Chapter 115 A unified message means being given important responsibilities!
When the family reunited at Wanhe Hall, Xiao Lin could only bring up the fact that Emperor Xianping highly valued Xiao Yu when asked why he stayed in Jizhou.
Xiao Rong stroked his beard and smiled: "That's great. If the third brother can really win over the people of Liaozhou, it is indeed a great achievement."
Deng twitched the corner of her mouth.
Yang Yanzhen and Li Huaiyun exchanged glances, then looked at their third sister-in-law, who was hugging Cheng Jie'er and forcing a smile. They had no choice but to pretend to believe it.
On their way back to the capital, Xiao Hu, Xiao Chun, and Xiao Huan received some advice from Xiao Lin. Some of the three men genuinely believed it, while others pretended not to understand. Among the cousins who remained at the Marquis's residence, only five-year-old Cheng'er believed her second uncle's words without a doubt. However, because she had been waiting for a long time but had not seen her father, Cheng'er shed tears for a while. It was only after her second uncle kept his promise to check her "accompanying her second aunt" account book and settle her wages that Cheng'er cheered up again.
After the excitement subsided, Deng told the four uncles and nephews who had returned from their long journey to go back and rest first, and then have a family feast at noon.
Xiao Hu and his family of four were the first to leave.
Xiao Lin glanced at his younger siblings and asked Hong Ge'er to take his sister back to get the account book. After the two siblings left, Xiao Lin asked Li Huaiyun and Ying Jie'er to accompany Xiao Huan back to their family's Jingxian Hall.
At this point, only Xiao Rong and his wife, Xiao Lin, and Luo Fu remained in the main room.
The son clearly had something to say, so Deng beckoned her youngest daughter-in-law to her side so the four of them could speak in hushed tones.
Xiao Rong's face had long since darkened. Being transferred from a second-rank official in the capital to a third-rank official in Jizhou was hardly a promotion. If Emperor Xianping truly valued his sons, he should have made his third son the governor of Jizhou. Clearly, his third son had gotten into trouble again.
Xiao Lin first recounted how his younger brother advised the emperor to set up camp outside the city, but Emperor Xianping ignored him and was subsequently attacked twice. Then, he recounted how the Yin Kingdom spread rumors that the Great Zhou emperor had passed away, and his younger brother advised the emperor to withdraw his troops, but Emperor Xianping still ignored him and was eventually forced to withdraw due to the situation.
Madam Deng was heartbroken: "So, the third son's advice was all correct, how could he still..."
Xiao Rong: "The fact that the third brother is right proves that the emperor was wrong in rejecting advice on several occasions. Doesn't the emperor have any pride?"
Xiao Lin: "Besides losing face, some people are deliberately trying to sow discord among us."
Zhao Yi was the commander of the Imperial Guards. He had been closely guarding Emperor Xianping all the way. No matter who Emperor Xianping summoned, Zhao Yi was always present.
Perhaps it was because he and Zhao Yi were on good terms, or perhaps Zhao Yi admired his third brother, that on the way back to Jicheng from Liaoxi, Zhao Yi took the opportunity to tell him the two sentences that Chen Ruliang had relayed to the emperor about his third brother.
Having witnessed Yang Sheng being accused by Chen Ruliang, Xiao Lin didn't need to confirm with his third brother. Judging from how angry Emperor Xianping was by Chen Ruliang's two sentences, Xiao Lin was certain that Chen Ruliang had cleverly embellished his third brother's words, so cleverly that even if Emperor Xianping summoned his third brother for questioning, his third brother would be unable to defend himself.
"We just need to keep this in mind. There's no need to argue with the Chen family. Just remember, from now on, anyone who has anything to do with Chen Ruliang or the Duchess should not say much in front of them. Avoid them if possible, so as not to give them any ammunition to criticize us," Xiao Lin instructed his father and siblings who often went out to social events.
Xiao Rong sighed inwardly. Everyone loves to hear compliments, but the late emperor never had a minister like Chen Ruliang who gained the emperor's favor entirely through the concubines and his silver tongue. Emperor Xianping was truly...
Luo Fu had long since fallen out with Consort Li and Chen Ruliang's family. Even before this incident, she wouldn't have said much to Consort Li's faction. Besides, Chen Ruliang was able to successfully sow discord because he understood Emperor Xianping's vanity and desire for face. Ultimately, Xiao Yu's demotion for his loyalty was entirely Emperor Xianping's fault.
Deng couldn't understand: "Yang Sheng opposed Chen Ruliang's entry into the Secretariat, so it's only natural that Chen Ruliang would hate him. But the Third Prince didn't offend him, so why would Chen Ruliang want to harm the Third Prince?"
Xiao Rong sneered: "That Chen fellow is cunning and treacherous. Only by ousting loyal ministers like the Third Prince can he thrive by the Emperor's side."
Luo Fu advised her mother-in-law: "This matter is already settled. The Emperor suffered a defeat in the Northern Expedition and was injured himself. He is in a bad mood. Let's just pretend that Xiao Yu has been given an important position. Whether at home or in social situations, we should act as if we are proud of it, so that no one will go to the Emperor to spread rumors."
Xiao Rong gave his youngest daughter-in-law an approving look. Of the three daughters-in-law, the youngest daughter-in-law came from the lowest social class. However, more than ten years have passed, and now that something has happened in the family, the youngest daughter-in-law has become the most capable one. In terms of interpersonal skills, she is in no way inferior to the second daughter-in-law, who has been mingling in the circle of the powerful and wealthy since childhood.
At this moment, Hongge'er returned with his younger sister.
Xiao Lin smiled as he took his niece's account book. He discovered that since he left the capital, the little girl had been spending time with his wife every day. So he gave his niece twelve taels of silver, plus one qian of loose silver.
After receiving her wages, Chengjie happily returned to Shensi Hall with her mother and brother.
My younger sister went to deposit the money, and Hong-ge'er finally had the chance to ask his mother and father the truth about why they couldn't return to the capital.
Looking at her ten-year-old son, Luo Fu asked in a low voice, "Why do you feel there's more to this than meets the eye?"
Hongge'er: "When Father was in Loujiang, the people of the neighboring counties of Dian fled there because of the barbarian rebellion and the government's failure to protect them. Father's reputation as an official alone was not enough to make the people of Dian leave their homes. Yin is different. Father said that the current emperor of Yin employs virtuous ministers and governs diligently. The people of Yin are not troubled by internal strife and are governed by a wise emperor and officials. In addition, many of the men in the family died in the war against the Great Zhou. Separated by a blood feud, no matter how much Father loves the people, the people of Liaoxi will not submit to the Great Zhou, especially this time the emperor..."
Luo Fu quickly covered her son's mouth and reminded him, "Some things are better left unsaid. Your father always offends people because he often says things that others don't like to hear."
Hongge blinked, his eyes slowly reddening. His father had said that he would only tell the truth, and if he offended anyone, it was always the other party who was at fault first.
When her son shed tears, Luo Fu felt a pang of sadness, especially since Hong Ge'er had eyes that looked just like Xiao Yu's. It was as if Luo Fu could see Xiao Yu's grievances through her son's tearful eyes.
Since Hongge'er had already guessed, Luo Fu told him the truth, only instructing him to be careful with his words and actions outside, so as not to cause his father any more trouble. Hongge'er was a precocious child, and Luo Fu believed he could do it.
Hongge understands; he just misses his father.
Luo Fu patted her son's head, took out the thick family letter that Xiao Lin had given her from her sleeve pocket, and said, "Let's read it together."
Military campaigns are a very serious matter. This time, Xiao Yu's letter home no longer contained the witty and humorous words he often wrote when he was in Loujiang. The only thing that could make Luo Fu laugh was his string of "I miss my wife" and the simple "I miss my little barbarian."
Hongge'er could tell: "Father misses Mother more than we do."
Luo Fu: "When you grow up and get married, you'll have a lot to say to your wife, but with me, you'll only offer words of concern when you greet me."
Hong-ge'er: "I won't."
Luo Fu laughed and said, "Times have changed. We'll see."
Most of the family letters were written before the army's withdrawal. Finally, we see the few pages written by Xiao Yu in his capacity as the Prefect of Jizhou. Xiao Yu doesn't utter a single word of complaint against Emperor Xianping; he only explains the necessity of his position as Prefect of Jizhou and some daily trivial matters after taking office. Finally, Xiao Yu drew a picture of two cats on a full moon night. One cat sits on a stone table in the courtyard, while the other sits under the table, with a basin of water beside them.
The cat on the stone table had its head down, its face showing displeasure, while the cat below had its head raised, its face full of flattery.
Luo Fu immediately thought of Xiao Yu's attentive act of washing her feet the night he said he would accompany the emperor on his campaign. Therefore, Xiao Yu wanted to express his guilt about the separation between the couple through this painting and promised to wash her feet again after returning to the capital. It would be inappropriate to directly depict the couple's intimate moments, so he painted two cats instead.
Luo Fu looked at her son guiltily.
Hong, who was exceptionally intelligent from a young age, stared at his father's painting for a long time. Then, he looked closely at the bronze basin in the painting and guessed, "There is a moon in the sky, and the moon's reflection is also in the basin. The cat below is using the moon's reflection in the water to please the cat on the table. In fact, Father is using this painting to express his longing for Mother."
Luo Fu looked delighted and hugged her son, saying, "Our Man'er is so smart!"
Hong Ge'er finally smiled.
.
The next day, Hongge continued his studies at the Imperial Academy. Luo Fu took Chengjie to her sister's house first, and then the two sisters went to Ganquan Town to visit their maternal brothers who had returned from the battlefield.
Sister Zhi rode in one car with Sister Cheng, while the Luo sisters rode in another.
“I only found out last night that my brother-in-law stayed in Jizhou,” Roland sighed.
Luo Fu: "His temper is bound to change sooner or later. You'll get used to it. Sister, you don't need to worry about me."
Roland nodded and whispered in his sister's ear, "They say the Emperor's vitality has been greatly depleted, and he has noticeable gray hair on his head."
Luo Fu was not as loyal to the emperor as Xiao Yu, who did not resent being demoted for no reason. Hearing this, she felt particularly relieved.
Upon arriving in Ganquan Town, Luo Song, who had been granted a five-day leave, accompanied his parents to greet his older and younger sisters, and even helped Cheng Jie'er off the carriage.
Neighbors on both sides came out to watch the commotion. Once inside the house, Luo Fu asked her brother, "Are both injuries healed? Don't push yourself if you can't carry me."
Luo Song laughed and said, "It was healed on the way. You can ask your mother if you don't believe me."
Wang Qiuyue even stripped her son's shirt off to see the two long-healed, scarred wounds before she felt at ease.
Luo Song's northern expedition was much more dangerous than Xiao Yu's. Fortunately, he also made meritorious contributions. Moreover, more than half of the five thousand imperial guards were killed or wounded. Luo Song was promoted to the position of commander of the Upper East Gate of the Lower Nine Guards. The job was more leisurely and respectable than that of the city patrol guards, and he would have more opportunities to be valued by the emperor in the future.
Wang Qiuyue whispered to her youngest daughter, "Is the official rank of a commander of a thousand households worthy of the Princess?"
When her son was having an affair with an ordinary young widow, Wang Qiuyue would either go to the young widow's house to confront her or urge the two of them to get married and become a proper couple. However, when her son caught the eye of Princess Kangping, Wang Qiuyue didn't dare to point fingers at the princess. She didn't even dare to encourage her son to ask the princess. She could only worry in her heart.
Luo Fu: "It has nothing to do with my brother's official rank. In the past, princesses would marry the top three scholars and newly appointed scholars as their consorts. The initial official rank of the newly appointed scholars was even lower. As for the eldest princess, it depends on whether she is determined to settle down. Mother, don't worry about my brother. He chose his own path. As long as he is happy, that's all that matters. Mother, you don't need to worry about his old age. His four nephews and nieces will take care of him."
Wang Qiuyue: "..."
On the other side, Luo Song saw his mother walk away from his sister, so he came over and whispered, "Brother-in-law, is it really not because he offended the Emperor?"
Luo Fu: "No, it's not true. Whether outsiders ask you or the Princess asks you, you should proudly say that your brother-in-law is highly valued by the Emperor and that only your brother-in-law can do the job of pacifying the people of Liaoxi. No one else can do it well."
Luo Song was relieved and readily agreed.
After entertaining relatives and friends, on the fourth evening after returning to the capital, Luo Song sneaked into the Princess's residence, not exactly openly but also not entirely stealthily.
Since the Emperor did not want to see anyone, Kangping had not been so tactless as to insist on visiting him in the palace these past few days. Although he had other connections to inquire about the Northern Expedition, he worried that the Emperor would displease him if his information reached his ears, so he was waiting to ask Luo Song.
Luo Song answered all questions, but at the time he was just a minor commander of the Imperial Guard. When marching among the Imperial Guards, he could not hear the conversations between Emperor Xianping and important officials such as Xiao Yu. When Emperor Xianping entered Yicheng, Luo Song was only responsible for guarding outside the prefectural governor's mansion and had no idea about the discussions and confrontations between civil and military officials in front of the emperor.
Kang Ping: "...You must know why Xiao Yu was demoted, right?"
Luo Song: "He wasn't demoted. The Emperor just has a more important task for him to do in Jizhou."
Kang Ping: "...Go take a bath."
Luo Song blushed and quickly took his leave.
Kang Ping glanced out the window and suddenly smiled. Well, if Luo Song and Luo Fu, the brother and sister, truly looked worried and begged her for help, she would only be disappointed.
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Author's note: Fools sometimes have all the luck. [doge emoji]
Here they are! 100 little red envelopes, see you tonight!
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