Chapter 30-030 "The moment I saw that peony, it was as if I saw..."
After the top-ranking scholars finished their parade through the streets, they still had to go to their respective government offices to formally report for duty, pay their respects to their superiors, receive their official robes, and confirm their start dates. So when Luo Fu returned to the Marquis's residence with her mother-in-law and sisters-in-law, Xiao Yu still had to be busy outside for a while. But Xiao Rong was already home, and he also brought back the rewards his youngest son had received in the palace.
Emperor Yongcheng had a precedent of awarding the top-ranking scholars with special honors, and this year was no exception. The top three scholars (Zhuangyuan, Bangyan, and Tanhua) received rewards of 300 taels, 200 taels, and 100 taels of silver, respectively. In addition, Emperor Yongcheng also awarded Xiao Yu 100 taels of gold for his meritorious remonstrance during the palace examination.
Xiao Rong didn't covet his son either; instead, he sent a box of gold and a box of silver directly to Shensi Hall.
Luo Fu first took her mother-in-law to Wanhetang with her sisters-in-law, and then led Ping An back to the couple's small home. Only then were Qingchuan and Chaosheng happily informed of the matter.
Both boxes of gold and silver were placed in the east side room of the front yard. Luo Fu had received two boxes of betrothal gifts totaling three thousand taels of silver from the Marquis's mansion. At this moment, she didn't find the three hundred taels of silver particularly strange. However, she had never seen a box of gold ingots arranged so neatly before. They were so golden that they made her smile involuntarily.
She touched it again and again, and finally, reluctantly, she closed the box lid.
After resting for half an hour without really sleeping, Xiao Yu got up and tidied himself up. After waiting for a while, he finally returned in the afternoon, still wearing the dark blue scholar's robe and the big red peony flower on his Jinshi hat. He was carrying a bundle containing a set of court robes, sacrificial robes, official robes, and everyday robes issued to him by the Censorate, as well as an official hat and a pair of winter and summer boots.
The official robes of a sixth-rank official are dark green. After Chao Sheng arranged them, Luo Fu exclaimed in surprise, "So many kinds of official robes?"
Seeing that his wife looked at him with the same expression as when they set off that morning, Xiao Yu took off his scholar's hat adorned with flowers and asked Chao Sheng to put it away. After Chao Sheng left, Xiao Yu went to his wife's side and explained to her the purpose of each type of official robe: "Court robes are used for major sacrifices and celebrations in the court, sacrificial robes are used for major sacrifices. Official robes are worn when attending court, and everyday robes are used when on duty."
Luo Fu understood and pointed to a white bird embroidered on court robes, sacrificial robes, and official robes, asking, "What kind of bird is this?"
Xiao Yu: "The egret symbolizes integrity and incorruptibility."
Luo Fu nodded, then picked up the plain-colored casual clothes and compared them to Xiao Yu's figure: "They're a bit too big, they need to be sent to the embroidery workshop to be altered."
Just like the scholar's robe that Xiao Yu is wearing now, it was altered by the Marquis's embroidery workshop to fit him perfectly.
Xiao Yu's eyes were only on his wife. With such a natural and intimate gesture, his wife seemed to have stopped being angry. Looking at his wife's face, as beautiful as a hibiscus flower, and her lowered and gentle eyes, Xiao Yu's heart fluttered. He tentatively reached out to hold his wife's hand.
Luo Fu seemed oblivious. After the measurement was completed, she turned around and put the casual clothes back, which meant that Xiao Yu missed his target.
Xiao Yu: "..."
"What is a Supervising Censor, and what is the Imperial Censorate?"
Sitting down, Luo Fu asked curiously about these official titles that she had never heard of before today. She had heard of the censors who often went to the local areas to handle cases, including the Censorate, which was on par with the Six Ministries.
Xiao Yu moved his fingers that had missed their mark, then casually sat down on another chair and continued to explain to his wife the three departments under the Censorate.
"The Censorate was in charge of supervising all officials in the capital and jointly handling major cases with the Ministry of Justice and the Court of Judicial Review. The censors within the Censorate were called Attendant Censors, and their official rank was sixth grade."
"The Palace Attendant was in charge of supervising the court etiquette of all officials and the rituals of offering sacrifices in the palace. The censors inside were called Palace Attendant Censors, and their official rank was seventh grade."
"The Censorate inspects local areas, investigates local officials, and tries local criminal cases. The censors within it are called Inspectorate Censors, who are the most familiar to the people and hold the rank of eighth grade."
“The censors of the three courts can all report directly to the emperor, and although they are of low rank, they have great power.”
Luo Fu understood. Censors all had the power to supervise and impeach officials. Among them, the Censorate and the Censorate were in charge of important matters. The former supervised officials in the capital, and the latter supervised local officials.
After understanding, Luo Fu's gaze towards Xiao Yu became even more complex. He held a lowly position but wielded immense power; even when Xiao Yu had no official rank or authority, he dared to criticize the Emperor, and now he possessed the power of oversight…
Xiao Yu smiled and assured her, "No matter how powerful you are, you must act in accordance with the regulations of the Censorate. You can only impeach an official if he has committed a crime. I will not impeach any official for some trivial matter. And any official I impeach must have committed a serious offense that has harmed the government and the people's livelihood. He should be punished. So Madam, please rest assured."
What if Luo Fu is worried? That's what the Censorate does. If everyone is worried that the position of Censor is easy to offend people and doesn't want to do it, then who will supervise the officials of the country on behalf of the Emperor, and who will seek justice for the people?
Luo Fu was only afraid that Xiao Yu would rush to offend those royal family members and nobles who could easily control him and even the entire Xiao family, rather than that he would impeach guilty officials.
Well, Luo Fu was still a little scared. After all, officials were prone to retaliation before they could be impeached, and being an imperial censor was far less secure than working in the Six Ministries.
Seeing his wife's worries, Xiao Yu immediately brought up the topic of salary: "Brother-in-law's position as a junior scholar at the Jixian Academy is a ninth-rank official, and he can receive a monthly salary of three taels and five qian."
Only three and a half ounces?
While lamenting for her sister and brother-in-law that the position of Proofreader was promising but the salary was too low, Luo Fu glanced at Xiao Yu and asked, "What about you?"
Xiao Yu said solemnly, "A sixth-rank official can receive a monthly salary of about nine taels of silver."
Compared to the ten taels of silver a month that the Marquis's mansion gave to each young master and young mistress, the nine taels of silver salary was not high. However, with her brother-in-law's three and a half taels of silver in front of her, Luo Fu immediately saw the advantage of Xiao Yu, a sixth-rank censor. Although he was easy to offend people, he was given a lot of silver. In a year, he could earn more than a hundred taels of silver.
Noticing Xiao Yu staring at the corner of her mouth, Luo Fu quickly suppressed her smile and snorted, "Originally, I shouldn't have interfered since you were an official outside, but you've been too audacious. To avoid scaring me by suddenly ending up in jail again one day, you'll have to tell me first if you want to impeach anyone in the future. Don't worry, I know my limits and promise not to tell anyone. Even if my father, mother, or my parents, brothers, and sisters ask, I won't say anything. If I leak secrets and cause your downfall, I will leave on my own initiative and won't take a single tael of your dowry."
Xiao Yu wasn't so pedantic, and smiled, "Alright, I'll tell you everything that can be revealed to Madam."
He had to keep secrets when asked to do so by his superiors, colleagues, or even the emperor.
Everything that needed to be discussed had been discussed. Luo Fu nodded her chin at the two boxes of gold and silver that were placed on the spot: "Father and Mother have worked so hard to raise you, and they have worried a lot because of you. Today you have finally earned a reward. Shouldn't you take these to show your respect to your parents?"
Leaving aside the distant past, just the two events of Xiao Yu passing the provincial examination and the announcement of the results of the palace examination, which cost more than three hundred taels of public funds, have already cost over three hundred taels. His parents-in-law might not care about raising their son, but what about his elder brother and sister-in-law? His eldest and second sisters-in-law are generous, so Luo Fu can't be stingy either.
Upon hearing this, Xiao Yu immediately stood up and solemnly bowed deeply to his wife beside him: "My lady is virtuous and reasonable, truly a model of a virtuous wife. I, Xiao Yu, am extremely fortunate to have married her."
Luo Fu: "...Stop trying to coax me, I'm leaving!"
When Xiao Yu looked up after receiving the gifts, he only had time to see his wife's back as she lifted the curtain and went out, but her flushed profile was not from anger.
With a smile playing on his lips, Xiao Yu called Qingchuan and Chaosheng to help carry the box, while he hurried after his wife.
It was late March, and the evening breeze was warm, not enough to dispel the heat from Luo Fu's face anytime soon.
Xiao Yu walked to the side, tilting his head and staring at his wife without any attempt to hide it.
Luo Fu glared at him, but Xiao Yu didn't dodge. Taking advantage of the fact that Qingchuan and Chaosheng were far away, he leaned close to his wife's ear and whispered, "When the Emperor bestowed flowers upon me, the moment I saw the peony, it was as if I saw my wife."
Luo Fu: "..."
She glared at Xiao Yu even more fiercely, but her heart was bubbling with sweetness. In the end, she quickened her pace and kept her distance from him, so as not to arrive at Wanhetang with a flushed face.
In Wanhetang, Xiao Rong was confiding in his wife, complaining about the heartache and knee pain he felt kneeling alone in front of the Taiji Hall, and about the frustration and helplessness he felt at the banquet when the other dukes made sarcastic remarks about how well he had raised his son.
Madam Deng: "Alright, this is never going to end. The Emperor himself has admitted that he shouldn't have continued the Northern Expedition, which means our third son was right to advise us. He wasn't just giving advice out of a sense of entitlement. He's already the top scholar in the imperial examination and a sixth-rank official at such a young age. What more could you want?"
The eldest daughter-in-law said that after this incident, the third son's virtuous reputation will spread throughout the Great Zhou and everyone will know it. This virtuous reputation is the third son's greatest protection. In the future, unless the third son actively seeks death to commit the heinous crime of treason, if he only offers ordinary advice or even speaks frankly, Emperor Yongcheng will not easily punish the third son. The new emperors will also not dare to severely punish the upright ministers who were appreciated by the previous emperor.
With her third son's life safe and her husband and the eldest and second sons unlikely to cause any major trouble, Deng was very easygoing. As long as her family could survive, she was not afraid of anything.
Xiao Rong: "...You're just biased towards him!"
So what if Deng thought of how handsome her third son looked when he returned home and wore a peony flower in his hair to pay his respects?
His wife wasn't on his side, so Xiao Rong stormed off to the front yard alone. Just as he turned the corner of the veranda, he bumped into the young couple across the street, followed by Qingchuan and Chaosheng, who were carrying two familiar boxes.
Xiao Rong stamped his foot, glared at the third brother, and asked, "What is this all about?"
Xiao Yu: "Fu'er said that you and Mother have worked hard to raise me. Now that I have received a reward, it is only right that I offer it to you two to show my filial piety."
Luo Fu stood beside him with a slight smile, neither saying much nor refusing his filial piety.
The younger daughter-in-law didn't covet the reward money earned by the third son. Xiao Rong found the younger daughter-in-law quite pleasing to the eye today, nodded, and then coldly said to the third son, "I only ask that you stop causing trouble for the whole family. I don't care about your filial piety. However, your mother fell ill because of you, so take the three hundred taels of reward money you received for becoming the top scholar and let her be happy."
"As for that hundred taels of gold, it was the Emperor's reward for your frank advice. I, Xiao Rong, am cowardly and timid. I am afraid of being implicated by you, and how could I dare to accept such a tribute? You should take it and keep it for yourself! If you are capable, you can earn more of these rewards. As long as you are alive to spend it, your mother, your brother, your sister-in-law, your nephew and I will not covet a single coin!"
After saying that, he turned around and went to find his wife in the back.
Xiao Yu stiffly turned to his wife. He wasn't afraid of being ridiculed or scolded by his father, but being caught in this situation by his wife...
Their eyes met, and Luo Fu smiled faintly: "Father doesn't covet the reward money you risked your life for, and neither do I. Just don't bring it to my side later."
After saying that, Luo Fu left, leaving Qingchuan and Chaosheng holding the box and looking at their third young master.
Xiao Yu: "...Send the silver to the Lady of the Marquis, and take the gold back to the Lady."
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Author's Note: Luo Fu: You're smart to know your place!
Haha, 100 little red envelopes, see you tomorrow! [doge emoji]
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