Chapter 222 – Noon Meal

The noon meal was taken in the flower pavilion, with the sky already brightly lit. On ordinary days at this time, he could still discuss two or three matters with his ministers and then spend the afternoon reviewing memorials. If he was to inspect some government office, it could also be arranged. However, today, Xie Yi did something out of character, switching the discussion agenda to the afternoon and ordering all the memorials to be sent to the sandalwood desk in the flower pavilion first.

When Xu Chun arrived, Xie Yi was bent over his desk, working on the memorials. A tall pile of documents filled the table, and Xu Chun felt a twinge of sympathy. “Brother Jiu, how can you have so many memorials? Can’t the cabinet share some of the load?”

Xie Yi sighed. “I’ve already reviewed quite a few. These are important matters; they all need my attention.”

Xu Chun sat on a mat opposite the large desk and watched Xie Yi work through the memorials. Liu Shun brought him a glass of clear green tea, which he drank with surprise. “Why is it mint plum tea?”

Xie Yi explained, “You didn’t rest well last night. Have some tea to stimulate your appetite, then eat something light and take a nap. It’s hot outside, so do not drink any other tea that might keep you awake.”

Xu Chun laughed, cradling the cup in both hands as he took a few sips. The mint aroma refreshed him, and as he broke into a slight sweat, he felt much more comfortable. Seeing there were still many memorials left and Xie Yi working hard, he couldn’t resist offering, “Brother Jiu, let me help you.”

Xie Yi raised an eyebrow and looked at him with deep eyes. “Fine. You sort them out. Put the military affairs to one side and send them to Duke Wuying. Pick out the ones concerning the imperial family and send them to Prince Jianke for review.”

Xu Chun eagerly got to work, taking out the documents one by one. “This one is about the Fujian shipyard requesting funds to purchase cannons. Does this count as military affairs?” He neatly placed it to one side and picked up another document. “This is… hmm… Princess Cheng’an has been a widow for many years and is now seriously ill, seeking an imperial commendation… This one is for the imperial family!”

He was enthusiastic about sorting through them. Su Hua, standing far away and directing the eunuchs to serve dishes, couldn’t bear to watch. Originally, the cabinet had already sorted everything, but the emperor specifically ordered the eunuchs to scramble them again, and now he was having Lord Linhai sort them once more. Poor stack of memorials, enduring such tossing around, being shuffled back and forth.

Why did the emperor bother spending this effort to let the marquis read the memorials? Lord Linhai didn’t seem to feel any qualms about overstepping his bounds. He was happily reading the memorials and earnestly helping the emperor with his concerns, completely wasting the emperor’s painstaking efforts to alleviate his worries.

It was true that young people had boundless energy and nimble hands. Xu Chun quickly sorted through all the memorials and even took credit with Xie Yi. “I’ve sorted them all out and arranged the memorials from various departments according to urgency.”

Xie Yi praised him. “Good.” Then he ordered Su Hua, “First, have the imperial kitchen prepare a table of dishes for the Military Office, and then deliver these memorials to Prince Jianke and Duke Wuying.”

Su Hua acknowledged the order. Xie Yi put down his vermilion pen, stood up, took Xu Chun’s hand, and they ate their noon meal together at the table beside the waterside pavilion.

The dishes were indeed exquisite, mostly fresh vegetables and fruits such as water chestnuts, lotus root slices, tender lotus seeds, almond tofu soup, and mandarin fish – all clearly to Xie Yi’s taste. There were also fried meatballs, chrysanthemum rabbit shreds, and roasted deer meat – dishes that Xu Chun liked. The snacks included shrimp dumplings and crab meat buns, and an additional dish of pine nut rose jujube pastry was served.

Xu Chun first picked out the most tender piece of fish from the belly for Xie Yi, then happily started eating himself, relishing each bite.

Seeing how much he enjoyed his meal, Xie Yi unexpectedly found his own appetite stimulated. They leisurely ate their noon meal, enjoying the sight of the sun at its zenith, the chirping of birds in the trees, the gurgling of water, the fresh scent of lotus flowers, and the clear and moist weather.

Xu Chun spoke to Xie Yi while eating. “Brother Jiu, today Minister Li implicated so many officials. If they’re all guilty, are you really going to dismiss them all? Wouldn’t that leave the local officials in charge of river control and the provinces without anyone to do the work?”

Xie Yi replied, “There are plenty of redundant officials everywhere. It may seem like there are many vacancies, but the local prefectures and counties can still function… perhaps even more efficiently.”

He slowly peeled the green lotus seed, revealing the white and plump kernel inside. “When Shen Mengzhen taught you about previous dynasties, he must have mentioned the late Wanli era, right? At that time, there were large numbers of vacant positions in the court and provincial administrations… yet the vast empire continued to operate, despite the grand council’s prime minister being overwhelmed and repeatedly submitting resignation letters. Emperor Wanli was a very interesting emperor. Perhaps if the court interfered less in affairs, the common folk would have a lighter burden.”

Xu Chun said, “Mr. Shen did mention something about a ‘virtual monarch doing nothing,’ but I didn’t understand it very well. But from a merchant’s perspective, if there are fewer officials, there are fewer connections to grease… I guess I can grasp it somewhat.”

Xie Yi commented, “The principle is similar, but the balance needs to be maintained. I haven’t figured it out either. We’ll try it out slowly. Overregulation isn’t good, but ignoring things isn’t good either.”

“As for these officials, if they are truly guilty, we will see the severity of their crimes. Some lighter offenses can be given a chance for reform.”

Xu Chun suddenly chuckled to himself, and Xie Yi asked him, “What are you laughing at?”

Xu Chun replied, “I know, Brother Jiu, this opportunity is probably a living hell for you.”

Xie Yi smiled slightly. “Did you think about this during the court session today? You were standing there grinning like a fool.”

Xu Chun nodded. “Yes… I saw Brother Jiu pacifying the old ministers and thought that someday, when I’m also white-haired and decrepit, I’ll ask Brother Jiu for retirement…”

Xie Yi laughed. “That day won’t come.”

Xu Chun was surprised, but Xie Yi just smiled without saying anything, scooping a spoonful of minced meat and almond tofu into his bowl with a golden apricot ladle. “Eat less of those fried dishes; they might upset your stomach later.”

Xu Chun had forgotten what he was talking about earlier and asked, “What is this fried vegetable ball? It’s so fragrant, with a light flavor that isn’t greasy.”

Xie Yi explained, “Young chrysanthemum leaves coated in batter and fried in goose oil.”

Xu Chun complimented, “So delicate and carefully prepared, crispy and tender. It’s really delicious. I should make some for Mother to try when I go home.”

Xie Yi added, “This chrysanthemum leaf is grown by the Ministry of Rites, especially tender and not bitter.” He instructed Wu Fu beside him, “Have the imperial kitchen prepare another dish in the same way and add two more dishes. Send them as a reward to the Duke of Jingguo’s residence.”

Wu Fu hurriedly acknowledged the order.

Xu Chun said, “Ah… will my parents find it strange?”

Xie Yi smiled slightly. “During festivals, rewards are often sent to the Duke of Jingguo’s residence. Didn’t your mother tell you?”

Xu Chun was speechless.

He felt a slight warmth in his ears and asked, “What about the Zhuang family? How does Brother Jiu plan to deal with them? Why did they immediately implicate them with such a grave crime of high treason and execution of nine families? Everyone seemed shocked. I doubt this happens normally, right?”

Xie Yi replied, “Yes, Li Meiyao hasn’t done something like this for a long time. This probably means he guessed that I wanted to deal with these aristocratic families. By taking the lead in impeaching them, he’s taking the blame for the whole scholar-official class. The aristocratic families may be angry, but he’s just a lone official, and it would be beneath them to argue with him.”

Xu Chun admired, “Minister Li is truly a loyal subject. He’s genuinely plotting for Brother Jiu. Of course, Brother Jiu wouldn’t execute their entire clans. In this way, the Zhuang family should thank you for your grace. This is an act of grace coming from above, and the other noble clans will secretly be alarmed. I doubt anyone will dare to imitate these deeds again.”

Xie Yi agreed, “Mm-hmm.”

Xu Chun thought for a moment and then said, “Brother Jiu once told me that we need generals like clouds, strategists like rain, a million mighty soldiers, and strong ships with powerful cannons. Now we have the strong ships and powerful cannons, and we have the mighty generals and strategists. All that’s left is the million mighty soldiers, right?”

Xie Yi was taken aback. “When did I tell you that?”

Xu Chun replied, “Brother Jiu forgot? When we went to the hunting palace, Brother Jiu told me that an emperor not only needs generals like clouds, strategists like rain, a million mighty soldiers, and strong ships with powerful cannons but also needs to be prepared for danger in times of peace and train his troops. It was when you were explaining Emperor Daojun’s painting, ‘Eagle and Dog.'”

Xie Yi was speechless, vaguely remembering a little. He must have said it offhandedly, so… Xu Chun had been constantly thinking about his so-called grand vision for the empire?

He laughed, touched by Xu Chun’s thoughts. Xu Chun looked up at the endless blue sky and couldn’t help but reminisce about the days at the hunting palace. “The weather is also nice. When are we going back to the hunting palace?”

Xie Yi replied, “If you want to go, pick a date, and we’ll go. What’s there to remember?”

Xu Chun said happily, “Great, I’ll plan it out and bring some new weapons to test.”

They chatted and laughed as they finished their noon meal. They then strolled slowly around the lotus pond. It was June, and the flower pavilion was filled with blossoms. As they walked along the path, the fragrance lingered on their clothes. Xu Chun couldn’t help but play with some leaves that he randomly picked up.

They walked shoulder to shoulder, chatting about court matters. Xu Chun remembered his case. “If there’s nothing else in the afternoon, I’ll go back and see how the trial is progressing.”

Xie Yi said, “Mm-hmm. I’ll be discussing matters with the ministers. You should go back and visit the Military Office to become familiar with your colleagues.”

Xu Chun agreed, “Okay.”

As they walked under the bright sunlight, Xu Chun started feeling drowsy. Seeing that he was struggling to keep his eyes open, Xie Yi held back a laugh and led him back to the inner room of the waterside pavilion. He laid him down on the cool bed, gently removing the jade pendant from his waist so it wouldn’t bother him. “Sleep soundly. There’s nothing important, so don’t worry about it.”

Xu Chun saw Xie Yi reaching out in front of him, his fingers long and fair. Unable to resist, he grabbed that hand and kissed it lightly.

Xie Yi was slightly surprised, assuming he had suddenly gotten frisky. However, when he looked down, Xu Chun’s eyelids were already too heavy to lift, and he fell asleep almost instantly. Young people are like that, falling asleep at the drop of a hat, yet full of energy when they want to be. Xie Yi laughed and lay down next to him. The two cuddled together for a nap.

A gentle breeze blew through the waterside pavilion. Beside the bed, incense burned to aid sleep. The faint scent filled the air, and the only sounds were the chirping of birds in the distance.

Xu Chun slept soundly. When he woke up, Xie Yi had already gone to the front hall for discussions, leaving instructions for the eunuch to let him leave the palace when he woke up.

The sun was setting outside the water corridor, and the wind blew the curtains softly. The light danced, and time passed quietly. Xu Chun was unaware of where he was.

He sat there, hugging the quilt and lost in thought for a while before remembering that he was no longer in Jinhaiwei. He didn’t have as many busy tasks anymore. Now, he was back in the capital, accompanying Brother Jiu in the palace. He secretly laughed to himself before getting dressed and preparing to head to the Duke of Guogong’s residence to look for Sheng Changtian.