Chapter 124
By the time Lady Jiang arrived at Funing Palace, Cui Sheng had already finished bustling about in the kitchen.
The meal had just been set out when Qian He arrived with Cui Su.
Qi An laughed. “I was wondering why Chief Attendant Qian was still nowhere to be seen. So you were waiting for Assistant Commander Cui.”
Cui Su beamed. “I’ve got a keen nose. Don’t think you can eat anything good behind my back.”
Grand Empress Dowager Chen beckoned him over. “This is your own sister’s home. Come whenever you like. If nothing there suits your taste, come here instead.”
Having spent his days among soldiers, Cui Su’s shamelessness had been honed until it was thicker than a city wall. “I won’t stand on ceremony with Your Majesty the Grand Empress Dowager. When the time comes, just have four dishes and eight bowls set out for me. I know you dote on me.”
Grand Empress Dowager Chen happened to like him exactly as he was. “Naturally. Aside from the Empress, you’re the one I dote on most.”
Cui Su cast a glance toward Cui Lanyin and said solemnly, “I’m well aware of my place. Once Her Majesty gives birth, we’ll all have to take a step back.”
Grand Empress Dowager Chen burst out laughing. “You sly little rascal. So that’s what you were waiting to say.”
After speaking with Grand Empress Dowager Chen, Cui Su went over to salute Xu Xian. “I have long admired the General’s reputation. Meeting you today is an honor.”
He had completely abandoned his earlier joking manner and was now respectful and perfectly proper.
When Cui Su entered, Xu Xian had immediately noticed the military robes he wore. Though Cui Sheng was somewhat unconventional, he still possessed the refined elegance of a scholar. As for Cui Mian, he was neither accomplished in martial pursuits nor distinguished in letters. The Cui family had long since let their archery and horsemanship fall into disuse, and with their daughter now the Empress, there was no need for the younger members of the family to pursue a military career.
But when Cui Su came closer, Xu Xian saw that he had broad shoulders and a narrow waist, with strength coiled in the muscles and bones of his arms. He was a tall, powerful young man, yet he walked without making a sound. He was clearly a martial artist as well. Though he was far from matching the Emperor, he was still a rare talent.
The Xu family had its own tradition of archery and horsemanship. Though Xu Xian had studied little martial arts himself, he knew how to recognize true skill. Once Cui Su came close enough, Xu Xian judged from the rhythm of his breathing that his martial arts came from the same lineage as the Emperor’s.
He was greatly astonished. The Emperor had actually devoted so much effort to training his brother-in-law. Thinking of Emperor Xuanning’s suppression and ruthlessness toward the Xu family, the contrast struck him all the more painfully.
The seating was not divided according to gender. Grand Empress Dowager Chen presided over one table, accompanied by the Emperor, Cui Lanyin, Cui Sheng, Lady Jiang, Cui Su, Consort Dowager Shu, and Dowager Concubine Wan.
Empress Dowager Xu presided over another table, with six members of the Xu family accompanying her.
Qian He, Qi An, Leping, Aunt Gao, Aunt Xia, and the others were divided by gender between two more tables.
Once seated, Xu Xian was overwhelmed with emotion. Even at the height of the Xu family’s glory twenty years ago, they would never have dared imagine that the entire family might one day gather around a table for a meal with Empress Dowager Xu.
Back then, only his elder brother’s wife, Sister-in-law He, had been allowed to enter the palace to visit Empress Dowager Xu. She was only occasionally kept to dine with her. Through Sister-in-law He, the Xu family had managed to exchange news and maintain contact with Empress Dowager Xu.
At Grand Empress Dowager Chen’s table, the Emperor said little, but he ate every dish Grand Empress Dowager Chen placed in his bowl.
In front of Cui Sheng and Lady Jiang, the Emperor was just like an ordinary family’s son-in-law. Whenever Cui Su came to Yanhua Palace, he would rise to welcome him. Now, while dining together, he let the other two pick up their food first and observed all the proper courtesies expected of a son-in-law.
The Empress was equally uninhibited in front of Grand Empress Dowager Chen. She managed everything in Funing Palace, and even had to keep an eye on how many pastries Grand Empress Dowager Chen ate. Anyone unaware of the truth would have thought the two of them were a biological grandmother and granddaughter.
Although Consort Dowager Shu and Dowager Concubine Wan were somewhat intimidated by the Emperor, that did not stop them from eating, chatting, and laughing. Dowager Concubine Wan had not exaggerated at all—at the rate she was eating, she would indeed need several digestive pills later.
The Imperial Father-in-Law, who loved cooking; the Imperial Uncle, who followed the aroma into the palace whenever he was hungry in search of a meal—
When the masters ate, the servants also opened another table and dined together.
The imperial family seemed even more close-knit than a harmonious family outside the palace.
Xu Xian could see that the person who had brought them all together was the Empress. Though she possessed a delicate and discerning heart, she treated everyone with complete sincerity. From Grand Empress Dowager Chen, to her elder sister, Consort Dowager Shu, and Dowager Concubine Wan, to Qian He, Qi An, and Leping below them, all trusted and protected her from the bottom of their hearts.
But without the Emperor’s tolerance and tacit approval, how could this have continued until now?
He allowed people to form a united force around the very bedchamber where he slept, yet neither suspected nor guarded against them. Surely there could be no other Emperor like him. Judging from the small to understand the great, Xu Xian believed that the Emperor must also possess an extraordinary breadth of mind in matters concerning his ministers and the state.
When the family was harmonious, everything flourished. In the Emperor’s household, the Emperor and Empress were of one mind, while the elders were respected and the young cherished. This was an omen of revival and prosperity.
Xu Xian had always loved good food. He had sampled nearly every renowned restaurant and tavern in Yancheng and along the Shanxi frontier. Yet after tasting Cui Sheng’s cooking, he knew that none of them could compare.
Seeing the people at the other tables devour their food as though swept up in a storm, the Xu family also abandoned their restraint and ate heartily. The portions had been enormous, but by the end, Xu Gu and Xu Yi had even mixed the remaining sauce into their rice and polished it off.
Cui Sheng was still worried they had not eaten enough. “Shall I have a few more dishes prepared?”
Xu Gu and Xu Yi pointed to their throats. “We’re full up to here. We couldn’t manage another bite. Earl Cui’s cooking is truly unparalleled.”
“There’s no need to be so formal. By seniority, you should be calling me ‘Uncle,’” Cui Su said as he came over. He casually draped an arm around each of their shoulders. “Whenever you get a craving, come to my house. You can order whatever you like from my father too.”
Xu Gu and Xu Yi were initially somewhat stiff. Cui Su was not only the Imperial Uncle but also a fourth-rank Assistant Commander. How could two rough young men from the north presume to befriend someone of his standing?
Cui Su enthusiastically invited them. “You both look as though you’ve had some training. Pick a day, and I’ll take you hunting on Qingyun Mountain.”
Empress Dowager Xu said to Xu Gu and Xu Yi, “Liyan is sincere and straightforward with people. Wherever he takes you, I’ll feel at ease.”
The two brothers were also openhearted men who enjoyed making friends, so they readily agreed.
Cui Sheng and Xu Xian were both thirty-eight. Cui Sheng’s birthday was two months earlier, so by seniority Cui Su had just gained an elder generation. Cui Sheng smiled at Xu Xian. “Then I’ll take the liberty of calling you my junior.”
Xu Xian returned his smile, cupped his hands, and called out, “Brother Cui.”
Lady Jiang also made arrangements with Lady Liang. “Don’t stay cooped up at home all the time. Whenever you’re free, bring Ning and Zhen over to my house to look through clothing patterns. We have delicious pastries too.”
Lady Liang readily agreed.
After the meal, they gathered around and chatted, and before long the afternoon rest period had passed.
The Emperor resignedly rose to his feet and said to Cui Lanyin, “I have to go back to work.”
“Go on,” Cui Lanyin said, waving him off.
“Rise with the sun and work; set with the sun and rest. It never ends,” the Emperor continued to recite at her.
“Aren’t farm oxen all like that?” Cui Lanyin teased. Noticing that his robes were wrinkled, she pulled him over and smoothed the front of his collar and the hem of his robe.
“They’ll just be wrinkled again in a little while,” the Emperor said, entirely unconcerned.
“Not while you’re in front of me.” Cui Lanyin turned him around, straightened the back of his robes as well, and only then let him go.
It was rare to see the Emperor so thoroughly managed that he could not talk back. Grand Empress Dowager Chen and the others watched with suppressed laughter, thoroughly delighted.
The Emperor did not mind in the least. With his hands clasped behind his back, he led Qian He and the other two men outside.
No one saw him off. They simply let the Emperor leave like that?
After Xu Xian recovered from his astonishment, he hurried after him for two steps and called out, “Your Majesty.”
The Emperor turned around with little energy. “Does Lord Xu have something to say?”
Xu Xian bowed deeply and said, "Your Majesty, I am willing to act on your behalf for the matter you have mentioned."
The Emperor lifted his hand in a swift, rising gesture, and a powerful internal energy halted Xu Xian mid-bow, making it impossible for him to lower his body any further. His heart filled with shock, for he realized the Emperor's martial arts skill was far deeper and more unfathomable than he had ever imagined.
The Emperor looked straight at him and promised, "Lord Xu, if you do not fail me, I will treat you with complete sincerity."
Xu Xian responded solemnly, "Your subject trusts Your Majesty."
The Emperor tossed out one more line, "Come see me tomorrow," before turning and walking out of the Funing Palace.
In the evening, when the Emperor returned to his inner quarters, Cui Lanyin watched as he changed into his casual robes, and only then allowed him to take a seat.
The Emperor opened his arms to her, and Cui Lanyin laughed as she nestled into his embrace, hooking her fingers around the lapel of his robe. "I cooperated so perfectly earlier. What good reward will my cousin-uncle give me?"
"Every part of me, from head to toe, belongs to you. You can do whatever you wish with me," the Emperor said.
Cui Lanyin poked his chest lightly. "Be serious."
The Emperor traced patterns gently over her rounded belly. "What exactly did you figure out back there?"
"I know you better than that," Cui Lanyin said, rolling her eyes at him. "Since you summoned someone back to the palace, you never had any intention of letting them leave. Yet you pretended to be generous, saying they could come and go as they pleased, waiting for them to ask to stay on their own. You get all the credit for being kind, and anyone foolish enough to believe you will end up completely in your palm."
The Emperor let out a low, amused laugh and admitted, "My Empress knows me so well." He took her hand and stroked it against his own face. "Then why did you choose to cooperate with me? Aren't you afraid of being disloyal to Empress Dowager Xu?"
Cui Lanyin cupped his face in her hands, saying earnestly, "Even though you are deep and resourceful, you would never stoop to the trick of discarding loyal servants once they have served their purpose. As long as your subjects fulfill their duties, you will always stand behind them and support them."
The Emperor held her even tighter in his embrace. "To have such a wife as you, what more could a husband ever ask for?"
The next day, the Emperor summoned all the senior officials from various government departments to the West Pavilion of the Yanhua Palace, and had Xu Xian, who had arrived a step earlier, meet with all the ministers.
You Buyan made the official announcement: the Five Armies Chief Military Commission would be reorganized into the Grand Chief Military Commission, with Xu Xian appointed as its Left Chief Military Commissioner. The post of Right Chief Military Commissioner would be left vacant for the time being. The Grand Chief Military Commissioner would take command of all the commanding officer's departments across the Great Ying Dynasty, and its official rank would be the same as that of the Minister of various departments and the Left and Right Chief Censors, all at the standard of the second rank.
Powers including unified military command, assessment of military officers, submission of requests for their promotion and transfer, administration of military household registrations and military farmlands, as well as the rotation of border troops, were all assigned to the Grand Chief Military Commission.
The Ministry of War, on the other hand, would be responsible for the selection and appointment of military officers, the issuance of military orders, the management of military supplies and rations, as well as the administration of the military imperial examinations and performance evaluations.
This brought an end to the situation that had started during the reign of Emperor Xuanning, where all military power had been entirely held by the Ministry of War.
Chief Minister Li had not yet stepped down from his concurrent post as Minister of War, but he had been feigning illness and staying away from court for a long time. During this period, the Left and Right Vice Ministers of War had been running all the affairs of the ministry.
With the top official of the Ministry of War absent, and the Emperor issuing such a forceful decree, plus the fates of Grand Secretaries Han and Yang and Wan Shan serving as a clear warning, the two Vice Ministers of War exchanged glances, and neither of them stepped forward to raise any objection.
The senior court officials who had personally witnessed Xu Xian's bravery in battle were all brimming with excitement. Now that this fierce and capable general had returned, the looming threats on the northern border could surely be resolved.
After the Emperor reorganized the Grand Chief Military Commission and granted it power that could now stand equal to the Ministry of War, Cui Mian was so overjoyed that he felt lightheaded, thinking that his years of waiting had finally paid off.
He had served as the Military Commissioner-concurrent of the Five Armies Chief Military Commission for many years, putting in long years of toil even if he had no remarkable achievements to show for it. What was more, he was the Empress's own cousin-uncle, so he was convinced that the Emperor would surely keep him in an important post.
But his joy lasted no more than a quarter of an hour. The Emperor then issued an order that all key positions in the Grand Chief Military Commission must be filled by military officers who had proven their worth in real battles, and it was better to leave the posts vacant than to fill them with unqualified people.
He went a step further to stipulate that all officials holding nominal, empty posts must either return to their homes, or accept a demotion in rank and be reassigned to a suitable substantive position. There were only these two options, no third path was offered.
Later, after Xu Xian conducted a detailed assessment, he learned that Cui Mian had been in charge of verifying the military household registration yellow books in the Five Armies Chief Military Commission all these years, and had managed the work in an orderly and capable manner. So Xu Xian asked Cui Mian if he would be willing to stay and take up the post of Administrative Manager.
The post of Administrative Manager was of the fifth rank, a huge drop from the post of Military Commissioner-concurrent which was of the third rank. But Cui Mian did not want to retire and return home just like that, so he steeled his resolve and accepted the position of Administrative Manager.
He returned home dejected and dispirited, but unexpectedly, when Cui Sheng and Cui Fang heard the news, they both came to congratulate him together.
Here you are [kiss emoji]
