In the Dongyuan Study Room of Taishi Mansion, the tea on the desk is steaming,

Taishi Pei's eyes fell on her calm face, and asked lightly, "Do you have any regrets?"

Gu Ran understood what he was asking, if it was said that he had been away from home for three years, and traveled all over the country as Pei Zhao's man, living a wanton and happy life.Then when we return to Capital City, we will undoubtedly have to face a problem. Meeting relatives who are not acquainted with each other, yet close at hand seems like a world apart.

Grand Master Pei was afraid that she would be disturbed by this.

Gu Ran shook her head, after all, she is not the original body, and her relationship with the Pei family is not that deep, and she knows better what she wants.

She said frankly, "Since I have chosen this path, I will not regret it."

Grand Master Pei didn't feel ruthless because of her answer, and those who make big things don't care about small things. Throughout the ages, those who have made great achievements must have given up something.

If she still has the indecisiveness or naive love of a young child, Grand Master Pei will not let her step into the dangerous and deep court officialdom to face such treacherous and insidious politics even if she continues to let her daughter live freely outside.

"I heard from the teacher who taught you that you are good at chess." Grand Master Pei took a deep look at Gu Ran, "You have no regrets, you must remember this sentence in the future."

Grand Master Pei is sometimes very complicated. On the one hand, he treats Gu Ran with a loving fatherly love, and on the other hand, like a strict teacher, he teaches her the cruel reality without mercy.

"If you stay by my side and write for my family, I will only treat you as Pei Zhao."

"Your identity is absolutely confidential. I have sent all the servants who served you in the mansion to the Hedong Clan in the past three years, and continued to serve Miss Pei there."

The reason why he was only sent to Hedong and did not deal with it ruthlessly was because Grand Master Pei was good at trying to figure out people's hearts, and he knew that the more abnormal the more likely to attract suspicion, he has always been impeccable in his actions.

"As for your mother and elder brother, if you miss them, you can often visit the house, but you need to keep a certain distance when you get along outside, don't get too close."

Gu Ran nodded solemnly.

Grand Master Pei showed a gratified and satisfied smile, but couldn't help coughing a few times. Gu Ran noticed that there were more gray hairs on his temples than three years ago, and said with genuine concern, "You are not in good health, why don't you call more doctors?" come and see."

If it was as the original owner remembered, Father Pei's life expectancy would only be six years.

What appeared in Gu Ran's heart was not only sadness, but also a trace of tension and urgency.

Grand Master Pei waved his hand, "It's just a small matter, I have prepared some files for you, take them back and have a look at them carefully, lest you don't know what your documents should do..."

He also slowly told a lot about the general situation in the court.

Gu Ran had no choice but to nod in response, listening attentively and occasionally asking questions.

Gu Ran is not good at medical skills, and as Father Pei is a high-ranking teacher, even the imperial doctor in the palace is just at his disposal, and it is almost impossible to persuade Father Pei to put down government affairs and take more rest.

Grand Master Pei is a standard minister of power, with power in his hands even above that of the Son of Heaven, and he will not let go of it for a moment unless he dies.

Gu Ran could only remind Pei's mother before leaving that Pei's father was ill and needed to be careful.

But how effective it will be remains to be seen.

After resting in the new mansion for two days, Gu Ran officially took up his post at the Zhongshu Department.

The Zhongshu Office is the power center of the imperial court, whoever can enter here is not a hero among the people, a talented person.

Although everyone respects Pei Zhao as the nephew of Pei Taishi's family, it may not be really eye-catching. After all, Pei Zhao has never participated in the serious examinations and has not yet reached the age of weak crowns. Even if he has some clever strategies, that's all. That's all.

Who would have thought that at such a young age, he would hide his secrets and catch everyone by surprise as soon as he arrived.

For example, in the reform of the tax system that the Zhongshu Office is implementing, Gu Ran has come up with a relatively advanced new accounting method. Just by revealing this skill, other officials of the Zhongshu Office dare not underestimate him. With the new bookkeeping method, the court's tax reform can be implemented more smoothly.

In the past three years, Gu Ran's business has used this new bookkeeping method. Grand Master Pei has also learned from the reports of his subordinates. Since then, he has seen the advantages of this method. A little thought.

But the imperial court is not a small business after all, even if the accounts are counted and calculated by the Ministry of Accounts every year, it will affect the whole body, so it needs to be cautious.

Therefore, Grand Master Pei observed the property under Gu Ran's name in private for three years, and had a more comprehensive and in-depth understanding of this new bookkeeping method. Then he decided to let the imperial court use it, and promoted the use of this method by the prefectures and counties in Dazhou.

Gu Ran is a newcomer at the Zhongshu Office, so he just got a firm foothold when he came up with this method.

In the eyes of others, Pei Zhao's growth rate is even more astonishing. In just three months, he is almost the same as a mature and experienced official. Moreover, in terms of human feelings, he is good at dancing with long sleeves, even people who have been in the officialdom for a long time are not as good as him.

Everyone was shocked in their hearts, and he was another talent no less than Xie Yuanchen.

In fact, Gu Ran didn't think he was the kind of genius who was gifted and intelligent. The reason why he was more outstanding than others was that he had traveled through several worlds and accumulated in various aspects. And with Pei's father, you can learn more about officialdom, resourcefulness and grammar.

It is no exaggeration, Grand Master Pei is definitely one of the top figures in this era.

Even if it wasn't for the completion of the task, Gu Ran still cherished the opportunity to study with Grand Master Pei, eagerly absorbing any knowledge for future contingencies.

The person who cares most about this new bookkeeping method is Xie Yuanchen, because this tax system reform is exactly what he reported, and he is also in charge of this matter with the support of Taishi Pei.

If you want to reform the tax system in Dazhou, the first thing you have to face is the huge and cumbersome treasury accounts that have been accumulated for many years, as well as the accounts of hidden households and fields that have not been reported by various states and counties. Rao is as talented as Xie Yuanchen, and it will take a lot of time to find out one by one.

And this new bookkeeping method is like a sharp weapon, making many hidden disadvantages and greedy accounts all exposed under the sun, how can Xie Yuanchen be unhappy.

Speaking of Xie Yuanchen, Gu Ran was also quite surprised. He didn't expect Xie Yuanchen to really belong to Taishi Pei's family after her intervention, and he still regarded him as a teacher with great respect.

After in-depth understanding, Gu Ran felt that he still underestimated Taishi Pei's personality charm and ability to cultivate talents. Once he noticed Xie Yuanchen, it was almost a breeze to take him for his own use.

Gu Ran has a feeling that with the teaching of Grand Master Pei, Xie Yuanchen is likely to grow into the youngest chief assistant of that Great Zhou faster than in his previous life.

At the same time, because of this method, Xie Yuanchen often came to see Gu Ran, and Gu Ran would not hesitate to answer any questions with his broom, and became acquainted with him a lot.

Xie Yuanchen was one of the few people who mastered the new bookkeeping method the fastest. It only took less than half a month to master it, and he also put forward many key points on it, which made Gu Ran admire his intelligence.

Little do they know that in the eyes of others, she and Xie Yuanchen are both monsters and geniuses who are better than one, and their fame has gradually spread to the court and the public. Moreover, because of their young age, they are both outstanding and extraordinary in appearance and demeanor.They are called the Capital City Twins.

This also attracted the attention of the palace.

………

On this day, Gu Ran came to Grand Master's Mansion as usual, and played chess with Father Pei in the study after dinner. Grand Master Pei seemed to mention it inadvertently, "Your Majesty told me something two days ago, and mentioned you and Xie Yuanchen."

Gu Ran dropped a white ball, raised his head slightly puzzled, why did the emperor miss them all of a sudden.

"Your Majesty considers that you are not yet married, and intends to choose a daughter from the clan to marry you." Grand Master Pei's voice fell lightly.

Gu Ran was a little surprised when he heard that the Great Zhou Dynasty suppressed the clan and vassal kings, not only could they only marry the daughters of civilians and good families, but even the husbands and sons-in-law of the clan daughters were not allowed to participate in the government, almost completely avoiding the possibility of the clan interfering in politics and seizing power.

This is also why powerful ministers like Grand Master Pei can arbitrarily choose the new emperor they think is suitable in the clan, and the clan itself has no right to speak.

But the emperor's move to give the marriage in a good name is actually to cut off her and Xie Yuanchen's official career.

Grand Master Pei said in a deep voice, "I have refused for you."

Gu Ran was not surprised that Grand Master Pei would do this, she just wondered why the emperor made such a foolish move.

In the memory of the original body's previous life, the emperor Li Jingling was considered a promising emperor even after he came to power, even if he wanted to suppress Grand Master Pei's power, he shouldn't have used such quick success tricks.

Could it be that he was stimulated so much?

Gu Ran was really right, not to mention the aggrieved Li Jingling who had been constrained in the front and back palaces in the past three years, and the two top heroes who emerged from Taishi Pei's school, Pei Zhao and Xie Yuanchen.

In the original story line, Li Jingling could endure the nine years of slowly accumulating strength because he knew that Grand Master Pei would eventually grow old and die one day. As long as Grand Master Pei remained loyal to Da Zhou, this power would eventually return to him, the emperor. hand.

And the huge official group attached to Grand Master Pei in the court hall will also fall and disperse with the death of Grand Master Pei.

But it’s different now. First, there was Xie Yuanchen, the talent who became a student of Taishi Pei before the spring. Because Taishi Pei was the backer, he was awarded the official position of the fifth-rank servant of the Imperial Academy when he first entered the official career, and he dared to charge forward. No matter how good such a result is, after a few years of experience, it is only a matter of time before he enters the middle hall, and he will definitely become an important pillar of the Pei Group.

And the appearance of Pei Zhao means that there will be a successor to the Pei family, and it may even be the second Grand Master Pei.

Then when will he have the chance to be in charge in this life, this has brought a huge sense of threat to Li Jingling, and he is unwilling to let him grow up.

Hearing the rumor in Capital City that Pei Zhao and Xie Yuanchen had been praised as twin jades, Li Jingling was really anxious, so he got dizzy and used such a stupid trick.

If it wasn't for that he didn't have any biological sisters, and the late emperor didn't leave any heirs behind, he would have planned to marry her a long time ago, but he could also choose a suitable woman from the clan, make her a princess and betroth to Pei Zhao or Xie Yuanchen.

Especially the former, if Grand Master Pei agrees, the Pei family will be tied to the royal family. Even if Pei Zhao does not become an official in the future, the Pei family can still enjoy the glory and wealth. This is also his guarantee and dignity to Grand Master Pei.

As long as Grand Master Pei is willing to take a step back.

As for why they were not Grand Master Pei's two biological sons, of course Li Jingling could see that Grand Master Pei never thought of letting Pei Dalang and Pei Erlang inherit his position, just being a wealthy idler would suffice.

Moreover, compared with this talented Pei Zhao, the two dandies can't cause any trouble at all, and they can't possibly pose a threat to their imperial power in the future.

If it was placed before, Grand Master Pei might indeed accept the emperor's overtures.

But it's different now, he watched his daughter with his own eyes, how boldly she disguised herself as a man, and how she worked hard to reach the level she is today. Although he has taught her with all his heart, he didn't really spend much time. The title and rich salary he has obtained now are all obtained by her painstaking efforts in arranging business and exploring the countries in the Western Regions.

She has Ling Yunzhi, even though she is a woman, her spirit is not inferior to men all over the world.

How could Grand Master Pei have the heart to make her give up and take a step back.

Xie Yuanchen also found out about this later, he was grateful to Taishi Pei, if he married a clan daughter, all his talent and ambitions would be in vain, for a person like him, even if he could achieve wealth and glory, it would be nothing more than wasting the rest of his life .

Speaking of which, although Emperor Li Jingling admired Xie Yuanchen in his heart, in his mind Xie Yuanchen was already a member of Grand Master Pei, so naturally he did not hesitate to find a way to suppress him.

Although the marriage failed, the emperor was obviously unwilling to give up. If this trick failed, another trick came up.

Empress Su in the palace rewarded many precious medicinal materials to the Taishi Mansion, and sent several medical women to express condolences to the body of the little lady of the Pei family.

Even the female maid who came almost clearly stated in her words that there are many imperial physicians and national experts in the palace, and there are countless medicinal supplements such as Tianshan snow lotus and thousand-year-old ginseng that have been paid tribute from various countries. If the little lady of the Pei family recuperates in the palace, maybe can get better care.

The queen empress will also treat the little lady of the Pei family as a real sister, with friendly care and care.

Its purpose is self-evident.

Gu Ran really didn't expect the emperor to be able to do this. And in order not to slap himself in the face of opposing the Napei daughter's entry into the palace three years ago, he even did it under the banner of Empress Su.

Empress Su herself was too sick to get up, how could she still be in the mood to greet the newcomers and take care of her sisters? The emperor is really a little shameless.

But she didn't take it to heart, but she didn't expect Xie Yuanchen to find her in private after hearing about it, and said seriously, "Your Majesty is probably deliberately letting the little lady of the Pei family into the palace as a hostage, and blackmailing the Grand Master. Please remind me more." Master."

It has been three years since he entered the court, and Xie Yuanchen is no longer that fledgling young scholar, and he has become somewhat sensitive to the relationship between the emperor, Taishi Pei, and the officials. Compared with three years ago, when the emperor confronted all the officials in order to establish a queen, his attitude has changed a lot now.

Moreover, not long ago, the grand master had just rejected His Majesty's offering to marry the clan daughter, and the emperor was even more disturbed, eager to grab something, just to be able to hold Pei Taishi a little bit, so he would not worry about Pei who had been recuperating in Hedong for a long time My little lady, and whether this matter is done in a dignified way.

Poor little lady of the Pei family, a weak and noble girl, the jewel in the palm of the Grand Master's family, she had been isolated from the world for three years to avoid suspicion, but she was still dragged into this vortex innocently.

With Xie Yuanchen's gentleman nature, he didn't like the emperor's intention to use a woman as a hostage to the grand master to fight for power.

Gu Ran patted him on the shoulder, and said lightly, "The Grand Master will not promise His Majesty."

First of all, she is well here, and it is impossible for Grand Master Pei to send the double in the Pei clan land in Hedong into the harem. Even if you can get close to the emperor and monitor his every move at any time, with Grand Master Pei's arrogance, he doesn't bother to make any fuss about the harem.

But Xie Yuanchen's reminder unintentionally made Gu Ran think of another important point,

It is no longer possible for her to speculate and predict completely according to the Li Jingling in the memory of the original body. With the current emperor's mentality, if someone enters the palace, maybe she will personally concoct a big story similar to the previous life. The case also suppressed and weakened Taishi Pei's power.

If this is the case, even with Grand Master Pei's power, he can't stop the mouth of the world.

Gu Ran told Grand Master Pei his conjecture, Grand Master Pei frowned and fell into deep thought.

Li Jingling felt that the emperor was aggrieved like a puppet, but he didn't know that Grand Master Pei was not very satisfied with him, and the majestic emperor of Zhou couldn't even handle his own harem well.

The original spouse, Empress Su, had a weak family background, except for an uncle who held an idle official position in the Ministry of Rites, she had no other relatives to rely on, which was why Grand Master Pei did not support her at the beginning. But now that he has made his first wife as his wife as he wished, Li Jingling can't even protect his wife and children well.

There is an old saying, self-cultivation, governing the family, governing the country and the world, and he has really achieved a few points.

Moreover, Li Jingling did not do a good job in even the most basic function of being the Son of Heaven of the Great Zhou Dynasty—procreating offspring for the royal family.

Now among the heirs in the harem, there is only the crown prince born to the empress. There are no other princes and princesses born, and the crown prince is less than one year old.

Although he couldn't see the muddy harem, it was impossible for Grand Master Pei to intervene in the affairs of the harem, even if the person sitting in the position of the empress and noble concubine was his daughter.

After listening to Grand Master Pei's evaluation of Li Jingling, Gu Ran could only sigh that people change according to circumstances.

In Yuanshen's life, this young emperor did not encounter such a complicated situation. At most, he just didn't like Pei Yunzhao, a noble concubine who came in with his family power.

However, Yuanshen has a more benevolent temperament and has never caused trouble. Except that her mother did not hold back the audacity to murder Empress Su, Yuanshen did not do any evil from the beginning to the end, and the harem did not have so many concubines, which seemed relatively peaceful.

Facts have proved that even without Pei Yunzhao's mother and daughter, there are other concubines who attack Su Yuqiu. Sitting in the position of queen, she is the target of public criticism.

Gu Ran has also heard about some things about the harem, she doesn't believe that Queen Su's lingering sickness because of giving birth is really that simple.

Before Empress Su entered the palace, she was always in good health among the people. How come there are so many imperial physicians and palace ladies in the harem, but they ruined her health.

Almost everyone is well aware of this matter, and it is estimated that those high-ranking concubines are not completely innocent in this matter.

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