I Rely on Beauty to Stabilize the Country - Chap 71
Chapter 71
With a “buzz,” the dagger trembled as it plunged deep into the wood.
Xue Yuan lowered his voice and smiled, “Chang Yuyan, you have to tell me the truth.”
Cold sweat broke out on Chang Yuyan’s forehead.
Xue Yuan flicked the dagger, and the exceptionally fine weapon produced a crisp trembling sound. Xue Yuan’s voice had been raspy these past few days, like grinding sand. Even though his tone seemed fine, it could easily carry a threat. Moreover, his current tone definitely didn’t qualify as good.
Xue Yuan chuckled, “If the Emperor hadn’t mentioned me, you wouldn’t have hurriedly come to the Xue residence to find me.”
Chang Yuyan tried his best to remain calm. “You always serve by the Emperor’s side, making others envious and jealous. Now that I’ve been summoned by the Emperor alone, can’t I show off a little in front of you?”
Xue Yuan narrowed his eyes, his gaze deep and intense.
“What did the Emperor say to me?” Chang Yuyan forced a bitter smile. “And why should I hide it from you?”
His heart pounded in his chest. Nervousness and unease overwhelmed him.
He didn’t know why he had to conceal his conversation with the Emperor, but he hadn’t realized it while he was in the midst of it. Now, upon reflection, he realized that most of his conversation with the Emperor had been about Xue Yuan.
This realization instinctively made Chang Yuyan unwilling to reveal the truth to Xue Yuan.
He opened his folding fan and elegantly fanned himself a few times. After the cold sweat on his forehead disappeared, he smiled faintly. “Xue Jiuyao, why have you become so strange today?”
Xue Yuan continued staring at him.
His robe draped over his shoulder, unable to hide the determination in his brows and eyes. The dagger on the table still emitted a chilling gleam but gradually stopped trembling.
Xue Yuan withdrew his gaze, pulled out the dagger, and resumed carving the wood, murmuring to himself, “You’re tougher than I thought.”
Chang Yuyan didn’t hear clearly. “What did you say?”
“Nothing,” Xue Yuan lazily replied, “By the way, I’ll show you something.”
Xue Yuan called over a servant, who nodded after listening to his instructions and hurried off. After a moment, the servant returned, holding a curved blade, and presented it to Xue Yuan.
Xue Yuan picked up the blade, and Chang Yuyan couldn’t help but approach for a closer look. The scabbard of the curved blade was adorned with intricate golden wirework, embellished with thousands of carefully crafted gemstones. The golden wires were distinct and evenly spaced from the hilt to the tip. Just by looking at the scabbard, one could determine that this curved blade was extraordinary.
The more exquisite the golden wirework, the more it belonged exclusively to the royal family. Chang Yuyan blurted out, “Did the Emperor reward you with this?”
Xue Yuan held the handle of the blade and drew it halfway out, producing a “clang” sound as the sharp edge of the blade met the scabbard, creating a lingering echo of clashing weapons.
“This is the reward I received on the Spring Hunt,” Xue Yuan caressed the blade’s surface. “Isn’t it beautiful?”
Chang Yuyan could hardly take his eyes off it. “It’s incredibly beautiful.”
Xue Yuan smiled inexplicably. He withdrew the curved blade and made a swipe on the stone table, leaving a white mark on the gray surface.
Chang Yuyan exclaimed, “It’s so sharp!”
“It’s not just beautiful, it’s truly sharp,” Xue Yuan twirled the blade in his hand, causing Chang Yuyan to tremble with fear. Finally, he threw the blade back into its scabbard and turned around, smiling. “A good blade like this should be in the hands of someone who knows how to wield it.”
Chang Yuyan sighed, “Indeed.”
Two quarters of an hour later, Chang Yuyan rose to bid farewell to Xue Yuan. As soon as he stepped out of Xue Yuan’s courtyard and before he could leave the Xue residence’s main gate, he ran into Xue Yuan’s mother, who was rushing anxiously.
Mrs. Xue was neatly dressed, and when she saw Chang Yuyan hadn’t left yet, she visibly breathed a sigh of relief.
Chang Yuyan greeted Xue Yuan’s mother with a bow, and she asked him to rise quickly, inquiring, “Yan ge, since you have a close relationship with Jiuyao, do you happen to know any exceptional and extraordinary men he has befriended?”
Xue Yuan insisted on going out to catch a glimpse of someone, even if he had to be carried out despite his severe injuries. It was evident that the person he wanted to see would never easily set foot in the Xue residence. No matter how you looked at it, it couldn’t be Chang Yuyan.
Mrs. Xue seemed somewhat anxious, with a faint worry and concern on her face. Chang Yuyan felt puzzled and asked, “Why do you say this, Madam?”
“I see that you are the only one who comes to the mansion,” Mrs. Xue forced a smile. “I thought Jiuyao might feel lonely on his own, so I wanted to ask if he has made friends with anyone exceptional of his age.”
Chang Yuyan thought to himself, with Jiuyao’s temperament, who could get along with him?
Like a gang of bandits and rogues, it seemed that only Chang Yuyan and his group were close to each other. Chang Yuyan pondered for a moment and hesitated before saying, “I don’t know if they are friends or not, but if you’re looking for an exceptional and extraordinary man, there is one. He is the son of Minister Chu, the Assistant Minister of the Ministry of Works, Chu Wei. He was the top scholar when we were classmates.”
“Top scholar,” Xue Yuan’s wife pondered, “I see.”
On that very day, Chu Wei heard about Mrs. Xue’s visit to the residence.
Chu Wei paused for a moment, raised his head to look at his mother, and furrowed his brows. “The Xue residence?”
“Yes,” Mrs. Chu replied, “Mrs. Xue is currently looking for a suitable match for her son and heard that you are unmarried as well. She specifically came to talk about matters concerning our children.”
Chu Wei said, “The Chu family and the Xue family are not close.”
Mrs. Chu said with anger, “Talking about matters can bring people closer, can’t it? Perhaps Xue Yuan’s mother is truly anxious. I understand her thoughts very well. Just like you, you are no less than the eldest son of the Xue family. You used the excuse of studying abroad and refused to come back for seven years, and now that you have become the top scholar and secured a government position, receiving high favor from the Emperor, matchmakers have practically flattened our doorstep. Yet, you are the only one unwilling, showing no concern for your elderly mother.”
Chu Wei appeared lost in thought. Xue Yuan was actually going to have a blind date.
Wasn’t this the perfect opportunity to put an end to his aspirations, being someone who harbored ill intentions towards the Emperor?
Chu Wei subtly curled his lips, lowered his gaze, and appeared to be listening to his mother’s sermon, but his thoughts were already considering how to help Xue Yuan’s mother and completely put an end to his intentions toward the Emperor.
The next day, Chu Wei accompanied the Minister of Imperial Censorate to discuss matters with Gu Yuanbai.
The affairs of the Imperial Censorate had come to a conclusion. After the Minister of Imperial Censorate departed, Chu Wei remained behind as a compiler in the Hanlin Academy, staying in front of Gu Yuanbai.
After dealing with state affairs, Gu Yuanbai took the opportunity during tea time to chat with him, saying with a smile, “Chu Qing is very busy.”
Chu Wei felt slightly ashamed. “I am ashamed.”
Gu Yuanbai’s lips felt a bit dry, so he took a few more sips of tea. The warmth of the tea lightly stained his lips with a healthy rosy hue. He smiled gently and said, “Since we have some free time now, why don’t you tell me about your experiences during your studies, Chu Qing?”
Chu Wei snapped back to attention, his expression becoming serious. He replied earnestly, “What does Your Majesty wish to know?”
Gu Yuanbai asked, “How many places have you been to?”
Chu Wei replied, “I traveled from the Grand Canal all the way south, and I have visited most of the provincial capitals and counties along the way.”
“Did you delve into them deeply?”
Chu Wei smiled lightly, exuding an air of elegance and grace. “I spent seven years doing so.”
Gu Yuanbai showed great respect, “Tell me about your observations and experiences in each place.”
Chu Wei pondered for a moment and began his account. As a proud and renowned youth, he learned many things from the hermits he visited in various provincial capitals and counties.
Each of these erudite scholars had their own unique knowledge and perspectives on the world and its issues. Chu Wei saw and heard so much that he forgot about his own youthfulness. When he listened to those great scholars discussing the hardships of the world, he only remembered the hardships and forgot to take note of the positive aspects.
Consequently, during his subsequent travels, he only focused on the negative aspects.
As he spoke, Chu Wei’s tone became slower, and a hint of confusion appeared in his eyes. Gu Yuanbai brushed away some tea leaves with his teacup and smiled, “Why don’t you continue, Chu Qing?”
Chu Wei pursed his lips. “I’m not sure what else to say.”
The shortcomings of each place were always the same, and talking about them would only be redundant.
Gu Yuanbai asked, “Why not talk about the local customs and dietary habits? Are there many merchants in different regions? Are the content of the official schools in the provincial capitals consistent with those in the capital? If not, what are the differences? Which aspects are beneficial, and which ones can be improved? Do you not know any of these?”
Chu Wei froze.
He remained in a daze for a long time, and it was only after a while that he snapped out of it, feeling somewhat absent-minded. “I have never paid attention to these matters.”
Gu Yuanbai put down his teacup and sighed. That sigh caught Chu Wei’s attention. Did the Emperor feel disappointed in him?
Chu Wei’s lips turned pale as he lowered his gaze and said, “Your Majesty, I…”
“Chu Qing, you should know the purpose of your studies,” Gu Yuanbai said in a gentle tone. “You should not only focus on the shortcomings of each place but also recognize their merits. Just like in the case of South Jing, where there are numerous mines. If you had known about this, you could have tailored its development based on this unique feature.”
Chu Wei pondered for a moment and said, “I understand.”
Upon reflection, it seemed that he hadn’t learned much during his seven years of studying.
Chu Wei felt a mix of melancholy and relief. Suddenly, he smiled and said, “If possible in the future, I would like to accompany Your Majesty to revisit these places.”
Gu Yuanbai chuckled, “That would be excellent.”
Chu Wei’s lips curved, and he suddenly remembered something his mother had mentioned before. With lowered eyes, he said, “Your Majesty, speaking of my studies, I recall an amusing anecdote.”
Gu Yuanbai raised an eyebrow, becoming interested. “Tell me.”
“There was an old woman in the village whose grown son refused to marry despite his age. The old woman was so frustrated that she dragged her son to visit households with daughters, asking everyone she met, ‘Canmy son marry your daughter?'”
Seeing the Emperor laugh casually, Chu Wei continued, “A few days ago, my mother told me that Lady Xue in the Xue Residence has also started to worry. It seems she’s been gathering information and preparing a marriage proposal for Mr. Xue.”
Gu Yuanbai realized that Xue Yuan was already twenty-four years old, which, in ancient times, was considered quite late for marriage.
Unlike Gu Yuanbai, Xue Yuan was in excellent health and should indeed be considering marriage. Lady Xue had every reason to be anxious.
“That’s good,” Gu Yuanbai said. “Starting a family and establishing a career is a good thing.”
Chu Wei saw no unusual expression on the Emperor’s face, and his heart settled. He smiled casually and said, “If Lady Xue has set her sights on a particular young lady, General Xue is currently on his way to the northern frontier. I’m afraid there’s little I can do. Perhaps, in that case, it might trouble Your Majesty to arrange the marriage for Mr. Xue.”
Gu Yuanbai opened a memorial and smiled casually, saying, “Let’s see.”
Granting a marriage to Xue Jiuyao?
