Chapter 84
Lu Shang seemed to sense something and looked behind him among the hundreds of people.
There were obviously many people crowded behind him, tall and short, fat and thin, almost blocking his entire view, but in that fleeting gap, he saw the person he had been thinking about for a long time.
A smile broke out on Lu Shang's face. After being surrounded by the crowd for such a long time, he said the first sentence: "Please make way--" The next moment, he pushed through the crowd and rushed straight towards where Jiang Wanning was.
At first, people thought something had happened, until someone familiar with the Lu family saw Jiang Wanning's face and suddenly understood: "Hey, hey, hey, these young couples have been reunited after a long separation, please make way!"
When this word spread around, everyone smiled knowingly and quickly stepped back a few steps to make way for the path in the middle so that the Lu couple could meet sooner.
Jiang Wanning no longer remembered how she walked all the way home. All she knew was that the big hand wrapped around her palm was warm and burning. The person standing in front of her was not tall, but he was able to completely block her behind him, blocking the gazes from all directions and giving her the greatest sense of security.
Lu Shang protected her with one hand and waved to the people around him with the other, "Thank you for your understanding, thank you all... I will hold a banquet at my mansion in the future and celebrate with you all."
After squeezing out from among the onlookers, the two could no longer bear it.
They didn't even need any words or any eye contact. They just ran away suddenly, ran all the way back to the mansion, and ran all the way back to the main courtyard bedroom under the astonished gazes of many new servants.
The door was slammed shut, and all the small sounds were blocked behind that door.
When the rest of the family heard that Lu Shang had returned, they rushed over in a hurry, but they were also turned away. After learning what had happened from the servants, they looked at each other for a long time, and finally they could only helplessly spread their hands and said, "Go back, let's talk after they come out."
But I didn't expect that I would have to wait for the entire afternoon.
Jiang Wanning was taken to the bed by Lu Shang. Before she could say a word, her lips were blocked. A familiar breath flooded over her, leaving her speechless.
"Aning, Aning... Aning is so cruel. She didn't even write me a single letter for five or six months. I sent so many letters to Aning, but I didn't even get a single reply..."
Lu Shang said aggrievedly, biting the tip of Jiang Wanning's ear with force under his teeth as if to vent his anger.
Jiang Wanning didn't feel the pain and subconsciously dodged backwards, but as soon as she moved, she found that her whole body was trapped in Lu Shang's arms. Not to mention wanting to hide backwards, she couldn't even get a little bit away from him.
She felt even more aggrieved and whispered, "You've been gone for a long time..."
"I didn't sleep well at all. The baby was very well behaved, but she was really heavy. I couldn't turn over. Later, my mother had to stay with me—"
Although she didn't say the time, Lu Shang understood it instantly.
Pity and guilt flashed through his heart, and he whispered "I'm sorry". As if to make up for it, he kissed her neck gently, holding her waist with one hand and placing the other hand lightly on her lower abdomen.
Lu Shang didn't say that it was Jiang Wanning who insisted on asking him to go to Beijing. He just blamed all the mistakes on himself and grabbed Jiang Wanning's hand and slapped himself in the face several times.
He originally wanted to say something, but he always felt that the hardship a woman goes through in childbirth is far beyond what can be compensated by a few light words.
In the end, he just kissed the corner of Jiang Wanning's mouth: "There won't be a next time. This time I come back, I won't leave yet. No matter where I go in the future, I will definitely take you and the child with me."
Jiang Wanning was wrapped up in her turbulent emotions and didn't realize the implicit meaning of his words.
They took off their outer clothes and lay on the bed in their underwear.
Maybe it's because the child has been lying here all the time recently, there is a faint smell of milk on the bed, as well as the unique smell of the child. It smells a bit strange at first, but after a while it becomes a bit addictive.
Jiang Wanning and Lu Shang leaned their heads against each other, their hands still clasped together, and whispered to each other.
It was two and a half months after the birth of the child that Lu Shang realized it was a little girl.
He grinned and said, "Daughters are good, daughters are caring!"
Jiang Wanning asked, "An An's full moon has already passed, but the family was in turmoil at the time, so we didn't hold a full moon banquet for her. We just wanted to wait until her first birthday to celebrate. So, will you still be home after half a year?"
"Most likely at home, it's okay. Even if I'm not, I can definitely adjust my schedule to come back. At least for the next three to five years, I will definitely still be mainly active in the capital city."
After hearing this, Jiang Wanning finally realized that something was wrong.
"In the capital? Husband...doesn't he need to return to the capital to take up his post?"
Lu Shang slapped his head and said, "Let me explain it to you in detail. Let's start with the imperial examination. Speaking of my first place and first place in the imperial examination, it was more about luck than strength..."
He recounted everything that had happened during the past few months he had been away from home. He was favored by the emperor simply because of his business background, and even performed brilliantly in the examination. This was something not only Lu Shang had not expected, but even Jiang Wanning found it quite incredible when she heard about it afterwards.
But after thinking about it carefully, she finally denied Lu Shang's luck.
"If my husband didn't have some real talent and knowledge, even if he answered the last few questions brilliantly, he wouldn't have been able to take first place. It's likely that he answered well in the first few questions and then performed brilliantly in the latter ones, which is why he won the emperor's favor and won the first place in both the prefectural and palace examinations."
"It's just a pity..." Jiang Wanning sighed softly, "If only my husband had won first place in the provincial examination, he would have been able to get the top three honors."
Since the founding of the Da Zhao Dynasty, there has not been a single person who has passed the imperial examinations and won the top three places in the imperial examinations. If Lu Shang can become the first person to do so, he will surely be remembered in history and leave a significant mark in the history books.
Lu Shang chuckled and nudged Jiang Wanning with his forehead. "A Ning actually has such lofty ambitions. It's a pity that I don't have the chance. It won't be too late to wait for An Ning to teach another student who wins the top three prizes."
Jiang Wanning gave him a push and asked, "Then what's the matter with staying in the prefecture instead of going to the capital to take up your post? I remember that the top scorers in previous years would all be admitted to the Imperial Academy."
"This story begins with the Qionglin Banquet—"
It turned out that when Lu Shang was summoned to the attic by Emperor Showa that day, what they talked about was exactly his future whereabouts.
After all, he was a newly crowned number one scholar. When he first caught the emperor's eye, the palace secret guards investigated his entire life in detail, including the two elders of the Jiang family who had been brought to the capital of Songxi County long ago, and the emperor also knew about them.
Emperor Zhaohe did not mention the Jiang family at first, but only asked Lu Shang a question: If he could only choose one between being a businessman and being an official, how would he choose?
Lu Shang said without hesitation, "If I can only choose one of the two, I choose the latter. I dare not deceive the emperor. Decades ago, I was a scholar, but because of my family's financial difficulties, I became a merchant. However, after decades of business, I did not feel that merchants were inferior to others. Unfortunately, a natural disaster struck, and merchants were already affected by the disaster, and they were also oppressed by officials. At that time, I felt-"
"If merchants are destined to be lowly, then there should be someone who can be the boatman pulling the giant ship and help it raise the sails."
"Furthermore, since the Emperor has granted merchants the privilege of entering the imperial court simultaneously, and has also singled out this student as the top scorer in the palace examination, surely these two things are not incompatible?"
That time, Lu Shang did not abide by the so-called etiquette and looked up at the emperor for a long time.
The angry voice heard at the Qionglin Banquet that day was not wrong. It was Emperor Showa who was angry at his arrogance and almost got angry. He wanted to make things difficult for Lu Shang and asked him why he thought he could change the status of merchants by his own efforts.
Considering that he was the emperor and had been in power for decades, he only promoted the reform of the imperial examination system and included commercial affairs as a topic in the special examination. Even the grace of the integration of officials and businessmen could not be mentioned openly.
Facing the emperor's anger, Lu Shang proposed the idea of nationalization of commercial banks and public-private partnership.
State ownership means that the imperial court is the sole controller and develops all kinds of businesses. Regardless of profit or loss, the state bears all the costs, taking from the people and using it for the people.
The public-private partnership is based on the existing merchants as the main operators, and the court provides a certain amount of financial or human support, and only conducts account verification and profit sharing within a fixed time. It also indirectly has the rights and supervisory responsibilities of the merchants to conduct business.
Jiang Wanning was terrified when she heard this. Seeing him stop, she couldn't help but ask, "What happened next?"
Lu Shang smiled and said, "Nothing happened after that."
"The Emperor was very interested in the two business reforms I proposed, but he couldn't implement them drastically. He ultimately decided to use the nationalization of businesses as an example. He gave me a maximum of five years. If I could achieve some results, he would grant me a position as a second-rank official. However, to avoid accusations of collusion between officials and businessmen, I will not hold an official title despite my title of top scholar. This will naturally comply with the law."
Of course, there will be punishment if you don't do well, but in order to avoid Jiang Wanning worrying, Lu Shang didn't say it.
Jiang Wanning came to her senses, "So, my husband is saying that for the next three to five years, you'll be working for that state-owned business and not enter the court?"
"Exactly."
Jiang Wanning still had only a vague understanding of the state-owned nature of the trading company, and didn't know whether there were any risks involved. For a moment, she couldn't tell whether she was happy or unhappy, and her brows were furrowed in anxiety.
Lu Shang raised his hand to smooth the wrinkles between her brows and continued, "I've already made up my mind and plan to start with the maritime merchants that have been gradually rising in recent years. The good thing about this state-owned trading company is that all the investment is funded by the court. Regardless of whether it succeeds in the end, I don't have to worry about money. Let's take it one step at a time and see what happens next."
"There is another matter, which is the crime the Jiang family was convicted of back then."
Jiang Wanning's heart skipped a beat: "Does the Emperor know that my parents are in the capital?"
Lu Shang laughed at her cleverness and said a few words to comfort her: "Don't be afraid, it's a good thing."
"The Emperor has thoroughly investigated. Although the Jiang family was convicted of a crime, they were not convicted of any wrongdoing. Decades have passed since then, and my parents and brother have suffered in the north. They have paid the price."
"The Emperor means that he also admires Dad's knowledge. If Dad is willing, he can be pardoned and reinstated into the court. First, he can be reinstated to his original position, and second, he can be appointed as the Crown Prince's Tutor. As for my brother who is still in the north, his crimes can also be pardoned and he can be rewarded according to his military achievements over the past few years."
What the Jiang family did back then was not a crime punishable by death. Now that they are married to Lu Shang, the emperor wants to make use of Lu Shang, so naturally he cannot keep the hidden danger of the Jiang family. After all, Grand Secretary Jiang is very knowledgeable, and reinstating him in the court will add a talent to the court.
Jiang Wanning widened her eyes, feeling that this pardon was too unreal.
At this time, Lu Shang rested his chin on her shoulder again, not knowing whether he was acting coquettishly or something else, and slowly said: "If Dad becomes the Prince's tutor in the future, An Ning will be Father Jiang's only daughter. The Jiang family's daughters are of high status. They won't look down on me, a merchant from a farming family, right?"
"Nonsense!" Jiang Wanning was not happy to hear this. She raised her hand and patted him on the back. Her originally heavy and restless mind also calmed down.
She was silent for a long time before she said, "Then when I leave later, I will explain this matter to my parents. As for whether I am willing to return to the court, it depends on their opinions."
"I understand, I understand. I didn't agree to it outright when the emperor said it, but I calculated the days and estimated that the pardon letter from the capital should be delivered in the next few days."
"Speaking of which, if the Jiang family regains its power, as the Jiang family's son-in-law, won't I have a strong backer in the future?" Lu Shang burst out laughing, not knowing where he was thinking. "I'll go out on the street and act like a bully. If anyone provokes me, I'll bring out Miss Jiang and wait for Aning to back me up!"
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