Chapter 335

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Protagonist:

Song Miao

Having received the Emperor's order, the imperial guards immediately changed routes to clear the way.

The palanquin had barely gone when Zhao Yu suddenly turned to the Imperial City Office official beside him and asked: "I remember that Han Li is Fu Xiansheng's disciple, so isn't he a fellow disciple of Deng Ming?"

Hearing this, the other immediately replied: "Your Majesty sees clearly, Han Li is not only a fellow disciple of Deng Jijiu, but also of Tingqing Xiansheng."

Zhao Yu nodded, then couldn't help asking again: "Han Li is not yet of weak crown age, while Deng and Chen are old in years; among Fu's disciples, how can seniority and age differ so much from others?"

The official then recounted how Deng and Chen had been won over by Fu Gui Fu Laoxiansheng's learning and conduct back then, how although their ages were similar, especially Deng Jijiu who was actually several years older, they still chose to become his disciples.

"There was also an anecdote back then called 'Lady Feng's Three Trials for the Old Disciple'—referring to Deng Jijiu's becoming Fu Laoxiansheng's disciple."

Zhao Yu immediately became interested and said: "Go on."

All were deceased, especially Fu and Lady Feng, who had outstanding achievements in life and had been praised by the late Emperor many times; after their deaths, the current court still sent people to offer condolences, so the matter was long settled. The official didn't need to think too much about mentioning it; seeing the Emperor interested, he brought up a few more amusing stories from Fu's school.

After listening, Zhao Yu was silent for a moment, then sighed and said: "Truly a divine couple, most rare that both were of one heart for the state; who would have thought they left not a single descendant."

Speaking of this, he couldn't help thinking of Fu Gui's many words and deeds back then, and his surviving works; knowing this person had always advocated restoring the nine courses of the Yellow River, but the cost was too great, so it finally came to nothing.

But thinking carefully now, the Wang Jinghe waterway that Du Shui Jian and Han Li and others connected in Hua Prefecture was also one of the old courses of the Yellow River; the Three Departments had roughly calculated the expenses last time, and it actually didn't cost much—at least far less than imagined.

Not only that, opening the river added fields, increased transport numbers, attracted many traveling merchants, and even increased commercial taxes—making Weizhou envious; last month they even submitted a memorial saying their place could also channel water and dig canals, asking Du Shui Jian and Han Li, Kong Fuyang and other students to go there.

Mentioning Hua Prefecture's Wang Jinghe, one cannot but mention Liu Ta He.

Back then Hua Prefecture had submitted a proposal; seeing its estimated silver, materials, labor, etc. were not many, even the usually tight Ministry of Revenue and Ministry of Works didn't make things difficult and readily agreed—yet in the end the river was opened, and the cost was actually more than the budget.

Comparing them, how simple was Lv Zhongchang's memorial back then!

He stated clearly in black and white: only three million in grain and salary, ten thousand workers; yet before half a year had passed, fourteen million in grain and salary had already been spent, eight hundred thirty thousand workers, and the riverway wasn't even half open—hatefully blocked by Liu Ta He, and it couldn't be stopped...

Hearing that Hua Prefecture's Wang Jinghe calculation was done by Han Li, and that Fu Laoxiansheng's words and deeds had always been very cautious, his disciple acting so properly—perhaps restoring the nine courses of the Yellow River didn't need to cost so much; even if the total was too much, opening one course was one course, perhaps it wasn't impossible...

River matters couldn't be slow, but neither could they be rushed; right now it was just an idea, and besides, he was a student, so it had to be examined carefully.

Thinking this far, Zhao Yu didn't mention the nine courses of the Yellow River or anything else, only said: "Since there's no urgent matter on the embankment for now, why not summon Han Li—he isn't a Taixue graduate? I want to see if this so-called 'good food' is to make up for his senior brother!"

Once he spoke, a fast horse was immediately sent back out of the city to find Han Li.

The palanquin traveled southeast all the way, heading for Taixue.

Meanwhile, at Lüexue Li beside Taixue, a group of old men had finished setting the questions and were packing up.

Chen and Lao Cao, both senior in standing and advanced in age, had brought people with them; one had You Xuelu as an assistant, the other had a Clerk.

With help, the two were laxer.

Especially Lao Cao Fuzi; as he packed, he glanced at the water clock in the corner, made an excuse of having business, and had already slipped out the door.

Given the crab incident before, the other old men had been watching him; seeing he hadn't returned for a long while, they sent people to search Xuefang and other places, but found no trace at all, and they were all anxious.

"Not good! Lao Lao Cao didn't sneak back, did he!?"

They asked the Clerk at once; the other was evasive, first wanting to perfunctorily brush it off, but pressed hard, he finally admitted: "Lao Lao Cao just gave an order, saying to leave the packing here to me for now, he had business at Xuezhong and would return first—waiting for all the teachers at the Teaching Hall when the time comes!"

Everyone practically sucked in a breath of cold air one after another.

Since the person had already left for a long time, chasing was useless—besides, even if chased, he might not come back, so they simply went to find Chen Fuzi.

"Chen Lao—why don't you help follow and take a look? Lao Cao Gong has already returned to Taixue!"

"Exactly, Old Chen, Lao Cao Gong is very cunning; why would he rush back? He's probably after Song Ji's side dishes!"

"Saying he specially ordered several side dishes to apologize to us, but now he runs the fastest; he also said yesterday that those crabs are rare, if there are only two or three today, and he gets them first, aren't we losing big!?"

"Chen Gong, Chen Gong—everyone trusts you, hurry back and keep an eye on it! Don't let Lao Cao Gong secretly eat Song Ji's good dishes—we don't need him to apologize, we'll pay ourselves!"

"Exactly! We'll pay ourselves, so he won't have this excuse to pick out all the good food!"

Chen Fuzi was always easy to talk to; especially hearing everyone's analysis, he agreed in his heart that the man surnamed Lao Cao had probably gone to steal crabs to eat, and he couldn't bear it either; he immediately agreed, told Xiao You a few words, and hurried away.

Sure enough, this time upon entering the Teaching Hall, he was about to knock on Lao Cao Fuzi's door when he saw the outer door was merely ajar; inside, the man surnamed Lao Cao was talking to a servant.

"Find someone to go guard the back gate together, and see when Song Ji delivers the dishes—if they come, no need to bring them here; first place them in the side room by the canteen; I'll go over in a moment!"

Speaking, he said to another person beside him: "You stay here for now; when the others return, tell them I'm waiting in the side room by the canteen, and ask them to hurry over!"

The two agreed one after another and went out one after another; seeing Chen Fuzi, they were about to salute and greet him, but he waved his hand, signaling them to go first, then he entered the door and called out, "Lao Lao Cao."

Lao Cao Fuzi was clearly startled; the things in his hand fell onto the table; he hurriedly looked up, and seeing the visitor, he sighed in relief and said in a bad temper: "In broad daylight, you want to scare me to death!"

Chen Fuzi stepped forward, pointed at the things fallen on the table, and asked: "What is this?"

Lao Cao Fuzi glanced behind him; seeing no one else, he sighed in relief, took out a small porcelain bottle from the cabinet, handed it over, and said softly: "I got this from Xiao Song yesterday; she asked me to bring you a bottle."

He added: "It's preserved olives; because I said autumn is coming soon, both our throats are dry and we often cough, so she prepared two bottles for us to suck on when idle—there aren't many; don't let others see, or if everyone gets a bit, they'll be gone in a blink, and in the end we won't get any ourselves!"

After delivering the preserved olives, without waiting for Chen Fuzi to speak, Lao Lao Cao again explained the purpose of bringing his nephew to visit yesterday, and also Song Miao's request; finally he said: "In front of them, I can't say too much; after all, it's Xiao Song's private matter, and besides, matters usually succeed through secrecy; to avoid leaking news, I had to conceal it; but you're one of us, trustworthy..."

He gave the preserved olives neither early nor late, but gave them now, and said so many words; Chen Fuzi naturally understood the hidden meaning of asking for a favor, and said: "You've had enough; yesterday you secretly ate the good stuff, today you hid back here; who can't guess you came back to steal food?"

Lao Lao Cao thickened his skin and laughed hehe; after laughing, he sighed again and said: "It's not that I stole food myself; I was thinking, if there are those crabs, send one back to the one at home—yesterday she tasted it and liked it very much, ate two in one go; seeing she's had no appetite for several days, you know, I'm anxious too..."

Chen Fuzi asked: "What's wrong, is your sister-in-law uncomfortable somewhere? You should hurry and invite a doctor to see her!"

"It's no serious illness; it's just that Second Young Master is in Chan Prefecture, you know; recently there are many troubles, and she worries all day—what's the use of worrying, she can't help at all, and instead ruins her own health; I urged her to come back more, but it's useless! I can't do anything else, so I can only think of ways to get her to eat more!"

"Oh come on, worrying is useless, you can't help, but you're worrying all day yourself! How is the matter going now? Did you find Wang Shuji? Is the transport in time?"

"Found him, thanks to Xiao Song and Zheng Yan; but right now everywhere needs large timber and those few things; not to mention whether there are any, even if there are plenty, the transport capacity isn't enough; taking care of this end means neglecting that end; although he is Deputy Transport Commissioner, he must distribute according to the court's arrangements..."

Lao Cao Fuzi said this far, his expression looked a bit better, and said: "But he also helped think of several methods, all very effective, and has already helped a great deal!"

"If it really doesn't work, forget it; why not call Second Young Master back! Is being an official so easy? Not to mention anything else, look at Cen Dezhang—Old Min paved the road for him into what shape, and in the end he was still manipulated by a bunch of clerks; I see your Second Young Master has been honest since childhood, his learning is also decent; why not come back and study with you, then teach later—isn't that good?"

Lao Cao Fuzi spat and said: "You say it lightly—you're talking without back pain; you haven't..."

He said this far, realized it was wrong; once the words were out, they couldn't be taken back; he hurriedly made amends: "Why don't you say this to Han Zhengyan—his mouth isn't exactly a fuel-efficient lamp; if he causes trouble in the future, will you clean up the mess behind him, or call him back to teach?"

"He doesn't have any messes left for me to clean up!" Chen Fuzi chuckled. "Last time we chatted idly, he had already changed his mind. After he receives his official appointment, he wants to be posted outside the capital for two or three turns before returning. You know what kind of person he is—as long as he does something, he won't rest until it's done well. Nine times out of ten he'll earn merit, and earning merit a few times is enough to offset being scolded a couple of times!"

"You think too highly of yourself! Offset being scolded!"

The two were speaking when a Xue Zheng hurried in from outside, calling out urgently: "Chen Lao! Lao Lao Cao! Just received urgent news—the Imperial Procession is right outside the main gate. Lord Deng Jijiu and Sijian probably won't be back in time. Siye ordered me to rush over and ask the two of you to come receive the Imperial Procession!"

Chen and Lao Cao were both stunned, but they didn't dare delay. They hurriedly tidied themselves up and followed that Xue Zheng out the door.

The two first headed for the main gate. Halfway there, they saw students along the road all coming toward them from the opposite direction. That Xue Zheng hurriedly grabbed one and asked: "You're all in such a panic—where are you going?"

The student said: "I heard the Emperor has come! He went to the Canteen—everyone is rushing that way!"

Upon hearing this, the three of them quickly turned around and headed for the Canteen as well.

Inside the Canteen, a group of students were already in an uproar.

After Zhao Yu entered Zhuque Gate, he changed carriages halfway. Although he still brought a full complement of Imperial Guards, it could already be considered traveling lightly with few attendants.

He had decided on a whim and deliberately sent no one to notify them in advance. Thus, by the time the officials of the Imperial Academy received the news, it was already too late to come out and welcome the Imperial Procession.

But Zhao Yu neither wanted nor needed anyone to come receive the Imperial Procession.

It was exactly mealtime, and his purpose was very clear: he was looking for the Canteen. Although he had come a few times before, he still didn't know the way well. Not long after entering, he saw several people not far ahead carrying Food Boxes, walking hurriedly forward.

Zhao Yu didn't have the Imperial Guards or Yellow Gate attendants step forward. He went up himself, stopped one person, and asked: "This young scholar, I don't know how to get to the Taixue Canteen?"

The person stopped hadn't reacted yet. Among the others nearby, one person, seeing so many people here, felt it was strange and glanced back—he had once dined at the same table as the Emperor, and now seeing Zhao Yu among them, his scalp truly went numb. He called out: "The Emperor! Your Majesty!!!"

This person tossed aside the Food Box in his hand, hurriedly performed a salute, and then gave his name.

Once one person took the lead, everyone around reacted. Whether they recognized him or not, they all followed suit in performing salutes and shouted "Long live!"

Zhao Yu helped up the nearest few people and smiled: "All of you, get up quickly. Last time I came, I saw your meals were very poor. Today I've come again to take a look—I just don't know if there's been any improvement?"

As he spoke, he casually picked up a Food Basket from the ground and handed it to that student.

The other person hurriedly took it and said: "Xue... Xue Shi, Xue Shi will take Your Majesty to the Canteen!"

He was so excited he stammered.

First, ten or so onlooking students followed along, and as they walked, more and more people gathered. Some who had seen him before recognized him at once and all crowded over. Others who hadn't had the chance to see him before, upon learning it was the Emperor, hurriedly gathered too, following along shouting "Your Majesty! Your Majesty! Long live!" in a chaotic uproar.

By the time they entered the Canteen, who knew how many people had followed. They came in a mighty throng, as if all the students of Taixue had surged over.

This time, Zhao Yu declined the students' kind offer to carry food and dishes for him, smiling: "Last time you offered meals for me. Today I will treat everyone to a meal!"

Hardly had his words fallen when the entire Canteen was filled with shouts of "Long live!", as if they would burst through the Roof.

The people in the Back Kitchen heard the commotion and hurriedly out to pay their respects. Receiving the order, they led the Yellow Gate attendants and Imperial Guards inside and sent out various things.

Soon, plate after plate of dishes, basin after basin of Rice, basket after basket of baked cakes and Steamed Buns were placed on the tables in the middle.

The one nearest him was the first to lift one of the Baskets and present it before Zhao Yu, saying: "Your Majesty! Your Majesty! Please try this Tofu Steamed Bun!"

"Your Majesty, please try this! This is Mutton Steamed Bun, the flavor is the best!"

"No, no! Today there are Char Siu Roast Meat Buns! Your Majesty, please try this one!"

"Not good! Not good! Please Your Majesty must eat this Suan Pa Cai Man Tou, it goes perfectly with Congee Flour Paste!"