Chapter 137 "Your Majesty's favor is too great; I can only feel apprehensive..."
Since the Luo sisters arrived in the capital, the emperor on the dragon throne has changed twice, and officials have been replaced by wave after wave, either dying, being promoted, or being demoted. Only Ganquan Town, where their parents live, seems to be the same ordinary town where the sisters first came to choose a location to build a house more than ten years ago. The only difference is that the townspeople have aged and grown up.
"Grandfather, Grandmother!"
The only one who could still be called a child, Cheng-jie, rushed into her maternal grandmother's arms as soon as she got off the carriage, tilting her head up and sweetly wishing the two elders a Happy New Year.
Twelve-year-old Xiao Hong was already a young man. After glancing at his older cousin Pei Yi and his cousin-in-law Xiao Ying walking side by side, Xiao Hong still chose to stand behind his younger sister.
Luo Fuxiaoyu, Luo Lanpei Xingshu followed at the very back.
Luo Dayuan, Wang Qiuyue, and Luo Song, a well-known older bachelor in the town, happily welcomed the two families into their home.
Wang Qiuyue took out the New Year's money she had been saving for an extra month and distributed it to the children and her granddaughter-in-law, who was still a new bride.
Luo Song is the uncle. Although he is not married, he has long been engaged in his duties and will give his nephews and nieces a separate gift every year.
Luo Fu noticed that when her brother took his New Year's money, her mother secretly glared at him.
After the younger generation went to explore the town, the older men stood in the courtyard, chatting and basking in the sun. As usual, the sisters, Rosie and Roland, sat beside their mother.
Luo Fu teased her mother, "Did you glare at your brother just now because you're upset that he hasn't given you many grandchildren?"
Wang Qiuyue patted her youngest daughter: "So what? I don't dare to complain about the important people, but I just can't stand your brother. Other old folks have grandchildren to entertain them, but your father and I are all alone. Even your brother lives in the city and only comes home three or five times a month."
Luo Fu: "Since you already dislike him, why would you want him to come back?"
Wang Qiuyue was about to hit her daughter again, but Luo Fu laughed and hid on the other side of her sister.
Roland spoke seriously, persuading his mother: "Why don't you and your father come to the city and live with us? Your son-in-law usually leaves early and comes home late, so I can keep you company. Ying'er will be giving birth around the Dragon Boat Festival, and you'll be busy taking care of the baby every day. I guarantee you won't have time to think about your son."
The Pei family had always been wealthy. In their early years, she and Pei Xingshu lived in a small house because they didn't want to stand out too much among the officials in the capital and arouse the envy of Pei Xingshu's colleagues. Later, as Pei Xingshu's official position rose higher and higher, the couple purchased a four-courtyard house as early as the year he was promoted to the position of Vice Minister of the Ministry of Personnel. Pei Xingshu had also suggested bringing his parents-in-law to live with them, but Wang Qiuyue and her husband had not agreed.
The situation in the capital is different now. As long as Emperor Yuanxing doesn't suddenly change his temperament and become confused, and as long as Xiao Yu doesn't court death, Xiao Yu's career as the imperial tutor will be smooth sailing from the start. The two elders can only enjoy happiness in the city and have nothing to fear.
Despite her daughter and son-in-law's filial piety, Wang Qiuyue still refused, saying that no matter how good the city was, it was not as comfortable as living in her own home.
Seeing that her mother was stubborn, Luo Fu went out on her own. She gave her brother, who was always with the two civil officials in the front yard but rarely spoke, a wink. The two siblings went to the back yard to whisper to each other.
Luo Fu: "Have you seen His Highness recently?"
The title of Grand Princess is too long; "Your Highness" is much easier to say.
Luo Song sighed and shook his head. When the late emperor was seriously ill, the Grand Princess rarely smiled. After the late emperor passed away, the Grand Princess had to observe a full nine-month mourning period. Just like when she observed the mourning period for the Gaozu Emperor, she asked him not to visit her, lest outsiders see that she was not sincere in her mourning and was still fooling around with men.
Luo Fu felt quite sorry for the Grand Princess. The Grand Princess was a smart woman who had not been affected by the change of the throne, but the deaths of her close relatives were one after another. No matter how open-minded the Grand Princess was, she could not recover all at once.
"And you, is there anyone in Shangdongwei who doesn't respect you?" Luo Fu asked.
The elder brother was promoted to commander of the Upper Eastern Guard by the late emperor based on his loyalty and military achievements in protecting the emperor in Yicheng. However, Emperor Yuanxing appointed him as commander of the Upper Eastern Guard as soon as he ascended the throne, clearly showing his favoritism towards Xiao Yu. As for the Grand Princess, the late emperor doted on his younger sister, but Emperor Yuanxing had always been diligent and studious. He respected his aunt, the Grand Princess, but did not have much affection for her, as their time together was extremely limited, unlike the Luo sisters, who had more opportunities to visit each other and be close to their children.
When Emperor Yuanxing was still the crown prince, the Grand Princess once joked with Luo Fu that in the crown prince's heart, Xiao Yu, his teacher, was more important than her, his aunt. She said that if she ever needed to ask her nephew the emperor for anything in the future, she might have to ask Luo Fu and Xiao Yu for help.
Luo Song snorted, "Anyone who doesn't submit to me, I'll beat them into submission."
Luo Fu finally saw a hint of official authority in her thirty-six-year-old brother.
Come to think of it, it makes sense. My brother joined the Imperial Guard not long after arriving in the capital. Even with his simple and honest nature, he had been immersed in the Imperial Guard for more than ten years and had also experienced life and death on the battlefield. It was impossible for him to be easily bullied by his subordinates.
Not wanting his sister to worry, Luo Song continued, "Lord Xiao has always treated me very well. When I first arrived at Shangdongwei as a commander, Lord Xiao gave me detailed instructions. After I was promoted to commander before the New Year, Lord Xiao was afraid that I would neglect important matters and delay things, so he went to Shangdongwei and took me on a tour of the city guard and walls, telling me what to pay attention to. So sister, please rest assured. I may not know how to lead troops into battle, but I will definitely be able to guard the city gates for the Emperor."
Luo Fu was indeed more relieved after hearing this. Her father-in-law had been in the position of commander of Jianchun Guard since he was enfeoffed as a marquis. With her father-in-law imparting his experience and her brother being loyal and dutiful enough, she expected that nothing would go wrong.
Before dusk, Luo Fu returned to the Marquis's residence. She even took Xiao Yu to Wanhe Hall for a while and said to her father-in-law, "Why didn't Father tell us about the matter of Father giving my brother advice before the New Year?"
Xiao Rong glanced at his youngest son and said in a dismissive tone, "It's not a big favor. Why would I mention it just to get a word of thanks from you? We're family, no need for that."
He had three sons. The eldest, having been mentored by his father-in-law, the Prime Minister, needed no instruction from him. The second son, even in his teens, considered himself smarter than his father and didn't take his advice to heart. The third son, a scholar who had graduated from the Imperial Academy, not only understood principles better than him but also looked down on his father's sycophantic behavior. If Xiao Rong dared to act like a father to his third son, the third son would humiliate him to death with his words!
So Xiao Rong, who had never had the chance to guide his three sons in their careers, started to enjoy going out to restaurants to chat with Luo Song from time to time after discovering that Luo Song actually admired him. Besides, Luo Song had inherited his mantle as the commander of the Nine Guards of the Imperial Guard, so it was just right for Xiao Rong to teach him.
Luo Fu smiled and said, "Father doesn't care about his daughter-in-law's gratitude, but I'm happy to know how well you take care of my brother. If you ever need anything from me, just tell me, and I'll help if I can. If I can't help, there's always Xiao Yu. We'll make sure you're well taken care of."
As she spoke, she glanced at Xiao Yu.
Xiao Yu: "...Yes, as long as it has nothing to do with officialdom, Father, please feel free to order me around."
Xiao Rong pointed directly at the door and said, "Get lost! Just because you're a high-ranking official doesn't mean you can do anything. Nobody wants to order you around!"
He's already sixty-seven. Does he still think about having his youngest son plead with the new emperor to give him another high-ranking official position?
.
In the warm spring of March, the peonies in the various mansions and gardens of the capital city bloomed again, creating a vibrant scene of spring.
With the springtime beautiful, many families in the capital were celebrating weddings. In the Xiao family, the eldest grandson, Xiao Chun, also married the fiancée he had been engaged to last year.
The wedding banquet was packed with guests, including Xiao Rong's associates, the relatives and friends of Xiao Hu and Yang Yanzhen, as well as the relatives and friends of Xiao Lin, Li Huaiyun, Xiao Yu, and Luo Fu. Because Xiao Yu had always been a loner as an official, the third branch of the Xiao family had the fewest guests.
To everyone's surprise, although Emperor Yuanxing did not come, he sent someone to deliver a congratulatory gift. When Xiao Rong led his family and guests to receive the imperial decree and express their gratitude, he was all smiles and beaming with joy.
The next day, Xiao Yu went to the palace to perform his duties. After finishing a batch of official business, he went to the imperial study to request an audience with Emperor Yuanxing.
Emperor Yuanxing personally came out to greet Mr. Xiao Yu. As Xiao Yu stepped across the threshold and turned around, he could catch a glimpse of several officials outside who were whispering among themselves while waiting to meet the emperor.
"What business do you have with me, sir?" Emperor Yuanxing asked as he offered Xiao Yu a seat after he sat down.
Xiao Yu declined the seat and looked at the young emperor opposite him, asking, "I have a question that I do not understand, and I have come to ask Your Majesty for guidance."
Emperor Yuanxing said solemnly, "Please speak freely, sir."
Xiao Yu nodded and asked, "Yesterday, my nephew got married, and we were honored by His Majesty's grace to receive a congratulatory gift. Everyone in my household was overwhelmed with gratitude. However, I don't understand why His Majesty treats my nephew so well. My father has never served His Majesty, and my elder brother has yet to perform any meritorious service worthy of His Majesty's favor. So I don't understand why His Majesty treats my nephew so generously. Or is His Majesty planning to treat all the sons of nobles and high-ranking officials in the capital with such favor?"
Emperor Yuanxing: "...I bestow this congratulatory gift because of the teacher-student relationship between us."
Xiao Yu first expressed his gratitude, then said, "If it were a subject getting married, I could accept the congratulatory gifts from Your Majesty without any guilt. However, it is my nephew who is getting married. Your Majesty's gift to him because of me is too much of a favor. I can only feel apprehensive."
Emperor Yuanxing: "...I understand. Your Excellency hopes that I can be fair in rewarding and punishing, and that punishments must not violate the law, and rewards must not exceed the bounds of propriety."
Xiao Yu said with satisfaction, "That's right. After Your Majesty ascended the throne, some officials joked that I could walk around the court with impunity. Relying on Your Majesty's favor to act tyrannically is the behavior of a treacherous minister. I disdain it and dare not do it. I also hope that Your Majesty will reward and punish your ministers fairly and clean up the officialdom."
Emperor Yuanxing pondered for a moment and said, "Then when you come again in the future, I will no longer personally welcome you, and I will no longer respectfully address you as my teacher during court discussions?"
Xiao Yu smiled and said, "Your Majesty is wise; this is exactly how it should be."
Emperor Yuanxing shook his head inwardly with a sigh. What other ministers could only dream of was something his own teacher had… a man of noble character and integrity.
Before long, the ministers noticed that Emperor Yuanxing seemed to have become much colder towards Xiao Yu, and Pei Xingshu even reminded his wife, Luo Lan, about it.
Roland naturally went to his sister to ask, and learned from her that Xiao Yu had gone to the Emperor himself to ask for the coldness.
Pei Xingshu: "..."
What kind of political achievements would his colleagues have to make to be worthy of being called Xiao Yu, a person who possessed both genuine talent and noble character?
In the stillness of the night, Pei Xingshu sighed to his wife, "I'm afraid my chances of reaching the rank of Minister are now limited to that."
It is possible for two brothers-in-law to both serve as ministers, but it is impossible for them to both serve as prime ministers.
Roland smiled and comforted him, saying, "My brother-in-law said he will retire and return to his hometown when he turns sixty. If you try to live to seventy or eighty, you can still be prime minister for more than ten years."
Pei Xingshu: "..."
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Author's Note: Here it is! 100 little red envelopes. See you at the second update tonight!
P.S.: The marriages across three generations are not important to the overall plot structure, so they will only be mentioned briefly, much like the younger generations of the Xiao and Pei families. Similarly, the romance between Kang Ping and his brother is not crucial to the story; I only wrote about it because I felt their characters offered a fresh and interesting dynamic, so I didn't explore it much in the main text and will save it for the side stories. Of course, if no one wants to read it, I don't necessarily have to write it, haha. [shy]
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