Chapter 18: Will he be the first piece to be played in March? ...
After returning from Jiuzong Mountain, Fu Sui sent someone to Xinghuafang to inquire about Yue Shanling's accommodations, while he himself carried several booklets and picked through them.
The gold and jade were too formal, the clothing too intimate, the arm bracelet... Fu Sui thought of the strong arm in his hand that night.
Last time, the male dancers performing the Hu Xuan dance in the entertainment venue wore four or five armlets, which jingled and shone brightly as they danced. What a magnificent sight it would be if an armlet adorned with pearls and jewels were worn on their arms hidden beneath their robes.
For now, Fu Sui could only think about such things, and finally chose a wooden ball used for polo. The ball was covered with gold paint and had a bell inside, which made a clear sound when struck.
After selecting the items, Fu Sui personally wrote a note that read "Thank you for sending me home." It had no beginning or end, but he took out his rarely used private seal, stamped it on, and ordered someone to send it to Xinghua Ward.
The following afternoon, Fu Sui was grinding cinnabar with Dai Lingfei and the others in a pavilion with open sides. Suddenly, a person hurried over, stood outside the pavilion, and bowed to Fu Sui.
Kouyun got up and went out, but returned a moment later to report: "The gatekeeper said that a young man I don't recognize came to deliver something, saying that his general ordered him to do so. The people below don't dare to make a decision on their own, so they came to ask how to handle it."
Upon hearing this, Fu Sui immediately understood that the people who had gone to Xinghua Ward had returned saying that Yue Shanling's current residence housed a family of servants, including a man and a woman who were about thirty or forty years old, and two young boys who were eleven or twelve and eight or nine years old, respectively.
"What about the child?"
Kouyun replied, "He dropped his things and ran off. Just then, Xiaowu came back from outside and saw him. He chased after him and gave him some candy."
"What did you give as a gift?"
Kouyun only heard the message from the maid outside and had not seen the actual item. She could only repeat the ambiguous answer from the messenger: "It's in a jar, without any label. They said it looks like wine."
Wine? Fu Sui looked up at Kou Yun in disbelief.
Kouyun was puzzled, thinking that Fu Sui was blaming the doorman for not being able to distinguish between beans and millet, so she tentatively asked, "Why don't you have someone bring them over so that the princess can take a look herself?"
Fu Sui was now certain it was alcohol. That day's drunkenness was clearly an accident; did Yue Shanling really see him as a heavy-drinking alcoholic?
"No need." This was the first time someone had dared to tease him like this, and Fu Sui thought with great interest, "Keep it safe." He would open it and enjoy it when he played polo with that exquisite wooden ball.
Nowadays, banquets are being held everywhere for newly appointed scholars, and Princess Fu Sui, who "does not understand politics and does not associate with the literati," has become an idle person.
Since he was no longer under Qin An's constant supervision in studying classics, history, and mathematics, Fu Sui felt he had countless leisurely days to while away, and he would sleep until the sun was high in the sky before getting up.
In the past, when she was forced to get up at the crack of dawn to practice, she often lamented that even the Imperial Academy only offered three years of study, while she herself studied for three years and then another three years, day and night without stopping. Truly, the sea of learning is boundless.
The legacy left by the King of Jin and the fiefdom of Fu Sui were indeed substantial. Qin An spent money without hesitation. At one point, the princess's mansion had a full range of instructors, from music, chess, calligraphy and painting to tea ceremony, horsemanship and archery, from needlework and embroidery to dance, music and opera.
In the end, apart from the tutors whom Fu Sui couldn't refuse, all the other instructors were sent away from the manor, leaving only two dance and music instructors. This was only because Kou Yun and the others liked it, and Fu Sui granted them one hour each day to learn dance and music.
Nowadays, Fu Sui complains that his hands hurt when he plays the strings and his lungs hurt when he blows air, Kou Yun has some talent for dancing, Fei Qing plays the pipa well, and even Doumiao can play a few tunes.
Grinding cinnabar and listening to tunes, Fu Sui truly enjoyed two pleasant days.
"The Feng family?" Fu Sui looked at the invitation that had been sent. It was Consort Feng's mother's birthday, and invitations had been sent to all the noble ladies in the capital.
She silently did the math. Consort Feng's mother was only in her forties this year. Why did her birthday banquet need to be so grand? Besides, Fu Sui didn't even attend Consort Feng's Qujiang Banquet, so he certainly wouldn't attend the Feng family's birthday banquet.
According to Fu Sui's custom, all documents handed over to officials were copied by Qin An. In the past, correspondence between the families of various households was written by Doumiao, but now it is written by Kouyun.
She threw the invitation into a bamboo-jointed glass tube used for collecting damaged posters and paintings, signifying that she didn't need to reply.
"Princess, Qin Zhongguan has arrived." Several close maids were inside the room, while the maids outside dared not enter casually and stood outside the door to announce the arrival.
As soon as he finished speaking, Qin An stepped in, glanced around but remained silent.
Seeing this, Fu Sui gestured for them to leave. The group took their leave together, with Kouyun, who was at the back, carefully closing the door and telling the maids outside to stay away.
"Xue Guangting's appointment has been made," Qin An said bluntly.
Some time ago, the list of successful candidates was posted, and Xue Guangting's name was on it. Fu Suile said, "He's very lucky. While his fellow candidates are still waiting to be selected, he was the first to be appointed. Where did he go?"
Qin An gave a half-smile: "The Censorate."
Fu Sui was taken aback upon hearing this, and after thinking for a moment, he said, "The Censorate is responsible for inspecting all officials and overseeing criminal cases. You once said that he was upright and honest, which is quite fitting. He was an eighth-rank official when he first became an official, so it wouldn't be an exaggeration to say that he rose through the ranks very quickly."
Qin An said unhurriedly, "It's not the Censorate, it's the Imperial Censorate."
Fu Sui exclaimed in shock, "A sixth-rank official?"
"The sage has created a new official position."
Fu Sui blinked: "Which came first, Xue Guangting or the official position?"
Despite the question, she already had the answer in her heart. Sure enough, Qin An replied, "If it weren't Xue Guangting, it would be someone else."
She sighed softly, recalling Xue Guangting's theory that "it lies in one's true heart." Back then, she had laughed at him for what his true heart was, but she never imagined that he would have to expose his heart so soon. She couldn't help but sigh softly to herself, "What a pity, I wonder how much longer he can live."
"Whether he lives or dies depends on the sage's will." Qin An didn't have much affection for Xue Guangting. If Fu Sui hadn't asked about his writings, Qin An wouldn't have paid him so much attention. Hearing Fu Sui's mutterings, he replied sarcastically, emphasizing the word "sage."
Fu Sui was well aware of the Emperor's thoughts, but his actions left no room for negotiation: "Why him?"
Putting aside Wang Lingshu's reasons, Xue Guangting was both talented and handsome, and it was a pity that such a person was reduced to a pawn.
Fu Sui and Qin An had also discussed what moves the sage would make.
She had initially thought Gao Zi'ang would be the first to go, given that he had served as an official in the Eastern Palace for many years, conspiring with the emperor, and was also a member of a collateral branch of the Gao clan, one of the four prominent families. As for the entry point, Fu Sui had carefully considered several suitable candidates. However, she never expected the emperor to choose a new scapegoat from among the newly appointed scholars.
The fact that the emperor did not use the old officials and instead appointed new ones shows that he was prepared to discard them at any time.
Why did Xue Guangting catch the eye of the emperor?
Qin An hesitated for a few moments before saying, "It's probably because of his clean background."
It's just that her background is too clean. If Wang Lingshu had been bolder and had even the slightest connection with Xue Guangting, the Emperor would never have chosen Xue Guangting.
My cousin is ambitious, suspicious, and ruthless; when he strikes, he will surely strike. Knowing his personality, he has already laid the net; today he's ready to strike, waiting for his prey to bring about its own destruction.
Fu Sui prayed that the fire would not burn him, but he never expected that the first sword in the saint's hand would not be Xue Guangting.
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