Chapter 76
On the 20th day of the twelfth lunar month, the government would "seal the seals," which meant taking a month-long New Year's holiday.
Although officials in this dynasty have few days off, they attach great importance to the Spring Festival, which marks the end of the old year and the beginning of the new.
Inside the palace, the annual gifts prepared for the various imperial relatives, nobles, and civil and military officials were piled up like mountains; outside the Meridian Gate, a towering lantern display, dozens of feet high, stood tall, ready to "show off its skills" on the Lantern Festival...
The country is prosperous and the people are at peace; the land is fertile and the people are well-off.
The emperor was very satisfied with the reports from the various officials in the memorials, and his face was beaming with joy, until the memorial from Li Jinwen, the supervising secretary of the Ministry of Justice, was presented.
The emperor's face instantly darkened, and he sneered, "Li Jinwen, you certainly know how to get started on re-examining criminals."
The emperor set the memorial aside, picked up several others, and read them one by one, saying, "These are sycophants, these are people asking me for money, and these are people requesting the abolition of mining taxes... I'll keep them all."
Several memorials were thrown onto the emperor's desk.
The emperor sighed suddenly, his eyes already filled with exhaustion.
Chen Zhen, the Grand Eunuch of the Directorate of Ceremonial, hurriedly handed over tea and whispered, "Your Majesty, please have some tea to soothe your soul."
"Hmm." The emperor took the tea and sighed gently, "My servant is so considerate. Look at all these ministers, which one makes my life easier?"
The white porcelain cup lids clinked gently, producing a melodious sound. The emperor loved this crisp sound the most, and whenever he heard it, no matter how agitated he was, he could always find peace of mind.
The emperor's mind was at peace, but Chen Zhen dared not be at peace at all.
It is a great taboo to belittle civil officials and praise eunuchs.
He quickly knelt down and cautiously replied, "It's all thanks to Your Majesty's excellent teaching. How could we, your humble servants, fail to repay Your Majesty's grace?"
The emperor lowered his eyes and stared at him, then smiled gently. "Get up quickly, don't kneel down all the time. I know that your Directorate of Ceremonial Affairs is caught between me and the Grand Secretariat, and your job is not easy."
"As for me, my health is poor, so I have to rely on the cooperation of the Directorate of Ceremonial and the Grand Secretariat to manage the court in an orderly manner so that I can be at peace."
Regardless of whether his words were sincere or feigned, Chen Zhen could only kowtow repeatedly to express his loyalty, saying, "This servant thanks Your Majesty for your trust; I could never repay Your Majesty's grace, even if I were to die ten thousand times."
He kowtowed again, and the emperor couldn't help but reach out to help him up, laughing, "I told you, get up quickly."
The emperor trusted and relied heavily on Chen Zhen, who had followed him for several years.
Over the years, apart from finance and military affairs, almost all government affairs were handled by Chen Zhen, the "Inner Minister," and his position remained unchanged regardless of changes in the cabinet.
Chen Zhen is a good partner and a great companion.
The emperor lowered his eyes to drink his tea, and after a while asked, "Has this year's annual imperial gift been distributed?"
Chen Zhen replied, "The Ministry of Rites has already sent people out in succession, and His Majesty's grace should reach all parts of the capital in the next two days."
The Emperor nodded slightly and praised, "Minister Guo's work is indeed to my liking. How fortunate the Crown Prince is to have such a good teacher..."
Halfway through his speech, the emperor suddenly stopped, turned around and looked up, ordering, "Bring me the list of gifts bestowed upon the Crown Prince for the festival, I want to take another look."
The emperor sat up straight.
This year marks the founding of the Crown Prince's palace, but seditious books are rampant and rumors are flying everywhere. At this time, the Crown Prince must be extra cautious in order to extinguish the rumors.
The emperor flipped through Guo Zheng's list, which included gold and silver coins, writing implements, precious books, and mostly jade artifacts and rare objects.
He couldn't help but shake his head and exclaim, "Too little!"
With a stroke of his vermilion brush, the emperor added many more precious items to the gift list, such as imperial robes, crowns, and jade pendants. He also bestowed upon the crown prince the bow and arrows he had cherished in his early years.
"It looks better this way."
The vermilion brush was placed on the imperial desk, and at the same time, Chen Zhen's auspicious words reached the emperor's ears: "Your Majesty's deep love for his son shines as brightly as the sun and moon, and is as radiant as the movement of the stars. With the foundation of the nation secure and the state at peace, this servant first offers my congratulations to Your Majesty."
Chen Zhen bowed respectfully, and the emperor couldn't help but tease him, "How much did the Crown Prince give you to speak so highly of him?"
Chen Zhen chuckled softly a few times.
The emperor handed the list to him and instructed, "You must personally deliver the gifts to the Crown Prince. Also, please convey a message for me: refrain from arrogance and impetuosity, cultivate virtue and morality. You can add a sentence or two as you see fit, that will suffice. Go now, I am tired."
"This servant obeys the order."
A moment later, Chen Zhen went to the storeroom to count the festival gifts, and led a large group of eunuchs to the East Palace, attracting many palace servants and eunuchs to watch along the way.
This is exactly the effect I wanted.
In less than half a day, news of the emperor's bestowal of special gifts upon the Crown Prince reached the Grand Secretariat, the Six Ministries, and other government offices.
Immediately, the officials who were busy at their desks began to discuss the matter.
Inside the Ministry of Justice, Deng Yan went straight to Xu Xuan's side and chatted with him.
"Ziwei, has the Crown Prince summoned you?"
Xu Xuan looked up at Deng Yan and shook her head, "No, I think it will have to wait until next year."
"No way."
Deng Yan was very surprised and couldn't help but ask again, "Didn't they even send someone to deliver a message?"
"No."
Xu Xuan stood up, put the transcribed file back in the cabinet, and then turned to him, saying, "If I were summoned, would I not tell you?"
"That's true. Given our relationship, I naturally trust you."
Deng Yan also stopped standing and went to help Xu Xuan.
The two of them worked together and soon the pile of case files on the table was neatly organized.
Xu Xuan asked him, "Have you finished your official business?"
He always thought Deng Yan was very idle.
It wasn't that Deng Yan was idle; rather, Deng Yan had been in the Ministry of Justice for three years and was very familiar with all the rules, regulations, and procedures. Xu Xuan, on the other hand, had only recently been appointed as the head of the Ministry of Justice and hadn't even fully memorized the laws yet, so how could he possibly handle official business quickly?
So when Deng Yan finished answering "I'm done with my work," Xu Xuan was overjoyed and quickly pulled him to the desk, saying in a low voice, "Since Chief Deng is free, let's look at the case files together."
He pointed to a mahogany lacquered cabinet beside him and said with a smile, "Not much, just these are all that's left."
A whole cabinet full of files. Deng Yan's expression changed, and he wanted to curse out loud.
He said, "How can I interfere in your affairs in Zhejiang? I won't do it."
He lifted his foot as if to slip away.
Xu Xuan reacted quickly, grabbing his clothes and pressing him down into a chair like a chick, saying, "You're not allowed to go anywhere until you've finished watching."
Xu Xuan patted him on the shoulder a few times and said with a smile, "I'll treat you to drinks after my shift, my good brother."
Well, they've even used the term "good brother".
This person has changed drastically recently, from top to bottom, inside and out, as if he has been given a new soul.
Deng Yan's curiosity was piqued, and he stroked his chin, humming, "Ziwei, you've changed."
Xu Xuan's ears twitched slightly, but she didn't turn her head. Instead, she went along with his words and said, "Yes, you've lost a lot of weight. Plus, with the injury you had before, your waistline has shrunk a size."
"Ha, you know perfectly well that's not what I meant."
Deng Yan raised his eyebrows and said with a grin, "Have you had some good news lately? Sharing is caring, so tell your brother about it."
The person who was listening attentively received a glare from Xu Xuan. "I see you're still not busy. There's still a lot to do—"
"Okay, stop there."
Deng Yan abandoned his playful demeanor, dipped his brush in ink, and lamented, "It seems that once you have a wife, you forget your brothers."
Xu Xuan was so startled she almost dropped her pen...
*
After delivering the festival gifts, Chen Zhen returned to the palace to report to the emperor; while in the Eastern Palace, Wei Luo was sitting in a chair drinking tea, while Liu Heng next to him was holding a gift list and checking the items one by one again.
If the inventory is accurate, the items will be returned to the warehouse.
Liu Heng, the steward of the Eastern Palace, was meticulous and patient in his work. Looking at him, Wei Luo felt much more relaxed.
He asked, "How is it? Are there any problems?"
Liu Heng looked away from the gift list and replied, "No problem."
Wei Luo then said, "Since there are no problems, let's put them all in the warehouse."
Liu Heng did as instructed.
By the time everything was tidied up, dusk had fallen outside the eaves, and a few birds flew across the sky, adding a touch of liveliness to the quiet evening.
Watching the birds fly further and further away until they completely disappeared from sight, Wei Luo finally came to his senses.
He murmured, “Spending all day in the palace, I’m not as free as a bird.”
Liu Heng smiled and said, "Your Highness has only lost your freedom, but in return you have gained wealth and honor. There are gains and losses, which makes it fair."
"Fairness? That's a novel term. Where did you learn it from?"
Liu Heng said, “Heaven is fair and impartial, so it covers both good and evil; Earth is fair and impartial, so it carries both the small and the large. Once, I went to the Inner Study and happened to hear a lecture by a Hanlin scholar. I listened for a while and immediately memorized it. I hope Your Highness will forgive me for this.”
A love of reading and learning is far better than gambling and playing games, which Wei Luo was naturally pleased to see. "In the past, Emperor Xuanzong established the Inner Academy to teach eunuchs to read and write, so as to counterbalance the powerful civil officials."
"This system has been passed down to this day and is still in effect, which shows that there has been little change despite the succession of power over the past century."
What emperors need is a balance of power; only with a balance of power can they concentrate power in their own hands.
This has always been the case throughout history.
Therefore, Wei Luo asked, "What good things did His Majesty bestow upon Prince Xi and the Shen family?"
Based on his understanding of the emperor, if he gave him an extra reward, the corresponding reward for Prince Xi wouldn't be much different.
This is a father's affection for his son, unlike an emperor's affection for his crown prince, which is purely for political purposes.
Liu Heng's eyes flickered slightly. He wanted to tell the truth, but he was afraid that it would upset His Highness. If he didn't tell the truth, he would be deceiving the emperor. He was caught in a dilemma.
He then said, "These are all rewards given in accordance with the rites and regulations for vassal kings."
As for the extra rewards the emperor took from the imperial treasury, Liu Heng kept it to himself and dared not utter a single word.
Wei Luo saw this but didn't say anything, only saying, "I know, go and get the parrot that Prince Xi gave me before."
Finally, he asked again, "Are you still alive?"
"...Uh, alive."
"The parrot is trying to mimic speech. I instructed someone to teach it to say 'Your Highness,' has it learned it?"
As Liu Heng ordered someone to fetch it, he said, "You've learned it. You can pronounce 'Your Highness' fluently now. I guarantee Your Highness will be satisfied."
Liu Heng spoke with great confidence, and Wei Luo finally smiled, saying, "Very good."
The eunuch brought over a parrot, and Liu Heng immediately said to the bird, "Your Highness, Your Highness, sing quickly."
Touch its feathers with your hand.
Under the eager gazes of the group, the clever parrot lived up to expectations, following behind Liu Heng, its sharp beak opening and closing, "Your Highness, Your Highness..."
"A clear, crisp voice echoed throughout the hall."
Wei Luo was overjoyed and ordered, "Send these two parrots to the Shen family as a festival gift and reward Xu Xuan."
"Isn't this too blatant..."
Liu Heng said cautiously, "Your Highness, perhaps you should reconsider?"
"What are you considering?"
Wei Luo scoffed, "He's living at the Shen family's place now. If I keep thinking about it, even a cooked duck will fly away."
Liu Heng choked.
Wei Luo's actions, if not shocking, were certainly unique in the world. He knew that persuasion was futile; only when people hit a wall would they turn back. So he simply let him be.
Wei Luo then said, "Bring me pen and ink. I'll write a letter, and you can send someone to deliver it to Shen Yao later."
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