In ancient times, the powerful and wealthy seized power step by step.

For Zhu Qingyu to rise from a sixth-rank court judge to a third-rank minister of the Huiyi Temple, the process would be extremely difficult, requiring the support of favorable timing, location, and human factors. It could not be accomplished simply by the Grand Princess's word.

To get promoted, the most important thing is to have influential people influence the emperor, so that the emperor thinks you have made enough contributions and that you are the best compared to others.

Therefore, General Wen's memorial to the Emperor, as requested by the Grand Princess, not only detailed the great victory at Jiufeng Mountain, but also the current epidemic situation in the northern border region.

After reading General Wen's memorial, Gu Zhao didn't have any specific requirements for the part about leading troops to defend against the enemy, leaving it up to General Wen to do.

However, Lord Gu disapproved of the dry, military-style writing about General Wen, which focused on the great achievements of Judge Zhu in the northern frontier, and began to drastically revise it.

Not only did General Wen have to submit a memorial, but Zhu Qingyu, who was ordered to treat the epidemic, also had to submit a memorial to the Emperor, reporting on the situation of the epidemic. In this way, she could make her presence known first, so that when the Emperor needed to assign someone, she would be the first person he would think of.

As a result, Zhu Qingyu has been even busier these past few days. During the day, she has to take care of the patients, and at night she still has to work hard writing folded paper.

Although Gu Zhao had given her intensive training before and she had memorized so many folding texts as a foundation, it was still quite difficult for Zhu Qingyu to switch from simulation to real-world practice and write folding texts. She spent several days working on it and revising it.

That day, they even stayed up until midnight, and he actually fell asleep on the table.

Feeling someone approaching in her dazed state, Zhu Qingyu opened her eyes and saw Gu Zhao, who was disabled but determined, frailly putting clothes on her.

Zhu Qingyu pulled her clothes tighter and looked at the incense sticks on the table:

"It's already this late?"

Gu Zhao tilted his head as he looked at the folded paper she had written and asked:

"Are you finished writing?"

She had finished writing it, but because she felt it wasn't as good as her previous works, Zhu Qingyu had been too embarrassed to show it to Gu Zhao these past few days. However, she absolutely had to hand it over to General Wen and send it back to the capital tomorrow. At this crucial moment, this was all she could manage, so she had to be embarrassed.

Zhu Qingyu gave her seat to Gu Zhao:

"Can you take a look at this for me?"

Gu Zhao had actually wanted to help her take a look for a while, but she kept it from him. Now that he had a legitimate reason to take a look, his brows furrowed.

Seeing him frown, Zhu Qingyu asked cautiously:

"How's the writing going?"

Gu Zhao chose the finest pen, circled the words for her to correct, and said:

"You and General Wen are equally good at writing memorials; you are both so simple and unpretentious."

This was yet another instance of Lord Gu criticizing her for lacking literary talent. Fine, let her be simple then. Zhu Qingyu wasn't offended by those two words at all; she took it as a compliment and smiled:

"I've never taken the imperial examinations. It's already good enough if I can write the whole meaning without making mistakes or violating any taboos. Literary talent is a matter of innate ability. No matter how hard I try, I can't possibly be as good as Lord Du."

Gu Zhao laughed when he heard her say that:

"Lord Zhu is quite ambitious, daring to compare himself to Lord Du. You'd better catch up to my level first. When we get back to the capital, I'll have to give you extra homework. Otherwise, in the future, if people say that you were taught by me, I'll lose face."

The two chatted idly about everyday things. After Gu Zhao finished correcting her mistakes, he beckoned her over:

"Disciple, come here and revise it accordingly."

Zhu Qingyu moved a chair and sat next to him. She first read through his revisions. She had to admit that a cabinet minister was indeed a cabinet minister; he had his own expertise. However, with some adjustments to the wording, it looked completely different.

So they copied it again. By the time Zhu Qingyu finished writing the folded paper, it was already past midnight. The two of them went back to their bedroom to wash up and go to bed.

The surroundings were quiet, and the dim night blurred time and space. As Gu Zhao led her from the side room back to her bedroom, Zhu Qingyu even had the illusion that her family member had come to keep her company while she worked overtime and then they were going home together.

Before going to bed that night, Zhu Qingyu took Gu Zhao's pulse one last time and said:

"You're much better now. I noticed your wound isn't bleeding anymore today. Just be careful not to touch it and take good care of it. It should be fully healed in about another month. Go to sleep."

She got up to leave, but Gu Zhao held her hand tightly, lying on the bed, looking at her with bright eyes:

"A month? I heard you say that at the current rate, all the patients will be able to go home in a month. That means I'll be cured by the time we get back to the capital. The journey here was too rushed. If I'm cured on the way back, and it's springtime, we can take our time going back. I'll show you around properly."

Zhu Qingyu has been here for so long, but she hasn't really had much fun. Hearing Gu Zhao say this, she's starting to look forward to it.

"OK."

Perhaps it was because of that conversation that day, but in recent days, whenever the two of them talk, no matter what the topic is, they always seem to be intentionally or unintentionally carrying a hint of planning and anticipation for the future.

This was true not only for Gu Zhao, but also for Zhu Qingyu.

The lamps had already been blown out. Zhu Qingyu lay on the small couch and suddenly asked Gu Zhao:

Is Huiyi Temple under construction? How far is it from the palace?

In the darkness, Gu Zhao, who was half a room away from her, laughed:

"It's not far from the Cabinet, and it's not far from the Ministry of Revenue either. I can pick you up after my shift. Is that what you wanted to ask?"

Zhu Qingyu then realized that she had asked too obviously.

But so what if it's too obvious?

If two people decide to be together, isn't that all there is to their daily interactions?

Zhu Qingyu made no attempt to hide anything:

"Yeah, can't I ask? What do you mean by going home? You should convince your elders first."

Gu Zhao smiled even more broadly, showing great optimism:

"The Empress Dowager loves me very much. She was just angry for a moment. It's been so long, her anger must have subsided. I'll go and plead with her, and she'll definitely agree to our marriage. As for my other elders, you've met them all; they're all reasonable people. I can persuade them. Once we return to the capital, you can just wait to choose an auspicious day."

As more and more patients are discharged from the military camps in northern Xinjiang each day, and more and more families reunite, everyone's face is filled with smiles, making the first month of the lunar calendar in northern Xinjiang full of the warmth of spring.

With Gu Zhao's optimistic expectations, General Wen's folding letter and Zhu Qingyu's folding letter, accompanied by the sound of the couriers' hooves, traveled day and night to the imperial palace thousands of miles away.

A great victory on the frontier should have been a joyous occasion, but inside the palace, it was still as cold as the dead of winter.

Although the seven-ninth day since Consort Tan's passing has passed and the mourning clothes in the palace have been removed, the emperor, overwhelmed with grief, remains bedridden. His excessive sorrow has led him to cancel not only the grand palace banquet for the New Year but also the morning court session that should have started after the Lantern Festival.

Even with the emperor bedridden, important matters of state still require decision-making.

The cabinet ministers held daily discussions, while the Empress Dowager ruled from behind a curtain.

In ordinary matters, the Empress Dowager never expressed her opinion; the cabinet ministers made the decisions. But today, when the cabinet ministers were discussing the selection of the Minister of the Imperial Medical Academy, the Empress Dowager suddenly spoke up:

"The Minister of the Imperial Medical Academy, a high-ranking official of the third rank, yet the Grand Secretaries all think that Chief Physician Zhu is suitable? Are there no other candidates?"