CH 64

Lu Shi Qing went to Zichen Hall first. After returning from Diannan, he had been extremely busy for a few days because he had left behind a lot of official work. After presenting several important official documents to the emperor, he was dragged to give suggestions on the new candidate for the Chief Minister of Dali Temple.

When he was not in Chang’an, the imperial court convicted Minister Jiang, deposed him in the name of communicating with Lingnan and privately mining iron, sentenced him to exile in Fangling, and stipulated that the second house of Jiang family could not become official again for three generations. The Jiang family fell apart, and the whole family scattered overnight. Those with a little conscience went to Fangling with Jiang Min, and the rest went their separate ways. Although the emperor did not prohibit the Jiang family from entering and leaving the capital, those who knew a little bit about the inside story did not dare to stay in this place.

After all, the reason Emperor Huining was so angry had nothing to do with the so-called “privately mining iron” that was on the surface. What he was angry about was that Jiang Min’s slick words had won his favor, but secretly fueled Prince Ping’s momentum, and even dared to touch things such as military weapons. The complete removal of the Jiang family this time was also a warning for Prince Ping.

Lu Shi Qing recommended the Deputy Minister of Dali Temple on the grounds of his outstanding ability, but Emperor Huining groaned: “I didn’t ask you who is more capable, but who can make Zhen feel at ease. Dali Temple is the head of the Three Law Divisions. It’s very important, and Zhen don’t want to see a second Minister Jiang.”

“This official can’t decide who can make you feel at ease, but it’s never appropriate to leapfrog a higher position. If you really have doubts about Vice Minister Du, you can only consider Deputy Cai, so the difference is not too big.”

Emperor Huining nodded thoughtfully.

Knowing that the old emperor was planning to consider Deputy Cai, he was slightly at ease.

Deputy Cai was Zheng Zhuo’s secret piece, and with Lu Shi Qing’s status in Emperor Huining’s mind, he could have been directly recommended him. But Jiang Min’s incident obviously sounded an alarm for the old emperor, and even his “favored courtier” was also slightly affected. Right now, it was best to take less direct actions and took more detours.

Emperor Huining finished talking about business, and before Lu Shi Qing left, he asked, “Zhen heard that Ci Xian is also in the palace today?”

Lu Shi Qing replied “Yes”.

Emperor Huining smiled slightly: “It’s good that you have figure it out. With you here, Zhen feels a little more at ease with the Yuan family.” The implication of this was that he hoped that Lu Shi Qing would keep an eye on the Yuan family for him.

Since the beginning, Emperor Hui Ning intended to match the two, one was to keep the people, and the other was to keep a close eye on them. It was just that Lu Shi Qing had always been very reluctant, so he couldn’t push too much. It wasn’t until Yuan Yi Zhi was about to return to Diannan, and it seemed that Yuan Ci Xian’s marriage was uncertain and she probably would leave the capital with him, that Emperor Huining made up his mind. Even if Lu Shi Qing still didn’t agree, he must grant this marriage.

Fortunately, Lu Shi Qing figured it out and took the initiative to come to propose marriage, therefore he didn’t have to use strong means to match the two and embarrass them.

Lu Shi Qing put on an act and said: “It’s the responsibility of this official to share Your Majesty’s worries.”

Emperor Huining asked again with concern: “A few days ago when you proposed marriage, did the Yuan family make things difficult for you?”

He shook his head: “This official has solved the difficulties in Diannan, so Diannan Prince is very polite to this official.”

“Thanks to you, Diannan won’t be called his Yuan family’s piece. With someone resourceful like you by Zhen’s side, Zhen will have enough confidence.”

Lu Shi Qing smiled “Your Majesty praise too much.”

Emperor Huining waved at him generously and said, “Hurry up and go to Chancellory Department to do your work, then after you’re done, accompany Ci Xian to the Winding Stream Banquet to have fun. This time it happens to be the Sixth child’ turn to host, so you should watch him more for Zhen.”

—

While Lu Shi Qing was putting on performance in front of the old emperor in Zichen Hall, Yuan Ci Xian was racking her brains to deal with Zheng Hong, this little devil.

This five-year-old boy was too naughty and could really run. It seemed on ordinary it depended on Shaohe State Princess or Lu Shi Qing to control him, so he could study and practice calligraphy obediently. Due to her status, it was impossible for Yuan Ci Xian to be strong-handed, furthermore she wanted to impress the future emperor as “very maternal”, so she had her hands tied and feet bonded, and after spending a stick of incense she still couldn’t settle him.

She looked at Zheng Hong, who was flushed and sweating from running, while panting and holding her knees to supported herself, she said: “Your Highness… If you don’t study, your good-looking Madam will be punished with you, you know?”

Yuan Ci Xian sighed in her heart, what did Lu Shi Qing do to repel the palace servants, in this big Hanliang palace, she didn’t even have a single person helping her, how could she make this little slippery fish obedient. It was indeed making people “endure the cold“.

Zheng Hong stared with his round eyes and giggled, while putting his hands behind his back to look like a little adult: “You should be punished!”

Yuan Ci Xian said patiently: “What it takes to make Your Highness go study?”

“You play with me, then I will study.”

She gritted her teeth: “Does Your Highness know how throw dices?”

When Lu Shi Qing returned to Hanliang Palace, he saw Yuan Ci Xian throwing dice with Zheng Hong.

Yuan Ci Xian seemed to throw a six, clapped her hands and said: “I won again. Your Highness, willing to bet means willing admit defeat, you recite one more time.”

Zheng Hong was so angry that he pulled his neck and glared, he then recited a sentence to her reluctantly.

Lu Shi Qing narrowed his eyes, stepped over the threshold of the hall, and went inside, “Yuan Ci Xian, are you teaching him how to gamble?”

Yuan Ci Xian suddenly raised her head when she heard this, she had a slightly guilty conscience. This method was indeed not good, it was easy to mess with people’s minds, if she really had no choice, she wouldn’t use such bad plan.

She explained: “I can’t take him down. Thinking that His Sixth Highness is good at throwing dice, maybe Thirteenth Highness will also like it.”

It’s okay if she didn’t say this, but when she said this, Lu Shi Qing changed from fake anger to real anger.

Oh, yes, back then in Furong Garden, Zheng Zhuo cheated with throwing dice in order to be in the same boat with Yuan Ci Xian. And to be the bigger person, he even took pains to throw an odd number on purpose.

Besides, during the winter solstice, Wumu, which Yuan Ci Xian played with great interest, was also one of Zheng Zhuo’s hobbies.

Heh. Lu Shi Qing twitched the corner of his mouth, stopped talking to her, turned his head to Zheng Hong and said solemnly: “Your Highness, I am coming to test you.”

Every time he squinted his phoenix eyes, Zheng Hong would feel a little scared. He shrunk behind Yuan Ci Xian, tugging her sleeve and refusing to let it go, while whispering: “Madam, I call you Madam, you have to protect me.”

Yuan Ci Xian forced him to call her “Madam” just now, but she failed for a quarter of an hour, and now when she heard this word, her heart was filled with joy, and maternal radiance shone in all-directions. She hugged Zheng Hong, and said to Lu Shi Qing: “Ask if you want to ask, why are you so fierce.”

Lu Shi Qing slightly raised his eyebrows: “Then you want to answer for him?”

Forget it. Yuan Ci Xian also didn’t particularly like to study.

She smiled at him, then looked down at Zheng Hong: “Don’t worry, Your Highness, he won’t dare to do anything to you.”

Lu Shi Qing sat down opposite the two of them, took out a book, flipped through a page and asked: “In “Classic of History: Lu Xing” it is said that ‘The scholars rule the common people in the Mean of punishment’, ‘Only the good person break the prison, whose award will hit the right Mean’, ‘Examine carefully and deliberate the punishment book, and everyone will get the proper Mean’. This official asked Your Highness, what are the meaning of ‘in the Mean of punishment’, ‘right Mean’, and ‘proper Mean’ here?”

Zheng Hong pursed his lips, glanced at Yuan Ci Xian, and said in a low voice, “Madam, you didn’t teach me this sentence just now.”

” …” This part, Yuan Ci Xian did not recite it… doesn’t she?

The opportunity to curry favor with Zheng Hong was right in front of her, and she didn’t hesitate to admit it, and said to Lu Shi Qing, “I forgot to teach His Highness that, you can ask another question.”

Lu Shi Qing glanced at her: “If he can’t answer this question, you two will be punished together.”

“Then I’ll answer it for him!” She said with a bitter face.

Was she not embarrassed to answer such a simple question?

The corner of Lu Shi Qing’s mouth twitched: “Yuan Ci Xian, how old are you?”

She glared at him hatefully, then looked at Zheng Hong: “Your Highness, can you really not answer? He will not dare do anything to you, but he dares to do anything to me. You will be fine, but your good-looking Madam is in danger…”

Zheng Hong hesitated for a moment, then said: “Then as thank you for Madam for teaching me how to throw dice, I will try my best to answer. The ‘Mean’ here…” He glanced at Lu Shi Qing, “It may refer to ‘heart’, it means that the punishment law is in my heart. What I think in my heart, that’s what the punishment law is like.”

Yuan Ci Xian choked.

This idea is very dangerous.

When she choked on the side, Lu Shi Qing frowned: “Your Highness, who taught you that the punishment law is in your heart?”

Zheng Hong hesitatingly said, “I don’t remember…”

“Your Highness must remember, the punishment law is not something that base on the heart. It’s not by your heart, nor by anyone’s heart.” Lu Shi Qing explained.

He blinked: “Then what’s the meaning of ‘Mean’ here?”

Yuan Ci Xian hurriedly said: “The ‘Mean’ here refers to the Constant Mean (tn: I explained it in the novel Who Cares), and it means that the execution of punishment must be strictly in accordance with the punishment law, accurate and impartial, not too much and not too little.” After she finished speaking, she smiled at Lu Shi Qing, “Am I right, Assistant Minister Lu?”

Lu Shi Qing glanced at her, did not answer, but asked Zheng Hong instead: “Do you remember?”

Zheng Hong Hong nodded: “Remember, I’ll always remember it in my heart.”

Yuan Ci Xian felt that children was easy to be taught, and when she was happy, she forgot that she owed a punishment to Lu Shi Qing, and said to Zheng Hong: “Your Highness, just now you promised me that you will write it for me, do you remember?”

Zheng Hong looked helplessly at her, sighed and said, “Okay, okay, willing to bet means willing admit defeat, I’ll write it for you.”

Yuan Ci Xian couldn’t help but rubbed her hands in excitement: “Don’t make a typo, and remember to sign.”

Lu Shi Qing looked at the two of them in confusion, and saw Zheng Hong spread out a piece of rice paper, and wrote a few large characters with his brush: Madam, Yuan, Is, The, Most, Beautiful, Person, In, The, Whole, Great, Zhou. Then he signed: Zheng Hong.

“…”

Yuan Ci Xian stuffed Zheng Hong’s handwritten inscriptions into her sleeves, and decided to frame them when she got home and keep it well. After all, this thing would be a priceless treasure after he ascended to the throne, and it must be hung in the Yuan Mansion, no, at the front gate of Lu Mansion, so that people from all over the world would come to pay their respects.

Seeing her seemingly greedy for cheap behavior, Lu Shi Qing felt very complicated. After thinking about it, he still felt that he should make her stay away from Zheng Hong, so as not to bring this child into the ditch, so he hurriedly said goodbye and took her out of the palace.

Yuan Ci Xian’s excitement was overflowing, and while plotting how to get some commemorative objects next time, she was still talking to Lu Shi Qing in the carriage: “When will you go to teach His Thirteenth Highness again? From now on, I’ll come with you.”

He glanced at her: “Do you want to be punished every time you come too?”

She choked and complained: “Did you deliberately trick me today.”

Of course he was. Lu Shi Qing never asked Zheng Hong to read that chapter at all.

But his face was indifferent: “Do I look like such a boring person?”

She gave him a disgusted look, thinking that he doesn’t look like one, he is one. She asked: “Then what kind of punishment?”

Lu Shi Qing thought for a while, and replied calmly: “It will be recorded in the account with the Wumu from last time, and let’s calculate it in the future.” After saying that, he instructed Zhao Shu outside, “Go to Sixth Prince Mansion in Anxing Lane.”

The carriage then drove slowly towards Anxing Lane. Yuan Ci Xian temporarily hugged the Buddha’s feet  and asked: “I have been away from the capital for many years, and I don’t remember how to play the Winding Stream banquet. Why is Sixth Prince hosting the banquet this year?”

She remembered that there was a traditional custom in Chang’an, that every year on the eve of Flower Festival, that was, on the 14th of Second month, the young talents in the capital would take turns hosting the Winding Stream Banquet, and invite all kinds of elegant people to participate. One was to celebrate the blooming of flowers and the beautiful spring, and the other was to gather talented young people together and let them compete.

Lu Shi Qing explained: “The rules have been changed over the years, and the person who won the first place at the Winding Stream Banquet last year is eligible to host the next year’s banquet.”

Yuan Ci Xian only then understood, but suddenly felt something was wrong: “If so, you didn’t participate in the Winding Stream Banquet last year?”

He subconsciously said truthfully: “I participated.”

“Then why did Sixth Prince win the first place? It’s too embarrassing for you, this Tanhua!”

Lu Shi Qing’s face suddenly darkened.