Xie Zhou was happy to hold his son; he finally liked his dad!
He watched as his son pulled his finger into his mouth, drooling as he tried to eat it.
Xie Zhou was stunned for a moment; his son had already started eating. He hurriedly called for his wife.
Huan Yue wasn't in a hurry. It's a boy's nature to like his father, and a father's hands are inherently different from a mother's.
Although his father's hands may not be as strong as his mother's, his mother doesn't need to use much force when she holds him, and his father is still quite affectionate when changing his diapers.
Little Xie Yi took a bite, looked up at his dad and mom, wondering if he had bitten the wrong thing.
Huan Yue prepared to eat.
Xie Zhou asked his son, "Are you hungry?"
"I'm not hungry." Mrs. Yang picked the child up and took him away. The child would need to sleep if he ate any later.
The little boy looked at his father, a little reluctant to part with him.
Lady Yang was delighted. After the New Year, His Highness slept with the Empress again, and at night the wet nurse and palace maids only needed to stay in the outer room.
He only woke up twice during the night, and His Highness and Empress took good care of him.
Our little prince doesn't have any of those problems, like feeling unwell, tossing and turning at night, or being surrounded by a bunch of people.
Although Lady Yang was very attentive every day, she wasn't actually that tired, and was even healed by the little prince.
While eating, Xie Zhou pondered the affairs of the Great Stone Kingdom, wondering what his son meant.
Huan Yue, seeing that he was overthinking things, reminded him: "The Great Shi Kingdom is important, but the Great Zhao Kingdom is the foundation."
Xie Zhou nodded and put a pig's trotter on his wife's plate.
This pig's trotter is well-made; he loves to eat it.
Huan Yue ate his fill, enjoying the delicious food and living a very comfortable life.
In a good mood, she asked, "What does Fan Tongwen want to do in Sheng'an?"
Xie Zhou said, "His ambitions are not small."
"By the way," Huan Yue asked, "Illegal mining is rampant. Fan Tongwen must have plenty of money, right? No wonder he dared to come to Sheng'an with such confidence."
Xie Zhou was taken aback. He found it a bit strange: "On the surface, he seems quite good; his mother and granddaughter are both referred to as bodhisattvas."
Huan Yue said, "Private mining means not paying taxes to the court. He takes the lion's share, giving the common people only a little benefit. What's the use of seeking fame and reputation?"
The palace maid said from the side, "The key is the granddaughter."
Huan Yue nodded: "He takes what the court gives him and praises him for his virtue, but he has to give back what the court gives him first."
Xie Zhou nodded: "Confiscate his money first. Let's see how he holds his nerve without money."
The eunuch came to report: "Fan Tongwen bought a seven-courtyard mansion in Yongtai Ward for about 80,000 taels of silver."
Huan Yue said, "Aren't you waiting for the sage to bestow a house upon you?"
The eunuch said, "Fan Tongwen has a large family, and the house is too small for them. Only a new house would be enough."
Huan Yue said, "Give them a piece of land to bury their whole family."
Xie Zhou nodded. "Okay."
Even for high-ranking officials who receive a fixed annual salary, this is definitely not enough to make a difference.
Doesn't his whole family need food and drink?
If you can afford a mansion worth 80,000 taels of silver, you must have even more money on hand; otherwise, your future life will be insecure.
Even someone like Grand Secretary Xu, who worked hard his whole life, might not be able to afford a three-courtyard house in Sheng'an.
Huan Yue asked curiously, "Where does your confidence come from?"
Even nouveau riche should keep a low profile at Sheng'an, right?
Are nouveau riche ignorant? Even Fan Tongwen, who worked his whole life, didn't understand?
Or has his life been so smooth that he no longer needs to keep a low profile?
Or perhaps they felt they had been discreet enough by not buying the Zheng Prince's Mansion or the Qi State Duke's Mansion?
Huan Yue thought, "If the Prince Zheng's mansion is to be sold, Fan Tongwen wouldn't mind paying 500,000 taels of silver."
The palace maid said, "The Prince Zheng's residence is not the only one."
The Cui family must have put in a tremendous amount of effort to repair it back then.
The eunuch realized, "The house that Fan Tongwen bought might cost more than 80,000 taels of silver."
A house is not only judged by its size, but also by its location.
It mainly depends on the house itself. If the house and garden are well-maintained, it's not uncommon for the price to double.
The palace maids gossiped, "Whose house was this before?"
The eunuch said, "It's from the Bai family."
So this matter has dragged the Bai family into it again?
The Bai family doesn't need to sell their house at a low price until it's time to do so, right?
What kind of class does the Bai family have that they need to beg Fan Tongwen?
Unless, the Bai family has benefited from the mine.
Whether it's the mines or the fields of Zichan Mountain, various parties are involved.
The so-called complex and powerful background is just a mess.
Huan Yue pondered, "If I lift it up, it'll probably smell even worse."
We've eaten.
Xie Zhou went to his father's place again.
He doesn't use the Eastern Palace much these days. It's not that he doesn't use it, but his subordinates do. He often goes there to help his father.
When he saw his son, he asked, "How's the stone?"
Xie Zhou honestly replied, "He's holding my hand and biting it; he's probably teething."
Nowadays, people are particularly disdainful: "Are your hands clean?"
Xie Zhou assured him that he had developed obsessive-compulsive disorder because he was afraid of accidentally soiling his father's eldest grandson.
The idea that "a little dirt won't hurt you" is not the eldest grandson's business; he should be at least four or five years old before being trained in such things.
Today, when someone wanted to discuss Fan Tongwen's affairs, Chen Zuo requested an audience.
Although it was unexpected, we'll give him face today.
Chen Zuo entered the Zichen Hall to pay his respects to the Emperor and His Highness.
Let him rise and be seated.
Chen Zuo thanked the emperor and sat down on the stool. He replied, "I am not familiar with Fan Tongwen, yet he invited me to drink and wanted to discuss important matters together."
The question now is: "What grand plan?"
Chen Zuo replied, "I didn't see him. His servants implied that he was very optimistic about the Chen family and my grandchildren, probably expecting them to enjoy wealth and honor in the future. I thought to myself, there's no better option than treason. I'm terrified."
The emperor retorted, "When did you become so timid? Trying to fool me?"
Chen Zuo pointed to the sky and swore: "I am truly afraid. Look at what his servant said, I am not afraid of people, I am afraid of him not being human."
He nodded: "So what do you want to do?"
Chen Zuo was embarrassed: "Fan Tongwen probably doesn't know that I'm busy with the Sheng'an University."
We're so happy now!
Fan Tongwen and his son Fan Jing oppose Sheng'an University, and are they dragging Chen Zuo into it? Are they trying to make Chen Zuo fight himself?
Chen Zuo said, "Fan Tongwen is like a shrew cursing in the street (if he didn't really look down on him, he wouldn't call him by his name). I'm afraid he'll block my door if I ever get into a fight with him."
They'll definitely argue; they'll just have to ask the sage for a guarantee.
A palace attendant rushed in to report: "Fan Tongwen intends to arrange a marriage between the Chen and Sima families. Sima Wenxiu is willing to marry Chen Yin."
Chen Zuo really wanted to hit someone!
They're happy now too.
Chen Zuo knelt down and protested his injustice. His grandson was from a noble family, after all; what kind of family was the Sima family that they dared to marry down to someone of lower status?
He then asked him to stand up, "Have you chosen one?"
Chen Zuo cried, looking very pitiful: "I am unfortunate, there is no one to take care of my family. I want to ask someone to look after me, it's not that I can't bear to lose face."
The current emperor, showing mercy, asked: "What kind of person do you want?"
Chen Zuo hurriedly said, "I only want someone with good character; nothing else matters."
I remember now: "Xing Jieyu has a cousin. Go ask Old Madam Ruan, or ask her to help you look after one."
Chen Zuo hurriedly expressed his gratitude!
Despite the Xing family's humble origins, Consort Xing is favored by the emperor!
Madam Ruan is highly respected, so even if she were to seek help from someone, it would certainly be reliable.
Chen Zuo is truly grateful! He would serve the sage for another hundred years, even at the cost of his life.
Xie Zhou thought his father was truly amazing, as he had appeased Chen Zuo and elevated the Xing family.
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