Shen Qian blinked slightly and quickly looked at Madam Lin, saying, "No need to measure. I have Qingchen's measurements here, just for you. You can take your men downstairs."
Madam Lin was immediately displeased. She thought that even if she was unwilling, she was still being nice to Shen Qingchen on the surface. How could he humiliate her like this in front of the servants? How could she manage the household after this?
“Father instructed me to make him two winter robes. How can I make them without taking his measurements?” She glanced at Shen Qingchen and added, “He always gets fatter whenever he comes to our house for meals. How can your old measurements be accurate?”
Shen Qian looked at his wife, who was lying through her teeth, and a hint of indifference gradually appeared in his eyes, but he still patiently said, "Qingchen has been busy these days and has only lost a little weight. How could she have gained weight? The robe is a bit loose so you can wear an extra cotton coat underneath. Just make it according to the size I gave you, and you can't go wrong."
Madam Lin frowned, persisting, "Hey, what's wrong with you, Shen Qian? I just had a servant take his measurements, and you're treating him like a precious treasure, not letting anyone touch him. Is he made of gold or jade? Even the Bodhisattvas in temples can be touched, so why can't he be? If you won't let me, I'm going to take his measurements today anyway." With that, she called for a servant to help her undress.
"Stop!" Seeing the servant approach Qingchen, he finally lost his temper. "Are you crazy? What are you trying to do?"
"I'm not crazy. It's just a measurement, why are you yelling at me like that?" Lin was annoyed by the shout and said to the servant, "Get him! I don't believe we can't get this robe off today."
Since the family's surname was Lin, the servant quickly obeyed the order and went to pull off Qingchen's clothes.
Seeing this, Shen Qian rushed over, forcefully brushed away the hand that was resting on Qing Chen's clothes, turned to Lin Shi, and shouted, "Enough, you madwoman! Don't let your people touch her!"
Even a normally refined and elegant person could be driven to such a state of uncontrollable rage.
Madam Lin pursed her lips and glared at Qingchen, "Why can't I touch him? What is he? Is he the apple of your eye?!"
"She's the apple of my eye!" He took a deep breath. "Are you satisfied now?"
Lin's heart seemed to be ignited, her lips trembling with anger, "Then what am I?! Tell me, what am I? And what is your son Lin Yu?"
After he finished speaking, there was a long silence in the room.
Shen Qian remained silent, trying his best to control his emotions after being provoked. He didn't want to continue arguing with Qing Chen like this, shouting and arguing endlessly.
"These things... if you want to talk about them, we can do it another day. Now, you should leave."
Looking at his indifferent expression, Madam Lin suddenly remembered that day in the warm pavilion when he said the word "divorce," and she felt timid again.
“You understand what I mean,” he said, looking at her.
Lin shook her head anxiously, "No, Shen Qian, I don't understand."
She was unwilling to admit that he wasn't originally like this, nor was she willing to admit that the change in him from his gentle nature was entirely her own doing.
She refused to admit that things could never go back to the way they were before anything happened. She loved him, but her love was increasingly suffocating him.
Lin cried, tears of fear. She sobbed softly, unlike her usual affected cries, "I don't understand... I don't understand..."
Shen Qian's Adam's apple bobbed slightly. He took a breath and turned to Qing Chen, saying, "Qing Chen, why don't you go and teach Yu-ge'er first? Your second uncle has some things to take care of here."
"...Second Uncle, you and Second Aunt have helped me so much over the years. I will never forget your kindness in this lifetime. Second Aunt is straightforward, but she has a very soft heart. Over the years, it is because of my foolishness and shortcomings that you and Second Aunt have had conflicts because of me." As Qingchen spoke, he knelt down and kowtowed three times to Shen Qian and Madam Lin. "I kneel to thank you both for your kindness and care. Please forgive my foolishness. I hereby swear that I will definitely work hard to repay you in the future."
Upon seeing this, Shen Qian felt a surge of emotions and quickly went to help her up, saying, "Qingchen, get up quickly."
Shen Qian knew very well that women were bound to be jealous, especially pampered daughters like Lin. For years, he had tried to maintain a balance, but he wasn't a saint and couldn't be perfect.
If Qingchen were a man, he could have let her experience more hardships and endure more trials. But she is a woman, and in this world, women are already expected to be more mature. She also has to dress as a man, bury herself in her studies, and participate in the imperial examinations, making it even more difficult. That's why he treats her exceptionally well.
She lost her mother when she was young, and her father suffered from hysteria and couldn't even take care of himself. When he first saw this thin little girl, she was disheveled and eating scraps given to her by others. At that moment, he felt a pang of heartache.
Some people are destined to be connected. This connection began when Shen Qian fed Qingchen her first bite of food.
He cared for her, taught her to read and write, and attended to every detail of her life, giving to her without expecting anything in return. As she grew up, her obedience, diligence, perseverance, and intelligence became the best reward for him. Watching her grow day by day, becoming more and more beautiful, and excelling in her studies and career, he felt gratified and a sense of fulfillment welled up inside him.
In the countless days and nights they spent together, he was her father, her second uncle, her teacher, and her friend, while she was his daughter, his nephew, his pride, and his spiritual support.
For someone to treat another person well for ten years without fail, there must be some kind of affection involved.
Shen Qian was intelligent. He never questioned what kind of emotion it was, whether it was simple or complex, its origins, or its ultimate destination. He knew that only in this way, in this vast world, could he be true to his conscience, true to Qingchen's father, and true to his family.
Therefore, when faced with Lin's repeated questioning, he never wanted to say more, because there was no need to say more.
If Lin had been less jealous and more understanding, less suspicious and more trusting of him, she might have seen through this simple truth long ago.
Inside the room, only Lin's sobs could be heard.
She glanced at Qingchen, said nothing, and her sobs gradually subsided.
She knew in her heart that she should thank this person she had always hated today.
If it weren't for his words easing the tense situation, Shen Qian might have uttered those two words again—words she couldn't bear.
With each repetition, she moved one step closer to that outcome.
The day after Zhu Rui summoned Shen Qingchen, the Japanese envoy requested negotiations with Zhu Rui.
Zhu Rui immediately summoned the cabinet members to the Qianqing Palace to discuss the matter and asked them to come up with a way to drive the Japanese away.
The Qianqing Palace fell silent for a moment, the brilliant lights illuminating the emperor and his ministers facing each other in an awkward atmosphere.
This was inherently a thorny issue; if it were so easy to resolve, the Japanese would have been driven out long ago. Moreover, since Song Yue entered the cabinet, several senior cabinet members had formed a tacit understanding: thorny matters were always left to Song Yue, saving them the trouble and allowing them to live a few more years. Over time, their minds became dull from inactivity.
Seeing that no one spoke, Zhu Rui said unhappily, "You are the Grand Secretaries whom I selected from among millions of my subjects. Is this such a small matter that you are all pretending to be mute?"
Xu Yan, being the Grand Secretary, saw the Emperor's anxiety and spoke first: "Your Majesty, this old minister believes..."
His approach was to have the court appease the Japanese as much as possible to stop them from causing trouble, while the Ministry of Revenue continued to negotiate with them, giving them as little silver as possible, or ideally none at all, to prevent them from succeeding, otherwise they would become even more unscrupulous in the future.
He spoke slowly, and it took him quite a while to finish speaking. At first glance, it seemed like he had said a lot, but upon closer listening, there was actually nothing substantial to say.
He truly deserves to be called a master of compromise.
Zhu Rui initially thought he had a solution and listened with great interest, but by the end, he was displeased. At such a critical juncture, this man was so nonchalantly trying to smooth things over, it was infuriating. But he couldn't blame him; the Grand Secretary had offered solutions, it was just that the Ministry of Revenue was ineffective and couldn't resolve the issue as planned.
Zhu Rui choked on his breath, his face turning black from holding it in.
The two Grand Secretaries, both in their fifties, were trembling with fear. They had originally planned to follow Xu Yan's example and smooth things over, but seeing the situation, they dared not do so. They were about to retire with honor, and if the Emperor were to kick them back to their farms, they would be ruining their reputations in their later years.
Grand Secretary Zhang suddenly bowed deeply. "Your Majesty," he said, "in terms of understanding of foreign countries, handling relations with them, negotiation skills, and adaptability, this old minister believes that Minister Song Yue is the best candidate, unmatched by anyone in the court. Now that Japan wants to negotiate with the cabinet, why not let Minister Song return to the cabinet to talk to them?"
Half an incense stick later, Song Yue appeared at the Qianqing Palace.
Half an incense stick later, Zhu Rui was already restless and agitated, thinking about the few old comrades he couldn't count on and the fact that he had promised Shen Qingchen to get rid of them by the end of the month.
At that time, he had already thought of Song Yue. But after all, he had driven Song Yue away himself. If he took the initiative to recall him, where would the emperor's dignity be?
Grand Secretary Zhang's words gave him a way out.
Emperor Zhu Rui sat on the dragon throne, adopting the posture of a "wise ruler," and looked down at the steps below. "Song Yue," he said, "the Japanese have been harassing the outskirts of the capital for several days, causing great suffering to the people. The New Year is approaching, and I cannot bear to see my subjects unable to enjoy the New Year even in one year. Therefore, I have granted you special permission to return to the cabinet. I order you to immediately go and negotiate with the Japanese delegation and make sure they are sent back to their hometowns by the end of the month!"
"Your subject will certainly not fail in his mission."
After leaving the Ganqing Palace, Song Yue encountered the Duke of Dingguo and the Minister of Revenue at Chengtian Gate and greeted them.
Just as the Duke of Dingguo and the Minister of Revenue were about to call him "Lord Song," an eunuch from the Qianqing Palace came over and relayed two sentences from the Emperor, also calling Song Yue "Grand Secretary."
The two were taken aback.
The changes in the court are happening too fast. Song Yue's departure from the cabinet is still fresh and hot news. Even the honest Duke of Dingguo is still hesitating whether to lend a hand, but he has already returned to the cabinet.
The Duke of Dingguo thought to himself, "It seems that when he unhesitatingly took the blame for his student, he had already planned his return. Truly worthy of being called Song Yue."
Zhao Qiran was waiting for Song Yue at the Ministry of Rites. When he saw that Song Yue had returned from the Qing Palace, he learned that he had returned to the Grand Secretariat and was overjoyed.
"Come to my residence tonight for a couple of drinks to celebrate. First, to congratulate you on returning to the cabinet, and second, to celebrate our thwarting of the Xu faction's conspiracy, and the arrival of Lan Tan at the Eastern Palace," Zhao Qiran said.
Song Yue simply shook his head. "No. When I left the cabinet a few days ago, I told you not to worry about me. Now I want to tell you the same thing: there's no need to celebrate for me. What's not worth worrying about is also not worth celebrating on the other side."
He patted Zhao Qiran on the shoulder, "The road ahead is long and arduous, it's too early to celebrate. Besides, I still have some things to take care of."
Seeing that he was about to leave, Zhao Qiran asked, "Where are you going?"
“Buy a gift,” he laughed. “This isn’t something to celebrate for me, but there are things to celebrate.”
On his way to the Imperial Household Department to find Lan Tan, Zhao Qiran couldn't understand why, if even Song Yue's return to the cabinet wasn't something to celebrate, then what was there to celebrate?
Upon arriving at the Imperial Household Department, he saw several people gathered together, discussing something. After listening attentively for a while, he realized that they were all scions of prominent families, discussing the investment in the dike. They were saying that the six thousand taels of silver had almost been raised, and if they didn't invest some more soon, it would be too late.
He then realized that someone's student was about to make a contribution.
On this day at the Hanlin Academy, after a class, Shen Qingchen was engrossed in organizing his notes.
The Lunar New Year is approaching, and everyone is talking about the celebrations: what food they've prepared, which relatives are coming, who they'll be meeting, and even where they'll be going for a few days of travel. The atmosphere inside the hall is very lively, and even the cold wind seeping in through the cracks in the door hasn't dispelled the joy.
Listening to her classmates' hopes for the New Year, Qingchen paused her writing and breathed on her hands. The atmosphere around her reminded her of her university days. Her classmates came from all over the country, and at this time of year, they were all packing their bags and booking tickets home. The long winter break was about to begin, and everyone's hearts were filled with planned trips to reunite with old flames, attend reunions with classmates, visit relatives, and so on. A month-long vacation seemed never long enough.
Shen Qingchen was a little different. Her father had passed away, and her mother was an orphan. She had no relatives to visit, no old flames to reunite with, and could only get together with her high school classmates, which would usually be after the eighth day of the Lunar New Year. The few days of the Lunar New Year were actually quite lonely for her.
Even now in the Ming Dynasty, her family was still small, so the New Year celebrations were simple. She spent the New Year in the capital, staying up late with her father on New Year's Eve. On New Year's Day, Shen Qian asked her to go to the Lin family and give her a large red envelope.
Qingchen gazed at the snow-covered tree branches outside the window, which reflected dazzling light in the sunlight. She thought to herself, "This year has gone by so fast. Before I knew it, it's been my sixth year in the Ming Dynasty."
Just then, three eunuchs entered the classroom and said, "By imperial decree, the Grand Master of Ceremonies, Shen Qingchen, is ordered to proceed immediately to the Qianqing Palace to receive his investiture before the Emperor—"
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