At noon, after Princess Changping had finished comforting her grandson and Li Ang had departed, the Princess sighed. The nanny serving beside her said, “Princess, the Young Master is both filial and ambitious. Once he grows up, his future will surely be worry-free.”
“Even at his young age, Ang’er can see that the Li family is in decline.” Princess Changping was not one to complain, and after saying this, she added, “If I live a little longer, I can protect Ang’er a bit more.”
A princess’s title could not be inherited. Once Princess Changping passed away, the Li Manor would become nothing more than an ordinary residence.
The lineage of the Great Ancestor’s eldest son, Prince Qianyang, had never seen good times. Prince Qianyang had been conferred his title posthumously. Princess Changping had married early, and at that time, the Li family was just an ordinary household. Her husband was a scholar of mediocre talent. Later, when the Great Ancestor founded the country and declared himself Emperor, various posthumous and additional titles were granted, and the Li family rose in status because of Princess Changping.
However, the sons of the Li family were quite lacking. Not only was their official talent mediocre, but they were also somewhat cowardly and muddled. The Prince Consort had once caused trouble after drinking, and was so terrified his face turned pale, leading to a long illness. Afterward, he resigned from office to lead a quiet life in the manor. With his withdrawal, his sons were unable to step up and take his place.
At that time, the Great Ancestor was quite fond of the lineage of his eldest son, so Princess Changping still held some status and dignity in Shengdu. However, one person after another sat upon the dragon throne, and by now, Princess Changping’s eldest son took after her husband—incompetent and timid—though fortunately, he hadn’t picked up any other bad habits.
Among the imperial kin in Shengdu, some scions were profligates who indulged in playing with jade and antiques, or even worse, gambling.
The second son’s talent was also mediocre, and he was similarly timid—all the men of the Li family were faint-hearted. Fortunately, he knew the family held only an empty name of wealth and prestige, so he honestly held a low-ranking idle position at Taiping Temple.
The salary wasn’t much, but at least he was in a government office, holding a post and not being a mere commoner.
“Today, Ang’er stood up for himself and showed courage; that is enough.” Princess Changping was still very happy. Her grandson was stronger than the two sons she had borne.
As it happened, in the afternoon, the second son, Li Tong, who served as a Registrar at Taiping Temple, returned in a hurry. His cheeks were slightly flushed with a bit of a drunken haze, but his eyes were exceptionally bright.
“Mother, your son has been promoted.” Li Tong came in to report the good news to his mother. He was incompetent and knew that they had lived off his mother’s dowry all these years, which was truly unfilial.
Princess Changping had just woken from her afternoon nap. Hearing this, she looked at the nanny serving her, completely bewildered.
Seeing this, Li Tong felt a pang of sorrow. He knelt and kowtowed to his mother, then recounted everything in one breath. “Today, His Majesty summoned your son. He mentioned Ang’er, saying that today in the Palace School, Ang’er was wise and clear-headed, which made him think of me…”
“Tomorrow, I am to report to the Ministry of Revenue. My colleagues at Taiping Temple heard the news and congratulated me, urging me to have a few drinks.”
Otherwise, he would have been back even earlier.
Princess Changping reacted immediately upon hearing this. His Majesty had promoted her son not because of Li Tong’s talent—she had given birth to Li Tong, and knew talent was non-existent.
“It is because Ang’er spoke up for Xu Duofu.” Princess Changping immediately thought of the morning’s events at the Palace School. She just hadn’t expected that because her grandson spoke a single word for Xu Duofu, His Majesty would truly take note of it.
She was utterly speechless.
Li Tong wasn’t so stupid that he couldn’t see it, and he nodded. “Your son knows.” He could now be considered part of the Nine Thousand Years’ faction. Looking at the Imperial Visage today, it seemed to be a silent endorsement, though it wasn’t mentioned explicitly. He would have to ponder it more.
No matter what, Li Tong’s promotion was wonderful news; that was the Ministry of Revenue, a place of real power! For this, Princess Changping rewarded the servants with half a month’s silver. The manor was filled with joy, more lively than the New Year.
When Li Ang learned of it, his small face beamed with happiness. He thought silently: in the future, he must play with Xu Duofu more at school. Even if he were mocked by the other imperial scions, it wouldn’t matter.
On the way out of the palace, Xu Xiaoman had already figured out the matter of Li Tong’s promotion. He wasn’t truly a fool. Though he didn’t like to study and couldn’t write flowery prose, he was literate. All those years, Zhong Cheng had constantly hounded him to teach him characters, even punishing him if he wrote poorly—
Let’s not mention that.
Zhong Cheng wanted to help him build a faction. Besides the Eastern Depot, which was his own territory, it seemed Zhong Cheng also wanted to plant some chess pieces among the civil officials in the court… As for the purpose, Xu Xiaoman hadn’t quite figured it out yet, but it didn’t matter.
Zhong Cheng would not harm him.
On the day of Li Tong’s promotion, the news spread through every manor in Shengdu. As for the reason behind it, it certainly wasn’t because His Majesty had suddenly remembered his affection for Princess Changping, his cousin—
Ningwu Emperor was not that kind of person.
“Then could it be he suddenly took a liking to Li Tong’s talent?”
“…Li Tong has stayed at Taiping Temple for years as a minor official of the seventh rank. He doesn’t even have the status to enter the Left Hall. Where would he have the chance to meet the Imperial Visage? And to have his talent recognized?” It was enough to make one’s teeth fall out from laughing.
“Moreover, out of all the places to go and all the times to be promoted, it had to be today. And he’s filling the vacancy left by Ming Yi. Ming Yi was only arrested yesterday; the evidence hasn’t even come out, and he hasn’t been stripped of his rank yet. His Majesty is blatantly showing his trust in the Eastern Depot.”
“Also, today at the Palace School, Tian Wenhe hit Xu Duofu.”
“I heard Xu Duofu was the one who started it—”
“No matter who started it, isn’t the Imperial Will very clear by now?”
“I heard today Zhao Erxi was asking about the cause and effect in Chongming Hall. First, that group Tian Wenhe hangs out with spoke up. Zhao Erxi asked several times, and finally, Li Ang stood up…”
“Li Ang? Li Tong’s son? Based on what you’re saying, you’re not suggesting that His Majesty promoted the father just because Li Ang took Xu Duofu’s side, are you?!”
Personnel changes in the imperial court were no joke—
“Then you tell me why? Li Tong certainly has no talent.”
“…”
Could it really be because of that?
His Majesty trusted and valued Xu Xiaoman so much that he even extended such favoritism to Xu Xiaoman’s adopted son? Surely not.
They say emperors are heartless. The previous emperor had the entire family of his first wife’s natal home executed, and his son Zhong Rui had been desperate to crush his other brothers. This current one, however, was actually being so sentimental and heavy-handed in favoring a eunuch… This was far too bizarre.
Those in officialdom thought in complex ways; it wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say they had hearts with seven apertures. After discussing it at length, they bypassed the “simple and correct answer”—that Ningwu Emperor simply wanted to back Xu Duofu. Regardless, it was just a minor official; he had tested Li Tong and put him there to try him out. If he didn’t work out, he’d be replaced.
Li Tong was timid, which could be called cautious in polite terms. He didn’t dare be greedy and was meticulous in his work.
There was naturally deep meaning behind it, but these officials didn’t dare think in that direction even if their heads exploded—that Ningwu Emperor was paving the way to make his beloved eunuch the Empress. Though the chess piece was small, he was planning for the long term.
In short, these lords of the court went in a giant circle and found the answer they believed to be correct.
His Majesty was using the incident at the Palace School in Chongming Hall because he had long wanted to purge the Ministry of Revenue. When the Great Ancestor was alive, he disliked the dominance of the great families and promoted the imperial examinations to select talent for office rather than relying on recommendations from those families. Forty years had passed, and while it seemed half the court was of examination background, they were all minor officials.
The real power and lucrative posts still fell into the hands of the great families.
Thinking of this, the crowd fell silent. No one dared to speak further. They only hoped His Majesty simply disliked how arrogant and domineering Tian Ming had been and was only dealing with the Tian clan.
The winds and clouds of the court were unpredictable and treacherous. Two days later at the morning court, the memorials originally intended to impeach the Eastern Depot’s Xu Xiaoman for reckless arrests were gone. Everyone was looking to protect themselves. Despite several hints from Tian Ming, no one stood up for him.
Another two days passed, and the Supervisor of the Eastern Depot, Xu Xiaoman, submitted a memorial. He petitioned His Majesty, listing the evidence of crimes confessed by Ming Yi. Tian Ming had sold official positions, embezzled disaster relief funds, and permitted officials to accept bribes and disregard human life. Every single count was an unpardonable sin.
…
In just five days, the Minister of Revenue, Tian Ming, fell. Uprooting the radish brought up the mud; over a dozen officials were implicated. There were personnel shifts in Shengdu and local prefectures alike. Those who needed to be stripped of office were stripped; those to be executed or exiled were dealt with. Naturally, there were also officials transferred from the prefectures to Shengdu.
For a time, the atmosphere of the court was solemn and rectified.
The Palace School was suspended for two days. On the third day, the young masters of various manors entered the palace for school as usual, but this time the atmosphere was different. There were people missing from the hall. Tian Wenhe wasn’t there, nor were Du Chong and several others who usually played with him. It was heard that Master Du had been reassigned to a local post.
Some people distanced themselves from Li Ang, while others followed and played with him.
Everyone knew that Li Ang’s father had been promoted.
It was definitely because he had helped Xu Duofu.
Xu Duofu didn’t come to class; he was still “recovering.”
Everyone chattered and gossiped, unable to hold it in. The small cliques showed signs of breaking apart.
Xu Duofu, who was “recovering”: This is so boring.
At the same time, he hoped his father could return soon. Because these past few days, his Emperor Dad had been calling him over for lunch and dinner. Eating was good—the imperial chef’s skills were delicious—but his dad would often stand by his bed in the middle of the night with a cold face, silently tucking him in.
It was terrifying!!
He even told him bedtime stories. Xu Duofu thought: Who on earth tells Discourses on History as a bedtime story? It was like listening to English or Math, though the effect was indeed immediate—he would fall asleep instantly.
Amidst Xu Duofu’s grumbling, the Tian clan case finally came to an end.
On this day, Xu Duofu had just finished breakfast. Zhu Yue and the others, fearing he was bored, brought toys to amuse him—things like “pearl versions of marbles,” a rocking horse, an ancient version of a tangram, and so on. It had been several days, and the ways to play hadn’t changed, making him feel like he was the one keeping them company.
“The Supervisor is here.”
Hearing this, Xu Duofu’s eyes lit up instantly. He dropped the tangram in his hand and ran out. Xu Xiaoman had changed his clothes and looked full of energy. He had returned last night, and seeing the kid sleeping soundly, he had run off to Zhong Cheng’s place.
They had agreed on a stay of three nights.
Zhong Cheng had personally bathed his beloved eunuch and served the Nine Thousand Years a midnight snack, before holding Xu Xiaoman for a simple night of sleep.
Xu Xiaoman had been so shocked he pinched Zhong Cheng’s face, his expression screaming: Are you someone else?!
“You’ve stayed up for several nights. If you don’t sleep, I’ll show you whether I’ve changed or not.”
Xu Xiaoman closed his eyes in fright, mumbling that he was sleeping, he was sleeping.
He had meant to fake sleep, but not long after saying it, nestled in Zhong Cheng’s arms, he fell into a deep and peaceful slumber. They even had breakfast together in the morning. The Nine Thousand Years, being somewhat bashful yet very generous, said to the Ningwu Emperor: Last night doesn’t count as one night, because we didn’t do it.
Ningwu Emperor: …
This blockhead.
“The Nine Thousand Years is truly a man of his word and just.”
“Hehehe, who’s like you? I said three nights, and I mean three nights.”
He was getting cocky again.
Seeing this, Ningwu Emperor felt an itch in his heart. Tomorrow night, he would make this “hehehe” silly smiling face beg for mercy beneath him—or on top; the blockhead liked sitting on top too.
The Nine Thousand Years had no idea. When he returned to the Eastern Depot, he didn’t forget to take another jab: “Even when I said I didn’t want any more, you shamelessly kept pushing. This Eunuch is the one who keeps his word. Learn from me, hmph.”
Ningwu Emperor: …
At this moment, the spirited Nine Thousand Years saw the child happily pounce toward him and felt incredibly happy.
This Eunuch is the most honorable, masculine husband and father in the whole world. Xu Xiaoman thought.
“Today, Daddy is taking you out of the palace to play.”
Xu Duofu jumped for joy. “Daddy! You’re the best! My wise and mighty Daddy!”
“Hehehe.” Duoduo had good taste; he took after him!