The crowd responded enthusiastically. Elder Master Bao, seeing Yue Fuguang descending the jade steps, beamed with a kindly smile and said, "Grand Tutor, you must come as well! This old man and your grandfather have been friends for many years; our families should visit each other more often."
Yue Fuguang nodded with a faint smile. Emperor Mingxi, who hadn't left yet, also joined in the excitement, saying, "Crown Prince, take your brothers to Minister Bao's residence tomorrow to share in the auspicious joy, and tell me all about it upon your return."
Emperor Mingxi was clearly showing favor to the Bao family, making amends for his own actions in the original timeline!
The Crown Prince also chimed in playfully, "Yes, Father. In that case, for the congratulatory gifts for the newlyweds, this son will go pick from your private treasury!"
Emperor Mingxi feigned a helpless expression of being taken advantage of by his son, pointed vaguely in the Crown Prince's direction a few times, flicked his sleeve, and walked away, saying, "Then you must choose carefully, don't embarrass me."
[Master, we should also return to our residence to select a gift. It absolutely must not be inferior to the Crown Prince's.]
「Little Pearl, your competitive spirit is everywhere!」
Watching Yue Fuguang's retreating figure, the crowd tacitly made their way towards the Hall of Mental Cultivation, where Emperor Mingxi handled governmental affairs.
Having received so much information today, while the Sima family certainly needed to be dealt with completely, how to round up those 'pirates' still at sea required careful planning. Everyone present understood the dangers of not eradicating the root of the problem!
Moreover, Sima Jing had been operating in the Jiangnan region for many years. To capture him in one fell swoop truly couldn't be rushed. Emperor Mingxi himself was clear about this in his heart. No matter how furious he was, he had to temporarily exercise patience and proceed gradually!
...
The following evening, the main gate of the Bao residence stood wide open. Crimson silk cascaded like waterfalls on either side of the vermilion lacquered doors, pouring down from the high eaves. Golden bells attached to the silk tinkled clearly in the evening breeze, creating a rather delightful sound.
Just as Yue Fuguang arrived at the front gate of the Bao residence with her grandfather, Elder Master Bao hurried over. From a distance, he cupped his hands in greeting, saying, "Grand Tutor, Elder Brother Linzhi, I failed to welcome you from afar. I beg your forgiveness!"
As he spoke, he ushered the two inside.
Within the Bao residence, a hundred gilded palace lanterns lit up one after another, their halos swirling and transforming the twilight into a warm river of stars.
As they walked, festive red silk, decorative items with auspicious meanings, and double-happiness characters could be seen everywhere.
Along the way, the grandfather and granddaughter encountered many colleagues who had arrived early. Yue Fuguang thought to herself, it seemed like half the imperial court was here!
She just didn't know whether these people were truly here for the wedding wine or, like herself, to get a close-up view of the scene where the so-called number one assassin organization, 'Night-Blooming Cereus,' would snatch someone away.
[Master, why are there so many people here? It seems Minister Bao has good connections! How come when the Bao family was convicted as a whole next year, hardly anyone spoke up for them?]
「Is adding flowers to brocade the same as sending charcoal in snowy weather? The Crown Prince and the princes have all come. Would they dare not to?」
[These fence-sitters!]
Being called fence-sitters by the Divine Artifact, the people nearby all wore awkward expressions and redoubled their efforts to shower the Bao family with auspicious words, praising the groom-to-be, Bao Zihui, as if he were a peerless treasure from heaven.
「Little Pearl, Seeking advantage and avoiding harm is human instinct. Besides, the one who framed the Bao family was the emperor's cousin and childhood study companion. The relationship and trust between those two is something the Bao family could never compare to.
Therefore, even if some people noticed problems, for the sake of self-preservation, they wouldn't openly oppose the Sima family.」
[So later, during Emperor Mingxi's late reign, the court of Dayan became increasingly chaotic, with false accusations and slander emerging endlessly, yet no one stepped forward to uphold justice.
It truly reflects that saying: If I do not speak out today, when disaster befalls me tomorrow, no one will raise a banner and shout for me. The later court's disorder was something they fostered themselves; they can't blame anyone else!]
「The Dayan version of a great escape (survival struggle) certainly wouldn't be much inferior to those of the Han and Ming dynasties on the blue planet. Especially after Emperor Mingxi's death, how many of the people in the current court would still be standing?」
How many would still be standing? And 'great escape' (survival struggle) is not a good term. Although the people around still appeared to be chatting warmly, either sitting or standing,
some had already begun to tremble. While everyone had long anticipated that the 'living conditions' in the coming years would likely be unfavorable, what did it mean to use the term 'great escape' (survival struggle)?
How many would be standing? Forget about how many; right now they just wanted to know whether they themselves would be among those standing or lying down!
Although they didn't know what the blue planet, Han dynasty, or Ming dynasty were, the fact that the Grand Tutor singled them out for mention made it feel like no simple matter.
Their hearts itched with curiosity, but no one had the courage to approach. Well... except for Feng Tang and Wu Yong. These two die-hard fans didn't care what the little celestial lord said. To survive, just cling tightly to the golden thigh.
If these two acted any more obvious, even Emperor Mingxi might start to doubt: Are you Minister Yue's officials or mine?
Feng and Wu: Haven't we made it obvious enough?
「So, such an outcome is the fault of these people's inaction, and even more so the emperor's fault. When the upper beam (the emperor) is not straight, how can the lower beams (the court officials) not be crooked?」
Just as the Crown Prince, Xie Zhiyan, turned the corner with his second, third, fifth, and sixth brothers, he heard Grand Tutor Yue criticizing his father. Xie Zhiyan couldn't help but rub his nose awkwardly.
Should he relay these words to his father upon returning to the palace, or should he relay them?
But if it were just the two of them, father and son, would his father take off his shoe and hit him with the sole?
Maybe it would be better to wait until they were in the Empress Dowager's palace? The elderly lady would certainly be curious about what a minister's wedding banquet outside the palace was like!
As for the fact that the Empress Dowager had seen such things in her youth, Xie Zhiyan automatically ignored that.
Decades had passed since that wedding banquet; couldn't there be some innovation?
His younger brothers behind him, who had originally been walking with measured, dignified steps exuding imperial majesty, heard Yue Fuguang's voice even before seeing her. Like Sichuan opera face-changing, their auras instantly retracted.
They hunched their shoulders, lowered their heads, and tried to minimize their presence. As for the Grand Tutor saying their father was an unstraight upper beam or whatever, what did it matter?
Which day did these two ancestors not scold their father a couple of times? Did you see their father dare to make a sound?
If the old man didn't dare, they, as sons, naturally had to be even more obedient!
Xie Zhiyan put on a genuine smile and walked towards Yue Fuguang. The princes automatically and spontaneously found seats nearby.
Sitting with the Grand Tutor? Besides their Crown Prince elder brother, none of the others had that courage.
Yue Fuguang was gazing towards the main hall, where an enormous double-happiness character was embroidered with gold thread on red satin. On either side hung the couplet personally inscribed by Emperor Mingxi after court that day: "Jade Hall, a pair of jades united; Precious Tree, ten thousand branches flourishing."
The air was filled with the fragrance of wine, food, and the incense from the fine clothes of several hundred guests.
Yue Fuguang nodded inwardly. In Dayan, not only did women enjoy wearing and making incense, but men also favored scenting their clothes, considering it an elegant practice.
Her perfumes would definitely be hugely popular in the future. These were all her potential customers.
The auspicious hour had not yet arrived. All the guests were chatting and laughing in low voices, but their gazes involuntarily flowed towards the end of the corridor paved with red felt.
Looking out, Yue Fuguang saw a sea of dark heads; the place had filled up quite quickly in this short while.
[Master, look at that table in the eastern corner, the one with the scholars' robes. They're all Bao Zihui's classmates.]
"Little Pearl, what's so interesting about his classmates?"
