latelenovela Chapter 195 Gift
Chapter 195 Gift
Chapter 195 A Gift
When the court officials presented birthday gifts to Emperor Jian'an, the officials of lower rank presented their gifts first, and the officials of higher rank presented their gifts later.
In the main hall, the young official, who was a secretary in the Ministry of Revenue, was undoubtedly the lowest-ranking among all the court officials present.
He stepped out of his seat and bowed to the emperor at the head of the table.
Upon seeing him, Emperor Jian'an nodded slightly. He maintained a stern expression when facing the princes and imperial relatives, but he joked with the young official, "Minister Zheng, you have only recently returned to the capital. What kind of birthday gift can you prepare for me?"
"Your Majesty, I am but a humble subject, unable to find any rare treasures. However, I found some items made by my elders to be novel and unfamiliar to me. Therefore, I present them to Your Majesty to wish you a long and prosperous life."
Upon hearing this, Emperor Jian'an thought to himself that the scholar from a commoner family was still too poorly endowed. After all, he was someone he had personally promoted. He should give him some good things after the birthday banquet so that he wouldn't be looked down upon by other officials.
As soon as the official from the Ministry of Revenue finished speaking, the high-ranking officials in the hall were all lost in thought. Many of them shared the same idea as Emperor Jian'an, but those courtiers who cared about their younger relatives and knew that their younger relatives had dealings with Uncle Zheng Hao knew that the birthday gift for the young official would not be simple.
Taking the exquisitely carved sandalwood box from the eunuch behind him, Zheng Hao remained calm and unhurriedly opened the box, facing the gazes of Emperor Jian'an, a group of imperial relatives and high-ranking officials.
In an instant, a sparkling and translucent treasure appeared before everyone's eyes. Looking at the exquisitely crafted, shimmering object in the young man's hand, everyone remained silent for a long time.
Holding the birthday gift, Zheng Hao explained, "This item is called the Taiyi Zhenren Glazed Raft. My uncle's glazed kiln failed a hundred times before finally firing this treasure."
Emperor Jian'an lowered his gaze to a three-foot-long raft, its waves made of transparent glass, upon which stood a glass statue of the Immortal Taiyi, holding a glass gourd as a birthday gift. This item was extremely attractive to someone who had spent years cultivating immortality and was obsessed with elixirs.
Emperor Jian'an nodded repeatedly, his face showing satisfaction: "This item is excellent; it suits my taste perfectly."
Not only that, Zheng Hao continued, "The treasure has other uses as well."
Upon hearing this, Emperor Jian'an looked curious and said to Zheng Hao, "Why don't you demonstrate?"
The young official followed instructions. With a slight movement of his hands, the glass gourd he held, inlaid with cat's-eye and moonstone stones, seemed to have been activated. The lifelike waves spun continuously, causing the robes of the Taiyi Zhenren statue to flutter. The gourd in his hands emitted wisps of fragrant mist, giving the statue an air of otherworldly elegance. The glass alchemy furnace next to the statue, though small, was exquisite. As the mist rose, the lid of the furnace gradually opened, and upon closer inspection, everyone discovered that the furnace contained the four characters "Long Live the Emperor." The ingenuity and craftsmanship of the furnace caused even the noble families from wealthy and powerful backgrounds to sigh in admiration.
"Such exquisite craftsmanship! The artisans in Lord Zheng's household are truly highly skilled," the Crown Prince praised.
As soon as the Crown Prince took out the porcelain vases he was presenting to Emperor Jian'an, Zheng Hao recognized that the pair of white jade porcelain vases came from Uncle Gu's white porcelain factory. The white porcelain factory was located in Jibei Prefecture, which was far from the capital. Logically speaking, white porcelain should not have been introduced to the capital yet, so the pair of white jade porcelain vases should have been presented by the Crown Prince's subordinates.
Zheng Hao remained unmoved: "Your Highness is too kind. The craftsmen in my household only know some trivial skills."
This is true.
Emperor Jian'an nodded secretly. The royal craftsmen were the most skilled artisans in the world, far superior to ordinary craftsmen. The birthday gift presented by Zheng Hao was rare and exquisite at first glance, but upon closer inspection, it could not compare to the craftsmanship of the royal craftsmen.
However, the other party's intention was rare, and it was indeed rare to obtain a single precious piece after wasting hundreds of kilns of glass.
He said to the young official below, "You are very thoughtful, my dear minister."
After a moment's thought, Emperor Jian'an felt that the rewards he had given to the young officials were somewhat meager.
He said, "Although the Ministry of Revenue has many affairs, the Hanlin Academy and the Censorate also cannot do without you. Can you balance the three?"
Emperor Jian'an originally intended to remove Zheng Hao from his post as censor after promoting him to the position of Vice Minister of Revenue, so as to prevent him from holding multiple important positions and becoming arrogant. However, seeing that the young man has acted appropriately, there is no need to do so.
However, some officials in the main hall frowned. The court had a history of appointing officials to hold multiple positions. For example, which of the six ministers or vice ministers did not hold other official positions? But they had never seen a minor official holding multiple positions.
Emperor Jian'an's actions not only showed his favoritism towards young officials, but also demonstrated his exceptional ability to promote such officials to the position of Vice Minister of Revenue within a year and prevent them from leaving the Hanlin Academy. Clearly, he wanted to cultivate these young officials, and at the same time, he allowed them to continue serving as Censors, which showed the extent of his trust in them.
This meteoric rise to power made some politically astute veteran officials sense an ominous sign.
Their aged faces, wrinkled eyes, swept indifferently over Zheng Hao, who stood in the center of the hall. They trusted their intuition, which had been built up over many years, and knew that they could not allow this young man to remain in the court any longer!
After the birthday banquet, everyone left the palace one by one.
As Zheng Hao stepped out of the palace gate and was about to board the carriage, he was suddenly stopped by someone behind him.
"Lord Zheng, please wait!"
Stopping his attempt to get into the carriage, Zheng Hao turned around and saw a handsome man dressed in princely attire sitting on a tall horse.
Recognizing the other party's identity, Zheng Hao bowed and said, "Your humble servant greets the Third Prince."
The Third Prince was approachable: "Lord Zheng, there's no need for such formalities."
He said to the young official, "In a few days, I will be holding a poetry gathering at my residence. As the top scholar in the imperial examination, Lord Zheng must have his own insights into poetry. I would like to invite Lord Zheng to come to my residence to exchange ideas with me and many other literary figures."
Despite being of noble birth, the Third Prince was unpretentious and was known throughout the court and the country for his approachability and virtue.
He personally invited young officials from commoner backgrounds to the poetry gathering, and they would surely be flattered and grateful.
The Third Prince smiled amicably on the surface, but in his heart he thought that if the other party were not exceptionally capable and valued by his father, he would never have condescended to invite a physician.
Facing the proud son of heaven before him, Zheng Hao remained calm and politely declined, saying, "The Ministry of Revenue and the Censorate are piled high with affairs. I have only recently returned to the capital and there are many things I am not yet familiar with. I need to humbly ask my colleagues for advice. I am afraid I will disappoint Your Highness."
With his subordinate tightening the reins, the Third Prince's smile remained unchanged as he said understandingly, "Sharing the Emperor's burdens is of utmost importance. Poetry gatherings are frequently held in my residence, so there's no need to rush. We can invite Lord Zheng to exchange ideas another time if the opportunity arises."
Looking up at the sky, the Third Prince instructed, "It's getting late, Lord Zheng, please be careful on your way back."
After saying that, he turned and left with his men. Zheng Hao stood there and waited until they were completely gone before getting into the carriage.
Royal study room.
The guards reported everything that had happened in front of the palace gates to the emperor behind the desk, and Emperor Jian'an waved for them to leave.
As he fiddled with the glass raft of Taiyi Zhenren presented by the young official, he sighed, "The third son is getting old and is becoming more and more opinionated. He not only disrespects his elder brother, the Crown Prince, but also doesn't take me seriously. He truly is a grandson carefully cultivated by the Xiao family."
Eunuch Wang served tea and, seeing that Emperor Jian'an's expression was normal and he did not seem angry, said, "Your Highnesses were born into the royal family and grew up with His Majesty's care and love, so they are naturally more straightforward and honest. His Majesty can teach them slowly."
Emperor Jian'an placed the Taiyi Zhenren's glass chariot on the table, making a clinking sound, and said calmly, "He's not young anymore. In the common people, men his age are already capable of supporting their families."
The eunuch dared not speak. In the royal court, even the crown prince had to wait until the emperor passed away before he could take charge, let alone ordinary princes.
Thinking of the young officials he had recruited for the Third Prince, Emperor Jian'an said, "Mingzhang is very much to my liking. I used to think of training him to be a whetstone for the Crown Prince, but now it seems that we should not waste his talents and should train him well to assist the Crown Prince in the future."
Emperors are always fickle and capricious. If you are of no use to him and he does not like you, you can only become a whetstone. But if you meet both criteria, he will want to cultivate you into a pillar of the country.
At the opportune moment, Eunuch Wang said, "Your Majesty is benevolent and knows how to use people well."
Emperor Jian'an shook his head and looked out the window. The night was getting dark, but today's birthday banquet had made him feel energetic and emotionally turbulent, making it difficult for him to fall asleep. He thought it would be better to meditate and absorb the essence of the moon.
He said to Eunuch Wang, "Go and fetch the elixir."
Eunuch Wang took out the elixir and presented it to the emperor. Emperor Jian'an took it and swallowed it with water. Then he went to the inner room of the imperial study to meditate. After a while, a warm sensation surged from his dantian to his meridians.
Emperor Jian'an felt increasingly comfortable when suddenly a noise came from outside. He opened his eyes and his face showed displeasure.
"Eunuch, get in here!"
As soon as Emperor Jian'an finished speaking, Eunuch Wang hurriedly entered.
Just as Emperor Jian'an was about to question the guilty party, Eunuch Wang exclaimed in panic, "Your Majesty, a letter has arrived from the Zhenbei Army. The northern barbarians have invaded the south and burned and killed three thousand civilians on the border. We beg Your Majesty to take action!"
His blood rushed to his head, a metallic taste rose in his throat, and Emperor Jian'an's eyes became bloodshot.
In the middle of the night, shortly after the high-ranking officials of the court returned to their residences to rest after attending the emperor's birthday banquet, someone from the palace summoned them to the palace to discuss important matters.
Upon hearing the message relayed by the guards, the high-ranking officials instantly regained their senses, their faces grave as they boarded their carriages.
The Zheng family residence was located near the mansions of high-ranking officials and nobles. Da Zhuo knew about the slightest disturbance in the area. Seeing that someone from the palace had rushed over to deliver a message to the nearby ministers in the middle of the night, Da Zhuo quickly reported to his master and husband.
To avoid being discovered by the palace guards, Da Zhuo did not approach rashly. Therefore, he did not know exactly what had happened in the palace and summoned his court officials to the palace overnight.
After listening to Da Zhuo's report, Zheng Hao remained calm and waved for him to leave. Seeing that his master was not flustered, Da Zhuo gradually felt relieved and withdrew.
At the birthday banquet, Zheng Hao drank quite a bit of alcohol and was currently taking a hangover soup. Gu Lin sat next to him eating a late-night snack. The wontons made by the kitchen staff had thin wrappers and large fillings, and the broth was made from bones and sprinkled with scallions. One bite of wonton followed by a sip of soup was incredibly delicious.
After Da Zhuo left, seeing that Zheng Hao didn't seem worried at all, Gu Lin asked, "Don't you want to know why His Majesty summoned the court officials to the palace overnight?"
This is unlike the other person's personality.
"Of course I want to know."
Zheng Hao explained, "However, we will not receive any news tonight. Judging from the guards' anxiety in sending the message, it must be something extremely important. We should know by tomorrow at the latest. Rather than worrying, we should wait patiently."
Gu Lin gave a thumbs up: "As expected of Lord Zheng."
Seeing Uncle Gu's chubby cheeks and his teasing remarks, Zheng Hao felt a little helpless.
His gaze was half-lowered as he watched the other person eat wontons. The other person's fair and round face was flushed with heat from the steaming soup, and their lips were also rosy from being soaked in the soup.
His gaze shifted slightly, and Zheng Hao's throat tightened: "Are the wontons delicious, Uncle Gu?"
Ignoring the young man's dark eyes and focused on eating the delicious wontons, Gu Lin nodded and said, "Do you want some? I had the kitchen set aside some for tomorrow's breakfast. If you want them, we can cook them now."
Why go through all that trouble?
Zheng Hao's gaze was fixed on the young man's lips, which were becoming increasingly dry: "No need to trouble yourself, I'll just have a taste."
"Ok?"
Not immediately realizing the implication of the other person's words, Gu Lin assumed that the young man wanted to try the wontons in his bowl. He looked up at the other person and explained, "If you want to eat, you should ask the kitchen to bring you another bowl. I've almost finished eating."
A shadow loomed over him, and his body was suddenly lifted into the air. Gu Lin instinctively grabbed Zheng Hao's neck. The young man lowered his head slightly, his eyes as dark as night. Gu Lin felt as if he was about to be swallowed up by the other man.
The young man's lips curled slightly, a hint of a smile playing on his cool face: "I only need Uncle Gu to trouble you to let me taste the wontons."
In this situation, Gu Lin understood what the other person meant. He couldn't help but feel annoyed and a little embarrassed.
His lips parted slightly, as if he wanted to rebuke the other person for becoming increasingly frivolous, but the words that were about to come out were blocked by the young man with his head down.
The crescent moon was half-hidden by dark clouds on the horizon, and the moonlight shone dimly into the room. Zheng Hao picked up the young man and carried him into the inner room to the bed.
The next day, when the sun was high in the sky, Gu Lin got up, dressed, and then called the servants from the outer room in.
After washing up, Gu Lin turned to the servant and asked, "When will you leave the manor, sir?"
The servant replied, "There was a grand court assembly today, and the master went to court before dawn."
Gu Lin nodded slightly.
The servant asked, "What would you like for lunch, my lord?"
The commotion lasted until the early hours of the morning. Gu Lin was starving. He thought for a moment and ordered several of his favorite dishes, instructing his servants to urge the kitchen to serve them quickly. If there wasn't enough time, he was told to serve some other food to tide him over.
The servant should step down.
After sitting down at the table, a servant brought in a food box and took out the dishes one by one. Gu Lin was surprised to see that they were all the dishes he had just ordered. He was quite surprised by the speed at which the kitchen could prepare the food.
The servant said, "Before the master went to court, he specifically instructed Steward Da Zhuo to have the kitchen staff prepare the afternoon meal at the appointed time."
It turned out to be the case.
Gu Lin disliked being served meals and waved for the servants to leave.
Knowing the rules of the two masters in the mansion, the servants said nothing and immediately led the other servants out of the room.
While eating and drinking soup, Gu Lin ate slowly and carefully, picking at each dish with dew. As his stomach gradually filled up, he looked at the many dishes left on the table with regret, picked up his chopsticks again, and intended to eat some more.
The curtain at the door was lifted, and Gu Lin looked up to see the young official stepping in.
"Uncle Gu, are you finished eating? There's no need to clear the food away; I haven't eaten yet."
As Zheng Hao spoke, he walked towards Gu Lin.