When Ertai saw that Anke was going up to repair the roof, he quickly followed her up.
Anke and Yongqi were in charge of repairing the tiles upstairs, while Benjamin Ertai was in charge of passing the tiles downstairs.
"Today, the master has finally encountered an upright and good official. Look at him, beaming with joy, he seems so happy," Benjamin said with a smile, passing a tile up as he spoke. He hadn't forgotten his mission.
“This is the first time I’ve ever seen a county magistrate beat a scholar,” Ertai paused and interjected. “It’s really something. It’s so satisfying to see a bad guy punished.”
"This is the first time in my life I've ever climbed onto a roof to repair a house, and it's even a government office! If my future generations knew this, they would find it unbelievable," Yongqi said confidently.
“Yeah, who would believe it if I told them I was a guy fixing a roof?” Anke joked. “But this isn’t the first time I’ve ever fixed a roof.”
"Then where else have you repaired roofs? How could the Imperial Uncle agree to that?" Yongqi found it extremely unbelievable, after all, An'an was the group's darling.
"Where else could it be? Of course, it was during one of my past trips to enjoy the scenery. I saw an elderly person on the road who was struggling to climb a ladder to repair a roof. I couldn't bear it, so I just helped out." An Ke said casually, her eyes filled with tenderness as she recalled her past memories.
“Repairing the roof of a house is something ordinary people do all the time. Think about it, if you were an ordinary person and your house was already leaking, even if you were an old man like you now, you would still have to go up to the roof to repair it. So there’s no such thing as something that can be done overnight. It’s just something you have to do in life.” An Ke continued, adding a touch of emotion to her earlier statement.
Yongqi nodded obediently above, "No wonder Father always tells us to learn from you; your awareness is far superior to that of Fifth Brother."
An Ke smiled modestly and waved to Yong Qi. "Fifth Brother, why be so modest? If you really feel that the people are suffering, you should do something practical for them. It's better than empty words."
Yongqi nodded in agreement, while Ertai watched as the roof was gradually being patched up. "I think we've almost finished repairing the roof, haven't we?"
Anke stood up, looked at the roof that had been re-tiled, and thought it was almost done. Then she reinforced the areas that she felt were not quite secure with more tiles.
Then they all went down the ladder, and the roof repair was completed very smoothly without Little Swallow's help, which only made things worse.
Fortunately, the area below was also filled with the food prepared by Magistrate Liu, which saved even that food.
"It's really kind of you, Princess and Prince, to go up and fix the roof for me. I don't have anything to offer, so I can only cook some simple home-cooked food to entertain you." Liu Yixin felt a little guilty. How could he let the Princess and Prince go up and fix the roof for him? What did he do to deserve such an honor?
"Alright, Magistrate Liu, there's no need to feel guilty here. It's good for them to go up and get some exercise. You've prepared such a sumptuous lunch; it's already excellent. How can you call it a simple meal?" the master said modestly.
"Yes, Your Majesty, Princess, and Princes, please have your meal," Liu Yixin said, bowing.
"Magistrate Liu, you've prepared so much food, how can we possibly finish it all?" An Ke lied through his teeth. There was plenty of food, but there were also many of them.
“Well… I’ve also prepared a table of food for them in the back. I’ll just eat with them,” Magistrate Liu said, looking at the two junior yamen runners beside him.
The junior yamen runners were all perceptive and immediately nodded in agreement with Magistrate Liu.
The master, not wanting to force anyone, was about to say something when Xingxing entered, followed by two servants carrying four or five food boxes.
"Please sit here without worry. I had Xingxing go to the restaurant in town early this morning to buy some food." An Ke said kindly, pulling Liu Yixin to sit down.
"This...this is unacceptable, Princess." Liu Yixin quickly declined upon seeing this.
“But I’ve already bought it. It would be a waste not to eat it. There’s a saying: ‘Every grain of rice on the plate is the result of hard work.’ Magistrate Liu shouldn’t have the heart to waste this food, right?” An Ke said, pinpointing what Liu Yixin cared about most.
"Then this humble subject will respectfully comply." Seeing this, Liu Yixin readily accepted his fate. He couldn't afford to waste food.
Then he told the two junior constables to go to the backyard and bring the table over. The two constables happily went to the backyard to carry it over.
Several guards followed, carrying over a new table, chairs, and some household items.
Liu Yixin was stunned, and even the old man stood up from his seat and couldn't help but ask, "An'an, what's going on?"
“An’an thinks that since Magistrate Liu is unwilling to allocate some funds to renovate his yamen, An’an might as well use his own money to buy some new utensils for the magistrate.” An’an said casually, “Magistrate Liu’s annual contribution to the national treasury is more than that of his predecessor. How can such an honest official be allowed to live in poverty? An’an just went to the kitchen and saw that there are many kitchen utensils, all of which are quite old.”
"This is a good opportunity to replace all of Magistrate Liu's utensils with new ones, so that Magistrate Liu won't have to go to the neighbor's house to borrow these kitchen utensils." An Ke had just seen Magistrate Liu go to the neighbor's house to borrow kitchen utensils, but he didn't make a fuss about it, he just kept it in mind.
Then he hurriedly instructed Xingxing to go outside to purchase these things, and also to bring back a few bolts of cloth and a few pairs of cloth shoes.
"This humble servant is unworthy of such praise. Not only did the princess repair the roof for me, but she also provided me with this entire new set of utensils. I am deeply grateful and have no way to repay her." Liu Yixin's eyes reddened with gratitude as he respectfully knelt on the ground and kowtowed to An Ke.
Seeing this, An quickly stepped forward and helped Magistrate Liu up. "You contribute so much silver to the national treasury every year, and you serve the village and its people so well. What need is there for any reward? Consider these things as a reward and some encouragement for you. May you continue to stay true to your original aspirations and do practical things for the happiness of the people."
"Yes, this humble servant will certainly not forget." Liu Yixin remembered the events of today deeply, and even in his old age, he still remembered what the princess had said.
The master witnessed this event and was filled with mixed emotions. He felt that he was not as good as his niece when he was young. He was more suspicious and thoughtful back then, even wondering if they had ulterior motives for doing such a good deed, let alone rewarding or encouraging them.
An'an's magnanimity and benevolent heart are truly a blessing to the Aisin Gioro family. The more the master looked at his younger brother, the more he felt his own children were incredibly lucky, and the more he felt his own children looked like pieces of barbecued pork. No comparison, no harm!
With the table, chairs, and food all arranged, Magistrate Liu was pulled to sit at the table by An Ke and began to quietly eat his lunch. Lunch ended amidst everyone's cheerful laughter and discussion.
"Alright, it's time for us to get going." The master glanced at the sky. He had just had a very pleasant conversation with Magistrate Liu, but even the most enjoyable journey must eventually come to an end.
Knowing full well that the Emperor would not linger, Magistrate Liu immediately stood up to see him off, escorting him out of Xiang County and onto his carriage. Only after the Emperor was out of sight did Magistrate Liu turn back.
As Ziwei boarded the carriage, she accidentally slipped. The master instinctively reached out to steady her. This scene was witnessed by Fu Erkang, who gripped the reins tightly in his hand.
Furen looked at his eldest son, who was increasingly disappointing him, then turned to look at his second son, who brought him great comfort. After much deliberation, he finally decided to have a serious talk with him that evening.
After walking less than 20 miles, we finally found an inn.
As the moon rose above the willow branches, Fu Lun knocked on Fu Ertai's door. "Ertai, are you asleep? Father wants to talk to you."
Ertai was already preparing for bed, but upon hearing his father's voice, he reluctantly put his shoes back on. Opening the door, he was utterly bewildered to see his father standing before him. So late, and still not resting? When did his father become so energetic? He'd been busy all day, how could he still have so much energy? "Father, why are you here so late? Is there something you want to say?"
"Won't you let Father come in for a cup of tea?" Furen looked at his second son blocking his door, feeling a pang of sadness, but he had no right to blame him. He could only blame himself for mistaking a fish eye for a pearl, only knowing how to fawn over his eldest son while neglecting this sensible and obedient second son who had been sensible since childhood.
As the old saying goes, "The squeaky wheel gets the grease." From a young age, the eldest son knew what he wanted and what to fight for. The second son, however, was often neglected. Perhaps it was this neglect that made him so sensible at such a young age, never fighting or grabbing, cultivating such an indifferent attitude towards fame and fortune. If it weren't for Princess Yong'an, this second son would probably have spent his entire life paving the way for his useless eldest son.
As I thought about it, my heart started to ache, my nose started to sting, and I almost burst into tears.
"I didn't know Father would come. I never keep tea in my room, only some hot water." Ertai handed Fulun a cup of hot water, then lifted his robe and sat down on the stool, looking at his father with indifference.
“Father has come to say something,” Fu Lun said calmly, trying to suppress the slight discomfort in his heart. “After we return to the capital, let’s divide the family property! I can’t let my two sons get caught up in this scheme of the real and fake princesses. You also have someone you like, so I can’t let your brother be a burden to you like this.”
After saying it, she found it somewhat laughable. When her eldest son first entered officialdom, she busied herself with finding people to take care of him. But when it came to her second son, she could only separate the family property to protect him. It was unfair no matter how you looked at it.
Then another round of gossip will erupt in the capital, saying how much the eldest son is favored by Fu Lun, and how the second son is neglected, having just entered officialdom and already having his father sever ties with him. Public opinion is a fearsome thing!
"When the time comes, don't get involved in your brother's affairs anymore." Fu Lun was an old fox; how could he not see the current situation clearly? "If you want to marry the princess, you must be promoted to a higher banner, granted a title, and hold an official position to be worthy of her. After returning to the capital, you should request to go to the border to make meritorious contributions. A few days ago, the Emperor and Father discussed matters concerning the Dzungars and the Uyghurs. The Dzungars are somewhat unsettled; I'm afraid a large army will have to be sent to conquer them soon." Fu Lun finished speaking with a deep frown.
“If this is Father’s decision, then I respect your choice.” Ertai pondered for a moment, then added, “Since the family will be separated by then, my brother’s affairs will have nothing to do with me anymore. Father should also cut off contact with them as soon as possible after the separation, because the crime of deceiving the emperor is punishable by the extermination of nine generations. So, when Ziwei was living in our house, we didn’t know it at first. They made all the plans, and the Fu family followed along to complete them.”
Furen looked at his second son with a face full of relief. Even now, he still cared about his family. Furen felt that he had no regrets in this life. He reached out and patted his second son on the shoulder. "Father knows what to do. Just go and do your thing. Now that the family is divided, he has nothing to do with you anymore. Even if he comes to you for help in the future, you don't need to pay any attention to him."
After the conversation, Fu Lun seemed to have aged more than ten years, hunching over and slowly moving to the door. But he was mentally relaxed. He said goodnight to his second son and went back to his room.
Ertai thought about his future plans, his eyes shining, feeling that he was one step closer to his goal. He drifted off to sleep contentedly, a smile even lingering on his lips as he slept.
After talking with his second son, Fu Lun went to Fu Er Kang's room.
"Erkang, there's something I need to make clear to you," Furen said with a heavy expression.
Fu Erkang's face was very sour, but because it was his father, he still sat obediently at the table and listened attentively.
"We adults have all seen what Ziwei has done along the way," Fu Lun paused for a moment and continued, "We know the inside story, we know that Ziwei is looking at her father with those eyes, but to others it has a different meaning."
Upon hearing this, Fu Erkang immediately flew into a rage, slamming his fists on the table and standing up. "Who's been gossiping about me like this?"
"Sit down first. Are you trying to make a scene so loud that everyone knows?" Fu Lun looked at his eldest son with slight disappointment. He recalled that Er Kang had never been so impatient before. Ever since he met Ziwei and Xiao Yanzi was involved in the affair between the real and fake princesses, he had become so easily agitated and irritable around her.
Fu Lun really didn't know if Er Kang had always been like this, but he had just suppressed it too much and disguised it too well? Or was it that Ziwei's influence on him was so deep and heavy?
"Do I need anyone else to tell me? I can tell just by the way everyone looks at Ziwei. You should find some time to talk to Ziwei about it," Fu Lun suggested, truly worried sick about these children.
“Ziwei won’t listen. She’s so innocent, how could she understand?” Erkang felt his head was spinning. “Oh, right, there’s another hidden danger.”
Upon hearing this, Fu Lun's head began to ache. What other hidden danger was there? "What hidden danger? Explain yourself!"
"This hidden danger is Qing'er. A few days ago, Qing'er came to me and said something inexplicably." Fu Erkang said with inexplicable confidence.
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