In the court, Grand Preceptor Wei was momentarily taken aback. He had not expected that what Li Tianyou was about to say would involve donating grain to the imperial court. He had received no wind of this beforehand.
Recalling Grand Preceptor Cheng’s attitude earlier, Grand Preceptor Wei shot a resentful look at that scheming old man.
No wonder, he thought, that the man had been so quiet just now—he had been lying in wait for this moment.
Thinking of his own words earlier, Grand Preceptor Wei’s expression soured. He wondered what the emperor must think of him now.
With that in mind, he glared at Grand Preceptor Cheng.
“I never imagined that the humble Yao family could be so righteous. I have wronged Lord Li just now,” Grand Preceptor Wei said somewhat awkwardly.
“Grand Preceptor Wei was only acting in the court’s best interests,” He Nanqin added, equally uncomfortable.
Inwardly, He Nanqin was troubled. He feared the emperor might truly grant an official post to the Yao family.
The thought left him in a difficult position.
Zhu Jingchen merely glanced at the two men and said nothing.
Eunuch Liu personally went to the palace gates to escort Yao Qisheng into the palace.
“Greetings, Eunuch Liu!” Yao Qisheng said nervously as he bowed.
“Greetings, Master Yao,” Eunuch Liu replied with a smile.
Though Eunuch Liu’s manner was gentle and his face bore a smile, Yao Qisheng had never set foot in the palace before, nor had he ever met Eunuch Liu.
Little did he know that this very eunuch was the emperor’s personal attendant.
In the capital, countless people sought to curry favor with Eunuch Liu.
And there were few indeed to whom Eunuch Liu would show such a cordial face.
Eunuch Liu kept a steady stream of cheerful chatter with Yao Qisheng as they walked.
Of course, Eunuch Liu had no need to flatter a mere merchant. The reason he acted this way was solely out of respect for Xu Heming and Li Tianyou.
Moreover, since this man was willing to donate two hundred thousand catties of grain, Eunuch Liu felt he deserved at least that much courtesy.
All along the way, Yao Qisheng remained extremely tense.
“No need to be nervous, Master Yao,” Eunuch Liu said with a reassuring smile.
“You must forgive me, Eunuch. It’s just that I’ve never seen His Majesty before, and I don’t even know what his sacred countenance looks like,” Yao Qisheng said awkwardly.
“Haha, Master Yao, you really are amusing,” Eunuch Liu laughed.
“Rest assured, Master Yao. Our current emperor is the most benevolent of sovereigns. Also, when you meet him, do not call him an ‘old man.’ His Majesty is only a few years older than Prince An,” Eunuch Liu added, covering his mouth with a chuckle. He thought to himself: Li Tianyou, if you were going to bring someone to court, why didn’t you at least tell him that the emperor is still young in years?
“I have misspoken, misspoken,” Yao Qisheng quickly said.
By the time he reached the Golden Throne Hall, the courtiers had already finished their quarreling.
“Your Majesty, Yao Qisheng has arrived,” Eunuch Liu said softly, stepping close to Zhu Jingchen.
“Mm, summon him in,” Zhu Jingchen said, greatly pleased.
At that moment, Li Tianyou puffed out his chest with pride.
Those who had looked down on him earlier now squirmed in discomfort.
At the same time, a twinge of envy gnawed at them.
Why didn’t they have such a capable brother-in-law?
After all, two hundred thousand catties of grain was no small amount.
“Summon Yao Qisheng to appear before the throne!”
At the shrill call of the lesser eunuch, Yao Qisheng’s heart swelled with emotion. He had never dreamed that one day he would enter the palace to meet the emperor.
This was a tale he could tell for generations.
“Your humble subject Yao Qisheng, prostrating myself before Your Majesty! May you live ten thousand years, ten thousand years, ten thousand times ten thousand years!” Yao Qisheng kowtowed deeply before the emperor above.
He lay prone on the ground, not daring to lift his head to glimpse the sacred face.
“Yao Qisheng, rise,” Zhu Jingchen said, in good spirits as he looked at the man showing such deference.
He called him by his full name and bade him rise.
For a moment, Yao Qisheng did not react.
“Brother, won’t you thank His Majesty quickly?” Li Tianyou prompted softly from the side.
“Thank you for Your Majesty’s boundless grace!”
Only then did Yao Qisheng come to his senses and kowtow once more.
Seeing this, the courtiers could not help but laugh.
“Brother, rise now,” Li Tianyou said without annoyance, stepping forward to help Yao Qisheng to his feet.
He understood such a feeling well, having been in the same position once himself.
He saw no shame in it.
After all, his brother-in-law’s donation of two hundred thousand catties of grain would save countless commoners in the Kingdom of Lannuo.
In this regard, many in the court could not claim the same.
“Is this so amusing?” Zhu Jingchen’s face darkened. These courtiers shirked responsibility when real matters arose.
Yet they had the audacity to mock others over trivial mistakes.
The courtiers immediately stifled their laughter, lowering their heads furtively.
Each prayed silently that the emperor had not seen them laughing.
“All of you live in the capital, well-fed and well-clothed. Do you have any idea how many people in our Kingdom of Lannuo go hungry every day?” Zhu Jingchen demanded, glaring sternly at the courtiers below.
Yao Qisheng grew nervous. He did not understand why the emperor’s temper had flared so suddenly.
Could it be that he had done something wrong?
Li Tianyou shook his head at Yao Qisheng.
“Your Majesty, this humble official admits guilt. Earlier, I should not have mocked Master Yao.” A military official stepped forward, speaking with utmost sincerity.
“Your Majesty, this humble official also admits guilt. Earlier, I should not have laughed at Master Yao.”
Following the lead of that military official, several other officials promptly stepped forward to confess their faults. Seeing everyone else coming forward, the remaining officials hurriedly joined in, fearing that if they were late, the Emperor might hold them accountable.
“Yao Qisheng, I hear you are willing to donate two hundred thousand catties of grain to the imperial court?” Zhu Jingchen ignored those courtiers and instead turned to Yao Qisheng with a gentle expression, asking.
“In reply to Your Majesty, this commoner runs a grain business in Qujing. On my journey to the capital, I encountered many starving refugees and thought to contribute my share to save the people of Lanuo Kingdom from their suffering.” Yao Qisheng repeated the words he had previously arranged with Xu Heming and Li Tianyou.
“On behalf of all the people under heaven, I thank you for your sincere devotion. Lanuo Kingdom is blessed to have men like you.” Zhu Jingchen looked at Yao Qisheng and Li Tianyou as he spoke.
“Now, Yao Qisheng, what reward do you seek?” Zhu Jingchen asked, fixing his gaze on Yao Qisheng.
“In reply to Your Majesty, this commoner desires no reward. This is merely a small token of our family’s goodwill, and I dare not trouble Your Majesty with a bestowal.” Although Yao Qisheng wished for his son to enter the Imperial Academy, he knew better than to raise the request.
“Oh?” Zhu Jingchen was quite surprised to hear this.
“What does Prince An think?” Zhu Jingchen then turned his gaze back to Xu Heming.
He had originally expected Li Tianyou to impeach Xu Heming for mistreating his daughter, but the entertaining scene he anticipated never materialized. Instead, he witnessed the close bond between father-in-law and son-in-law.
They were clearly trying to boost the Yao family’s standing—do not think he failed to see it. Otherwise, why would the Yao family choose this moment to donate grain?
Zhu Jingchen did not quite believe that the Yao family truly wanted nothing in return. However, he was happy to see this matter unfold and was willing to grant them some favors.
Chapter 521
7 min read