Chapter 595 - 597: Past Events

Chapter 595: Chapter 597: Past Events

Given the man’s tact, Hua Shunming no longer fixed his gaze on him.

Le San announced, "Present your memorials if you have them; otherwise, court is adjourned."

All the officials: "..." ’He might as well have just ordered us all out.’

’It seemed they were just a troupe of clowns today, forced to exit the stage once the performance was over.’

’And the sole audience member today seemed displeased with the performance, not even willing to grace them with a smile.’

Cao Xiangqian waited for everyone to pay their respects and leave before slowly trailing behind the crowd.

He had intended to avoid the others, but Yu Ligao still managed to single him out.

"Lord Cao, you’re usually the first one out after court. What’s the matter today?"

"I’m getting old, and my legs aren’t as nimble as they once were." Cao Xiangqian slowed down even more, increasing the distance between himself and the group ahead.

Yu Ligao matched his pace. "Everyone nowadays is all about ’recommending talent,’ which really means they can’t wait to praise their own family’s younger generation to the skies. And now, look what happened. The Holy Emperor shattered all their wishful thinking with a single move."

Cao Xiangqian didn’t answer, simply continuing to walk forward in silence.

Yu Ligao didn’t seem to mind. "What do you think they’ll try to come up with next?"

Cao Xiangqian stopped and looked at him. "Lord Yu, you give me far too much credit. I’m an old general with one foot in the grave, just a simple martial artist. How could I possibly comprehend the winding machinations of you civil servants?"

"If Lord Yu has questions, you’d be better off finding a civil servant to chat with. They’d know far more than a brute like me."

Yu Ligao chuckled. "Lord Cao, you’re being far too modest. If you’re a brute, then the rest of us must be savages."

"I hear the young masters of your household are all doing quite well for themselves now. I imagine it’s about time for them to return home, isn’t it?"

Cao Xiangqian’s expression was placid. "My children and grandchildren have their own paths to follow. I’ve fulfilled my duty by raising them. As for what road they wish to take, that’s not for me to control."

’Old fox,’ Yu Ligao cursed inwardly. "You’re far too modest. Who doesn’t know of your foresight? While the rest of the court’s officials, both civil and military, came away with nothing, your sons and grandsons have already made a fortune."

Cao Xiangqian said, "I had no choice. Those boys aren’t cut out for scholarship or the military. My only hope for them was to find a place for themselves and learn a trade."

"Weren’t you all laughing at me before, saying I’d sent my unruly boys off to be waiters?"

"But as it turns out, there’s no such thing as a noble or lowly profession in this world. All that matters is whether you put your heart into it."

Seeing the smirk on Cao Xiangqian’s face, Yu Ligao knew perfectly well how smug the man felt.

But what he said was true. At the time, everyone had indeed been laughing at him behind his back. They just never expected to be proven wrong so quickly and so thoroughly.

Shares in the sea trade were nearly impossible for others to obtain, yet this old fox had not only seized the opportunity first but had also managed to get all his grandsons in on it.

Other families had considered trying the same thing, hoping to follow the old fox Cao’s method and squeeze in their own distant relatives. However, Ancient Wen Heng had long since made Lu City as impenetrable as an iron fortress, and not a single one had succeeded.

"Don’t tell me you have no interest in going to Lu City?"

Cao Xiangqian stared at him as if he’d heard a joke. "Do you think these old bones of mine are still up to the task?"

"Hah! You’re as vigorous as ever. Didn’t you personally lead your troops into battle just the year before last? It’s just the two of us here, and I have no intention of competing for those two positions. You don’t have to hide it from me."

At that, Cao Xiangqian dropped the act. He strode briskly toward the palace exit, leaving a stunned Yu Ligao to scramble after him, only to see his retreating back.

’That old devil. The way he was acting, I almost fell for it.’

’In the imperial court, even a simple martial artist is this cunning. This life as an official is truly difficult.’

He started to chase in the direction Cao Xiangqian had disappeared. He truly meant no harm; he was just curious and had asked a few too many questions.

But now it seemed his cleverness had backfired, and he had been misunderstood. If he could catch up, he wanted to explain himself.

But even by rushing, by the time he reached the palace gates, all he saw was the dust kicked up by horse hooves.

"Sir, shall we return to the manor?" The Yu Family’s coachman, who had been waiting for a long time, asked softly when he saw the old master staring blankly ahead.

"Let’s go back," Yu Ligao said, shaking his head with a smile. With the coachman’s help, he climbed into the carriage.

He had just returned to the manor when he saw Yu Yue about to leave. He immediately barked, "You, stop right there! You’re never home. Where do you think you’re off to now?"

Yu Yue hadn’t expected to be so unlucky as to be caught the moment he stepped out. "Father, you’re back."

"I wasn’t going anywhere. I just saw that you were taking a while to get back, so I came to the gate to wait for you."

Yu Ligao snorted. "If only you applied this petty cleverness to your studies. Well, you were waiting for me, and now I’m here. Get back inside and study. If you don’t pass the exam to become a scholar this time, I’ll hire several tutors to watch you day and night."

Yu Yue replied, "Father, you know my ambitions don’t lie in that direction. If you’re going to hire tutors for me, you’d be better off getting a few martial arts masters. I’d definitely stay home and practice diligently every day then."

Yu Ligao said, "In your dreams! If you weren’t my only son, I wouldn’t even bother with you."

"Look at those boys from the Cao Family. They weren’t cut out for scholarship or the military either, yet a path was still found for them. And you?"

"When I retire, who do you think will be left in our family to support it?"

"In a few years, you won’t even be able to survive here in Shangjing. Your father—I—have been a proud man my whole life. Am I supposed to go back to our ancestral home and farm the land with you in my old age?"

Yu Yue chuckled. "How could that happen? At worst, I’d be a wealthy man of leisure. It wouldn’t be so bad as to end up a farmer."

Faced with his son’s impervious attitude, Yu Ligao grabbed him by the ear and dragged him into the manor.

"Father, let go! I’m a grown man now! You’re making a spectacle of me for others to laugh at!"

"So you do know what it means to be a laughingstock? All these years and you haven’t improved one bit. Tell me, what have you ever done in your entire life that’s made me happy?"

Yu Yue immediately cried foul. "That’s not true! Have you forgotten when I played the hero and brought you back a huge ginseng root?"

Yu Ligao stopped walking. "I seem to recall something about that. Who was it you saved?"

Yu Yue said, "I saved a nanny and a few maids..."

"No, I’m asking whose family they belonged to."

"The family of the man who later became the Champion Scholar. Didn’t I mention it to you before? How could you forget?"

"Ancient Wen Heng?" Yu Ligao wanted to clutch his chest. ’So I’ve had a connection to Ancient Wen Heng all along but failed to seize the opportunity.’

"That’s the one. I even mentioned back then how rare it was for someone to be so generous on behalf of a few servants."

"I’ve rescued other people since then, and all I ever got was a flimsy ’thank you.’"

Although he didn’t care much for material possessions, the stark contrast had left a deep impression on him.

Seeing his old man’s brow furrow deeper and deeper, he took advantage of the moment his father was dazed, ducked to the side, and bolted.