The Grand Secretary's Child-Raising Diary

Hearing his impassioned speech, Lu Shiyan silently put the black pieces back into their cages, waiting until only white pieces remained on the board before looking at Tan Xiuwen opposite him:

"The canal transport in Jiangnan is a matter of national importance, and His Majesty is not one to tolerate injustice. Brother Tan, once you go to Jiangnan to become the Governor-General of the Waterways, you will surely be a prominent figure, and powerful families will definitely vie to befriend you."

But if we can stay true to ourselves and not be burdened by the haters, we, as close friends, will surely be able to enter the cabinet together in the future and be remembered for generations.

Tan Xiuwen and the Tan family are all intelligent people. They should understand some things without Lu Shiyan having to say them. The reason they dared to set their sights on the position of Governor-General of the Waterways is also the reason why His Majesty chose them.

The complexities of officialdom in Jiangnan lie not in the immediate life-or-death crises that come knocking, but in the long-term corruption caused by wealth and lust.

Kang Lian also came from a prominent family. He was favored by the late emperor and served as the governor of the Yellow River for six years. On the surface, he appeared to be incorruptible, but when the soldiers raided his home, they found tens of thousands of taels of gold alone. His private treasury was filled with antiques, paintings, calligraphy, and silverware that were dazzling to the eye.

Even the Emperor Chenghe, who possessed all the wealth in the land, remarked upon seeing the treasures brought back from the Kang residence, "Like a giant rat."

Since ancient times, wealth has been a powerful motivator. As long as the canal transport and salt mines exist, and as long as smuggled salt remains profitable, the greed in people's hearts will not cease. Even Lu Shiyan does not know where Tan Xiuwen will ultimately end up.

Having understood Lu Shiyan's words, Tan Xiuwen put the white pieces back into the chessboard and said with a smile, "Don't worry, even if we can't enter the cabinet together, I still hope to become in-laws with you. We won't go astray."

Hearing him bring this up again, Lu Shiyan couldn't help but shake his head: "Let's talk about it when you can have a daughter."

Lu Youning, who had just arrived at the door with steady little steps, happened to hear the phrase "in-laws." She stumbled, and after regaining her balance, she awkwardly touched the tip of her nose, secretly glad that Tan Xiuwen hadn't given birth to a daughter yet, and that it would be best if he never had one.

The two bored adults stopped discussing official business after seeing Lu Youning arrive.

Tan Xiuwen was mischievous. In the past, Lu Youning didn't like to talk. Whenever Lu Shiyan brought him to see him, he would grab her in his arms and give her a good rub.

If it were any other two-year-old child, they would probably adore this playful uncle, but Lu Youning isn't exactly true to himself.

Therefore, over the years, Lu Youning had mixed feelings about Uncle Tan. He liked his humor and was annoyed that Uncle Tan always treated him like a kitten or puppy.

Seeing that Lu Youning practically wanted to rub against Lu Shiyan's legs to greet him, Tan Xiuwen immediately put on a heartbroken expression:

"Ah Ning, are you annoyed with Uncle Tan? Uncle Tan came to see you as soon as he heard that your father had taken you away from the Chengen Marquis's Mansion. Ah Ning's attitude has really saddened Uncle Tan."

When Lu Youning first met Tan Xiuwen, she once suspected that he had also traveled from the modern era, otherwise there would be no reason to explain his unconventional personality that was different from that of people of his time.

After several tests by Lu Youning, it was finally determined that this person was not a time traveler, but rather a born "oddball".

Faced with his accusing gaze, Lu Youning simply closed her eyes and rammed into Lu Shiyan's arms, using his wide sleeves to cover herself, trying to avoid Tan's overly intense gaze.

But the next second, he was lifted off the ground by a pair of large hands. Feeling the sudden increase in his gaze, Lu Youning quickly grabbed Tan's hair ornament. When he heard Tan Xiuwen's unseemly howling, he couldn't help but laugh.

Lu Shiyan continued to leisurely sip his tea, pretending not to notice the antics of the two. When Shouyan came in to ask when the meal could be served, he showed no curiosity towards Lord Tan in front of him.

I've seen too many of these things over the years. Lord Tan is the same age as their master, and he's clearly the father of several children, yet he always acts like a child who hasn't grown up.

Hearing Lu Youning laughing so hard he was almost out of breath, Lu Shiyan finally reached out and rescued him from Tan Xiuwen's grasp. Seeing that Lu Youning's forehead was covered in sweat, he took a handkerchief and carefully wiped it for him.

After drinking a few sips of tea from Lu Shiyan's hand, Lu Youning, now quiet, belatedly felt ashamed of her earlier wild antics. Seeing Tan Xiuwen's mischievous gaze, she couldn't help but bury her head in Lu Shiyan's arms again.

Tan Xiuwen winked smugly at Lu Shiyan. Lu Shiyan knew what he was so proud of without even looking at him.

Dinner was served, and Lu Youning sat to Lu Shiyan's left, eating her rice and vegetables with relish, which made Tan Xiuwen envious again. He complained to Lu Shiyan that his fourth and fifth children were already several years old and still needed a wet nurse to chase after them to feed them.

He thought that since Lu Youning was two years old and didn't need to be fed, he wanted to let the children try it themselves. However, because the third child knocked over a bowl of soup and almost burned his leg, he was kicked out of the bedroom by his wife with a feather duster and made do in the study for more than a month.

Lu Youning, listening from the side, was utterly exasperated, muttering to himself, "Serves him right."

The meal was a great success, and Tan Xiuwen became even more excited after a few drinks. As he left, he shouted that he wanted to take Lu Youning back to be his future son-in-law. When he reached out to grab her, Lu Youning screamed again.

Lu Shiyan, unable to bear it any longer, finally kicked the man out of his own door. Tan Xiuwen was not angry at all, and even teased Lu Youning on the mountain carriage: "Good Ning, when your aunt gives birth to your sister, your uncle will definitely be the first to write to tell you."

Lu Youning: There's really no need for that.

Having finally seen off the boisterous Tan Xiuwen, and seeing that it wasn't completely dark yet, Lu Youning was itching to take Banxia and the others to explore the house.

As soon as he turned his head, Lu Shiyan grabbed his shoulder. He looked up, bewildered, clearly asking, "What's wrong?"

Lu Shiyan was already used to his son's expressive face. He resisted the urge to rub his son's chubby cheeks like Tan Xiuwen did, and put on a stern look: "Go to the study and finish writing today's calligraphy."

Lu Youning suddenly remembered that it seemed there really was such a thing. Yesterday, Old Deng not only spanked him, but also punished him by making him write thirty big characters every day.

But it was late at night, and it was almost time to go to sleep, so Lu Youning had no intention of writing any big characters.

He blinked, then toddled over to Lu Shiyan, grabbed his father's clothes, pouted, and looked up, looking utterly pitiful.

Lu Shiyan almost couldn't suppress his smile, so he simply slapped his son's face and said coldly, "Hurry up and go. You can only sleep when you finish writing."

Seeing that Old Deng wasn't buying into her attempts to charm and be cute, Lu Youning decisively let go, concentrating all her strength on her short legs, and trudged heavily toward the study.

Lu Shiyan was left standing there all alone, a smirk playing on his lips.