2. Hard work

Qing Tong let out a chuckle, reached out to take a paper bag and opened it, a fragrant aroma wafting out. She grabbed a piece and stuffed it into her mouth, chewing vigorously, her hands covered in grease. She was simply too hungry, as if a small hand was tugging at her throat; she swallowed one piece and eagerly stuffed another into her mouth, her movements quick as lightning

Qing Tong slept soundly, not at all worried that her drunken appearance would be seen by others. She understood very well that in a crowd of nearly two thousand people, how could the emperor possibly notice any common folk? Moreover, prior to the inspection, soldiers had already cleared the streets of idle bystanders; the city patrol was merely a show, and no one would pay attention to what was happening behind the carriage curtain

By the time she finished her grooming and changing, the imperial carriage was already prepared. Qing Tong first boarded the small palanquin, and then transferred to the imperial carriage carried by sixty-four bearers at Zhengyang Gate, commencing the city patrol activity that started from Zhengyang Gate, entered through Chaoyang Gate, and traversed the three main streets of the capital.

In one go, she swallowed three pieces, and just as she felt a choking sensation, a small flask fell out of the paper bag, releasing a faint aroma of wine. Qing Tong hesitated for a moment, thinking about how long it had been since she last drank alcohol, but decided to disregard it, reasoning that the person would not offer her strong liquor. Thus, she opened the flask and took several large gulps, finding it sweet and gentle, indeed a very soft rice wine. With food in her stomach, a flush appeared on her face, and her stomach finally felt more settled. Therefore, she opened the flask and took several large gulps, finding it sweet and gentle, indeed a very soft rice wine. With food in her stomach, a flush appeared on her face, and her stomach finally felt more settled.

Qing Tong found the place she had just looked at and said without raising her head: "You are not a guard, so what are you doing on duty at night? Besides, there are more than fifty guards outside, so you are not needed."

What is this! The expenditure amount is nearly 40% more than the income, and this is just the total. I don't know how much has been intercepted privately; by the time it reaches the Ministry of Revenue, most of the details are gone, which is why it appears to be less than the income. If the amounts in each account were the same, what would I have to worry about?" Qing Tong sighed helplessly.

Just as she was falling asleep, a loud bang suddenly came from the left, and the carriage jolted violently. Qing Tong woke up in a daze and looked up to the left in astonishment, seeing a light spot the size of a fingertip, with bright sunlight streaming in. The buzzing sound was still in her ears. Qing Tong sat up and followed the sound to see a long iron feathered arrow nailed to the right side wall, apparently having pierced through the left wall and lodged itself in the right. It was at that moment that she realized she had encountered an assassin

Interrupted by him, Qing Tong realized that she had stayed up all night, and now her whole body ached unbearably. She slightly moved her wrist and picked up an expense ledger, saying, "Stop bothering me, I still need to finish reviewing these ledgers before the city patrol today." With that, she lowered her head and focused on her work, ignoring everything else.

The wine transformed into a warm, fragrant heat in her stomach, radiating warmth from her belly to her chest and then to her head and face. As the carriage swayed rhythmically, her green eyes gradually slid into her seat, and her eyelids involuntarily closed. She was utterly exhausted, with all her organs going on strike. She still firmly clutched the remaining pieces of pastry in her hand, still harboring the desire to eat, yet her mouth refused to open no matter what. She almost instantly fell into a deep slumber.

She gazed silently at the arrow, thinking to herself, very well, today there seems to be something interesting written in the "Daily Records." From Emperor Zhongzong to the present, among the sixteen emperors, only she encountered an assassin while touring the city. This is quite a spectacle for a new emperor's outing, a moment when an emperor most needs to maintain face, truly impressive!

Little did they know that they had already walked the entire street, and the fragrance showed no signs of dissipating; instead, it grew increasingly stronger. Qing Tong finally sensed something was amiss. Following the scent and taking a closer look, they were instantly amused and exasperated. They saw that within the circular hole of the large jade disc, known as the Evil-Dispelling Mysterious Dragon, which hung on the inner wall of the car door and was only slightly smaller than a face, an oil paper bag had been inserted at some unknown time, quietly emanating the aroma of goose oil and pine nut rolls.

Ren Pingsheng shook his head, "That won't do, I am on night duty tonight, and I must be responsible for your safety"

The seat inside the imperial carriage is quite spacious; even when stretching out one's arms, one cannot reach the side walls. This design is not only for the sake of grandeur but also serves to remind the emperor to sit upright and maintain his dignity. Usually, Qing Tong feels that sitting in the imperial carriage is not comfortable, but at this moment, she realizes the advantage of such a large seat; it turns out that this chair can also serve as a bed, as one can simply curl up slightly to lie down.

Ren Pingsheng said: "So am I really leaving?"

"Don't move!" Qing Tong pushed him and said, "This is not a book; it is the revenue and expenditure ledger of the Ministry of Revenue, a summary of the financial situation of Dayuan for this year. You cannot look at it!"

The royal carriage is indeed quite large, and the arrow is still a considerable distance from her body. The arrowhead is elongated, mostly embedded in the wood, and from the remaining portion, it is evident that it has been crafted to be extremely sharp, featuring a blood groove, and is shimmering with a bright silver light as it quivers and flows up and down with the arrow shaft.

"Let's go, let's go!" Qing Tong rubbed her temples and said, "You can find a place to play by yourself!" After a moment's thought, she added, "By the way, go tell Hua Jian that I'm not hungry, I won't have breakfast for now, and have someone send over some snacks."

The four walls of the royal carriage are made of half a foot thick hard wood, which is wrapped in pure gold on the outside, capable of being pierced by an arrow, truly demonstrating astonishing strength. Qing Tong sits upright inside the carriage, the light spot shining on her left temple, while the arrow's tail is directly aligned with her right temple. Qing Tong thinks to herself, "What an accurate aim! If I hadn't lain down to sleep, without a doubt, I would now have a hole pierced through my head."

Qing Tong couldn't help but look up and smile for a moment, "Go ahead, call them." She then lowered her head again to continue browsing, gradually furrowing her brows once more

Qing Tong sat still in the royal carriage, yet her stomach was grumbling, making her feel quite uncomfortable from hunger. Even more unbearable was the persistent aroma that wafted into her nose, making her, who had not eaten, feel truly distressed. She wondered which shop in the capital city they had arrived at and what delicious food was being sold. As she secretly rubbed her belly, Qing Tong's mind wandered, trying to resist the increasingly tempting fragrance.

Ren Pingsheng shook his head with a smile and said, "I really can't manage this!" He stretched lazily and walked out.

The grand procession, accompanied by one hundred and eighteen ceremonial attendants, one thousand cavalry guards, five hundred infantry guards, and a dozen personal attendants, represents the scale of the emperor's tour of the capital. This is merely a small fortune; if there were a grand ceremony such as the worship of heaven attended by civil and military officials, the guard carrying ceremonial instruments alone could stretch for thirty miles.

I do not understand these either. Qing Tong furrowed her brows, took the book back in front of her, and flipped through it again, saying, "You should go find someone else."

She now seems to be pondering questions such as her identity as an assassin and who sent her, but her mind appears to be frozen, unable to comprehend what she should be thinking at this moment. Unexpectedly, she casually picked up a piece of pastry and began to eat it while sitting in the royal carriage

Other emperors rarely leave the palace, and they might find it amusing; however, Qing Tong feels that this is purely a torment for her, serving no purpose at all. Fortunately, it is only seven times; if Zhongzong had originally stipulated that it be once a month, she would truly have to pay her respects to her ancestors.

Another two hours had passed when Qing Tong finally walked out of the Hanyuan Hall in a stiff manner. There were still a few account books left unread, but it was time for the city patrol, and she had to change into her formal attire first, leaving no time for a meal

"I called you three times, and you finally deigned to say a word to me." Ren Pingsheng kept his distance from her, swaying slightly on the chair, and asked with a smile, "How is my ability to grasp things from a distance? Not many people can catch something this large."

The situation is dire. Ren Pingsheng put away his playful smile.

Income far exceeds expenses, which is quite good

The inspection of Kyoto was a rule established by the fourth emperor of Dayuan, the excessively energetic Emperor Zhongzong. On the first, third, ninth, nineteenth, twenty-ninth, forty-ninth, and eighty-first days of the new emperor's ascension to the throne, a total of seven times, the emperor must inspect the city of Kyoto to demonstrate his approachability to the people. Today marks the eighty-first day since Qing Tong's ascension, the final occasion for the city inspection performance.

I am not hungry either, I also want to have some snacks, let's order a goose oil pine nut roll, that thing is really delicious. Ren Pingsheng smiled and leaned over cheerfully

Suddenly, the book in Qing Tong's hand seemed to be tugged by something, floating up from before her eyes. Qing Tong reached out to grab it, but the book floated left and right, deliberately avoiding her touch. Qing Tong lowered her hand and raised her head, displeased, saying: "Ren Ping Sheng, you are not a child, why are you playing with this?"

The sky gradually brightened, and the light filtered through the window panes, illuminating the long, Huanghuali wood writing desk in the Hanyuan Hall. The desk was piled high with identical blue-covered books, their ink fragrance still lingering, clearly recently copied. Qing Tong was holding one of the books and reading. In front of her, two thick candles were lit, burning down to just a small stub. After a while, the candles burned out with a soft puff, but due to the increasing brightness outside, she remained completely unaware, continuing to read by the daylight, clearly deeply engrossed in her reading.

Ren Pingsheng simply moved the chair to the side of the desk and said, "You have been looking at it for an entire evening without even lifting your head. Is this book really that captivating?" As he spoke, he reached out to take the book from Qing Tong's hands.

Qing Tong shook her head, "Not to that extent, you are clearer than anyone about the gravity of the situation. However, you are currently a training instructor for the Imperial Guard, and your access to the palace is more convenient than that of a first-rank official. It is not unlikely that others may have their eyes on you. These account books are still confidential before they are made public, so it would be wise to avoid any suspicion and save yourself a lot of trouble in the future." She pressed her hand against her forehead, her face showing signs of fatigue, and sighed again. These account books are still confidential before they are made public, so it would be wise to avoid any suspicion and save yourself a lot of trouble in the future." She pressed her hand against her forehead, her face showing signs of fatigue, and sighed again.

Qing Tong nodded slightly, pointing to a tall pile on the left, "These are all income." Then pointing to a few books on the right, "These are all expenses."

Ren Pingsheng's expression momentarily stiffened, but he quickly returned to normal. He withdrew his hand and asked with a smile, "Are you afraid I will leak any secrets?"