Chapter 160 I Want to Wear Brocade

Chapter 160 I Want to Wear Brocade

Meng Qing breathed a sigh of relief. She picked up the bowl and tilted it towards him. Du Min, seeing this, quickly picked up his bowl, lowering his wrist so that the rim of his bowl almost touched the bottom of hers.

“I respect my second sister-in-law,” Du Min said sincerely.

Meng Qing smiled slightly, tilted her head back and took a few big gulps of the herbal tea. The slightly bitter tea went down her throat, and gradually a sweet taste appeared on her tongue.

"Delicious." Du Min finished the bowl of herbal tea in one gulp, but it couldn't quell his excitement. His heart was pounding, and a ball of energy was surging around in his chest, which he couldn't expel or suppress. He walked around the pavilion a few times, and finally let himself laugh out loud.

The geese that were resting in the pit were startled and started squawking loudly.

Aunt Li's two grandsons ran to the front yard to check on the situation.

A little while later, Aunt Li came over carrying Wangchuan. "Wife, the young master is hungry."

Meng Qing stepped down from the pavilion and said, "Sit here a little longer, I'll come back later."

“Okay.” Du Min nodded; he needed to be alone to calm down.

Meng Qing took the baby back to the side courtyard to breastfeed. After a short while, she handed the fed baby to Aunt Li and returned to the front courtyard.

Du Min found two sprigs of purslane from somewhere. He squatted by the lake and fed the purslane leaves to the geese. Hearing footsteps, he turned around, threw the rest of the purslane to the geese, and got up to walk into the pavilion.

"Second Sister-in-law, I've made up my mind. Tomorrow I'll submit a memorial to the Ministry of Personnel, informing them in advance that I'll be returning to the capital this winter for a performance review, and at the same time, recommending Magistrate Sun for the position of Magistrate of Heqing County. Magistrate Sun is shrewd and capable, and most importantly, he's shrewd and knows what he can and cannot do. I trust him with the task of managing Heqing County," Du Min said. "Most importantly, he has no powerful connections; I practically promoted him myself, so he'll be one of my men in the future."

Meng Qing didn't interfere in these matters, saying, "You decide for yourself."

“The affairs of Heqing County have been taken over, so I don’t need to worry about them anymore. Next, I need to deal with matters at higher levels. First, I don’t know the situation in Huai Prefecture. Who is the Prefect, and which family does the Governor come from? However, these things like finding out connections and getting in touch aren’t urgent. I can find out through my father-in-law, Governor Zheng, and Minister Zheng. The most crucial thing is with Minister Zheng. I can’t hide the news of my promotion to Chief Administrator of Huai Prefecture from him, nor can I hide it from him. I need to tell him in advance. Not only do I need to inform him, but I also need to make him understand that I am not doing this voluntarily, but rather very unwillingly. Second sister-in-law, should I tell him about your scheme at this time? Only in this way can we prove that I truly have no interest in the position of Chief Administrator of Huai Prefecture,” Du Min said methodically.

“That’s what I was thinking too.” Meng Qing nodded. “We had previously agreed to wait a year or two until the dike was completed before pursuing this matter. Now that we don’t have to wait for you, the plan doesn’t need to be postponed any longer. I need to make more money this year. The more profitable the twenty-odd free schools are, the better. I have two ways to open up sales channels, but Ezhou and Jingzhou are too far from Luoyang, and I can’t exert my efforts there, nor do I have anyone available. Minister Zheng is different. He not only has people available, but he also has a powerful family behind him. I’ve revealed this plan to him beforehand, and he can put in the effort. The accounts of the free schools at the end of the year will definitely look very good.”

"Should I write a letter now?" Du Min asked.

Meng Qing nodded, "If you write one, I should write one too."

Du Min glanced at her and asked, "Should we talk to my father-in-law about this?"

"Of course, the timing has changed, so his actions should be brought forward as well. I don't know if he wants to go to the Ministry of Personnel or the Ministry of Rites. If he wants to get on this train, he needs to find a way now and get the transfer order before the money arrives in Chang'an. Once this matter becomes public knowledge in the court, he won't be able to get any good positions in the Ministry of Rites or the Ministry of Personnel," Meng Qing said.

“I haven’t gotten anything from him yet, but he’s already reaping the benefits from me.” Du Min felt a little uneasy. “You’re really generous.”

“If your father-in-law can get close to the emperor, you’ll have your share of benefits.” Meng Qing chuckled. “Think long-term. Your relationship with him is much stronger than your relationship with Minister Zheng. Without Minister Zheng, your father-in-law is your backer. You’d better use Minister Zheng’s pity and affection for you to help your father-in-law and push him to the position he wants.”

"Yes, I understand." Du Min reluctantly agreed. "Second Sister-in-law, come with me to Luoyang in a couple of days. Say these words to him again, so he will feel indebted to you. By the way, Second Sister-in-law, what do you want? What benefits do you hope to gain from this matter?"

"I want to wear brocade clothes." Meng Qing looked down at her clothes. With the money she had earned, she had replaced all the family's clothes with linen. Today, she was wearing a dark blue dress with white trim. Most of her clothes throughout the year were this color, with the rest being black and white.

“I want to wear red, purple, and green; I want to wear clothes made of satin; I want to wear pearl and gold hairpins in my hair,” Meng Qing added. “If I don’t dress up, I’ll get old.”

Du Min was not surprised. Merchants were obsessed with entering officialdom. Women, unable to enter officialdom, longed for the same treatment as scholars, hoping their descendants could study, enter officialdom, live in big houses, ride big horses, sit in big sedan chairs, wear brocade clothes and gold hairpins.

"It's difficult in some ways, but not difficult in others. It mainly depends on whether the Emperor is willing to grant a special favor. Women who can wear scarlet and purple robes are either imperial concubines or second-rank ladies. For commoners without rank to wear brocade and fine clothes, this requires a special favor from the Emperor. If the Emperor agrees, you will be the number one person in the Tang Dynasty," Du Min said. He pondered for a while and said, "It would be great if the Emperor would grant you a title."

"Do you think it's possible?" Meng Qing's heart was restless.

Du Min was unclear about the situation; he knew nothing about the people and events within the imperial city and dared not make any judgments without any basis.

“In three to five years, Qingniao Paper Craft Schools will be all over the Tang Dynasty. They can bring the court millions of strings of cash in profit and provide employment for thousands of unofficial scholars. When that day comes, if someone with influence can petition for your official appointment, it should be feasible.” Du Min said thoughtfully, “Second sister-in-law, once I have earned the Emperor’s favor through my own abilities and my words carry weight, I will petition for your official appointment.”

Meng Qing smiled slightly, "Okay."

However, she did not place her hopes on him for the time being; Yin Mingfu was more suitable than Du Min.

"Second sister-in-law, is there anything else?" Du Min asked. "If there's nothing else, I'll go back to the government office to write an official document."

Meng Qing shook her head. "Go ahead."

Du Min strode down from the pavilion, and the four geese honked a few times, but this time they didn't chase after him and shoo him away.

Not long after Du Min left, Du Li returned, carrying the scent of earth and the fresh fragrance of rice seedlings. When he rolled up his pants to wash his legs, there were still bloodstains from rice leaves on them.

Meng Qing sat in the pavilion, her gaze following his movements. When he walked into the pavilion, wiping the water droplets from his arms, she asked, "Going to the fields?"

"Yes, the rice paddies were overgrown with weeds, so I went down and pulled them out." Du Li saw two bowls on the table, picked up the bowl in front of Meng Qing, and drank the rest of the cold tea. "Third brother's here?"

“You guessed right away.” Meng Qing nodded. “We told him to come in the afternoon, and he came in the morning, unable to wait any longer. He just left a little while ago.”

"It seems I've convinced him. Let me guess, he came in a hurry and he's also eager to leave," Du Li said. "If he's not happy, he'll stay here for lunch."

Meng Qing chuckled a few times, "You really know him well. Now guess how I convinced him?"

"I can't guess, and I won't guess." Du Li shook his head, glanced at the sky, and said, "It's getting late, I'm going to cook."

"Don't you want to know?" Meng Qing asked.

"Whether you listen or not is fine. These things are quite tiring, and it's exhausting for you to repeat them again. Let's just not talk about it." Du Li didn't care much. "When I was working in the rice paddies, I suddenly had a craving for eel. Do you want some? If you do, let's go to the fish market."

“Let’s go.” Meng Qing stood up. “I’ll go tell Aunt Li that she’s looking after the children, so she doesn’t need to prepare lunch. If we come back late, we can buy groceries from the restaurant.”

Upon hearing this, Du Li went to the backyard to run errands and inform his family, while also taking a look at his youngest son.

The couple carried an empty bucket, went out hand in hand, strolled around the fish market, bought some eels, and on their way back, they went to a restaurant near Xingjiaofang to get some dishes. When they got home, Meng's parents had already returned, and the old couple surrounded Wangchuan, trying to make him laugh.

"Look, who's back." Meng's mother held Wangchuan and made him face the door.

Wangchuan smiled as soon as he saw his parents.

Meng Qing made two quick "dede" sounds at him, then took the dishes and went around to the kitchen.

"We'll eat the eel tonight, let's have lunch first," Du Li said as she followed them inside. "Mom and Dad are probably hungry."

"Oh! Wangzhou is here too!" Meng's father called from outside.

Meng Qing and Du Li went out upon hearing the noise and saw Wang Zhou surrounded by his goose friends, with the veil on his head about to be torn off by the geese.

"Go away, go away, don't block the way." Wang Zhou lifted the hat flap upwards as if she were lifting a skirt.

Mencius' father took away his veil, and Wang Zhou pushed aside the geese and rushed into the hall to get rid of them.

"Why are you here too?" Meng Qing asked. "When you eat at the government office, you can get a good night's sleep afterward. But when you come here to eat, you can't get a good night's sleep."

“My third aunt’s parents and eldest brother came. They were having a great time together, and after thinking about it, I decided it was best not to disturb them,” Wang Zhou said. “I told my third uncle and then came over.”

Upon hearing this, Meng Qing knew that Yin Mingfu had probably come because of Du Min's promotion, and that Du Min would likely send someone to invite her over in the afternoon.

As she expected, Meng Qing had just finished eating when a yamen runner came to deliver a message: "Madam Meng, the magistrate sent me to tell you that Magistrate Yin has arrived. There will be a family banquet at the government office tonight, so please go home early."

Meng Qing said she understood, and she and Du Li went back to their room to rest for a while before returning to the government office with Wang Zhou.

Du Min and Yin Mingfu were talking in the study, while Madam Yin and Yin Caiwei were talking in the bedroom. When they heard the commotion, Du Min and Yin Caiwei came out.

"Second sister-in-law, please come in and sit down. My mother heard that you have taken good care of me and wants to thank you in person," Yin Caiwei said.

"We'll talk about personal matters later. Second sister-in-law, come to the study." Du Min pulled her away.

"I'll go to the study first," Meng Qing said to Yin Caiwei.

Yin Caiwei nodded, and then said to Du Li, "Second brother, my parents brought gifts for Wangzhou and Wangchuan. Please wait a moment, I'll give them to you."

Meng Qing entered the study. She could no longer hear what was being said outside. When she saw Yin Mingfu, she said in a friendly and casual tone, "Uncle Yin, you've come all this way in this sweltering heat for your son-in-law. Aren't you tired?"

Yin Mingfu laughed heartily, "I'm still tired. If I had known you could persuade him, I wouldn't have come all this way."

Meng Qing glanced at Du Min, then nodded and greeted Caiwei's older brother.

"When I received the letter, I was worried that he might do something rash, that he might be resentful. I was afraid that one letter wouldn't be enough to persuade him, so I arranged my official duties and came over with his mother-in-law and elder brother," Yin Mingfu explained. "When he accompanied Caiwei on her homecoming, he told me about your plan. I figured the Ministry of Rites wasn't a good place for him. The Lu family of Fanyang was concentrated in Chang'an, and since he had overthrown Prime Minister Lu, the entire Lu family was his enemy. Going there would be like throwing himself into a tiger's den. But then I considered that Minister Zheng was his backer, so perhaps it was worth a try. Just as I was hesitating, I received his letter. The position of Prefect of Huaizhou was a good place for him. The Prefect of Huaizhou was the son of Prime Minister Xu, and both father and son were loyal to the Empress Dowager. If Du Min went to the Prefect's office in Huaizhou, he wouldn't be suppressed by his superiors."

Meng Qing looked at Du Min, and as he had said, he didn't need to worry about finding out about the relationship.

“There’s just one thing: Prime Minister Xu is incredibly greedy and has a notorious reputation when it comes to money. He used the marriages of his two daughters to make money, which has always been despised by people. His son is no less so. I have to remind you that your plan needs to be brought forward. You need to hand over the accounts of the charity school before Du Min takes office,” Yin Mingfu said to Meng Qing.

“Du Min and I also have this plan. We were thinking of going to Luoyang in a couple of days to discuss it with you,” Meng Qing said. “Uncle Yin, do you want to join the Ministry of Rites or the Ministry of Personnel? I’ll use this opportunity to give you a push.”

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Author's Note: Only one update tonight.