Chapter 99 099 "Go shovel the snow, Dad will keep Mom company and talk to her..."
On the 25th day of the twelfth lunar month, the day before officials were to take their New Year's holiday, the Marquis of Zhongyi's residence welcomed two distinguished guests.
"Your subject Xiao Rong pays respects to Her Majesty the Empress and His Highness the Crown Prince!"
At the entrance of the Marquis's residence, as the Crown Prince helped Empress Xie out of the carriage, Xiao Rong immediately led his family to kneel down.
Empress Xie promptly excused Luo Fu from the formalities and then allowed Xiao Rong and the others to rise.
Xiao Rong stood up excitedly, avoiding looking at Empress Xie, and instead focused his gaze on the Crown Prince's face.
When Xiao Rong was in charge of the Jianchun Guard, he was not familiar with Emperor Xianping, who was then the Prince of Fu. However, he often saw him at court and became somewhat acquainted with him. However, Xiao Rong had not seen either the former Prince of Fu or the current Crown Prince. Therefore, he felt extremely honored to have the opportunity to meet the Crown Prince today, as he had been living a leisurely life at home for several years.
Looking at him now, the twelve-year-old crown prince opposite him had grown into a young man. His tall and straight figure and face resembled Emperor Xianping, while his aloof and refined features clearly resembled Empress Xie. This aloofness perfectly matched his noble status as the crown prince. In Xiao Rong's opinion, in terms of this kind of imperial nobility, even the late emperor and Emperor Xianping were inferior to the young crown prince in front of him.
The late emperor's noble aura was cultivated over decades of imperial life. Emperor Xianping, who had been a prince for over a decade, was always overshadowed by the former deposed crown prince. Only after ascending the throne did he begin to display his power. Only the current crown prince, born into the royal family and moved into the Eastern Palace at the age of seven or eight, was of inestimable nobility.
Xiao Rong's heart and eyes were silently praising the Crown Prince, but the Crown Prince only glanced at him and then looked away. The Crown Prince, who disliked hypocritical social interactions and did not need to go against his own will, also looked at the three women, Deng Shi, Yang Yanzhen, and Li Huaiyun. His attention was more focused on Luo Fu and Hong Ge'er. The former was his mother's close friend and the wife of the Junior Tutor, and the latter was the Junior Tutor's son.
Because he had gotten to know Luo Fu in advance through his mother's connections and developed a certain fondness for this bright and cheerful lady, after he respected Xiao Yu as his teacher, the Crown Prince was also willing to treat Luo Fu as his teacher's wife. So, the Crown Prince would naturally feel close to his teacher's wife's child, unless he found out after getting to know the child that the child's temperament was really not to his liking.
Luo Fu smiled at the Crown Prince. Four-year-old Hong Ge'er was still too young to be afraid of the Emperor, let alone the Crown Prince. He thought the Crown Prince was more handsome than his three cousins and, like his father, was a very clean and particular person.
Empress Xie's stated reason for this trip was to comfort the wife of Xiao Yu, the chief supervisor of the Yellow River, just as she had summoned the wives of Chen Wenqi, the director of the Imperial Water Conservancy Bureau, and Xu Lian, the Minister of Works, to the palace yesterday. However, Luo Fu was due to give birth in half a month and would be unable to move around easily, so she personally left the palace for this trip. When the Crown Prince learned of this, he wanted to come himself and received Emperor Xianping's permission.
After briefly entertaining the rest of the Xiao family at Wanhetang, Empress Xie and her son left Wanhetang with Luo Fu and headed to Shensitang. The palace servants and guards who accompanied them only brought two head maids; the rest waited in the first courtyard of the Marquis's residence.
With no outsiders around, Empress Xie told the Crown Prince to take Hongge'er and walk behind them. She took Luo Fu's arm, clearly intending to take care of Luo Fu.
Luo Fu froze: "Your Majesty treats me like this, I'm so nervous, I can hardly walk anymore."
Empress Xie laughed and said, "In the palace, I was always helped by others. Now that I'm out of the palace, I feel more at ease. Just think of it as me enjoying helping you around."
Luo Fu then recalled the Princess Consort of Fu in those years. The Princess Consort of Shun had to show respect to the Eldest Princess. The Princess Consort of Fu was always the type to laugh when she wanted to and not bother to pretend when she didn't. Both were like the aloof moon. When she was the Princess Consort of Fu, the moon was casual and lazy. But when she became the Empress, the moon was like someone locked up in the palace. Even though she was the head of the harem, she had to act according to the strict palace rules. Otherwise, she would be losing the dignity of an Empress.
"The Emperor received a memorial from Xiao Yu the day before yesterday, saying that the Han Canal will be fully dredged today as expected, and the 200,000 laborers from Huai'an can go home to spend New Year's Eve with their families after receiving their wages. However, Xiao Yu, Lord Chen, and Lord Xu still have to prepare for the mobilization of laborers from Huai'an to Pi County for the new canal next year and other miscellaneous tasks before construction begins. It seems they will have to spend the New Year in the local area."
This year, the existing Han Canal was widened and dredged. The first section of the new canal will be officially excavated after the New Year. However, the dredging of the Han Canal went smoothly. Xiao Yu strictly followed the emperor's orders to mobilize laborers. The laborers were able to eat their fill every day and did not have to work from dawn till dusk with heavy burdens. They would also receive wages for working more than fifty days and medical expenses if they fell ill. When the news spread to the other five prefectures and counties through which the new canal passed, there were indeed few complaints or fears among the people. Therefore, the emperor was in a good mood during this period.
Luo Fu said, "He, the river supervisor, only goes there once a month. It's Lord Chen and Lord Xu, who live by the canal, who are the ones who are really working hard. Your Majesty and Your Majesty don't need to feel sorry for him. Anyway, he's still young and he's not afraid of the bumpy road."
Empress Xie glanced at Luo Fu's abdomen: "He wasn't here at this time, don't you resent him?"
Luo Fu: "I am already very content that he can serve the court, do practical things for the emperor, and let me get through these months in peace."
When the late emperor was alive, Xiao Yu was demoted after only one year in office. Now, Emperor Xianping has been on the throne for four years, and Xiao Yu has only given her a few heart-pounding moments. He is still living peacefully in the capital with her. Luo Fu is truly as content as her father-in-law and mother-in-law. Not to mention that he is now often away on business trips for a great achievement that benefits the country and its people.
The two walked and talked, and behind them, Hong Ge'er would take a few steps and then look up at the Crown Prince next to him.
The little guy's head barely reached the prince's waist, so any movement he made was very noticeable. The prince then asked, "Is there something you want to tell me?"
Hongge blinked and asked, "Don't you have to study today? My older brother and the others went to the Imperial Academy and won't be on holiday until tomorrow."
The Crown Prince said, “...The Grand Tutor is busy with state affairs and has no time to take care of you and your wife, so I came with the Empress Dowager to visit you. This is an official matter.”
When his father was mentioned, Hongge'er's face fell: "I miss my dad."
Crown Prince: "...You want him to play with you?"
Hongge'er: "My dad doesn't like to play with me, and he's not fun either, but I like it when he tells me books and stories."
His father disliked doing anything that would make him sweat or get dirty, and would only tell him to go play with his cousins.
The Crown Prince silently breathed a sigh of relief, because he had never played with anyone before, and if Hong-ge wanted him as a playmate, the Crown Prince really couldn't help him.
"I can read a book to you. Which book are you reading?"
“My dad told me the story of Ximen Bao’s flood control last time, and I want to hear another story like that.”
"...Okay, I'll tell you the story of Yu the Great taming the floods."
Luo Fu, who was eavesdropping ahead, glanced at Empress Xie, who returned her a gentle smile.
.
Luo Fu was very popular; even Empress Xie and the Eldest Princess would visit her. So, she didn't really care about Xiao Yu's company during the day.
As the year draws to a close, Xiao Hu and Xiao Lin are both at home with their wives and children. The bickering between the elderly couple is also full of affection. Luo Fu can't help but hope that Xiao Yu will come back soon. Fortunately, although the older one is not here, there is a little guy who is becoming more and more sensible by her side.
On the twelfth day of the first lunar month, a heavy snow fell in the capital city in the latter half of the day.
The mother and daughter sat at the entrance of the main room, wrapped in warm cloaks, enjoying the snow.
Hong asked, "Is it snowing in Huai'an too?"
Luo Fu: "Maybe, but there is rarely such heavy snow over there, so it is possible to dig ditches in winter. It is too cold in the north, and the laborers' hands and feet will get frostbite. The ground is also frozen hard and difficult to dig."
Hongge, who had never truly experienced the hardships of manual labor, said with longing, "I also want to help dig the canal."
Luo Fu smiled and said, "We don't have any canal. Tomorrow morning, you should get up early and help your mother sweep the snow in the yard. After you're done, your mother will pay you."
Hong-ge'er was really looking forward to it, and even specially asked Ping An to give the order to save the snow here for him.
The next day, after breakfast, Hongge, wearing a fox fur hat and carrying a small broom, went to shovel snow. He was blowing hot air as he swept, and when he got hot, he took off his hat and cloak and asked his mother, who was sitting under the eaves supervising, to hold them for him. A year later, the little guy had grown a year older and was quite patient. He persisted in sweeping half of the yard before finally sitting down next to his mother, panting, to rest.
After drinking a few sips of hot water, Hongge'er thought of something: "How much wages will Mother give me?"
Luo Fu: "Do you want the wages of a young master from the Marquis's mansion, or the same wages as those who dig canals?"
Hong-ge'er: "How many are there?"
Luo Fu: "You're a young master of the Marquis's mansion. I like you, so I can give you one tael of wages as a reward. The people who dig the canal can only receive twenty coins a day after working for fifty days. You only need half a day to sweep the yard, so I'll give you ten coins. That's enough for you to buy five coarse flour and vegetable buns."
Hongge'er looked at the half-swept snow and did some calculations: "Ten coins can buy five buns, and twenty coins can buy ten buns. My older brother can eat six meat buns in one meal, and my uncle and grandfather can eat four or five. When I grow up, if I eat five in one meal, then the wages I earn in a day will only be enough for me to have two full meals?"
Luo Fu: "If you don't have land and can only support yourself with wages, then that's how it is. If you have your own land, you don't need to eat outside, and you can save your wages to buy other things."
Hongge thought of the people in Ganquan Town. Even if they had fields, the people were still very tired and worked very hard during spring planting and autumn harvest.
Just as Luo Fu was about to tell the little one that in some dynasties, laborers who died from their forced labor received no wages, a figure in a light scarlet official robe strode towards the end of the veranda leading to the front courtyard. The roofs of the front courtyard and the verandas on both sides were white, and half of the courtyard was still covered in snow. In the vast expanse of white, that touch of scarlet stood out vividly.
"father!"
Hongge jumped three feet high and ran along the covered walkway toward the person who came.
Before the little one got close, Xiao Yu kept his eyes fixed on his wife, who was as radiant as a spring begonia under the eaves. Only when the little one rushed in front of him did Xiao Yu look away, reach out and lift his son up high: "Why are you dressed so lightly? Aren't you cold?"
Hongge pointed to the half-swept yard and said, "I'm shoveling snow. Mother said she'll give me ten coins as wages when I finish."
Xiao Yu praised his son approvingly, then carried him to his wife's side before putting the little guy down on the ground. He patted the boy's head and said, "Alright, go back to sweeping. Dad will keep Mom company for a while."
Hong Ge'er: "..." He did want to shovel snow, but he hadn't had enough time to be affectionate with his father yet!
Luo Fu lightly kicked Xiao Yu's official boots, glaring at him and saying, "You two sweep it together."
In Xiao Yu's eyes, the lady's rosy lips were upturned, and her shimmering eyes were full of laughter, so the sharp glares that flew from them turned into honey.
Xiao Yu squeezed the lady's warm, soft hand tightly before turning away to accompany Hong Ge'er to sweep the snow.
Immediately afterwards, Hongge was shocked to discover that his father, who didn't sweat much, worked really fast. In no time, he had swept the entire large yard!
-----------------------
Author's Note: Xiao, the All-Powerful Husband/Father, Yu
Haha, 100 little red envelopes! See you at midnight tonight!
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com