Chapter 10: Yay! The Old Emperor Bestowed 300,000 Coins!

“Wanshou, why are you here in your mother’s palace?”

The old emperor sat behind the nanmu screen in Jiao Fang Palace, looking composed as if nothing had happened.

Wanshou was her title, while her given name was Huachun. Elders usually referred to her by her title in public and by her given name in private. However, the old emperor, being indifferent to children not born of the empress, seldom called Princess Wanshou by her given name.

Princess Wanshou didn’t mind this. She held up the official seal in both hands, seizing the opportunity as her father seemed to be in a good mood. She said, “The matter with the ex-Prince concubine has been resolved. Please take back this official seal. I know my wisdom is shallow and my talents mediocre. If I force myself into this position, I fear I will disgrace the royal family’s reputation.”

The old emperor glanced at her, impatiently furrowing his brows. “Keep it. What wisdom and talent? Your mother used to praise your accounting skills, saying you were both quick and accurate, and sharp with the ledgers. The Ministry of Revenue is short of people lately. Instead of helping to alleviate your father’s worries, you try to shirk your duties?”

“Mother” referred to the empress. Although Princess Wanshou was not born of the empress, she was still required to call her mother. As for her birth mother, she could only address her as “aunt.”

Princess Wanshou stood there, momentarily at a loss for words, feeling somewhat awkward and unsure of what to say.

She was indeed good with numbers and skilled at managing accounts, but those were skills suitable for a steward, not for the complexities of government affairs.

The old emperor waved his hand dismissively. “Enough. Take the official seal and go. Attend court as usual tomorrow. Don’t disturb me and your mother here.”

“Yes…”

Refusing her father once had already drained Princess Wanshou of courage. She left Jiao Fang Palace with the official seal, returned to her own palace, and flopped onto the bed, grabbing her hair in frustration.

“What should I do… I’ve never held an official position before. What if I don’t do well…”

The thought of the unfamiliar bureaucracy, so different from the familiar comfort of the palace, filled Princess Wanshou with escalating panic.

In the mirror, she could vaguely see a corner of the bed, which perfectly reflected her disheveled hair, resembling a bird’s nest.

Princess Wanshou could almost feel the tangled mess brushing against her neck.

Silence… silence…

She sighed heavily, climbed out of bed without summoning any palace attendants, and walked over to the dressing table. Just as she was about to reach for a comb, her gaze paused on a makeup box tucked in the corner under the table.

A thought flickered in her mind.

She seemed… to have not yet repaid Mr. Xu for his great kindness.

Inside this box lay her jewelry and accessories. Besides this, there were twenty-four such boxes in her princess’s manor.

Although her father wasn’t particularly attentive to her, he always provided what was due. Moreover, he often said he was a simple and uncultured man who couldn’t understand the refined tastes of previous emperors. Therefore, the gold and silver items he bestowed upon people could be sold if the recipient truly had a need—albeit after registering with the Treasury Department.

Princess Wanshou dragged out the box, felt the iron lock secured with three sturdy bands, and opened it to inspect the jewelry inside. Her eyes slowly grew determined.

Meanwhile, in another place…

Empress Dowager Dou looked at the old emperor with some curiosity. “Why did you suddenly decide to let Huachun take up an official position? It’s true she handles accounts well; she has helped me tidy up palace finances before. But Wulang, haven’t you always believed that women should be virtuous, stay within their roles, and that talents should be understood by family members alone? If you let women go out and expose themselves, struggling for a livelihood, doesn’t that reflect poorly on men?”

The old emperor waved his hand casually. “As the year end approaches, the Ministry of Revenue is busy and has repeatedly petitioned for more staff.”

Empress Dowager Dou smiled at him.

Even if the Ministry of Revenue lacked staff, it wasn’t to this extent.

“However, if you let those scholars from the imperial examinations fill these vacancies, after the New Year, they cannot be dismissed without reason, and we would need to continue paying their salaries. Sister, don’t you think this is a loss? After the New Year, we won’t need these people anymore, and it would be uncomfortable for me to pay their salaries.”

Empress Dowager Dou’s eyelid twitched involuntarily. “So…”

A strange glint appeared in the old emperor’s eyes. “Let Huachun temporarily take on the role of managing affairs, a family member, and we won’t even need to pay her a monthly salary!”

“…”

Even the eunuch couldn’t help but glance sideways.

This was too stingy.

“Of course,” the old emperor continued with growing enthusiasm, his demeanor becoming more assertive. “She will still receive her princess’s stipend as usual. Her livelihood won’t be affected.”

“And besides, it’s time this girl saw the world a bit. Instead of constantly worrying about that ex-prince concubine, how could a dignified princess, a noblewoman of the imperial family, be bullied by a prince concubine? It infuriates me!”

Empress Dowager Dou glanced at him, feeling that saving money was the main point. As for letting her daughter stand on her own… in his eyes, it was better to arrange for seven or eight sturdy and capable nannies to protect the princess than to let her go out and expose herself.

Oh, wait. Empress Dowager Dou reconsidered. Upon reflection, if Huachun were to take up an official position and establish herself, she could even save money on hiring nannies.

“Oh, right!” The old emperor slapped his forehead. “I almost forgot! I said I would reward Xu Yanmiao.”

He looked at the chief eunuch. “Fetch ink and the imperial decree.”

Amidst the faint sound of grinding ink, he lifted the brush and began to write on the blank decree paper. The dark ink slowly flowed across the paper as he wrote the bold characters.

“Personally written by me, bestowed by the Ministry of Personnel to Xu Yanmiao: 300,000 coins and 100 rolls of fabric.”

This was the second time the chief eunuch had heard the emperor mention Xu Yanmiao.

As he left Jiao Fang Palace to retrieve the reward from the emperor’s private treasury, he pondered this name with great curiosity.

How had this ninth-ranked official managed to gain the emperor’s favor? The fact that the emperor personally penned the decree—normally, such rewards were only orally announced, with the Imperial Secretariat responsible for drafting them.

Unable to find anyone to answer his questions, the chief eunuch decided to personally deliver the reward to Xu’s residence.

“For someone like this rising star, while we haven’t thought of forming cliques or pursuing private interests, it wouldn’t hurt to establish a good relationship.”

—

Xu Yanmiao brought the assistant from the Ministry of War back to his home, intending to treat him to hotpot.

But as they walked, they seemed to be heading farther and farther off track.

Pretending to be alarmed, the assistant from the Ministry of War exclaimed, “Xu, what are you doing? Assaulting officials is against the law!”

Xu Yanmiao gave him a sidelong glance and pointed to the side. “Look, we’re here.”

The assistant from the Ministry of War looked over and exclaimed in surprise, “Is this your residence?”

How could it be so dilapidated and rundown?

“Well, houses in prime locations in the capital are expensive, and every inch is valuable. Rent isn’t cheap either, so I rented this place.”

Xu Yanmiao maneuvered around the sewage-filled depression, unlocked the door, and pushed it open. “But don’t worry, I’ve saved up enough to buy meat. We’ll definitely enjoy this hotpot feast.”

The assistant from the Ministry of War struggled to keep his footsteps light as he followed inside. Each step on the creaky floorboards made a loud creaking sound. Upon closer inspection, the floor was crooked, with several areas supported by small wooden sticks, either horizontally or diagonally.

The assistant from the Ministry of War shivered with apprehension.

As the sizzling pot was placed on the table, the shaky legs of the table made his hands tremble.

“How can you be so poor!” He was on the verge of collapse.

Xu Yanmiao was bewildered, “Why can’t I be that poor? His… uh, His Majesty only pays ninth-ranked officials a monthly salary of one thousand and fifty coins. Adding up the miscellaneous food allowance, incidental expenses, and the wages for servants—I didn’t take those two servants and instead receive four hundred and seventeen coins per month, with a choice of two benefits. In total, it’s less than two thousand coins. Just for this broken house, the monthly rent—oh, the rent charge is actually five hundred coins, which accounts for a quarter. I still need to eat and dress—If it weren’t forbidden by the court, I’d consider just bringing my bedding to sleep at the government office.”

The Ministry of War official blurted out, “Haven’t you thought about taking…”

Not even a major bribe, just a small gift would do. Everyone in the office did it this way. After all, they were responsible for issuing documents. If they delayed or expedited someone’s paperwork subtly, without drawing attention, according to regulations, no one could accuse them of wrongdoing.

It’s better to be the king of hell than deal with minor devils. To avoid these minor devils causing trouble behind the scenes, most people would come and give them some gifts to make them cooperate.

During a previous factional struggle, there was a faction that didn’t send gifts to these minor officials. They intentionally delayed the paperwork of those who didn’t send gifts and quickly processed the paperwork of their faction. As a result, the opposing faction’s officials in the court were reduced by a third.

Xu Yanmiao looked innocent and clueless, “What?”

The Ministry of War official sighed, “Forget it.”

Seeing Xu Yanmiao’s clean and pure appearance, he didn’t seem like someone who would accept bribes.

In the future, he should find a way to help him out.

“Come, let’s eat… eat that pot!” The Ministry of War official sat down heavily on the chair, which creaked under him. He shuddered and lifted himself cautiously.

Xu Yanmiao reassured him, “Sit comfortably. I’ve been sitting on it for several months without any issue.”

“Oh, okay.” The Ministry of War official sat down cautiously, only using half of the chair, ready to stand up at any moment.

With a “bang”, Xu Yanmiao sat on his own chair. The wooden legs wobbled, making squeaky noises, and the Ministry of War official worried that the chair might collapse at any moment.

Just then, they heard a knock on the door.

“Bang, bang, bang!”

“Who’s there!” Xu Yanmiao called out.

A loud voice came from outside, “Xu boy, it’s time to pay the rent!”

“Oh!” Xu Yanmiao strode over, causing the ground to tremble as if he were as heavy as an elephant.

He opened the door to find the landlord, a thin figure wrapped in a dark robe, who sniffed the air and chuckled, “Having meat? Congratulations.”

Living in such a house, being able to eat meat once a year was already considered a blessing.

Xu Yanmiao handed him five hundred coins with a squinting smile, “Yes indeed! Just received my salary a few days ago!”

During the Chu Dynasty, tenant farmers worked for their landlords by chopping wood and fetching water for 300 days, and the landlord gave them two thousand coins, stating, “Comfort your hard-earned wages.” Later, wages evolved into a nickname for monthly wages.

The landlord was also delighted, “Then you enjoy your meal, I won’t disturb you. But Xu lad, be careful not to squander your salary as soon as you receive it.”

Xu Yanmiao glanced around nervously, “I know!”

He patted the remaining money in his pouch and subconsciously calculated how many times he could afford hotpot this month and how much rice and noodles he had left at home.

Xu Yanmiao murmured optimistically to himself.

Meanwhile, at the entrance of the Eastern Market, the chief eunuch stared at the place and asked his adopted son for the third time, “Are we on the right path?”

The adopted son remained firm, “Indeed, here it is. Foster father, you didn’t know. At the edge of the Eastern Market, there’s a depression owned by someone, with eight hundred houses rented to merchants and the poor.”

As for why Xu Yanmiao lived here, the adopted son was also unclear. He had always known that seeing was not necessarily believing, and whether Xu was truly clean or just pretending to be high-minded, he would have to investigate.

Next, the carriage couldn’t go any further. The chief eunuch pressed his palm to his face, and squeezed out a voice from his teeth, “Lift!”

The young eunuchs shivered.

This was three hundred thousand coins! The Eastern Market was particularly large, and they still had half a mile to go to reach that depression!

With mournful faces, they lifted the boxes containing the money and cloth, while the crowd at the market watched with curiosity.