Today is not a grand court meeting, and Su Shanyue doesn’t know that Lord Fu is now the Earl of Ding’an.
Sitting in front of the tea table in the public housing, Su Shanyue brewed a pot of fragrant tea.
Fu Xiaoguan looked at Su Shanyue carefully. He knew most of the senior officials in the court, but he did not have a close relationship with many of them, such as the Minister of Dali Temple.
Su Shanyue was nearly forty years old, with a thin face and particularly striking eyebrows - they grew diagonally in the opposite direction, like two crossed swords, which made a deep impression on people and looked extremely majestic.
But at this moment, there was no dignity on Su Shanyue's face.
He smiled, as if chatting with an old friend he hadn't seen in years, and said casually, "Come to think of it, I've been serving in the same court with Your Excellency for over a year now. I've long wanted to go to the Fu Mansion to pay my respects to Your Excellency, but after thinking it over, I felt it was a bit inappropriate."
"Your status is there. I thought if I really went to your mansion, people would gossip about me, thinking I was trying to flatter you... But really, I just wanted to have some tea and chat with you."
This is a smart guy!
Fu Xiaoguan laughed heartily. "It makes sense that Lord Su is in this position. The Dali Temple is in charge of the country's laws. You should be virtuous, understand the law, and pursue justice. Your every move is being watched by many people, especially those in the Censorate. If they knew that you and I were in frequent contact, they would probably launch another impeachment."
Su Shanyue's eyes lit up. He didn't care about the second half of Fu Xiaoguan's words, but he was very interested in the sentence "be virtuous, understand the law, and investigate things to pursue public welfare."
He smiled faintly and poured a cup of tea for Fu Xiaoguan. "This 'Virtue, Understanding the Law, Investigating Things, and Pursuing Justice'... Excellent! It succinctly and concisely points out the essential characteristics of the Dali Temple. Lord Fu, I'd like to have these two sentences made into a plaque and hang it above the main hall of the Dali Temple. Is that possible?"
Fu Xiaoguan was startled. This sentence seemed to be the motto of a university in his past life. He just said it casually. There was nothing wrong with it. So he nodded, picked up the teacup and said, "Master Su, why don't you ask the emperor to write these eight words in his own handwriting? Wouldn't it be more convenient for you to do your work in the Dali Temple in the future?"
Su Shanyue was delighted, and his eyebrows suddenly raised, as if he was waving two swords:
"That's great, but I'll have to trouble you, Sir Fu."
"It's just a small matter, why would you call it labor?" Fu Xiaoguan took a sip of tea and savored it carefully. "Hmm, good stuff, a specialty of the Wu Dynasty..."
At this point, Fu Xiaoguan paused, then suddenly added, "Speaking of which, I also have a shop in Guanyun City, Wuchao. When I return, I'll write a letter and ask the shopkeeper of Guanyun City to send some of this fragrant cloud mist. First, for my fathers-in-law to try, and second, Master Su's tea is delicious, so let Master Su taste it too."
Su Shanyue was shocked. Could it be that this lord needed his help with something?
He is a lord, there is no need for him to curry favor with me!
Besides, with his status and background, is there anything he can't do in the Yu Dynasty?
Is there something that he cannot handle personally?
In just a short moment, Su Shanyue thought a lot.
Being able to sit in the position of Dali Temple Minister at the age of forty, Su Shanyue is naturally not the kind of stubborn person.
He immediately broke into a grin and bowed, "To be honest with you, Lord Fu, I really enjoy tasting tea. Unfortunately, the Dali Temple is a poorly paid government office, and I have to support a large family with that meager salary, so I can't afford to buy good tea. This Piaoxiang Yunwu tea was brought back to me from Guanyun City by my third brother's son during the New Year. It's only three taels..."
Su Shanyue raised three fingers and said, "A few days ago, Yan Zai came to the Dali Temple to inquire about the results of the interrogation of the traitor. I took it out and treated him to a pot of wine the first time. This is the second time."
"Haha..." Fu Xiaoguan laughed immediately. It is more convenient to deal with smart people.
Although His Majesty allowed him to visit the prison, this did not affect his private relationship with the Chief Justice.
"I came to visit you today because I do have something to talk to you about, but it's official business."
Upon hearing this, Su Shanyue suddenly became serious. "Master Fu, please tell me. As long as I can do it, whether it is public or private, I will do it for you."
That's beautifully said.
Fu Xiaoguan smiled slightly, "It's not a big deal. This morning at the court, I asked His Majesty for a few people, and His Majesty asked me to come and take a look first."
It turned out that he was trying to rescue someone. No one knew who was so lucky to catch the attention of this lord.
"This is a trivial matter. Who does your lordship wish to see? I will send someone to the prison to bring it up."
"Xi Xunmei, Shi Yiming, Xue Donglin, Xi Shuang, and Fei Qian."
Su Shanyue was startled, leaned forward, and whispered, "These five...are all implicated for treason. Sir, let's be honest, it's not worth it!"
"I understand what Lord Su means. There's no need to take them out of prison. I'll go take a look and ask them. If it suits my wishes, I won't make things difficult for Lord Su. I'll ask His Majesty to pardon them. If it doesn't suit my wishes, this matter ends here and we'll handle it according to the law."
"So..." Su Shanyue pondered for a moment, "I still have to say something. The Yu Dynasty is so big, and what it lacks the most is talent. Even if you rescue them, they will not be able to return to their posts, or even become officials. This is treason after all! What emperors of all dynasties hated the most was treason!
Although His Majesty hasn't issued an edict to punish them, now that they've been brought to the Dali Temple Prison, it's basically a death sentence! Otherwise, they're usually imprisoned in the Ministry of Personnel Prison. This is an unwritten rule. If Lord Fu makes things difficult for His Majesty because of them..." Su Shanyue shook his head. "That's not very wise. Lord, would you reconsider?"
His words were sincere. Since Fu Xiaoguan had the emperor's oral order that he should go to the prison to meet these five people, Su Shanyue didn't need to waste his breath.
But he still said it, simply because the young man in front of him was called Fu Xiaoguan.
He knew how powerful this young man was, and he also knew his other identity in the Wu Dynasty.
If he really asks His Majesty for someone, His Majesty will most likely agree, but is His Majesty's agreement sincere or out of necessity? This is a question worth discussing.
Since this gentleman did not return to the Wu Dynasty and accepted the position of Wofeng Daotai, it shows that he wanted to make a career in the Yu Dynasty.
But if there is any grudge between His Majesty and his father-in-law and son-in-law... I am afraid that his future governance will be more constrained.
So after hearing Su Shanyue's words, Fu Xiaoguan nodded slightly, but insisted on his own opinion:
"Let's take a look first. Sir Su, please send someone to show me the way."
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