Chapter 276: Three Maids Cause Trouble [Many thanks for everyone's support! Bowing again!]

In the city of Bianjing,

very few people knew about the matter of delaying promotions for officials of the Huainan East Circuit after their transfers.

On the second day, after the morning court session ended,

Li Li Guangren, the Minister of Personnel, followed the Emperor into the rear hall.

"Your Majesty! It cannot be done this way!"

"Did you hear clearly? Then tell me, how am I to explain this!"

"Promoting incompetent individuals..."

"... while those with remarkable achievements are left chilled to the heart!"

Crash!

It seemed as though something had been thrown onto the floor.

"Look for yourself."

The high-ranking eunuch assigned to wait outside the door,

hearing the sounds of argument between ruler and minister from within, wished he could cover his own ears.

After another half-ke of time passed,

silence fell completely inside the room.

"Have you seen clearly? This is my imperial decree."

"This subject obeys the decree!"

The door was opened; when Minister Li emerged, his expression was extremely grim.

In an official's career, if one step is slow, every subsequent step becomes slow.

To suppress others' routine promotions is to make enemies!

Yet, recalling the words the Emperor had spoken to him in the palace study, Minister Li's gaze became firm and fierce.

Upon entering the courtyard of the Ministry of Personnel offices,

subordinates like Sheng Hong all wore expressions of inquiry.

"Set aside officials with service experience in the Huainan East Circuit; attend to other matters first."

Hearing these words, a hint of disappointment flickered in Sheng Hong's eyes, but it vanished quickly as he bowed along with his colleagues and replied affirmatively.

Which official in the Ministry of Personnel did not have numerous classmates, fellow students, and relatives?

Since Minister Li had not ordered secrecy when he spoke, by afternoon, essentially every household connected to this matter had received the news.

Of course, while some worried, others rejoiced; after all, if officials from the Huainan East Circuit could not advance, the vacant positions would naturally benefit other officials.

Thus, the Ministry of Personnel became even busier.

After Elder Yu left the court session,

he did not return to the Yu residence until near noon.

Elder Yu naturally knew about the invitation card the Sheng family had sent the previous night.

He had stopped Lady Yu, who had wanted to visit the Sheng family that morning,

telling her to wait for his return.

Instead, Elder Yu used his status to wander through various government offices,

chatting with several lords for a while, thereby delaying until noon.

Inside the room, Lady Yu glared angrily at her husband:

"I tell you, my old sister finally sent me an invitation, yet you dragged things out until now!"

"Yu Yanran, hurry, fetch things and get dressed!"

Listening to Lady Yu's nagging, Elder Yu sat on an embroidered stool by the table, sipping tea and saying to himself:

"That old sister of yours, when has she ever sent you an invitation without cause? It is always because she needs to ask about something!"

"You!!!"

Although Lady Yu was advanced in years, her temper remained like that of a young Miss.

Hearing her husband speak such cooling words about her sisters, she angrily tilted her head away.

It was not that Lady Yu was pretending to be young;

rather, Elder Yu hailed from a humble background.

His benefactor teacher had imparted all his learning to him, guided him into officialdom, and even married his daughter to him.

Although Lady Yu lacked scheming and was gentle by nature, she had the advantage of an excellent husband;

Elder Yu not only enjoyed a smooth career but also never took a concubine in his entire life, managing all internal and external affairs of the Yu household himself!

Indeed, matters within the inner quarters of the Yu family, including the Guan Guan Pozi and maids, were all managed by Elder Yu!

Therefore, he protected Lady Yu extremely well, so even in her old age, she remained simple-minded and free to follow her whims.

Elder Yu beckoned with his hand, saying:

"Yu Yanran, come to your grandfather; Grandfather will tell you about affairs at court..."

Hearing these words, Yu Yu Yanran put down the embroidery sample she had been preparing to place in her small satchel, walked over to Elder Yu's side in a daze,

while Elder Yu continued speaking,

Lady Yu pinched her handkerchief, slowly shifting her body on the embroidered stool until she was once again facing Elder Yu.

In the afternoon,

when Tutor Zhuang resumed classes,

due to Lady Yu's arrival,

Mama Fang specifically came to the school to request leave for the three Lans, so that Yu Yu Yanran would have peers her own age to accompany her.

In the Hall of Longevity and Peace,

Old Lady Yu and the Lady were conversing, with Wang Wang Ruofu attending them on the side,

listening to words such as

"Collusion between officials and merchants,"

"Land taxes remain the same as last year,"

"Acceptance of bribes,"

which left Wang Wang Ruofu utterly stunned.

In the outer room, separated by a folding screen,

Hearing Rulan was not reading leisure books, nor was Seeing Mo Lan indulging in literary pursuits; instead, like Minglan, she sat beside Yu Yu Yanran,

watching as Yu Yanran took several ear-warmer patterns of different styles out of her small satchel.

Yu Yanran's patterns were no longer limited to civet cats but had expanded to include animals like rabbits and puppies.

"I like this one."

"Yu Yanran, will you give this one to me?"

Hearing Hearing Rulan and Seeing Mo Lan's words, Yu Yanran said with a somewhat flustered expression:

"Just take them!"

"Good, good, this one is gifted to Sister Seeing Mo Lan."

Afterwards, Hearing Rulan rose to find Wang Wang Ruofu, and after Seeing Mo Lan got up to follow her, Yu Yanran said:

"Minglan, which one do you want?"

As she spoke, Yu Yanran placed the remaining embroidery samples before Minglan.

Minglan shook her head.

Unable to tell if she was happy or disappointed, Yu Yanran retrieved the items,

then took out a ball of silk thread from her small satchel,

preparing to sort it out,

when Minglan casually extended her hand and said:

"Sister Yu Yanran, let me help you sort it!"

Seeing Yu Yanran's hesitant demeanor, Minglan said:

"I often sort silk threads with Little Auntie."

Observing Minglan's hand gestures, which suggested she knew what she was doing, Yu Yanran finally handed over the thread to Minglan.

"Oh, this looks like silk thread from the Li Family Shop!"

Yu Yanran nodded shyly and said:

"Next month is my younger brother's birthday; I plan to embroider a forehead band for him."

Minglan propped her fingers and continued helping Yu Yanran sort the silk thread,

then looked around to ensure no one was nearby before lowering her voice to say:

"Sister Yu Yanran, these patterns of yours look quite similar to those brought by the managing matron from the shop a few days ago. Is it..."

Hearing Minglan's words, Yu Yanran's eyes filled with panic, and she frantically reached out to cover Minglan's mouth,

while saying:

"Shh!!! Keep your voice down!"

As she spoke, she looked at Xiao Xiaotao beside Minglan; Xiao Xiaotao quickly covered her mouth with both hands, indicating she would keep the secret.

Minglan looked at Yu Yanran in surprise and asked, "Did you really draw these, Sister?"

Yu Yanran nodded with some embarrassment.

For a maiden living in the inner quarters to sell her own paintings was, in the eyes of some, indeed improper.

Yu Yanran said to Minglan awkwardly:

"Each sells for two taels of silver, so I just..."

Hearing this, Minglan's eyes widened:

"Two taels of silver..."

Immediately, she shifted her embroidery stool closer to Yu Yanran.

Yu Yanran habitually shrank back, but Minglan moved even closer, saying:

"Sister, take me along!"

Seeing the bright, unmocking look in Minglan's eyes, Yu Yanran hesitated before nodding.

Minglan's eyes instantly lit up with joy.

Infected by Minglan's smile, Yu Yanran began to laugh as well,

for having a small secret together, their relationship suddenly felt somewhat different.

"Actually, the most expensive ones are drawn by the Fifth Young Master of Marquis Marquis Yongyi's Hou Fu; I heard one sells for ninety taels..."

Minglan's face was filled with shock: "How much?!!"

For some reason, an image of her cousin Xu Xu Zaijing chewing on a smoked fish bone appeared in Minglan's mind.

Then Minglan unconsciously looked at Mama Fang, who was standing beside the Old Lady.

Known facts: Mama Fang makes delicious smoked fish, Jing Jing Biao Ge loves to eat it, and Jing Jing Biao Ge's paintings are valuable.

Therefore, a 'trade' scheme formed in Minglan's little head.

Moreover, it seemed she ought to treat Jing Jing Biao Ge better in the future;

even if he called her a little chubby girl, she couldn't show him a sour face!

After sorting the silk threads, Hearing Rulan and Seeing Mo Lan still had not returned.

Yu Yanran then embroidered alongside Minglan, occasionally exchanging remarks on stitching techniques.

Yu Yanran said, "Minglan, seeing that you are younger than me, how is it you know such skilled needlework?"

"All the concubines taught me these! Is it difficult?"

In the lecture hall,

Master Zhuang sat behind his desk, lifted his head from his book, and took a sip of warm tea,

gazing at the students below who were whispering amongst themselves.

"Ahem!"

The hall fell silent.

"I know you are all thinking about tomorrow's Winter Solstice."

Below, Sheng Changbai, Xu Xu Zaijing, and the others lowered their heads.

"Dismissed! Go plan well how to have fun!"

"Tomorrow is a day of rest!"

Upon hearing Master Zhuang's words,

the six young men present hurriedly rose and shouted with voices two or three times louder than usual:

"We thank the Master for his instruction!"

Master Zhuang stood up, put on his ear-flap hat, and strolled leisurely toward the exit,

"Use this volume of voice from now on as well!"

"Yes, Master!"

Afterwards,

the young attendants busied themselves clearing the desks,

while Sheng Changfeng, standing at the back, said:

"Elder brothers, why don't we all go out together tomorrow?"

"It will be livelier with more people!"

As he spoke, he looked toward Gu Gu Tingye, who nodded.

Xu Zaizhang turned to look at Sheng Changfeng and said, "Tomorrow I must accompany your sister Sheng Hualan, so I will not go."

Sheng Changbai, sitting at the very front, heard this and raised his eyebrows in gratification.

Xu Xu Zaijing said, "I have no objection; it is better if we all go together!"

Qi Heng said, "I will go too, I will go too!"

Speaking thus, the group draped themselves in heavy cloaks or capes and walked outward,

chatting happily about tomorrow's arrangements as they went,

and as they walked toward the courtyard where the carriages were parked,

they happened to see Old Lady Yu leading Yu Yanran, accompanied by a crowd of women from the Sheng household, walking out toward them.

Since they had met,

the young men hurriedly stepped forward, clasping their hands in greeting one after another.

The Old Lady looked at them and, standing beside Old Lady Yu, said:

"You already know my Sheng Changbai and the others!"

"This one is the Marquis of Lady Ningyuan, the Duke of Qi..."

"These two are my maternal grand-nephews; the elder is called Xu Zaizhang!"

"We pay our respects to the Old Lady and to sister Yu Yanran."

Old Lady Yu smiled and said, "The one who married Sheng Hualan!"

"The younger is called Xu Zaijing."

Xu Xu Zaijing said, "We pay our respects to the Old Lady and to sister Yu Yanran."

Beside them, Wang Ruo Fu smiled so broadly her mouth could not close as she looked at Xu Zaizhang and asked:

"Brother Zhang, I saw you all so joyful just now; what happened?"

At these words, all the women present also looked over curiously.

"Oh! Replying to Mother-in-law, my younger brothers were discussing going out to play together tomorrow!"

Old Lady Yu looked at Lady Sheng and said:

"Indeed! Tomorrow the gambling games are unrestricted, so the children may go out to play a bit."

"I still remember one time we went out on the Winter Solstice, and you won quite a few good things!"

Lady Sheng smiled, pointed her finger at Old Lady Yu, and shook her head as she said:

"You, you! That was so many years ago, yet you still remember!"

Old Lady Yu said:

"Winning at the gambling games so many times in a row, how could I forget!"

Then Old Lady Yu waved her hand and said:

"It is cold outside; everyone go back!"

Watching Old Lady Yu and Yu Yanran board their carriage,

Gu Gu Tingye and Qi Heng also clasped their hands and departed.

Just as Xu Zaizhang and Xu Xu Zaijing were about to leave as well,

Lady Sheng said, "Oh, right, Brother Zhang and Brother Jing, come to my courtyard and take some red date cakes back with you!"

The two brothers hastily replied in the affirmative, then flanked the Old Lady on either side to support her as they walked.

The crowd then proceeded toward the Hall of Longevity and Peace.

At this moment, Xu Xu Zaijing suddenly felt someone watching him.

Turning his head to look, he discovered it was Minglan, that chubby little girl.

Seeing Minglan's ingratiating smile,

Xu Xu Zaijing said to Lady Sheng, "Great-aunt, look at Minglan; what mischief is she plotting this time?"

Hearing Xu Xu Zaijing's words, Minglan's face immediately lost its smile.

The Old Lady, however, patted Xu Xu Zaijing and said, "Do not speak of my obedient little darling in such a way!"

After accompanying the Old Lady back to the Hall of Longevity and Peace,

and sitting for a short while, steaming hot red date cakes were packed into a food box and taken away by the two brothers.

Taking their leave from the Sheng family,

on the road back to Quyuanjie,

Xu Xu Zaijing opened the food box, took out a fragrant red date cake, and placed it into the hands of Yun Xiang, who had followed along.

He slightly lifted the carriage curtain to look outside,

seeing only that at the various shops and stalls lining the road,

some people were setting up stands;

many others were carrying round, disc-shaped objects, upon which paintings were drawn;

some were hawking five-colored bird feathers;

common folk were gathering around to carefully examine the black characters written on red paper posted at certain shop stalls;

from time to time, noises of clamor and exclamation drifted over.

Common folk and passersby clad in new clothes exhaled white breath, while the stoves at the stalls and shops also billowed white steam,

creating a scene of bustling liveliness.

On Quyuanjie,

at the stalls belonging to Hearing Shu Bo and the others,

a table had also been deliberately cleared, in preparation for the official government lifting of the gambling ban tomorrow.

Returning to the Xu family residence,

after massaging the horses for a while at the racecourse,

Xu Xu Zaijing returned to his own courtyard to change his clothes.

Arriving at the hall within his mother's courtyard, he saw Xu Zaizhang being directed by Sheng Hualan to try on new clothes.

Xu Xu Zaijing himself could not escape; while taking off his outer robe, he said,

"Mother, I already have so many clothes; why make new ones?"

Sun Shi, watching Xu Xu Zaijing changing into his new robe from the side, nodded.

Stepping forward, Sun Shi helped Xu Xu Zaijing adjust his cuffs while saying,

"Even common folk buy new clothes today, let alone a noble family of our rank with titles of merit!"

"Turn around so I can see!"

Xu Xu Zaijing pursed his lips and turned once.

Sun Shi nodded in satisfaction.

Looking at her younger son, whose height now surpassed her own, she sighed with deep emotion.

Xu Xu Anmei sat to the side, holding her little nephew Xu Xu Xingdai, who wore a tiger-head cap.

Glancing at Xu Xu Zaijing and their mother, and seeing that no one was paying attention to her,

she pressed her cheek against her little nephew's chubby face and whispered softly,

"Mm! So smooth!"

Just as she was about to lift her head, she discovered her little nephew tightly gripping her hair.

"Good nephew! Let go!"

As soon as she finished speaking, she felt a warmth on her cheek;

Xu Xu Xingdai had already planted a kiss there.

Fortunately, Lady Xie hurried over to save the situation, tearing her son off Xu Xu Anmei and carrying him away.

During the meal, the red date cakes brought from the Sheng family were completely finished by Sheng Hualan and Xu Xu Anmei.

Winter Solstice Day

Mao Hour (5:00 AM)

In fact, half an hour earlier, Xu Xu Zaijing had already woken out of habit,

but upon realizing today was a day of rest, he had fallen back asleep.

However, his sleep was not deep;

he could vaguely hear the voices of three young maids speaking in the outer room, along with the clattering sounds of things being tossed about.

"Elder Yin is so amazing; yesterday morning, with a casual throw, he got six heads!"

Hearing Yun Xiang's voice, Xu Xu Zaijing pulled the quilt up over his face.

'What a sin! Even on a day of rest, I cannot sleep because of my own maid making noise!'

(End of Chapter)