HLnovel Chapter 265
Chapter 265
While Jiajing was drinking and making merry with Zhou Chu and Lu Bing, Huang Jin came to his side and whispered a few words, which made Jiajing frown.
"Weighing instrument, why do you think some women just can't see the bigger picture?"
Jiajing took a sip of wine and said.
When Jiajing spoke, he was referring not only to Empress Chen, but also to the deceased Empress Dowager Zhang.
"Perhaps it's because women and men think about problems differently."
Zhou Chu didn't know why Jiajing suddenly said such a thing, so he didn't rush to express his opinion.
Moreover, since women have been mentioned, it is mostly about matters within the imperial palace and the inner quarters, involving the emperor's family affairs. As a subject, it is best to offer as few opinions as possible.
When Jiajing heard this, he smiled.
"You probably don't know this yet, but in the past six months, I have enfeoffed the Empress's father, Chen Wanyan, as a count, and in a few days, I plan to enfeoff him as a marquis. Do you know why I am doing this?"
Jiajing looked at Zhou Chu and smiled.
"His Majesty and the Empress are a loving couple."
Zhou Chu could roughly guess why Jiajing did this, but one cannot guess the emperor's thoughts too accurately. To make the emperor feel a sense of accomplishment, there must be an appropriate distance between the emperor and his ministers.
"This statement would have been true six months ago, but ever since the Empress had inappropriate thoughts six months ago, I have lost my affection for her."
Jiajing shook his head.
"Then why does Your Majesty do this?"
Zhou Chu asked in confusion.
Upon hearing this, Jiajing smiled smugly, thinking to himself, "There are things that even you, Zhou Hengqi, can't figure out."
"I am setting up a target. Chen Wanyan is an old scholar who has failed the imperial examinations many times. My promotion and reward will inevitably arouse the dissatisfaction of many people in the court. As a result, these people will focus their attention on Chen Wanyan."
Jiajing sighed as he finished speaking.
"You did too much this year, Hengqi, and offended too many people. Eight or nine out of ten officials in the court see you as a thorn in their side and want to get rid of you as soon as possible. For the first six months, they were still impeaching you, but in the second six months, these people changed. They started to praise your achievements without any reason, as if they wanted to make you the first saint of the Ming Dynasty."
When Jiajing mentioned these things, his face immediately filled with anger.
Both he and Zhou Chu knew that these people were extremely malicious; even Jiajing had almost fallen for their schemes.
“These people’s intentions and methods are indeed sinister. I really need to keep a low profile for a while after returning to the capital, otherwise I will find it difficult to move forward in the future.”
Zhou Chu said with a hint of helplessness.
"However, with Your Majesty's method, Lord Chen will likely face utter ruin in the future."
Zhou Chu said with some concern.
Upon hearing this, Jiajing sneered.
“If Chen Wanyan and his family had behaved themselves, I wouldn’t have acted this way. But in the past six months, Chen Wanyan has become increasingly arrogant. He has acted recklessly, taking advantage of my affection for the Empress. This kind of person is perfect to be a target.”
Zhou Chu was deeply moved upon hearing this. It was truly remarkable that Jiajing, as the emperor, would consider things so carefully for him.
After a hearty meal, Zhou Chu and Lu Bing left the palace together. The palace was no longer what it used to be; its security had greatly improved. Although Lu Bing still protected Jiajing every day, given their relationship, Jiajing simply allowed Zhou Chu to return home for a rest day as well.
After returning home, Zhou Chu went to the Lu family first.
"Uncle, Aunt, it's been a long time."
As Zhou Chu spoke, he looked at Chunlan behind him, and Chunlan hurriedly handed over the gift that Zhou Chu had prepared.
"These are some of the more famous pastries from Suzhou Prefecture. In terms of pastries alone, those from Suzhou Prefecture are much tastier than those from the capital."
Zhou Chu smiled.
"The weighing instrument is very thoughtful."
Yang was all smiles from the moment she saw Zhou Chu, and she was even happier to see that Zhou Chu had brought her pastries.
“Uncle, this thumb ring is made of the finest mutton fat jade, and it is top-notch in terms of both color and other aspects.”
As Zhou Chu spoke, he took out a jade thumb ring. It was an old item, and there were many rules associated with such items, such as not being allowed to come into contact with blood. Zhou Chu had someone specifically examine the thumb ring, and it was found to be in perfect condition.
New jade thumb rings need to be "nurtured" (aged or kept in place), but this kind doesn't.
Lu Song took the thumb ring and immediately fell in love with it; he had never seen a thumb ring of such high quality before.
"You said you were coming, so why did you bring such expensive things?"
Although Lu Song said that, he really loved the thumb ring.
"Uncle, please accept it. I have many more of these things; they're not particularly valuable."
Zhou Chu smiled.
"Second brother, you are finally back."
Lu Wei, standing to the side, looked at Zhou Chu with a happy expression.
Lu Wei had grown much taller in the year since we last met, and his demeanor had become more reserved.
"How did you do on this year's provincial examination?"
Upon seeing Lu Wei, Zhou Chu couldn't help but ask.
In the provincial examination in August, Wen Zhengming and Xu Jie were in the same cohort and both took the exam in Southern Zhili, while Lu Wei took the exam back in his hometown.
Lu Wei became somewhat dejected at the mention of the provincial examination.
"I didn't pass the exam."
"There's no need to rush. You're still young. You should be able to pass the next round."
Zhou Chu comforted him.
“Yun Jin wants to come back, but military affairs are more important, and she can’t leave for the time being.”
Zhou Chu felt somewhat guilty when Yun Jin was mentioned.
After all, neither Lu Song nor Madam Yang had seen their youngest daughter for a year.
Zhou Chu could not elaborate on the reasons for this, and could only use the excuse of being busy with military affairs.
When Yun Jin was mentioned, Madam Yang's eyes darkened. As a mother, she hadn't seen her daughter for a year. However, she quickly cheered up again. After all, her eldest son was able to be ennobled as a marquis thanks to Yun Jin. Without Yun Jin conquering Annam, how could her eldest son have recovered Annam so smoothly?
As the saying goes, you can't have everything; there's no such thing as wanting everything in this world.
"It's alright. Although Yun Jin is a woman, her ambitions lie outside the home. Commanding troops is what she enjoys. Perhaps in the future, my husband and I will have to rely on Yun Jin."
Compared to Yang's sentimentality, Lu Song was much more open-minded.
Hearing this, Lu Wei, who was standing to the side, was filled with envy. He envied that his younger sister was already commanding troops outside the army and using them like a genius. The stories in the novels were no better than this.
"Second brother, I also want to join the army."
Lu Wei looked at Zhou Chu and said weakly.
Before Zhou Chu could even retort, Lu Song and Madam Yang glared at him.
“Your elder brother is a member of the Embroidered Uniform Guard, your father is a member of the Embroidered Uniform Guard, and Yun Jin is currently commanding troops in the field. The entire cultural lineage of my Lu family depends on you alone. If you dare to say anything about going to the military camp again, I'll break your legs.”
Lu Song scolded.
"Uncle, there's no need to be so harsh. Wenxin, military life isn't as simple as you think. You don't know military strategy or tactics, so you'll only be a common soldier if you go to the barracks. You'd be better off focusing on your studies and entering officialdom in the future."
Zhou Chu offered his advice.
Lu Wei, who was initially unconvinced by Lu Song's words, immediately abandoned his idea of joining the army after hearing Zhou Chu's words.
If we're talking about who he listens to the most, it's undoubtedly Zhou Chu.
Two days passed, and on the morning of the third day, Zhou Chu was present at the court session. Yang Yiqing and the others were not surprised to see Zhou Chu. As the Grand Secretary, Yang Yiqing naturally knew that Zhou Chu had not deliberately concealed his return to the capital.
"Two days ago, Hengqi returned to the capital. I saw that Hengqi had worked hard for the Ming Dynasty all year and felt really sorry for him. Hengqi, please take a break for a while."
During the court assembly, Jiajing looked at Zhou Chu and spoke.
The officials reacted differently upon hearing this, but Yang Yiqing and the other officials were very pleased.
It seems that his previous attempt to flatter Zhou Hengqi had worked, and the emperor was beginning to fear this commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard.