Upon hearing her maternal grandfather's words, Song Xizhi immediately perked up her ears, her curious voice tinged with urgency: "What exactly happened? What did Lord Xin say?"
The answer to Song Xizhi was a rich aroma of duck meat.
"The last dish is served. Come on, let's eat together."
Upon hearing the familiar voice, Song Xizhi turned his head and saw Su Mingren's face.
He was standing in front of the table, his goatee still covered in white flour, and he was personally serving ginseng and old duck soup to the table.
Standing next to her eldest uncle was her aunt, Liu Ruofang, whom she hadn't seen in a long time.
She was plump with a face like a silver plate, her hair tied up high. Although she was older, she was still graceful and elegant.
He was wearing a dark-colored, narrow-sleeved outfit with the cuffs rolled up high, standing next to Su Mingren. He still smelled slightly of cooking, as if he had just come from a small kitchen.
Song Xizhi stared wide-eyed in surprise: "These dishes were actually cooked by my maternal uncle and aunt themselves?"
The eldest aunt patted Song Xizhi's hand and sat down next to the two children with a smile: "Mingren and I made a few dishes together, and the rest were made by the servants. See if you like them, Zhizhi."
It's such a surprise that my uncle, this old-fashioned man, can cook.
Song Xizhi stared at the flour stuck to his uncle's beard, raised an eyebrow slightly, and said with a hint of teasing in his tone:
"The ancients said that a gentleman keeps away from the kitchen. Why aren't you spouting that old-fashioned saying today, Uncle?"
Su Mingren glared at Song Xizhi, then found a seat and sat down: "I was originally unwilling, but my secret stash of money is firmly in the hands of your aunt, so I had no choice but to go to the kitchen with her."
Liu Ruofang glared at him, but then gently wiped away the flour from his beard with her fingertips.
"Alright, alright, all the meals and pastries you made for me before we got married were out of necessity!"
Upon hearing this, everyone at the table laughed.
Song Xizhi stared at them and smiled along.
They originally had such a good relationship, but in their previous life they separated so resolutely, one never remarried and the other died tragically on her way to being demoted.
Even the two children met such a tragic end.
What exactly happened to the Su family?
Song Xizhi was lost in thought when she saw Su Mingli place a duck leg in her bowl: "What are you thinking about? Hurry up and try your aunt's cooking."
Thinking about her past life, she suddenly became more wary of the happy event her grandfather had just mentioned, so she solemnly addressed Su Mingli again:
"So what exactly happened to my uncle?"
Seeing her serious expression, Su Shaoyuan smiled and said, "Don't worry, it's really good news."
"Mingli's proposed Two-Tax System has been extremely effective, greatly alleviating the court's financial difficulties. Therefore, Vice Minister Xin revealed that once your uncle returns to the court, you can expect a promotion!"
"He is a sixth-rank remonstrating official!"
Upon hearing this, Song Xizhi was overjoyed: "Really? That's fantastic news!"
Su Mingren smiled and nodded: "It's probably been mentioned to His Majesty. It's almost certain. Lord Xin only speaks of things he's absolutely sure of."
Song Xizhi was finally completely relieved, and his heart was filled with joy:
"My uncle is so young, yet he entered the court through the imperial examination. He is only twenty years old now, and he is about to become an advisor. This must be unprecedented."
In his previous life, his maternal uncle died early, which became the fuse for the downfall of the Su family. All the honors that should have belonged to him fell to He Yunce, making him a prime minister at a young age.
Now that he is alive, what originally belonged to his uncle must not fall into the hands of others!
Su Mingli shook his head: "I didn't do anything. We're just family, so let's not spread this around."
He smiled at Song Xizhi and held her hand tightly again: "Now that I have all this, I have to thank Zhizhi."
Su Shaoyuan was also very happy: "Of course it won't get out."
"However, once things are settled, our Su family will definitely hold a grand banquet."
Song Xizhi took a bite of the duck leg and found it very fragrant, which filled her with joy: "Of course we will hold the event. I would love to eat the dishes cooked by my aunt and uncle."
"But now that my uncle has recovered, when will he be able to attend court?"
Su Mingli said, "It will be in two days."
Time flies.
Two days later, it will be the fifteenth.
On the first and fifteenth of each month, in addition to high-ranking officials in the capital, lower-ranking officials in the capital would also attend court together.
Emperor Guangqi was in a good mood recently. He sat on the dragon throne and not long after the court session began, he noticed Su Mingli, who was dressed in official robes, in the crowd.
The Emperor smiled and asked, "Minister Su, did you attend court today? Have you recovered?"
Upon hearing this, Su Mingli stepped forward and bowed to the emperor: "Your Majesty, I thank you for your concern. I am now fully recovered, but I was worried that if I did not attend court for a long time, I would be unable to share Your Majesty's burdens, so I returned."
Emperor Guangqi listened to his booming voice, seeing no trace of his former self, and sighed slightly:
"You were once critically ill and on the verge of death, but now you have recovered so well. My dear Su, you have truly survived a great calamity and are destined for good fortune."
"Moreover, even when you were ill, you still cared about the court and shared my burdens. Now that the Two-Tax System has been implemented for more than half a month, although it has encountered a lot of resistance, we have also seen its effectiveness."
As the emperor spoke, his spirits rose, and he rested his hand on the armrest of the dragon throne: "It is my honor to have such a subject as you, my dear minister. I will reward you handsomely."
Vice Minister Xin listened from the front, smiling and nodding.
Upon hearing this, Su Mingli's lips curled slightly. He was about to kneel down to express his gratitude when he suddenly heard Prime Minister Lin's voice.
"Young Master Su is quick-witted and truly a young talent. His Majesty is currently troubled by the armed rebellions in various regions, and none of the ministers can offer any solutions. I wonder if Young Master Su has any good ideas that can help His Majesty share his burden?"
As Prime Minister Lin spoke, he slowly stepped forward, a hint of a smile in his voice.
Su Mingli was slightly taken aback upon hearing this.
He had not attended court for a long time and was unaware of the current situation in the court, let alone the specific reasons for the rebellions in various places.
However, after a moment's thought, he quickly came up with a solution: "In my humble opinion, this matter needs to be addressed at its source, which means starting with the officials in various regions."
"When armed rebellions break out in various places, the first people who need to be held accountable are the local officials. I have heard of cases where local officials collude with local forces. There is even a saying among the people: 'The emperor is far away and the temple is small, but the gods are powerful.'"
"To resolve this issue, it may be necessary to reform the official system, stipulate that officials should not serve in their place of origin, and also stipulate the term of office of officials to prevent local officials from colluding with local forces."
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