Fu Shanhe

Chapter 117 The last snow
Time flies, and in a blink of an eye it’s the end of the year.

The busy Li Mu was finally able to stop and take a break.

During the days in Beijing, he was busy with socializing and the engagement process.

Finally, on the 27th day of the twelfth lunar month, the two families officially announced their marriage.

The procedures of accepting marriage proposal, asking for name, accepting marriage proposal and accepting betrothal gift were completed within just over ten days. This is definitely considered efficient in the marriage between large families.

The remaining arrangements such as the date arrangement and wedding reception would be too rushed if held before the New Year and can only be scheduled after the New Year.

Fortunately, the entire process was handled by the clan, otherwise if Li Mu had to take care of it himself, he would have ended up making a fool of himself.

It’s no wonder that big families have such strong cohesiveness; anyone who enjoys these treatments will have a sense of belonging.

"Sir, the ones on the left are from officials in Beijing, and the ones on the right are from fellow townsmen and old friends.

Because the Marquis has instructed that we have to gather at the Marquis' Mansion during the New Year, the banquet for relatives in the clan has been temporarily cancelled."

After listening to the housekeeper's report, Li Mu was deeply touched.

When he first came to Beijing, he sent visiting cards everywhere, but few were willing to meet him.

They say the situation is tense and it is not suitable to meet.

In fact, it was not a change in his status or position. He was a hereditary garrison commander and was not worthy of attention.

After he stayed in the capital and served as a captain, the relationship between all parties suddenly became much warmer.

Although his rank is not high, he is a current commander of the Five Cities Military Department. Maybe this relationship can be used someday.

When he returned from his post as Lieutenant General in Yangzhou to report on his work, everyone became even more enthusiastic.

At such a young age, he entered the ranks of high-ranking military generals and was in charge of a battalion. Everyone knew that he had a bright future.

As the news of the marriage between the Jing and Li families spread, Li Mu, as the person involved, rose in status again.

If we say that he used to be just the nephew of Marquis Zhenyuan, he would act like a bully in public.

So now he truly belongs to the second generation of nobles, and has entered the first echelon.

With the bonus of political resources from the two major families, even if you are a pig, you will have a bright future.

With different identities and status, the value that can be generated is also very different.

No matter how much they slandered, envied, and hated behind their backs, anyone who could establish a relationship with them would try their best to find them.

"Screen through them according to their status, pick out a few important responses, and make appointments later when you have time.

For the rest, please find excuses and help me decline them.

Remember to follow the etiquette and not let anyone find fault with you."

Li Mu said expressionlessly.

When he was rejected, he thought the other party was unkind, but now he understands that we are all ordinary people.

It’s not a question of whether or not they are willing to meet. It’s simply that those in high positions face too many visits and invitations every day.

When time is limited, you can only give up some useless social interactions and only maintain valuable relationships.

The personal connections of the past are not completely useless.

If you really need help, I will do my best to help you as long as you ask for it because of our past friendship.

However, this kind of favor is always used once and then becomes less valuable.

Even if they are old friends, their relationship will gradually become distant after the gap between their status and position widens.

It’s not that we don’t remember the old times, it’s just that when we get together, we can no longer find the feeling we had before and we all feel awkward with each other.

"Okay, sir!"

After a pause, Butler Liu took out an account book, handed it over and said.

“Master, this is the income from various industries in the capital.

Affected by the explosion in Beijing, the profits in the following months dropped significantly.

Fortunately, the capital is recovering quickly and will be able to recover next year."

From his expression, it can be seen that Butler Liu is in a very anxious mood.

A drop in income is a very bad thing for any family.

If you meet a host with a bad temper, you might even be angered by him.

After flipping through it casually, Li Mu lost interest.

He is no longer the boy he used to be.

This was an industry with an annual revenue of two to three thousand taels, which was hardly attractive to him.

If it weren't for the fact that these days, selling properties would be tantamount to squandering the family fortune and would affect one's reputation, and he would have wanted to dispose of these properties.

Not only is the income low, it is also far away from where I work, making it very troublesome to manage.

Leave it entirely to the subordinates to manage, and a decrease in profits is not a big deal.

Over time, it is possible that the people in charge below may mess things up under their own name.

Similar cases were all too common in feudal dynasties.

Once the owner's focus is not on the property, it is only a matter of time before problems arise.

Unless it is a highly profitable industry, we can continue to invest energy in its management.

Li Mu no longer has any interest in these small industries that lack room for growth.

After a while of contemplation, Li Mu suddenly came up with an idea. He felt that it was useless, mainly because there were still a lot of industries waiting for him to expand in Yangzhou.

But for more people in this era, land and shops are still the best industries, no doubt about it.

It would definitely be a great honor to give it as a gift.

This time, I was able to marry the daughter of the Duke's Mansion. Besides luck, my aunt also made great efforts.

Without others’ hard work in promoting themselves, who would have noticed him, who was still a thousand households at that time?
However, giving gifts is also a technical job.

If you take it directly, you will most likely be kicked out.

The wife of the Marquis was from a prominent family and was not someone who would take things lightly.

The Zhenyuan Marquis's Mansion is also financially sound, and it is estimated that they have never worried about money since they were young.

For the wife of the Marquis, fame is far more important than money.

If I accept these properties, and if they get out, it might look like he's plotting to take over my nephew's property.

If I want to send the things away, I guess I have to wait until my two cousins ​​get married.

When an elder brother adds a little to his younger sister's dowry, no one can find fault with it.

……

Another New Year is here.

The strong flavor of the New Year filled the entire capital, except for the imperial palace.

The emperor was in poor health, so all sacrificial ceremonies were kept simple.

The firecrackers that were supposed to start from the Kitchen God Festival and continue until the 17th day of the first lunar month have now all been cancelled.

The grand court meeting that highlighted the emperor's majesty and Dayu's status as the "Heavenly Kingdom" also ended hastily.

Emperor Tianyuan still gave a banquet, but the emperor did not show up.

Compared to the last time he attended the court meeting, when he was at the end of the team and acted as an invisible person, this time he successfully made it to the middle position and acted as an invisible person.

Unlike the expected palace banquet, the dinner bestowed by Emperor Tianyuan was extremely simple.

Perhaps the ministers in front were treated better. Anyway, what was placed in front of Li Mu was only a fried fish, half a steamed chicken, a bowl of pork soup, and a plate of fried cucumbers.

The food is kept warm throughout the delivery process and is still steaming hot when served.

Since the emperor was not present, the New Year's greetings process was omitted and everyone just started eating.

Etiquette must be strictly observed on such occasions, and at least for middle and lower-level bureaucrats, there must be absolutely no transgression.

Li Mu picked up his chopsticks and tasted it. It tasted quite good, better than what 99% of chefs out there cook.

It is not at all like the legends of later generations, that the emperor could only eat cold dishes and pig food.

As for whether there is a rule that one can only eat three bites of a dish, Li Mu doesn't know.

Given his status and position, he was not even qualified to look the emperor in the face.

If you can’t finish it, just pack it up.

Things bestowed by the emperor are not allowed to be wasted.

Looking at the skillful packing movements of my colleagues around me, I can tell that they have practiced a lot.

Everyone did this, so Li Mu had no choice but to follow suit.

Although he had strong fighting ability and had already eaten the food in front of him, he had to take the remaining bones back.

The main focus is on getting along well with others.

After the dinner, the ministers left the hall in twos and threes.

The attentive Li Mu keenly discovered that those who took the lunch boxes to pack their food were all officials below the second rank.

The courtiers of higher status still came empty-handed, just like when they first arrived.

"Let's go!"

Hearing his uncle's familiar voice, Li Mu immediately suppressed his curiosity and followed him out of the hall.

The palace is not a place for communication, and any unintentional slip of the tongue may bring you into trouble.

Li Mu didn't relax until he left the palace and got on the carriage.

"Uncle, this New Year is a bit lonely!"

It wasn't that he was too curious, it was mainly because the atmosphere in the hall just now was really depressing.

Although all his colleagues had smiles on their faces, he simply couldn't find a single trace of happiness in them.

“This year’s situation is special, it was not like this in previous years.

If you want to experience the festive atmosphere, go for a stroll in the market.

In this special season, it is not appropriate to have a grand celebration in the palace, so let's keep it simple!"

Li Yuan said with a complicated expression.

The emperor is in poor health and the people in the court are in panic. Who would have the heart to celebrate the New Year?

I leaned my head out and looked up at the sky. The night without the moon was especially dark.

Suddenly, there was a flash of white light in front of my eyes. It was the falling snowflakes.

The last snow of the seventh year of Tianyuan finally arrived at the last moment!

(End of this chapter)