Daily Life of a Powerful Official Supporting His Wife

Chapter 50

Chapter 50
Around the 20th day of the 12th lunar month, the emperor would seal the imperial seal. The palace would not open the imperial seal until after the Lantern Festival on the 15th day of the first lunar month, and the annual holiday would last for about a month.

Although it is said that the whole country is celebrating and the emperor and his subjects are taking a day off, in fact, they are not completely idle. Important memorials are still submitted as usual. It is just to give the emperor more time to rest.

Early in the morning of New Year's Day, the Emperor would begin his New Year's writing, burning incense and performing rituals to various deities and Buddhas to show his reverence for Heaven and Earth. In the morning, he would receive congratulations, followed by rituals in the hall. In the inner court, the Emperor would write the first character for "Fu" (blessing), which he would then bestow upon the Hanlin Academy.

This is a favor. Normally, the first character for "Fu" (blessing) is hung in the main hall, so this year's arrangement was somewhat clever, indicating that the Hanlin Academy is highly favored by the Emperor. Those with ulterior motives inevitably think of Xie Junling, who frequently appears before the Emperor in the inner court. He is the fastest-rising official in history, and it's likely he'll soon become the Emperor's favorite. The Emperor's kindness to him may be motivated by some ulterior motive. He comes from a humble background, a simple family background, unconnected to the complex network of other officials, and not a disciple of a respected elder. This allows him to avoid forming cliques and effectively follow the Emperor's will. He possesses exceptional talents in every aspect, and that's precisely what the old Emperor loves. Even the Minister of Revenue, Lord Gu, had the audacity to feign indifference and court Xie Junling, hoping to manipulate him under the guise of his grandfather.

However, Xie Junling was too shameless to feign ignorance and cleverly avoided Lord Gu's invitation. He was too embarrassed to say that Xie Junling was the bastard of his own daughter, so naturally, the matter was left unresolved.

The emperor had long been aware of the affairs of Xie Junling's wife, Lu Bao'er. The Princess of Qingping was his cousin, both of them royal relatives, and his curiosity about her granddaughter naturally grew. On the evening of the New Year's banquet, the emperor presented imperial wine and dishes to all officials. Among the gifts sent to the Xie family was a jar of imperial wine and a peach blossom-shaped pastry, apparently specially gifted to Lu Bao'er.

Lu Baoer was somewhat apprehensive about receiving the gift from the emperor, as it was a gift from an elderly person. When accepting the gift from the emperor, neither of them could wear their usual clothes, but instead changed into the clothes they wore to receive the imperial edict and kowtowed to receive the gift. Lu Baoer also asked the old nanny to give some gifts to the eunuch who sent the edict. The father-in-law knew the old nanny, Bizhu, from when he was still a boy in the palace and had been taken care of by Bizhu.

As the old nanny escorted the eunuch out of the mansion, he sighed with a pinched throat, "Sister Bizhu is so lucky to have found such a good master and family. I've seen it, and Master Xie will have great fortune in the future. The emperor treats you differently than ordinary people."

Who wouldn't like auspicious words? The old lady pursed her lips and smiled, saying, "Thank you for your auspicious words. This is my homemade osmanthus wine. You can take some back to try. I don't know when we'll see each other again."

"Ah! Sister Bizhu's wine must be delicious." The father-in-law had his young apprentice respectfully bring the wine, and without saying a few words, he left in the wind and rain. Other families still had gifts to send to the emperor, so he didn't dare delay.

Lu Baoer had planned to take Xie Junling to the Fu Mansion to pay New Year's greetings to the old lady. She had originally planned to stay a while longer, but last night she received a particularly difficult invitation that she couldn't refuse.

It was a visiting card sent by the second wife of the Cheng family, that is, the visiting card sent by Yan. The Cheng family came to Kyoto simply to clarify with her about changing the surname. Lu Baoer was very annoyed, but it was difficult to avoid them.

Xie Junling saw through her thoughts and said calmly, "Why not talk to Madam Su about this?"

Lu Baoer asked in surprise: "Grandma?"

"She is an experienced person, you might as well ask her for advice. If you really don't want to go back to the Cheng family, it is better for Madam Su to come forward and talk to you than for you, a junior, to confront the second aunt." Xie Junling seldom thought about these matters in the backyard, and it was only because he was afraid that Lu Baoer would be upset all night and refused to sleep.

Lu Baoer's face lit up with joy. She wasn't afraid of embarrassment. Rather than being laughed at for not knowing how to handle social situations, it would be better to say no from the start and then ask openly. Old Madam Su was overjoyed to be able to help Lu Baoer. This way, she could keep Lu Baoer for a while longer. Besides, Old Madam Su was the Princess of Qingping County. She handled everything, and no one else dared to say anything.

Xie Junling and Lu Baoer had a sumptuous New Year's Eve dinner. When it was midnight, Lu Baoer was so sleepy that she said she didn't even want to light fireworks and firecrackers, and just wanted to go to sleep.

Xie Junling had no choice but to wash up and accompany her to bed.

After a good night's sleep, Lu Baoer asked the old nanny to take a few gift boxes and then rushed to the Fu family.

Xie Junling came to the Fu Mansion to pay New Year's greetings this time. It was Old Madam Su who asked Lord Fu to come forward and specifically asked to see him. It was nothing more than that she was worried about Lu Baoer marrying him, and now she wanted to give him a hard time to judge his character. Shangshu Ling Lord Fu thought that Old Madam Su was overly worried. After all, Xie Junling was the top scholar in the previous two years. His knowledge was not something that ordinary people could reach. Later, he stood out in the Hanlin Examination. Naturally, he had extraordinary qualities. Without real talent and knowledge, the emperor would not use him. However, it was not easy to say this to his old wife, so Lord Fu had to go through the motions. After Xie Junling served tea to Old Madam Su, he led the male guest to the study to chat. This was not a big deal, but it lured out all three of Lu Baoer's uncles.

In a spacious study, four adults chatted with Xie Junling, scrutinizing him at every turn. First, they looked at his clothes, then his appearance. Seeing his handsome features, they sneered, disapproving of his delicate complexion and lack of strength. Hearing his knowledge, they muttered, "What a bookworm!" In short, the family members were always critical of Xie Junling, finding fault with everything.

It’s really hard to explain, and I can’t put it into words. I can only look at each other and mutter a few words to myself.

Master Fu actually liked Xie Junling, thinking that his grandson-in-law was a man of good taste, tact, and good manners, a rare and desirable husband. After asking him a few questions about his studies with a stern face, he dropped his airs and chatted with him about everyday matters.

Xie Junling had never been so nervous even when meeting the emperor. Although he did not show his joy and seemed calm, there was a hint of sweat on his palms, which he cleverly concealed by sipping tea.

Elsewhere, Lu Baoer and Old Madam Su were discussing the matter of the Cheng family's second wife. Old Madam Su frowned and said, "The Cheng family is a family that refuses to give up!"

Lu Baoer naturally couldn't imagine that the Cheng family was after Xie Junling, their grandson-in-law, but Old Madam Su knew it all too well. They were both thousand-year-old foxes, so who was more skilled?

Why did he have to plot against such an innocent and naive Lu Baoer? When Mrs. Su thought of the wolves in front and the tigers and leopards behind, her heart ached!

She patted Lu Baoer's hand with a smile and said, "In two days, I will send a visiting card to the Yan family. I haven't seen the second daughter-in-law from my in-laws' side for some time. Since we are both in Kyoto, I naturally want to meet her and ask if she is in good health."

Madam Su wanted to see what kind of evil wind dared to blow towards Lu Baoer! The Yan family was the family of Madam Cheng Er, so she would meet this person!
　This article is not based on facts, so just read it casually.
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(End of this chapter)