EMHTC -Chapter 10 Yay! The old emperor rewarded me with 300,000 coins!

“Wanshou, what are you doing in your mother’s palace?”

In front of the nanmu screen in the Jiaofang Hall, the old emperor sat on a black lacquered chair, as if nothing had happened.

Wanshou is her title, and her personal name is Hua Chun. Elders usually call her by her title in public and by her personal name privately, but the old emperor has always been indifferent toward children not born of the empress, so he seldom refers to Princess Wanshou by her name.

Princess Wanshou didn’t mind this. She raised the official seal in her hands and, seeing that her father seemed to be in a good mood, quickly took the opportunity to speak: “The matter with the Prince Consort has been dealt with. As for this official seal… I humbly ask my father to take it back. I know my abilities are shallow, and I am unworthy of such a heavy responsibility. If I were to force myself into this position, I fear it would tarnish the royal family’s reputation.”

The old emperor gave her a sideways glance, furrowing his brows in annoyance. He said, “I gave it to you, so keep it. What shallow abilities, what nonsense! Your mother used to praise how quickly and accurately you calculated the accounts. You’ve also been sharp when reviewing the ledgers. The Ministry of Revenue is short-staffed recently. Instead of thinking about how to relieve your father’s worries, you’re going to all lengths to avoid it?”

Her mother is the empress. Although she was not born of the empress, she still calls her “mother.” As for her biological mother, she can only call her “aunt.”

Princess Wanshou didn’t know how to respond at that moment, standing there, unsure of what to say.

She could indeed calculate accounts and review ledgers, but those were the skills of a housekeeper, not something to be used in government affairs!

The old emperor waved his hand dismissively: “Enough, take the official seal and go. Tomorrow, attend court as usual. Don’t disturb me and your mother’s peace.”

“Yes…”

Rejecting her father once had already drained Princess Wanshou of all her courage. She held the official seal as she left Jiaofang Hall and returned to her own palace. She lay down on her bed, grabbing her hair in frustration.

“What should I do… I’ve never been an official before. What if I do a poor job…”

The thought of the unfamiliar world of government affairs, so different from the palace she was accustomed to, filled Princess Wanshou with rising panic.

In the mirror, she could vaguely see a corner of her bed, where her hair was already tangled into a mess.

Princess Wanshou almost felt the disheveled touch of her hair against her neck.

Silence… silence…

She sighed and got up from the bed, not wanting to call a maid in. She walked over to the vanity and opened the cabinet, intending to grab a comb, but her gaze stopped on a makeup box tucked in the corner at the bottom of the table.

Her mind stirred.

It seemed like… she hadn’t repaid Lord Xu for his great kindness.

Inside the box were her jewelry and accessories. In addition to this box, she had twenty-four such boxes in her princess mansion.

Although her father wasn’t very attentive to her, he always gave her what she needed. He often said he was a rough, ordinary man who couldn’t learn the aristocratic grace of previous emperors. When he rewarded others with gold and silver, if the recipient truly had a need, they could sell it, but they had to register at the Bureau of Silver.

Princess Wanshou pulled the makeup box out, feeling the three iron clasps on the broad lock. She opened it and checked the condition of the jewelry inside. Her expression gradually firmed.

Meanwhile…

Empress Dou looked at the old emperor with some surprise: “How did you come to the idea of making Hua Chun an official? She does handle the accounts well. She helped me clean up the palace ledgers before, but Your Majesty, haven’t you always thought that women should be virtuous and keep to their duties? If they have talent, it’s enough for the family to recognize it. If women go out and expose themselves to the public, isn’t that a sign that the men in the family are incompetent?”

The old emperor answered casually: “The end of the year is approaching, and the Ministry of Revenue is busy. They’ve already sent several memorials saying they are short-staffed.”

Empress Dou smiled at him.

Even though the Ministry of Revenue was short on staff, it wasn’t to that extent.

The old emperor continued: “If we let those scholars fill the vacancies, after the New Year, we can’t just dismiss them without cause. We would have to keep them on, and they would still need to receive their monthly salaries. My Empress, you see, isn’t that a loss? After the New Year, we won’t need those people, but they’ll still get their salaries. It makes me uncomfortable.”

Empress Dou’s eyelid twitched involuntarily: “So…”

The old emperor’s eyes gleamed with a strange light: “Let Wanshou temporarily take the position of supervisor. She’s family, so we won’t even have to pay her a monthly salary!”

Empress Dou: “…”

Even the head eunuch couldn’t help but glance at him.

That’s really stingy.

“Of course.” The old emperor grew more animated as he spoke, his arrogance increasing by the moment. “As a princess, she will still receive her regular stipend. It won’t be short for her food and clothing.”

The old emperor went on: “Besides, it’s time for this girl to see the world. I’m tired of her always worrying about that Prince Consort. A dignified princess, a noble woman of the royal family, and yet she’s being oppressed by the Prince Consort. It infuriates me!”

Empress Dou glanced at him, feeling that saving money was the real priority. As for making her daughter stand on her own… to him, that was less important than sending out a few strong, capable nannies to protect her.

Oh, wait. Empress Dou quickly calculated in her mind. If Hua Chun became an official, she could save on the nannies’ expenses too.

“Right!” The old emperor suddenly slapped his forehead. “I almost forgot! I said I would reward Xu Yanmiao.”

He looked at the head eunuch: “Get the brush and imperial decree.”

In the faint sound of “peng peng” as ink was ground, he picked up the brush and began writing on the blank imperial decree. The dark ink slowly flowed across the paper with his movements, forming bold characters.

“By my order, I grant the official Xu Yanmiao of the Ministry of Personnel 300,000 coins and 100 bolts of cloth.”

This was the second time the head eunuch had heard the emperor specifically mention Xu Yanmiao.

As he walked out of Jiaofang Hall to retrieve the reward from the emperor’s private treasury, he couldn’t stop thinking about the name. He was curious.

How did this low-ranking official catch the emperor’s attention? To the point that the emperor personally wrote the decree—usually, when the emperor rewards common officials, he simply issues an oral edict, and if a formal decree is required, it’s written by a Hanlin official.

Unable to find an answer, the grand eunuch decided to personally deliver the reward to Xu’s residence.

“People like this newcomer, while we’ve never thought about forming factions, it’s always good to build a good relationship.”

Xu Yanmiao brought the Ministry of War Official to his home, intending to treat him to hotpot.

But the further they went, the more off-track they got.

The Ministry of War Official pretended to be terrified. “Xu Lang! What are you doing? Attacking an official is illegal!”

Xu Yanmiao rolled his eyes at him and pointed to the side. “Look, we’ve arrived.”

The official looked over and was shocked. “Is this your residence?”

How could it be so shabby and rundown?

“Yeah, the real estate in the capital is expensive, every inch of land is gold, so the rent isn’t cheap. I just rented this place.”

Xu Yanmiao stepped over some low-lying sewage, unlocked the door, and pushed it open. “But don’t worry, I’ve saved up quite a bit for the meat, so we’ll have a hearty hotpot meal today.”

The Ministry of War official carefully stepped inside, trying to walk lightly. The floorboards creaked with every step. Upon closer inspection, the boards were crooked with many gaps, some propped up with small wooden sticks, either horizontally or diagonally.

The official was increasingly uneasy as he walked.

When the steaming hotpot was placed on the table, the table legs wobbled, and the clerk’s hands shook.

“How can you be so poor!” he almost broke down.

Xu Yanmiao was puzzled. “Why can’t I be poor? The monthly salary for a ninth-rank official like me is only one thousand and fifty wen. Add in the small bits for food, miscellaneous expenses, and servant fees—I didn’t even hire those two servants. Instead, I take four hundred seventeen wen per month, with a choice of two welfare options. Altogether, it’s less than two thousand wen. This broken house costs—oh, the rent is five hundred wen a month, which is a quarter of my salary. I still have to eat and buy clothes. If the court didn’t forbid it, I’d sleep at the government office with just my bedding.”

The Ministry of War official blurted out, “Haven’t you thought about taking bribes…”

You don’t have to take much—just accept a little gift. Everyone in the clerks’ office does it. After all, they’re the ones distributing documents. If someone’s paperwork gets delayed just a bit, it’s not obvious, and as long as it’s within the rules, no one can say anything.

When there was a faction dispute before, one faction didn’t give them any gifts, so they deliberately delayed their paperwork and quickly processed the other faction’s. As a result, the other faction gained the upper hand, pushing out a third of the officials from their opposing faction.

Xu Yanmiao looked completely innocent and confused. “What?”

The Ministry of War Official sighed. “Forget it.”

Seeing Xu Yanmiao’s pure and clean demeanor, he didn’t think he would accept bribes.

He decided to think of a way to help him out.

“Come on, let’s eat… that… hotpot!” The official sat down with a plop, and the chair creaked. He immediately lifted his bottom in fear.

Xu Yanmiao reassured him, “Don’t worry, I’ve been sitting on this chair for months and it’s perfectly fine.”

“Oh, okay.” The official sat back down, cautiously only sitting on half of the chair, always ready to stand up again.

Xu Yanmiao plopped down on his chair with a “snap,” and the wooden legs wobbled and squeaked. The official was worried it might collapse.

At that moment, they both heard a knock at the door.

“Duang—duang—duang—”

Xu Yanmiao called out, “Who is it!”

The voice from outside was especially loud. “Xu kid, time to pay the rent!”

“Ah!” Xu Yanmiao immediately marched over, and the ground shook beneath his feet, making it seem like he weighed as much as an elephant.

He opened the door to reveal the landlord, a thin figure wrapped in black robes. The landlord sniffed the air and smiled. “Eating meat, huh? Congratulations.”

Living in a place like this, eating meat once a year was already a great luxury.

Xu Yanmiao pulled out five hundred wen and handed it to him, smiling with squinted eyes. “Yeah, just got my salary a few days ago!”

During the Chu Dynasty, tenants who worked for the master cutting firewood or fetching water were given two thousand wen for three hundred days of work as a “reward for your labor.” Over time, “salary” became a common term for monthly allowances.

The landlord was pleased. “Well, enjoy your meal. I won’t disturb you. But Xu kid, be careful. Don’t waste all your salary right away.”

Xu Yanmiao nervously glanced at his money pouch. “Got it!”

He subconsciously calculated how many more hotpot meals he could afford this month and how much rice and flour he had left at home.

Xu Yanmiao muttered to himself, “Forget it! I’ll make do! Worst case, I’ll just bum breakfast and lunch off the court! Dinner? No more!”

He optimistically comforted himself.

Meanwhile, at the entrance to the East Market, the head eunuch stared at the area and asked his adopted son for the third time, “Are you sure this is the right way?”

The adopted son remained firm. “It’s right here. You don’t know, but at the far end of the East Market, there’s a low-lying area that someone has taken over. It’s been divided into eight hundred rooms, rented out to merchants and poor people.”

As for why Xu Yanmiao was living here, the adopted son didn’t know. He had learned long ago that appearances could be deceiving. Whether someone was genuinely incorrupt or just pretending to be clean needed to be verified.

At that point, their carriage couldn’t go any further. The head eunuch pressed his palm to his face and squeezed out a sound between his teeth. “Lift!”

The little eunuchs all shuddered.

This was three hundred thousand wen! The East Market was huge, and from the entrance to that low-lying area, it was nearly half a mile away!

With sad faces, they lifted the chest filled with money and cloth, pushing through the curious onlookers as they gingerly made their way inside.