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Hearing He Yu's laughter, Lin Munan's face turned even redder. He Yu noticed Lin Munan's embarrassment and finally realized that behaving this way in front of a scholar might not be appropriate. So he stopped laughing, cleared his throat a couple of times, and said, "The imperial examination just passed this year; it will probably be three years before the next one. What are your plans?"
"The commoner... uh, student," Lin Munan scratched the back of his head. He originally thought that with the recommendation letter, the prince would take him as an aide, but he didn't expect the prince to ask about this matter. After a moment of hesitation, he honestly replied, "I haven't considered this matter yet."
"..." He Yu chuckled; it seemed he truly was someone who "hears nothing of the world outside and only reads the classics." After pondering for a while, he said, "How about this? You can stay here with me for a while, and we can arrange things later. How does that sound?"
Although He Yu's words were gentle and did not imply any urgency to send him away, Lin Munan felt disheartened. The prince's words clearly indicated that he had no intention of taking him as an aide; he was merely being treated as an ordinary guest. Seeing Lin Munan's disappointment, He Yu continued, "Since you were introduced by a teacher, you must have exceptional talent. However, my Xuanping Prince's Mansion does not usually take in aides. If you can wait, I will recommend you to other noble families later."
"Then I will trouble the prince." With the prince's words reaching this point, failing to express gratitude would be quite ungrateful of him. Lin Munan bowed deeply and thanked him, "Then I will thank the prince in advance."
He Yu waved his hand dismissively, indicating it was no big deal, and called out, "Zhao Hezhong!"
The study door was pushed open, and Zhao Hezhong walked in. "Your Highness."
"Go arrange a courtyard for Mr. Lin to stay in and take good care of him," He Yu said seriously.
"Yes, Mr. Lin please follow me," Zhao Hezhong replied to He Yu and turned to Lin Munan.
Lin Munan hurriedly bowed to Zhao Hezhong before following him out. The study returned to silence as He Yu sat at his desk pondering for a while until Zhao Hezhong returned. "Is everything settled?"
"Yes, it's in the courtyard on the south side of the front yard; it has a bamboo grove and is very quiet," Zhao Hezhong said with a smile. Upon hearing this, He Yu nodded. Seeing that He Yu seemed satisfied, Zhao Hezhong added, "I assigned two maids and two servants to attend to him; Your Highness can rest assured."
"Good," He Yu nodded. Zhao Hezhong was always reliable; such matters were nothing for him. After thinking for a moment, He Yu asked, "What is the princess doing?"
"When Zhao came over just now, he happened to see Yun Yue going to the garden; it seems the princess wanted to pick some flowers to take back. She is probably finding some fun in her room now." This princess always knew how to entertain herself; even Zhao Hezhong couldn't help but admire her.
He Yu found it amusing as well; it seemed she was up to something again. He tapped on the table and said, "I'm going to visit the Crown Prince for a bit; you go inform the princess that I will return later to have dinner with her."
"Yes." Zhao Hezhong replied obediently, thinking that in this entire capital city, he had never seen any household that treated their Primary Wife with such affection—always asking for permission and reporting back like this! If one didn't know better, they might think the prince was afraid of her! However, since the prince had decided on this course of action, there was no way around it. After all, the prince wouldn't take him along when he went out; he might as well go personally to curry favor with the princess.
As soon as the prince stepped out, Zhao Hezhong turned and walked towards the Central Courtyard. Upon entering the Central Courtyard, he saw Yun Yue organizing this year's newly made clothes. When Yun Yue looked up and saw Zhao Hezhong, she immediately smiled and said, "Zhao Gonggong is here!"
"Yes, I wonder if the princess is in the house?" Zhao Hezhong asked with a smile. Nowadays, he did not dare to offend Yun Zhu, Yun Yue, and Yun Bi easily; they were the main maidservants by the princess's side, holding a status equal to his.
Yun Yue smiled and said, "She is. Eunuch, please come in."
Zhao Hezhong thanked her repeatedly and walked in. "Servant pays respects to the princess."
Xiao Yao heard the commotion in the courtyard and had already known that Zhao Hezhong had arrived. She put down what she was doing and smiled, "I wonder what brings Eunuch here?"
Zhao Hezhong quickly said he dared not presume and then replied, "The prince is going to see the crown prince this afternoon and asked Servant to inform the princess that he will return in the evening to have dinner with her."
"Alright, I understand." Xiao Yao nodded. "Thank you, Eunuch."
"You're too kind; this is Servant's duty. If the princess has no other matters, then Servant will take my leave." Seeing Xiao Yao nod, Zhao Hezhong cautiously exited the room.
The sun outside was quite strong. Zhao Hezhong let out a sigh of relief; when the prince was not in the residence, he truly felt like he had no status at all...
He Yu had sent someone to deliver a message to the crown prince early that morning.
When He Yu arrived at the peach blossom grove, Yang Yunqing had already been there for a while. Seeing He Yu rush in, Yang Yunqing teased, "What are you in such a hurry for? Did you get caught up by your daughter-in-law at home?"
Looking at Yang Yunqing's teasing expression, He Yu was momentarily taken aback but then laughed and said, "It seems like the crown prince has been doing well lately. Although he hasn't married yet, he must be getting along quite well with Consort?"
Yang Yunqing smiled without speaking, but all his expressions were written on his face. He Yu understood at a glance and smiled knowingly. His heart felt relieved; if the crown prince and Consort could not be of one mind, many things would inevitably face increased resistance. Now that it was like this, it couldn't be better.
After their playful banter, He Yu and Yang Yunqing quickly got down to business. After listening to He Yu's plan, Yang Yunqing frowned and said, "This... will it work at this time?"
"I asked Yao Yao," He Yu pondered, "Yao Yao said that in Fujian, during famines, they grow this sweet potato to eat; it is a very easy food to sustain. If possible, it would certainly alleviate the famine problem significantly after the disaster."
"You're right," Yang Yunqing nodded, "In that case, I'll take a few seedlings back to try first."
"Well, it's already autumn now; I'm afraid we'll have to wait patiently for a while," He Yu advised.
Yang Yunqing waved his hand, "I don't have many other strengths, but my patience is quite good."
Hearing this, He Yu smiled and patted Yang Yunqing's shoulder, "As an emperor, having good patience is a great advantage."
Yang Yunqing nodded, clearly agreeing with He Yu's words. He Yu then continued, "Today, a student with the surname Lin came running to my mansion with a letter of introduction. Guess who recommended him?"
"Surname Lin?" Yang Yunqing repeated and immediately understood, "Could it be…"
"Yes," before Yang Yunqing could finish his sentence, He Yu nodded, "That's right; it's Lin Lao's prized disciple. What do you think we should do about it?"
"This..." Yang Yunqing was troubled, "You can't keep him there for long. It's fine for a few days, but if it drags on too long, this matter will inevitably leak out and raise the emperor's suspicions. And since I live in the palace, it would be even more impossible."
"Exactly," He Yu nodded.
After all, everyone knows that He Yu is a lord who knows nothing but indulging in food and entertainment. Although recently there have been rumors in the capital that the lord dotes on his consort, isn't that normal? The consort was someone he went through great lengths to marry; how could he not cherish her? However, if the lord were to keep an advisor in his mansion, it would undoubtedly lead to suspicions about him being like the Xuanping Prince's Mansion lord—pretending to be harmless while plotting rebellion!
He Yu himself actually didn't care much about it, but he had just married Xiao Yao; did he want Yao Yao to have a hard time and face danger?
This opportunity was something he had worked hard to secure; he couldn't afford to take any risks and had to be extremely cautious. Moreover, everyone knew that this lord had a good relationship with the crown prince. If the lord secretly kept an advisor and someone with ulterior motives stirred up trouble, it would be a significant loss.
No matter how you analyze it from any angle, Lin Munan cannot stay in He Yu's mansion.
Yang Yunqing thought for a moment and said, "In that case, this person cannot stay with you. I will coordinate with the Su Family to have them arrange for this person to be placed in Sun Residence. We can discuss the subsequent matters later."
He Yu considered it and nodded in agreement, "That's not a bad idea."
Since the Su Family had chosen to support the Crown Prince, it was clear that they were determined to share his fate. As a family of scholars, the Su Family received many students seeking refuge each year; having one more or one less would not attract much attention.
Both of them felt that this method was quite good.
After discussing the necessary matters, He Yu smiled and said, "Actually, I was originally planning to have you win over the Third Prince. Placing this person with him would also be a solution."
"The Third Brother?" The Crown Prince was quite surprised by this suggestion. "What do you mean?"
He Yu paused for a moment before explaining, "A few days ago, Yao Yao and I went to a village in the Beijing suburbs and happened to run into the Third Prince visiting his residence. It was not far from my own residence, and the Third Prince is quite inconspicuous. I think even if he can't be of help in the future, bringing him on board at least prevents us from creating an enemy."
After hearing He Yu's analysis, Yang Yunqing felt that He Yu made a valid point and nodded, "You're right; at least not creating more enemies is a good thing."
"Exactly," He Yu took a sip of tea and smiled, "So since Lin Munan's matter is not urgent anymore, I've decided to let my Daughter-in-law handle this task as originally planned."
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