Chapter 633
Grand Secretary Xu
While Madam Zhang and Zhang Xia were talking inside the Zhuocao Hall, Chen Ji waited patiently outside.
He stood under the eaves, his hands tucked into his sleeves, looking up at the icicles hanging overhead, pondering the upcoming New Year's Eve and New Year's Day.
Last year on New Year's Day, they spent it on their way back to Beijing from Guyuan.
Having survived the ordeal, no one had the energy to celebrate. On New Year's Eve, Xiaoman only made some dumplings in the inn's kitchen, missing even the Lantern Festival in the capital.
How should we celebrate New Year's Day this year?
Chen Ji tried hard to recall how he lived before he came to Ning Dynasty.
When I was seven years old, my father had not yet started his business, and my family was not well-off.
On New Year's Eve, my father finally got a day off. He rode an old electric bike with his body on the crossbar in front and my mother sitting in the back.
He nestled in his father's arms, his face pressed against his father's sweater, and he could smell the laundry detergent.
They went to the wholesale market.
The market was packed with people, and red lanterns and Chinese knots were hung everywhere.
His father carried him on his shoulders, squeezing through the crowd. Riding on his father's shoulders, he could see higher than everyone else, spotting vendors selling candied hawthorns, New Year's pictures, and fireworks.
My mother followed behind, carrying a cloth bag and filling it with things as she walked: a few pounds of pork, two fish, a bundle of scallions, and a bag of flour.
It was almost dark when we left the market. The three of us rode slowly back home on one bike. When we got home, my mother tied on an apron and went into the kitchen.
Father brought out a small square table, spread newspapers on it, and began making dumplings.
He didn't know how to wrap dough, so his father gave him a small lump of dough to play with. He shaped a table full of strange things, some long, some round, some flat, and one he even shaped into a little person.
When Zhao Benshan's skit was shown on the Spring Festival Gala, the whole family laughed so hard they almost fell over.
At midnight, someone started setting off firecrackers. The firecrackers crackled and popped. He asked his father why they were setting off firecrackers, and his father said it was to bid farewell to the old year and welcome the new.
Chen Ji stood under the corridor and exhaled a puff of white breath: "Farewell to the old, welcome to the new..."
He suddenly remembered what Xiaoman had said: if we don't celebrate festivals, home won't feel like home anymore. Life is too hard, and a festival is something to look forward to.
Just then, Xiaoman's voice rang out from not far away: "What are you thinking about, young master?"
Chen Ji snapped out of his daze and looked at her: "You're here?"
Xiaoman smiled and said, "I've already put everything in the West Garden where you and Sister Xia are staying. From now on, I'll live in the West Wing, and the little monk will live in the East Wing... What were you thinking about so intently just now, young master?"
Chen Ji smiled and said, "I'm thinking about how to celebrate New Year's Day, which is coming soon."
Xiaoman blinked: "My aunt said that only people with homes think about festivals, while those who wander around have no interest in them."
Chen Ji chuckled: "Why does Auntie tell you everything..."
Just then, a servant came running through the snow. He slipped as he turned into the courtyard, but managed to regain his balance before quickly running towards Zhuocaotang.
He was visibly taken aback when he saw Chen Ji, and hurriedly greeted him as "Greetings, son-in-law," before quickly lifting the curtain: "Madam, the Grand Secretary has woken up and is calling you over."
Madam Zhang stood up: "Let's go to Zhenyuan."
Nuanchun draped the black mink coat over her shoulders, then called a maid to bring a copper hand warmer, added fresh charcoal to it, and handed it to her.
Madam Zhang stood on the threshold for a moment, then instructed the servant, "Changgui, go and call the master. The situation at home is delicate right now, and he cannot be absent."
Grand Secretary Xu only wakes up once every six or seven days, and each time he wakes up, it's for something important.
Changgui was taken aback: "Madam, didn't Master go to Changping to supervise the granaries?"
Madam Zhang sneered: "Does the court really need a cabinet minister like him to personally brave the snow to supervise the granaries? Go to Mr. Wang's place in the Ministry of War, he'll definitely be drinking and playing chess there."
Chang Gui exclaimed "Hey!" and turned to run out.
As Madam Zhang was leaving, she glanced back at the traces under the eaves, paused for a moment, and said, "You come with me too."
……
……
Madam Zhang did not go through the "gateway to the world" between the Xu and Zhang families. Instead, she left the Zhang residence first and then turned to the Xu family, walking in with her head held high.
Above the vermilion gate of the Xu residence hung a plaque that did not read "Xu Residence," but rather the three large characters "Jinshi Residence." Zhang Xia explained to Chen Ji in a low voice, "It was written by Emperor Taizong himself when the Xu family produced its first Zhuangyuan (top scholar in the imperial examination). The couplet was written by Emperor Wenzong himself when the Xu family produced its first Grand Secretary."
Chen Ji looked at the couplets on the left and right. The first line read, "Twenty years in the imperial palace, serving food and mending clothes." The second line read, "Three thousand scrolls of bamboo slips, teaching children and passing on knowledge to grandchildren."
He asked curiously, "Huang Fei..."
Before Zhang Xia could answer, Madam Zhang, who was walking ahead, sneered: "Huang Fei refers to the cabinet. You should read more books in the future."
Chen Ji wasn't embarrassed and asked again, "Mother, what does 'tiao geng meng' mean?"
Lady Zhang said expressionlessly, "King Wu Ding of Shang once said to Fu Yue: 'If you are making a soup, you are the salt and plum.' This means that governing the country is like making soup, and Fu Yue is the salt and plum, responsible for harmonizing the five flavors... This is a term of praise used by emperors for their chief ministers."
Chen Ji smiled and said, "Mother is indeed very knowledgeable."
Madam Zhang's eyelids twitched, and the sarcastic remark that was on the tip of her tongue was replaced with: "A-Xia should have shown you the Gate to Immortality, but no one in my Zhang family is allowed to go through that gate. When you come to the Xu family, you must go through the main gate and enter with dignity. This is for the dignity of the master, and also for the dignity of my Zhang family."
Chen Ji hummed in agreement: "I know."
Turning past the screen wall, one sees thirty-seven flagpoles standing densely in front of the ceremonial gate, some with two dou (a unit of dry measure), some with three dou, and some with four dou.
Chen Ji knew this was a flagpole for achieving fame and success.
If someone in the family became a tribute student, a flagpole as thick as a bowl could be erected in front of the house. If someone passed the provincial examination, one dou (a unit of dry measure) would be added to the flagpole; if someone passed the imperial examination, two dou would be added; if someone passed the first-class imperial examination, three dou would be added; and if someone was promoted to a first-rank official or reached the highest position, four dou would be added.
Madam Zhang said indifferently, "Those who have passed the imperial examinations and those who have passed the provincial examinations are not qualified to have their banners erected in the Xu family in the capital. They can only be erected back in their ancestral home in Jinling. Ordinary people should feel awe when they see these banners of merit and honor when they come to this ceremonial gate. This is the foundation of an aristocratic family. But don't just watch the spectacle. My Zhang family will one day have such a foundation... You have little hope, but there is still hope for your and A-Xia's offspring."
Chen Ji wasn't angry and said with a smile, "And there's also Brother Zhang Zheng."
Mrs. Zhang remained silent.
After entering the ceremonial gate, Madam Zhang walked unimpeded towards the inner residence of the Xu family.
Chen Ji gradually heard someone in front of him say in a deep voice: "Why does the old man insist on waiting for the Zhang family to come? When did it become the business of outsiders to decide the affairs of my Xu family? Zhang Zhuo is nothing more than my Xu family's son-in-law!"
Madam Zhang's face darkened, and she quickened her pace as she stepped into the courtyard: "Xu Chuanxi, how many times have I said that Zhang Zhuo is not a son-in-law of the Xu family!"
The sounds ahead abruptly ceased. In front of "Dumeizhai," dozens of people turned around. Among them was a man wearing a bright red official robe, with a fair complexion, no beard, slightly sunken eyes, and high cheekbones. He was none other than Xu Chuanxi, who had just been promoted to Minister of the Court of Judicial Review.
When Xu Chuanxi saw Madam Zhang arrive, he said slowly and deliberately, "As a member of the Xu family, why do you always side with outsiders?"
Madam Zhang calmly said, "Once you marry into the Zhang family, you become a member of the Zhang family. There is absolutely no reason for you to embarrass him in front of others."
Xu Chuanxi said "Oh," and then asked, "Since you're from the Zhang family, what are you doing here at my Xu family's house?"
Madam Zhang sneered, "The Grand Secretary sent someone to summon us here; I'm afraid it's not your place to make decisions about the Xu family."
After saying that, she glanced at everyone and finally fixed her gaze on Yang Zhan, the Right Vice Censor-in-Chief, her eyes sharp: "The Yang family is here, so why can't I be here?"
Xu Chuanyin of the Xu family of Huqiu said indifferently, "Xu Yihong, Yang Zhan is related to my Xu family by marriage, why can't he come? When you quarrel, don't drag others into it."
Xu Chuanxi glanced at Madam Zhang: "Zhang Zhuo has risen step by step over the years by relying on my Xu family, but instead of giving back to my Xu family, he took advantage of the old man's serious illness to come to the Xu residence to approve drafts on behalf of the emperor. He has no position as the chief minister, but he exercises the power of the chief minister. Could it be that he wants to usurp the position?"
Another person mingled in the crowd and said, "Xu Yihong, give up your ideas. When the old man chooses someone to adopt, he will only choose someone from the Xu family. There's no reason for him to choose Zhang Zheng."
Chen Ji, who had only been listening in, looked at Zhang Xia in surprise, and Zhang Xia nodded slightly.
Yes, Xu Shu is a Buddhist disciple reincarnated from the 'Pure Lapis Lazuli World' of the forty-ninth heaven. He has always been at odds with Grand Secretary Xu, and even when he speaks, he has to ask Zhang Zhuo to relay his message.
Now that Xu Shu has no heir, he has also considered adopting a son.
Chen Ji found it strange that such large and powerful families as the Xu and Chen families had both lost their main branches. It could be a coincidence if one family was like this, but could it be a coincidence if two families were like this?
What's even stranger is that if Zhang Zheng were adopted by Xu Shu, wouldn't he have to take the surname Xu? Wouldn't Zhang Zheng have to change his name to Xu...?
No wonder Madam Zhang requested that the second child bear the surname Zhang before the marriage; she was worried that the Zhang family line would end after Zhang Zheng was adopted. No wonder she remained silent when he said, "There's still my elder brother Zhang Zheng."
At this moment, Xu Chuanxi said in a deep voice, "Xu Yihong, Zhang Zhuo should be grateful for entering the cabinet by borrowing the power of my Xu family. If it weren't for my Xu family, how could he be where he is today?"
Madam Zhang's chest heaved as she looked around at everyone.
This Dumeizhai was Xu Ge Lao's bedroom, and standing outside the bedroom were all members of Xu's collateral branches. Dozens of people were eyeing her covetously and talking all at once, leaving her alone and helpless.
She was about to retort when she heard Chen Ji whisper behind her, "Lord Xu is also a member of the Xu family, and can also rely on the Xu family's influence. Why haven't we seen Lord Xu join the cabinet? Does he not like it?"
Madam Zhang was taken aback, turning her head to examine Chen Ji with surprise. (End of Chapter)