Chapter 1519: Chapter 1519: The Blushing Face
The Emperor’s gaze swept over the ministers in the study, taking in all their movements, then shifted to Zhou Shuren. This proposal was Zhou Shuren’s idea. He had discussed it with his father, explaining how it would benefit the common people, increase public esteem for the royal family, and garner unprecedented support for imperial authority. A Zhou Shuren who could bring benefits to the royal family—how could he and his father not favor him?
The Emperor’s subtle gaze fell on Mr. Qie, as he turned the String of Pearls in his hand. "Speak, I’m listening."
Mr. Qie carefully organized his words. "The Emperor holds the welfare of the people close to his heart. As your servant, it is my honor to serve you."
After a pause, he continued, "I am willing to shoulder burdens for you, Your Majesty. I will not disappoint your expectations and will manage the pharmacy well. I beg you to grant me this opportunity."
The Wen family has produced an Empress, which has allowed the Qie family to linger in their shadow all these years. Now, Mr. Qie must also strategize for his clan.
Zhou Shuren was slightly surprised. Mr. Qie had been quite direct with his approach; he had expected him to undermine others first before competing for this opportunity!
Grand Master Wen kept his gaze fixed on the hanging painting, though his thoughts were consumed by the pharmacy. It felt suffocating—such a powerful and lucrative position, yet it wasn’t falling to the Wen family. His eldest son was his sole pillar of support now. He couldn’t move the eldest son’s position, nor could he touch Wen Rong among the grandchildren. The inability to take a bite of this tempting fat meat made his whole body ache.
Grand Master Wen clearly understood his in-laws’ intentions. If they lacked selfish motives, that would be surprising. However, he was not willing for the Qie family alone to secure the position. His second and third sons had failed, leaving the Wen family dependent on the Qie family.
The other ministers snapped back to the moment, silently cursing Old Qie for acting out of turn, before hurriedly offering their assurances that they would handle the matter well.
Zhou Shuren kept his head down, acting as though the discussion had nothing to do with his proposal.
The Emperor did not claim to fully understand Zhou Shuren, but he was happy to give him a push. "Alright, since Minister Qie has volunteered first, let Minister Qie take responsibility. Minister Qie, write a Zhezi and submit it to me."
Mr. Qie’s heart, which had been swinging up and down, finally settled, and his voice rose with relief. "I obey your command!"
In Qiizhou Province, Lady Dong dressed in plain clothes was writing scriptures. Her father had schemed endlessly for the family, but he had never wronged her as a daughter. His past kindnesses flashed vividly in her mind, and tears blurred her vision.
Chang Lian entered and saw this scene. He picked up the handkerchief by his wife’s side and gently wiped away her tears. "You should go back."
Lady Dong replied, "It’s too far. Even if I go back, I won’t get to see him one last time."
The letter had not exaggerated her father’s condition; the more accurate the description, the more it confirmed he truly didn’t have many days left.
Chang Lian embraced his wife’s shoulders. "Cry if you want to cry."
His wife had been weeping daily in these recent days, which made his heart heavy. He felt sorry for her, knowing their circumstances prevented her from returning home. If they were in the capital, she might have been able to see her father one last time.
Lady Dong silently shed tears. "My father treated me well."
Chang Lian said, "Yes."
He had his own views on this. While his father-in-law’s love for his wife was evident, in the face of the family’s interests, she had always been placed at the back. Over the years, he hadn’t made excessive demands on her, largely due to Zhou family’s firm stance and a few blunders by the Dong family itself.
Moreover, he had read the handwritten letter sent by his father-in-law. Every word in it refrained from urging Lady Dong to consolidate ties with the Dong family clan. The letter acknowledged the Zhou family’s help in raising Dong Zhan, which was deemed sufficient. Between the lines, there was only a father’s deep reluctance to part with his daughter, unspoken yet revealing all the schemes behind the words.
Lady Dong wiped her tears. "I’m fine now. The kitchen has prepared the meal. Let’s eat."
Chang Lian replied, "Alright."
The dishes were served, and not a single meat dish was present. The wave of austerity from the capital had begun spreading across other provinces as well. Before her father’s letter arrived, the household had been served two dishes and one soup; now their meals consisted entirely of vegetarian fare, entirely devoid of meat.
Lady Dong noticed her husband calmly eating noodles and felt for him. "Let me go vegetarian alone in the future. You can eat separately."
"Recently, someone even went to the Magistrate’s office to say that we ate meat every day and were not following the spirit of frugality. Eating vegetarian is fine now."
Lady Dong glared in frustration. "What kind of people! They themselves steal and eat without restraint, as if nobody knows about it."
Her family simply made their meals openly visible.
Chang Lian said, "Alright, don’t get angry. Eat your meal."
He wasn’t annoyed. His family background attracted too much attention from others.
In the capital, Zhulan faced two boxes. "Are you sure you didn’t mistake Jiang Ping for someone else?"
Steward Ding replied, "I can’t tell whether it’s Young Master Jiang An or Young Master Jiang Ping, but he said he was Jiang Ping."
The two young men resembled each other too much. Even after years serving the Zhou family, it was tricky to differentiate them. Adding to the confusion was their fondness for playing such identity-swapping games, making it hard to be certain.
Zhulan opened the two boxes. Items with unclear origins couldn’t be brought into the house; Jiang Ping would have to make an appearance. Inside the boxes were medicinal herbs, with the highlight being two ginseng roots.
"Qing Xue, come over and take a look. How old do you think these ginseng roots are?"
Qing Xue stepped forward carefully examining the ginseng. The roots were preserved exceptionally well. "Madam, these ginseng roots are at least a hundred years old."
Zhulan said, "These herbs are worth more than Silver itself."
Steward Ding remarked, "The two young masters are truly filial."
Zhulan guessed they had likely heard about Ming Teng’s troubles and sent the ginseng along with other restorative herbs out of concern for her and Zhou Shuren, indirectly signaling that they were both doing well.
Zhulan instructed Qing Xue, "Go to the Jiang family and see if they’ve received anything."
"Yes."
Zhulan closed the boxes and handed them to another maid. She decided to store them upon Qing Xue’s return. She and Zhou Shuren didn’t need intense tonics anymore; at their age, food-based supplements were best.
Qing Xue returned soon, reporting, "Mrs. Jiang also received two boxes. She planned to bring them over, but they’ve never received anything so valuable before and felt unsure about what to do."
"How did you respond?"
"I told her these were tokens of filial piety from the young masters. The Madam accepted them as well, suggesting they keep everything until Madam Jiang returns to make arrangements."
Zhulan nodded. "Go store the herbs then."
"Yes."
In the capital, Yu Yi and Yu Die were visiting the Painting shop. They had accepted an invitation from their fiancés to admire paintings. Yu Jiao had tagged along as well. With the rising temperatures, the capital had become rather stifling. Yu Wen had stopped going out altogether.
Yu Yi and Yu Die each purchased paintings that appealed to them. The sisters didn’t choose expensive pieces, though inexpensive paintings weren’t necessarily of lower quality. Many pieces came from lesser-known artists.
The Painting shop stocked a good number of such paintings, partly for collections. If the artist became famous later, the paintings’ value would soar.
Yu Die sat for a while and asked, "Where did those two go?"
Yu Yi was also baffled. She suggested waiting for a bit, but the pair had disappeared.
In an area filled with Painting shops, bookstores, and antique stores, Liu Yuanbo and Yu Yueyang had gone off to a bookstore and had their eyes on a particular book.
Liu Yuanbo held onto one side of the book, refusing to let go. "This chess manual greatly appeals to me. Mr. Yu, would you relinquish it to me?"
Yu Yueyang also didn’t loosen his grip. His fiancée enjoyed playing chess, and his future brother-in-law had hinted that she loved collecting chess manuals. "I intend to gift it. Please, Mr. Liu, allow me to have it."
Liu Yuanbo wanted to present it to his future father-in-law. "I’ll be gifting it as well."
Well then, neither could back down.
Yu Yueyang said, "I want to gift it to Miss Zhou."
Surely this would make Liu Yuanbo relent.
Liu Yuanbo felt conflicted. "I want to give it to my future father-in-law."
Both men: "..."
Yu Yi and Yu Die arrived just in time to hear the tailend of their argument, leaving them momentarily speechless. Yu Jiao couldn’t restrain herself and burst out laughing.
The two young men simultaneously released the book, stiffly turned to face the women.
Yu Yi cleared her throat. "I’ve already purchased this chess manual before."
Yu Yueyang immediately stepped back. "Then let Mr. Liu have it."
Liu Yuanbo smiled, "Thank you."
Yu Die blushed deeply, her embarrassment evident. "!!"