We agreed that you, a weak strategist, would fight against three heroes by yourself?

Xi Yu stepped into Song Shuwen's medical clinic again that day.

He glanced around and saw that the medical center was in order and everything was going smoothly.

The five apprentices were each busy, either studying medical books or preparing medicines and preparations. Each of them was absorbed in their studies and studied extremely seriously.

Xi Yu nodded slightly, feeling slightly relieved.

Song Shuwen raised his eyes and saw Xi Yu, put down what he was doing, walked towards him, and said with a smile: "Prime Minister, why are you free to come here today?"

Xi Yu replied: "I've always been thinking about this place, so come and take a look. Now that I see how hard they are working, I feel relieved." After that, the two of them looked at each other and smiled, and walked together to check on the apprentices' learning progress.

When several apprentices saw Xi Yu arriving, they all stopped what they were doing to salute and say hello.

Xi Yu quickly raised his hand to indicate, and said gently: "No need to be polite, just continue to do your own business."

An apprentice spoke first, his words full of respect: "Prime Minister, what do you have to explain when you come here?"

Xi Yu smiled and shook his head: "It's nothing important. I just came to see your academic progress."

"Master Prime Minister teaches with great care, and we dare not slack off at all. We must work hard to learn medical skills well."

Xi Yu nodded in approval: "That's very good. The road to learning medicine is long and requires perseverance."

Xi Yu looked around at the crowd, his heart filled with relief. After a few words of encouragement, he let them continue their work while he and Song Shuwen walked aside and chatted softly.

After Xi Yu came out of the hospital, his mind wandered back to the recruitment of female officials mentioned by Wen Xuan.

He knew very well that if women were to be able to take on the role of female officials, education was the first priority.

So he called his soldiers and ordered them to post notices throughout the country.

The notice contains sincere words and strongly encourages women to actively devote themselves to study and actively participate in examinations held in the future.

The article wrote: "Today's country is about to prosper, and all the people need to work together, and women will occupy half of the sky. I hope that all women will break away from the old ideas, go to school to seek knowledge, hone their talents, and wait for the exam day to show off their splendor and add glory to their families and countries." "

As soon as this notice came out, it was like a boulder sinking into water, causing ripples everywhere.

Xi Yu straightened his clothes and walked towards Liu Xie's palace.

Along the way, he looked at the familiar scenery on both sides of the palace road and had a lot of thoughts.

Stepping into the palace, Liu Xie was sitting in front of the case, reading bamboo slips. Hearing the footsteps, Liu Xie raised his head, a trace of surprise and joy flashed in his eyes: "Xi Yu, you are here."

Xi Yu saluted respectfully: "Your Majesty, long time no see."

Liu Xie stood up and came over in person: "It's been a long time. What important thing do you have to come here today?"

Xi Yu straightened up and said slowly: "Your Majesty, the affairs of the court are becoming more and more complicated. I have been thinking about how to inject more fresh blood into the court. I think that the position of female officials can be created so that women can also have the opportunity to participate in the affairs of the court."

Liu Xie was slightly startled, walked around and thought for a moment, then said: "It is unprecedented for a woman to be an official. I am afraid it will cause a lot of criticism."

Xi Yu hurriedly added: "Your Majesty, there are many smart and capable women. If they can be trained and appointed, they will be able to relieve your Majesty's worries and help the country. I have ordered notices to be posted across the country to encourage women to study and take exams. Girls' schools are also gradually being built. If this trend prevails, it will be of great benefit to the country and the people. "

Liu Xie stopped and stared at Xi Yu for a long time before gently nodding: "In that case, you can give it a try, but you need to be cautious and don't cause turmoil in the court."

Xi Yu was overjoyed and responded quickly: "I obey the decree and will do my best to live up to your majesty's trust."

Liu Xie smiled and ordered people to place the chessboard, the pieces were settled, and the chess game began.

Xi Yu took the lead with the sunspots in hand, with the usual composure in his moves. Liu Xie, on the other hand, was calm and calm, his white pieces falling gently, as if he had deep meaning.

At first, Xi Yu could rely on his experience to be evenly matched with Liu Xie, but after a few rounds, he realized that Liu Xie's chess skills were not what they used to be.

Liu Xie's layout became more and more sophisticated, with secrets hidden in every step, and there was a plan for both attack and defense.

Beads of sweat gradually formed on Xi Yu's forehead, and the speed of the sunspots in his hand also slowed down. He had to think more carefully about how to deal with it.

Xi Yu secretly marveled, thinking about when Liu Xie had mastered chess skills so well. It seemed that Liu Xie had never stopped honing and improving himself in this court.

Not long after, the game ended. Xi Yu looked at the board full of chess pieces and shook his head helplessly, knowing that he had lost the game. He raised his head, with some admiration on his face, and said to Liu Xie: "Your Majesty, your chess skills are really getting better and better. I am convinced today."

A smug smile appeared on Liu Xie's face, and he waved his hands gently and said: "Haha, you are joking. When I have free time in this palace, I often play chess with those little eunuchs. The more I win, the more I naturally figure it out. It’s just that I have learned some skills and improved a lot.”

After saying that, he signaled the attendant to rearrange the chessboard and looked at Xi Yu, as if asking if he wanted to play another game.

Xi Yu slightly cupped his hands and said with a hint of apology: "Your Majesty, I'm afraid I won't be able to play chess with you today. Is it possible?"

Liu Xie was open-minded and immediately smiled heartily and responded: "Of course, if you have something to do, just go and do it first."

Xi Yu hurriedly thanked him: "Thank you for your understanding, Your Majesty. I will take my leave first." After that, he saluted respectfully, then turned around and slowly retreated, leaving Liu Xie sitting in front of the chessboard thoughtfully.

After a while, a young eunuch came over quietly. When he came to Liu Xie, he bowed respectfully and then cautiously said: "Your Majesty, I just overheard what the Prime Minister and Your Majesty said. The Prime Minister has already prepared to appoint a female official, so he came to inform His Majesty. This servant feels that this move seems a bit unkind, so I should ask Your Majesty in advance for such a big matter."

When Liu Xie heard what the young eunuch said, his face instantly darkened, his eyes full of displeasure, and he snorted coldly: "Humph, now I have nothing to do with this state affairs, and all the affairs have been handed over to the prime minister. "Management, this was agreed upon from the beginning. Are you saying this here to sow discord and shake the trust between me and the Prime Minister?"

When the young eunuch heard this, his face turned pale with fright. He knelt down with a "plop", his body was shaking uncontrollably, and he quickly kowtowed and begged for mercy: "Your Majesty, forgive me. I never meant this. I was just talking fast and thinking about something." I just said it, Your Majesty, please spare my life, I don’t dare to do it anymore.”

The young eunuch kowtowed as he spoke, his forehead hitting the ground with a "dong-dong" sound. He was filled with fear, hoping that Liu Xie would forgive him this time.

Liu Xie looked at the trembling little eunuch kneeling on the ground, and the anger in his heart did not subside.

He stood up, waved his long sleeves, turned his back, and said in a cold voice: "I remember that you have served in the palace for many years, so I will spare you this time, but if there is another time, I will not forgive you lightly."

The young eunuch felt as if he had been pardoned and quickly thanked him.

"Thank you for your majesty's magnanimity. I will definitely remember your majesty's kindness and never do it again." After saying that, he still lay on the ground and did not dare to get up.

Liu Xie was silent for a long time and slowly sat back down, but there were waves in his heart.

Liu Xie sat there, his eyes seemingly focused on the objects in front of him, but in fact his mind had already drifted away.

The little eunuch's words were like a stone thrown into the lake of his heart, causing ripples in his originally peaceful heart.

He knew very well that he was on the throne, but he had been like a puppet for a long time. Many state affairs were decided by the prime minister. Although it was a situation forced by the original situation, how could an emperor be willing to be controlled by others all the time?

At this moment, he couldn't help but think about it carefully, thinking about how to get back his power bit by bit in the future, and how to let the affairs of the court be more weighed by him without causing too much conflict with the prime minister. Make a decision and let yourself truly become the master of the world, instead of just being at the mercy of others in name only.

After Xi Yu returned to the Prime Minister's Mansion, he walked straight into the study, retreated to the left and right, and sat alone in front of the desk, frowning, and fell into deep contemplation.

Although the constitutional monarchy had been proposed before, Liu Xie agreed at that time, but as time went by, Xi Yu understood in his heart, would Liu Xie really be willing to maintain this state?

After all, he is the king of a country, how could he have no idea in his heart.

Xi Yu couldn't help but think of that apt metaphor. It was like a person who had always been in poverty. He was used to living in poverty and didn't think there was anything wrong with it. But by chance, he suddenly became rich overnight. He was full of joy and thought that he could change his destiny and enjoy everything that wealth brought.

However, it was only later that I realized that this wealth did not belong to me at all, but I was just temporarily handling it.

When the wealth is handed over, everything returns to its previous state of balance, but how can this person's heart be easily balanced?

Liu Xie's current situation is not exactly the same. He went from being an emperor who controlled the world's affairs to gradually retaining only his title and losing power. Although he seems to be in peace now, I'm afraid it won't always be peaceful in the future.

Xi Yu let out a long sigh. He knew that in the future, he would have to be more cautious and considerate when dealing with government affairs and getting along with Liu Xie. He must not let cracks easily appear in this difficult-to-maintain situation.

Xi Yu sat in front of the desk, tapping his fingers lightly on the table, with a bit of hesitation and thinking in his eyes.

An idea came to his mind, wondering whether he should secretly arrange a secret guard to follow Liu Xie quietly, so that he could know Liu Xie's every move at all times and see what his thoughts and actions would be in the future.

But as soon as the thought came to his mind, Xi Yu couldn't help but shook his head in self-mockery, thinking to himself whether this approach was a bit too much. After all, although Liu Xie didn't have much actual power now, he was still the king of a country. Doing so, if discovered, would completely destroy the delicate trust between them.

And if you think about it carefully, even if Liu Xie has some ideas in his mind, given the current situation, with many affairs inside and outside the court already under control, how much trouble can he cause? I'm afraid it will only add to the worries.

That's all, Xi Yu finally gave up the idea and decided to face Liu Xie in a frank manner, relying on follow-up communication and collaboration to stabilize the court structure and ensure that everything can develop smoothly as planned.

The thief Zhao Qiang was sitting in a bumpy carriage, which continued to move forward along the muddy road.

From time to time, he looked out the car window warily, his fingers twisting the corners of his clothes uneasily.

The sky was getting darker and dark clouds were rolling in. After a while, huge raindrops fell, hitting the roof of the carriage with a dull sound.

The rain became heavier and heavier, the road became more difficult to navigate, and the carriage slowed down.

We happened to arrive at a small town, and the night had completely enveloped us.

Zhao Qiang and the carriage driver decided to take shelter at the inn in the town first.

The two rushed into the inn in the rain. The rainwater dripped down their clothes and gathered into small streams under their feet.

The lights in the inn were brightly lit, and the warm atmosphere was in sharp contrast to the cold and damp outside. Zhao Qiang breathed a sigh of relief, but he still did not forget to secretly observe the people coming and going in the inn.

Zhao Qiang walked into the inn room and quickly and carefully took out the letter hidden in his arms. After checking it carefully, he found a hidden corner and hid it properly.

In the past, when he was in crowded and crowded places, his restless hands would always reach out to other people's property and do some sneaky things.

Today in this inn, he thought there was another opportunity to take advantage of, and his eyes were quietly roaming among the crowd, looking for a suitable target.

However, just as he was about to take action, a thought suddenly flashed through his mind and he temporarily changed his mind.

He secretly thought that if this letter could be successfully delivered to the Prime Minister, the Prime Minister would definitely give him a generous reward. In this way, he would be able to obtain money openly, so why take the risk to steal again?

Thinking like this, his eyes became more expectant and certain, just looking forward to arriving at his destination as soon as possible.

Zhao Qiang never expected that he would encounter robbers when he hit the road the next day.

The carriage arrived at a remote place, surrounded by grass and jagged rocks.

Suddenly, several burly men sprang out from the woods beside the road, holding long knives and sticks, blocking the carriage's way.

The leader of the robbers shouted viciously: "I opened this road and planted this tree. If you want to live from now on, I will leave the money to buy the road!"

The coachman hurriedly begged for mercy: "Masters, I am just a driver. I earn all my hard-earned money. I really don't have much property."

But the robbers ignored them, and one of them said impatiently: "Stop talking nonsense, get off the carriage and the passengers too, we want to search you!"

Zhao Qiang was shocked. He tightly covered the part where the letter was hidden, and his face turned pale.

He knew very well that if this letter was searched by robbers, not only would his dream of getting rich be shattered, but it might also lead to death.

The carriage driver gave Zhao Qiang a helpless look and slowly got out of the carriage. Zhao Qiang could only bite the bullet and follow him. He watched the robbers' every move with vigilant eyes, and his brain was working rapidly, thinking about how to keep the letter and escape. This calamity.

The robbers roughly searched Zhao Qiang and the coachman, and soon robbed them of all their coins.

The coachman's face was full of sorrow, and he bravely begged the robbers: "Dear heroes, we have to hurry up, please leave some space for us, otherwise we will not be able to survive this way."

After hearing this, the robbers looked at each other and actually threw a few coins on the ground.

But when they searched Zhao Qiang, they found the letter.

When Zhao Qiang saw this, he was very anxious and shouted quickly: "This letter is very important to me. You can take all the money, just keep the letter!"

The robbers were unmoved. The leader sneered: "Huh, important? In my eyes, this might be some valuable treasure. Don't even think about getting away with it."

Saying this, he was about to take the letter away.

Zhao Qiang held on to the letter tightly, his eyes full of determination. He knew that once the letter fell into the hands of the robbers, the consequences would be disastrous.

When several robbers saw that Zhao Qiang dared to resist, one of the hot-tempered robbers kicked Zhao Qiang violently, causing Zhao Qiang to stumble and fall to the ground.

The robbers took the opportunity to grab the letter and turned around to leave.

Zhao Qiang struggled to get up and shouted: "This is just a letter, and it's not a valuable thing. What's the use of taking it away, but it's really important to me!"

However, the robbers ignored his calls and only thought that the letter might contain some secrets and that they might be able to obtain greater benefits from it.

At this time, Zhao Qiang was so anxious that he didn't care about the gold under his knees. He fell to his knees with a plop, clasped his hands together, and begged the robbers: "Gentlemen, please return this letter to me. Faith is more important to me than life!”

The coachman also spoke up and said, "Dear gentlemen, this letter looks ordinary, but it's really not worth a lot of money. Just take pity on him and return the letter."

However, the robbers just burst into laughter. The leader of the robbers shook the letter in his hand and said jokingly: "You speak lightly, who knows if there is some shocking secret hidden in this letter, maybe we can find it." Big fortune!"

Seeing that the robbers were about to leave, Zhao Qiang suddenly had an idea and stood up and said loudly: "If you take the letter away, you will be responsible for the consequences! Do you know who this letter is for? It is the Prime Minister! This involves important military information. , if you don’t believe it, you can take it apart and look at it.”

When the robbers heard this, they exchanged glances with each other and couldn't help but feel hesitant.

Although they are robbers, they also know that the prime minister has great power in the court. If they rashly steal letters related to military affairs as this boy said, they may cause big trouble.

Zhao Qiang looked at the reactions of the robbers and was secretly glad in his heart. At the same time, he silently prayed that the content of the letter would be as he expected, with the prime minister's clear title or relevant information, so that the robbers would retreat and return the letter to him.

At this time, one of the kidnappers frowned, stared at Zhao Qiang, and boldly shouted: "Humph, stop scaring people with such things, who knows if you are talking nonsense here!"

Zhao Qiang just sneered, with some determination in his eyes, and responded: "If you don't believe it, just open it. I have already warned you. If it causes any big trouble, don't blame me for not saying hello in advance. "

The kidnapper heard this and started to wonder. He was holding the letter and hesitated for a moment, wondering whether he should open it to find out what it was.

The other robbers also gathered around and stared at the letter. The situation was at a standstill for a while. (End of this chapter)