The ground is covered with heavy snow and ice stretches for thousands of miles.
The streets of Shangjing City were deserted, with few pedestrians or merchants. Only the dim street lights were still lit.
Fu Xiaoguan returned to the Fu Mansion covered in snow and blizzard. He stomped his feet in front of the door, thinking that even these cotton shoes could not keep out the bone-chilling cold. He wondered if his father could get used to the horrible weather in Jinling.
He went straight to Li Chenxuan, pushed the door open, and a warm feeling came over him, while a chill followed him in, blowing up the dust in the stove.
At this moment, Mr. Fu was sitting in front of the tea table next to the fireplace, drinking tea happily, but unexpectedly the dust flew onto his face. He looked up and laughed.
"Chunxiu, the young master is back, let's prepare dinner."
“Hey!”
Chunxiu walked out happily, feeling like she was back at the Fu Mansion in Linjiang.
"Son, come quickly and warm yourself up."
Fu Xiaoguan also walked over with a cheerful look on his face, sat down opposite Fu Daguan, poured out the dusty tea leaves, brewed a new pot, and asked, "Dad, Jinling is much colder than our Linjiang. Are you used to it?"
"Your father and I traveled extensively in our time, and we've seen all sorts of bad weather. Besides, I even spent winters in Nanjing..." Senior Official Fu stretched his neck slightly, staring at Junior Official Fu, and changed the subject: "When will the palace affairs be over?"
"The date chosen by the Imperial Astronomical Observatory is the 26th day of the first lunar month, and the Daozang ritual is to be completed on the 28th day. It's only a few days away. However... the engagement will definitely be delayed for a while, because according to ritual system, Wen Yun needs to observe mourning for six months."
"Uh..." Officer Fu retracted his neck, his old eyes solemn as he pondered for a moment, "So, it will take until August."
Official Fu knew that the Ninth Princess Yu Wenyun had not been chosen yet, so it was impossible for him to go to the Dong Mansion first. There was no first come first served rule here. Unless Dong Shulan had already married, there was a hierarchy and the princess had to be chosen first no matter what.
Now, because of the Queen Mother's ascension, he couldn't even invite the Dong family to dinner. If this were to reach His Majesty's ears, it would probably cause His Majesty's displeasure.
Then he thought of what he had seen on the long street today. He felt a little lost, thinking that going to the capital was indeed dangerous. He stretched his neck again and said cautiously, "Son, I roughly counted the silver in our family savings during the New Year, and it was over 1.2 million taels."
Fu Xiaoguan's eyes widened. "So many?"
Official Fu nodded and whispered, "This is what I think. We have so much money at home, and so many fields that produce a lot every year. Not counting the businesses you've set up in Xishan, it's enough for our whole family to live a comfortable life."
Fu Xiaoguan's mind turned, and he smiled and said, "Dad, just tell me what you think."
"Dad means... can you resign from your official position? Wouldn't it be better if we could return to Linjiang and live comfortably as local landlords?"
Just as Fu Xiaoguan was about to speak, Fu Daguan continued, "Your father once hoped that you wouldn't live a muddle-headed life, but rather that you could shoulder the family business. As for becoming an official, that was your mother's wish, but she only hoped you could become a minor official. But now, as I see you rising higher and higher in rank, your father's heart is growing increasingly uneasy."
"Son, now that you have achieved both fame and fortune, wouldn't it be better to retire while you're ahead?"
Fu Xiaoguan poured tea for his father and sighed in his heart. To be honest, he agreed very much with what Fu Daguan said, but he couldn't agree now.
Because he has caused a lot of trouble now, it seems that except for the Yan clan, the attitudes of the other five of the six major clans towards him are unclear. If he retreats now, he believes that everyone in the Fu family will be wiped out the next day, not to mention that there is a high possibility that there will be a bigger enemy - the Fourth Prince!
Now he had no choice but to cling to His Majesty's thighs and use his advanced knowledge to change the current situation of the Yu Dynasty, so that he could stand more firmly in the court, so firmly that even the prince could not do anything to him, and only then could he protect the Fu family.
This is basically the saying that it is easy to get on a pirate ship but difficult to get off, or maybe it is just that once you are in the world, you have no choice.
"I will go back to Linjiang."
Senior Official Fu was delighted, but unexpectedly, Junior Official Fu said, "But not now."
He did not explain the reason to Mr. Fu, but asked about other things.
"Are all the six mothers at home okay? Will Xiaoxi leave?"
"All six of them are good. Xiaoxi can't walk yet, but she can already crawl... No, I mean..."
"Dad, I have to tell you some good news. You may have another daughter-in-law."
This sentence immediately changed the attention of the official Fu, and he immediately asked, "Whose daughter is this?"
"Yan Fa, the granddaughter of the current Prime Minister Yan Beixi."
"ah……!"
Official Fu was so shocked that he sat up straight, his mouth wide open and unable to close.
He took a deep breath and asked, "The daughter of that bastard Yan Shidao?"
"No, she's Yan Haochu's daughter."
Official Fu breathed a sigh of relief, thinking that his son really couldn't leave now.
A princess, the daughter of the Minister of Revenue, and now the granddaughter of the Prime Minister... He rubbed his hands. Even if he didn't consider the emperor, the Minister of Revenue and the Prime Minister would definitely not let his son leave Shangjing to become a small landlord.
So now he had to change this idea. He first gave up the idea of moving his family to Shangjing. The Linjiang Fu Mansion could not be moved. Not only that, he had to go out and take a walk, such as to Wu Dynasty and Fan State.
As a cultured and low-key landowner in Linjiang, he was not reassured by the powerful backgrounds of his son's daughters-in-law. On the contrary, he became even more worried.
It’s lonely at the top!
If you fall down, you will die without a burial place!
He didn't tell Fu Xiaoguan about his inner thoughts. "Since that's the case, you must serve as an official in Shangjing. My family has no shortage of money, so you must not embezzle it. The court is complicated, so it's best for you to stay out of it. Also, did you really kill Prince Hui's four hundred cavalrymen on that long street?"
Fu Xiaoguan laughed and shook his head, "It was mainly Su Su and Su Rou who killed them. I don't have that ability."
"Oh, that girl Susu is very pretty and delicate."
Fu Xiaoguan looked up at the fat father and asked, "What do you mean?"
"A few days ago, she and Chunxiu came to pick me up. When I saw her, I was stunned by her beauty and thought she was your... new daughter-in-law. So I talked to her a lot, about your past and present, and also... In short, I didn't say a single bad word about you. The girl listened very carefully, and a smile appeared on her face from time to time, so I said a few more words."
Fu Xiaoguan was shocked and asked quickly, "What did you say again?"
"Father, I'm telling you... I've taken six concubines, and my son should be better than me. If you were to marry into the Fu family, I promise that my son would treat you all equally!"
“…”
Seeing Fu Xiaoguan's speechless expression, Fu Daguan laughed, "Susu said she was an orphan since childhood and grew up in a Taoist temple. I don't have any objections to this. A girl like this is more family-oriented. Besides, she has such excellent martial arts. If you capture her, won't she be able to follow you at any time and protect your safety?"
"Dad...!" Fu Xiaoguan said very cautiously, "You can't just randomly match people up. Susu is still young. In my eyes, I don't have any dirty thoughts. I just treat her as my sister. Don't say such things in the future. Besides... you have no idea how powerful Susu is. She is a genius in the Taoist Academy! If I really marry her, she will beat me as if it's just for fun. How can I live a good life in the future?"
Fu Daguan thought about it and realized that this was a lack of consideration. After all, Su Su was a person from the underworld and didn't have so many rules for ladies. So he nodded, put the matter aside, and talked about Linjiang.
"Do you still remember Zhang Zhice, the patriarch of Zhang's? He's Zhang Pei'er's father who jumped into the river for you."
What does it mean to jump into the river for me?
This dad is becoming less and less reliable!
"I remember, what's wrong?"
"His son, Zhang Wenhan, passed the imperial examination last year and became an official in November. I think he was appointed magistrate in Pingling. Zhang Wenhan hosted a grand banquet at Linjiang Tower for three days and three nights! As a father, I thought, since my son is such a high-ranking official now, shouldn't he host banquets at Linjiang Tower for a month?"
Fu Xiaoguan didn't care about the second half of Fu Daguan's words, he paid attention to the first half.
Zhang Wenhan actually went to Pingling County... Yan Xiwen's cousin Yan Linqiu went to Quyi County. These two counties are neighboring counties, both are barren lands, and both face threats from the barbarians in the north. I wonder how this guy will govern in Pingling County?
Seeing that his son hadn't spoken yet, Fu Daguan asked again, "Do you think it's okay or not?"
"I think with that money, it's better to recruit more talented people. Dad, the stalls in Xishan have been set up. Yao County is a major focus this year. I can't get rid of them in Shangjing. You are in Linjiang and it's not easy for you to get away with it now that all five of your mothers are pregnant. Don't we need to find some trustworthy people to manage those workshops?"
Official Fu smiled rather awkwardly and said, "Actually, among those people from Xishan you recruited last year, there are some talented people. There's a squire named Lü Dongping. I don't know if you still remember him. Although he's sixty years old, he's in good spirits. So, I promoted him to be the steward of Xishan and transferred Zhang Ce to Yao County."
"This is what I'm thinking. Lv Dongping has a very high prestige among the people of Xishan. Both Xishan and Fenglinshan are mainly populated by people from Xishan. If he is in charge, it will be more efficient. Many of the fields in Yao County belong to our family. Zhang Ce is very familiar with them, so it will be easier for him to work in Yao County."
"Also, there's the Linjiang Fu Mansion. Bai Yulian sent forty people here. He said they were eliminated during training, but they're better than the ordinary guards, so I kept them."
Ginger is indeed more spicy when it is old!
Fu Xiaoguan was very impressed with Fu Daguan's arrangement. The father and son were chatting happily when the door of Li Chenxuan was pushed open again.
Chunxiu walked in with Captain Jin from the Jinling government office.
He clasped his fists and saluted: "Jin Haozhi greets Master Fu. Master Ning invites you to go to the Jinling government office."
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