"Yes, it's alright if we dress simply, we can't let our husband lose face..."
Chu Qingcheng and Gu Zijian watched Sun Jian change clothes in the inner room with admiration, whispering among themselves.
Zhou Wan'er pouted haughtily and whispered, "Hmph, didn't we buy some fabric in the county town last time? We can just make him a few outfits with that fabric, right?"
“No, Wan’er, those fabrics are nice, but not luxurious; they’re only of mid-to-low quality. My husband will likely be frequently visiting the palace, so mid-to-low quality fabrics definitely won’t do. Let’s pick out some more for him next time we go to the market…”
Chu Qingcheng appeared to be a virtuous wife and loving mother, always thinking of Sun Jian's best interests in everything she did.
Unfortunately, Sun Jian couldn't hear their whispers at that moment.
While being helped by the eunuchs to try on clothes, Sun Jian listened to the head eunuch explain some court etiquette and procedures.
“Sun Shidu, although you are His Majesty’s personal tutor to the Crown Prince, you are not of official rank, so you are not qualified to participate in the morning court.”
The head eunuch, with a smirk, continued to Sun Jian, "But His Majesty, in his great favor, has decreed that you are granted special permission to attend the morning court session. Our Dagan holds court every ten days, and the next morning court session is the day after tomorrow. You must leave home at 3:45 AM and arrive at the waiting hall by 3:45 AM to await the morning court session. You must not be late, otherwise you will be impeached..."
"Waiting for the Registry?"
Sun Jian was stunned; it was the first time he had ever heard this name.
"This Waiting Courtyard is where officials rest and wait for the morning court session."
"Oh, okay, there are so many rules."
Sun Jian clicked his tongue and shook his head.
“Master Sun, this old servant must also remind you that the etiquette and rules of the morning court must not be neglected when attending court. Although His Majesty is a wise and benevolent ruler, we as subjects should still pay attention to the rules.”
"knew."
Sun Jian rolled his eyes at the old eunuch helplessly.
These things are already written in the etiquette booklet, so why do we have to repeat them over and over again? It's so boring.
"In addition to attending the morning court and other court rules, you also need to shoulder the responsibility of serving as the Crown Prince's tutor."
The old eunuch spoke slowly and deliberately, focusing on what Sun Jian, as the Crown Prince's tutor, did every day.
It simply meant getting up early and returning late every day to accompany the Crown Prince in his studies, exercise, and assist him in learning other things.
The eunuch's introduction left Sun Jian completely bewildered.
It turns out that Li Gancheng is only 20 years old this year, four years younger than me, and has just reached the age of twenty.
According to the laws of the Great Qian Dynasty, all princes were given names and fiefs at birth. Around the age of 3, they began to learn various etiquettes and knowledge. At the age of 6 or 7, they were separated from their mothers and raised together in the Xiefang Palace.
They had to attend court from the age of 12, and around the age of 15 or 16, they would go to their fiefdoms to take up their posts.
The purpose of this was to protect the crown prince and prevent any threat to the succession to the throne.
Of course, this was not the case for all princes. If there was war or injustice in their fiefdom, or if a prince already held an official position in the court, he would not need to take up his post immediately.
Unlike other princes, the crown prince is the heir apparent of the country. According to the Great Law, the crown prince must start living in his own residence and office from the age of 7. He must spend seven of the twelve hours a day studying.
It covers everything from poetry and songs, horseback riding and archery, astronomy and geography, the teachings of sages, music, chess, calligraphy and painting, arithmetic, classical literature, and the essentials of governing a country.
For a moment, he felt a pang of sympathy for his brother, the Dragon.
This is absolutely fucking miserable!
You said that if something is tough, one person can handle it, so why do two people have to share it?
While Sun Jian sympathized with Li Gancheng, he was also somewhat speechless: "You mean, starting tomorrow, I'll have to accompany the Crown Prince in his studies? Every single day?"
“That’s right, Reader Sun. You must not slack off day after day, unless you take on other duties…” The old eunuch nodded heavily from the side.
The old eunuch couldn't understand why Sun Jian looked so worried when others envied such a job.
Having finished explaining everything, the eunuchs from the Directorate of Ceremonial Affairs repeatedly reminded him of the time before leaving the Sun residence.
Sun Jian breathed a sigh of relief as he watched the eunuchs leave.
For two whole hours, his ears were almost ringing.
Fortunately, by this time, Lao Cao and Lao Jiang had finished purchasing all the items and taking care of all the business, and returned to their residence with their men.
There were six horse-drawn carriages, each loaded with goods, piled very high.
When Sun Jian arrived at the backyard, everyone had already unloaded most of the goods and was waiting for Sun Jian to inspect them.
"No need for verification. I trust you to handle things."
Sun Jian patted Cao Cao on the shoulder and said calmly.
The words were calm, but to Lao Cao they were truly inspiring and deeply moving.
Old Cao quickly pulled out a blueprint, a house deed, a land deed, and purchase documents from his pocket and handed them to Sun Jian: "The shop has been leased out. It's a two-story storefront with a backyard. Here are the blueprints, the house deed, the land deed, and the documents. Take a look."
"The total cost of everything was 176 taels and 4 mace. This is the remaining silver notes and loose silver."
Sun Jian took all the items and glanced through them. He was quite satisfied with Cao Cao's efficiency and the results.
After reviewing the documents, Sun Jian handed over the house deeds, land deeds, and other documents of the neighborhood to Cao Cao again.
"Why...why is this happening?"
Cao Cao was stunned, clearly not understanding what Sun Jian meant.
Sun Jian frowned and said calmly, "What do you mean 'why'? From now on, you and Lao Jiang will be the steward and clerk of our Sun family. You will keep these things. I will keep the remaining silver notes. As for these loose silver and copper coins, you can distribute them to everyone as their first month's wages."
"No, Sun Jian, this is absolutely unacceptable! This..."
Upon hearing what Sun Jian said, Cao Cao was startled and quickly returned the house and land deeds in his hand to Sun Jian.
But Sun Jian simply refused to accept what he offered.
“Yes, Sun Jian, that’s absolutely not right. The house deeds, land deeds and other documents are very important, after all, they’re worth more than a hundred taels of silver. You should give them to Madam Chu or one of the other ladies for safekeeping.”
Old Jiang's expression also changed drastically.
Although they were deeply grateful for Sun Jian's trust, this matter was indeed too heavy for them to bear.
Sun Jian took a few steps back. "Why not? It's just a run-down workshop. What's so important about it? Just take it. Why all the nonsense?"
“My three wives have to take care of household expenses and don’t have time. I also don’t want them to get involved in business.”
Old Cao continued earnestly, "But... Sun Jian, these are all important assets. Even if you don't want your three wives to get involved in business, you should still entrust such important assets to someone you trust for safekeeping."
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