Top Scholar

Chapter 297 Talented People Want to Get Married

Su Lu accompanied Prefect Lu for half a day of tea at the county office. Before noon, Assistant Prefect Lu led the chief officials of the prefecture to welcome the prefect back to his office.

Prefect Lu then boarded his brand-new, blue-clothed sedan chair with a tin roof and was escorted by a full ceremonial guard, returning in grand style to the prefectural office that belonged only to him.

After seeing off Prefect Lu, Su Lu went home, read for a while, and then returned to the county office.

Steward Tian was right at the door. He quickly opened the door and invited him in. Pointing to the carriage that was gradually disappearing into the distance, he reported, "Young master, the Yu family said that the carriage had been parked here for quite some time, and the people in it had been staring at your door."

"Who is it?" Su Lu asked, frowning.

“It’s the carriage of the second master of the Han family.” Steward Tian said softly, “I heard that he went to the dock to pick up the Yang brothers yesterday, and there are probably those two brothers in the carriage as well.”

Su Lu's brow twitched involuntarily. If Yang Shen were here, everything would make sense.

He remained outwardly calm and said, "I also felt that someone in the car had been watching me."

Steward Tian lowered his voice and said, "I've already sent people to follow them and see what's going on."

"Thank you for your trouble, Uncle Tian." Su Lu nodded and smiled, "Uncle Tian is really reliable."

He asked with a smile, "By the way, now that the master has become the grandfather, has he made any arrangements for Uncle Tian?"

He came here specifically to ask about this. In the past two years, the person who treated him the best was not his father, mother, or aunt, but this Steward Tian.

A new emperor brings a new court; he figured Old Tian's term as chief steward was probably coming to an end. He'd have to take the initiative to ask if there was anything he could help with.

"You've even made the young master think of me." Steward Tian was deeply moved.

“We’re family now, how can you be the only one worrying about me? I have to worry about you too,” Su Lu said with a hearty laugh.

"My grandfather has also made arrangements for me, asking if I would like to work as a gatekeeper in the prefectural government." That's what Manager Tian said.

"This is a lucrative position," Su Lu said happily.

"Yes, my grandfather has treated me very well," Steward Tian sighed. "But I've already sent this errand back."

"Why?" Su Lu asked, puzzled.

“I don’t like being a doorman,” Steward Tian said, shaking his head. “No one will take you seriously as a doorman. No matter how thick the bribe is, they’ll just treat you like a watchdog.”

"..." Yu Men walked away silently.

“What does Uncle Tian want to do? I’ll talk to your husband, Zu, for you,” Su Lu said directly.

"The chief steward of the prefectural government," Steward Tian said with a wry smile, "but the old master intends to let Mr. You do it, so of course I can't compete with him."

"Didn't Mr. You stay in Hejiang?" Su Lu asked.

“It’s only temporary,” said Manager Tian. “Once the new county magistrate takes office and everyone has settled the details and agreed on the terms, he will definitely have to leave.”

“That’s true.” Su Lu nodded and said, “How can one allow others to snore beside one’s bed?”

“That makes sense,” Steward Tian said frankly. “Besides, I don’t get along with some people around my grandfather, so it’s best not to go back and cause trouble.”

“Then…” Su Lu looked at him inquiringly.

"If you think I am capable enough," said Steward Tian, ​​bowing deeply, "please take me in and give me a meal."

"Uncle Tian is more than just capable; he's absolutely amazing!" Su Lu praised, then said helplessly, "But my family is just a small household; we don't need your services as our head steward at all."

"Haha, your family is no small household, young master." Steward Tian shook his head and counted on his fingers, "I'm not very clear about the situation in Taiping Town, but your family is already a first-class family in Hejiang and has a very high status in Luzhou. It's just that you haven't had time to establish a corresponding family business yet."

He paused for a moment, then continued, "But social standing is the backbone, and family fortune is the flesh. With the backbone, there's no shortage of flesh, and the business will quickly grow bigger and bigger. Young master, are you really willing to let your mother run around all by herself, managing such a large family?"

He phrased it quite tactfully; in reality, the proprietress was simply not cut out for domestic work. But that's understandable; business matters alone were already enough to keep her busy and stressed…

"I am more than happy to accept Uncle Tian's offer to help my family." Su Lu then said in a deep voice, "However, family matters must be decided by my parents. I will go back and ask them, and I will give you an answer tomorrow."

"Of course," Steward Tian said happily. "Then I will await good news!"

"Alright, Uncle Tian, ​​let's wait for the news." Su Lu then went straight back.

Steward Tian escorted Su Lu to his doorstep, then turned back and went into the gatehouse.

Besides the Yu family, Chef Hu was also there. With the change of the head of the household, they too had to consider their future.

"Steward, if you're not going to do the gatekeeping work, could you talk to the old master and ask me to take it?" Yu Men served Steward Tian a cup of tea, his face full of flattery.

"What are you thinking?" Steward Tian spat. "That's one of the top five jobs in the back office. Do you think you'd get that? Just stay here and do your job properly."

"I'm not afraid. Will the new steward replace me?" Yu Men said awkwardly. "So what if he replaces me? I'll just go and guard the gate for the young master then," Chef Hu laughed. "I've already decided to go with the steward!"

"Isn't that unnecessary? No matter who the new head steward is, they won't replace you, the head chef," Yu Men said in surprise.

"How can a sparrow know the ambition of a swan?" Chef Hu said calmly.

"Pfft..." Yu Men coughed repeatedly, nearly spitting out a mouthful of tea on him, and said, "I know these words were said by Chen Sheng. Chef, do you also want to be the King of Chu?"

"No, I want to be the King of Chefs!" Chef Hu declared proudly. "Only by following the young master will I have a chance. It's useless to work in this county government office my whole life."

~~
Su Lu went back and told his father and the landlady about Steward Tian's request, and they both had no objections.

“Our family now owns four or five properties in Luzhou City, so it’s time to hire a steward.” The proprietress smiled and said, “It would be even better if Steward Tian were to come.”

"Seeing your mother running around all by herself breaks my heart," Su Youcai said, immediately offering emotional support. "I just regret that I can't help her."

"Second brother, just focus on your studies." The landlady said willingly, "You don't need to worry about anything at home."

"There's still something to worry about," Su Youcai said with a smile. "That's between the two of us."

"In front of the children." The proprietress's cheeks immediately flushed.

"We have to say it in front of the children," Su Youcai announced to his children. "We're getting married!"

"Oh..." the children all breathed a sigh of relief, "We've finally waited for this day!"

"What are you saying?!" Su Youcai laughed and scolded, then grasped the landlady's hand and said seriously, "Your mother's idea is to hold a simple ceremony outside, just a meal with family. But I can't let her suffer this injustice!"

"We're together openly and honestly, why should we be sneaking around? We must have a proper betrothal ceremony, a grand wedding procession, and bring your mother into our home in style!" Su Youcai declared defiantly.

"Good! Good! Good!" Su Lu, Su Tai, and Xiao Tiantian clapped in unison. Su Man didn't join in the commotion, but she smiled with admiration.

The proprietress blushed like a boiled shrimp and said embarrassedly, "Neither of us is getting married for the first time. A big celebration would make us a laughingstock..."

"Who in Erlangtan dares to laugh at my marriage to you, Boss Cheng?" Su Youcai straightened the collar of his robe and looked around arrogantly, saying, "Don't you want to stay in this business anymore?"

"Excellent! That's powerful!" The younger generation cheered, slapping the table. Little Tiantian finally understood why her mother was so devoted to Uncle Su. What woman wouldn't fall for a man who could be both gentle and firm when necessary?
"Second brother, there's really no need for this..." the landlady said in a voice barely audible.

"No, it's necessary!" Su Youcai said firmly, "Because you deserve it!"

"Second Brother..." the landlady murmured, feeling that she would have no regrets even if she died a hundred times for this man.

"We're full!" The younger generation laughed and left the battlefield.

~~
The next day, Su Lu met up with Huang E and together they went to Heshan Academy to pay their respects to the old academy headmaster.

"Hehehe, get up quickly..." The old mountain chief looked at the perfect couple with joy and asked kindly, "Girl, your father has finally let you out?"

"Thanks to Grandpa Pang's help, my father no longer cares about me," Huang E said gratefully.

Su Lu and Pang Shanzhang were not in a master-disciple relationship, but rather a principal and student relationship, so it was not inappropriate for her to call him "Grandpa" as they were of different generations.

"What he did was really outrageous. What if he made the child sick from being locked up?" The old mountain chief laughed. "But it's normal for a father to be upset when his precious daughter, whom he raised with so much care, is snatched away by that brat. Don't hold a grudge against him too much."

These words were clearly meant for Su Lu's ears, but Su Lu laughed it off, saying, "Holding a grudge against the Military Commissioner? This student is not worthy."

"What are you saying? Do you intend to settle scores later after you've been married?" Headmaster Pang said with a laugh and a scolding tone.

"That's impossible." Su Lu smiled and changed the subject, "How come the old headmaster also abducted a grandmaster that day?"

"I gave him two choices...either come with me to propose marriage, or listen to my story about Grand Secretary Shang and Wang Shouxi." The old abbot laughed, "He didn't want to hear the story, so he obediently went with me to propose marriage."

"It would be strange if he were willing to listen," Su Lu and Huang E couldn't help but laugh.

Shang Gelao was the famous Shang Lu, the only person to achieve the triple crown in the imperial examinations.

According to later generations, Huang Guan, the top scholar of the Hongwu reign, once won the title of "Six Top Scholars" in a row. However, there were no prefectural or county examinations during the Hongwu reign, and he never won the title of "Jieyuan" in the provincial examination. He was only first in the metropolitan and palace examinations.

As for Wang Shouxi, he is none other than the famous Mr. Zhenze, Wang Ao.

Wang Ao was a master of the imperial examination system, and his examination skills were naturally unparalleled. He became the top scholar in the provincial examination at the age of twenty-four, and the following year he became the top scholar in the metropolitan examination.

Unfortunately, in the subsequent imperial examination, he only achieved the rank of Tan Hua, missing out on the highest achievement for a scholar, "San Yuan Ji Di" (winning the top three honors in all three levels of the imperial examination).

Rumors circulated that the Grand Secretary Shang, who was in charge of reading the imperial examination papers at the time, did not want anyone to share this unique honor of the dynasty, so he ranked him third...

The old abbot wanted to discuss this anecdote with the grandmaster, which was nothing more than an implication that Xiao Tixue wanted to emulate Grand Secretary Shang and did not want anyone to share the 'Little Three Scholars' with Prodigy Yang.

(End of this chapter)