Chapter 187: Gathering of Friends

Chapter 187: A Get-Together with Friends

Zheng Shanci had nothing to say in return. Upon returning home, Xiao Pingan dragged Zheng Shanci into his room to check his homework.

"Dad, can you see if I got these questions right?" Xiao Pingan handed his notebook to Zheng Shanci.

"They’re all correct. You’ve been studying hard lately, but don’t overdo it," Zheng Shanci praised his son.

Xiao Pingan gave an obedient nod.

"On my next day off, I’ll be visiting the Xiao residence. You can prepare to go play with Xiao Chen."

Xiao Pingan let out a happy cheer.

Zheng Shanci left Xiao Pingan’s courtyard. With a sharp *click*, Xiao Pingan closed the door, took out his diary, and carefully recorded the interesting events of the day.

He wrote earnestly, then hid the diary where no one could find it. As it was getting late, he washed up, pulled the blankets over himself, and fell peacefully asleep.

The summer night was sweltering, and mosquitoes buzzed incessantly. With the bed curtains drawn and the cool bamboo mat beneath him, it made sleep a little easier.

The boy drifted off quickly.

After washing up, Zheng Shanci was exhausted. Yu Lanyi was already sound asleep in bed. Zheng Shanci blew out the candle and climbed in, automatically pulling Yu Lanyi close. At first, Yu Lanyi didn’t feel the heat, but by midnight, he started overheating and gently pushed him away, rolling over to sleep on his own.

Zheng Shanci didn’t even notice.

When he woke in the morning, he was soaked with sweat. Fortunately, he was accustomed to rising early and could wash up before attending the morning court session. After drinking some mung bean soup and eating steamed buns, he arrived at the Golden Hall, where officials were trickling in.

"Your Majesty, I wish to submit a memorial..."

Zheng Shanci listened attentively as the ministers presented their memorials at the front. Emperor Wuming addressed the issues and dismissed the court.

Returning to the Grand Secretariat, Zheng Shanci reviewed the memorials approved by Emperor Wuming, instructing the Censorate to send officials to investigate matters in Liangzhou. He then had the documents transferred to the Censorate.

While processing the memorials, a panicked shout rang out outside.

"Lord Xiao, what’s wrong?"

Zheng Shanci hurried out and saw a minor official supporting Second Grand Secretary Xiao, who was fighting for air, gasping and struggling to breathe.

Zheng Shanci stepped forward and patted his back. "Has the imperial physician been summoned?"

The minor official, relieved to see Zheng Shanci, gulped nervously and stammered, "Someone has already gone to fetch him."

He crouched down and helped Second Grand Secretary Xiao into a semi-reclined position, tilting his head slightly back to ease his breathing. Calmly, he loosened Second Grand Secretary Xiao’s collar and belt, easing the tightness around his chest to alleviate the pressure.

"Open all the windows."

The minor official, momentarily stunned, jumped into action and rushed to open the windows.

Chief Grand Secretary Wei, having come from his office, grew anxious upon seeing Second Grand Secretary Xiao in such a state. Though they had their disagreements, he had no wish for the man to die.

Thankfully, the imperial physician arrived swiftly.

"Gentlemen, please make way."

Zheng Shanci withdrew from Second Grand Secretary Xiao’s office.

"Lord Zheng, your actions appeared to ease Lord Xiao’s condition," Chief Grand Secretary Wei remarked.

"I picked up a few tricks from a village healer in the countryside. Seeing Lord Xiao in that state, I thought I'd try them to see if they'd help."

Zheng Shanci had participated in medical aid training during his university years.

Chief Grand Secretary Wei nodded. "Old Xiao is getting old."

His expression carried a hint of melancholy. Second Grand Secretary Xiao was aging, and so was he.

"You’re still young for your age, Lord Wei," Zheng Shanci said honestly.

Chief Grand Secretary Wei had become Chief Grand Secretary in his fifties, which was indeed quite young.

Hearing Zheng Shanci's words, Chief Grand Secretary Wei smiled.

Second Grand Secretary Xiao's health was poor, and the imperial physician advised him to rest at home. The Crown Prince’s spouse even hurried to the Xiao residence to visit him.

Zheng Shanci also sent gifts as well.

The summer heat faded after a refreshing rain, and Zheng Shanci had the day off.

With Second Grand Secretary Xiao absent from the Grand Secretariat, the remaining memorials fell to the other three grand secretaries. Second Grand Secretary Xiao was already in his seventies, and after learning of his condition, Emperor Wuming considered letting him retire.

He wasn’t power-hungry, so even if Emperor Wuming asked him to step down, he wouldn’t complain. Moreover, with a Crown Prince’s spouse in the family, the Xiao family's status was secure.

Emperor Wuming already had a suitable candidate in mind.

From the style of Grand Secretary Lei's memorial responses, Emperor Wuming could tell he wasn’t right for the role of Second Grand Secretary. The position required capability and, more importantly, someone who could balance Chief Grand Secretary Wei rather than align with him.

Zheng Shanci had a decent relationship with Chief Grand Secretary Wei, but after years of interaction, Emperor Wuming knew he was a man of principle—a rare quality.

"Go to the treasury and pick out some rare medicinal herbs for Minister Xiao."

Feng De responded promptly, "Yes, Your Majesty."

The Xiao family were the emperor’s in-laws, so Feng De dared not slight them and was extra courteous.

Alone in the Panlong Hall, Emperor Wuming sent a eunuch to call for the Crown Prince.

...

Yesterday’s rain was a relief to everyone. If the drought had continued, the common people would have suffered first, and the crops would have withered. The summer rain brought much-needed relief.

Today, they were heading to the Xiao residence for a banquet. Yu Lanyi added an extra layer of clothing, and naturally, so did Xiao Ping'an.

"It's been a while since I last saw Shi Ge'er. I should chat with him when we get to the Xiao residence," Yu Lanyi said. He disliked moving much in the summer and spent most days lounging around his residence. Lifting the carriage curtain, he saw people outside looking cool and refreshed, which made him whistle a cheerful tune.

When he finished, Xiao Ping'an clapped excitedly.

"Father, that was so nice!"

Yu Lanyi beamed with pride, and Zheng Shanci chuckled.

When they got out, attendants led them to Xiao Gaoyang’s courtyard. Elegant and serene, with winding streams and picturesque views at every step, it had Zheng Shanci marveling. The couple had turned their courtyard into a miniature garden.

By the time Zheng Shanci and Yu Lanyi arrived, Jiang Lanli and Mei Ge'er were already there. Mei Ge'er was chatting with Shi Ge'er, while Jiang Jiao and Xiao Chen played with wooden blocks.

"Speak of Brother Zheng, here he comes," Jiang Lanli said with a laugh.

"Brother Xiao suggested drinking hard liquor—what do you think?"

Zheng Shanci stepped forward: "I don't have much insight on alcohol, but if Brother Xiao wants to drink baijiu (a strong Chinese liquor), let the servants heat it over a stove. Brother Jiang dislikes baijiu, so just open the earthenware seal and drink it directly."

Jiang Lanli smiled: "I was just thinking of taking a sip of baijiu, then a sip of cold wine."

Zheng Shanci: "That’s a bad idea—Brother Jiang’s stomach can’t handle it."

Xiao Gaoyang laughed upon hearing this: "If Brother Jiang insists on doing this and ends up calling in sick due to stomach trouble, I’d never dare invite him for drinks again."

Cui Ziqi, Shi Xuan, Du Ning, and Mei Huai also arrived, each bringing their families.

Servants bustled about, serving them wine, meat, and dishes. Yu Lanyi, spotting Zheng Qingyin, pulled him aside to sit and asked him how he was doing with concern.

This small courtyard managed to accommodate all these families, with the children happily playing nearby, all smiles. Xiao Pingan, the oldest among them, even helped look after the little ones.

Zheng Shanci glanced over at Yu Lanyi grilling meat—his skills were passable at best. Lv Jin watched him and occasionally reminded, "If you don’t flip that soon, it’ll burn."

With someone keeping an eye on Yu Lanyi, Zheng Shanci felt reassured and turned his attention back to his friends. "Brother Xiao, what made you think of grilling meat?"

Xiao Gaoyang downed a cup of baijiu and chuckled: "It was Xiao Chen’s idea. That boy isn’t picky about food, but he loves lamb skewers now and then."

"My husband thought, since our son enjoys them so much, why not grill some at home to let him eat his fill? On our rest days, we started grilling lamb skewers in the courtyard, then thought—why not grill eggplants, corn… and it took off from there."

Mei Huai took a few bites of a lamb skewer: "The flavor is quite good."

Zheng Shanci handed him honey: "Brother Mei, drizzling it with honey makes it even better."

Mei Huai followed the suggestion and ate it with honey.

"Grilled corn has a unique taste—Brother Xiao’s method is excellent. I’ll set up a grill at home someday too," said Cui Ziqi, whose enthusiastic streak made him want anything that caught his eye. Once part of the capital’s high-society crowd, his reputation had kept him distant from this group, but after entering officialdom, their bonds grew stronger.

Shi Xuan took a skewer of corn, and Cui Ziqi handed him some grilled meat: "Days off are for relaxing—try this, it’s delicious."

Shi Xuan humored him and found it tasty, eating two more skewers before stopping.

Cui Ziqi grinned, pleased.

"We should gather more often like this—eating, drinking, and chatting freely. It’s nothing like dining in the ministry dining hall," Du Ning remarked.

"How could it be the same? With so many officials around in the dining hall, we can’t say what we really think," Mei Huai said.

While they talked, Zheng Shanci grilled ten skewers himself. Cui Ziqi, eagle-eyed, noticed and helped himself to half once they were done.

Zheng Shanci sighed.

Left with no choice, Zheng Shanci ate the remaining five.

Meanwhile, Yu Lanyi was enjoying his meat—Shi Geer was skilled at grilling, so Yu Lanyi mooched off hers. The younger children couldn’t grill yet, so Xiao Gaoyang had the household cook prepare theirs.

Xiao Pingan took a sip of fruit juice and handed a lamb skewer to Xiao Chen.

Cui Xiuzhu munched on a grilled eggplant. Shi Can, the youngest, gazed longingly at Xiao Pingan and called out softly, "Cousin."

Xiao Pingan picked out a few mild skewers and handed them to Shi Can. Unlike Shi Xuan, the boy adored meat—still growing, he was round as a dumpling, his skin pale as jade. Taking the skewers, his eyes disappearing into happy slits.

Xiao Pingan gave in and pinched Shi Can’s cheek.

Shi Can burst into giggles.

Zheng Qingyin peeked over fondly and, seeing Shi Can obediently eating in his seat, relaxed. The boy was young, hadn’t grown up in the capital, and Zheng Qingyin kept a careful eye on him.

"Qing Yin, pass me the pepper beside you," said Yu Lanyi.

Zheng Qingyin handed the pepper to Yu Lanyi, who happily took it and doused the meat in pepper. Seeing this, Zheng Qingyin remarked, "Yu, won't eating so much pepper be too spicy?"

Yu Lanyi replied, "Not at all, this pepper smells amazing."

He took a satisfied bite, his eyes crinkling with pleasure.

A gentle breeze swept through, rustling the leaves in the courtyard. Mei Huai lowered his head to take a sip of wine when a small leaf drifted into his cup, rippling the surface of the wine.

Mei Huai downed the wine, leaf still floating in it.

"Brother Mei, have some more vegetables," Jiang Lanli said, passing a plate of greens to Mei Huai.

Xiao Gaoyang was also skilled at roasting meat, having prepared a variety of dishes. The friends began discussing the political situation at court—the timing for appointing the crown prince was ideal, and since the two princes shared the same maternal lineage, it kept power grabs and court scheming to a minimum.

"If there were a few more princes, the court would be in chaos," Xiao Gaoyang remarked.

Zheng Shanci added, "Plenty of dynasties fell thanks to succession fights."

Shi Xuan noted, "Speaking of which, this year's imperial examinations are starting soon."