Peasant Woman's Decreed Life as a Wife

Chapter 1043 - 1040: What Reward to Give

Chapter 1043: Chapter 1040: What Reward to Give

It seems he must devise a method to deter those in the capital who wish to do harm.

“Your servant obeys,” Chen Tianmin knew he could not afford to make a mistake with this matter, otherwise his fate would certainly be dire.

Emperor Xuanming then turned to the Minister of Personnel, Qi Shang, “Great Minister Qi, what reward do you think should be given to Chu Heng?”

Qi Shang thoughtfully pondered, knowing beforehand that the Emperor would surely ask this of him.

Every time an official assumed office, the Emperor would consult him for arrangements, but whether the Emperor heeded his counsel was another matter entirely; if his motives were too self-serving, the very next day the Emperor could disclose the nature of their relationship in court.

Forcing him to make enemies.

Having served as the Minister of Personnel for five or six years, Qi Shang had his own set of survival rules: when recommending someone, never exceed Emperor Xuanming’s limit, and always gauge the mood of others for his responses.

The Emperor’s mind was unfathomable, something that was fully embodied by Emperor Xuanming.

After a lengthy deliberation, Qi Shang hesitantly said, “Emperor, Lord Chu is currently managing the flood crisis in Yuzhou. He will likely become familiar with many aspects of the official circle there. However, his scholarship may still be lacking. Perhaps a promotion within the Hanlin Academy would be in order, so that upon his return to the capital, he could first gain experience at the Hanlin Academy?”

“Do you have any other suggestions?” The Emperor asked offhandedly.

“Emperor, the Hanlin Academy is, after all, a scholarly position without practical affairs. Perhaps Lord Chu could also gain experience in the Six Ministries. Lord Chu has a disposition for practical matters and can be put to great use,” Qi Shang replied.

“It seems there is a good relationship between Minister Qi and Minister Chu,” the Emperor said casually.

Qi Shang shuddered and quickly knelt down; he knew that the Emperor’s words were not a harbinger of anything good, for the sovereign above detested officials forming connections the most.

“Emperor, your humble official has only met Lord Chu once before, and we had no previous interactions.”

“Why fear if you’ve done nothing wrong? Alright, you may both leave,” the Emperor waved them off.

Upon these words from Emperor Xuanming, the dismissal of the two men was indeed final.

Qi Shang and Chen Tianmin left the great hall one after the other, both feeling somewhat dejected.

As such, neither spoke a word to the other and they left the palace separately.

At this moment, Emperor Xuanming dispatched the secret guards to investigate the Chu family.

Time flew by, and in the blink of an eye, it was the end of October.

The weather in October had already turned cold. Yuzhou was geographically more to the north and considerably colder than Jiangnan’s winters.

Ye Muyu had instructed the servants early on to refurbish the cotton padding, replacing it with new cotton, and to prepare a good supply of charcoal.

In anticipation of a heavy snowfall.

Shops in Yuzhou City had already begun selling dried noodles and sweet potato starch.

Madam Liu and Chu Zhiwen had returned to Nanchang County.

In the meantime, Ye Muyu had received several letters from Chu Heng, one every seven days, without interruption, simply stating what he did on a daily basis without mentioning anything superfluous.

Ye Muyu didn’t pry further and shared her own affairs in Yuzhou, including the matter of Lin Mianmian being rescued by King Qi.

Because of this.

Lin Mianmian had not left her home for a month.

King Qi had departed the day of the Mid-Autumn Festival banquet, having no further contact with the Lin family, causing Lin Mianmian to lose face completely.

If King Qi had been in touch with the Lin family because of Lin Mianmian, her status would naturally rise, but unfortunately, that was not the case, which became a stain on Lin Mianmian’s reputation.

Ye Muyu had no desire to interact with her and typically ignored her.

Ever since the last time Chu Jin learned to plan before acting, he was no longer merely the target of bullying at school but had become engaged in battles of wits and bravery.

Chu Jin had quickly matured, which even took Ye Muyu by surprise.

“My lady, Aunt Lin outside requests an audience,” said the servant.