Chapter 83 Six is auspicious
The newly crowned top scholar before him continued, "The Book of the Later Han records that Fan Shi and Zhang Shao had a pact of chicken and rice. When Zhang Shao died, Fan Shi rode a plain carriage and white horse, traveling a thousand miles to attend his funeral. When people asked him why, Fan Shi replied, 'How could I change my mind over life and death?' I often use this to teach my family—if friendships sway with power, what's the difference between them and ordinary transactions?"
Hearing this, Xiao Yuancheng fell silent. The wind blew into the hall, and the top scholar's last whispered words completely convinced him.
"When Liu Hedong was exiled to Yongzhou, his old friends disappeared. Only Liu Yuxi did not shy away from the taboos of the time and eventually became a legend through the ages. Although I am not talented, I hope my family can emulate the spirit of the ancients."
The emperor was silent for a few breaths, then burst into laughter: "What a sharp-tongued champion! Stand up!"
Xu Huaiyu secretly breathed a sigh of relief, knowing that this hurdle was temporarily passed, but he did not dare to neglect it: "Thank you, Your Majesty."
"Never mind. I'll trust you for now." The emperor waved his hand. "You can leave. Remember, I'm asking you a question today..."
"Today I am only following the imperial edict to explain the meaning of the scriptures, nothing else to do." Xu Huaiyu understood.
The emperor nodded with satisfaction, but after Xu Huaiyu left, his face darkened: "Bai De'an."
"The old slave is here."
"Send someone to keep a close eye on the Xu family." The emperor narrowed his eyes, "Especially Madam Xu. Also, investigate whether Xu Huaiyu's relationship with the Xi family is as he claims."
The hall returned to silence, with only the ticking of the clock.
The emperor looked at the direction where Xu Huaiyu left and suddenly sighed: "Even a foreign minister knows that friendship cannot be broken, but my sons are avoiding me one by one..."
Bai De'an stood with his head bowed, thinking to himself: Even the wife of the top scholar would be interrogated like this when she went to visit him. If the princes really went there, who knows what kind of trouble would be caused.
But he only said respectfully: "Your Majesty is kind and benevolent. The princes must be afraid of displeasing you..."
"Afraid?" The emperor sneered, flicking his sleeves and returning to his desk. "I think they wish they had never seen each other again. They're all so busy staring at my chair, how can they have time to visit their brothers?"
He said as he suddenly slammed the paperweight, "That's his brother!"
People are so contradictory. Before the crown prince was deposed, he hoped that his sons would fight among themselves. After the crown prince was deposed, he wanted his brothers to live in harmony.
Bai De'an shuddered with fear and lowered his head even lower.
*
When Xu Huaiyu returned to the mansion, the sun was already setting. Shanshan was pruning flowers in the courtyard. Seeing him return, she immediately went forward and asked with concern, "Husband, did your audience with the emperor go well today?"
Xu Huaiyu remained silent. After pulling his wife into the inner room, he whispered, "Your Majesty, this is about your visit to the palace yesterday."
Shanshan's scissors suddenly fell, almost piercing her foot, but luckily they were deflected. She didn't care about that and hurriedly asked, "Did I insist on going and cause you trouble? What does His Majesty say?"
"Don't panic." Xu Huaiyu picked up the scissors and helped her sit down. "I've managed it for now."
Xu Huaiyu picked up the celadon teapot, and the warm water poured into the cup. The lingering tea fragrance spread between the two of them.
He first poured a cup for Shanshan, then slowly filled it for himself, and slowly told her everything about his meeting with the emperor.
"This is a risky move."
Shanshan picked up the teacup and looked at her husband, waiting for an explanation. There were only flowers and plants in her mind, and she was a little confused about the affairs of the court.
"Your Majesty's greatest fear has never been of a minister befriending the deposed Crown Prince," Xu Huaiyu patiently explained to his wife, taking a sip of tea. "It's of colluding with him and coveting the throne."
The swaying shadows of bamboo outside the window cast a crisscrossing light and shadow on his brows. Shanshan suddenly discovered that the eyes of her husband, whom she had always thought to be calm and kind, now had a frightening calmness.
"If I deny it today, I will prove that I am guilty." He picked up the teapot to add water, and the water flowed gurglingly.
"It would be better to use 'friendship' as a sword to move His Majesty's heart." The tea swirled in the cup. "Your Majesty needs a loyal minister who dares to speak the truth."
Shanshan was simple, but she wasn't easily fooled. How could the danger be dismissed with just one sentence? She immediately thought, "But if Your Majesty doesn't believe me..."
Xu Huaiyu smiled faintly and said, "It's only been a month since the Crown Prince was deposed, and the princes are already unable to contain their excitement. The day before yesterday, Prince Wen sent me calligraphy and paintings by famous artists, and yesterday, Prince An invited me to a banquet."
He tapped the rim of the cup with his fingertips, making a clear sound. "If I simply refuse, I'll be ostracized and people will think I'm arrogant. But if I accept an invitation from His Highness..."
"It means standing in line." Shanshan's fingertips felt cold, and the teacup couldn't help but tremble.
"That's right. How can I, a newly crowned top scholar, easily get involved in the fight for the throne?" Xu Huaiyu held his wife's hand, comforting her. "But the deposed crown prince is different. He's a commoner with a broken leg, now all alone and helpless."
The corners of his lips curled up slightly. "Your Majesty is very suspicious, but I can take advantage of it. My words about 'fatherly love' today were to remind him of the goodness of the deposed crown prince."
"But if someone uses the organization to trap..."
"Don't worry. Today's conversation has already been made clear to His Majesty."
Xu Huaiyu took a sip of tea and said, "I have already told Your Majesty that this is an old friendship between women. If you don't go, it will make us look guilty. You can go and talk to her later. If you suddenly don't go, it will only make Your Majesty suspicious."
The tea in the cup was empty. He put the cup down to refill it and added, "But two or three times a month is fine. Too frequent is not good."
Seeing his wife still looking worried, Xu Huaiyu simply hugged her and comforted her, "Don't be afraid, just do what you have to do. It's not good to break up a hard-earned friendship just because of this."
Although the wife of the top scholar he met this time became the concubine of the deposed crown prince, Xu Huaiyu would not cut off their relationship because of this.
He knew very well that his wife had a simple character. Not to mention that he would definitely get married and become a prime minister in the future, as an official, his wife would have to deal with other ladies in the capital. If she didn't have one or two good friends, she would inevitably be lonely and helpless, with no one to help her.
With his chin resting on his wife's shoulder, Xu Huaiyu's gaze suddenly became profound: "There is another reason, which I have never told anyone..."
"Before I went to Beijing to take the imperial examination last year, I went for a walk alone in the Western Hills to relax. Halfway up the mountain, I saw a small Taoist temple with mottled green tiles and a half-closed door."
This was the first time her husband had mentioned this matter. Shanshan tried to sit up straight, but Xu Huaiyu hugged her. If the previous incident didn't need to be too taboo, then this matter must not be spread outside.
"I didn't believe in these things, but somehow I walked in." Xu Huaiyu's voice gradually lowered. "There was only an old Taoist priest in the temple, sweeping fallen leaves. I donated five taels of silver, and he invited me for tea."
Dusk deepened outside the window, casting his profile in shadow.
"The Taoist priest said that I have the appearance of purple air coming from the east, and I will definitely be ranked among the top."
"I thought it was just a normal compliment and was about to say goodbye, but he suddenly grabbed my hand—"
Shanshan's heart also tightened.
"He wrote the word 'six' on my palm." Xu Huaiyu's voice was almost inaudible. "He said 'six is auspicious'..."
"You should know the rank of the person in the palace."
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