Chapter 364 Xiao Cao

Chapter 364: Little Grass

Having known each other for so long, Meng Wan had never before so indirectly brought up Ru Niang's marriage.

Gu Zhiru's eyes dimmed slightly. "With a family background like mine, there are even more restrictions. Sometimes every word and action in public, and who I associate with, all depend on my family's wishes."

She suddenly realized her words were ambiguous and hastily added, "With you... I didn't mean..."

"I know." Meng Wan's voice was gentle yet firm. "Did you forget what I said earlier? 'To ward off cold, nothing beats a thick fur coat; to silence slander, nothing beats self-cultivation.' Ru Niang, you know your family background comes with much manipulation. Sometimes many things are beyond your control. Not just you—even I face the same. Yet within these constraints, one can still live freely."

His words were profound, seemingly carrying some hidden warning. Gu Zhiru understood only vaguely, yet felt a chill run down her spine.

Seeing her expression sour, Meng Wan smiled reassuringly. "Adults' affairs are for adults to handle. You just need to live your own little life well. I asked if you're interested in making money—what do you think?"

Gu Zhiru was carried along by his words. The refined noble lady now bore some resemblance to those anxious young men and women of common birth. She asked hesitantly, "Me? I don't know anything about doing business."

Meng Wan: "That's fine. Some people enjoy the process of earning money, while others don't want to become too mercenary. Everyone has their own way of living. I don't mean to force you into doing business with me."

In truth, among his friends, Nie Zhiyao was the most suitable partner. He was clever, possessing a merchant's mind and daring, yet not overly ostentatious—able to adapt to circumstances. His temperament was most similar to Meng Wan's, and Meng Wan considered him a kindred spirit.

Meng Wan hadn't been in Shengjing very long in total. Many matters would have to wait until Nie Zhiyao returned to discuss in detail.

"Then what did you mean by asking me about making money...?" Gu Zhiru asked awkwardly.

Meng Wan first praised her: "You draw very skillfully."

He himself drew in a realistic style. Perhaps because he had too much on his mind, occupied by all sorts of miscellaneous matters, his creativity was actually quite limited. But Gu Zhiru was different. Meng Wan had given her a little guidance and discovered she had great artistic flair—perhaps related to talent, or perhaps related to being immersed in art since childhood.

"The cotton mill will be making dolls and needs various designs—um... something cute-looking. The workers will cut and sew according to those designs, and the more complex ones will require embroidery work." As Meng Wan spoke of the mill's next steps, Gu Zhiru finally understood that the cotton mill was going to make "dolls."

But what were "dolls"?

Gu Zhiru had never heard of them, so Meng Wan explained they were similar to silk figurines (juanren), but didn't need to be as human-like as juanren—for example, the eyes could be bigger, the poses cuter, and so on.

The coming year was the Year of the Snake, so Meng Wan had resumed his old craft and drawn several chibi-style snake designs for the mill's use. Since everyone hadn't started work yet, he let Gu Zhiru look at the designs first to get a general idea of what he meant by "dolls."

The two stayed at the mill until noon before heading out, each preparing to go home.

The cotton mill had once been the Bian Family's old residence, very close to the Shuntian Prefecture. Chi Yu had hauled a few loose-tongued people to the Shuntian Prefecture where Tao Shiyi and the others gave them a good scare, and by the time they came back, the people in the area had scattered like birds and beasts.

After that incident, for a while, there shouldn't be any clueless people pointing and gossiping at the mill's doorstep.

Chi Yu sat on the carriage shaft using his slingshot to shoot at birds for fun, while another tall figure stood with his back to the mill gate, reading the small characters on the back of the stone tablet—on which were carved the founding date of Shijian Cotton Mill and the origin of its name.

...Beloved son Song Yan—written personally by Song Tingzhou.

"Why are you here in the middle of the day?" Meng Wan really could run into his man anywhere.

Song Tingzhou turned around slowly, his tone flat. "Heard from Chi Yu you were at the mill, so I came to find you."

An utterly ordinary statement, without the slightest sense of being clingy.

The two had long grown accustomed to this way of interacting. Meng Wan asked, "Is there anything at the yamen this afternoon?"

"The Shuntian Prefecture is all miscellaneous matters—I can leave them to the vice-prefect under me. But I need to make a trip to the Ministry of Justice and the Censorate in a bit." Song Tingzhou had been so busy these days his feet didn't touch the ground, and hadn't had a day off in a long while. He also rose early each morning, and only had evenings free to spend a little time with Meng Wan.

Going home now would also be a waste of time. Meng Wan knew he had come to find him after finishing his work and surely hadn't eaten lunch, so he said, "Then wait for me to first see Ru Niang off to her carriage, and we'll go eat at a nearby restaurant."

Gu Zhiru had been standing nearby, afraid to make a sound, but upon hearing this she quickly said, "No need, no need. Our family's carriage is right here, and the maids are all waiting in it. I can board on my own."

"Then get on. I'll have Chi Yu escort you to the Gu residence." After all, the young lady had come out with him—if anything happened on the road, Meng Wan would be hard-pressed to escape blame.

Meng Wan was truly considerate. Gu Zhiru felt warmth in her heart and could only accept, as declining would be discourteous.

Chi Yu boarded the Gu family carriage with her. Gu Zhiru held back for a while but eventually couldn't resist lifting the curtain slightly to watch Meng Wan and Song Tingzhou walk away side by side.

The two, one tall and one shorter, were perfectly in harmony. One wore a silver-white cloak, occasionally turning to reveal a fair white face to speak to the person beside him; the other, in a crimson official robe, held the other's hand tightly, quietly listening to his husband's words and occasionally chiming in.

Even from a distance, one could see the two figures standing extremely close together.

Watching them made Gu Zhiru's face feel warm, and she was deeply envious. She looked at Chi Yu, hesitating to speak, wanting to ask him something but knowing it would be improper to pry into others' private affairs. Instead, Chi Yu noticed her looking back and brought it up on his own.

"Whenever the lord has free time, he goes to pick up his husband. It was the same when we were in Lingnan before."

In this regard, Xue Sheng had more say than Chi Yu—unfortunately, he was still in Lingnan acting as an elder to Chu Ci.

"Ah? Is... is that so." Gu Zhiru murmured, "Meng Fulang and Lord Song are loving and harmonious—truly admirable."

"Miss." The maidservant Qing Luo looked at her worriedly, thinking she was moved by the scene and saddened by the thought of her own engagement to the Zhongyi Marquis Heir that had ended without resolution. "There are plenty of devoted people in this world. With your talents, besides the Qin family, there are other noble houses."

Though Gu Zhiru had been delayed by several years and was now older than most eligible young ladies, her talent was outstanding, and everyone could see the broken engagement was Qin Jiao's fault. There were still people among noble officials seeking her hand—but Gu Zhiru felt she had been humiliated and had never been able to get past it, which was why she remained despondent. This was the flaw of being too rigid.

Chi Yu was puzzled. He opened his mouth, thinking Prince Qin was a decent fellow—he'd even sparred with him back in Lingnan.

The carriage outside suddenly lurched to a stop, and Gu Zhiru and the maids nearly fell—Chi Yu blocked them in the middle and steadied them.

The driver called out in alarm from outside, "Miss, are you alright?"

Qing Luo scolded angrily, "How can you be so careless? Can't you even drive properly? Disturbing the miss like this—when we get back, I'll have the steward assign you to empty the night soil!"

The driver begged for mercy, "Miss Qing Luo, don't be angry. It's that a scholar up ahead wasn't watching where he was going."

"I'd like to see which family's scholar this is!" Qing Luo huffed as she got off the carriage, but didn't return for quite a while.

Gu Zhiru frowned. She hated making trouble. She then pulled a small pouch from her sleeve and handed it to another personal maid. "Give this to Qing Luo. If the person is unharmed, just use some silver to send him off. Don't get into a public altercation."

"They seem to be acquaintances—there's no scuffling." Chi Yu was watching the commotion from the carriage window.

Gu Zhiru was rather surprised. "Acquaintances?" She too lifted the curtain to look outside.

Qing Luo was speaking with a man in an old robe, indeed dressed like a scholar. As she talked, she kept glancing back toward the carriage—and met Gu Zhiru's curious gaze directly. In that instant, all color drained from her face, leaving it deathly pale.

Gu Zhiru sensed something was wrong. She had a suspicion in her mind and let the curtain fall.

The scholar followed Qing Luo's gaze and caught a glimpse of a cool, aloof face disappearing behind the carriage window.

"Who is that? Your maid?" the scholar asked.

Qing Luo was deeply embarrassed. "No... no. Just go for now. We'll talk later."

She didn't wait for the scholar's agreement, turned away with tears welling in her eyes, and boarded the carriage as the driver cracked his whip.

Qing Luo kept her head down and said to Gu Zhiru, "Miss, that person didn't mean to block the carriage. Perhaps he accidentally fell into the middle of the road."

Seeing how Qing Luo dared not lift her head, Gu Zhiru's suspicions were further confirmed. Because Chi Yu was present, she spoke very tactfully: "Qing Luo, you grew up with me, even closer to me than my half-sisters. I've said before—if you wish to marry, I will certainly ask Mother to find you a good match, release your contract, and let you marry with dignity. But if you have any other intentions... you know the Gu family's rules."

—

December twenty-second, Meng Wan and Song Tingzhou attended the full-month banquet for little Wu Nei at the Wu residence. The name "Wu Nei" was chosen by Wu Zhaoyuan after flipping through the Four Books and Five Classics and various poetry collections, rejecting all other names he had considered for his son. He hoped his son would grow up with unwavering resolve, never wilting in the face of hardship.

Little Wu Nei is still too young. Because the birth was somewhat difficult, the couple, hoping the child would grow up safely, even went to a temple to ask monks to give him a humble nickname.

"Xiao Cao, Uncle Wu gave you a good name." A Yan held back a smile as he looked at his little brother wrapped in swaddling clothes, very glad he didn't have a childhood name himself.

Tong'er looked serious and nodded earnestly, "It is nice. Xiao Cao sounds lovely."

"Tong'er, what kind of taste is that? Is Xiao Cao really that nice?" Fang Jinrong was shocked by his son's taste.

Meng Wan was equally exasperated by Fang Jinrong's lack of tact. "What nonsense are you spouting in front of other people?" He then reached out and grabbed A Yan by the scruff of the neck. "And you, since you like little brothers so much, why don't you give one of your Jiangren figurines to the little one?"

A Yan shook his head violently, suddenly viewing the child who couldn't walk or talk as if he were a monster. He called out to Tong'er, and the two of them ran off to the front courtyard to play.

Zheng Shushen had been watching them with a smile all along, occasionally chiming in with a few words, his comments all about the child. His mother sat to the side, wanting to speak but unable to get a word in edgewise, looking more like an outsider. Given her age, she just stared longingly at her son and grandson, looking rather pitiful.

Zheng Shushen had never been able to be harsh with his mother, but now that he had a child who mattered more, he had started to see many things in a new light. He would treat his mother with the respect she was due, but there was no denying the distance between them.

It had started snowing early this morning, and by the time they left the Wu residence, a thick layer of snow had already accumulated on the ground. Afraid that Meng Wan would try to take his Jiangren figurines, A Yan quickly climbed into Fang Jinrong's carriage. "Father, I'm sleeping at Tong'er's house tonight! Tomorrow I promised to go play with Zhao Er."

Zhao Er was the child who had previously mocked A Yan for being a country bumpkin. Later, for reasons no one knew, that child had come to apologize to A Yan, and since then the children had gotten along well. Even Zheng Su had praised A Yan in front of Meng Wan several times for being bright and perceptive.

Meng Wan brushed the snow from his shoulders. "Go on then. The roads will be slippery with snow, so be careful."

Tomorrow was Little New Year, and the children wouldn't need to attend lessons at Zheng Su's until after the new year, so they were eager to run wild and play. Meng Wan, thinking A Yan had been cooped up studying every day, readily let him go.

When they returned home, Song Tingzhou, who had only taken half a day off, had to head back to work. The closer it got to the new year, the busier he became.

The Vice Minister of Justice had been stripped of his position and sent back to his hometown.

The Minister of Works was advanced in years, and his most capable deputy, Vice Minister Xia Yuan, had been entangled with Prince Lian. After the new emperor ascended the throne, fearing that his family would be implicated, Xia Yuan took his own life. The day after Xia Heng died, his two sons were arrested for murder, and the family was stripped of everything. At least the women were not punished, and the family left in a shambles, returning to their hometown.

The Minister of Personnel was a confidant of the previous emperor. A new emperor meant new ministers, and his position was particularly sensitive. He had long since submitted his request to retire, citing his age and desire to return to his hometown to live out his days.

His Majesty had not approved it, partly to give him face and partly because there were indeed very few capable people in the court. For now, he was still needed, but once a suitable replacement was found, he would have to leave whether he wanted to or not.

Compared to the Ministry of Works and the Ministry of Personnel, the Ministry of Rites was in the worst shape. The metropolitan exam was coming up after the new year, but their Minister had already died, and the Vice Minister was still at home in mourning. The entire ministry didn't have a proper superior officer to take charge, and no one knew how they would manage.

His Majesty had summoned Song Tingzhou a few days ago. Once he finished his current tasks and helped out at the Ministry of Justice, he would temporarily assume the duties of Vice Minister of Rites.

It was called Vice Minister only because that second-rank position was appropriate, to avoid criticism that Song Tingzhou was being promoted too quickly. In reality, if he went to the Ministry of Rites, he would be handling everything himself.

Outside the city, the cold wind howled, snow swirled across the ground, and travelers wrapped their clothes tightly around themselves, trudging with difficulty. The dirt on the official road was frozen hard, and looking ahead, the snow stretched to the horizon.

"Lord Zeng, this official will see you off here. Take care." Song Tingzhou dismounted and held the reins. Even in such biting, howling wind, his tall, straight posture didn't bend even a little. His gray-black cloak made his demeanor even more cold and stern.

Song Tingzhou's face was not particularly gentle; his jawline was set firm, and his expression remained calm and solemn. Even just standing there, he exuded an air of official authority that was hard to ignore.

Yet this young official, who seemed so aloof and unapproachable, was the only one who had come to see Zeng Shiqi off today.

Zeng Shiqi looked back at the towering, majestic gates of the capital, tears seeming to well up in his eyes. Remembering how he had once threatened Song Tingzhou for some sordid reasons, and how the other had set aside past grievances to brave the cold wind to see him off, he was filled with shame. "Lord Song is a good official. The Minister and I both heard of your deeds in Lingnan. They say that in Heshan, Xiwu, and Qinzhou, wherever you left, the people saw you off in droves. Xiwu Prefecture erected a monument to your virtuous governance, and you received four umbrellas of the people, something ordinary officials rarely see. Truly... truly..."

As a civil official, he couldn't go on. Not because he lacked eloquence, but because he felt that those words, usually used for mutual flattery, were unworthy of Song Tingzhou's virtue.

"I have my own selfish motives. I am not your equal." Zeng Shiqi's voice choked with emotion, and with the white hair at his temples, he looked rather pitiful.

Song Tingzhou clasped his hands in a salute. "Everyone has selfish motives. The question is whether one can face the heavens above, the earth below, and the official robe one wears."

Zeng Shiqi hunched over and climbed into the carriage, with Song Tingzhou's final advice following him: "Lord Zeng, after you return home, find a good physician to take care of your health."

Zeng Shiqi paused mid-motion, his calves seeming to tremble slightly.