Chapter 57 Tea Ceremony Isn't you the person she dislikes the most? ...
Fresh tea was served in the flower hall.
Xie Wenjun sat in the main hall, with tea stoves on both sides, the charcoal inside burning brightly.
The tables and chairs in the hall were removed, leaving only the main desk and a chair, so everyone else had to stand. Twenty or thirty people dressed in official robes and hats stood in the hall, arranged from front to back according to their rank.
The atmosphere was as oppressive as holding back a downpour during the hottest days of summer.
The maids carried tea trays and served tea in turn.
Xie Wenjun gently picked up the teacup, brought it close to her nose, and inhaled the aroma of the tea. "This is a Dragon Tea Cake given to you by the palace every year. It is called Guzhu Zisun and is considered a top-grade tribute tea. Please, gentlemen, taste it."
The buds and leaves at the bottom of the cup are purplish, and the curled leaves, which resemble bamboo shoots, are unfolding.
The tea smelled wonderful, but it didn't taste good at all.
The two faces beneath the official hats looked as if they were about to fall to their heels, as if they were being led to the execution ground to drink a final cup of tea.
No wonder they looked like that.
Rong Jun drove two vehicles to various mansions to fetch people: one sedan chair and one prison cart. Upon arriving at the mansion, he first explained his purpose, then, holding a black-and-white portrait, compared it to the person's face, and with a smile, asked, "Which vehicle does Your Excellency ride in?"
What else is this but catching criminals?
Those who feigned illness failed, those on official business were sent back, and even those who hid in the deep mountains to offer incense to the Buddha were all dragged out by Rong Jun. Except for Sima, who went to the main camp with Xie Yuan, all officials of the seventh rank and above, including the magistrates of the counties under Linxia's jurisdiction, stood here in perfect unison, amicably sipping tea.
Xie Wenjun held the cup lid and swirled it around the rim, took a small sip, and then put it down. "You all don't seem very happy. What's wrong? Do you think my tea is bad?"
"No, no!"
"The tea from the palace is naturally the best."
...
After listening to their insincere flattery for a while, Xie Wenjun made a gesture, and the maids of the Prince's Mansion, dressed in short blouses and embroidered skirts, stepped forward with tea trays and returned the teacups one by one.
The maids left the flower hall.
"We've had our tea, so I won't beat around the bush. I've invited you all here to discuss matters concerning the Agriculture and Sericulture Bureau."
The people downstairs started whispering and gossiping.
One person said, "Your Highness, didn't the Agriculture and Sericulture Bureau already issue an official document abolishing it?"
Xie Wenjun: "When was it abolished?"
The room fell silent.
After a moment, another person said, "The official document abolishing the Agriculture and Sericulture Bureau in March bears the signature of Prime Minister Xun and the official seal of the Secretariat and Chancellery. It cannot be faked!"
Xie Wenjun said, "Yongdu has been under the control of Prince Qi for a long time. Even my father is imprisoned by him. Xun Xian is willing to be his henchman and accomplice. Can the official documents he signs be counted?"
Heavy troops were stationed around the Prince's mansion. Just as the guards were changing shifts, the heavily armored soldiers marched in unison, sending a chill down everyone's spines.
The corridor under the flower hall was guarded on all four sides by guards from the Eastern Palace, one guard every two steps.
Three layers inside and three layers outside.
Rong Jun's spacious prison van was still parked outside the mansion.
“One country, two emperors—it sounds truly absurd,” Xie Wenjun said. “But things have come to this point. I wonder, sirs, whose will do you now support? Whose will you follow?”
That's a harsh statement.
If the Agriculture and Sericulture Bureau is abolished in accordance with the official document issued by Yongdu, it is tantamount to supporting Yongdu.
The officials were no longer even allowed to stand; they hurriedly knelt down and revealed their stance:
"We have served His Highness Prince Shen in Linxia for many years, and naturally we hope that His Highness will inherit the throne. We are willing to serve the new emperor with utmost loyalty and devotion!"
"We swear to have no disloyalty!" the crowd echoed.
Xie Wenjun gently tapped the table with her half-bent fingers, her nails tapping rhythmically, as if trying to discern the truth or falsehood in their words.
"Since you gentlemen have said so, we are all on the same side. Please take seats!" Suddenly, he changed the subject and said, "There is something more urgent to inform you all."
As soon as Xie Wenjun said this, everyone hurriedly stood up and bowed to wait.
Xie Wenjun: "Sit down."
The governor of Linxia and the registrar stood closest to each other; when they rubbed their palms together, they were covered in sweat.
"The new emperor personally led the army north to quell the rebellion. All of you gentlemen have done your utmost to raise military funds, and your contributions are indispensable. I have summoned you all here to discuss and reward your merits on behalf of my third brother! Your service in supporting the emperor is so illustrious that it should be a blessing for your descendants. Your families and relatives are all meritorious officials. Just report them to me. I will consider the matter of granting land and bestowing titles based on merits."
Upon hearing this, the more experienced officials breathed a sigh of relief.
The elaborate setup of prison carts and troops was merely a prelude to the new emperor's efforts to win over the people and give him a show of force. While he possessed some skill, his true intentions were revealed after a few words.
They chattered amongst themselves for a while in the hall.
Someone said, “We are grateful for Your Majesty’s kindness, but the land is under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Revenue. Without the Ministry of Revenue’s land register, does Your Highness know which lands can be used for rewards? Hereditary officials need the Ministry of Personnel’s seal. The registers and seals of the Ministry of Revenue and the Ministry of Personnel are both in Yongdu. Your Highness’s words about granting land and rewarding merits are not just empty words.”
“I was raised by the late Crown Prince and grew up in the Eastern Palace. Do you all still remember that from the end of the sixteenth year of Xuan Yuan to the seventeenth year, many righteous people voluntarily donated their private property to the public to alleviate the country’s crisis? No one knows better than me how much land, salt and iron mines the court collected that year! Of course, I also know who boasted of their intelligence and used tricks to avoid it.”
Xie Wenjun applied slight pressure to the armrest with her jade-like hand, like a phoenix rising from its nest, sweeping across the room like smoke and clouds, bringing a chill that ran up everyone's spine.
"The Agriculture and Sericulture Bureau must be re-established! The late Crown Prince established the Agriculture and Sericulture Bureau for many years, but abolished it at will, changing his orders from morning to evening. How can the people trust the government's policies in the future?"
The officials remained silent, quietly burying themselves in their calculations, their minds like abacuses, the beads moving ceaselessly.
"Do you all not want the new emperor to be scorned by the people before he even reaches Yongdu and sits on the throne? If he is alienated from the people and loses his imperial authority, how can you, as the pillars of the new dynasty, stand on your own two feet?"
After the tea was drunk and the conversation was over, Xie Wenjun ushered the guests out.
"If you gentlemen did not find today's tea satisfactory, I have prepared some tea cakes for you to take back and savor. Do not waste this excellent tea. Rongjun, escort you all back to your residences properly."
The large prison cart that had been parked there when they left the mansion was gone. Instead, two rows of carriages were waiting, with drivers standing beside them, each holding a bundle of Zisunlong tea wrapped in bright yellow brocade.
Rong Jun saw them off to the gate of the mansion and said, "My lords, please forgive me for not seeing you off any further."
The group returned the greetings.
After Rong Jun returned to the Prince's Mansion, they began to discuss it amongst themselves.
"Your descendants and family members have all benefited from this favor. The Princess's actions are truly magnanimous! However, it's not just Linxia Prefecture that needs to raise military funds; there are colleagues from other prefectures and counties as well. This is a huge sum. Can the Princess really afford to share so much land?"
"Sure! Have you forgotten what happened to the former crown prince a few years ago..."
That sounds nice, but what noble person would voluntarily give up their property for the public good?
The late Crown Prince and Prime Minister Zhang ordered all the wealthy and powerful people in the land to relocate to Helu Town in Yongdu, where troops were stationed to guard the area and monitor it day and night. Some wealthy families were busy selling off their properties at rock-bottom prices in order to avoid moving, but the poor couldn't afford them and the rich dared not buy them. When they had no other choice, they had to hand them over to the government and at least receive a commendation document from the government.
It can be said that the wealth of the rich in the world has all gone into the national treasury.
If we calculate it this way, distributing some land as a reward and adding some official positions to demonstrate the new emperor's benevolence would not be considered a breach of contract.
"And this official position?"
"If it's too thick, add water; if it's too thin, add rice. There was no such thing as an agricultural and sericulture bureau before. It's just a matter of a word. Why worry about not having an official position?"
They've handed over a considerable sum of money these days. They were hoping for the abolition of the Agriculture and Sericulture Department, hoping to make a fortune and recoup their losses. If the Agriculture and Sericulture Department is re-established, where else can they find a better way to make money?
Princess Jiangning bestowed gifts upon them, using some of the money to offset the cost of official positions for her descendants. This made them all wise enough to accept the loss as a way of exchanging official posts for their own family members, so as not to end up empty-handed and with nothing.
The tea was enjoyed quite well, so after returning home, the officials wrote their memorials that very night.
Xie Wenjun stayed overnight in the Bamboo Garden of the Prince's Mansion.
In this elegant place, a bamboo grove is planted in the garden, and the Bamboo Cottage is hidden under the green bamboo, simple and elegant.
Xie Wenjun chose this place for one advantage: the Bamboo Garden connects to both the inner garden and the outer courtyard.
In the evening, lanterns are lit at Huangzhu Xiaozhu, casting swaying bamboo shadows.
Chen Luan was followed by several people dressed as scholars in brocade robes. They walked through the woods and across the stone path under the bamboo. The path was not narrow, and it was wide enough for two people to walk side by side.
Green moss clung to the cracks in the stone slabs.
Halfway there, they heard Gu Xie's voice drifting out from the crack in the window: "Completely unrelated! Anyone who's even remotely related to them has been added to the list."
Xie Wenjun sat buried in a pile of rosters, fiddling with the iron letter tube Chen Liangyu had given her. She couldn't tell what the letter tube was made of; it was neither iron nor copper, nor gold nor silver. The patterns looked unremarkable from afar, but up close they resembled a sky full of flying arrows.
"I'm not afraid of them adding a lot of people, I'm only afraid they won't dare to add any."
Gu Xie threw down the list: "Greedy and insatiable, they have completely lost the integrity of a scholar."
Xie Wenjun asked, "What is the price of integrity?"
"How can integrity be measured in mere pennies?" Chen Luan bowed at the door. "Princess, young lady. Not all scholars are those who use integrity and moral character to sell themselves for a price. For scholars with true integrity, measuring them by material possessions is a great humiliation."
The scholars behind him also paid their respects.
Xie Wenjun put the iron letter tube back into his sleeve and handed them the prepared land register. "Tomorrow, we will distribute the rewards to the various government offices according to the list. Let's make a big show of it!"
Chen Luan said, "Your humble servant obeys." The men put away the roster and land register. "It's getting late. If there's nothing else, your humble servant will take his leave."
"Chen Xingqian!"
Chen Luan had only taken two steps back when Xie Wenjun stopped him.
"Is there anything else you wish to do, Princess?"
"It's not official business."
Gu Xie waved his hand, and the rest of the people left Huangzhu Xiaozhu and departed first.
Xie Wenjun said, "I wanted to ask you if she had any favorite things when she was at home?"
"Is the Princess asking about Liangyu?"
Xie Wenjun avoided Gu Xie, glancing elsewhere, and nodded slightly.
Chen Luan thought for a moment. Swordsmanship, archery, and military strategy were not things she particularly loved; it was just how she spent her days.
"No, Your Highness."
"Think about it carefully again. Is there anything that would make her happy just by seeing her?"
Chen Luan: "Your Majesty, I am ashamed to say that I truly do not know. Why does Your Highness not simply ask Liangyu?"
"I asked casually, so it's fine if you don't know the answer," Xie Wenjun said. "Does she have anything she dislikes, or anyone she doesn't like?"
Chen Luan suddenly looked up, his mind racing with thoughts of how to stir up trouble in various government offices, and he couldn't hide his true intentions on his face.
Xie Wenjun: "Get out!"
"Your humble servant takes his leave!"
Xie Wenjun: "I never expected that the person who could make her happier was this Zhai Ji."
Gu Xie corrected, "It's not his person, it's his fate."
Xie Wenjun handed Gu Xie another land register across the table. It was much thinner than the land registers given to the officials. The envelope contained only one sheet of paper. "There are a hundred acres of fertile land in Cangnanwu Forest. It was given to me by my elder brother. It will be granted to Hanhong Academy as a school today. Take my imperial edict to Grand Tutor Gu and order Hanhong Academy to set aside a school for girls."
"Your Highness, I thank you." Gu Xie put the letter and edict in front of her chest. "Your Highness is planning to establish a girls' school and reorganize the Agricultural and Sericultural Bureau. Neither of these tasks is easy."
Xie Wenjun said, "If you want to enlighten the people, you must first plan for their livelihood. Only when they are well-fed can they have the energy to think about other things."
"It is because I am useless that I cannot help Your Highness with any matters concerning the Agriculture and Sericulture Bureau."
Xie Wenjun: "Yuan Rong, Dai Qing."
Yuan Rong: "This servant is here."
Daiqing: "This servant is here."
"Did you glean anything from those land records?"
"This servant is dull-witted."
Xie Wenjun sighed softly, "Do you all want to be servants who serve me for the rest of your lives by following me?"
Yuan Rong and Dai Qing knelt down together.
"I am not blaming you. If you are dull, learn slowly. In the future, I may need to rely on you. Even if not for me, don't you want to see other worlds? To practice medicine, join the army, do business, become a staff member, or even become an official to serve the people?"
Doctor, soldier, merchant, advisor... In the palace, that was a life they had never hoped for, or even imagined.
But along the way, they have seen many people like that.
Yuanrong and Daiqing bowed even lower, kowtowing, and pleaded earnestly, "Your Highness, please grant us your instruction!"
Author's Note: My wives, please say something!! Please say something!!
Is it written in a way that makes you not want to comment?
For example, if all else fails, find a fault to start a fight~
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