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

Chapter 90: Spring of the Fourth Year of Qingli

With the sound of firecrackers a year old, the spring breeze sent warmth to Tusu.

The third year of the Qingli period passed quietly.

The fourth year of the Qingli period officially arrived.

This year, Mei Cheng'an was seventeen years old.

On the first day of this year, when Mei Cheng'an was still asleep, Emperor Qing granted two marriages in one go, shocking the court and the public. The news spread throughout Kyoto in the blink of an eye, sparking discussions among the people of Kyoto.

After all, His Majesty had never granted marriages before, and this time he granted two at once, which was really novel. The people of Kyoto love gossip, and now that they have come across the biggest gossip of the new year, how could they not eat it?

The man in the first case is Mei Chengan, a former child prodigy, now the most talented scholar in Qing State, and a fifth-rank official and fourth-rank honorary title in the current dynasty.

The woman is Princess Roujia, the most powerful noble in Qing Kingdom, the only daughter of Prince Jing, the brother of Emperor Qing, and one of the only two princesses in the current dynasty.

There is nothing to discuss about this marriage. The talented man and the princess are a perfect match. In one word, they are a perfect match!
The other case is much more debatable because the identities of both parties involved are a bit mysterious.

Lin Wan'er, the princess of the current dynasty, has a mysterious background and is said to be a sickly woman.

Fan Xian was said to be the illegitimate son of a high-ranking official in the court who had been kept outside.

There are many different opinions on why His Majesty granted marriage to these two people. Among them, there is one theory that is accepted by the vast majority of people, which is that it was to bring good luck.

Lin Wan'er may be beyond help, and His Majesty has no choice but to pin his last hope on something as illusory as a wedding to bring good luck.

The person in charge of monitoring public opinion in Kyoto in the Supervisory Council quickly reported this statement. When Zhu Ge, the head of the first department, heard this, he thought it was unacceptable. This was like cursing the princess of the current dynasty. The man was too bold.

"Catch! Catch all those who spread rumors about the princess!"

"Yes."

"What happened? Why mobilize so many troops?"

Zhu Ge turned around and saw that the person who spoke was Yan Ruohai, the local manager dressed in purple robe.

"You, it's nothing, it's just about the marriage granted by His Majesty, someone spread rumors about the princess in Kyoto."

"Oh, that's it, he deserves to be caught!"

"How come you have time to come to my place?"

"The dean is looking for me. I'm just passing by. You go ahead and do your thing. I'll go now."

"Wait a minute, has the date for the dean's return home been set?"

"I don't know. If you want to know, I suggest you ask the dean directly."

After saying that, he turned and left.

Zhu Ge looked at Yan Ruohai's departing back and shook his head. He still had the same bad temper after all these years.

There was a monitoring station in Kyoto for many years, and when it acted, it was swift and resolute, making arrests and captures, and soon suppressed the public opinion.

Changxin Palace.

An hour ago, His Majesty just announced the news of the marriage.

When the princess heard the news that His Majesty had granted marriage to Mei Cheng'an and Princess Roujia, her beautiful brows immediately frowned.

She hadn't heard the name Mei Cheng'an for a long time, and she almost forgot about this person.

I didn't expect that the next time I heard from him was a message of an arranged marriage. More than a year has passed, and the excitement I felt at the beginning has long subsided. Logically speaking, whether he gets married or not has nothing to do with me, but the one who wants him to marry is my niece.

Although they are not blood relatives, they are still aunt and niece. Why is it so awkward?

However, when she heard the news of the arranged marriage between Fan Xian and Lin Wan'er, she no longer had time to be awkward and her face immediately fell.

Your Majesty did not ask for her opinion beforehand!

As a mother, she learned about her daughter's marriage news from someone else!

Look up at Lanxiang.

"Who is Fan Xian? Is there such a person in Kyoto?"

"It is said that this is the illegitimate child of the Minister of Revenue, Mr. Fan, who was raised outside."

The eldest princess stood up with her eyes wide open.

"What did you say? Bastard?"

"Your Highness, calm down. This is just a rumor. Its authenticity needs to be confirmed by investigation."

"Go check it out!"

"Yes! I'll go right away!"

The princess looked towards the direction of the imperial study, her expression uncertain. Bastard, you actually let Wan'er marry a bastard. Wan'er's identity is not to be seen in public, and her body is a little poor, but she is also my daughter, a princess. An bastard raised in another place? Is he worthy?
What on earth do you want to do...

At this time, a maid came in and bowed.

"Your Highness, the Crown Prince is here and he wants to see you for something."

The eldest princess was feeling annoyed and just waved her sleeves.

"Tell the prince that I am not free at the moment."

The maid bowed again and was about to leave.

"Wait a moment."

The princess took a deep breath and regained her composure.

"Let him in."

……

Control Yuan.

Chen Pingping's office.

Seeing the door open, Yan Ruohai walked straight in, looked around, and saw Chen Pingping watering the flowers at the end of the dark room, walking towards him.

"Dean."

Chen Pingping emptied the water from the ladle, threw it into the bucket, shook his sleeves, reached out to grab the handle on the wheel, turned the wheelchair towards Yan Ruohai, and said with a smile.

"coming."

Yan Ruohai looked at him.

"Why don't you let Shadow open the upper window? Won't it be dark?"

Chen Pingping smiled.

"Shadow is running errands for me, so he's not here right now. He's waiting for you."

Upon hearing this, Yan Ruohai rolled up his sleeves and went straight to turn the wheel, which was the window switch.

Chen Pingping watched quietly.

As the windows gradually opened, the room became visibly brighter.

Yan Ruohai asked as he straightened his sleeves.

"What's the matter with calling me here?"

Chen Pingping didn't answer quickly, but looked at Yan Ruohai and suddenly said something.

"Ruohai, how many years have we worked together?"

Yan Ruohai was stern and looked very serious, but he was actually reminiscing. It was rare to see any fluctuations on his face.

"I can't remember, it's been a long time." Chen Pingping looked into Yan Ruohai's eyes.

"Can I trust you?"

Yan Ruohai was silent for a moment again.

"It's up to you whether you believe it or not."

Chen Pingping smiled.

"You, you haven't changed at all after all these years. You still speak so harshly."

Words are like the road of the sea.

"Do you want me to change?"

Chen Pingping shook his head.

"No need to change, this is fine. I called you here this time because I want you to help me do something."

"Wait a minute, do you believe me? If you don't believe me, I won't listen. If something goes wrong, you can blame me."

Chen Pingping lost his smile and just looked at Yan Ruohai, who was not willing to be outdone.

The two looked at each other for a while, and Chen Pingping sighed.

"I asked the wrong question. I shouldn't have tested you. It's enough to be almost there. Why do you hold a grudge like that?"

Yan Ruohai rolled his eyes and stopped talking.

Chen Pingping continued.

"Help me find a legitimate reason to transfer all your people in Danzhou and the people around them in batches. Only the one called Teng Zijing will stay."

"Time requirement."

"You can start working on it when you get back. Do it as soon as possible. It would be best if it were done within a month. Remember to keep the information secret."

Yan Ruohai nodded.

"I see."

Chen Pingping leaned back in his chair and asked with a smile.

"Aren't you curious why I asked you to do this?"

Yan Ruohai nodded.

"curious."

"Then why not ask?"

Yan Ruohai had a stern face.

"You will say what you want to say naturally. Why should I ask so many questions?"

Chen Pingping thought for a moment and said.

"I don't need to tell you about this. You will understand it yourself after a while."

Yan Ruohai suddenly asked.

"When will you return home?"

Chen Pingping was stunned for a moment.

"I will return home when you finish the tasks I have assigned you. Why do you suddenly care about this?"

"Oh, I passed by a place and chatted with Zhu Ge for a few words when I came here. He asked me, but I didn't know how to let him ask you directly."

"then you…"

"Oh, I suddenly remembered this and asked casually."

"..."

"Is there anything else you want to tell me? I'm leaving now."

Chen Pingping waved.

After Yan Ruohai left, Chen Pingping turned his wheelchair and looked quietly at the flowers in the corner, wondering what he was thinking.

……

Mei family.

Small courtyard.

When Mei Chengan opened his eyes, it was almost lunch time.

Rubbing his still dizzy head, Mei Chengan sat up.

Looking at the sunlight outside, I was a little dazed for a moment and couldn't figure out how long I had slept.

He stood up and walked out of the room, then stood on the porch in front of the yard in a daze.

Hongshu came from outside the yard holding a basin. When he saw Mei Chengan woke up, a hint of surprise appeared on his face and he hurried over.

"Master, are you awake?"

Mei Cheng'an came back to his senses and looked at the sweet potato. He was stunned for three seconds before he hummed.

"What time is it now?"

"It's three quarters past four. It's time for lunch."

Mei Chengan rubbed his eyebrows.

It was 3:15 pm at 9:00 pm, and when I returned to the courtyard after watching over the New Year, it was 3:15 pm at 11:00 pm. So I only slept for two hours, no wonder I felt so drowsy.

"Master, if you haven't slept enough, go and rest."

Mei Chengan shook his head.

"I'm a little hungry, let's talk after dinner."

"Then I will help the young master wash up."

"Well, use cool water, I feel refreshed."

"it is good."

……

Washing with cold water was quite effective, and Mei Chengan felt much better by the time he went to have lunch.

Along the way, many servants kept looking at him and smiling at him, which made him confused. He thought that with Hongshu watching him, he should not be wearing the wrong clothes.

When he entered the dining room, his father, mother and sister were already in their seats. They all looked at him with happy expressions on their faces.

Mei Cheng'an walked over with a confused look on his face. Before he could sit down, his sister grabbed his arm and pulled him down, causing him to stagger. Fortunately, he reacted quickly, spread his legs, and sat on the stool safely.

Mei Zhili and Madam Mei glared at Mei Yuxi at the same time, saying that she was rude.

Mei Yuxi stuck out her tongue at the two of them, then turned and started to yell at Mei Chengan.

"Brother, I finally know why you always go to Prince Jing's Mansion. It seems that you go to see my future sister-in-law. How do you know she will be my future sister-in-law? It's too coincidental, right? When did you two meet? Oh, I know. Is it during that autumn outing that I said my sister-in-law came for no apparent reason? Did she fall in love with you first or did you fall in love with her first? You..."

Mei Chengan simply pinched her mouth.

"Stop first, I have a headache."

(End of this chapter)