usatvline Chapter 281 Furnace Formation
Chapter 281 Furnace Formation
Chapter 281 Furnace Formation
Qian Qianyi replied with a wry smile, "Lord Wang, this is my lunch."
Wang Wenzhou casually picked up a pastry, looked at it, and said, "Lord Qian, these things cannot be brought into the palace."
"Why?" Qian Qianyi asked irritably. Wang Wenzhou, you're going too far! You're not letting us eat, you're starving us! This won't do! You have to give me an explanation.
Wang Wenzhou retorted, "Who knows if the pastries are poisoned? Lord Qian, it's not that I'm targeting you, but the point is, what if a Tartar spy poisoned your pastries? Anyway, you're so old, you wouldn't lose anything by dying. But what if the little princess ate the poison and died? Your whole family couldn't afford to pay for it with their lives!"
“You…” Qian Qianyi’s chest heaved with anger.
“Lord Qian, please don’t be angry. How about this, you can finish your snacks now before going into the palace, or you can leave them outside the palace and take them home when you go home,” Wang Wenzhou said seriously.
"Hoo..." Qian Qianyi took a deep breath and said irritably, "I'll eat it right now and show you!"
Qian Qianyi was starving yesterday, so he brought food with him, but he had just eaten breakfast and wasn't hungry at all! After a few bites, he really couldn't eat anymore.
At this moment, an official came over to curry favor with him, handed him a cup of water, and said with a smile, "Lord Qian, have some water."
Qian Qianyi took the cup, took a small sip, and dared not drink more, for fear of wetting his pants again.
"Lord Qian, what is this?" Wang Wenzhou asked, holding the chamber pot.
Qian Qianyi sarcastically remarked, "Young people are so ignorant; they've never even seen a chamber pot."
"Haha..." Everyone laughed.
Wang Wenzhou curled his lip and said in a serious tone, "Lord Qian, even a chamber pot cannot be brought into the palace. Look, such a sturdy chamber pot, if it falls into the hands of a Tartar spy, could easily crush the little princess to death."
"I won't take it in, is that alright?" Qian Qianyi thought to himself, "Anyway, I haven't drunk much water today, so I shouldn't wet my pants again."
Wang Wenzhou announced loudly, “Colleagues, listen up! Food is absolutely forbidden from being brought into the palace. Also, all other useless items are prohibited. It’s getting late, so please line up quickly for the guards to check your order, and then proceed to the palace for court.”
Many people brought food with them. They were starving yesterday, but now that they see they can't bring the food inside, they'll eat it outside the palace. Although they're full, this way they won't be as hungry as they were yesterday.
Immediately, outside the palace gates, people were seen holding food and wolfing it down.
Wang Wenzhou laughed and scolded, "You bunch of gluttons, all you know is eating! What time is it? You're all still eating! My Great Ming Dynasty was eaten away by you gluttons!"
Qian Qianyi glanced at Wang Wenzhou with disdain. "Wang Wenzhou, you're so cocky. Once the Emperor backs down, you'll be going to meet the King of Hell!"
Half an hour later, the group finished searching themselves and entered the palace.
The officials were stunned by the sight before them. Both sides of the imperial road were lined with stoves, and a group of eunuchs dressed in thin clothes were constantly adding coal to the stoves.
Wang Wenzhou said with a smile, "Don't be surprised, everyone. It's so cold, and so many of my colleagues caught colds yesterday. I was really worried about your health. Last night, I sent people to install it overnight, and it's finally done. You won't be cold today."
Wen Tiren shook his head helplessly. Wang Wenzhou is so cunning! He has seen through everything we do and think.
"I really didn't expect everyone to be wearing so many clothes. Remember tomorrow, don't wear so many. Take off your coats, but don't take off your inner clothes. The little princess will be coming later, so don't be impolite in front of her," Wang Wenzhou said with a smile.
The temperature here was at least 20 degrees Celsius. Qian Qianyi was sweating profusely shortly after entering, and he quickly took off his fox fur robe. However, he couldn't take off his cotton-padded coat and trousers underneath his official robes!
All the officials were the same. Even if they weren't cold yesterday, it's winter now, and Beijing winters are very cold. It's unbearable without a cotton-padded coat.
Wang Wenzhou said with a smile, "Everyone, please continue the discussion. Anyone who agrees to negotiate can come and find me immediately. I have some top-quality West Lake Longjing tea, which is a tribute bestowed by His Majesty."
Wen Tiren suddenly realized that Wang Wenzhou had tricked them into drinking too much water yesterday, causing them to wet their pants. Having learned their lesson, they didn't want to be fooled again, so everyone would drink less water today. But Wang Wenzhou had made it so hot here, so they would definitely sweat a lot. And with so much sweat, they would need to replenish their fluids. Wang Wenzhou was truly cunning!
Wang Wenzhou put his arm around Chen Yuanyuan and they sat down on their own turf.
"Yuanyuan, would you like some tea?" Wang Wenzhou said with a smile.
Chen Yuanyuan pleaded with a tearful face, "Please, don't force me to drink water."
Wang Wenzhou gently stroked Chen Yuanyuan's head and said softly, "Alright, Yuanyuan, be good. I won't let you wet your pants today."
"Sigh..." Chen Yuanyuan almost cried, feeling wronged, as she recalled yesterday's events. Wang Wenzhou, that madman, was trying every possible way to torment her.
"Old Zhang, it's still early, let's play mahjong," Wang Wenzhou said to Zhang Zhiji.
“Great! I like it very much,” Zhang Zhiji replied with a smile.
In no time, the nobles started playing mahjong.
The officials, on the other hand, were sweltering in the heat. They were all dressed in cotton-padded clothes, and in less than half an hour, they were all drenched in sweat in the 20-degree Celsius temperature.
Wen Tiren thought for a moment, then said to a few close associates beside him, "I'll go and advise Wang Wenzhou to stop his nonsense. If this continues, the court will come to a standstill!"
Qian Qianyi wiped the sweat from his face with his sleeve and muttered under his breath, "That old fox Wen Tiren, he wanted to go cool off for a while! I really miscalculated, how could I not have thought of that?"
As Wen Tiren stepped out of the "furnace array," a chill greeted him, and he immediately felt refreshed.
"Boxin, I have something to discuss with you," Wen Tiren said.
"Yuanyuan, play the eight of Wan!" Wang Wenzhou held Chen Yuanyuan in his arms, his hands roaming over her body as he instructed her on how to play the cards.
"Old Wen, have you thought it through?" Wang Wenzhou turned around and looked at Wen Tiren before asking.
Wen Tiren shook his head and said with a smile, "Boxin, my granddaughter is 16 years old this year and is not yet married. I wonder if Boxin would like to take a concubine?"
What? Wang Wenzhou frowned, looking at Wen Tiren with amusement, and asked suspiciously, "Old Wen, what do you mean? Let me put it this way, even if you let me play with your granddaughter, as long as you don't agree to negotiations, don't expect me to let you go."
Wen Tiren smiled and said, "Boxin, you've said it yourself: public matters are public matters, and private matters are private matters. The reason I want to marry my granddaughter to you is because I admire your talent!"
"Old Wen, I only like beautiful girls. Is your granddaughter as pretty as my Yuanyuan?" Wang Wenzhou didn't believe Wen Tiren's words. This old fox was willing to let him play with his granddaughter. He must have other motives.
"Boxin, you can rest assured. Why don't you come to my residence tonight, and we'll have a few drinks together. Then I'll let you see my granddaughter. I'm not bragging, but my granddaughter is definitely no less beautiful than the girl in your arms." Wen Tiren was increasingly impressed with Wang Wenzhou and genuinely wanted to marry his granddaughter to him.