Chapter 81 081 In the third year of Xianping, the Junior Tutor to the Crown Prince.
The 14th day of the eighth month in the third year of Xianping.
After breakfast, Luo Fu and Xiao Yu took Hong Ge'er out to Ganquan Town to deliver Mid-Autumn Festival gifts to their parents.
Luo Fu rode in a carriage with Hong Ge'er, while Xiao Yu rode alongside on horseback.
The autumn sun shone brightly. Three-year-old Hongge was filled with curiosity about the outside of the Marquis's mansion. He refused to sit next to his mother and instead stood in front of the carriage window, holding onto the window frame with one hand and lifting the curtain with the other. He stared at everything outside with his big, dark eyes, especially at the black horse his father was riding. The horse was really strong. As it moved, its dark fur shimmered with a layer of light, even brighter than the black satin fox fur cloak that his second uncle had given to his grandfather.
Luo Fu sat beside the little guy, and looking at Xiao Yu's mount, she was also a little envious.
This horse was a prized Western Region steed bestowed upon Xiao Yu by Emperor Xianping when the envoy from Kucha presented horses to the capital this spring. In terms of value, it might be slightly inferior to the horse that Princess Kangping had given her years ago. However, Luo Fu's horse was already sixteen years old this year, equivalent to a person of about fifty years old. It was an age where it could still be ridden, but it would easily become a laughing stock in circles of power and wealth. Xiao Yu's horse, on the other hand, was only three years old, equivalent to a person of seventeen or eighteen years old. It was in the prime of its youth, strong and vigorous.
When Xiao Yu led the horse back to the mansion, his father-in-law was fine, but the horse that the late emperor had given him was still young. His two elder brothers, who had never received a horse from the emperor, were almost red with envy. Ignoring Xiao Yu's objections, they each rode the horse around the mansion twice.
"Is Father more handsome, or is Da Ma more handsome?" Luo Fu asked her son with a smile when she saw Xiao Yu looking over.
Hongge looked at his father and then at Dama, and said, "They're both beautiful."
Xiao Yu smiled and reminded the mother and daughter to sit down. They were just around the next bend and would be in a crowded area. If the people recognized them, they might gossip about the Third Madam of the Xiao family looking around carelessly in the carriage, which he felt was not dignified enough. Xiao Yu wouldn't demand "dignity" from his wife, but he knew she valued her reputation among the common people and among noblewomen.
Sure enough, as soon as the carriage turned the corner, Luo Fu lifted Hong Ge'er up and sat him next to her, only lifting a corner of the curtain so the little guy could see for himself.
"Mom, I want to eat candied hawthorn."
When the carriage reached the banks of the Luo River, Hongge suddenly looked up at his mother and made a request.
Luo Fu peeked out through the curtain and sure enough, she spotted an old man selling candied hawthorns. The problem was, Luo Fu had only let Hong Ge'er try candied hawthorns two or three times, and those were all last autumn and winter. A whole year had passed, yet the little guy still remembered?
Luo Fu excitedly called Xiao Yu closer and told him about the little surprise.
Xiao Yu: "...What's so difficult about that? I remember some things that happened when I was two when I was three."
Luo Fu glared at him and ordered, "Let's keep going. Go buy ten candied hawthorns and catch up with me when you're done."
In the first two years after Xiao Yu married his wife, he caused trouble twice. Once, he made his wife live in fear, and the other time, he made her suffer the pain of unrequited love for two years. Overwhelmed by love and guilt, Xiao Yu always granted his wife's every request, even if it meant making a thirty-year-old man ride such an eye-catching horse to compete with a group of children for candied hawthorns.
The capital city was teeming with powerful and wealthy people, and even the street food vendors were quite particular. For example, this old man selling candied hawthorns divided his offerings into two types: one type was displayed directly on straw stalks to attract customers, while the other was arranged in a bamboo basket. The bottom of the basket was lined with oiled paper, and the outside was covered with a clean coarse cloth. If anyone disliked the candied hawthorns on the straw stalks because they were dusty, they could choose the ones from the basket for a price difference of two coins.
Xiao Yu naturally bought the basketful, ten strings wrapped in two sheets of oiled paper. After paying the copper coins, he gently persuaded the children who had gathered around to look at the horses to leave before mounting his horse and leaving, catching up with his own carriage.
Luo Fu gave Hong Ge'er a skewer first. When they met up with her sister's family outside the city gate, Hong Ge'er hadn't finished his skewer yet. There were four skewers left in the same bag, which were just enough for her, her sister, and her nephew and niece to each have one skewer.
Yi-ge'er is thirteen years old, and Zhi-jie'er is ten. The two siblings can ride in a car by themselves without any problem. Roland temporarily left his two children behind and came to his sister's car.
After starting afresh, Roland was about to whisper something to her younger sister when Luo Fu pointed to Hong Ge'er, who was still munching on a candied hawthorn in her arms, and reminded her older sister, "This child's good memory comes from his father. He can remember things he ate a year ago just by seeing them. It's fine for you to chat with me about everyday things, but let's talk about other things another time."
Roland chuckled and teased her nephew, "Does Hong-ge remember the gift your aunt gave you for your birthday last year?"
Hongge thought for a moment and said, "My aunt gave me a pair of gold bracelets last year."
Only then did Roland believe her sister's words. So, after Hongge'er finished eating the candied hawthorn, Roland wiped her nephew's mouth and handed him to Xiao Yu through the car window. Xiao Yu then took Hongge'er to his older cousin's car. Hongge'er liked his cousins from his aunt's family and didn't make a fuss when being carried around.
After settling the children in, Xiao Yu rode back to Pei Xingshu's side.
Pei Xingshu smiled and said in a low voice, "The children are all so grown up, yet the two sisters still act with a bit of a childishness at times."
Xiao Yu glanced at Pei Xingshu's short beard, which was clearly meticulously groomed. He didn't know who started this trend, but ever since Xiao Yu entered officialdom, he had noticed that high-ranking civil officials such as the two prime ministers and the six ministers all had almost identical beard styles. Pei Xingshu was obviously following this trend.
Xiao Yu is thirty years old this year. At this age, it's fine to grow a beard or not, but Xiao Yu doesn't want to grow the same beard style as his colleagues. He hasn't figured out what kind of beard style would suit him better, so he simply continues to use a razor blade. His clean and neat appearance is more to his wife's liking.
"Really? I heard that my brother-in-law has been having a lot of social engagements lately. If he comes home late, will my sister be angry?" Xiao Yu asked.
Pei Xingshu: "...There were some social engagements, how did Yuanzhi know?"
Xiao Yu: "The Censorate is all-seeing and all-knowing. However, my brother-in-law's career has been smooth in recent years. He has been transferred from the Ministry of Revenue to the Ministry of Works and then to the Ministry of Personnel. Everyone can see that my brother-in-law is young, promising and has a bright future. It is not surprising that some people want to win him over or curry favor with him in advance."
Pei Xingshu shook his head helplessly: "Yuanzhi, there's no need to be so harsh. You are young and promising with a bright future. Who in the capital doesn't know that Censor Xiao of the Censorate is the most favored person in front of the current emperor? At the young age of thirty, you are already trusted by the emperor and serve as the Junior Tutor to the Crown Prince, a third-rank official. You are destined to be trusted by three generations of emperors. It is only because of your reputation for being selfless that the officials dare not rashly curry favor with you."
Xiao Yu could not deny Emperor Xianping's high regard for him. He also knew that Pei Xingshu's official career path was very different from his own. For a scholar from Guangling to gain a foothold in the capital's officialdom and rise step by step without being dragged down by his brother-in-law who had been imprisoned twice, Pei Xingshu must have endured hardships that others could hardly know over the years.
Xiao Yu only wanted to remind Pei Xingshu: "The hearts of people in officialdom are unpredictable. Brother-in-law can attend social events that are inconvenient to refuse, but you must be careful not to fall into factional strife if you make a wrong move."
Pei Xingshu understood and nodded at him.
Inside the carriage, Roland revealed some news to her sister: "The Emperor is going to transfer Consort Li's uncle, Minister Chen, to the capital to serve as a secretary in the Imperial Secretariat."
The Secretariat was headed by the Left and Right Chancellors, both holding the first rank. Below them were two Vice Chancellors, holding the third rank, and then six Secretariat Drafters, holding the fourth rank. Although the Secretariat Drafters did not hold the same rank as the Ministers of the Six Ministries or the Grand Censor, they were responsible for drafting imperial edicts and decrees, as well as other important political and military affairs. They also had the power to assist the two Chancellors in making initial judgments on major military and national matters and to receive reports from various regions. They were truly close advisors to the emperor and potential candidates for prime minister.
Luo Fu exclaimed in surprise, "What kind of official was her uncle?"
Roland: "A prefect of Liangzhou, a fifth-rank official, whose performance in previous years was mediocre. He was appointed by the emperor himself, and although he was opposed to the left, he couldn't go against the emperor's wishes."
Upon hearing the name of Left Chancellor Yang Sheng, Luo Fu couldn't help but sigh inwardly.
In the past two years, she had heard several stories from Xiao Yu, her sister-in-law, and her elder sister about Yang Sheng's disagreements with the emperor. The first one was in the first year of Xianping. The Left Chancellor petitioned the emperor to establish a crown prince as soon as possible to consolidate the foundation of the country. The emperor said that he was in his prime and there was no need to rush. He also cited the example of the deposed crown prince, saying that establishing an heir too early would not be conducive to cultivating the crown prince's virtue of humility. Yang Sheng, on the other hand, cited more examples of how the princes formed factions and caused chaos in the court because the emperor delayed establishing an heir. Since most ministers supported Yang Sheng, the emperor then established the eldest prince as the crown prince and moved into the Eastern Palace.
Then, during the imperial examination last spring, when the top scholars were selected, the emperor favored a paper with ornate and flowery language. The left prime minister criticized it as empty and impractical, unworthy of being a model for all candidates in the country. He worried that if the emperor selected the scholar as the top scholar, it would encourage scholars across the country to imitate his elaborate writing and neglect practical matters. Although the emperor agreed with the left prime minister's opinion and selected the top three scholars, he later transferred the scholar with the flowery language to the Jixian Academy, summoned him frequently, and showed him great favor.
Then this summer, the emperor said at a court meeting that he had dreamed of the Empress Dowager and was so sad that he could not sleep all night. He then wanted to build a temple on Lao Jun Mountain to commemorate the Empress Dowager. The Left Prime Minister strongly opposed it on the grounds that it would waste the people's manpower and financial resources. When the emperor saw that few ministers supported him, he gave up.
Luo Fu may not understand governing a country, but she understands human relationships. If she wants to do something and those around her constantly come to interfere and oppose her, Luo Fu will definitely be unhappy. Of course, if she is truly wrong and others' advice is correct, Luo Fu might listen, but how can a mere third wife of a marquis compare to the emperor who reigns supreme? The emperor is fawned over by so many people every day; how could he easily realize his mistakes?
Every time Luo Fu heard about such things, she couldn't understand why Yang Sheng, who had always listened to the late emperor, had become so assertive under the new emperor. At the same time, she secretly rejoiced that Yang Sheng, the high-ranking and powerful Left Chancellor, was there to protect her. Otherwise, given Xiao Yu's temperament, he might not have urged the emperor to establish a crown prince, he might not have been qualified to review the palace examination papers of the newly appointed Jinshi, and he might not have seen the emperor's document to transfer Consort Li's uncle to the capital to serve as a Zhongshu Sheren while he was in the Censorate. But Xiao Yu would definitely have dissuaded the emperor from going to Laojun Mountain to build a temple for the Empress Dowager.
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Author's Note: Here it is! 100 little red envelopes. See you at the second update tonight!
There will definitely be a second update, but the time is uncertain. You can check back before going to bed, and if you're sleepy, you can wait until tomorrow to read it.
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