Chapter 9
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Three days later, the examiners appointed by the emperor received their orders and were escorted by the imperial guards into the Imperial Examination Hall with their luggage. When the news of the examiners locking the examination hall spread, the scholars who had come to the capital to take the exam seemed to feel the urgency of time, and the taverns and tea houses suddenly became much emptier.
On this day after the court session, Gu Yuanbai summoned the Shangshu of the Ministry of Works, the Shangshu of the Ministry of Revenue, and the Langzhong of the Ministry of Rites to the side hall of the Xuanzheng Hall for discussion.
He handed them the article on the treatment of the Yellow River disaster that he had discussed with Chu Wei the other day, and let them read it slowly while he sipped a cup of tea.
The Shangshu of the Ministry of Revenue finished reading first, hesitating, “Your Majesty, I have never seen such a brilliant method of disaster relief. If implemented, it might indeed have miraculous effects… But the state treasury…”
Meanwhile, the Shangshu of the Ministry of Works and the Langzhong of the Ministry of Rites were completely absorbed in the article, their expressions grave, occasionally showing signs of excitement.
“Your Majesty!” The Shangshu of the Ministry of Works couldn’t hide his joy, “Who came up with this method? This person is truly talented. I wish to meet him!”
Gu Yuanbai smiled, “Unfortunately, you won’t be able to meet him.”
This method of disaster relief wasn’t thought up by one person, but by countless descendants, derived from countless floods and disasters in ancient times.
It was the most reliable method within the context of the ancient world.
The Shangshu of the Ministry of Works looked regretful, murmuring, “What a pity.”
At this moment, Minister Chu had just finished reading the article. He pondered while reading, occasionally showing a serious expression or a smile. After finishing, he couldn’t help but say, “Your Majesty, this method is feasible!”
Gu Yuanbai smiled and asked, “Does Minister Chu also think it’s feasible?”
Minister Chu had always been rigorous, but at this moment, he boldly nodded, “If the contents mentioned above are implemented step by step, I think it’s feasible.”
The Shangshu of the Ministry of Revenue became anxious, “Your Majesty! The spring planting season is about to begin, and the imperial examination also requires a lot of money. The Imperial Academy is undergoing renovation. The site for Your Majesty’s tomb has also been selected, and construction is scheduled to begin this year. Not only that, the military expenditures for Your Majesty’s army are substantial and cannot be stopped on a daily basis. If we want to repair the river channels, the treasury won’t be able to handle it.”
When a monarch ascends to the throne, they begin the construction of their tomb early in their reign. However, although Gu Yuanbai ascended the throne early, he was overshadowed by powerful ministers, and it is only now that he has started to build his tomb, making him even more anxious.
Gu Yuanbai smiled reassuringly at him and said, “I understand.”
“The governance of the country always involves money,” Gu Yuanbai said calmly. “Only with money can we build roads, buy horses, and train soldiers… I haven’t decided to start addressing the Yellow River flood issues immediately. The Yellow River floods are divided into spring floods and summer floods. Spring floods occur from March to April, while summer floods occur from June to October. I called you all here to discuss the matter of spring floods.”
The Shangshu of the Ministry of Works puzzled, “Your Majesty, there haven’t been any Yellow River floods in the past few years. Why are you so concerned this year?”
Gu Yuanbai slammed the tea cup on the table with a loud clank, “I also want to know why there’s been half a month of rain in the middle and lower reaches of the Yellow River, yet no one reported it to the court?”
…
!
The two shangshus and langzhong’s knees went weak, and they fell to their knees.
Gu Yuanbai remained silent, letting them kneel there, in the quiet atmosphere where one could hear a pin drop, continuously speculating until sweat formed on their foreheads due to their own guesses. Gu Yuanbai finally said, “Get up.”
In the Great Heng Dynasty, there was no Prime Minister. The six ministries were directly controlled by the emperor. There was no cabinet, but there was the Grand Council and the Ministry of State Affairs. The Grand Council managed military affairs, while the Ministry of State Affairs oversaw government affairs, both directly under the emperor’s control.
With such great imperial power, there were actually people concealing information from the court. How daring those local officials were!
And how did the emperor know about the rainy season in the Yellow River thousands of miles away?
The more the three ministers thought about it, the more fearful they became. They stood up with trembling bodies, not daring to say another word.
“Minister Chu,” Gu Yuanbai softened his tone, “I know you have a good understanding of water management. With little time left, I appoint you as the Pacification Messenger and send you to defend against the Yellow River spring floods. I don’t ask for much, just that this minor flood doesn’t turn into a major disaster. Minister Chu, are you willing to go to the Yellow River?”
Minister Chu immediately knelt down again without hesitation and said loudly, “I will do my best and not disappoint Your Majesty’s trust!”
Gu Yuanbai walked out from behind the table and personally helped him up, “When you go, I also have another task for you. Investigate who is concealing and not reporting the half-month of rain in the Yellow River. Bring officials from those places to investigate with you. Don’t be afraid, I will back you up. If there’s trouble, I’ll allow the local military commander to assist you.”
Minister Chu was moved, his eyes shining, “Your Majesty, rest assured, I will do my best.”
Gu Yuanbai then looked at the Shangshu of the Ministry of Revenue and the Shangshu of the Ministry of Works, “The Ministry of Works will select more than ten people skilled in water management to accompany Minister Chu. Your two ministries must fully support this matter and not slack off.”
“Yes.”
***
The three men wiped the sweat off their foreheads as they walked out of the Xuanzheng Hall, their backs drenched in cold sweat.
The Shangshu of the Ministry of Revenue and the Shangshu of the Ministry of Works congratulated Minister Chu, who quickly returned the courtesy and requested, “Your Excellencies, His Majesty has high expectations of me now. Please don’t tell anyone about the matter of the Yellow River rain not being reported to the court. I’m afraid it will cause a stir and alert the enemy.”
Minister Chu suspected collusion between local officials and officials in the capital. The Shangshu of the Ministry of Revenue and the Shangshu of the Ministry of Works nodded quickly, “Minister Chu, rest assured. Even if you don’t say it, we dare not mention it to others. His Majesty’s intentions are clear, and both of our ministries will cooperate fully. Minister Chu, work hard and also pay attention to safety. When you come back, the imperial examination will be over, and you’ll have results. Your son’s knowledge has always been outstanding. Perhaps there will be double happiness then. Both you and your son will be promoted as you deserve.”
Minister Chu quickly expressed his humility, and the three men left the palace laughing and chatting.
Inside the hall.
After the ministers left, Tian Fusheng brought in the brewed medicine. The dark medicine in the white porcelain bowl looked even more bitter. Gu Yuanbai glanced at it, picked up the bowl, and drank it in one gulp.
After drinking too much medicine, one wouldn’t feel the bitterness anymore. Gu Yuanbai took a few sips of tea to get rid of the medicine taste in his mouth, put on his cloak, and walked out of the Xuanzheng Hall.
Outside, a thick layer of snow had accumulated.
The ground snow had been cleared away, but the trees and grass still had a thick layer of snow.
Gu Yuanbai took a few deep breaths of the cold air, feeling refreshed. He walked under a tree and grabbed a handful of snow, but in just a moment, his pampered hands became frozen.
The Chief Guard hurriedly ran over and brought a pair of leather gloves. Gu Yuanbai smiled, “I’m just touching the snow. Why are you so anxious?”
The Chief Guard who rarely puts on a serious face, “Your Majesty, please throw away the snow quickly.”
“Alright, alright,” Gu Yuanbai threw away the snow and stretched out both hands to the Chief Guard, “You guys are always too cautious.”
The Chief Guard carefully held Gu Yuanbai’s fingertips, meticulously wiping away the melted snow and water from the emperor’s hands with a handkerchief. The emperor’s skin was delicate, and just a moment of ice and snow in his hands would make his fingertips blush.
The palm was delicate, and the veins were melting into the soft skin. The Chief Guard had to be careful to avoid leaving any red marks on the emperor’s hands when wiping them.
No wonder others were meticulous with him. It was because Gu Yuanbai couldn’t do without their careful service.
After there was no more snow and water in his palm, the Chief Guard respectfully let go of the emperor’s hands and carefully unfolded and put on the leather gloves. The brown gloves covered the white hands and extended under the sleeves.
Gu Yuanbai raised his hand and gently sniffed the scent of the gloves. They were clean, with only the faint scent of incense. He nodded, smiled, and said, “Come with me to see the snow scenery.”
But when he went to admire the scenery, the guard was silent and wouldn’t speak, making Gu Yuanbai feel like he had found the wrong person. He thought and thought until he remembered the talented public opinion person he had taken notice of that day.
It seemed his name was Chang Yuyan?
***
In the residence of the Dali Temple’s Shaoqing.
Chang Yuyan was writing an article when he suddenly heard some commotion outside the study. He furrowed his brows, suppressed his annoyance at being disturbed, and quickly opened the door. “What are you all doing?!”
The servant by his father’s side was hurrying over with someone, and upon seeing Chang Yuyan open the door, he shouted, “Young Master! His Majesty summons you to the palace to accompany him!”
Chang Yuyan’s hand on the door trembled. “What?”
The people from the palace were still behind, and the servant hurriedly ran forward, urging, “Young Master, quickly change your clothes. His Majesty wants you to come to the palace to admire the snow!”
Chang Yuyan swallowed hard, feeling both flustered and delighted. He hurriedly turned to change his clothes, and the palace attendants followed closely behind. Seeing the rush, one of them spoke up to stop him, “Young Master Chang, there’s no need to trouble yourself. This attire is fine. Let’s go to the palace together first to avoid keeping His Majesty waiting too long.”
Chang Yuyan felt ashamed. “But I still smell of ink.”
“It doesn’t matter,” the palace attendant urged, “Young Master Chang, don’t worry. His Majesty won’t blame you for that.”
It wasn’t a matter of blame or not; it was a matter of how he appeared in the eyes of the emperor.
Chang Yuyan felt a myriad of complex emotions, but ultimately, the joy of being summoned by the emperor prevailed. He suppressed his hesitation and was about to leave with the palace attendants when he suddenly remembered something. He hurried back to the study, grabbed a book, and slipped it into his sleeve before heading out again.
A carriage sent by the palace had arrived, and Chang Yuyan got on. After a while, he felt a bit stuffy. He touched his face and realized it was burning hot.
Actually, Chang Yuyan hadn’t held such high regard for the emperor before.
Xue Yuan was like a wild dog, and Chang Yuyan could play along with him because of his own inherent unruliness. He dared to write those thirteen poems that offended the powerful not because he was angry about it or because he cared for the country and the people. It was because he wanted to oppose his father and, more importantly, to earn himself a good reputation.
Chang Yuyan’s poems were about the worries of the world, but he enjoyed fine alcohol, delicacies, and luxurious fabrics without a care. He and Xue Yuan were birds of a feather, rotten to the core but with an outward appearance of gold and jade.
Reputation, for a scholar, sometimes proved more useful than power and money, and sometimes it could even save one’s life.
During the imperial examinations, scholars needed to cultivate a reputation for themselves if they wanted to become officials. “Lying on ice to catch carp” and “Kong Rong giving away pears” were results of the behind-the-scenes publicity of scholar families, an unspoken rule among scholars. Chang Yuyan’s family hadn’t promoted his reputation when he came of age, so he had to do it himself.
Being able to use the powerful to banish his father from court was not a bad thing for Chang Yuyan.
It could be imagined that this time, the emperor calling him to the palace to accompany him must have been greatly influenced by his reputation. Chang Yuyan berated himself on one hand and felt lucky on the other.
If he didn’t have a reputation, the emperor might never have looked at him.
The palace carriage rattled along the road, and with everyone in the capital staying indoors after the snow, Chang Yuyan’s head was hot. He lowered his head to adjust his clothes several times, still feeling like he smelled of ink. How could he go to see the emperor like this?
Moving to the window, Chang Yuyan opened it to let in some cold air to calm himself down. After finally calming down, Chang Yuyan suddenly saw the son of the Shangshu of the Ministry of Revenue, Tang Mian, and the son of the Marquis Pingchang, Li Yan, flash past the mouth of a small alley.
One was the son of a senior official, and the other was the Shizi to a noble title. Even if they were close in the academy, they should avoid each other outside, right?
And if he hadn’t seen it wrong… Chang Yuyan squinted his eyes, but unfortunately, the carriage passed by in a flash, and he only caught a glimpse. But if he hadn’t seen it wrong, the two of them were holding paintings?
***
Gu Yuanbai walked while watching, and after putting on his leather gloves, no one stopped him from touching the snow.
When Chang Yuyan arrived, the emperor was having someone carry a jar while he carefully brushed the thick snow off the plum blossoms into the jar. After resting overnight on the plum blossoms, the snow had absorbed the fragrance of the plum blossoms. When melted and used to brew tea, it would have a unique taste.
Chang Yuyan approached and saluted nervously. “I pay my respects to Your Majesty.”
“No need for such formality,” the emperor said, putting down what he was doing and personally supporting Chang Yuyan’s arms. “Last time I saw you, you were very reserved. Today, I summoned you to admire the snow. There’s no need to be so nervous.”
As soon as Gu Yuanbai held Chang Yuyan’s arms, he felt the tense skin under his clothes and couldn’t help but chuckle. “Am I really that scary?”
Chang Yuyan’s face flushed, and he discreetly glanced up.
Gu Yuanbai was already smiling as he led him forward, with the guards following five steps behind. The palace maids took the jar and continued to collect the spring snow under the plum blossoms.
On ordinary days, Gu Yuanbai wouldn’t wear dragon robes; he wore regular clothes, subtly embroidered with dark patterns, as if there were dragons climbing on them as he walked.
On the back of his black hair were a few plum blossoms with snow on them. Chang Yuyan noticed and looked at them several times but felt too embarrassed to speak up.
After touring the palace snow scenery, Chang Yuyan was kept behind by the emperor for dinner. After dinner, as he was about to leave, Chang Yuyan plucked up the courage to take out the poetry collection from his sleeve. Even at this moment, he couldn’t help but marvel at his thick skin. “Your Majesty, this is a collection of poems I recently compiled, including some of the poems that have caught my eye in the past and what I have gained since my last visit to the garden. If Your Majesty doesn’t mind, I would like to present this to you.”
The thin book was probably still in its original form, with a few folded corners.
Gu Yuanbai was also extremely interested in the new poem by this person who showed potential for influencing public opinion. If it was a masterpiece, he believed it would quickly spread throughout the entire capital.
The leather gloves had been taken off before dinner, and Gu Yuanbai smiled as he flipped through the poetry collection, casually glancing at it and deepening his smile.
Compared to the thirteen satirical poems he had written before targeting the powerful, this collection seemed to cater to the taste of this ruler.
Gu Yuanbai handed the poetry collection to Tian Fusheng to keep and suddenly remembered something, smiling slyly. “Yuyan, are you good friends with the eldest young master of General Xue?”
Chang Yuyan didn’t understand why but cautiously nodded. “Yes.”
Gu Yuanbai slowly said, “A few days ago, I heard that Xue Jiuyao injured both his knees. Do you know about this?”
Jiuyao was Xue Yuan’s courtesy name.
Chang Yuyan was taken aback. What?
Seeing his bewildered expression, Gu Yuanbai raised an eyebrow and chuckled, “When you’re out of the palace, why not go to the Xue residence and take a look? And say a few words to General Xue and Xue Jiuyao for me. If they need it, I can send the imperial physician to their house for treatment.”
The emperor spoke leisurely, “After all, he is the son of my beloved minister, a talent for the future. If anything were to happen to him, it would be a loss for the future.”
The author has something to say: Xue Yuan: Thanks for the invitation, sitting at home while the enemy comes from the sky.
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