Chapter 257

After the morning court session.

The Emperor went to take his medicine immediately.

As he aged, he needed several doses of medicine a day.

One pill in the early morning.

One pill after breakfast.

One pill after lunch.

One pill after dinner.

One pill before bed.

Five doses of medicine a day.

There was no choice - it was the aftereffect of his reckless behavior in previous years.

Now if he didn't take the medicine, he wouldn't feel energetic.

Of course, although they were medicinal pills, he didn't take them carelessly. He had asked the Imperial Physician to verify them.

They had also been tested on other living people.

They seemed to have no toxicity, harm or side effects, and made one feel energetic after taking them.

They were very good health-preserving pills.

Sometimes he might feel there was a slight problem deep down, but he ignored it, because he had become dependent on them.

Now for officials, concubines, eunuchs, palace maids, etc., whether they were favored or not depended on whether the Emperor bestowed medicine pills on them. Only those who received the pills were considered to be in favor.

Normally, one would take a pill after breakfast.

Today, since there was a morning court session, he took it after the court adjourned.

Taking the medicine pills also involved a sense of ritual.

One had to sit properly, take a deep breath, drink some water to moisten the throat, and then take the pill.

After taking it, one had to sit still for a moment, because there would be a burning sensation in the abdomen.

Only when that burning sensation dissipated could one get up.

The body would feel slightly sweaty.

This set of rituals had to be followed every time one took the medicine.

After taking the medicine and resting for a moment, a eunuch came to say that Meng Qingshe and Jiang Changtian were already waiting.

Only then did the Emperor leisurely get up to go meet them.

There was a small garden between his resting place where he took the medicine and the reception area.

There were gardens everywhere in the imperial palace.

The Emperor walked out a few steps and suddenly encountered a beautifully dressed lady.

She looked at the Emperor hesitantly, seemingly wanting to speak but holding back, her eyes on the verge of tears, appearing pitiful and delicate.

The Emperor glanced at her and saw that her face looked strange. Startled, he suddenly turned and took a detour, walking away, even though she had come right up to him.

After walking a few steps, he said to the eunuch: "Where did that ugly person come from, blocking the path so casually? Send her to the Cold Palace. It's fine that she scared me, but if she scares the officials, it would be too embarrassing."

The eunuch quickly ran back to order someone to send Concubine Li to the Cold Palace.

The Emperor had been quite fickle these past few years.

Just last month, he was still favoring this woman, promoting her from Lower Concubine to Concubine.

But after just a month, he had completely forgotten about her.

At this time, the Emperor was not only energetic, but his thinking also seemed more meticulous.

He brought up Old General Meng to Meng Qingshe for a sentence or two, and when Meng Qingshe turned the topic to his two grandsons, he promptly ended the conversation.

Then he reminisced with Jiang Changtian about Former Crown Prince's Tutor Jiang Bai.

The former crown prince was dead.

Death erases all crimes.

The feelings of various discomforts and angers that he once felt had all dissipated and reconciled after the person's death.

So when looking at the son of Tutor Jiang again, he actually felt a sense of familiarity.

"Your father was brilliant in his youth. I didn't expect you to surpass him. What are your plans now that you've returned to the capital?"

Jiang Changtian frankly said: "To seek an official position, a higher one. So that in the future, my wife and daughter can go out more freely. I've heard that officials are everywhere in the capital, and I'm worried my daughter might cause trouble when she goes out, so I want to seek a position with some power."

Seeing Jiang Er's manner and way of speaking, the Emperor felt that every word resonated with him.

How could there be someone so in tune with his thoughts?

He just liked people who had desires and requirements and stated them directly. He felt that such people were real people, pure people.

Those who claimed to have no desires and constantly talked about righteousness, when real issues arose, would cause more chaos than anyone else.

Meng Qingshe listened on the side, feeling that his in-law was indeed worthy of being his in-law, speaking even more directly than him.

He was quite worried that speaking like this in the capital would get him beaten up when he went out.

It seemed he would need to look after him in the future.

"So what position do you think is suitable?" Meng Qingshe asked with a meaningful expression.

Jiang Changtian said: "First or second rank would certainly be very good, but I don't have that much power. I just want to be well-fed and clothed, and if my daughter causes trouble when she goes out, I can cover for her."

The Emperor was curious in his heart - how much trouble could this daughter cause?

Hadn't he heard that Jiang Er only had two daughters?

The elder daughter had married Meng Shaoxia, and the younger one was still a little girl, right?

They chatted about old times for a while.

The Emperor listened to him speak and found it interesting.

He was indeed not of the same family as old Meng for nothing - birds of a feather flock together.

His words were extremely straightforward.

He looked very much like a civil official but acted like a military official.

"Then would you continue as a Commander? Previously you were the Jingzhou Marshal, now you can be the Capital City Commander, how about that?"

"This subject thanks Your Majesty for the great kindness," Jiang Changtian bowed in gratitude.

The Emperor looked at him with pleasure for a few moments, thought for a bit, and then dismissed him without calling Wenxin to take a look.

He even felt a bit of anticipation for the court session ten days later.

On the way back, Jiang Changtian walked slowly.

Listening to his in-law's incessant chatter.

This imperial palace felt so unfamiliar.

He had no memory of it at all.

Yet today he had knelt and bowed several times.

A man has no gold beneath his knees, but he has power and prestige in his eyes.

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