Chapter 45 More Beautiful Than Flowers
Only when Pei Wu climbs to a position where he can truly make decisions will his words truly carry weight.
Pei Wu knew this, and Jiang Ru knew it even better. She wondered if Pei Wu had thought the same way in his previous life, which was why he later seized power, became the regent, and bore countless infamy.
Jiang Ru also wanted to know how Pei Wu managed to break through this encirclement. According to his account, the Great Xia Dynasty was in chaos, with various factions holding their own opinions. If this continued, it could easily lead to internal strife.
Jiang Ru was conflicted, fearing that Pei Wu would repeat his past mistakes, so she reminded him: "You can serve the country, but you must remember that you are always a subject. You cannot have any rebellious thoughts, understand?"
The books Pei Wu had read all taught him to be loyal to his country, so he naturally had no objection: "I know that."
Jiang Ru felt that he might have turned to the dark side in his past life because he was bullied. Now that Jiang Ru was around, as long as she watched him serve the emperor faithfully and do things that would benefit the Great Xia, that would be enough.
Since that's the case, Jiang Ru said, "If you want to change the Great Xia, you have to gain power yourself and get promoted."
Pei Wu looked at her, as if asking, "Aren't you going to tell me to hide my cleverness?"
Jiang Ru waved her hand: "Alright, alright, stop hiding. I can't stand seeing you being bullied."
In her eyes, Pei Wu was the child she had raised. She herself couldn't bear to hit or scold him, but when he entered the Privy Council, he was punished by being made to stand and suffered grievances.
Jiang Ru looked at Pei Wu and couldn't help but say, "Be smarter in the future, don't let others bully you."
Pei Wu had no choice but to nod.
Pei Wu stood all morning today. Although there was nothing wrong, his legs might hurt tomorrow. Jiang Ru got him some mugwort leaves and told him to soak his feet before going to sleep.
To prevent Pei Wu from going against her wishes, she stood guard outside Pei Wu's room, watching him bring in water and put mugwort leaves in before leaving satisfied.
Pei Wu had to go to work at the Privy Council the next day. The Privy Council was one of the core institutions of the Great Xia Dynasty and was of great importance to the Great Xia.
Previously, in the Hanlin Academy, perhaps because his official rank was too low, or perhaps because he had no opportunity, he had never been able to see the emperor. But now, he has to go to the palace almost every day to serve the emperor while he handles state affairs.
When Pei Wu first took office, he was followed by two deputy officials. Every afternoon, the emperor would handle state affairs in the Ningyun Hall, and Pei Wu and the others would be responsible for conveying imperial decrees.
However, the emperor was still young, and all the memorials he submitted each day had to be reviewed by the Empress Dowager before they could reach him.
The memorials sent to his desk were all pre-sorted, filled with flattering words like "peace and prosperity throughout the land," and there was nothing worth reading.
After the emperor had read and annotated them all, they were responsible for distributing them to the relevant departments.
Logically, Pei Wu's task should have ended at this point, but perhaps the emperor was in a good mood today. After reviewing the memorials, the emperor said, "I heard that a new batch of lotus flowers has arrived in the Imperial Garden. Would Minister Pei be willing to come with me to take a look?"
The lotus flowers were almost past their peak blooming season, and the new flowers in the Imperial Garden were late-maturing varieties, so they were quite fresh and it was understandable that the Emperor wanted to see them.
Pei Wu then handed the memorial to the deputy chief censor for processing and left Ningyun Hall with the emperor.
As we entered early July, the afternoon sun was just right, casting a warm and gentle glow on people. The emperor, though only up to his shoulder, already possessed a certain air of imperial grandeur despite his young age.
When the emperor traveled, he was always accompanied by a large entourage. Pei Wu lagged half a step behind the emperor, with a huge retinue following behind him.
The lotus flowers are in full bloom in the pond, standing tall and graceful as they emerge from the water. It is indeed a beautiful sight. A gentle breeze sweeps by, and the delicate pink and white petals tremble slightly, while the water droplets on the lotus leaves seem about to fall.
Including today, the emperor has met Pei Wu three times. The first time was on the day of the palace examination, the second time was yesterday, and then today.
The emperor remained silent, and Pei Wu did not speak either. Pei Wu was not a high-ranking official, so the emperor's request for him to accompany him was definitely not just for admiring flowers.
Finally, the emperor spoke, saying, "Two years ago, on my birthday, although my father was seriously ill, he still found a pond full of lotus flowers for me, just like this."
Pei Wu paused for a moment, then said a few words of comfort.
The emperor smiled and said, "My father treats me very well. He will give me whatever I want. When I asked him to make Song Qing my tutor, he agreed."
He used to call Song Pingzhang "teacher," but now he can't.
After saying this, the emperor sighed and said, "It's a pity that my father passed away so early, what a pity..."
Pei Wu could not agree with the emperor at this moment. It was acceptable for the emperor to miss the late emperor, but as a subject of the new emperor, Pei Wu could not reminisce about the late emperor. If he agreed with him, the emperor would not blame him now, but he would inevitably find fault with him later.
It's just unclear whether the emperor truly misses the late emperor or resents the mess the late emperor left him with.
Pei Wu simply said, "Your Majesty, please accept my condolences."
The emperor gazed at the pond full of lotus flowers and quickly pulled himself out of his sorrow: "I remember you came from Jinzhou. You can't see these lotus flowers in Jinzhou, can you? I'll have some sent to your residence so you can see something new."
Pei Wu then bowed and expressed his gratitude.
After delivering the lotus flowers, the emperor, tired from his stroll, returned the way he came. Pei Wu stepped back a few paces and waited until the emperor had left before departing from the Imperial Garden.
At this moment, inside Jiang Ru's beverage shop, she looked at the uninvited guests with a blank expression and smiled, "What would you gentlemen like to drink?"
The people in front of her were Song Shu and her girlfriends. Jiang Ru's beverage shop had been open for so long, and their sudden visit did not seem like a coincidence.
Looking at the menu, Song Shu pointed to the "Top Scholar's Drink" and said with a smile, "This 'Top Scholar's Drink' is quite interesting. Let's all have it."
Alright, they're here for Pei Wu again.
Jiang Ru ordered someone to prepare the "Top Scholar's Drink" and placed it on the table for the group. However, before she could leave, Song Shu reached out and grabbed her arm, smiling as she said, "It's been so long! Won't you sit with us, little sister?"
Jiang Ru: "I still have to go to work."
Her resistant look made Song Shu laugh. She asked again, "When will you get off work, sister? We can wait."
Sometimes Song Shu is like a stubborn plaster, impossible to shake off no matter what, so Jiang Ru could only sit down.
After she sat down, Song Shu pretended to explain, "It's like this, I've been hearing that a new drink shop opened in Zhouqiao a few days ago, and I heard that the top scholar also came here, so I've been wanting to come and see it. I didn't know that it was opened by my sister."
Jiang Ru also played along, saying, "Really? That's quite a coincidence."
Song Shu continued, "Then this 'Scholar's Drink' must have been drunk by your brother?"
What else? There's only one top scholar this year, so who else could it be but Pei Wu?
Jiang Ru couldn't help but interrupt her pleasantries: "Sister Song, why don't you just get straight to the point?"
Song Shu covered her mouth and laughed: "My sister is so clever. I heard that it's your birthday in a few days. After all, we are sisters, and we would like to celebrate with you. I also heard that your family has recently acquired some autumn water and sky flowers. We sisters would like to go and see the fun."
Jiang Ru frowned: "Where would I find 'autumn waters and long skies' in my home?"
She thought about it for a moment, then felt something was off: "Also, I don't think I've ever told you my birthday, have I?"
Song Shu feigned surprise: "Oh, I forgot too. It's like this, my sister's birthday is naturally placed together with your brother's. I saw it at my great-grandfather's place before."
That makes sense. Jiang Ru then asked, "What about the autumn waters and the vast sky?"
Song Shu replied, "I just gave it to you today. You'll see it when you get home."
It's strange, Jiang Ru didn't know what new things had come into her home, but Song Shu found out first.
Jiang Ru was silent for a moment: "I need to go home and check first, then I'll give you an answer."
Song Shu smiled and nodded: "Then don't forget us, little sister. We've all prepared gifts for you, and we're just waiting for you to send us invitations."
Actually, it's still almost half a month until Jiang Ru's birthday, so it's too early to talk about it. Jiang Ru said helplessly, "Let me take a look first, and I'll give you an answer in a few days."
Song Shu: "Alright, then we'll wait for my sister's invitation."
Jiang Ru: "...Oh."
She was puzzled, not quite understanding it herself, and planned to ask Pei Wu when she got home that night. However, just as she turned around, Song Shu grabbed her hand again and tilted her head at her: "Little sister only knows where my home is, but hasn't asked the other sisters yet?"
Jiang Ru: "..."
Song Shu's shamelessness is truly astonishing.
Jiang Ru had no choice but to memorize everyone's addresses before she was allowed to leave.
The girls hadn't come here for drinks, of course. After making an agreement with Jiang Ru, they only stayed for a short while before leaving. Jiang Ru watched their retreating figures, gritting her teeth in resentment.
If only Pei Wu had just made up the knotted net back then, they wouldn't have been dragged into this.
It's no use talking about this now. When it was time for dinner, Jiang Ru handed the beverage shop over to others and went home first.
As soon as Jiang Ru stepped into her home, she was dazzled by the lotus flowers that filled the yard.
Their house was actually quite large, but the courtyard was filled with lotus flowers, making it seem rather cramped. Jiang Ru walked over and took a look. The lotus flowers were indeed fresh, fragrant, and graceful.
The vibrant petals swayed gently, and the lush green stems were faintly visible in the water. The leaves and flowers were also very tender, clearly indicating that they had just been dug out of the pond.
Unfortunately, their yard was too small and there was no pond, so the lotus flowers could only be kept in a jar, which was a real waste.
It's really strange. Does Song Shu have some kind of supernatural ability to know this?
Jiang Ru looked at the lotus flowers for a while, just as Pei Wu returned from his duty. Jiang Ru stood in the courtyard full of flowers, turned around and called out to Pei Wu, "Pei Wu."
The girl's figure was hidden among the flowers, her eyes innocent and dazed as she stared unblinkingly at Pei Wu. She was more beautiful than the flowers, making all the flowers in the courtyard pale in comparison.
Pei Wu stepped forward, and Jiang Ru complained to him, "You're being watched. The flowers were just delivered today, and Song Shu came to see me. She even asked me to invite her to my house for my birthday. I don't know her at all. She must have some kind of scheme."
Jiang Ru's cheeks puffed up with anger as she said indignantly, "You should stay away from them from now on. They might be trying to harm you."
Her anger was entirely justified, but after today's events, Pei Wu already knew that Song Pingzhang was the emperor's man, so there was no point in monitoring him anymore.
Perhaps these lotus flowers were suggested by Song Pingzhang to be sent by the emperor.
Pei Wu stepped forward and said softly, "I'm not being watched, you don't need to worry."
Jiang Ru: "Then this lotus flower..."
Pei Wu thought for a moment and told Jiang Ru, "Song Pingzhang is the emperor's man, so it's reasonable that she would know."
Jiang Ru was silent for a moment, then said weakly, "Then I misspoke."
-----------------------
Author's note: All times in the book are based on the lunar calendar.
I'm a little late [poor thing]. I'll check out the second update tomorrow morning.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com