Chapter 4 is not as I imagined...

Ji Jinghe was a man of his word; he returned that very night, and after breakfast the next day, he set off for Ci'en Temple outside the city.

After Yu An finished getting ready and went out, Ji Jinghe was already dressed and standing outside the mansion gate.

The entire Ji family mansion revolves around him. For convenience, Ji Jinghe requested two carriages, but two of the three carriages in the mansion were under repair and could not be used for the time being.

Ji Jinghe: ...

Due to limited resources, Ji Jinghe had no choice but to ride in the same plane as her.

Fortunately, the carriage was spacious, and the two kept a good distance from each other. The sky was gloomy, and the further the carriage went from the city outwards, the stronger the damp, fishy smell outside the curtains became, indicating that it was going to rain.

Yu An leaned against the car window, looking at the person next to her who was pretending to be asleep with their eyes closed, and couldn't help but look inside.

His eyelids were slightly closed, long eyelashes like raven feathers covering his lower eyelids, concealing his usually sharp eyes, which seemed to carry a lingering weariness. His high, straight nose was exceptionally sharp, and his slightly pursed lips seemed to hide a hint of languor, exuding a refined and noble air. He leaned slightly against the car wall, his breathing almost inaudible, like a finely sculpted jade statue.

Just as she was taking a closer look, those eyes suddenly opened, and those calm, still eyes met her gaze directly, with a hint of nonchalant disdain in them.

Those eyes seemed to be saying, "What do you want?"

Caught peeping, Yu'an couldn't explain. Her cheeks burning, she forced a smile and said, "I didn't have time to ask yesterday. I actually wanted to ask the master about the birthday banquet for my mother-in-law..."

Ji Jinghe was not surprised and gave a light "hmm" as if it were the most natural thing in the world. However, when he looked at Yu An's clothes, his brows furrowed.

On her wedding day, the Chu family carried a dowry of sixty-four loads, a truly magnificent procession stretching for miles, along with countless properties, fields, and servants. But upon closer reflection of the past two days, she had only worn ordinary, simple clothes, and even her jewelry was clean white jade with simple designs.

It wasn't as extravagant as I'd imagined... Could it be that I was deliberately putting on an act in front of him?

Yu An had no idea what Ji Jinghe was thinking. Seeing him looking thoughtful, she couldn't bring herself to ask him anything.

"uncle……"

Ji Jinghe lowered his eyes, subtly shifting his gaze elsewhere, and said casually, "The Northwest is frequently plagued by drought, and the court is eyeing us covetously. A major mobilization would inevitably attract attention. If things continue as you have done, countless people will think that the Ji family is extravagant and wasteful, just like some corrupt officials who disregard the lives of ordinary people and only care about their own carefree enjoyment."

His words seemed to contain a hidden sarcasm, which sounded somewhat strange, yet one couldn't quite put their finger on it.

This was originally Shen Qiulan's idea, but now that Ji Jinghe doesn't allow a big celebration, she indirectly benefits and can avoid some trouble.

Ji Jinghe was unwilling to say more, and after she agreed, she did not bother her any further.

Half an hour later, outside the City God Temple.

Perhaps because of the bad weather, there were very few people outside the temple. After going straight in, the abbot led us to offer incense and fulfill our vows.

Ji Jinghe had always studied the teachings of sages and didn't believe in such things. If it weren't for his mother's intervention, he probably would never have willingly stepped into a temple. So, following him made things easier for Yu An, and the round trip took only a quarter of an hour.

Yu-an: "My grandmother asked me yesterday to draw a fortune stick for her."

Ji Jinghe nodded, raised his chin to indicate that she could go without worry, and then turned and went outside.

Ci'en Temple is unlike any other temple. Almost all the visitors are officials and members of the royal family. Even after many years, the abbot still remembers Ji's mother and can casually inquire about her situation.

Yu'an: "Grandmother is well, but she called me here because of the long journey..."

...

Yu An was preoccupied with her own affairs and for a while forgot about Ji Jinghe's presence outside the door. It wasn't until she went out after receiving the fortune slip that she learned from Baozhu that Ji Jinghe had left.

"Just now, Qingque hurriedly rode over and told the young master some things, and then the young master rode away." Baozhu helped her down the steps, "He said to ask you to wait a while, and he would send someone to pick you up when you got back."

In an emergency, Ji Jinghe rode away with the horses from the carriage, so Yu'an could only wait for the people in the mansion to send new horses.

Yu An: "Did he say why?"

Baozhu: "Perhaps it's official business, otherwise why would the young master be in such a hurry..."

*

Emperor Hongwen was old and, having long been a devout follower of religious beliefs, he attempted to prolong his life and ascend to immortality through elixirs. Unfortunately, his health deteriorated year by year, and he had missed six months of court sessions. Today, he finally regained interest in attending to state affairs, only to faint in front of his courtiers.

His three adult sons had rushed to the palace, and Ji Jinghe, as a member of the cabinet, also had to temporarily enter the palace to await orders.

The situation was urgent, and he didn't even change out of his official robes. When he arrived at the Wenyuan Pavilion, a group of court officials were waiting inside. Before he could speak to anyone else, Chu Xingjian took him to a separate place.

“Look, these are the memorials submitted from various places in less than two days. They are all voices of resistance against the reforms.” Chu Xingjian handed him a memorial with the most vehement language.

Under the old system of "separation of taxation and corvée labor," land tax was levied in two seasons, summer and autumn, corvée labor was assigned on a rotating basis according to the number of households, and miscellaneous taxes were also collected independently, with cumbersome procedures and chaotic standards. Local officials took advantage of loopholes in the system, using the excuse of "losses" when collecting grain or silver to levy additional "surcharges," or to enrich themselves by falsely reporting the number of corvée laborers and creating new miscellaneous tax categories.

The first step of this reform was to merge taxes and labor services and simplify collection. Because it blocked the path for officials to arbitrarily increase or falsely report taxes, even though five years had passed since Xu Yun first proposed it, the resistance from both inside and outside the court was still enormous.

Ji Jinghe glanced at it briefly, finding only illogical and accusatory language, and had no time to examine it closely.

"What did His Majesty say? What is the current situation?"

Chu Xingjian shook his head: "His Majesty is unaware of this matter. I just returned from the Qianqing Palace and informed the Imperial Hospital. His Majesty's health is weak on the outside but not on the inside, so it's hard to say what the situation is. But in any case, after this, it will be difficult to suppress the matter of establishing an heir, and his peaceful days will definitely be over."

The Empress and the Crown Prince died one after the other many years ago. At that time, the Emperor was in his prime and never mentioned re-establishing an heir or empress. But now it has become a major hidden danger.

Currently, all three princes were born to concubines in the imperial harem. The eleventh prince is too young, while the fifth and sixth princes are of age. The new crown prince can only be chosen from these two. In terms of maternal family power and the emperor's favor, the fifth prince has the upper hand. However, for the discerning Chu Xingjian, the most favored candidate is the sixth prince, who has no power or influence but possesses the talent of an emperor.

But that's a story for another time, and today is not the time to discuss it.

Ji Jinghe listened carefully to Chu Xingjian's tone, secretly pondering his own thoughts, but did not reveal them, and said indifferently: "It is inevitable that there will be opposition. How does the Grand Secretary intend to deal with it?"

Given Emperor Hongwen's temperament, this fainting spell should have given him a good reason to rest for a while. To put it bluntly, it was a good excuse to suspend court proceedings, leaving the remaining official duties to be decided by the Grand Secretariat and the Directorate of Ceremonial.

The cabinet and the Directorate of Ceremonial are now colluding, which should have been a good thing, but the problem lies with the cabinet.

The cabinet has not only one chief minister, Chu Xingjian, but also two deputy ministers, namely the Yan family and the Xia family.

The Xia family is on good terms with the Fifth Prince's maternal clan, and a conflict is bound to erupt one day. As for the Yan family, their attitude remains ambiguous and impartial. Usually, the Xia family gets involved in disputes within the pavilion. However, coincidentally, the Xia family is not like Chu Xingjian; they are a thoroughly "old faction."

This tax reform alone saw many, led by the Xia family, oppose it, and the debate in the court lasted for a full six months.

Reform was Xu Yun's wish before his death, and Ji Jinghe only wanted to facilitate it and did not want to see any obstacles.

Chu Xingjian chuckled: "If there's nothing major going on, then exert as much pressure as possible. Reform is always difficult, and it would be strange if there were no voices of resistance."

He had no intention of making excuses when faced with probing questions from those around him; whether Ji Jinghe believed him or not, this was the truth.

When Xu Yun was alive, he was an out-and-out "old party" member who vehemently opposed reform. But times have changed, and the time has come. He is not a rigid and inflexible person. If conditions permit, he is willing to see a day when the government is clean and efficient.

Ji Jinghe found a place to sit down, took a sip of tea, and said, "What the Grand Secretary thinks is what I think."

Looking at his casual clothes, Chu Xingjian began to vaguely guess what his daughter's life was like in the Ji family.

Although they are father-in-law and father-in-law, to the general public, their relationship is more like that of a superior and subordinate.

On their wedding night, Ji Jinghe left home and worked in the cabinet for a month before finally returning. He felt he had failed in his responsibilities as a father, causing his daughter to suffer. Later, he couldn't help but mention this matter to Ji Jinghe in the Wenyuan Pavilion, and he didn't know what the outcome would be after he returned home.

He knew that part of the reason Ji Jinghe didn't want to go home stemmed from his own actions.

Since their marriage a month ago, Ji Jinghe has only addressed him as "Grand Secretary" and has never called him "father-in-law." He knows why this marriage came about, so he doesn't insist. He only hopes that Ji Jinghe can keep his promise, treat Yu'an well, and make her live a smooth and healthy life.

"How has Yu'an been lately? Is she doing well?"

Chu Xingjian's sudden question caught Ji Jinghe off guard.

He slowly put down his teacup, gave a soft "hmm," and did not look up at Chu Xingjian.

Chu Xingjian sighed, his worries for his daughter fading into his heart. He smiled and said, "Yu'an has always been a gentle child. Since she was old enough to understand, she has been in charge of the household chores, which has made her frugal. So when she gets married, I will give her the best dowry, just in case she is bullied after marriage."

“This child keeps everything to herself. If I don’t ask, she would rather suffer on her own than tell anyone. She lost her mother at the age of seven, and I am her only support. Now that she has married you, you will be her support. If she does anything wrong in the future, please forgive her for my sake.”

These extremely earnest and heartfelt words echoed in his ears, and the fingers that had been resting on the teacup slowly curled up. Ji Jinghe was speechless for a moment, not knowing how to respond for the first time.

A note from the author:

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Ji Jinghe: (Appears calm, but is actually feeling guilty)