Chapter 117: The Last Snow

Time passed in a hurry, and in a blink of an eye, it was the end of the year.

The busy Li Mu was finally able to stop and take a break.

During these days in the capital, he had been busy socializing and attending to the engagement process.

Finally, on the 27th day of the twelfth lunar month, the two families officially announced their marriage.

Completing the 'Na Cai' (proposal), 'Wen Ming' (asking for the name), 'Na Ji' (betrothal), and 'Na Zheng' (sending gifts) in just over ten days was definitely considered efficient for a marriage between major families.

As for the remaining 'Qing Qi' (setting the date) and 'Qin Ying' (welcoming the bride), it would be too rushed to hold them before the New Year, so they could only be arranged for after the New Year.

Fortunately, all the procedures were handled by the clan; otherwise, if Li Mu had to organize it himself, he would have made a fool of himself.

It's no wonder that the centripetal force of major families is strong; anyone who enjoys these treatments would develop a sense of belonging.

"Master, the ones on the left are invitations from officials in the capital, and the ones on the right are invitations from fellow townsmen and old acquaintances.

Because the Marquis gave instructions that there would be a gathering at the Marquis's mansion during the New Year, the banquet activities of the clan relatives have been temporarily canceled."

Listening to the steward's report, Li Mu had deep feelings.

When he first arrived in the capital, he went around delivering invitations, but few were willing to meet him.

They called it a tense situation, not suitable for meetings.

In reality, wasn't it just a change in status and position? As a hereditary Guard Commander, he wasn't worth their attention.

After he remained in the capital as a Battalion Commander, the relationships from all sides suddenly became much warmer.

Although his rank wasn't high, a Battalion Commander of the Five Cities Military Commission was the one in charge; who knows when this relationship might come in handy.

After returning from his post as Assistant Regional Commander in Yangzhou to report for duty, everyone's performance was even more enthusiastic.

Young and having stepped into the ranks of high-ranking military officers, holding a regiment in his hands—everyone knew his future was boundless.

With the news of the marriage between the Jing and Li families, Li Mu's status as the person involved climbed once again.

If he had previously only been using the name of the Marquis of Zhenyuan's nephew to bully others,

then now he truly belonged to the second generation of the nobility, and the kind that had entered the first tier.

Gaining the political resource bonus of two major families, even a pig would have a bright future.

With a different status and position, the value one could produce was also very different.

Regardless of how they slandered, envied, or hated him behind his back, anyone who could establish a connection tried every possible way to come to his door.

"Filter them according to status, pick a few important families to reply to, and make appointments when there is time.

For the others, you find an excuse to help me politely decline.

Remember to strictly observe the etiquette procedures so that no one can find fault."

Li Mu said expressionlessly.

When he was rejected before, he felt the other party was heartless; now he understood that everyone is just a worldly person.

It wasn't a question of whether they were willing to meet or not; it was purely that the number of visits and invitations that those in power faced every day was simply too many.

With limited time, one could only discard some useless social interactions and only maintain valuable relationships.

Past human relationships weren't entirely useless.

If one really sought help, looking at the past sentiments, as long as one opened their mouth, they would still try their best to handle it.

However, this kind of human sentiment is always used once and thinned by a fraction.

Even if they were family friends, after the gap in status and position between the two sides widened, the relationship would slowly drift apart.

It wasn't that they didn't miss the old feelings; it was purely that when everyone gathered together, they could no longer find the feeling they had before, and they both felt awkward.

"Understood, Master!"

After a pause, Steward Liu took out an account book and handed it over, saying,

"Master, these are the earnings from various industries in the capital.

Affected by the explosion in the capital, the earnings for the following few months dropped quite a bit.

Fortunately, the recovery of the capital is fast, and it will be able to recover next year."

From his expression, one could tell that Steward Liu's mood was very uneasy.

A drop in earnings is a very bad thing for any family.

If one encountered a master with a bad temper, one might even be implicated.

After flipping through it casually, Li Mu lost interest.

The current him was no longer the youth he once was.

This was an industry with an annual income of two or three thousand taels, and it was already hard to catch his eye.

If it weren't for the fact that selling industries in this day and age is equivalent to ruining the family and would affect his reputation, he would have wanted to dispose of these industries.

Not only was the income low, but it was also far from where he was stationed, making it very troublesome to manage.

Leaving it entirely to servants to manage, the drop in earnings was a small matter.

After a long time, there was also the possibility of the stewards below messing around under his banner.

Similar cases were simply too common in feudal dynasties.

Once the master's focus was not on the industry, problems were just a matter of time.

Unless it was a profiteering industry where one could continuously invest energy in management.

For these small industries lacking room for growth, Li Mu had lost interest.

After a moment of contemplation, Li Mu instantly had an idea.

He felt it was a chicken rib mainly because there were a large number of industries in Yangzhou waiting for him to expand.

But for most people in this era, land and shops were still the highest quality industries, bar none.

Taking them out as gifts was absolutely enough to save face.

Being able to marry the young lady of the Duke's mansion this time, besides the element of luck, his own aunt had put in a lot of effort.

If she hadn't worked hard to promote him, who would have noticed him when he was just a Battalion Commander?

However, giving gifts is also a technical job.

If you take them directly, you would likely be kicked out the door.

The Marquis's wife came from a high-ranking family and was not someone with shallow vision.

The Zhenyuan Marquis's mansion also had a solid foundation, and it was estimated that she had never worried about money from childhood to adulthood.

For the Marquis's wife, reputation was far greater than money.

Accepting these industries might, if it spread outside, turn into plotting for her nephew's family's industries.

If he wanted to send the things out, he would probably have to wait for the two cousins to get married.

As an elder brother adding a dowry for his younger sisters, no one could find fault with that.

Another New Year arrived.

A rich New Year atmosphere filled the entire capital, with the sole exception of the Imperial Palace.

The Emperor's health was poor, and all sacrificial ceremonies were simplified.

The ceremonial cannons that should have started from the Kitchen God sacrifice and lasted until the 17th day of the first lunar month had now all been canceled.

The Great Court Meeting, which highlighted the Emperor's majesty and the Great Dayu's status as the "Celestial Empire," was also hastily concluded.

Emperor Yongning still bestowed a banquet, but the Emperor did not appear.

Compared to the last time he attended the court meeting, acting as a transparent person at the end of the line, this time he successfully mixed into the middle position as a transparent person.

Unlike the palace feast he had imagined, the evening banquet bestowed by Emperor Yongning was exceptionally simple.

Perhaps the treatment for the ministers in front was better, but in front of Li Mu, there was only a piece of twice-cooked fresh fish, half a steamed chicken, a bowl of pork soup, and a plate of stir-fried cucumber.

Delivered with full-course insulation, it was still steaming hot when served.

With no Emperor present, the New Year greeting process was also saved, and everyone started eating directly.

Such occasions required strict adherence to etiquette; at the very least, for low-to-middle-ranking bureaucrats, there could absolutely be no slight overstepping.

Li Mu picked up his chopsticks and tasted it; the taste was quite good, better than 99% of the chefs outside.

It was not at all the legendary "cold dishes and pig swill" that the Emperor could only eat.

As for whether there was a rule that one could only eat three bites of a dish, Li Mu didn't know.

With his status and position, he didn't even have the qualification to look at the Emperor directly.

If you can't finish it, pack it up.

Things bestowed by the Emperor are not allowed to be wasted.

Looking at the skillful packing actions of the colleagues around him, one knew they hadn't practiced less in normal times.

Since everyone was doing it, Li Mu could only follow suit.

Although his combat power was strong and he had already eliminated the food in front of him, the remaining bones had to be taken back.

The main thing was to fit in.

The evening banquet ended, and the ministers exited the main hall in twos and threes.

The observant Li Mu keenly discovered that those packing with food boxes were all officials below the second rank.

The higher-ranking ministers, just like when they arrived, were still empty-handed.

"Let's go!"

Hearing his uncle's familiar voice, Li Mu immediately restrained his curiosity and followed him out of the main hall.

The palace was not a place for communication; any inadvertent slip of the tongue could bring trouble upon oneself.

It wasn't until he left the palace gate and got into the carriage that Li Mu relaxed.

"Uncle, this New Year is a bit cold and clear!"

It wasn't that his curiosity was heavy; it was mainly that the atmosphere in the hall just now was truly a bit oppressive.

A group of colleagues clearly had smiles on their faces, but he couldn't find a trace of happiness.

"The situation this year is special; it wasn't like this in previous years.

If you want to experience the New Year atmosphere, go stroll in the marketplace.

In this special season, it is not suitable for grand celebrations in the mansion; let everything be simplified!"

Li Yuan said with a complex expression.

The Emperor's health was poor, and the court was in a state of panic; who had the heart to celebrate the New Year!

Leaning out to look at the sky, the night without the moon was exceptionally dark.

Suddenly, a trace of white light flashed before his eyes; it was falling snowflakes.

The last snow of the seventh year of Yongning had finally arrived at the very last moment!

(End of chapter) ===== CHAPTER 118 =====