Chapter 756 - 758: Xiaosi Wants to Leave Home
"Obey heaven and receive the blessings, the Emperor decrees, Jiang Yichun is rewarded for his meritorious service in eradicating bandits, and for his loyalty towards the emperor, he is made a Lang General of Jinwu Guards. His wife is virtuous and upright and has rendered meritorious service by offering a strategy to the Imperial Medical Bureau. She is therefore granted the rank of a fifth-rank official. Accept this!" The eunuch finished reading the Holy Edict in his sly voice. After Jiang Yichun accepted the decree, Bai Ruozhu quickly had Xiaosi present the eunuch with a purse.
The eunuch left satisfied, but Bai Ruozhu’s face fell.
"Does this mean you have to stay in Capital City?" Bai Ruozhu asked.
Jiang Yichun cleared his throat and pulled Bai Ruozhu into the room, saying, "I’ll ask the Emperor later to transfer me to Beiyu City."
Bai Ruozhu let out a sigh of relief, her expression was not as grave, she thought for a moment, then said: "In any case, I can only stay for another month at most. If you can’t return, I’ll take the child back by myself. Our family is still waiting for me at home."
Jiang Yichun quickly hugged her waist, saying, "I understand, I will persuade the Emperor as soon as possible."
"Is the Lang General of Jinwu Guards a fifth-rank position?" Bai Ruozhu asked.
Jiang Yichun nodded, "Yes."
Bai Ruozhu also nodded, as expected, her decree of appointment could not surpass his.
"I didn’t expect the Emperor to mention my contribution to the strategy. Isn’t he afraid that people will find out that the suturing technique was suggested by me?" Bai Ruozhu raised an eyebrow and asked.
"The Imperial Medical Bureau has a record that you have contributed a beauty treatment formula, which was greatly appreciated by the Empress Dowager. This has already succeeded in deceiving people. You were directly rewarded by the Holy Edict and you are a meritorious person. Even the Department of Administrative Regulations cannot charge you with the crime at will," Jiang Yichun said, squinting his eyes.
"What if your master discovers that incident and kills you?" Bai Ruozhu asked, staring into his eyes.
"What I owe to my master is to him alone, it doesn’t mean that I owe anything to Wu Wanqing. She has repeatedly harmed our family of three. Even according to the law, she should be beheaded. I’ve done nothing wrong. Even if my master knows about it and wants to settle the account with me, I won’t sit and wait for death," Jiang Yichun said seriously.
Bai Ruozhu smiled at him, "It’s good that you’re not stubborn."
In the afternoon, the palace issued another order from the Empress Dowager, summoning Bai Ruozhu for a visit.
After receiving the order, Bai Ruozhu followed the eunuch leading the way into the palace. Knowing that the Empress Dowager was on their side, Jiang Yichun was not worried and stayed at home with the child.
Although Dengdeng was healthy now, his face had red rashes, which were really distressing. Moreover, Dengdeng was in this condition because of him, so Jiang Yichun felt very guilty towards his son and wanted to hold him all the time.
Bai Ruozhu went to the Cining Palace to see the Empress Dowager and sure enough, the Empress Dowager asked her about the preparations for the Birthday Banquet.
"Your Majesty, if it’s in the form of a buffet, I suggest setting up a stage on the lake for performances. Of course, safety should be given much attention. The seating arrangements for the banquet will remain as in the past, but buffet stands will be set up around for guests to self-serve," Bai Ruozhu slowly suggested.
"This way, the guests can freely choose their meals, converse, and watch performances on the stage. It would be more interesting. We can arrange ordinary performances on the stage, and if the ladies of the palace want to perform, they can do so in the middle of the banquet seats, making it convenient for Your Majesty to watch up close."
The Empress Dowager laughed, "You seem to be considering the feelings of the ladies in the palace."
Bai Ruozhu couldn’t help but laugh, "This also allows you to enjoy the beauty."
"Your idea about the stage is good, the lake in the Imperial Garden is not deep, and safety won’t be a problem. I am just not sure if the scene will be too chaotic," the Empress Dowager said with some concern.
"I’m afraid that guests might be too restrained to move around when they see that you and the Emperor are present. So, I’m planning to arrange for some palace maids to serve meals to some guests at regular intervals," Bai Ruozhu suggested.
The Empress Dowager burst into laughter, saying: "You haven’t been to the palace much. If you had attended the banquets in the palace, you’d know that our Danliang Country does not adhere to many conventions. The ministers and their wives often give me a headache. The last time, two of them actually fought over who would perform first and it was a sight."
"What?" Bai Ruozhu was stunned. In all the historic dramas and novels she had seen in her previous life, she had never come across such a relaxed dynasty. Danliang Country was really extraordinary.
"Then, let everyone perform on the stage. This way, Your Majesty can get some peace and quiet," Bai Ruozhu suggested.
"That’s why I said your idea of setting up a stage is good. We will do it this way," the Empress Dowager said happily, and then took a red agate bracelet from her hand to reward Bai Ruozhu. "Your skin is fair. You will definitely look good with this red agate bracelet."
Bai Ruozhu graciously thanked the Empress Dowager and put on the bracelet that she had granted. The Empress Dowager was pleased seeing Bai Ruozhu acting in such a straightforward manner.
When Bai Ruozhu left the palace and returned home, she discussed with Jiang Yichun. They definitely needed to send gifts for the Empress Dowager’s birthday. What should they give?
"I’ll have someone collect some treasures from the Western regions," Jiang Yichun suggested after some thought.
Bai Ruozhu couldn’t help but twitch her lips. She thought of her pocket watch which she hardly dared to wear on a regular basis. That was a Western artifact, which Jiang Yichun had to borrow money to buy.
"No matter how valuable, it can’t compare with the treasures in the palace. Let’s focus on the intentions. I’ll make a bed curtain for the Empress Dowager," Bai Ruozhu suggested after some thought.
Jiang Yichun agreed, but feeling somewhat distressed, he gently held her hand and said, "It’s going to be hard work for you."
"It’s okay, I have Xiaomei to help," Bai Ruozhu replied with a smile.
...
In Beiyu City, Xiaosi stood in the main house, saying to Bai Yihong and Lin Ping’er, "Father, mother, I have accepted a master today. He’s an elder of the Huashan Sect. He says that I have potential for martial arts and wants to take me back to the sect to train."
"What?" Bai Yihong jumped straight up. He was the one most opposed to Xiaosi learning martial arts.
Lin Ping’er also began to worry, "Why didn’t you mention it before? What is the name of the Huashan Sect elder? Can we trust him?"
"He is indeed an elder of the Huashan Sect, his Taoist title is Xuan Jizi, he carries the token of the Huashan Sect, and he is a kind elder," said Xiaosi with a proud look. Clearly, he deeply admired the master he was talking about.
"But you can’t just follow someone to learn martial arts, aren’t you going to study anymore? How will you explain to your sister?" Bai Yihong asked angrily.
Xiaosi lowered his head, suddenly knelt on the ground and said, "Father, mother, I know I am unfilial. Once my training is completed, I will definitely return to fulfill my filial duties. I’ve already sent a letter to Sister Ruozhu, sent by the Commerce Association to the capital. She once said that she would respect my choice."
Bai Yihong was so furious that he jumped up, "Your sister meant she would respect your choice once you got older and wanted to learn martial arts. But you’re only 7 years old! You haven’t even finished your studies, and you’re jumping into martial arts. What will you do in the future? Do you want to be an illiterate martial artist?"