Top Scholar

Chapter 613 I dare not accept it, I absolutely dare not accept it!
In the tea room of the Yibin Princess's Mansion, the flowers in the back hall were in full bloom, and the people were more beautiful than the flowers.

After serving the tea, Huang E thanked the young princess again: "More than a year ago, my husband was in trouble and was escorted all the way to the capital. Fortunately, he was helped by a benefactor and escaped in Nanjing."

"Later we learned that the Princess had done a great deal of work. My husband and I will never forget her kindness and have long wanted to come and thank her in person..." As she spoke, she gracefully rose and curtsied to the young princess, saying, "However, you are of noble birth and your household has strict rules. I did not expect that I would only have the opportunity today to come and thank you on behalf of my husband."

"I am unworthy of such praise." The young princess quickly helped her up, looking ashamed. "To be honest, I almost made things worse. I still feel a chill when I think about it now! If I had submitted that invitation back then, I would have put Scholar Su in a very awkward position."

"It was the panda you caught that really came in handy," the little princess said with an embarrassed laugh. "Honestly, I'm not even as good as a panda."

Huang E was taken aback when she heard this. In fact, she was just as serious about this trip as her husband was about to visit Yang Gelao’s residence.

They were fully prepared, ready to face any attacks, open or covert, just bring it on! They were expecting a clash of masters, but things turned out like this...

When a girl doesn't consider herself as good as a panda, it's hard to feel hostility towards her. Huang E then changed the subject and continued to express her gratitude:

"Also, I couldn't take care of my husband last year because of the imperial examination. Thanks to the princess for the warm clothes she gave me, we still keep them at home."

"Of course! Everything the top scholar used in the exam will be enshrined; they'll all become cultural relics in the future." The young princess asked, both agreeing and a little embarrassed.

"Could you send me a couple later? I don't need anything too fancy, anything is fine, but it would be best if the top scholar could sign it..."

Huang E was stunned again. She was now convinced that this girl was just as good as Yun Luo... However, when it came to her husband, the little princess was still quite sensible when talking about other topics.

Unfortunately, her words kept circling back to Su Lu, and then the little princess asked, "What new works has the top scholar written recently? I haven't seen any for the past six months, it's really hard to bear."

“My husband is very busy with official duties and is exhausted every day. Where would he find the leisure to compose poems?” Huang E sighed.

"Then we must give him some good nourishment." The young princess said with a pained expression. "I have some old ginseng from Liaodong that was presented to the Empress Dowager. Take it all with you when you return to your residence."

"How could this be?" Huang E hurriedly bowed and declined, "These are precious items offered to the Empress Dowager; how could a subject presume to use them?"

"It's alright," the young princess waved her hand charmingly. "The Empress Dowager's palace is full of delicacies, she won't miss this one."

As he spoke, he couldn't help but lament, "Alas, it seems that once a talented person becomes an official, their talent is actually stifled."

"I think what my husband is doing now is far more meaningful than writing a hundred good poems," Huang E replied gently. She wasn't trying to argue, but simply stating a fact.

"Yes, I was too shallow," the young princess sincerely accepted the criticism. "The country is going through a turbulent time. A good man should make contributions and use his talents in more important ways. With the talent of the top scholar, he can surely save the day and bring peace back to the people!"

Thinking about it this way, the young princess felt even more that the top scholar was of excellent character and talent, and that her idol was indeed perfect!

Seeing that the young princess kept mentioning her nephew, even her aunt noticed something was amiss and quickly changed the subject with a smile: "What do you usually do for entertainment, Princess?"

The young princess smiled and said, "I usually help the Emperor raise white foxes, which is a kind of pastime."

"What a coincidence! He's in the same line of work as my husband," Auntie said with a smile. "He raises pandas for the Emperor."

Huang E then asked, "So, the princess is going to stay in the capital for a long time?"

"Of course, I can only return home after the war in Shu is over." The little princess nodded and smiled. "Fortunately, when I was celebrating the Empress Dowager's birthday before the New Year, I showed the white fox to the Emperor. He was very pleased to see it and has granted me permission to move freely in the capital."

"If the princess feels bored on ordinary days, and if you don't mind, you are welcome to come and sit at our house." Huang E invited with a smile, "The men are busy outside during the day, so it would be nice for the family to come and have some fun together."

The young princess was overjoyed and repeatedly replied, "Excellent! I have nowhere to go in the capital, now I have a place to go."

She blinked her almond-shaped eyes and whispered to Huang E, "Don't worry, sister. I know my limits. I will definitely not cause any trouble for the household... No matter what, I will never do it."

~~
After leaving the princess's residence, in the carriage, the eldest aunt couldn't help but complain to Huang E, "You're such a clever girl, how come you're acting so silly today?"

"Auntie, why am I acting silly?" Huang E asked with a smile.

"That young princess is clearly interested in Qiu-ge'er. Aren't you inviting a wolf into the house?" the eldest aunt whispered.

“Auntie, you’re overthinking it.” Huang E shook her head and said, “The Princess simply admires Hongzhi’s talent and has no romantic feelings for him.”

"Besides, isn't it easy for Hongzhi to enjoy the blessings of having multiple wives? He's already waiting there, playing chess and painting. He's destined for great things; how could he possibly provoke the princess?" she said confidently with a smile.

"So the two of them are completely open and honest, so I don't need to be on edge like I'm guarding against a thief. Otherwise, I'll just be looked down upon. Besides, I really like the princess's character and would like to be her friend."

"Sigh." The eldest aunt listened, bewildered, shaking her head and sighing, "I really can't understand the thoughts of young people..."
During the Spring Festival, Su Lu was busy dealing with various social engagements. It wasn't until the last day of the holiday, the fifth day of the Lunar New Year, that he declined all invitations and spent time with his wife.

During the Spring Festival, everyone wants to enjoy the festivities, so the young couple went to Langfang Fourth Street, also known as the famous Dashilan.

Dashilan has been the most prosperous commercial district in Beijing since the Yongle reign. Shops line the streets, their various signs and banners dazzling the eye. It is the peak season for business during the Spring Festival. Every shop is open for business, offering everything from silk and cloth, jewelry, tea and snacks, writing brushes, ink, paper and inkstones, to general merchandise from all over the country. The sounds of vendors calling out their wares fill the air, and pedestrians throng the streets, creating a lively and festive atmosphere.

Huang E didn't like shopping in the city, but she cherished the precious time she spent alone with Su Lu. She held his arm tightly and felt very content without buying anything.

But since they had come out, Su Lu couldn't leave her empty-handed, so he took Huang E into a jewelry shop and picked out a gold-inlaid jade magnolia hairpin for her. After trying it on and finding the effect quite good, he asked the shopkeeper, "How much?"

The shopkeeper, all smiles, said, "Young master, six taels and sixty cents, a very auspicious number. Thank you for your patronage."

Su Lu nodded, then took out a silver coin from his purse and handed it to the waiter, "Do you accept this money in your shop?"

Upon seeing the silver coins, the waiter showed fear and quickly turned to the shopkeeper for help.

The shopkeeper hurriedly came out from behind the counter, took the silver dollar, glanced at the imperial portrait on it, and quickly returned it with both hands, saying, "I dare not accept it, I dare not accept it! Please give me some small change, young master."

"Why?" Su Lu said, "Listen to me blow on it. My coins are the same as the double-pillar coins; they are all pure silver."

"Yes, yes, it's pure." The shopkeeper still waved his hand and said, "But this money bears the Emperor's portrait. How dare we commoners disrespect His Majesty! We dare not accept it, we absolutely dare not accept it!"

Upon hearing this, Su Lu said with some difficulty, "Why are you so frightened? When did the people of our Great Ming become so afraid of the Emperor?"

The shopkeeper said with a bitter face, "It is only natural to have reverence for the Emperor! To disrespect the Emperor is a capital offense!"

Su Lu felt a headache coming on, muttering to himself, "Could it be that my attempt to flatter has backfired? Do I have to recast a batch of silver coins without the emperor's portrait?"

But then he thought again, this shouldn't be the case! In the initial arguments, there was no problem!

Perhaps because of Zhu Yuanzhang's family background, the common people didn't have a particular fear of the Ming emperor... Various stories about Zhu Yuanzhang begging for food, becoming a monk, and living a warm life with his wife and children were everywhere. Everyone talked about it with great interest and loved this genuine commoner emperor, rather than regarding him as an unapproachable saint.

The Ming Dynasty did not particularly deify the imperial family, because the legitimacy of the Ming emperors came from expelling the Manchus and restoring Chinese clothing and customs. With such ancestral achievements in rebuilding the land, the Zhu family emperors had no need to deify themselves. Therefore, among all the emperors in history, they were the least superstitious and the most down-to-earth. Even their empresses were married to daughters of commoners.

In conclusion, the argument suggests that printing the emperor's portrait on coins should only have advantages, not disadvantages, and certainly wouldn't lead to such a situation of refusal to accept them...

After quickly figuring things out, Su Lu asked the shopkeeper, "Is there an official order prohibiting the circulation of this money?"

The shopkeeper quickly shook his head: "No."

"Then why don't you accept it?" Su Lu asked.

"I just don't dare to accept it, so what?" The shopkeeper became impatient and tried to snatch the hairpin back from Su Lu's hands.

Su Lu tucked the hairpin into his sleeve; his wife had already worn it, and he wouldn't return it.

"Tell me the real reason, and I'll give you ten taels of silver," Su Lu said kindly.

"No reason. Pay me if you buy, or give me my money back." The shopkeeper simply refused to cooperate.

Su Lu sighed softly, turned to Qian Ning behind him and said, "A Ning, you ask him, but don't hurt him."

"Alright!" Qian Ning responded and stepped forward, pressing the shopkeeper down onto the counter, letting him experience the feeling of being dismembered.

There were guards in the jewelry store, and just as he was about to draw his knife, he was stopped by plainclothes officers.

The Imperial Guards on duty at the gate immediately lowered the door panel, and before anyone outside could even notice what was happening inside, they could see nothing at all.

All of this happened in the blink of an eye. Huang E was stunned for a while before realizing that the couple wasn't having a romantic time together, but were surrounded by a huge crowd...

Su Lu said apologetically in a soft voice, "I have to work for a while, soon."

"You're busy." Huang E nodded and stood obediently to the side.

(End of this chapter)