Chapter 39 If I become rich and powerful, let us not forget each other.
When Yu Mingshu couldn't make up his mind, Wu Qiuniang made the decision for him.
Wu Qiuniang not only wanted to invite Yuan Yi, but she also wanted to invite Xie Huaijin. It was only after Yu Dan pulled her aside and told her about the previous conflict, and that Xie Huaijin did not know that Ming Shu was a girl, that Wu Qiuniang gave up the idea of getting along well with her classmate.
The housewarming banquet was scheduled for August 14th, which happened to be during the Mid-Autumn Festival holiday. Early that morning, while the chef that Yu Mingshu had hired from Fengyang Tower was still preparing the dishes, they heard a knock on the door.
Who's showing up so early?
Yu Mingshu muttered as she went to open the door, and saw Yuan Yi standing under the eaves with a sickly-looking, scholarly-looking woman. She couldn't help but ask in surprise, "Mr. Yuan, you've come so early?"
Despite her surprise, she reacted quickly, inviting the people inside while signaling Qingque to go to the backyard to call her mother and Yu Dan out.
The wooden door suddenly opened, and his vision brightened. Yuan Yi's gaze gently fell on Yu Mingshu's face, and then slowly moved to her clothes for the day.
Since she was at home, Yu Mingshu did not embellish her appearance. She wore a girlish dress, a light apricot round-neck shirt paired with an orange-red floral jacket, which matched her pale yellow twelve-piece skirt. This made her look playful and lively, which was slightly different from her usual quick-witted and calm image at the academy.
Having grown accustomed to her boyish attire, Yuan Yi was genuinely stunned to see her true appearance today. His palms unconsciously clenched, and he slowly shifted his gaze, looking around the mansion.
"I dislike banquets and gatherings, and my mother is also a quiet person. However, she couldn't bear to miss the invitation, so she chose this time to come and congratulate your family on your new house."
As he spoke, his attendants brought in several boxes of pastries. Yuan Yi continued, “The matter came so suddenly that I didn’t have time to prepare a gift. There’s a pastry shop in the East Market that’s very famous. Even people like my mother, who don’t like sweets, can’t help but praise its deliciousness. I had someone buy some this morning as a small token of my appreciation.”
Yu Mingshu was truly flattered this time. He accepted the pastries and thanked them repeatedly. He then urgently ordered the kitchen to prepare Fengyang Iced Tea's new autumn product—a hot version of red date and rose milk tea.
During the conversation, Wu Qiuniang and Yu Dan also came out. The group greeted each other, and Zhang Shi took the initiative to smile at Wu Qiuniang and said, "It's been many years since I've seen Madam Wu. You look much better now than you did back then."
Yu Mingshu was somewhat surprised, not expecting that the two were old acquaintances.
Then she realized that her father was Yang Gong's favorite student, and Yuan Yi was Yang Gong's personal disciple. In terms of relationship, her father and Yuan Yi could be considered fellow disciples. It was not surprising that their families had met and had a relationship.
Wu Qiuniang and Zhang Shi were able to talk to each other, which avoided a lot of awkwardness.
The kitchen prepared the milk tea, and Yu Mingshu personally served the teacups to the guests. "You give me a peach, I return you a precious jade. Mr. Yuan brought pastries from the East Market, so I can only reciprocate with the most famous Fengyang milk tea from the West Market."
"I've long heard of your reputation, and today I'm finally fortunate enough to taste it." Yuan Yi happily took a small sip, and like most drinkers, he couldn't help but greedily swallow several more after just one sip.
Seeing that Madam Zhang was just looking at the cup without touching it, Yu Mingshu said, "These red dates nourish the blood and qi, roses are good for the complexion, and the milk tea base is warm. Madam Zhang might as well try some."
Zhang hesitated before picking up the cup, and her eyes widened noticeably the moment the milk tea entered her mouth.
Seeing their reactions, Yu Mingshu felt reassured.
The new product, Fengyanglou, hasn't officially gone on sale yet. Yuan Yi arrived at the perfect time, becoming a guinea pig. Judging from his and Zhang's reactions after trying it, Fengyanglou's profits this month won't be low, and her share of the profits will be quite substantial.
Yuan Yi was unaware of her thoughts, only noticing a genuine smile on her brow and a shrewd glint in her eyes, yet she didn't come across as repulsive as a calculating and treacherous person; instead, she was incredibly endearing.
The word "adorable" popped into his mind, and he was taken aback. Maintaining his composure, he calmly asked, "You've moved to Yongning Ward, which is quite far from the West Market. How do you plan to maintain this business?"
Yu Mingshu once again distanced himself from the matter, saying, "I only provide the recipe and don't handle the business. I only go there once or twice a month, so I don't care about the half-hour drive."
After chatting for a while, the knocking sounded again. When Yu Mingshu looked up, she noticed that Yuan Yi's expression tightened noticeably. Recalling the rumors about his background, she realized how powerful gossip could be. He truly disliked receiving guests, especially not with his mother, Zhang Shi.
"Go see who's here," Yu Mingshu whispered to Luo Yan.
Luo Yan went out to greet them, and as soon as the door opened a crack, He Zheng's bold voice pierced through the front yard and reached everyone's ears.
"Mingshu! Look what I brought you!"
Luo Yan's slender figure was no match for the young man from a military family. In the blink of an eye, the man had already stepped into the courtyard, acting as if he were an old acquaintance visiting someone's home.
If we're talking about the old house in Yong'anfang, He Zheng could certainly be considered a regular customer, but this new house is his first time here, so why isn't he a little shy? Luo Yan snapped out of her daze and hurriedly chased after him, winking and making faces to stop him.
He Zheng couldn't understand her expression, but he still stopped in his tracks. "Miss Luo Yan, what's wrong with your eyes?"
Luo Yan closed her eyes silently and had to lower her voice to say, "There are guests in the hall."
"Who arrived before me?"
He Zheng, skeptical, walked inside, but his steps slowed. When he saw who was sitting in the hall, he gaped in astonishment, "Mr. Yuan... Mr. Yuan?"
Seeing that it was him, Yu Ming breathed a sigh of relief. She already knew He Zheng's character; he would never embarrass Yuan Yi and Zhang Shi.
But she was overthinking it. After He Zheng greeted her and took his seat, Yuan Yi got up to leave, giving He Zheng a meaningful look as he went.
People seemed completely unaware that Yu Mingshu was dressed as a woman today, and still clung to her side without any restraint, even bowing and scraping when they spoke.
That brat is truly rude.
Considering the fact that the two families were from the same school, Wu Qiuniang personally got up to see the guest off, chatting and laughing all the way to the door with Zhang Shi.
“Ming Shu and San Lang are at the academy during the day, and I’m bored by myself. If you don’t mind, Madam Zhang, I’ll come to you for tea and a chat when I have time.”
Zhang's situation was similar to Wu Qiuniang's, and even more desolate.
The Yu siblings went home after school, and the family could eat dinner together at the same table, spending at least five hours a day together as a family. In contrast, Yuan Yi, apart from lecturing at the academy, spent most of his time traveling between the Yang and Zhang families, only visiting Yongningfang once every three to five days.
Zhang had lived alone for many years, suppressing her naturally quiet nature into a withdrawn one. Now that someone had taken the initiative to keep her company, she subconsciously agreed.
Once the person was out of sight, He Zhengcai seemed to have been released from his seal, and with a wave of his hand, he ordered Jing Hong to bring the things up.
The word "lift" was truly intimidating. Yu Mingshu opened her eyes wide and looked over, "What is that?"
Jinghong and an unfamiliar servant carried a mahogany box into the courtyard. The box landed steadily, and He Zheng opened the lid. Inside the box were thick stacks of letters and stationery.
Due to its age, the paper was yellowed and wrinkled, and some of the writing was blurred. However, Wu Qiuniang recognized it at a glance; the blurred writing was indeed Yu Zhui's handwriting, and she was so surprised that she covered her mouth with her sleeve.
"Back then, Imperial Censor Yu was ordered to inspect the waterways. Along the way, he kept writing and recording his observations of the people's lives in his notebook. He also drafted many policy essays. After the incident, the officials who accompanied him presented these drafts to the palace. The emperor read a few of them and then shelved the rest."
“These things were left unattended in the palace, so after much thought, I requested an imperial decree to send them back to your esteemed residence.”
When recounting this, He Zheng was much more serious than usual. Everyone in the Yu family was taken aback; no one had expected that the housewarming gift sent by He Erlang would be so extraordinary.
When Yu Zhui passed away, Yu Dan was still too young, and Yu Mingshu was a completely different person who had never met his biological father. Therefore, when the two of them saw this box of old things, they were only a little surprised and did not have much emotional fluctuation.
Wu Qiuniang stood frozen in place, her eyes welling up with tears that welled up involuntarily. Yu Mingshu silently stepped back, making room for his mother.
As Wu Qiuniang leaned over the box, her right hand trembling as she reached for the letter, her fingers lightly brushing the words on the paper, afraid that the sweat on her hand would blur the already unclear writing.
Yu Mingshu couldn't help but ask, "Why did you think of giving this as a gift?"
He Zheng said, “I heard from my cousin, the Crown Prince, that His Majesty was curious about you. He took many of your articles from Yang Gong and also dug out Yu Yu’s old articles to compare the two… Only then did I realize that there was such a large box of Yu Yu’s manuscripts in the palace.”
"So you went to His Majesty to get it?" Yu Mingshu asked incredulously. "You have that much influence?"
“I just feel that Imperial Censor Yu is neither a relative nor an acquaintance of His Majesty, and it is not right for him to be thinking of someone when he sees an object.” He Zheng turned his head and smiled at her. “Of course, I am not so arrogant as to speak to the Emperor myself. I just mentioned it to my aunt and cousin, and that was it.”
Seeing Wu Qiuniang's delighted expression, Yu Mingshu felt a pang of emotion. If she were truly Yu Zhui's daughter, she would surely be overjoyed and touched to receive this gift.
Even though Yu Zhui and she were not father and daughter, Yu Mingshu couldn't help but cherish this box of manuscripts because of other people's evaluation of Yu Zhui and their praise for his articles.
"This housewarming gift is truly special; He Erlang has put a lot of thought into it."
Hearing such sincere thanks, He Zheng frowned imperceptibly, and his gaze on her face hesitated for a moment.
Yu Mingshu was being too polite to him.
In fact, she usually speaks like this: polite in her words and heartfelt in her content. In general, she is courteous but not distant.
For some reason, today, as he listened to her polite words, He Ting's gloating voice kept echoing in his ears—"In the end, it's because the two of you aren't close enough."
He held back for a long time, but couldn't help but blurt out his thoughts: "Ming Shu, you rarely call me by my name."
The question came suddenly, even somewhat inexplicably. Yu Mingshu was taken aback. He first glanced in Wu Qiuniang's direction and saw that his mother was still immersed in the emotion of reminiscing about the past and had not heard their conversation. Only then did he seriously consider He Zheng's question.
"Actually, I'm not used to using surnames or generational names either, but your name only has one character. Don't you think it's strange to always call me by my full name?"
He Zheng was speechless.
He had to admit that Yu Mingshu was right. It was indeed inappropriate to call him by his full name all the time, but if he omitted his surname and called him A-Zheng or Zheng Lang, it would be even stranger!
After thinking it over, he said in a low voice, "Actually, I have a courtesy name, you can also call me Xingzhao."
"He Hongzhao?" Yu Mingshu muttered to himself, then readily changed his address, "I'll remember that, I'll call you Xingzhao from now on."
He Zheng smiled and finally looked away with satisfaction, only to meet Yu Dan's deep gaze.
“He Xingzhao, you can call me Yu Ziming from now on.”
He Zheng didn't react much, but Yu Mingshu blurted out, "Amon?"
Yu Dan gritted his teeth and said, "It's Yu Ziming, not Lü Ziming."
He Zheng laughed, "I know, I'll call you A-Meng from now on."
Wu Qiuniang finally snapped out of her thoughts amidst the laughter and commotion of the three, ordered someone to put away the box of letters, and then instructed Qingque to bring out pastries and fruits to entertain the guests.
Later that evening, other guests she had invited arrived, mostly former classmates and colleagues of Yu Zhui, including Madam Zhu, whose family was large and prosperous.
Hearing that Madam Yang would be bringing Zhu Liulang along, Yu Mingshu was troubled for a while. Anyone would feel uncomfortable meeting a former blind date. It wasn't until she heard that Zhu Liulang was already engaged that she felt relieved.
Yu Dan turned to He Zheng and complained, "These are all old friends I haven't contacted in years. I don't know what my mother was thinking, insisting on holding this housewarming banquet."
He Zheng looked around and saw that the room was full of familiar faces, all of whom were relatives of officials with some influence in the court. He suddenly had a bad feeling and said to Yu Mingshu, "Could this be prepared for you?"
What should we prepare?
Yu Mingshu only paused for a second before reacting and decisively denying it: "There is absolutely no such possibility. I have already made it clear to my mother that I am not getting married."
For some reason, He Zheng felt a sense of relief.
Yu Mingshu also carefully examined the guests present, his gaze sweeping around before returning to Yu Dan, "Perhaps they are paving the way for you."
Or perhaps it's paving the way for "Yu Erlang".
As expected, during the meal, someone subtly inquired about the identity of Yu Erlang, who had recently become famous in the capital. They wondered why they had never heard of Wu Qiuniang having a son.
A very small number of close relatives, such as Madam Zhu, had heard about the Yu family's secrets before and couldn't help but ask: Why did the adopted son who was sent back to his hometown come to the capital again?
Some outspoken people almost said it outright: "Did you spoil Sanlang so much that you're pinning your hopes on your adopted son?"
Yu Dan's face gradually darkened, and he whispered to his best friend, "Do they think I'm deaf?"
Helpless, Wu Qiuniang used the rhetoric that Yu Mingshu had prepared, which was nothing more than saying that the educational resources in their hometown were not as good as those in the capital, that the Yu family's descendants were getting worse with each generation, and that they had finally produced a promising student, so how could they let him be buried in the countryside?
Madam Zhu asked curiously, "Why isn't Erlang here at today's housewarming banquet?"
Wu Qiuniang hesitated and turned to Yu Mingshu for help.
Yu Mingshu made up a lie very quickly, and said with a smile, "It's quite a coincidence. We only found out that our neighbor was a teacher at the academy after we moved to our new house. Erlang is so engrossed in poetry and books that he went to the teacher's house early this morning to ask questions. He was probably so absorbed in his studies that he forgot the time."
Wu Qiuniang also said, "This child is willful and capricious, let's leave him alone."
Madam Zhu said with some regret, "I've heard so much about him but never had the chance to meet him. It's such a pity."
"We'll have plenty of opportunities to meet again in the future."
When Yu Mingshu said this, he would never have imagined that this "future" would come so quickly.
After the guests had all left in the afternoon, Luo Yan was about to close the gate and sweep the courtyard when she saw a group of people dressed in imperial court attire walking towards the street in the distance. She hurriedly went to call Yu Mingshu out.
Yu Mingshu had no choice but to put the jade hairpin she had just removed back in and hurriedly came out to meet the person. When she saw that it was an imperial eunuch who had come to deliver an imperial decree, she and Wu Qiuniang, who had come upon hearing the commotion, exchanged a glance, both of them shocked.
The eunuch wore a kind smile and said, "His Majesty has decreed that a Mid-Autumn Lantern Festival will be held at Qingjiang Pond tomorrow, inviting talented scholars from the capital to attend and compose poems. I have heard that your son is a man of exceptional talent, possessing both ancient and modern wisdom, so I urge you, Young Master Yu, to make time for the event."
The two people in front of him stood there stunned. The eunuch couldn't help but urge, "Madam Wu, Miss Yu, please invite Second Master Yu out to receive the imperial decree."
Yu Mingshu snapped out of her daze and quickly feigned a look of panic: "Second Brother has gone out today and I'm afraid he won't be back for a while. I wonder if Mother and I could accept the imperial decree on his behalf? We will certainly convey the message truthfully when Second Brother returns!"
The eunuchs didn't just come to the Yu family's residence to deliver the imperial decree; they went to several other houses. The Yu family's residence wasn't the first, nor the last. It was already evening, and they needed to get back before the palace gates closed, so they couldn't afford to delay any longer.
Thinking that this was just a verbal order and that there was no need for the person to bathe, burn incense, and kowtow three times to receive the decree, the eunuch agreed after only a slight hesitation.
Watching the group leave, Yu Mingshu looked up at the sky, her feelings quite complicated.
She wanted to take the civil service exam, become an official, and take a different path from being a wife and mother, determined to win the emperor's favor... But she never thought of using Yu Erlang's identity to enter the emperor's world!
In her original plan, she was only using Yu Erlang's identity to study at Chang'an Academy, and she would switch back to her real name when the imperial examination came.
Since there was a precedent of Princess Huailing in the previous dynasty, the qualification review for the imperial examination should not be gender-based. Even if she was eliminated on the day the results were released, she would still have the opportunity to market herself and use it as a springboard... This is messed up, her plans are completely disrupted.
Yu Dan then realized what had happened and came out carrying the leftover grapes from the meal. "Sister, if you become rich and powerful, don't forget me."
Yu Mingshu glanced at him, then snatched half a bunch of grapes from him. "It's all your fault for looking at notes in class. If I accidentally expose myself and end up being accused of deceiving the emperor, implicating my whole family, you'll be fully responsible."
Yu Dan glanced at the suddenly lighter grapes, then at his elder sister's departing figure, and turned to Wu Qiuniang blankly: "What does 'dropping the mask' mean?"
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