Drunk Bamboo

Xie Yuzhu entertained Liu Shancai in the hall, and Baiguo brought tea and snacks and waited outside the door.

Liu Shancai had a round, white face, small eyes, a small mouth, and two small mustaches at the corners of his mouth. He smiled in a naive way and did not have the slightest airs of an official.

He doesn't look like Liu Ziwang at all.

I guess Liu Ziwang looks like his mother.

"Lord Liu's arrival is really unfortunate. The prince happened to be in the palace teaching the crown prince how to ride horses. I accepted Lord Liu's kindness on behalf of the prince, but I ask Lord Liu to take these gifts back. The prince is not in the palace, so I can't make a decision."

Liu Shancai was very good at being polite. He smiled and said, "Your Highness, that's not right. It's just some bird's nest supplements, not precious treasures. How can I feel good if I don't accept it?"

Xie Yuzhu had heard from Lao Liu that Liu Shancai was as round as his face and had an excellent reputation for the way he treated people.

I have been sitting in the position of Minister of Revenue for almost twenty years.

Judging from his current age, he would not be more than 30 years old when he became the Minister of Revenue. In the officialdom, this is absolutely rare, even rare in a century.

He was already a Shangshu before he reached the age of thirty, which shows that he has some abilities.

Xie Yuzhu must not be careless, lest someone catch the palace with something wrong.

He smiled kindly and tactfully declined: "Your Highness has always been generous and magnanimous. Lord Liu also heard it that night. Your Highness saved people without asking for anything in return, and he did not want to accept Lord Liu's favor. Anyone who encounters this situation would do the same thing. Saving a life is better than building a seven-story pagoda. If I accept this gift, wouldn't that mean I have some ulterior motive?"

Liu Shancai opened his eyes and looked at Xie Yuzhu, and naturally heard her caution.

So he changed his tone, smiled less widely, and said sincerely, "The princess is so polite to me. Maybe I did something wrong and made the princess misunderstand me."

Xie Yuzhu also looked at him: "Why do you say that, Lord Liu?"

Liu Shancai directly stated his purpose: "My son told me that it was the princess who saved my life, but that night, the prince and princess seemed to be unwilling to let outsiders know that it was the princess who saved me, so I didn't tell anyone. I only said that it was Fengwang Mansion that saved my life. Today, I got the news and knew that the prince was not in the mansion at the moment, so I came here to express my gratitude."

Xie Yuzhu took this explanation to heart.

Asked: "Is Master Liu okay?"

Speaking of Liu Ziwang, Liu Shancai's eyes were full of love: "Thank you for your concern, Princess. Ziwang is doing well. He has a simple mind and will be fine after a good sleep. Princess not only saved my life, but also helped Ziwang. As his father, I have always been grateful. I sent him to Baiyun Academy in the hope that the bookish atmosphere of Baiyun Academy could help Ziwang and open his mind. I asked Dean Xie to let Ziwang stay in the academy for a year."

"I didn't expect that he would meet the princess, which opened up another side of his life. After returning from Baiyun Academy, he became a completely different person, and he was very happy every day. The woodworking and mechanical books that the princess gave him are all his treasures. He also told me about Xiao Zhuzi, and he told me and his mother everything you said to him. If it weren't for the princess, we wouldn't have discovered that Zi Wang could actually make all kinds of ingenious things."

Xie Yuzhu was stunned for a moment.

These are the secrets between her and Liu Ziwang. It seems that Liu Ziwang tells his parents everything.

Xie Yuzhu picked up the teacup and said softly, "He is capable. Gold will always shine and will never be covered in dust."

"Although he is talented, his mind is still that of a child. His mother and I are happy for this, but we don't want his talent to be exploited by others. His mother and I just want him to be happy and healthy for the rest of his life, not fame or wealth. So, please keep it a secret, Princess."

It turned out that Liu Shancai had long known about Liu Ziwang's talent. In order to protect him, he would rather he live freely like this and did not want the world to know about his abilities.

The love of parents is so profound.

She completely let down her guard and said softly, "Lord Liu and Madam have good intentions, I understand. Now that we have talked it out, I will not hide it from Lord Liu. The situation in the court is unstable, and the Feng Palace has no intention of getting involved in the struggle between the Crown Prince and Prince Wen. I have no intention of standing out, and the prince has no intention of winning over anyone, so there should be less overt exchanges between Lord Liu and the Feng Palace. It will be good for both the palace and Lord Liu."

Liu Shancai nodded and his eyes lit up, as if he had finally found the right topic and checked the content.

"Yes, I understand. I should have come earlier to thank the prince and princess for saving my life, but it was because of these considerations that I came late. Now that I know the concerns of the prince and princess, my worries have been dispelled. In the future, if there is any problem in the palace, the Liu family will definitely do their best."

"Thank you, Mr. Liu."

Liu Shancai stared at the things in the yard, hesitated for a moment, and said embarrassedly: "Princess, these things are carefully prepared by my wife. Knowing that you are weak, these are all good foods for women. Please accept them. If you don't accept them, my wife will blame me when you go back."

Xie Yuzhu smiled faintly. It was interesting that Liu Shancai was still afraid of his wife.

"Then thank you madam."

Liu Shancai narrowed his eyes and smiled, "No, no. We heard Ziwang talk about how Xiao Zhuzi treated him well when he was in Nanmi. My wife and I wanted to go to Nanmi together when we were free..."

After a pause, he continued, "I didn't expect that Xiao Zhuzi would be the princess. It's really fate."

Xie Yuzhu was also very emotional: "Yes, I didn't expect to meet Master Liu in Zhongdu City, and I didn't expect that he was the son of Minister Liu. I was also thinking about going to visit Master Liu at his mansion."

Seeing Xie Yuzhu's friendly attitude, Liu Shancai suddenly had an idea in his mind, and suggested: "My wife will go to Daci Temple to burn incense in ten days, and she will bring Ziwang with her. If the princess is willing, you can meet my wife in the temple on that day. I will prepare a banquet at Anhe Restaurant. How about we have a simple meal together?"

It can be considered a formal meeting and a way to say thank you.

Xie Yuzhu put down the teacup. She was just wondering what excuse she could come up with to meet Liu Ziwang. Now it was a natural thing to do.

"Of course I am willing."

But when I thought of Hua Qinfeng, I didn’t know how to tell him.

The two of them had a quarrel over this, and she had ignored Hua Qinfeng for a few days. The situation had just eased a little this morning. If she talked about this, she didn't know what his attitude would be.

Before Xie Yuzhu could finish her sentence, Liu Shancai asked carefully, "Would Your Majesty be so kind as to grant me the honor?"

She could only respond: "I'll ask him."

"Waiting for good news."

Xie Yuzhu nodded.

Before Liu Shancai left, she handed him a drawing:

"Please give this blueprint to Master Liu."

Liu Shancai paused for a moment, then took it with a smile: "Okay, I will definitely hand it to him personally."

"Thank you."