"Congratulations to us all!"
Everyone wore a beaming smile.
Li Jingyun reminded them, "Don't get too carried away. There will be a Deer Cry Banquet in the Taihe Hall tomorrow. Maybe you'll be assigned positions there, and then you'll know your official ranks."
"Thank you, Princess. We will surely be meticulous," Su Gui said seriously, trying hard to hold back his smile.
A group of wealthy merchants were waiting to marry off their daughters to the newly - promoted scholars. Several scholars were caught, but when it came to Li Jingyun's side, those merchants took one look and quickly averted their eyes. She was not someone they could deal with, so they left.
"I'm going back to the imperial city. You can go and gather with your classmates. See you tomorrow."
Li Jingyun said and was about to turn away.
Seeing this, Di Renjie called out to her, "Princess! Do you still remember what you promised me?"
"Of course I do," Li Jingyun replied with a sly smile, waving her hand. "Come closer and listen."
"Coming, coming."
"It's just as you guessed. Nothing's different. Just wait and see the show," Li Jingyun said with a laugh.
"What about the Uyghur?"
"It may take a while, but like lips and teeth, if one is gone, the other will be in trouble. They can't hold on for long."
Among the ethnic minorities, the Uyghur were the most humble, and they were the only ones who had the same prices as the people of the Tang Dynasty. But so what?
The decline of the Turks and the Tubo would surely nourish the Tang Dynasty. How could a more powerful Tang not handle the Uyghur? That would be a joke.
"Your Majesty and the Princess have far - reaching plans. Huaiying admires you," Di Renjie couldn't help but sigh. It seemed like a child's play, but this seemingly trivial move not only brought wealth to the Tang Dynasty but also managed to control those scheming foreign tribes.
Hao Chujun beside them was talking to Su Gui. Having grown up around his father and uncle, he was well - versed in the ways of the officialdom. He knew not to listen to what he shouldn't and not to say what he shouldn't, which was the key to a long life.
Moreover, the little princess was a straightforward person. If she wanted them to know, she would have told them earlier instead of whispering to Di Renjie secretly.
As an orphan, he had firmly grasped the life - saving straw that was Princess Chengyang and was determined to follow her all the way. Look at Su Gui. He was a real winner in life. From a noble family, his sister was the Crown Princess, he owned a sweater shop, and he was the youngest scholar. With so many powerful backers, his future was boundless.
Time flew by, and the next day arrived.
On the day of the Deer Cry Banquet, it was drizzling outside. The open space where Li Jingyun and her siblings used to make snowmen and have snowball fights was now slippery.
The Taihe Hall was bustling with activity. From afar, one could smell a strong aroma of wine, which even overpowered the smell of the food. A group of scholars gathered together, chatting and laughing freely.
Li Shimin, Li Chengqian, Li Ke, and Li Tai were all there.
Su Gui's eyes darted around, but he couldn't find Li Jingyun. There were only men everywhere.
She usually loved to join in the fun. Why wasn't she here?
Maybe she overslept?
No, she lived in the Taihe Hall. With the hall so noisy now and her being a light sleeper, how could she oversleep?
"Father! I'm here!"
Li Jingyun bounced in, holding an imperial edict almost as tall as herself. The imperial messenger Liu Bei followed closely behind.
Instantly, everyone held their breath, stood up, and bowed, "Greetings to Princess Chengyang."
"Get up, get up. Today is a good day for you. No need for so many formalities. Father, shall we announce the edict now?"
"Announce it."
Liu Bei responded, and several people struggled to open the edict together. It recorded the official positions of everyone present, as well as the assessments they would face in three years, how they could be promoted, and how they would be demoted. Every detail was very clear.
It was like an encyclopedia of official promotions in the Tang Dynasty.
"......Su Gui from Wugong, Jingzhao, is appointed as a military advisor in Youzhou; Di Renjie from Taiyuan, Bingzhou, is appointed as a judge in Bianzhou; Hao Chujun from Anlu, Anzhou, is appointed as a military advisor in Shangzhou..."
Li Jingyun only listened intently to the official positions of these people and didn't care about the rest. Except that Guo Yi, the new second - place scholar, became the director of the imperial library. This was the highest - ranking position among the scholars, but it was difficult to get promoted from there.
Su Gui and the others were all dispatched to remote posts. Su Gui was the most conspicuous because he was only ten years old, the youngest among the scholars.
But with Gan Luo, who became a prime minister at twelve, setting a precedent, no one dared to say much.
Finally, it was mentioned that they had to report their achievements three months later. If they did a poor job, they would be demoted. This rang an alarm bell for everyone.
"We humble officials thank Your Majesty for your great kindness," everyone said in unison.
"Rise, everyone. Go to your posts three days later." Today's banquet was also a farewell feast for them.
They all left Chang'an. The one closest to Li Jingyun was Hao Chujun, and it would take more than a dozen hours to rush to Chang'an by carriage.
Li Shimin asked Li Jingyun if she wanted to keep Su Gui in Chang'an to manage the sweater shop for her.
But Li Jingyun refused immediately. The sweater shop was now on the right track, and Su Gui should become an official according to his own wishes.
He wanted to prove his ability to his parents.
Li Jingyun took the time to get several pots of pills. Instead of taking them herself, she fed them to the field mice as the immortal had instructed. After a few days, just after Su Gui and the others left, probably those who had gone farther hadn't even arrived at their posts yet, the whole nest of field mice died.
She was stunned and immediately ordered someone to call Li Shimin.
"Father, look! These pills can't be taken anymore! Something bad will happen!"
"This?"
Li Shimin felt a chill run down his spine when he saw the dead field mice with a tragic appearance.
After sitting down and listening to Li Jingyun explain the whole thing, he immediately sent people to execute those swindling Taoist priests and fed all the pills he had stored to the mice.
Without any surprise, all the mice died. And the one that ate the most died the fastest.
Li Shimin's heart was filled with despair.
If Li Jingyun hadn't discovered this in advance, he might have ended up like those field mice.
All kinds of pills in the palace disappeared overnight.
Most people actually didn't know what had happened. They only knew that His Majesty suddenly didn't believe in pills anymore and even ordered everyone not to take them. All the pills that had been bestowed were to be destroyed.
From then on, he never dared to mention taking pills again. Even after a long time, Li Shimin still felt a lingering fear when he thought of this incident.
Apart from this, Chang'an seemed to be very peaceful this spring and summer, without any disturbances.
The Crown Princess Su Rui and Princess Changle Li Lizhi were about to give birth. The imperial physicians in the imperial city were busy day and night, checking the safety pulses for them, prescribing pregnancy - protecting medicine, and giving dietary supplements.
Everyone was waiting for the birth of these two children.