Joy of Life: The Mei Family's Son Grows Up

Chapter 63: Chatting at Guo's Residence
"Your Highness may have heard that my father's position was promoted by His Majesty against all odds. It is quite important for Kyoto. His Majesty will not allow my father to be a private servant of a certain prince."

The second prince nodded. He had indeed heard something, so he did not act rashly.

"The governor of Kyoto... is indeed important, but what does it have to do with you? Prime Minister Lin's position is more important than your father's. His son has become the crown prince's disciple."

Damn, is it appropriate to say this to me? But Lin Gong has been a disciple of the prince so early?
"My father did not allow me to become anyone's disciple. He only asked me to be loyal to His Majesty. This is the only way to live up to His Majesty's regard for me. I agree with this.

The above is the reason I told His Royal Highness the Crown Prince, but to His Royal Highness the Second, I want to add one more thing from my heart. I am lazy by nature and have read a lot of history books. Dangerous and intense activities such as party struggles are really not suitable for me. It is troublesome, tiring and life-threatening. It is not worth it. "

The second prince found what he said interesting and burst out laughing.

"I like what you said from your heart, it's very truthful, but why did you only tell me and not His Royal Highness the Crown Prince?"

Mei Cheng'an pretended to be surprised.

"Didn't the Second Prince say last time that he and I are of the same mind?"

The second prince was stunned for a moment and tilted his head to think.

"I think... I did say that. Why?"

Mei Cheng'an was sweating.

"At that time, His Highness advised me to participate in more poetry gatherings. I said I didn't like crowds, and then His Highness said that we were of the same mind."

With Mei Cheng'an's guidance, the second prince felt that his memory had been restored.

"Oh, yes, that's right. I remember now."

The second prince smiled and continued.

"As a fellow traveler, I won't ask you that question. I don't want to embarrass you. I'll give you another promise. As long as you don't become a disciple of the Crown Prince, we will be at peace. Okay, now that we've finished talking about business, let's talk about personal matters. I think you're quite interesting, not as rigid and dogmatic as most people. I think we should have a lot of common topics. It's okay for us to be friends."

Mei Chengan smiled bitterly.

"I really want to say that it's okay, but Second Prince, in the eyes of His Royal Highness the Crown Prince, there is no difference between being your friend and being your disciple."

The second prince put away his smile and his expression became serious. After a few seconds, he suddenly shrugged and regained his composure.

"That's right. I said I wouldn't embarrass you, but I didn't expect that I would embarrass you in the end. Okay, just pretend I didn't say anything and leave."

After saying this, the second prince turned around and left.

……

Mei Cheng'an knew that the Spring Examination was usually held on the ninth day of the second lunar month in the year of the examination. There would be only one examination, which would last for three days. However, he was not sure when the Ministry of Rites would start preparing for it. It seemed that he had to visit Minister Guo Youzhi.

When he returned home, Mei Zhili called him to the study. When Mei Cheng'an went in, there was a young man inside, an acquaintance, about eighteen or nineteen years old, with slightly dark skin, but without the delicate mustache on his chin.

That’s right, it was Guo Baokun, one of the secret agents who was one of the Crouching Dragon and the Phoenix.

Ever since Mei Cheng'an entered the study, Guo Baokun's eyes have never left him. How can I describe the look in his eyes? It was full of curiosity and admiration, which made Mei Cheng'an feel a little uneasy.

Mei Cheng'an greeted Mei Zhili first.

"Dad, I'm coming."

Mei Zhili stroked his beard.

"Well, let me introduce you. This is Mr. Guo Baokun, the only son of the Minister of Rites, Mr. Guo Youzhi. I'm here to invite you to my house for a chat on behalf of Mr. Guo."

Mei Cheng'an suddenly realized that he and Minister Guo had the same idea.

Guo Baokun spoke at this time.

"Hello, sir. I am Guo Baokun, a student who is also a candidate for this year's Spring Examination. I am here to invite Master Xiaomei on behalf of my father."

Mei Cheng'an looked at Guo Baokun's familiar face and smiled.

"Hello, hello. You are the son of Lord Guo. Besides, I am younger than you, so you don't need to call yourself a student when you talk to me."

Guo Baokun said seriously.

"Your Excellency is wrong. To be honest with you, I will definitely enter the officialdom in the future. You have been an official earlier than me, so you are naturally my senior in the officialdom. As for your talent, you were famous all over the world five years ago and wrote poems that have been passed down through the ages. I have admired you for a long time. No matter from which aspect, it is appropriate for me to call myself your student."

Is this still the Guo Baokun who was so defiant in front of Fan Xian? He is too well behaved.

Seeing that he was so humble and spoke with reason and evidence, Mei Chengan didn't know what to say anymore, so he changed the subject and asked.

"You just said that you are also a candidate for this year's spring exam?"

Guo Baokun nodded.

"If I remember correctly, there is a saying in Qing Kingdom that one should avoid relatives. If you participate in the Spring Examination, then Lord Guo..."

Guo Baokun replied respectfully.

"My father has resigned from presiding over the Spring Examination. The two Vice Ministers of the Ministry of Revenue are now jointly in charge of the Spring Examination."

Mei Cheng'an suddenly realized that it was no wonder that Emperor Qing asked Guo Youzhi to take care of him. He probably couldn't bear to see him being too idle and wanted to find something for him to do.

Mei Cheng'an looked at Mei Zhili, and Mei Zhili said something with a smile before he could speak.

"Go."

Mei Cheng'an took Guo Baokun out of the study and first took him to the courtyard. Mei Cheng'an was still wearing his official uniform. It would not be appropriate to wear official uniform when going to someone else's home privately, so he needed to change into casual clothes.

When they arrived at the courtyard, Mei Cheng'an asked Guo Baokun to sit down and wait for a while. Hongshu served Guo Baokun tea, and then followed Mei Cheng'an into the house to help him change clothes.

After changing into a light-colored wide-sleeved reading suit, Mei Chengan felt much more comfortable and walked out of the room. Guo Baokun's eyes lit up when he saw Mei Chengan in reading suit. This is how a scholar should dress. She is indeed his admirer, handsome and elegant.

Mei Cheng'an walked closer and felt strange looking at Guo Baokun's admiring eyes.

"Mr. Guo, let's go."

……

Guo Baokun was very enthusiastic towards Mei Chengan. He kept talking to him as they walked out of the courtyard. Mei Chengan had a good impression of him. Besides, he was so humble and polite, so he didn't mind communicating more with Guo Baokun.

By the time they arrived at the Guo family residence, the two had become much more familiar with each other, and Mei Chengan began to address him as Master Guo.

The two got out of the car in front of the mansion gate, and Guo Baokun brought him in through the side door.

Mei Cheng'an originally thought that Guo Youzhi's mansion would be much larger and more luxurious than his own, but in fact it was about the same size as Mei's, except that the layout of the garden landscape and the wind and rain corridor were slightly more elegant.

Along the way, Guo Baokun carefully introduced every scene to him, and Mei Chengan listened with a smile.

The two walked all the way to the study. Guo Youzhi's study was much larger than Mei Zhili's. At first glance, it was full of books and questionnaires, which was in line with his identity as the Minister of Rites.

As soon as Guo Baokun entered the study, he asked Guo Youzhi for credit. His voice was a little louder and his tone was a little excited.

"Dad, I invited Master Xiaomei here."

Guo Youzhi glanced at him expressionlessly, then looked at Mei Chengan with a smile.

Mei Cheng'an stepped forward to greet him.

"Mei Cheng'an has met Lord Guo."

Guo Youzhi was not arrogant either. He stood up, walked around the desk, came to him, and held his hand.

The tone is refreshing.

"When we meet in private, why do you call me Sir? Although I am not familiar with your father, we have served in the same court for many years. If you don't mind, you can call me Uncle."

Mei Cheng'an is quick to accept good advice.

"Uncle Guo."

Guo Youzhi smiled and nodded, obviously very satisfied with Mei Changan's approach.

"Come, sit here."

Guo Youzhi led him to a teahouse, where there was a one-meter-square black low table with a low chair on each side. Next to the low table was a small stove with a low fire. A teapot was burning on the stove. The water was boiling at this moment. From time to time, a wisp of steam came out of the spout of the pot. The seeping water dripped into the stove, making a crackling sound.

The two of them knelt down separately. Guo Youzhi was about to speak with a smile when he caught sight of Guo Baokun who followed him. Guo Youzhi frowned immediately and almost blurted out a scolding. He glanced at Mei Chengan and adjusted his mood.

"Kun'er, go out first. We need to talk about business."

Guo Baokun was somewhat reluctant. He had just become closer to Mei Chengan and was reluctant to leave.

"Dad, don't let me go out. You can chat about your things. I promise I won't interrupt you and won't disturb you."

Guo Youzhi frowned.

"Nonsense, what we want to talk about is not for you to listen to. Besides, there is no other place left for you here, get out!"

Guo Baokun still refused to give up.

"Dad, I'll just stand here. No need to sit."

Upon hearing this, Guo Youzhi was almost mad at his stupid son. He took a deep breath and was about to curse because he couldn't suppress his anger anymore.

"you!!!"

Mei Cheng'an spoke up in time. He was feeling very embarrassed watching from the side. If he interrupted, it would be inappropriate. If he didn't interrupt, Chun Chun would go to jail. Seeing that Guo Youzhi was about to get angry, he had to stop him, otherwise the scene would be too ugly.

Mei Cheng'an quickly reached out to stop him, then picked up the teapot and poured a cup of tea for Guo Youzhi.

"Uncle Guo, calm down, calm down. It's not worth getting angry over such a small matter. If you get angry and make Young Master Guo feel guilty for the rest of his life, Uncle, please drink some tea and calm down. Why don't you let me persuade Young Master Guo first?"

Guo Youzhi glanced at him, forced a stiff smile, and suppressed his anger again.

You are right, it is not worth it for this rebellious son.

Mei Cheng'an looked at the frightened Guo Baokun.

"Mr. Guo, I'll come to you after I finish discussing business here. We can continue our conversation then. Are you still worried that I'll run away?"

Upon hearing this, Guo Baokun looked at his father cautiously and quickly backed down.

"That's fine, I'll go down first, Dad."

Guo Youzhi snorted coldly without even looking at him.

Guo Baokun breathed a sigh of relief. Just a response, he turned and walked away, his steps getting faster and faster, and he disappeared at the door of the study in the blink of an eye, and even closed the door considerately.

After Guo Baokun left, Guo Youzhi's face looked better and he said to Mei Chengan with an apologetic tone.

"Kun'er has always admired you and respected you very much. It's inevitable that I was a little excited when I saw you for the first time. I acted out of proportion and made you laugh."

First of all, I wish all the Olympic athletes continue to win gold medals!
Secondly, there is the issue of Guo Baokun’s age setting in the book. If he had become an official three years ago, he would be a bit too old. However, Guo Baokun’s behavior is quite childish and he doesn’t look like he has a wife, so I set him to his current age.

I won’t write about Teng Zijing’s story. The drama didn’t mention the exact time of his conflict with Guo Baokun, so I set it this year.



(End of this chapter)