Chapter 401: Liuli Qiu

Mo Zhu didn’t make a sound, but it was clear he was eager to try.

Qin Yuan couldn’t help but laugh.

Hong Mian quietly urged Hong Ye to agree.

Hong Ye thought for a moment and said, "I have done all the things Miss entrusted me with, but by giving everything to me, aren’t you worried there may be something amiss?"

Rarely seeing Hong Ye so hesitant, Qin Yuan laughed and said, "If there’s anything you can’t handle, just come to me. Moreover, Gu Shiliu is a clever person, you can ask for his advice on a regular basis."

The list she handed to Hong Ye included both inner and outer courtyard matters. If Hong Ye was unsure about anything, she could always find someone to ask.

"You should pay particular attention to Mr. Songshan’s living arrangements," Qin Yuan specifically reminded her.

Mr. Songshan was linked to important future matters, so it was best to be cautious.

Hong Ye said, "Rest assured, Miss, I have remembered it all."

Then she immediately had Hong Mian copy the parts circled by Qin Yuan, creating an official document style, and pasted it outside, so that the stewards and housekeepers coming for business could see it and directly approach Hong Ye for handling.

Seeing Hong Ye managing things efficiently, Qin Yuan rose and went towards the mourning hall.

Mrs. Dai saw her approaching and hurried over, saying, "What a coincidence, Princess Fuyun just left after staying for only a brief moment and asking a few questions. We didn’t even have time to call for you."

Qin Yuan felt a bit strange and asked, "Logically speaking, the Princess should have a large entourage, how come I didn’t hear a noise when coming over?"

Mrs. Dai whispered, "My husband heard many rumors at the Five Cities Military Department, saying that Princess Fuyun was assigned by Empress Lin to the relatively insignificant Wu Hanlin. Although Wu Hanlin was the top in the Imperial Exams, he isn’t much used within the Hanlin Academy."

Then she lowered her voice further, "Princess Fuyun’s outings now have become much more austere. The usual entourage is gone, making her seem rather pitiful."

Everyone knew Empress Lin was the succeeding Empress, while the former Crown Prince, Prince Qi, and Princess Fuyun were children of Empress Yuan. After the former Crown Prince passed, Empress Yuan soon followed, leaving only Prince Qi and Princess Fuyun. Empress Lin, who had been a palace maid beside Empress Yuan, had cared for the young Princess Fuyun, thus gaining favor from the Emperor and was gradually elevated to the Empress.

Princess Fuyun was the most favored daughter of the Emperor, receiving her own title early on, something even the Ninth Princess, born of Empress Lin, didn’t have.

Everyone thought Princess Fuyun would either marry into the Duke Mansion, or into a noble family, or at least find the son of a family of officials to be her Prince Consort.

Unexpectedly, she was assigned to a poor scholar.

It was indeed lamentable.

The decade of favoritism seemed to have become a joke.

Qin Yuan sighed.

"It’s said Wu Hanlin seems to have no wealth, relying on rented accommodation, very poor," Mrs. Dai continued, "It seems he will marry the Princess. Such a poor, yet stubborn scholar, might not get along with a princess accustomed to luxury, there will surely be future disputes."

Qin Yuan thought about it, in the previous life, after Prince Qi died, the Crown Prince didn’t last long either. When she and Lin Ziqi entered the capital, Princess Fuyun was reclusive, and little was heard about her Prince Consort.

Could it be this Wu Hanlin?

"One who can become the top scholar must be talented, do you know where he is from?"

Mrs. Dai said, "He’s said to be from Jiangxi."

Qin Yuan nodded.

It wasn’t a coincidence!

In the previous life, after Lin Ziqi became an Advanced Scholar, he was assigned to a poor county in Jiangxi.

Qin Yuan said, "Our dynasty has many Advanced Scholars from Jiangxi, even the current Prime Minister is from Jiangxi, with a lineage of eleven Advanced Scholars; they have a substantial foundation. Wu Hanlin is also from Jiangxi, why not connect with the Prime Minister, they’re fellow townsmen, with a bit of favor, his career could flourish."

Mrs. Dai shook her head, "If he could manage, he wouldn’t be struggling in the Hanlin Academy. It’s said he’s very principled and aloof, even my husband knows, indicating he’s not very well-liked there."

Qin Yuan said, "Our dynasty’s Prince Consorts are only given idle positions, so it doesn’t really matter for him. Such a personality, if he doesn’t find a patron, will likely spend his life in the Hanlin Academy, supporting himself through selling calligraphy and paintings. If luck is with him and the Emperor favors him, he might become an isolated official."

Mrs. Dai laughed, "Then marrying the Princess might be good for him?"

Qin Yuan said solemnly, "It all depends on how he thinks about it. If he’s narrow-minded and only sees dissatisfaction, it won’t end well. But if he’s open-minded, it might not be a bad thing. Marrying the Emperor’s daughter is not the same as having smoke rising from the ancestors’ graves, they say."

"If he’s open-minded, the Princess has to be as well. After all, it’s two people living the life together. Besides..." Mrs. Dai paused, "The Crown Prince’s selection of the Crown Princess Consort is tough as well, families of the Three Dukes and Nine Ministers are reluctant to send their legitimate daughters to the Eastern Palace. The official matchmakers of the Capital Governor Mansion aren’t enough these days."

Qin Yuan smiled.

The Crown Prince’s marriage is indeed a complicated affair.

"Empress Lin seeks a wife from the families of the Three Dukes and Nine Ministers for her son, but for Princess Fuyun..."

Mrs. Dai laughed, leaving the rest unsaid.

Qin Yuan said, "These are all matters of the Royal Family, unrelated to our Marquis Mansion. Baoshu is several years younger than the Crown Prince and has a few years left until coming of age, so it certainly doesn’t concern us."

"Indeed," Mrs. Dai laughed, "With the temperament of the Seventh Miss, even Empress Lin wouldn’t dare to choose her. If provoked, the Crown Prince couldn’t withstand a beating from her."

The Crown Prince’s frail health makes even imagining pairing him with Gu Baoshu troublesome.

Qin Yuan couldn’t help but want to laugh but eventually held back. As a sister-in-law, it’s fine to joke about a younger sister in private, but if it gets out, it would be inappropriate.

Qin Yuan finally said after a while, "Empress Lin and the Emperor are probably eager to have an Imperial Grandson."

Having lived through a lifetime, Qin Yuan understood why the Emperor was keen to choose a wife from the families of the Three Dukes and Nine Ministers, hoping to leave an heir while the Crown Prince’s health is still manageable, intending to eventually pass the throne to the Imperial Grandson.

But the Three Dukes and Nine Ministers’ families are not foolish, there are healthier brothers of the Crown Prince, and no one knows how long the Emperor will live. The uncertainties are many, so they are unwilling to gamble.

Mrs. Dai also came to this realization and smiled.

The Gu Family all knew that Marquis Gu was the companion to the former Crown Prince, sharing a deep bond.

Since the former Crown Prince passed, it was expected that Prince Qi would become the Crown Prince, but the Emperor favored the maid who became Empress Lin and set the frail Crown Prince. The noble families felt uncomfortable about it.

The attitude and situation of Dingbei Marquis are thus somewhat delicate.

The two said no more, entering to converse with the family women.

Marquis Gu was at the Ministry of Revenue, seeking experienced officials to assist with the Capital Inspection.

The Minister of Revenue was an old, cunning man, rotund and always smiling like Maitreya, with excellent composure, never getting angry even in difficult situations, hence the nickname Liuli Qiu.

Seeing Marquis Gu, Liuli Qiu beamed, "Marquis Dingbei, are you here for the Emperor’s matters?"

Marquis Gu said, "Indeed, this grand matter of the Capital Inspection is too much for me alone. I have submitted a memorial requesting the Emperor’s permission to gather personnel from various departments. Fortunately, the Emperor agreed; I hope the Lord Minister can recommend some capable officials to help me."