On an ordinary afternoon, Mr. Guzhu rode a small donkey and, with a boy in tow, discreetly entered the imperial city.
After that, he went directly to the Ministry of Personnel with the emperor's edict of appointment and took office.
When he was out of office, he was the reclusive Confucian scholar Master Guzhu; but when he was in court, he was simply Lord Yan Xu.
When the emperor received the message from the Imperial Guards, he could hardly believe his eyes.
Although he did issue the appointment edict, and Yan Xu's reporting to the Ministry of Personnel seemed perfectly normal at first glance, even demonstrating his strong sense of responsibility, but—
The first thing Yan Xu should do upon entering the capital should be to go to the palace to meet the emperor and express his gratitude for the emperor's great favor.
He went to the Ministry of Personnel without saying a word to take up his post, leaving the emperor in a difficult position.
In the imperial city, the heads of several aristocratic families and nobles who were also waiting for Yan Xu's arrival all looked grim after learning about this.
Yan Xu's actions were a clear indication that he didn't take them seriously.
As for the next day, when the officials saw Yan Xu in the court, dressed in the court robes of the Minister of Personnel, holding a tablet, and standing at the head of the Six Ministries, they all thought they were seeing things!
No matter how surprised others were, Yan Xu stood there meticulously, his posture upright, like a pine or cypress.
On his first day at court, Yan Xu did not disappoint anyone. He listed more than a dozen drawbacks left by the former Minister of Personnel, causing half of the court officials, including the emperor, to change their expressions.
At the same time, he also demonstrated his abilities to the emperor.
The emperor was not a good-tempered person. Yan Xu's words were too direct, which made him lose face. But just as he was about to get angry, he remembered what Ye Jingchen had once told him: to treat the virtuous with respect and to be tolerant of those with ability. He said that capable people all have some flaws in their character.
Thus, the emperor's angry expression was forcibly twisted into a stiff smile, and his words of abuse turned into approval. Although the emperor's expression and words were very forced, they still almost made the courtiers' jaws drop.
They were all waiting for the emperor to lose his temper and provoke Yan Xu, which would then lead to the shortest-serving Minister of Personnel in history.
But to everyone's surprise, the emperor did not play by the rules. Instead of being angry, he praised Yan Xu.
Based on their understanding of His Majesty, this shouldn't be the case!
Seeing the undisguised shock on the faces of some people below, the emperor sneered inwardly. Although he was indeed unhappy, the thought that others were even more unhappy than him made him feel less unhappy!
After the court session, the emperor kept Yan Xu behind alone.
In addition to offering his direct advice in court, Yan Xu also wrote a memorial to the emperor. The emperor glanced at it and, wow, it was a full six pages long.
Didn't Yan Xu just take up his post at the Ministry of Personnel yesterday afternoon? How come he's already listed so many problems in just half a day?
Is the Ministry of Personnel a sieve?
"I will review your memorial later. The main reason I summoned you is that my princes and princesses all admire you and wish you to give them a lesson at the Wenhua Hall. I wonder if you would be willing to grant my request?" the emperor asked with a smile.
"The prince and the princess attend classes together?" Yan Xu asked instead of answering.
After descending from Jiuding Lotus Mountain, he inquired about the great achievements of the current emperor along the way, and one thing in particular struck him as very interesting.
Originally, only the Crown Prince could attend classes at the Wenhua Hall, but His Majesty suddenly allowed all the princes and princesses to study there, and they attended classes with the Crown Prince, with the same standards for attendants and lecturers.
In this way, to those who are unaware of the truth, it would appear that His Majesty was dissatisfied with the Crown Prince, which is why he made such an absurd decision.
Princes and princesses receive the same education. If the best among them is not the crown prince, how awkward will the crown prince's situation be?
Some people also have conspiracy theories, saying that His Majesty is raising poisonous insects, putting his children together to fight each other, and the winner will be the true crown prince.
Regardless of the speculation, they couldn't understand why a princess could also study at the Wenhua Hall, even if it was just a matter of princes. Did His Majesty think that a princess could also inherit the throne?
There are many speculations about the Wenhua Hall, but over the years, apart from the rumors that the princes and princesses are very filial, no other information has been released, which only adds to its mystery.
"What? Does my dear minister also think, like those pedantic officials and censors, that the princess cannot study in the Wenhua Hall?" The emperor asked, narrowing his eyes with an unfriendly expression.
Although Chen'er kept telling him to treat scholars with respect, if Yan Xu said "yes," then he shouldn't blame him for turning his back on him without mercy.
"That's not what I meant. There's no law in Dayuan that says women can't read and write!" Yan Xu replied calmly.
"My children are all outstanding individuals, intelligent and filial, the best and most excellent children in the world! The tutors and instructors in the Eastern Palace all enjoy teaching them!"
The implication was that the children admired Yan Xu and respected him, and hoped that Yan Xu would not be ungrateful!
The emperor's praise was sincere, and Yan Xu listened without changing his expression. As for how much he believed, only he himself knew.
However, Yan Xu had originally planned to visit the Wenhua Hall, because a mysterious person who had disrupted his peaceful life with a letter also claimed that he was in the Wenhua Hall.
He was very curious about who that person was, why their ideas aligned so well with his, and why they had promised him that he could govern the world according to their own principles after he entered officialdom.
He had previously guessed that the letter was written by a prince, but after descending the mountain, he discovered that there was very little information about the prince of Dayuan among the common people. On the contrary, the eldest princess was favored by the emperor and often held banquets and poetry gatherings, and had a good reputation among the people.
He hadn't initially thought of the princess, but later he saw two plays, which were said to be the most popular plays in the capital. One play was about a woman who took the imperial examination and became the prime minister; the other play was about a woman who went to war and became the great general who protected the country.
When he entered the city yesterday, he heard many people discussing the two plays along the way, and only then did he realize how popular they were in the capital. Naturally, he began to look at the princess with suspicion.
Just now, he tested the emperor's attitude and found that the emperor cared a lot about the princess, which deepened his speculation.
"I may first give a lesson to all the princes and princesses."
One lesson was enough for him to find the person who wrote to him.
"Then let's set it for three days from now," the emperor decided.
Although Yan Xu only agreed to teach one lesson, he had confidence in his child. He believed that once Yan Xu taught one lesson, there would definitely be many more lessons to follow.
As for why it's three days later—
Today is the day for the children to pay their respects, but there's no time for class today. The class will be held three days later. When they pay their respects three days later, the children will definitely share their insights from Yan Xu's class with him, and he can use this opportunity to determine whether Yan Xu is suitable to teach the children.
Not everyone is qualified to teach his child!
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