As soon as Shen Shuren saw his father, he wanted to talk more about Lijin's reform layout.
But his parents were obviously not as diligent as him, and they felt sorry for him who had been traveling for a year and suffered so much, so they asked him to rest and recuperate for a few days before discussing national affairs after the New Year.
Chen Shuren was sent to take a few maids with him to take a bath to relieve his fatigue and take a good soak. After he felt refreshed and washed away the fatigue of the journey, the whole family could have a meal together.
An hour and a half later, Shen Shuren, who had been tidied up comfortably, put on new clothes and came to the dining room. Shen Tingyang and Mrs. Xu were already sitting there, drinking tea in their leisure time.
After Chen Shuren bowed again, the maids prepared to serve the dishes.
While the dishes were being laid, Shen Tingyang had a family matter to discuss with his son, so he had two gift boxes inlaid with gold, silver, pearls and jade wrapped in Su embroidery brocade, put them on the table, and told his son:
"This box contains twenty Dadong pearls produced in North Korea. This box contains ten high-quality Korean ginseng. Each one still weighs more than half a tael after being dried. Take it with you when you return to Huguang in two months. Let's find an opportunity to visit Fang Kongzhen, the governor of Huguang.
Governor Fang helped you block Zuo Liangyu's impeachment once before. Although you are upright and are not afraid of the shadow, Zuo Liangyu's final impeachment did not hinder you, but the favor must be returned. He is the governor and your immediate boss, you can You can't hold your neck and be ungrateful."
Chen Shuren thought for a while: "It's appropriate to say thank you, but isn't the gift a bit heavy? These gifts can't even cost ten thousand taels of silver. Those who don't know really think that I have a guilty conscience. What a big deal I have done for others. .”
Shen Tingyang was a little impatient: "You can give it to me if I ask you to, and no one else knows. It's also your father's and mine's money. Why do you feel bad!"
The stepmother next to her, Mrs. Xu, saw her. The boss was not happy, but he also couldn't talk about this kind of formality in the officialdom. He just pouted and said:
"What are your intentions, you think I don't know? Lin'er, don't listen to your father, he just wants you to marry the Fang family. He is trying to find ways to show your face in front of Governor Fang, hoping that Governor Fang will I'll give you a high look and take the initiative to bring this up.
He is a doctor himself, and he has no shame in proposing marriage to a feudal official from the Shili Hairaoying family, so he will let you show yourself. After being an official for more than ten years, your final rank is about the same as your son, so you are embarrassed!"
Shen Tingyang blushed at these words and felt quite embarrassed, but his wife was telling the truth. His son's prefect had already reached the fifth rank, which was not far from his rank as a doctor in the household department.
Chen Shuren on the other side was shocked when he heard this. He didn't know until now that his parents were finally going to force him to get married.
He hurriedly said: "Father, mother, are you too worried about this matter? You want me to get married, and I dare not object. However, Governor Fang is also a high-ranking official in the border areas. His Majesty is most afraid of his subordinates giving and receiving privately and forming cliques for personal gain. Fang and I The governor currently has some military power, but it has been inappropriate for the past two years. Besides, I have never even seen Miss Fang."
Shen Tingyang blew his beard and said: "Marry a wife with virtue and take concubines with sex! I have never seen anything serious about it. Miss Fang's character and talent must be good. Her family has three chastity memorials in the previous generation! You Good woman, we didn't stop you from raising beautiful maids.
You see, those enchanting ones you brought back are not enough for you? They are all the ones you have chosen thousands of times. You have brought them with you for half a year, and you have not seen any movement in their stomachs. Now the war is in chaos, and you still have to lead the troops to follow the flow. If you fight a thief and don’t leave a son and a half, but you don’t want to get married, you’ve turned against me!”
Of course Shen Shuren couldn't resist the resentment of his parents who wanted to have a grandson, but he couldn't refute it under the feudal ethics.
Fortunately, Dong Xiaowan did give him credit this time. From the Mid-Autumn Festival to the end of the year, he had not sown in vain in Huangzhou.
He quickly took out his shield: "Don't worry, I forgot to tell you... Xiaobai is actually pregnant, almost two months ago. When I return to Suzhou this time, I plan to keep her, and I will only take her with me when I go back. Yuanyuan.”
Dong Xiaowan's original name was Dong Bai, and Shen Shuren still called her by her original name in front of her parents, not wanting to make things too complicated.
In the eyes of the ancients, if a woman chose another pseudonym or stage name, it would be as if she had done something to insult her ancestors and was shameless in public.
As soon as these words came out, Shen Tingyang and Xu immediately lost most of their firepower. They were no longer so urgent in urging the marriage.
Mrs. Xu quickly said: "Master, after the New Year this time, I will stay at home and help you take care of it. Didn't you say that you will return to the capital after the New Year? You may not be able to work for a few months, and you will also want to find another place to be released. Jiangnan. It saves me the hassle of traveling back and forth."
Shen Tingyang did not expect that his wife would rebel so quickly. It was probably because Xu felt that the Fang family woman was too hard on her husband. He quickly explained with a grimace:
"I told you this last year because my son discussed with me and said that we had done a good job in converting water transportation to sea and resettling Cao people, so I requested your Majesty to be appointed as the Minister of Household Affairs in Nanjing.
But now these two things may not be perfect and make His Majesty happy. In addition, there is a scandal about Lijin. How can Your Majesty let me go so easily? If you don't follow me back to Beijing, we will have to live separately. Damn it, stay apart for at least a year!"
Shen Tingyang didn't care whether his wife went there or not. He had a bunch of beautiful concubines anyway. The yellow-faced woman didn't want to go. He wished he could lean on the red and green trees every day and hang out with more beautiful concubines.
Xu's face immediately darkened: "Don't bully me for not understanding government affairs! There are not so many changes as you said!"
Unfortunately, Mrs. Xu couldn't explain why. After scolding her, she could only turn to her stepson and ask Shen Shuren for advice:
"Lin'er, tell me about this! What are the difficulties in getting your father back to Nanjing's household department? How to deal with the Lijin thing you mentioned?"
Chen Shuren didn't want to get involved in these matters. He just glanced at his father calmly and then said to his stepmother: "Didn't you just say that we won't talk about national affairs at the dinner table..."
Mrs. Xu: "I changed my mind and I want to hear it now! Lin'er, you should suffer more!"
Shen Shuren thought for a while: "If I want my father to be promoted to the Nanjing Ministry of Household Affairs next year as planned, and to submit perfect answers to the Cao people resettlement pilot, and at the same time push forward the Lijin Reform, it is not impossible."
Having said this, he paused for a moment, then turned back and waved his hand, telling all the maids in the hall to leave.
For a time, there were no people left in the dining room picking up vegetables, peeling shrimps and crabs, and the three of them could only eat by themselves.
While holding the mutton meat in his hands, Chen Shuren analyzed it with his father clearly:
"In order to prompt His Majesty to carry out the Lijin reform, I have thought about it briefly, and I just need to prepare in two aspects. On the one hand, it is to make the people who pay the money in the local area willing to cooperate and not to cause trouble.
On the other hand, we must make preparations in advance to silence those nosy talkative officials in the DPRK and the Central Government in the future, lest when the time comes when everyone in the country is willing to fight or suffer, these guys will jump out to fight against injustice.
And the second point is definitely more important than the first point. When the Ming Dynasty has reached this stage, many things have been caused by these trouble-making officials. The victims have recognized it, and they still think that they are doing chivalry and justice."
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