The 23rd day of the twelfth lunar month was the Little New Year's Eve. Every year, the Kitchen God would be worshiped at this time. The government would do it the first day, and the common people would do it the next day. It was said that the Kitchen God was a deity assigned by the Jade Emperor to manage the common people's cooking stoves. He knew every household's problems like the back of his hand. To prevent the Kitchen God from reporting them to the Heavens, the common people would make offerings to cover his mouth.
There would be a sacrifice in the palace that morning. As a court official, Yu Shu had to be there. She got up early in the morning and put on her court clothes. Before she left, she was stopped by Zhao Hui, who was preparing to offer the Kitchen God. Zhao Hui stuffed a mouthful of Kitchen God sweets into her mouth, mumbled something, and gave her a small bag of pastries.
"Go home and eat after the court. Don't run around. We're sending the Kitchen God today, so we don't want to visit other people's houses."
"Oh, I got it." Yu Shu's throat turned red from the sweetness. Zhao Hui prepared everything and asked Shen Nanny to give her a bowl of tea to rinse her mouth. Only then did she let her go.
Yu Shu went to the front yard and got on the sedan chair. Not far away, she saw the door of Shen Nanny's house open. There was a crowd outside the door. She guessed that they were all here to send the New Year's Eve, so she didn't go through the front door to avoid being blocked.
As usual, the Celestial Commissioner presided over the sacrifice in the palace. This year, it was better. The auspicious time was three quarters past nine. It was almost noon, so they didn't have to arrive so early. However, Yu Shu heard that last year, it started early in the morning. All the civil and military officials had to enter the palace at seven in the morning. It was even harder than the morning court.
There was a long queue in front of the Meridian Gate. The snow on the palace road was swept clean, but the ground was still wet and slippery. It was easy for the horse carriages to slip, so everyone took the sedan chair out. It was cold, but it was safe.
Yu Shu sympathized with the hard life of the sedan chair bearers. She gave each of them two extra cotton-padded jackets to change into. Even the leather hats, scarves, and handguards were made of solid cotton. She dared to say that among the dozens of sedan chairs, her sedan chair bearers were the thickest.
While waiting for the palace gate to open, she sat inside, wrapped in a cotton mattress and drowsily dozing off. Suddenly, she heard a cough coming from outside and immediately woke up. She lifted the curtain and looked outside, only to see a tin covered sedan chair parked beside her. Xue Rui's face was revealed and he was only five feet away from her.
This was the first time the two of them met after meeting Yun Hua that night. Even though Yu Shu had thousands of things to say to him, she could only blink at him, grin, and give him a secret signal.
Day. day. Yu Day. year. Yu Yu Yu Yun Year. Yun Year. Yu Yun Yu Year after year. As for the details, it was not convenient for him to say them now, so he gave her a look of approval and changed the subject.
"You must be very busy these days."
Yu Shu said, "Ah, don't mention it. I have to approve dozens of marriage contracts every day. My hands are numb just from stamping them." In the past, she could approve dozens of contracts every day. Now she had to work for three days. How could she not be tired?
Of course, she could take it easy. But Emperor Zhao Qing was dying. Every family was in a hurry to have their wedding. If she dawdled, wouldn't she be hated? It was better to work harder.
At the end of the year, Xue Rui became idle instead. He would not send the unjust and false cases in the local areas to the capital during the new year. He would go to the Supreme Court to take attendance every day. He would read books, drink tea, and handle his personal affairs in passing.
The two talked for a while. The procession in front slowly moved. The palace gate opened.
.....
This year, Ning Wang replaced Emperor Zhao Qing to ascend the Temple of Heaven. This was a great honor. The princes standing below the stage were envious. They wanted to replace him.
The prayer was recited by the Grand Preceptor. It was very long. Yu Shu didn't understand it but she knew the main idea was to pray for good weather and peace for the people of Da An. The civil and military officials participated together. First, they burned incense, beat drums, and rang bells. Then they sacrificed cattle and sheep. Finally, they bowed three times and nine kowtows to the heavens, the earth, and the gods.
For a whole two hours, they stood there in the cold and couldn't move. It was suffocating. Yu Shu felt her face was stiff. She finally waited for the Grand Preceptor to announce the end of the ceremony. She was about to give a sigh of relief when she saw Ning Wang walk out to speak. She silently cursed his family in her heart.
Fortunately, light snow suddenly floated down from the sky. Ning Wang didn't have time to give a long speech. The ceremony ended and everyone could leave the palace. A small portion of the officials stayed behind to curry favor with Ning Wang. Yu Shu slipped away. Of course, Xue Rui left with her.
Yu Shu covered her face with her hand and said, "Let's find a place to sit for a while?"
Before they left, Zhao Hui had reminded her that if they didn't visit today, it wouldn't be good to bring Xue Rui home, much less his home. She couldn't resist complaining in a small voice, "Ai, it's a pity that you rented Wang Ji Lou to someone else. It's hard to find a place to talk now."
Xue Rui patted the snowflakes on her shoulder and indicated for her to walk faster. "Just come with me."
Yu Shu thought that he was going to take her somewhere good. The two left the palace and sat on the sedan. They circled around the northern part of the city and actually came to Bi Ma Street. They entered through a small alley and stopped at the back courtyard of Wang Ji Lou. Before the sedan stopped, she came out. She looked with shock at Xue Rui knocking on the back door and beckoning her in.
The one who opened the door was also a familiar face. It was Ah Xiang, who had been sweeping the floor of the restaurant. Yu Shu finally recovered. She pointed at Xue Rui, angry and laughing. She said, "Fine, you lied to me. Wang Ji Lou wasn't rented out at all."
"When did I lie to you?" Xue Rui turned his head to smile at her. Bathed in the fluffy snow, he asked, "Ah Shu, can big brother give Wang Ji Lou to you?"
Yu Shu had a bewildered expression on her face. She didn't understand at first, but Xue Rui took a step forward and held her hand. He didn't explain and only said, "I'll take you there to have a look." He then pulled her along as they passed through the hall under the Drooping Flower Gate and arrived at the front building.
As soon as she entered the door, Yu Shu widened her eyes, thinking that she had gone to the wrong place. The tables, chairs, and benches in the hall downstairs were all gone. The four walls were painted with huge murals. In the east, there was a Azure Dragon roaring and thundering; in the west, there was a White Tiger riding the wind and breaking the waves; in the north, there was a Black Tortoise swallowing the clouds and spitting out rain; in the south, there was a Vermilion Bird flashing with lightning and fire. On the ground in the center of the hall, there was another Yin and Yang picture.
Yu Shu can see the mystery behind this, so there's nothing she doesn't understand. She calms down her palpitations and looks around. She sees the Hundred Treasures Pavilions on both sides of the road. The black wood is shiny, and even the roof beams and pillars have been repainted. There's a pile of rosewood tables and armchairs in the corner. All that's left is to put some goods on the Hundred Treasures Shelves, invite a few teachers to sit, and hire a few workers.
The surprise is yet to come. Xue Rui takes her up to the second floor. There are a few private rooms on the second floor that are used as living rooms. The rest of the rooms are combined into a library. There are more than 20 bookshelves and 70% of the library is filled with books. Some are old and some are new. Yu Shu flips through a few books. The content is all about the Yi Dao. Some are transcripts, some are original books. But the paper is not something that can be bought on the street.
After a rough calculation, there were at least six to seven thousand books here, if not more than ten thousand. At first glance, it didn't sound very impressive, but one must know that these books were related to the Yi Xue, without any impurities or exaggerations. This was a considerable number. A family of Yi Xue that had been passed down for six generations probably had this number of books.
"You … are you giving me a Great Exchange Pavilion?" She turns around and looks at him with a dry mouth.
Xue Rui raises his eyebrows and says proudly, "I said that I will build a Great Exchange Pavilion for you. The Wangji Tower is big enough. With some slight changes, it can be used for other purposes. Some of these books are copied by me earlier, some are from other places, and some are from my family's collection. The reason why the aristocratic families have a foothold is because of their heritage. What you lack, can only be made up for in this aspect. "
Yu Shu had always regarded Xue Rui as a steady man who was neither arrogant nor hot-tempered, and was mature and experienced. However, she never thought that he would do such a foolish thing that only a young boy who had his first awakening of love would do. Damn it, she didn't find it funny at all. Instead, it was like the candy that Zhao Hui stuffed into her mouth in the morning.
She really doesn't want to dampen his enthusiasm. She puts the books back on the shelf and walks up to him to hold his hand. She says softly, "I also want to open a Great Exchange Pavilion, but I don't have enough experience. I have the place, but I am a loner. How can I be called an aristocratic family? If I can't be called an aristocratic family, how can I open a Great Exchange Pavilion? "
"Who said you are loner?" Xue Rui pulled her into his arms and lightly tapped her forehead with his index finger. "Have you forgotten? I sent people to your hometown to investigate and found out that there was a Master Yi who served in the Imperial Astronomer for several generations in your Yu Family. Counting up to you, you're exactly the sixth generation, which has been passed down for six generations. You're also an official in the Imperial Astronomer and a fifth-ranked imperial female. You can enter and leave the imperial court and meet the emperor, so why can't you be considered an aristocratic family?"
Yu Shu is dumbfounded. Is this even possible?
"… Even if I can be called an aristocratic family, where can I find two Da Yi Masters to oversee it?"
Xue Rui laughs. "Do you still need to look for one? There is already one. Don't tell me you think that just because he is sloppy, you think that his two rankings are fake?"
"Xin Laowu!" Yu Shu exclaims. How did she forget about him? "Then what about one more?"
"There is no need. You are a female fortune teller who ranks third in the two rankings. You are one level higher than a Da Yi Master. Do you still need to find someone else?"
"But I am in the Celestial Commissioner's Office. How can I oversee a Great Exchange Pavilion?"
"Do you think that there are more than ten Da Yi Masters in the capital every day?" Xue Rui retorts.
Yu Shu finally understands. The conditions of a Great Exchange Pavilion may sound impressive, but in reality, it is full of loopholes. With Xue Rui's words, he really did not want to give her a Great Exchange Pavilion on a whim.
Xue Rui sees that she is tempted and adds fuel to the fire, "Look at the aristocratic families from the twelve prefectures in An Ling City. There are still a few families that have people in the Celestial Commissioner's Office, but they are still able to stand strong. Why? It is because they all have a Great Exchange Pavilion. They are good at business, changing their names and standing among the commoners. They are not in the court, but their names are there. You have an undeserved reputation and a weak foundation. That is why there are always people who have ideas about you. The Ji family is like this, the Yin family is like this, and Ning Wang is also like this. In the future, there will be more people who covet your talent and reputation. You have to plan early to protect yourself. "
Listening to the Jun's words, Yu Shu is suddenly enlightened. She did not understand the deeper meaning of his last sentence.
"The business of crystal stones cannot always be under the name of the Thai Heng Chamber of Commerce. You should have heard of the saying, 'a tall tree attracts the wind'. Your jiujiu has such a profitable business in his hands. Sooner or later, people will be jealous and plot against him. The waters of the Thai Heng Chamber of Commerce are deep. He is just a piece of floating ice. When the day comes that you cannot protect him, it will be the day that he loses everything. If you are willing to listen to me, quickly take back the business of crystal stones. When you open a Great Exchange Pavilion, you can invite your jiujiu over to manage the business. This is the best of both worlds. "
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