Ziwei Palace, inside a side hall awaiting summons.
Shen Fa sat upright, holding a note full of tiny characters and silently read it over and over to prevent himself from forgetting anything later when he had an audience with His Majesty.
This year could be said to have been the most peaceful and composed he had ever been since joining the brocade-clad imperial guards, so much so that he even felt somewhat lost, not knowing where to turn.
In the past, he was always chased by a vague sense of crisis, haphazardly grappling with problems, wishing he could split himself into several people to handle everything.
But this year, he suddenly didn’t know which direction to exert his efforts...
The imperial court? Civil and military officials of the court abide by their duties, working tirelessly. They are so nervous, like mistreated daughters-in-law, that if he were to trouble them any further, Shen Fa truly feared he would snap the string in their minds, causing a mass resignation again.
The border? As soon as spring started, there had already been several waves of tribute envoys from the Tatars entering the capital. Although he did not believe that these Tatars were sincerely submissive, with the current military strength at the border, he really didn’t think these Tatars, whose minds had been stirred into disarray, could cause much of a stir.
The jianghu? The jianghu was now almost in the clear, with Lu Ting acting as protector, no matter how many demons and ghosts were lurking underneath. They had to lie low, or risk having their heads chopped off if they dared to cause trouble...
Shen Fa had been quite leisurely fishing for two months until Wang Jiangling, the new Grand Secretary of the cabinet, took office and vigorously promoted the long-planned Performance Evaluation Skill, which rekindled Shen Fa’s enthusiasm to immerse himself in this new policy.
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Wang Jiangling entered the capital in the first month of the fourteenth year of Xiping, and now it was already the fourth month of the seventeenth year of Xiping, he had finally secured his position as Grand Secretary. The so-called Performance Evaluation Skill, in simple terms, was an official evaluation system that checked the achievements of officials at all levels every month and annually based on set targets...
In theory, with Wang Jiangling’s approach of cutting down on officials like a butcher, the entire civil and military staff of the court should have risen in protest, even if they had been lying low.
But the massive deployment of secret agents by the brocade-clad imperial guards turned up no significant activity of the officials against Wang Jiangling.
As the saying goes, if something is abnormal, there must be a demon at work.
With Shen Fa’s understanding of the court’s civil and military officials, the more compliant and harmless these sly people appeared, the darker and more vicious the plans they were concocting in secret must be!
They could well be planning a fatal move!
So he too was fully alert, concentrating all his energy to face this round of political maneuvering...
Having waited for a long time, Shen Fa suddenly saw a young eunuch holding a whisk bowing as he entered the hall.
Shen got up, putting away the note in his hand and straightening his garments.
Unexpectedly, following the eunuch’s entrance came a sharp and shrill voice, "Shen, His Majesty is slightly unwell today and cannot grant an audience. Please return."
Shen Fa was stunned for a moment, thinking ’Wasn’t he quite spirited during yesterday’s garden outing?’, and then he suddenly remembered the rain last night had brought a sudden drop in temperature, and even he had been woken by the cold...
"Please convey my well-wishes to His Majesty."
With a sudden clarity of mind, his hand concealed within his large sleeve surreptitiously wiped across his waist before clasping the hands of the young eunuch, respectfully saying, "Please ensure His Majesty takes good care of his health and rests well. The nation’s foundations and the people’s welfare all depend on His Majesty... I respectfully await His Majesty’s summons."
Feeling the familiar sensation in his palm, the eunuch’s eyes immediately warmed, "I will definitely convey your well-wishes to His Majesty. You may return."
Shen Fa, "You may go."
Leaving the side hall, Shen Fa pondered on what grand scheme the officials might be preparing to thwart Wang Jiangling as he headed straight to the Wenyuan Pavilion, the cabinet’s office.
...
Outside the city, Lu Ting.
"Shoo, shoo, go play over there, don’t come down..."
Yang Ge, dressed in a short homespun garment, his feet bare in the muddy ground, waved off the cheerfully wagging Huang, who had leapt into the field from the ridge.
Huang stopped, wagging its large tail and stared blankly at him for a moment before turning and dashing back onto the ridge like a gust of wind, its airplane-like ears flapping as it ran back and forth, its face brimming with joy.
"Keep being naughty, let’s see if I’ll wash you when we get home..."
Yang Ge scolded Huang with a feigned stern face. Huang, as if understanding, turned tail and leapt into the grass beside the field, playing around childishly as if thinking, ’I’m going to have a bath at home anyway, I might as well enjoy myself now.’
Yang Ge couldn’t help but shake his head, smiling, as he carefully transplanted a chili seedling from the small clay pot where it was sprouted into the ground.
Last year, a couple from the Zhang family who sold rice noodles at the temple fair gave him a batch of chili seeds. The quantity wasn’t large, enough for the small vegetable gardens in his backyard.
He saved a season’s worth of seeds and, as the temperature warmed up in March, he sprouted a batch of chili plants under clean, light-permeable fabric used as a greenhouse cover in his backyard. However, with a larger number of seedlings this season, he rented a plot of land, about seven or eight mu in size, just outside the city.
Once the chili peppers matured this season, he should be able to achieve the dream of a hotpot feast at his leisure and no longer must wait for holidays to enjoy a decent meal.
The next season, their inn should be able to achieve the dream of serving Sichuan cuisine...
Yang Ge dreamt of the future, wondering whether he should find a new place beside a mountain and water outside the city to build another yard?
"Second Master..."
Just then, a familiar calling voice came from afar.
Yang Ge looked up to see Wu Eryong driving a carriage passing by on the horse track.