Chapter 58: Late-Night Conversation Between Grandfather and Grandson

Han Zhang and Xue Pu wore even deeper looks of confusion, completely at a loss for the moment.

Having prided themselves on serving through two reigns, they could be said to have watched the Emperor grow from a high-spirited youthful monarch into his present frail and elderly self.

"This old minister is dull-witted, and begs the Emperor to make it clear!" Han Zhang trembled as he got to his feet, then dropped heavily back to his knees with a thud.

Zhao Zhen hurriedly signaled Zhang Maoze to help him up. With a long sigh toward the heavens and furrowed brows, he slowly recounted the truth of Zhao Han's lineage.

When the final word was spoken, the grand hall fell into a dead silence.

Xue Pu was struck dumb with astonishment, unable to recover his senses for a long time.

Han Zhang's face turned ashen, his lips quivering incessantly. It took him quite a while to find his voice again. "Such... such an important matter, why did the Emperor not inform this old minister sooner?"

"Could it be that in the Emperor's heart, this old minister is not even comparable to Official Hai?"

"Lord Han..." Zhao Zhen choked for a moment. "It is not that I do not trust you..."

Xue Pu's aged, cloudy eyes welled up with tears. "Your Majesty, you have kept this old minister deeply in the dark!"

"In recent days, this old minister has racked his brains at home, unable to sleep for nights on end, terrified that the foundation of the state would be left without a successor."

"And yet you..." The words reached his lips, only to dissolve into a heavy sigh.

"Had this old minister and Lord Han not come here today, we truly would not know how much longer Your Majesty intended to conceal this!"

At this moment, Zhao Zhen lacked his usual poised and unruffled dignity from the court; instead, he looked like a young man caught doing something wrong by his elders.

He swallowed hard, gave two light coughs, and spoke: "I did not deliberately mean to keep this from the two of you. After all, this matter is of the utmost importance, and I had to be cautious."

"No wonder on the day of the palace examination, this old minister thought his appearance bore a striking resemblance to Your Majesty in your youth."

"I merely thought it a coincidence, never expecting him to be Your Majesty's own son."

Han Zhang sighed repeatedly, raising a hand to gently wipe the corner of his eye.

A moment later, he impatiently blurted out, "Your Majesty, why not transfer the Imperial Prince to the Ministry of Rites? This old minister is willing to personally assist him in familiarizing himself with state affairs!"

Upon hearing this, Xue Pu immediately raised his voice, "Lord Han!"

"The Ministry of Personnel ranks first among the Six Ministries; how much real power does your Ministry of Rites hold? The Imperial Prince ought to be transferred to the Ministry of Personnel instead!"

"Lord Han, as the younger man, you need not contend with me over this!"

"This old minister will undoubtedly hold nothing back, imparting everything he has learned throughout his life!"

Han Zhang stared at him with bristling mustache and glaring eyes. "You may be a few years older than me, but your energy is hardly superior to mine. This duty rightfully belongs to me!"

Xue Pu sneered, "I happened to place as the top scholar in the imperial examinations, and you? You did not pass as a jinshi until you had already reached your prime!"

"You!" Han Zhang's aged face flushed crimson.

Gazing at the two elderly ministers arguing until their faces were red, Zhao Zhen raised a hand and said, "I have already promoted Han'er to the post of Hanlin Expositor. The matter of transferring him to one of the Six Ministries can be discussed at a later date."

"You are both veteran ministers of many years. To behave in such a manner—would this not become a laughingstock if word got out?"

Hearing this, Han Zhang and Xue Pu exchanged a simultaneous glance.

Yet the instant their gazes met, they both let out a cold snort, turned their heads away, and refused to look at each other a second time.

Zhang Maoze smoothed things over with a smile. "Let the two venerable ministers cease their bickering."

"The most crucial task at hand is to devise a way to suppress the influence of the two Princes in the court and support His Highness."

Han Zhang pondered for a moment, then said in a deep voice, "At present, most court officials support Prince Yong and Prince Yan. In this old minister's view, Prince Yong's faction is not particularly formidable, but Prince Yan..."

"Pardon this old minister's bluntness, but Prince Yan and his son are shrewd and capable, especially skilled at winning people over. Among the imperial clan, quite a few royal relatives have secretly pledged allegiance to them."

"This old minister only fears that he will be driven to desperation and resort to actions detrimental to the Emperor and the Imperial Prince."

Xue Pu nodded in deep agreement.

Zhao Zhen frowned. "Do I not ponder this day and night? Let the two of them fight it out for now; when both are left exhausted and wounded, Han'er can then make his timely entrance."

With that, he looked out the window, his mind once again calculating when he and Zhao Han might finally acknowledge each other as father and son.

—

The post of Hanlin Reader had no strictly fixed schedule for imperial audiences, usually taking place once every ten days.

However, Zhao Zhen was diligent in his studies and valued literature deeply, particularly placing great importance on the exposition of classics and histories. He frequently called for temporary audiences and had even discussed the *Spring and Autumn Annals* with his readers late into the night.

Consequently, ever since his promotion to Expositor, Zhao Han had been relieved of the heavy clerical duties of a compiler in the Hanlin Academy.

Yet he found no leisure, having to enter the palace to have audience with Zhao Zhen almost every few days.

Naturally, this could not be separated from Zhao Zhen using the pretext of monarch and subject discussing history to soothe the pain of their bone-deep separation.

Time flew, and over another month passed in the blink of an eye.

With the wedding date drawing closer by the day, everyone in both households grew busy.

Jiying Lane, the Sheng Residence.

As the first daughter of the Sheng family to be married off, Hualan's dowry and wedding rites alike were regarded with exceptional importance.

Wang Ruofu even took out nearly forty percent of her own dowry from back then to supplement Hualan's.

What remained was reserved for three purposes: first, to prepare for Changbai's upcoming marriage; second, for Rulan's future wedding; and third, as the mistress of the house, she inevitably needed to provide extra furnishings for the marriages of concubine-born sons and daughters to save face.

Sheng Wei had already sent people from Youyang with over ten boxes of fine silks, satins, gold, and jade jewelry as supplementary wedding gifts for Hualan.

As night fell, inside the Shou'an Hall, sandalwood curled in wisps.

The moonlight outside the window was obscured by thin clouds, casting only a hazy, limpid glow.

Minglan had already been led away to the side room by Nanny Cui to sleep.

The Old Madam gazed at Hualan with eyes full of maternal affection. Under the candlelight, the young girl's exquisite features acquired an even greater gentleness and beauty.

She took Hualan's hand and spoke softly, "Your temperament is the most agreeable, yet you are resilient and resourceful. I could not be more at ease."

"Still, the bottom-most savings of a dowry cannot be too large; the more, the better. Private wealth is the foundation upon which you will establish yourself in the future."

While she spoke, Nanny Fang and several maidservants carried half a dozen heavy sandalwood chests into the room, quietly lifting the lids.

Inside were neatly arranged headdress jewelry, pearls, agates, land deeds, housing deeds, and various shop deeds—all part of the Old Madam's own dowry from years past.

Hualan's gaze swept lightly over these priceless items.

Yet her slender brows furrowed slightly, and she said gently, "Your granddaughter understands Grandmother's intentions."

"It's just that Father, Mother, Grandmother Maternal, Eldest Uncle, and Maternal Uncle have all prepared so much for me that it is already more than enough."

"Grandmother, you are advanced in years; you ought to keep more silver for yourself."

"Besides, Little Liu is still being raised by your side."

The Old Madam smiled faintly, her gaze growing even more tender as she spoke warmly, "Good child, rest assured—I have kept a share for Minglan."

"No matter how muddle-headed your father may be, he would never dare stint on the food and expenses of Shou'an Hall. You needn't worry too much on my account."

The Old Madam continued, "Once a woman is married, how her life goes depends entirely on how her husband treats her. If her husband is a heartless man, she must gather her wealth and look after herself all the more."

"If her husband is kind-hearted and knows how to cherish her, then she should wholeheartedly consider his interests and begrudge him nothing."

Hualan nodded repeatedly, her pair of beautiful eyes exceptionally clear and bright.

"In managing household affairs, one must know how to combine benevolence with severity; reward the servants when due, and punish them when appropriate."

"If you encounter difficulties, send someone to tell Grandmother; never try to endure it alone," the Old Madam urged further, her voice gentle yet every word weighty.

"I can see that Han'er is a good lad and is bound to achieve great things in the future."

"If you manage the household well and free him from worries at home, he surely will not mistreat you."

Hualan smiled faintly, her shifting gaze tinged with a touch of playfulness. "Is Grandmother so certain he will achieve great things in the future?"

"If he were only able to become an ordinary, humble official, would Grandmother be disappointed?"

Hearing this, the Old Madam could not help but laugh, reaching out to tap Hualan lightly on the forehead. "You mischievous girl!"

"Then Grandmother must ask you—would you be disappointed?"

Hualan shook her head instantly. "As long as he treats me well, even if he were merely a farmer tilling the fields, my heart would still be joyful."

With a face full of smiles, the Old Madam pulled her into her embrace and said solemnly, "Silly girl, this pair of old eyes of mine has never misjudged a person. Your life in the future will not be a bad one."