Chapter 557 Awaiting the Emperor's Summon

Assab was in Daewoo to the north, which was a long distance away, so they could only communicate about two or three times a year, with more than twenty letters, which was almost all the letters in the past seven or eight years.

Cheng Wanwan carefully read through all these letters. The contents were largely the same. They began by greeting the Emperor of the Great Yu Dynasty, then talked about the customs and culture of Asab, then about the economic core of Asab, and proposed to conduct economic exchanges. In the last paragraph, they informed the Great Yu Dynasty that their envoy from Asab had arrived at the northern border of the Great Yu Dynasty and could come to the capital to pay homage to the Emperor of the Great Yu Dynasty at any time.

The last paragraph of each letter contained the same content: the Assab envoy requested an audience.

“Sui’an man, do you know what I translated?” Lord Zhang said with a look of regret. “I actually thought Asab was showing off that they had made friends with a small country in the northern border of the Dayu Dynasty… I was also wondering why they had emphasized the same thing in their letters for the past seven or eight years. It turns out I misunderstood… In other words, Asab’s envoys have been waiting for the court’s summons in the northern border of the Dayu Dynasty every year, but they have never received one…”

Cheng Wanwan: "..."

These two meanings are completely different, and to translate them wrong is simply outrageous.

She said, "The letter said they won't leave the Yuezhi tribe on the northern border until the end of May. It's not too late to send a letter as quickly as possible now."

"As the Minister of Rites, I made such a huge mistake. It's only because Assab is not as powerful as the Dayu Dynasty. Otherwise, we would have been ignored and gone to war long ago." Lord Zhang sighed. "After I apologize to the Emperor, the Emperor will definitely summon the people of Sui'an to discuss the Assab matter in detail. It will probably take three or four days. You, Sui'an, can postpone your return."

Cheng Wanwan repeatedly said, "I only know a little bit about the Assab language, I dare not show off in front of the Emperor..."

"If the people of Sui'an only know a little bit, then what are we, the people of the Court of State Ceremonial?" Lord Zhang said earnestly. "Asab has a large number of rare treasures. If a stable trade relationship could be established with the Great Yu Dynasty, it would be a blessing for the people. But because of me, this trade route was delayed by seven or eight years... The people of Sui'an are more deserving of the position of Minister of the Court of State Ceremonial..."

"No, no, no, Master Zhang, you can't say that," Cheng Wanwan said. "I only know a little bit about the language. I don't understand anything else about Assab, so how dare I compare myself to Master Zhang... Since Master Zhang has said so, I will stay in the capital for a few more days. When the Emperor summons me, I will tell him everything I know."

Just as Lord Zhang was about to express his gratitude, a person walked in through the courtyard gate.

Shen Zheng came in carrying large and small bags, while behind him, Afu carried two large boxes. Judging from the bulging veins on the back of Afu's hands, the contents of these boxes must be quite heavy.

"Godmother, I bought a lot of things." Shen Zheng said proudly, "This is for my grandmother and father, this is for Grandpa Zhao, this is for Grandma Zhao, and this is for the teacher... Let's set off tomorrow morning. Walk quickly and we will be home in 16 or 17 days..."

Cheng Wanwan quickly interrupted him, "I still have some things to take care of in the capital, so I need to stay a few more days..."

Shen Zheng then noticed that Master Zhang was standing in the yard. He vaguely understood something and said, "Could it be that Master Zhang asked Godmother to stay for a few more days?"

He had heard about what happened at the Emperor's birthday celebration at the end of last year. He knew that his godmother had embroidered foreign words on the birthday gifts. Many scholars said that his godmother deliberately copied some foreign words to embroider so that she wouldn't be ridiculed for being a peasant. Many scholars even mocked his godmother for this, and he had many conflicts with them... Now it seems that his godmother really does know some foreign languages, otherwise a third-rank official would never have taken the initiative to meet a sixth-rank lady.

"The people of Sui'an are skilled in farming and even know some foreign languages, which is truly amazing," Lord Zhang said with a smile. "In order to promote economic and trade exchanges between the Dayu Dynasty and Asab, His Majesty will definitely summon the people of Sui'an. It will not be too late for them to return after the audience with the Emperor."

Shen Zheng understood.

The fact that my godmother was summoned by the Emperor means that her foreign language skills are roughly at the level of the Court of State Ceremonial. If she promotes trade between the two countries, the Emperor will surely promote her further...

He used to think his father and godmother were a good match, but now he feels more and more that his father is too slow and can't keep up with his godmother at all.

My godmother has the people at heart and the country in her heart; who knows where she'll end up in the future...

Shen Zheng asked Ah Fu to put the things he bought into the house and said, "It would be better if you could stay a few more days. Brother Cheng will be going to court in a few days, and I can help with the matters concerning the Reading Pavilion."

Lord Zhang asked with a smile, "If this reading pavilion is really opened, Lord Cheng will definitely receive praise from the emperor. This matter must be handled carefully."

"Brother Cheng isn't doing this to win the emperor's praise. He really wants to do something for those poor students." Shen Zheng sighed. "Unfortunately, not many people are willing to donate books. The last time we donated five or six hundred books, it was because of Lord Zhang's leadership. After that wave of enthusiasm passed,... But there's no rush. Brother Cheng and I will slowly figure out a solution."

"You're looking for the wrong person." Lord Zhang shook his head. "Young scholars haven't completely separated themselves from the world of books. How could they be willing to donate books? You could try going to the older officials. They worry about state affairs every day. Their study is used for meetings, not reading. Those thousands of books don't really mean much to them. Maybe they'd be willing to donate them."

Shen Zheng smiled wryly. Brother Cheng was a seventh-rank official, while he was just a mere scholar. How could he possibly have any contact with these court officials?

If he really couldn't raise enough money, he would try to persuade businessmen to donate money, which he could then use to buy books. This method wasn't entirely unacceptable...

Cheng Wanwan touched her chin. Since she would have to stay in the capital for a few more days, she would help think of a solution.

The holiday ended the day after Cheng Zhao and Situ Man returned to their parents' home. On May 12th, this batch of new officials attended court for the first time.

Cheng Zhao, dressed in court attire and wearing a black gauze hat, entered the palace through the queue at the gate.

"Lord Cheng is indeed very handsome!"

A mature voice came from the side, and Cheng Zhao looked over and saw the He family's carriage.

Lord He, the head of the He family, helped his servant down from the carriage and walked towards Cheng Zhao, a hint of admiration in his eyes.

The He family acted too late, otherwise, Cheng Zhao would have been on the He family's ship.

However, Situ was only in his thirties when he passed the imperial examination and after struggling in the officialdom for so many years, he was still a fifth-rank lecturer and had no potential for promotion in the future. Therefore, no big family wanted to win him over. Now that Cheng Zhao has entered the Hanlin Academy at such a young age, he might be able to be won over.

If Cheng Zhao was willing to board the He family's ship, he could be magnanimous and not care about the fact that He Yan, a sixth-rank official from a branch of the He family, died in the mouth of a wolf in the home of a Sui'an family last year.

"Greetings, Lord He."

Cheng Zhao bowed with his hands clasped in a humble manner.

Lord He helped Cheng Zhao up by the arm and said in a friendly manner, "Speaking of which, I have some connection with Lord Cheng. A junior member of our He family went to Dahe Village two years ago to take charge of the coal mine there. Dahe Village is Lord Cheng's hometown, isn't it?"

Upon hearing this, Cheng Zhao immediately became alert.

Last year, the man surnamed He who went to Dahe Village was named He Yan. He was bitten by a wild wolf because of his evil deeds in the village. Later, he died on the way to the capital. It turned out that this man was a branch of the He family in the capital... He was only focused on reading the books of sages and had not inquired about these things. But now, when he put these things together and thought about them, he felt a sense of crisis.

When Lord He first met him, he mentioned that person who was already dead, which was definitely not just a casual remark.

What is Mr. He’s purpose?

Cheng Zhao said calmly, "I am from Chengjia Village in Ping'an County. Dahe Village is not my hometown."

"Although it's not your hometown, it's still related to you. Your aunt, a native of Sui'an, is from Dahe Village, isn't she?" Lord He smiled. "Even cotton was popularized from Dahe Village. In this capital, who doesn't know Dahe Village, and who doesn't know the people of Sui'an?"

Cheng Zhao's heart tightened.

He has never been a fool. In just a few words, he had guessed what Lord He meant - Lord He was blaming Second Aunt for He Yan's death.

Just as he was trying to find out Lord He's true purpose, a hearty laugh came from afar.

The white-bearded Lord Zhang strode over, placed his hand on Cheng Zhao's shoulder, and said with a smile, "Lord Cheng, this old man has a math problem that I can't solve. I'd like to ask you for some guidance..."

So, he put his arm around Cheng Zhao and walked to the side.