Chapter 224 – Meticulous

Xu Chun finally finished reviewing the memorials when the sun had set behind the mountains. Li Meiyai had enjoyed some fruits and tea, then pocketed a few peaches before returning to the Censorate with an air of satisfaction, having indeed found two capable young officials to assist in investigating the smuggling case.

Fang Zijing went through all the memorials Xu Chun had reviewed, giving him a few pointers, then selected several and said, “I wouldn’t comment on these. Take them back tonight and think about them more. Tell me your thoughts tomorrow.”

Xu Chun found it odd but agreed nonetheless. However, Zhao Yu, who was standing nearby, cautiously reminded them, “Your Excellencies, memorials are not allowed to be taken out of the palace.”

Fang Zijing laughed in a mocking tone. “I forgot. Then, let’s trouble Lord Linhai to take notes on them. You can tell me about them tomorrow. Set these aside at the top, and send the rest of the memorials to the Office of Ceremonial.”

Zhao Yu was puzzled, feeling that Duke Wuying’s smile was a sarcastic jab at him. But he also thought he might just be overly sensitive. Xu Chun diligently copied down the titles of those few memorials, falling into deep thought.

Fang Zijing watched him sitting there, brow furrowed in contemplation. His long eyebrows reached his temples, and the bright red first-rank Hou robe he wore was neatly tailored to fit him perfectly. The collar and cuffs were impeccable, and a pale green jade pendant hung from his waist, exuding elegance.

Over the years leading troops abroad, the chivalrous and straightforward aura around him had become even more pronounced, often reminding Fang Zijing of their first meeting in the South Seas, when he was a spirited youth. But once he returned to court, it was easy to see the shadow of the noble and dignified figure who had guided and educated him.

The indulged petulance and the natural grace that flowed from his every gesture were clear indications of the subtle influence of the one above, whose tastes had been quietly cultivated over time.

Such a fine quality, destined for greatness, Fang Zijing gritted his teeth again, filled with regret. He glanced at the sky, noting the coolness of the evening, and said, “Alright, I’ll go buy some candied haws. You ponder over them a bit more.”

He stood up and left, with Xu Chun and Zhao Yu both quickly rising to see him off.

After Fang Zijing departed, the Military Affairs Office was left with only Xu Chun and Zhao Yu. Xu Chun continued to pore over those few memorials, knowing that Fang Zijing must have found something amiss with his review. That was why he wanted him to reconsider them. But Xu Chun couldn’t pinpoint what was missing, so he scrutinized each sentence carefully.

Zhao Yu was on duty today and had to remain on standby. Seeing the sun sinking low in the west, he worriedly addressed Xu Chun, who was still engrossed in the memorials. “Lord Hou, the palace gates are about to lock. The eunuchs from the Office of Ceremonial are waiting to take the memorials away. I need to stay here for my night shift, but should Lord Hou return home now?”

Xu Chun came to his senses as if waking from a dream and looked at the sky. “Yes, thank you for reminding me, Lord Zhao.”

As he stood up, he saw Wu Fu, Wu Shun, and the others waiting respectfully at the entrance. They bowed upon seeing him exit. Military affairs ministers had special permission to ride in a sedan chair or on horseback within the palace. Xu Chun noticed his own horse was already prepared outside, knowing that Brother Nine must have given instructions. He approached the horse, mounted it, and several palace guards followed suit, accompanying him on horseback.

Zhao Yu watched him leave, feeling something was amiss. Wasn’t the East Hua Gate in that direction? But seeing the eunuchs and guards proceeding as if it was completely normal, he assumed he simply wasn’t familiar with the palace roads. He returned to his duty room and watched as the two eunuchs named Wu Fu and Wu Shun, from the Office of Ceremonial, inventoried and took custody of the memorials.

Zhao Yu meticulously handed over all the memorials, specifically instructing them, “These few were mentioned by Duke Wuying. Lord Linhai needs to revise them. But it’s late, and Lord Linhai hasn’t had time to do so yet.”

He expected the two junior eunuchs might not pay attention, but unexpectedly, they immediately took out red tags, clarified which ones they were, and specially affixed them with red labels before carrying the memorials towards the inner palace.

Xu Chun leisurely rode his horse back to the palace and returned to Su Yu Palace. He saw Xie Yi had changed into a comfortable, slightly worn robe and was reading a book under a tree in the courtyard. Realizing Xie Yi had waited for quite some time, Xu Chun dismounted quickly and walked over. “Brother Nine, you’ve waited long. I spent extra time on a few memorials. Duke Wuying felt I didn’t handle them properly.”

Xie Yi gave him a glance, noticing he was still dressed in layer upon layer of official attire. “Go change out of your official robes first. The weather is warm, and wearing your official robes is restrictive. The memorials are not urgent. We can discuss them after dinner. I also plan to look over the memorials later.”

Xu Chun hurriedly went inside to change clothes, removing his hat, boots, and socks. He changed into a light, thin hemp shirt and came out wearing wooden clogs. Seeing that dinner was already laid out, the two of them ate together, drank soup, then strolled briefly through the Imperial Garden before returning to Su Yu Palace. They sat facing each other at the long table, each starting their respective official duties.

Xie Yi reviewed the memorials that had been handled at the Military Affairs Office during the day. Most of them had been circled with vermilion ink according to their previous reviews.

As the weather gradually turned warmer, the windows were wide open, allowing a gentle night breeze to waft through. The incense burner released a faint fragrance.

Xu Chun noticed the few memorials specially marked with red tags, took them out, and frowned as he looked at them again. Finally, unable to resist asking Xie Yi, “There are five memorials. The other four are military matters, and that’s fine. I have a rough idea that Big Brother Zijing thinks I didn’t review them thoroughly enough.”

“But this one, the ‘Petition for Retirement’, is by Su Zhongyuan, the inspector of Guizhou, requesting resignation. I felt sorry for him. He’s old, and has heart disease, which flares up easily. As he wrote, he’s only skin and bones, unable to support his family. He wants to retire due to illness and return home. It’s not a particularly important military position, and I figured it wouldn’t be hard to find someone else. Why did Big Brother Zijing pick out this one for me to review?”

Xie Yi took it and glanced at it. “The local chieftains of Guizhou haven’t been too cooperative in the past. Su Zhongyuan’s sudden resignation must be due to difficulties he’s encountered, but he dare not speak of them. He fears that if he does, the court won’t allow him to retire due to illness and return home. Have them search for all the memorials related to Guizhou from the last half-year. There should be clues—these ordinary memorials, since the Ministry of War presented them, might have raised suspicions. Actually, if Lei Ming were here, you could ask him about it.”

Xu Chun said, “I arrived late today, and all the secretaries had returned to their respective departments.” He looked at Xie Yi with a slight pout. “You were supposed to wake me up when you got up.”

Xie Yi smiled. “You were sleeping well, and there wasn’t anything urgent. You were exhausted from your duties while stationed elsewhere, so you should rest when you’re back.” He glanced at Su Hua beside him. “Send someone to look for them.”

Su Hua hastily agreed and sent a few junior eunuchs from the Office of Ceremonial to search. In no time, they indeed brought several memorial books over.

Xu Chun didn’t disturb Xie Yi further and started looking through those memorial books again on his own.

Seeing Xu Chun’s dedication, Xie Yi smiled slightly, thinking that Duke Wuying had picked out these memorials for him with considerable effort. After a month of reviewing memorials like this, Xu Chun would have a comprehensive understanding of the empire’s political and military affairs. Only then would the decisions he made in the future be based on a broader perspective.

However, Fang Zijing’s ability to discern the depth of autumn from a single leaf or the whole leopard from a glimpse of its spot was admirable, but ultimately too meticulous. Such repeated deliberations and reflections could be too mentally taxing. Being a general was suitable, but as a monarch, it could be too exhausting.

Fortunately, Xu Chun was simple-minded and wouldn’t engage in such endless speculation and mental exhaustion.

As he was thinking this, he saw Su Hua leave and return a moment later to report quietly, “Zhilan Palace has reported that Duke Shun’an is crying incessantly, and the cause is unknown.”

Xie Yi asked, “Have the imperial doctors check on him first.”

Su Hua replied, “A duty doctor has already been summoned, but they came to inform Your Majesty.”

Xu Chun looked over with concern and asked Xie Yi, “Is Your Majesty going to see him?”

Xie Yi said, “Yes,” but inwardly thought: Duke Wuying is meticulous in handling affairs. Perhaps letting Princess Heshun and Duke Wuying raise Xie Qian would be appropriate. It would be perfect, and Xie Qian would have Duke Wuying’s heir as a playmate.