Chapter 128
Chapter 128: Empress Writes, All Things Go Well
Fu Chengque was dragged out of bed by her mom, looking very unhappy.
She sluggishly got ready, finally waking up a bit after washing her face with warm water.
The elders had prepared breakfast, and surprisingly, every child and older kid had a bowl of rice wine with scrambled eggs. This dish was made with sweet rice wine and free-range chicken eggs, garnished with wolfberries, very sweet!
But drinking a bowl in the cold winter month not only warmed them up but also provided plenty of sugar energy. One bowl could last the whole day, talk about treating guests well.
During the Spring Festival… one definitely wouldn’t get fat!
As she drank, she pondered about the “writing” mentioned by Wen Yu and Xiao Min yesterday.
Oh, as the ruler of a country, one had to attend to national affairs as soon as one woke up. It’s truly exhausting. With such diligence, there’s no reason the country wouldn’t prosper, right?
As for the opening lines… What should I write?
I really have to think carefully. If I write poorly, won’t it be embarrassing!
Her wise words will surely be recorded by the court historians in books like “Annotations on the Empress” for posterity, so she can’t let her subjects laugh at her!
Fu Chengque took a sip of sweet soup and slowly pondered…
In the early morning, around seven o’clock, a group of about twenty people, including the Fu family, boarded the minibus they had reserved in advance and headed towards the nearby Longhua Temple. The incense burning there was devout.
On the bus, Fu Chengque finally polished her opening masterpiece.
【Queen’s First Harem】(5)
【Fu Chengque】: [Cat happy]
【Fu Chengque】: Happy New Year, wishing you prosperity!
【Wen Yu】: I thought you hadn’t gotten up yet.
【Fu Chengque】: I’m already on my way to the temple!
【Fang Ling】: You guys are up really early. I woke up but I’m still lying in bed.
【Fu Chengque】: I really want to sleep too.
【Xiao Gua】: I’m on my way to the temple too, there are so many people.
【Lu Min】:…
【Fang Ling】: I get it, Xiao Min opened one eye, sent a message, and then went back to sleep immediately.
【Lu Min】: .
【Fu Chengque】: Don’t fall asleep yet!
【Fu Chengque】: I wrote something for the opening, I’ll send it to you all, you have to read it!!
【Wen Yu】: Send it!
【Xiao Gua】: Here it comes!!
【Fang Ling】: Let’s see!!
【Lu Min】:
【Fu Chengque】: “In this auspicious spring, may our penmanship bring great fortune. In this new year’s season, may there be peace throughout the land, joy in the hearts of the people, harmony from top to bottom, and prosperity all around. Let there be abundant harvests, and let talents gather for the glory of the nation. May the world be united, and may all desires be fulfilled.”
【Fu Chengque】: “Joyous greetings for the new spring, may there be everlasting peace in all seasons, joy and auspiciousness abound. Great fortune, great fortune.”
After Fu Chengque finished her two long paragraphs, there was a long silence in the group chat.
The girls waited eagerly, their faces beaming.
She wrote so well, haha!
After a while, the group chat became lively again:
【Xiao Gua】: Wow, did Chengque really write this!!
【Xiao Gua】: This is way too cultured…
【Fang Ling】: So many idioms, all of which I couldn’t think of. Can I copy them?
【Fang Ling】: I’ll use them when visiting relatives later.
【Xiao Gua】: Even if you let me memorize them, I couldn’t.
【Fu Chengque】: Hahaha, sure sure!!
【Lu Min】:…
【Lu Min】: Alright.
【Fu Chengque】: Ahem, here goes.
【Fu Chengque】: Anyway, thanks everyone, thanks for the support!
【Fu Chengque】: Where’s Wen Yu! My strategist! Why the silence?
Oh, Wen Yu stopped talking.
Must’ve chickened out, haha…
As the empress, being so talented, her servant must be feeling uneasy, right? Clearly, he’s a strategist, but he’s not as eloquent and intelligent as the empress. Quite embarrassing!
Must tease him a bit, hehe!
【Fu Chengque】: Wen Yu, General Wen, are you there?
【Fu Chengque】: [Cat smirk]
【Wen Yu】: What’s up?
【Fu Chengque】: How was my writing? Hm? My opening words.
【Fu Chengque】: [Cat smirk]
【Wen Yu】: Good.
【Fu Chengque】: Hahaha—
【Fu Chengque】: It’s really not easy, it’s really not easy, to hear “good” from General Wen!
【Fu Chengque】: Good! But, General, you don’t need to be anxious. While you might not match me in eloquence, you’re much better than me in terms of quick wits, hehe!
【Wen Yu】: Boring.
【Fu Chengque】: Hm? Boring? Is General thirsty?
【Wen Yu】: Your writing is boring.
【Fu Chengque】: [Cat furious][Cat furious]
【Fu Chengque】: What did you say! Where’s it boring, point it out, if you can’t, I’ll beat you when I get back today!
【Wen Yu】: You stitch-up freak, this sounds like the opening words of several emperors stitched together.
【Fu Chengque】:…
【Fu Chengque】: I don’t understand what you’re saying…
【Wen Yu】: V me 5 bucks, or I’ll spill it out, and then your authority will be swept away.
【Fu Chengque】: Whoa! Don’t, please don’t.
【Fu Chengque】: Sob sob sob…
【Wen Yu】: 4 bucks.
【Fu Chengque】: You’re bullying me on the first day of the new year…
【Wen Yu】: 4 bucks and 50 cents.
【Fu Chengque】: You’ve bullied me so much… I tried so hard to think, but no one helped me…
【Wen Yu】: 3 bucks and 50 cents, can’t go any lower.
【Fu Chengque】: [Hush money]
【Fu Chengque】: After taking the money, you have to do things for me!
【Queen’s First Harem】(5)
【Wen Yu】: Well written!
That’s it.
Fu Chengque waited for Wen Yu to say something for a long time, but she didn’t speak again.
Taking her eyes off the phone screen, she looked out the window, feeling a bit numb inside—
So expensive, two words and an exclamation mark, 3 bucks and 50 cents.
She copied… oh no, learned from her predecessors, spent a long time writing dozens of characters, and earned nothing.
Really a loss.
The minibus swayed and quickly traveled on the township road.
At nine in the morning, the bus turned a corner and stopped at the foot of a mountain. Fu Chengque got off and looked ahead, where the crowd surged, converging towards the same place, where there were long stairs, and many people were picking up steps. Looking up, the top of the peak was the famous Longhua Temple.
Above the temple, a few strands of white smoke were clearly visible, slowly rising…
Grandma saw the smoke and said happily, “Longhua Temple is very spiritual, and the incense is very prosperous. Come, let’s go up together and be sincere.”
Mother Fu worriedly said, “Mom, the steps are very long, why don’t we just count them and carry you up?”
Grandma glanced sideways and said, “Let’s go first. When we can’t walk anymore, then let your husband carry me up.”
Father Fu trembled and sighed heavily.
Fu Chengque stood outside the crowd, after sending Wen Yu a message “I’m at the temple,” happily put down her phone, and followed her family slowly upwards, merging into the vast number of worshippers.
***
Make a wish… pray for blessings… Do you really have to climb such high stairs?
Wen Yu complained as he looked at the distant Puhua Temple.
Puhua Temple is a famous temple nearby. According to Fu Chengque, the wish plaques there are very effective, hanging a lot of them. Whether they work or not is another story, but the number of stairs at the entrance is indeed astonishing.
But these stairs are also a test of sincerity, you have to climb them.
Beside him, his parents had already taken the lead, their enthusiasm for climbing the mountain was not at all like that of middle-aged people.
Wen Yu’s dad walked at the forefront, seeing neither his wife nor son catching up, he turned back and shouted, “Son, hurry up! You young people, you’re even slower than those old folks!”
Wen Yu responded with a “I know, I know” and lifted his legs to catch up.
His phone vibrated slightly, and upon checking, it was from Fu Chengque.
It read “I’ve arrived at the temple.”
He tapped the screen a few times and quickly replied:
“I’ve also arrived at Puhua Temple.”
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