Her daughter is different from those raised in boudoir in the capital.
She doesn't need to worry too much.
It's just that as a mother, you always think about your children subconsciously. This is human nature.
"Shu'er, not long after you left today, someone came to the palace. Princess Jiahe wants to see you. She will send a servant to take you into the palace early tomorrow morning." When Mrs. Lu talked about this, her heart was full of doubts.
Although her daughter was born in the capital, she took her to Guiyun City as soon as she turned one year old.
In these years, my daughter has not entered the palace, so naturally she has never met Princess Jiahe.
Mr. Lu didn't know why Princess Jiahe summoned her daughter.
She knew that Meng Shu didn't know much about Princess Jiahe, so she told her everything she knew so that Meng Shu wouldn't have trouble coping when he entered the palace tomorrow because he didn't know much.
"When the late emperor was alive, he loved the empress dowager most and was very indifferent to the other concubines in the harem. Especially in the last ten years, he only favored the empress dowager. Except for the concubines who gave birth to children, all other women in the harem were dismissed by the late emperor. After the late emperor became seriously ill, he even handed over the government affairs to the Queen Mother..."
The Queen Mother was of ordinary origin, but the late Emperor fell in love with her and not only fought against all opinions to marry her as his queen, but even broke the rules many times for her sake.
The fact that the Queen Mother is now able to control the government is the result of the late Emperor's connivance.
Although it is not good for women to be involved in politics, when women in the world mention the Queen Mother, no one does not envy her.
Because not only did she get the bottomless pampering and favor from the most noble man in the world, she also held great power.
After most women get married, even if they marry an ordinary person, they may not be able to get all the love from their husbands, let alone someone who is at the top?
"The person the late Emperor cared about most was the Queen Mother, and besides that, the one he loved the most was Princess Jia." A smile appeared on Mrs. Lu's face: "The late Emperor had five sons and one daughter, and Princess Jiahe was his only daughter. "
As the saying goes, rare things are valuable.
So do people!
The late emperor had five sons, but he only had one daughter, Princess Jiahe, so naturally he loved her very much.
Not only the late emperor, but also the empress dowager and the concubines in the palace also loved the only princess very much.
Moreover, Princess Jiahe’s biological mother, Concubine Su, was the cousin of the Queen Mother.
Even if Meng Shu didn't grow up in the capital, she still understood these things.
She looked at her mother, waiting for what was to come.
"The Queen Mother had intended to betroth Princess Jiahe to your second brother, but at that time, your second brother already had someone he liked. After we heard the news, we quickly arranged for your second brother and your second brother to marry before the imperial edict was issued. The marriage of your second sister-in-law was settled and the betrothal gift was paid, so the Queen Mother gave up the idea. However, after that, the Queen Mother became a little dissatisfied with our British government. In the past two years, she even found an excuse to issue an edict. Go to Guiyun City and reprimand your father," Mr. Lu said in a low voice.
