Contentment with modest wealth

Chapter 432 The adulterous concubine
Cheng Wenhui asked with a hint of resentment, "You really don't feel the slightest bit reluctant to part with me?"

"No! I have to prepare your meals every day while you're home, it's so annoying! Can't I just have some peace and quiet?"

Enraged, Cheng Wenhui went to the Lu family's door and cursed them all morning before leaving.

Having spent half a year in Yuanzhou with his steely body, he truly experienced a series of intense encounters and fierce battles.

At first, he wrote one letter a month, which was sometimes more than ten pages long and sometimes as short as seven or eight pages. The first few pages were about business, the middle few pages were about cursing Lu Jie, and the last few pages were just about family matters.

Later, when Mrs. Cheng stopped replying to his letters, he simply spent all his time writing letters arguing with the local bullies.

He first used poison to fight poison, taking down a few troublemakers, and the security in his jurisdiction improved significantly. Then he eliminated a few bandits, repaired several ditches, controlled the floods, and achieved a bumper harvest. People with the surnames Yan and Yang gradually submitted to the government.

After his three-year term expired, he was transferred back to the capital, where Cheng Wenhui had been promoted to Vice Minister of the Ministry of Personnel.

Of course, these are all for later.

……

Just after Cheng Wenhui went to Yuanzhou, on New Year's Eve, the emperor fell into a coma.

Lu Jia figured his father was all alone anyway, so he persuaded him to go to the palace to take care of him for a night.

The emperor woke up the next day.

He bestowed several antiques upon Lu Jie.

They even granted his wish and issued an imperial edict.

But the imperial edict was for the Crown Prince's palace.

The document states that, effective immediately, the Crown Prince is permitted to oversee the state and assist in governing the country.

A few days later, the emperor fell ill again.

This time, Lu Jie didn't need Lu Jia to persuade him; he ran to the palace on his own to serve the medicine.

The next day, the emperor issued another imperial edict, agreeing to establish the Eastern Palace Chamberlain's Office.

Shen Yu, an assistant director of the Ministry of Revenue, was transferred to the position of Grand Master of Ceremonies.

When Lu Jie triumphantly arrived at the Grand Commandant's residence to deliver the imperial decree, Lu Jia felt he was more like a treacherous concubine.

Since they worked together to resolve the emperor's crisis, Grand Commandant Shen and Lu Jie began to have an open and aboveboard relationship.

As for whether the emperor still cares?
Whether he cares or not, nobody cares anymore.

Ever since suffering the torment of being forced to abdicate by the Yan family, and being slapped in the face so hard, the emperor went mad for a while.

He regained consciousness thanks to the best efforts of the imperial physicians, but he was so fragile that he could break at any moment.

However, out of respect for social norms, everyone still gave him face, submitting memorials to him and consulting him on everything. They listened to what was appropriate and offered advice when it wasn't, continuing to advise until it was appropriate.

There were also happy events.

In the spring, the Crown Princess gave birth, and it turned out to be a grandson of the Emperor.

However, over the years, the Crown Prince and his wife had been shrouded in the shadows of the palace, which had taken a toll on their health. The Crown Prince was weak, the Crown Princess was also weak, and the little grandson was born thin and frail.

Fortunately, there were no major problems. The imperial physician carefully treated the baby with medicine, and Lu Jia also asked Qiu Niang to contribute some folk remedies for raising children. The results were quite good, and after 100 days, the baby's voice became noticeably louder.

The Crown Princess was frail, and someone in the inner circle timidly suggested that the Crown Prince take a concubine.

At this time, no one agreed, nor did anyone openly oppose it. Harmony in the harem was important, as was the succession of the imperial heirs. After the emperor, there were very few princes and grandsons, and the crown prince himself was not particularly strong. Having more candidates for the imperial heirs would also benefit the longevity of the country.

With the throne secure, the world will be less chaotic.

By the way, after the Yan family's downfall, Prince Ning, who had just received news from Yan Liang and stepped out of the palace, was immediately arrested and imprisoned.

In fact, Prince Ning has been quite law-abiding for many years, and even though he was resentful, he never went astray.

Unfortunately, he ran into Yan Liang.

After being placed under house arrest, the Ning Prince's branch of the family naturally could not make any plans.

In order to ensure the continuation of the dynasty, the royal family still needs to have more descendants.

The Crown Prince decided to focus on governing the country first.

After the Imperial Household Department was established, he first took charge of the Ministry of Works, and at Shen Qingzhou's suggestion, he prioritized the management of river transport.

One of the key aspects of governance and transportation was the docks in various parts of the north and south.

In addition to obtaining evidence of Zhou Sheng and others' crimes during their secret investigation in Tanzhou, Shen Qingzhou and Guo Yi also obtained a lot of historical records about river transportation itself, which greatly helped them to devise new measures.

Because Lu Jia grew up at the dock, she became an honored guest of the Crown Prince's Palace.

In the pavilion where wisteria blossoms, she would help the Crown Princess hold the little prince, walking around to lull him to sleep while talking about the people from all walks of life who made a living at the docks.

The Crown Prince and the others always listened with great interest. Sometimes the Dowager Consort would come and even request a few performances out of curiosity. Shen Qingzhou's eyes always sparkled as she followed her movements.

Later, the Crown Prince felt that it wasn't enough for just a few of them to listen; others had to listen as well. So he summoned the other members of the Court of Imperial Sacrifices, as well as Guo Yi, Cheng Yi, and other newly promoted scholars.

In this very spring imperial examination, Cheng Yi passed and became a Jinshi, and is now serving as an observer in the Ministry of Revenue. Liang Mi, whose career was delayed by family troubles, also passed the provincial examination last autumn and is now in better financial shape, preparing with all his might for the next metropolitan examination.

Xie Yi was also doing well; he had passed the county-level examination early on and was preparing for the provincial-level examination. His literary talent wasn't particularly outstanding, but Lu Jie had assessed that he had a good chance of becoming a provincial-level scholar. Xie Yi, however, felt quite satisfied.

Li Chang had no interest in an official career and devoted himself wholeheartedly to studying the ways of business. In the three years he spent in the capital, the profits of the Xie family's shops actually doubled under his management.

Li the Taoist priest had long since stopped being a Taoist priest. He and his aunt had switched to raising chickens because Qiu Niang said that Angelica chickens were very effective. Not only did her son-in-law's health improve after eating them, but she also gave a few to the Third Princess's husband, who also said they were good. So they rented a mountain outside the city to raise Angelica chickens. Later, they also raised yam chickens and ginseng chickens.

Returning to the story of the Eastern Palace, with so many people wanting to hear it, Lu Jia felt she wouldn't have enough to satisfy her own curiosity, so she recommended Liu Xiyu, who was more familiar with the docks than she was. The Xie family and their son, as well as the Li family, were all invited to visit the Eastern Palace.

With frequent new policies and a courteous attitude towards scholars, the Crown Prince is no longer just an empty symbol. Now, if he coughs unintentionally, people below will immediately watch him nervously.

The wisteria pavilion in the East Palace flourished from spring to the depths of winter, but the emperor seemed dissatisfied. When Lu Jie went to him to bestow a name upon the pavilion, he became even more displeased.

So Lu Jie spent half the night serving medicine in Qianqing Palace, and when he left the palace in the early morning, he took a piece of calligraphy personally written by the emperor.

……

On the fifteenth day of the twelfth lunar month of that year, Lu Jie celebrated his fortieth birthday.

The Lu family no longer has an ancestor or an ancestor.

He did not host a banquet when he was promoted to Grand Secretary.

Lu Jia and Yang Bonong discussed it and decided to organize a celebration for him, and Lu Jie did not object.

He said that once an official reaches a certain position, he needs to connect with the people. If he doesn't give his subordinates even the slightest opportunity to get close, it will be difficult to get things done.

After all, not everyone is driven by patriotic fervor, nor should everyone be expected to be paragons of virtue. Most people work diligently for the sake of their families, and those who climb the ladder of success are simply hoping for a chance to gauge the power dynamics of their superiors and find peace of mind. It's also unacceptable for officials to place themselves on an excessively high pedestal.