159. Clouds and Moon
"Thank you, Brother Xie!" The little dumpling spoke first, waving at Xie Wenling.
Xie Wenling looked down at the little dumpling and smiled, "Was the food at the banquet delicious?"
"Delicious! His Majesty even allowed us to take some delicious food home!" The little dumpling held up the box of candied fruit in her hand and said as if presenting a treasure.
Watching the interaction between the two, Marquis Beiding's smile deepened. He stepped forward, cupped his hands in greeting to Xie Wenling, and said, "Lord Xie, congratulations! With His Majesty's high regard for you today, you are sure to achieve great things in the future!"
Xie Wenling stepped aside to avoid his cupped hands: "You are too kind, Marquis. It is already a great fortune to have His Majesty's trust. In the future, I will need to learn more from you and the senior officials in the court, and I will not dare to slack off in the slightest."
Marquis Beiding smiled and patted him on the shoulder: "It's good that you have this thought. If you encounter any difficulties in the future, just tell me. We don't need to stand on ceremony."
"Thank you, Your Excellency," Xie Wenling nodded in response, then turned his gaze to the little dumpling who was secretly yawning after eating, drinking and playing to her heart's content. "It's getting late, and the county princess must be tired. Your Excellency should take her back to the manor to rest first. I will visit her at the manor another day."
Marquis Beiding nodded: "Alright, then we'll head back first. You should also return to your residence early, so as not to tire yourself out."
With that, he took the little boy's hand, bowed to Xie Wenling, and then turned and left.
As the little dumpling walked, it turned back and waved to Xie Wenling.
The lights were dazzling, and the person surrounded by so many admirers seemed to have truly become the radiant moon.
-
Even after the banquet, the long street was still adorned with bright palace lanterns, their warm yellow light illuminating the road surface.
Duke Anguo walked along the road hand in hand with Lin Fuman. There were few people around at the moment, and the heaviness on his face was even greater than inside the palace. His brows were tightly furrowed, and even the corners of his mouth were taut.
The weather was getting colder, and Lin Fu was wearing a cloak, the white pom-pom on her hat swaying gently with her steps.
She held her father's warm hand and looked up at his tense profile.
She could tell that Duke Anguo was troubled, but she didn't know what it was.
She didn't understand politics, nor did she understand their intricacies; her understanding of politics was still superficial, limited to the theories in political textbooks.
But she wanted to comfort Duke Anguo and cheer him up.
So Lin Fu shook his arm and said coquettishly, "Daddy, look at the new skill I learned today!"
He then let go of her hand, spun around on the spot, and his cloak spread out to form an arc: "Doesn't it look like the dance performed by the palace dancers?"
Duke Anguo looked down at her, his tense jawline softening slightly. He reached out and adjusted the collar of her cloak for her: "Be careful not to fall."
Lin Fuman moved closer to him, took out a piece of candy, and tiptoed to bring it to his mouth: "Daddy, eat some candy, it's very sweet!"
Looking at his daughter's little face, the Duke of Anguo felt a little relieved. He opened his mouth and put the candy in his mouth, the sweetness spreading out.
He had just smiled and thanked Lin Fuman when he heard slow footsteps behind him.
Looking back, the old prime minister was walking slowly towards them with two attendants.
Duke Anguo's expression immediately darkened again. He squatted down and patted Lin Fuman's head: "Fufu, be good. Let the servants take you back to the manor first, okay? Daddy will say a few words to the Prime Minister and then come back to play with you soon."
Lin Fuman glanced at her father, then at the approaching prime minister, and roughly understood that they had something to discuss. So she nodded and said, "Alright, I'll go home now. Father, come back soon."
"Alright," Duke Anguo replied, watching as his attendant led Lin Fuman away into the distance.
He turned around and bowed to the old prime minister, saying, "Why is the prime minister leaving so late? It's Mid-Autumn Festival tonight; you should have returned home earlier to reunite with your family."
The old prime minister stood before him, coughed twice, covered his mouth with a handkerchief, his wrinkles crinkling at the corners of his eyes, and said slowly, "I'm getting old, I get out of breath if I walk too fast. Just now, seeing the Duke leading his little daughter reminded me of my grandchildren, who are just as lively."
As he spoke, his gaze swept over the Duke of Anguo: "Just now in the palace, I saw that the Duke seemed to have something on his mind. Did he find the food and wine today unpalatable?"
Duke Anguo laughed and said, "Prime Minister, you flatter me. How could the wine and food bestowed by the Emperor not suit my taste? It's just that I had some trivial matters to attend to at home, which inevitably distracted me. But Prime Minister, you look rather tired today. Are you perhaps also exhausted?"
Upon hearing this, the old prime minister sighed softly, straightened the hem of his robe, and said with a hint of melancholy, "Isn't it tiring? Over the years in charge of the Six Ministries, I've been worrying every day. Now my eyes are failing and my ears are hard. I even have to get very close to write a memorial. Seeing how young and promising Lord Xie is today, I realize that I am truly getting old and I'm afraid I can no longer keep up with His Majesty's pace."
How could Duke Anguo not hear the probing in those words?
He continued, his tone tinged with emotion: "Your Excellency, the Prime Minister, has toiled for the court for half your life, and His Majesty surely remembers your contributions. However... Lord Xie is indeed too ambitious, and his move today has caught many off guard. Just now, I saw several officials surrounding Lord Xie in the corner of the hall to offer their congratulations, and I feel that the atmosphere in the court is about to change."
The old prime minister coughed again, then changed the subject: "Whether the atmosphere changes or not is not something we can control. But I think it's better to be cautious about some things. Just like the Mid-Autumn Festival moon, it only seems so when it hangs properly in the sky, its clear light shining evenly; if it is suddenly obscured by clouds, it makes people feel uneasy. What does the Duke think?"
Duke Anguo already understood. He gazed at the full moon hanging in the distance and lowered his voice, "The Prime Minister is absolutely right. It is indeed unpleasant to have the moon obscured by clouds. Last Mid-Autumn Festival, my family planned to hold a banquet in the backyard to admire the moon, but suddenly a cloud came along and obscured the moon, which was really disappointing. So the banquet couldn't be held. Now that I think about it, if we had been more careful and made some preparations in advance, that wouldn't have happened."
Hearing this, the old prime minister finally smiled, nodded, and softened his tone: "The Duke is quite insightful. It seems that although we are a bit different in age, we think alike. It's getting late, Duke, you should go back to your residence soon, so as not to keep your family waiting. Another day when I have time, I will invite the Duke for tea, and we can have a good chat about the trivial matters of the residence, and also about the 'clouds' in the court."
Duke Anguo bowed and replied, "That is indeed my wish, but I dare not ask. Prime Minister, please take your leave now."
-
The next day.
Jiang Xiyue gently woke the little dumpling who was still sleeping soundly in bed: "Yue'er, it's time to get up. You have to study today."
The little dumpling rubbed her sleepy eyes, her little head not fully awake, and was dazed as she was dressed in a ruqun (a traditional Chinese dress), her hair styled in two buns, and adorned with two small pearls.
By the time she sat down at the table with her bowl of porridge, her second brother had been jumping around for a while, wailing and howling, "Why is there only a few days off for the Mid-Autumn Festival?"
"Ah, I don't want to go to school! I don't want to go to school!"
"I don't want to go back to school, I don't want to... Waaaaaah..."
"Why can't I rest for a few more days? I'm still a child!"
"I haven't done a single math problem the Grand Tutor left me. Will I get beaten up? Waaaaah..."
---
Friendly reminder: In the conversation between the Duke of Anguo and the Prime Minister, the moon refers to the old Prime Minister, and the cloud refers to Xie Wenling.
(Although I think readers can understand it without my explanation, I'll still say it anyway.)
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