Volume 4: Gathering of Sages Chapter 583: The Ceremony of Coming-of-Age is Like a Play
The emperor finally understood Zhu Jing's feelings. In the past, he treated Zhu Ying as a half-daughter and was quite satisfied with Zhang Shou, the perfect son-in-law. But now, he heard Zhu Ying calling him uncle in a soft tone and then asking for benefits on Zhang Shou's behalf. He felt uncomfortable no matter how he heard it.
It's not surprising for girls to be extroverted, but ask yourself, girl, the jade pendant that Zhang Shou dropped was truly mine. I even changed the subject at the imperial lecture yesterday and didn't pursue the matter at all. Now you want compensation for it, do you have the nerve to do that?
However, when he saw Zhu Ying's righteous look and Zhang Shou looking at him innocently, the emperor recalled the past and finally sighed to Zhang Shou.
"Your mother is kindhearted and strong-willed, much stronger than those chaste and heroic women who are being asked to be honored in the local areas. Although I have posthumously conferred the title of Lady of Good Wife upon her, it was actually unfair to her. I didn't want people to pay too much attention to the backgrounds of the three of you, but the result was the opposite of what I wanted. Now that the truth has been revealed, I will order someone to draft an imperial decree to posthumously confer the title of Lady Zhaolie of the First Rank on her."
"As for your deceased father, a scholar, I'm not partial to him. He didn't do anything. Although it's true that a rich wife brings honor to her husband, it's rumored that he studied hard for more than ten years, hoping to get a title for his wife and children so that his wife wouldn't have to suffer so much. If he knew in his grave that he got the title because of his wife, I'm afraid he would be depressed. So, if you want to give your father a title, you have to work hard on your own!"
"A father is honored by his son. I believe he will be happy then."
Zhang Shou couldn't help but smile at the emperor's unique reasoning. Of course, he also agreed with what he said, but it was a bit funny that the emperor claimed that he was hiding his identity, but at the same time he said that the cabinet was drafting an imperial decree and posthumously conferred a title on him, which openly revealed his identity. So he smiled and said, "I will go to the palace to thank the emperor tomorrow. Today, I would like to thank my uncle first!"
The emperor then realized his mistake. He coughed and said dignifiedly, "Of course, for such a big matter, you should go to the palace in person. But you are also a member of the palace, so don't let Yingying accompany you for everything... Well, since you smashed the jade pendant yesterday, I will give you another one. If you smash it again this time, you will have no more!"
After saying this, he took off the jade pendant from his waist and stuffed it to Zhang Shou. Then he clapped his hands and looked at Zhu Ying and said, "Yingying, are you satisfied with this compensation?"
Seeing Zhu Ying nodding with a smile, Zhang Shou took the jade pendant , thanked her and put it on his waist, as if he didn't care about the quality of the jade or its meaning. Although he hoped for such a reaction, he couldn't help but say in frustration when faced with such a reaction: "Zhang Shou, why don't you take a look at this jade pendant? Is it white jade or green jade? What's the pattern?"
"If it was in the Palace of Heavenly Purity, then of course the thunder and rain were all grace from the emperor, but since it is in the Lu family..." Zhang Shou paused, then laughed, "As long as it is something that your uncle carries with him, even if it is copper or iron, it is also a token of his care for the younger generation. As for the pattern, if it is not a good omen, would you carry it with you?"
Seeing the emperor burst into laughter, Lu Wan, who was standing by, could not help but feel envious. He thought that Zhang Shou was really blessed. With a fiancée like Zhu Ying who was deeply loved by the emperor to mediate between them, he really didn't have to worry about anything.
What was infuriating was that his fat son was just chasing Zhu Ying for show! Although Zhu Ying definitely didn't like the fat boy, there was a saying that gentlemen love fair ladies, and this chubby bastard actually didn't like a beauty like Zhu Ying. When he learned the truth, he almost popped his eyes out and almost thought that this boy liked men!
Finally, he succeeded in marrying into the Liu family. The family members actually liked this little fat boy. He didn't know whether to be happy or angry. Because this boy wanted to advance the wedding date, but he didn't tell him, but went to the Liu family first!
Sitting cross-legged in the quiet room behind the main hall of the Lu Mansion, Lu Sanlang, who was ready to wear a crown, couldn't help but sneeze three times, and then touched his nose suspiciously. He didn't suspect that someone was saying bad things about him behind his back, but wondered if he had caught a cold last night because he was so excited that the first and second princes were expelled from the capital.
Just when he was suspicious, the door was suddenly opened.
He thought his father was worried and came to remind him, but when he looked up and saw Ah Liu, he was slightly startled. But before he could call for help, Ah Liu put his finger on his lips, made a gesture to silence him, and then walked in front of him and uttered four words in a concise manner: "The emperor is here."
Seeing the little fat boy's confused face, Ah Liu asked in confusion: "Didn't your father tell you?"
Facing Lu Sanlang, who was first more confused and then furious, Ah Liu couldn't help but laugh: "I saw your father was busy notifying others... By the way, the emperor also gave you a jade lion paperweight and a rhino horn hairpin."
What the hell is this! I, the most important protagonist today, don’t even know this! The little fat boy felt like he was going to explode. The emperor came and even rewarded him with something. Such an important thing, his father was busy notifying this and that, but he actually forgot to notify him. This was simply the biggest disregard! But just as he was sitting cross-legged on the ground and getting angry, Ah Liu squatted down in front of him.
"Your father didn't tell you because you don't need him to worry."
Who is Lu Sanlang? He is fat but extremely smart. Although Ah Liu's words seemed a little confusing, he understood them immediately. After a slight hesitation, he showed a satisfied expression. That's right. Compared with his two brothers who are good at studying but not so good at being officials, he doesn't need to be taught in some aspects!
He immediately asked in a low voice: "Sixth brother, is the emperor not holding a lecture today, so he came out?" After getting Ah Liu's affirmative answer, he asked about the emperor's attitude. Knowing that the emperor wanted to watch the ceremony in a low-key manner, or just to join in the fun, he couldn't help but smile. There is no doubt that the emperor wanted everyone to pretend to be confused and pretend not to know him!
Since he understood, Lu Sanlang smiled and bowed to Ah Liu to express his gratitude - no matter whether it was Zhang Shou who asked Ah Liu to inform him, or Ah Liu himself who was in a spur of the moment, it was better than his father who forgot about his son in his turmoil. However, when he thought of the glory of the emperor coming in person today, he no longer had any resentment.
Even the emperor may not attend the crowning ceremony of the princes in person, so his treatment is simply the first in the capital! Who made his teacher Zhang Shou not hold the crowning ceremony in the first place? But it is also true that he has already worn the Jinxian crown to attend the New Moon and Full Moon Ceremony, so it would be weird to hold the crowning ceremony again!
When Minister Liu of the Ministry of Works entered the Lu Mansion, he thought that he was only here to attend his future son-in-law's coming-of-age ceremony. However, when he met Lu Wan, who was waiting for him in person at the second gate, and learned that the emperor had actually arrived, he couldn't help but fall into the same crazy state as Lu Wan before, and just thought this was simply ridiculous.
"What is the emperor doing here? Isn't today only the second day of the imperial lecture?" After learning from Lu Wan that the imperial lecture was suspended today, Minister Liu, who had taken two days' leave to prepare for his daughter's wedding, felt even more dizzy.
Lu Sanlang is not Zhang Shou. If today was Zhang Shou’s coming-of-age ceremony, it would be nice for the emperor to come in person to join in the fun!
"Okay, I've already greeted all the guests, including Sanlang's two uncles. In short, just treat the emperor as an honored guest, don't be too formal, and don't make a fuss. You know, he came here with Zhu Ying, and even my doorman didn't know the emperor was coming. Just get through this peacefully!"
Seeing Minister Liu's helpless expression, Lu Wan suddenly remembered something else. He quickly took the man a few steps forward and then lowered his and said, "The emperor just mentioned that he was summoning people from all over the country who are proficient in astronomy and numerology to the capital at the request of Yue Shanzhang of Zhaoming Academy. It seems that several people from nearby capital have already responded to the call and may come soon."
"From the emperor's tone, how to identify and select talents may be handed over to Sanlang."
This time, even Minister Liu, who was really optimistic about the little fat boy as his son-in-law, wondered if there was something wrong with his ears. He was not surprised that the little fat boy could become the East Palace tutor and had a rank. After all, it was obvious that the third prince liked mathematics, and Zhang Shou might not have time to teach all the time. Then, as the first head of the Jiuzhang Hall, Lu Sanlang could be half a teacher.
However, the emperor actually entrusted such an important matter to this little fat boy. This is not enough to be described as trust! In other words, to put it nicely, it is the emperor's originality, but to put it bluntly... it is just nonsense!
Minister Liu couldn't help but mutter to himself, "Is Lu Zhu okay?"
"I don't know either." Although he had just thanked Zhang Shou for his teacher and Lu Wan had already admitted that his fat son did have some talent and ability, he also frankly expressed his pessimism at this time, "I just think that the emperor should not overestimate that kid just because Grand Tutor Ge and Dr. Zhang are so powerful."
Minister Liu wanted to tell him not to underestimate his son, but he himself was also unsure whether Sanlang Lu could do it, so he could only accompany Lu Wan with his headache. When the two relatives came to the hall and saw the emperor in casual clothes chatting and laughing with two middle-aged men, Lu Wan couldn't help but look very subtle, and it took a long time before he gave a low, bitter smile to Minister Liu.
"Those are my two uncles."
Lu Wan and his wife were a young couple, both of them were from official families, but the Lu family was rich, while his wife was not as rich. One of the brothers passed the imperial examination and became an official, but he was not as successful as Lu Wan, while the other was a successful businessman. He would do business wherever his brother-in-law was. But the two had always been optimistic about their two older nephews, and never thought that the little fat boy would be so successful today.
Knowing that the person in front of them was the emperor, they still had to address him as Lord Zheng. To answer the emperor's impromptu and imaginative questions, the two brothers' faces were almost frozen, and their smiles were extremely stiff. It was not easy for Lu Wan to come with Minister Liu, and the two of them almost fled to the side.
Although Liu Shilang was familiar with the emperor, he still felt very unnatural when he saw him. Especially when the emperor asked him what gift he would give to Lu Sanlang to celebrate his coming of age, he felt that the gift he brought was too small.
Didn’t you see that the emperor, an irrelevant person, was extremely generous?
Although Lu Wan had not shown him the things before, because he had hurriedly taken them back to his room to treasure them, he told him that they were a jade lion paperweight and a rhinoceros horn hairpin. The gift he prepared for Lu Sanlang was just two books.
Knowing that he couldn't get away with it, Minister Liu could only honestly say, "They are two books from the Song Dynasty that my family collected in the bookstore. They are said to be the notes of Su Song, a famous prime minister in the Song Dynasty. Su Song was a scholar with a wide range of knowledge and was also very accomplished in mathematics. I was not sure whether the book was real or not, so I gave it to Lu Sanlang and asked him to identify it himself."
Minister Liu thought that the emperor would not be interested since he was so uncertain, but he actually smiled and stretched out his hand to him, as if to show it to him first. Helplessly, he could only take a shallow carved lacquer box from the hand of the servant behind him and handed it to the emperor with both hands.
After seeing the man personally take it, he immediately opened the box and took out the book, then flipped through the pages one by one, reading with great interest. Minister Liu suddenly had the urge to simply give the book to the emperor.
Fortunately, he had only had this thought for a moment when he heard Lu Wan's voice: "It's almost time, it's time to have the coming-of-age ceremony!"
The emperor then reluctantly put down the book, put it back into the carved lacquer box and gave it back to Minister Liu. Seeing Lu Wan greet the others and hurried out, he smiled and said to Minister Liu: "You two are a good match."
After saying this incoherently, he sighed and said, "When I think back to my coming-of-age ceremony, it seems like it was just around the corner, but it's been more than 20 years already..." The emperor's coming-of-age ceremony was not common in this dynasty, as most emperors were crown princes before they ascended the throne, so they would have been crowned and dressed in full clothes in the East Palace early on.
Although he was the crown prince, Ruizong was not strict with him, and even had a laissez-faire attitude - because his father, who was born in a prince's mansion, believed that etiquette and complicated education in classics and history were simply turning the crown prince into a fool. However, when his father was not around, he still had to endure those ministers who treated him as a fool.
Including the cumbersome and rigid etiquette that cannot be wrong at all.
Although the emperor hated red tape and usually liked to do whatever he wanted, it didn't mean that he really knew nothing about etiquette. In fact, things that you don't like are often the most impressive. When Lu Sanlang's coming-of-age ceremony began, he sat among the guests and watched, and easily picked out many flaws.
He could not help but sigh with regret when he found that most people were only interested in the elegant Zhang Shou and the contrasting Lu Sanlang. If the ministers who had just taken power were here... they would probably scold Lu Wan and Zhang Shou to death! Just as he was complaining, he heard Zhang Shou's voice: "On an auspicious day in the month of Ling, you will be dressed in your first year of marriage. Abandon your childish ambitions and follow your virtues. I wish you a long life and good fortune."
