Chang'an is good

Chapter 670 Extra 8 - Trivia in the Capital

Autumn of the fourth year of Changhua.

She Cai and Xiao Min returned to Beijing from Jiannan Road and Lingnan Road respectively, and the chaos in the southwestern territory of Dasheng was completely stopped.

In this year, the emperor officially abolished the Jiedushi official system and the old system of separate governance.

The names of various roads such as Huainan Road and Jiannan Road came to an end and became a sealed history.

This was a major reform, but Li Suining had already laid sufficient groundwork for it after he ascended the throne. Prince Cui Jing, the Holy Protector, frequently went out of the capital for inspections, also to implement the new military system. Many people had already been prepared for this.

Therefore the transition is overall smooth.

Just as Xue Fu, the governor of Shuofang, was transferred to be the governor of Lingzhou, She Cai would also be appointed as the governor of Yizhou.

In terms of official rank, this was a demotion, but the court did make up for it - several governors who had served as Jiedushi were granted titles and increased salaries based on their merits, and the titles could be passed down to future generations.

Regardless of other people, She Cai did not pursue these things too much. She believed that she had been satisfied for a long time. This time, she specially asked for the emperor's permission because she wanted to stay in the capital for a longer period of time.

Nothing else, it was just that she missed the emperor very much after not seeing him for several years. Although the word "miss" always seemed too superficial and casual, and it seemed that it should not be used on the emperor, it was shepherd's purse's truest feeling. Since she followed the emperor, she had never been apart for such a long time. She was a female eagle, and she often wiped away tears quietly because of thinking about the emperor in the past few years.

She Cai had made up her mind that she would be the first person to go to Beijing to report on her work every year. When she was over fifty, and the court had trained a more useful and reliable confidant for His Majesty than she was, she would retire early and take root in Beijing, not going anywhere else but staying by His Majesty's side.

After She Cai came to Beijing, she went to the palace every day. She would always talk about official business first, then talk about her experiences and ideas, and finally chat about small things. She only talked a few words because she was afraid to disturb His Majesty.

Shepherd's Purse mentioned some affairs of Tuyuhun. The new leader of Tuyuhun was appointed by the emperor and given the surname Li.

Murong Shouping, the son of Mingluo and Murong Yun, was deposed and imprisoned by the Murong royal family when Mingluo was brought to the capital for trial. Not long after that, an unexpected secret was exposed -

The child named Murong Shouping was actually a girl.

It turns out that in order to successfully become regent, Ming Luo concealed the child's true gender during birth.

Mingluo had her own power in Tuyuhun and officials loyal to her. This secret was not revealed until the child was deposed and imprisoned.

After Ming Luo was executed in the capital, the news reached Yizhou. She Cai once went to Tuyuhun and met the imprisoned child.

She was an extremely taciturn girl. When she heard the news of her mother's death, she was not moved at all and said calmly: "This is what she deserved."

Shepherd's Purse asked her: [Do you want to leave here? ]

She shook her head: [No.]

Shepherd's Purse: [Why? Do you want to be locked up like this forever? ]

She said: [I will die if I go out, and I don’t want to die.]

Because of her mother, countless people wanted to kill her, including people from Tuyuhun, Tubo, and even Dasheng.

Shepherd's Purse didn't ask any more questions and turned away.

After hearing this, Li Suining said nothing more and had no intention of getting involved. He just let Tuyuhun handle it on its own.

On this day, She Cai brought into the palace a list of names of talents she had selected in Yizhou over the past few years. One of them caught Li Suining's attention. He was from Yuezhou, his surname was Zuo, and he was originally a county magistrate in Jiannan Road under the rule of Li Yin.

"Is this the son of Zuo Yuanwai from Yuezhou?"

Shepherd's Purse smiled in surprise and said, "Your Majesty has a really good memory. He even remembers such a small matter! It's him! This man is so pragmatic and can be used."

Li Suining nodded: "The Ministry of Personnel will appoint him later."

When Li Suining mentioned this Zuo Yuanwai, she couldn't help but think of the child named Xiaoao. She wondered if he had joined the army as he said that year. She would know when she saw a general named Xiaoao in the future.

At the time of Shen, he chatted with Xier for a while and then left Ganlu Hall.

When She Cai was about to step out of the palace gate of Ganlu Palace, she met Prince Cui Jing, who was dressed in purple.

Shepherd's Purse bowed with a smile, sighing in her heart. Even though she had seen this Holy Prince many times, every time she saw him, the same voice "Oh my God" would pop up in her mind, just like when she first saw him on the bank of the Bian River that year.

Cui Jing was wearing the robes of a prince, so he must have gone out to handle official business.

And Ah Dian, who followed behind him, also seemed to have followed him out of the palace. At this time, he was holding two bags of sugar-roasted chestnuts in his hands. He handed the opened bag to Shepherd's Purse and said enthusiastically: "General Hao, try it, it's delicious!"

Shepherd's Purse smiled and reached out to grab a few, inviting Ah Dian to visit her home when he had time: "...I'll make celery dumplings for General Dian!"

Ah Dian nodded rapidly, saying "okay, okay, okay" repeatedly.

Not far from the Ganlu Temple, Shecai met another acquaintance.

The young female official was neatly dressed, and beside her was a female historian holding official documents.

"Lord Yao, are you going to Ganlu Palace?" Shepherd's Purse greeted with a smile.

Yao Ran nodded slightly, raised his hand to salute Shepherd's Purse, and did not say much.

She Cai was accustomed to Yao Ran's taciturnity and indifference. After she returned to Beijing, she also heard about Yao Ran's current reputation in the court. He was one of the most lonely ministers and never socialized with others. Even his father Yao Yi had to avoid suspicion of him. It was said that he moved out of the Yao family last year and lived alone, and would only return home for a reunion with his family on the first and fifteenth day of every lunar month.

In short, Lord Yao is well-known for only caring about official business and will not easily give a good face to anyone - of course, except His Majesty.

Another female official, Wu Chunbai, who was also appointed and given an actual position at the beginning of His Majesty's accession to the throne, is often secretly compared with Yao Ran. In everyone's eyes, the temperaments and styles of these two people are completely opposite.

Wu Chunbai worked in the Honglu Temple of the Ministry of Rites, in charge of sacrificial rituals and exchanges with various states. He was very good at communicating with people, and during his many years in office, he had almost never had any friction or conflict with his colleagues.

When She Cai left the palace, the six ministries were on duty, and many officials went out together.

It was the fourth year since the emperor ascended the throne. The busy period had passed, and the country's political machinery had begun to show scale and order. Everything was running in an orderly manner. With the development of education, the training and delivery of talents was also considerable. The king did not encourage officials to work late into the night, and the gates of the imperial city would be closed on time every day.

At this time, there was still more than an hour before closing time, and the officials from the six ministries were not in a hurry. They walked slowly while talking with their colleagues.

When some people saw shepherd's purse, they stopped and raised their hands to greet the emperor's confidant who held real power.

Wu Chunbai, who came to the Ministry of Rites to report a matter, was also among them. She bowed to Shepherd's Purse with a smile. Her behavior was generous and frank, bright and calm, and her smile showed a sense of friendliness.

She walked with Shepherd's Purse for a while. Shepherd's Purse loved chatting with people about family matters. She learned that Wu Chunbai had not yet decided on a marriage, and that he was not like Yao Ran, who had a look on his face that said "stay away from strangers and stay away from acquaintances". So Shepherd's Purse asked Wu Chunbai if he had any plans for marriage.

Wu Chunbai did not shy away from his embarrassment and said with a smile, "No hurry, I'll think about this in a few years."

Shepherd's Purse smiled and patted her shoulder: "Okay, I'll keep an eye on you when the time comes!"

Wu Chunbai nodded with a smile.

Not far away, Song Xian, who was surrounded by a group of officials from the Ministry of Justice, looked at Wu Chunbai.

After She Cai separated from Wu Chunbai, she had just taken Hao Huan to the carriage when she heard Hao Huan remind her, "My Lord, do you know about that rumor?"

"Which rumor?"

Hao Huan: "Most of the officials in the capital know that the reason why Minister Song of the Ministry of Justice has not married yet is that he is waiting for Master Wu of the Honglu Temple..."

Song Xian was born as a top scholar, and he held a high position at a young age. He was the ideal son-in-law that many people dreamed of. As they could not get him, they inevitably wanted to find out the truth. After a while, they found many clues about Minister Song's feelings. If you like someone and wait for someone like this, no matter how you restrain yourself, you can't hide it.

This matter is almost a secret known to everyone.

"Oh, that." Shepherd's Purse was not surprised. She had heard about it, but she said, "Let him wait. If he waits, does that mean I have to marry him? It's a matter of mutual consent. You can't hold a knife against someone."

After hearing this, Hao Huan thought about it carefully and nodded. That was true.

She Cai took a ride back to her residence in the capital. As soon as she entered the second gate, Jiaozi came to greet her: "Mom, Manager Ping is back!"

The dusty steward hurried forward and saluted She Cai: "Master."

Shepherd's Purse asked, "Is everything settled?"

The steward said: "Don't worry, master. I will personally send the person back home."

The "person" the steward was referring to was Jiaozi's older brother Mantou.

This story begins at the end of the previous year - after many twists and turns, steamed buns finally made their way from Hezhou to the capital.

At that time, She Cai was in Yizhou. Jiaozi felt sorry for his brother because of all the hardships he had suffered along the way, so he wrote a letter to A Niang begging her to allow him to take him in.

Shecai has adopted many homeless children over the years. She had no intention of taking Mantou back on her own initiative, but now that he had come to her door, they were mother and son, and the child might have been ignorant in the past, so she didn't need to treat him as an enemy and drove him away, so she acquiesced to Jiaozi's request.

But Mantou's subsequent performance disappointed Shepherd's Purse.

He hated studying and refused to learn a skill. Instead, he quickly gathered a group of bad friends and developed bad habits, including eating, drinking, gambling, and whoring. He even beat up the son of an official.

He took advantage of his mother being the emperor's confidant and a military governor to do whatever he wanted. He didn't listen to anyone's advice or teachings at all, and even beat dumplings because of gambling.

Shepherd's Purse is kind-hearted but also decisive. She gave his son one more chance and preserved the relationship between them. But now it seems she can no longer tolerate it.

She asked two female soldiers under her command to return to Beijing first to handle the matter on her behalf.

Mantou heard the news and stole the cash and valuables from the mansion and ran away overnight.

The steward of the Hao Mansion took people to chase after him. Mantou hid for several months. One time, he was drunk and was suddenly found at the door. He broke his leg while escaping in a panic.

She Cai didn't ask anyone to treat him, but instead sent him back to Hezhou to find his father.

The father and son just happened to have a pair of good legs together. Hezhou was prosperous, and as long as they worked hard, they should not starve to death.

If you are not diligent, you deserve to die. As shepherd's purse said, bridges should be returned to bridges, roads should be returned to roads, people should be returned to people, and animals should be returned to animals.

Shepherd's Purse walked into the yard with the dumplings, asking him about his recent homework.

By the end of October, the capital was already feeling the chill.

In Anxingfang, from a relatively simple house, a child of three or four years old ran out and went to visit the two-story house next door with ease.

The plaque on the door of this two-story mansion reads "Song's House". It is Song Xian's residence, and now his parents and brothers all live here.

The little boy was Tan Li's son. He was playmates with Brother Song Xian's two children. Of course, the most important thing was that the Song family's charcoal basin was very warm, and the children liked to rub against the charcoal basin, and in summer they would rub against the ice basin.

Tan Li's current salary is naturally not small, but he comes from a very poor family, and his parents are used to being frugal. The old couple wanted to save money to buy a larger and more spacious courtyard in Beijing, so they were not as generous as the Song family in using ice and charcoal on a daily basis.

This child who eats charcoal in winter and ice in summer is about to turn three. In Tan Li's hometown, there is a custom of holding a banquet for the eldest son's third birthday. The banquet is held on a holiday, and Song Xian and others have all received invitations.

Tan Li invited all his familiar colleagues and classmates, including Wu Chunbai.

At the banquet, a colleague drank two too many glasses of wine and started to tease Song Xian and Wu Chunbai, but he was interrupted by Song Xian before he could finish his words.

Song Xian was the highest-ranking official at the banquet, the Vice Minister of the Ministry of Justice. His colleague was a little sober, smiled awkwardly, and quickly drank a penalty drink to apologize to everyone.

After the banquet, Wu Chunbai left the Tan family, and Song Xian followed her out, apologetically saying to her: "Brother Hu just spoke out of turn, please don't blame me, Lord Wu..."

"That's fine." Wu Chunbai still smiled and said as he walked, "If you want to really stop the rumors, it's simple. Sir Song just needs to get married as soon as possible."

Having known each other for many years and serving in the same court for several years, they were already very familiar with each other and no longer had the hesitation of youth. Perhaps taking advantage of the alcohol, Song Xian was determined to make things clear. After a moment of silence, he said bluntly: "However, the person Song is concerned about has no plans to discuss marriage yet."

Song Xian accompanied Wu Chunbai all the way out of the gate and came to a small alley. At the entrance of the alley, a winter plum tree was quietly blooming.

Wu Chunbai stopped and the smile on his lips faded slightly.

But then he heard the man who had also stopped say, "Song knows his own feelings. If he marries someone else, it will only lead to mistakes for both himself and others. This is neither wise nor upright."

The young man stood under the plum tree. His usually sharp eyes became gentle at this moment, but his firmness and stubbornness remained the same as at the beginning.

Wu Chunbai smiled silently again and asked bluntly, "Master Song, do you want me to feel guilty over time?"

Song Xian looked at her and asked, "Could it be that Lord Wu would do that?"

Their eyes met, Wu Chunbai's eyelashes twitched slightly, and after a moment, he slowly raised his eyebrows and shook his head: "I can't. Even if I say I can, it's just an act."

Song Xian: “Yeah.”

--Um?

Looking at those eyes that showed no surprise at all, Wu Chunbai was actually a little surprised.

It turned out that he had long seen her self-willed nature beneath her approachable appearance, and had also long seen her selfish self beneath her frank and glamorous appearance.

Yes, she had killed someone in front of him.

Seeing her expression change, Song Xian smiled slightly: "Marrying a wife and having children is a common thing, but who says that people have to live an ordinary life in this world."

He has someone he likes deep in his heart, and he doesn't ask for her to respond, nor does he expect her to be swayed by his feelings. He is only loyal to his own feelings, and he can control himself. Isn't that good?

At least he was very clear that she didn't hate him, and even liked him a little, but this liking was far less than her ambition.

She had been promoted twice in the Honglu Temple, and she still had a long way to go. She wanted to go to the Ministry of Rites, but getting married and having children at this time, and marrying him, the Vice Minister of the Ministry of Justice, was indeed not a good thing. The attention of those targeting female officials would soon be focused on her, and trouble was foreseeable.

Since it was foreseeable, it should be avoided. He also did not want to become a hindrance to her and make people question her abilities and efforts because of a marriage.

Marriage should be the icing on the cake, not a drain on someone's life.

He could wait until she stood more steadily, and whether he could get her nod by then was not that important.

It's nice to have this kind of companionship.

Song Xian said: "Let's go, I will see Master Wu off again."

Wu Chunbai looked at him quietly for a moment, then walked ahead with a smile, and Song Xian followed her.

A cool breeze blows by, and the fragrance of plum blossoms follows.

There are three more chapters~
Everyone, remember to read my new book. It's ready to be published and half of the book is finished! It's a short story to help you relax: "The Ritual of the Seasons". I'm asking for your collection and votes for my new book.