After finishing their conversation, Zhu Jiayu yawned and returned to Chunshan Residence.
She hadn't slept well for the past few nights, but now that she had resolved a pressing matter, she could finally go back to sleep peacefully.
As for Qiu Zhuqing, whether he can understand her words or do as she says is not her concern. In any case, she has done everything she could. It all depends on whether Qiu Zhuqing can seize this opportunity.
If she can seize the opportunity, all the better; if she can't, it won't be a loss for her, since allies are never hard to come by. She's never been one to put all her eggs in one basket anyway.
Leaving her complicated thoughts behind, Zhu Jiayu returned to Chunshan Residence, took off her embroidered shoes, and went to bed.
Qiu Zhuqing, however, was not in the same good mood as Zhu Jiayu. He was still thinking about Zhu Jiayu's words.
Although he already knew that this cousin was no ordinary person, he did not expect her to have such amazing insights in her writings and strategies. She even knew that the emperor held Emperor Liming in high esteem.
How did she know?
He had only heard his grandfather mention this once when he was young, but he never expected to hear it again more than a decade later from a little girl. What his grandfather considered a secret old story was casually mentioned by her.
Qiu Zhuqing felt increasingly alarmed as she thought about it, and turned to look for her father.
He thought that his father should also know about this.
Qiu Weiming was painting in his residence. He loved calligraphy and painting, but when he was serving in Suzhou, he was always busy with official duties and didn't have much free time. Now that he had some free time, he naturally wanted to return to his old hobby.
Upon seeing his second son arrive, he put down his paintbrush, his expression serious: "What's wrong?"
Qiu Zhu lowered his head and told his father everything that Zhu Jiayu had just told him.
If he came from a prominent family in Yujing, he would naturally understand the truth of Zhu Jiayu's words: there is no place closer to the emperor than under the emperor's feet.
But he was born in Heling, a small town in the south. News from Yujing would take ten days to half a month to reach him. By the time they found out, Yujing would have already changed.
The lack of information made him hesitant to trust Zhu Jiayu. He feared she might have ill intentions, or that she might do more harm than good. So, after much thought, he stood there and recounted what had just happened.
Qiu Weiming stared at him for a long time, then sighed heavily.
“If you had read Song Huaiyu’s articles, or the articles of the previous top scholars, you wouldn’t have these questions. In fact, these days, your father has been thinking about whether you should take this path.”
“You are too rigid, too aloof, inflexible and disdainful of being flexible. But in officialdom, such people often do not have a good ending or a good future. I am your father’s example.”
Qiu Zhu raised her eyes and looked at her father in shock.
He had never imagined that his father harbored such thoughts towards him. So, was it because his father wanted him to give up that his father repeatedly and harshly reprimanded him?
Qiu Weiming shook his head with a wry smile. At this moment, he seemed even more approachable in Qiu Zhuqing's eyes. For the first time, he realized that his father was not omnipotent.
"Having spent over thirty years navigating the ups and downs of officialdom, I've come to understand that the imperial court is a chessboard, and officials are the pieces. As pieces, someone will always have to become a pawn. Today you're a ninth-rank official, tomorrow an eighth-rank official; today a civil official, tomorrow a military officer. One day, it will be the turn of people like us."
“But I know you’re stubborn and won’t easily change your mind once you’ve made up your mind. So if I try to dissuade you and suggest you take a different path, it might backfire. I can only criticize you. You won’t blame your father, will you?”
Qiu Zhuqing suddenly felt a little flustered.
This was almost the first time the father and son had spoken so openly. And this conversation concerned his future.
Qiu Weiming seemed to know that it was too sudden, and at least now was not a good time. He looked at Qiu Zhuqing and said, "Ayu is right. When it comes to writing essays in the imperial examination, right and wrong are not always that important. What is important is your personal insights and your understanding of the emperor's intentions."
“She sees things more clearly than you do. Perhaps you can talk to her more often in the future,” Qiu Weiming added.
Qiu Zhu nodded silently, and finally said, "I understand."
He turned and went back to his study, where he began revising his policy essays. The essays that Zhu Jiayu had pointed out problems with were the ones he was to submit to his teacher for evaluation the day after tomorrow when he returned to the academy.
After talking with his second son, Qiu Weiming also felt he couldn't continue painting, so he put down his brush, summoned a servant to stay there, and went to Zhu's courtyard.
He needed to have a proper talk with his wife about what happened today, so that she wouldn't neglect her niece in the future due to momentary negligence.
...
In the main hall of the Moon-Viewing Pavilion in Yujing City, Wei Qinglou sat firmly at the head of the table. Below him, two rows of his former close friends and playboys sat.
Behind the white jade screens on both sides of the hall, the melodious sounds of musicians playing the zither and singing drifted into the clouds, spreading their clear voices throughout the city. Inside the hall, dancers and performers swayed their flowing sleeves and skirts, their clothes fragrant and their hair swaying, their beauty dazzling.
During the banquet, someone raised their cup to the head of the table and said, "Brother Wei... no, now we should call you Lord Wei. We heard that you've been feeling better recently, so we brothers quickly prepared this banquet. At first, we were worried that you wouldn't grace us with your presence."
Wei Qinglou also raised his cup to him, then lowered his head, covered his face with his sleeve, lightly touched the rim of the cup with his thin lips, put down the cup again, and said with a smile: "Brother Song, what are you saying? I have been friends with you all for more than ten years. Brother Song has invited me to a banquet, so of course I will not refuse. How could you say that I am honored to attend?"
He smiled, but his eyes remained expressionless as he stared at the crowd below, a sudden feeling of utter boredom rising within him.
This is so boring.
He knew their motives perfectly well; nothing about what they were thinking could escape his notice.
He suddenly thought of Zhu Jiayu. If Zhu Jiayu were here, she might also be with him, complaining about how boring and vulgar these people were.
No, not exactly, she would also dislike him as well.
Just as he was thinking this, the music suddenly stopped. It turned out that the song had ended. The dancers all stopped their poses, some squatting and some kneeling. Only one girl stood gracefully in the middle, surrounded by the other girls like a star surrounded by the moon.
At this moment, someone else laughed and said, "Yaoji, didn't you say you've always harbored feelings for Lord Wei? Now, don't say the young master isn't giving you a chance. Lord Wei is right here, why don't you hurry up and go and offer him a toast?"
Following his words, Wei Qinglou looked at the girl below the stage. He remained expressionless, making it difficult to discern his meaning.
Then, hearing him speak casually, everyone finally felt relieved.
His eyelids were slightly lowered, and the lights in the room illuminated his beautiful eyebrows and eyes, like the rosy twilight, presenting a breathtaking beauty. He said, "Without a beautiful woman to toast with, this wine does indeed lack a bit of flavor."
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com