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墨書 Inktalez
As He Yu had anticipated, Xiao Yao woke up well past noon.
While serving Xiao Yao as she changed clothes, Yun Zhu relayed He Yu's words from the morning. Xiao Yao nodded, indicating that she understood.
It was only natural.
Although there was no need to attend court in the garden, people like He Yu, who held no serious position, still had to make an appearance before the emperor occasionally, exchanging a few pleasantries and flattering him, at least to ensure that the true dragon son wouldn’t forget about them.
Xiao Yao had rested well through the night and felt great in the morning. Suddenly, she remembered to ask, "Oh, by the way, when will the Eldest Princess arrive?"
"In response to my master, I heard it would take another three to five days. After all, coming from Tubo, it must be quite a journey," Yun Zhu speculated.
Xiao Yao nodded. "Of course, it’s been several months of travel; I wouldn’t be able to handle it."
"My master doesn’t need to go that far; everything has Lord Wang!" Yun Zhu chuckled lightly while covering her mouth. Xiao Yao shook her head. "If Lord Wang really has to go out to lead troops in battle in the future, perhaps I might have to follow him as well."
Upon hearing this, Yun Zhu widened her eyes in surprise, as if she thought what Xiao Yao suggested was something that could never happen.
Seeing Yun Zhu's astonished expression, Xiao Yao merely shook her head and smiled, not intending to elaborate further as she continued to eat.
He Yu went to see the emperor primarily for the purpose of welcoming the Eldest Princess.
Currently, he hardly spoke in court but still needed to do something for the emperor's view. Leading troops into battle was out of the question for now; as for governing the country and maintaining peace, He Yu was too lazy to argue with those pedantic scholars who would dramatically express their loyalty by banging their heads against pillars. The remaining tasks were mostly trivial ceremonial reception matters.
Although these tasks seemed less important than strategies for governing or military tactics, they nonetheless allowed him to be seen under the emperor's watchful eye. On one hand, it solidified the emperor's belief in his expertise regarding indulgences and amusements; on the other hand, it helped him build rapport and increase his visibility before the emperor. Why not take advantage of that?
Welcoming the Eldest Princess, it was just a return home for her, a family reunion that required enough warmth among family members, without being too distant. However, on a larger scale, the Eldest Princess returning to court meant she would bring along her entourage. Wouldn't they all be envoys from Tubo? Therefore, our Great Feng Dynasty must display sufficient grace and cannot lose face.
After much consideration, the Emperor decided to entrust this task to He Yu. Firstly, He Yu may not excel in many areas, but he certainly knows how to maintain an air of authority. With over ten years of royal education and several princes along with Xuanping Wang, the only ones capable of holding their own in terms of demeanor and eloquence were the Crown Prince and He Yu. The Eldest Prince has a straightforward personality and tends to offend people easily.
The Fourth Prince is too fond of being clever, which can lead to a loss of dignity. As for the Third Prince, his background and status are insufficient; he is simply not within consideration for Qidi. If the Crown Prince were to welcome her, it would seem overly grand; after all, who is the Crown Prince? He is the future ruler of the Great Feng Dynasty—how could a ruler go to welcome a half-sister who married outside the family? That doesn't make sense.
After thinking it over, He Yu seemed to be the most suitable choice.
Moreover, He Yu has a familial relationship with Minister of Rites Xiao Mo Yi, which would facilitate communication more smoothly than with others. Thus, it was only natural to assign this task to He Yu.
A few days ago, Xiao Mo Yi and He Yu discussed several times and drafted a memorial regarding the preparations for the welcome ceremony, which they submitted. However, the Emperor had not responded after reviewing it.
As time was running short, they couldn't just wait for the Emperor's command. If they waited until he remembered this matter, it was likely that both He Yu and Xiao Mo Yi would face punishment. Estimating that the Emperor had reviewed it sufficiently, He Yu planned to take the initiative and directly approach the Emperor. Regardless of whether the Emperor agreed with their proposal or not, at least they would have done their part to avoid any inexplicable punishment later on.
Fortunately, the Emperor did not have major objections to their memorial; he only finalized some details for modification before issuing orders for arrangements. When He Yu exited from the Hall of Governance, he let out a long sigh and wiped the sweat from his forehead, finally feeling relieved. Since Xiao Mo Yi as Minister of Rites was responsible for guiding the reception, he naturally accompanied He Yu.
After leaving the Emperor's presence, He Yu headed straight to Xiao Mo Yi's residence. Xiao Mo Yi lived on the outskirts of the Palace; officials did not have the privilege to reside within the gardens. Therefore, there were post houses outside the Palace for officials visiting to rest. Although it was on the outskirts, conditions were not poor; a fifth-rank official like Xiao Mo Yi had an independent courtyard that was quite tranquil.
He Yu discussed matters with Xiao Mo Yi for a while and enjoyed a few cups of tea before leaving. Just as he was about to exit, he ran into Wang Yan'er, who had come to change Xiao Mo Yi's tea. Wang Yan'er hurriedly greeted He Yu, who waved his hand and said, "If there's nothing else, just send a message into the garden to find Yao Yao and chat with her; it's quite dull for her staying in there."
"Yes, His Highness still cares for the Princess Consort as always." Over these past few years, Wang Yan'er had grown bolder; her demeanor began to reflect that of noblewomen in the capital. He Yu appreciated her development and smiled as he said, "Indeed! I'm counting on Yao Yao to give me another daughter!"
Wang Yan'er smiled coyly and replied, "That daughter will surely need to resemble the Princess Consort."
"That goes without saying," He Yu chuckled.
Xiao Yao had finished her nominal lunch and, feeling no drowsiness, asked the two children where they had gone.
Yun Zhu honestly replied that He Zi'an had gone to find the prince's Princess. Xiao Yao was momentarily taken aback, then shook her head and laughed. Who said only children from modern electronic information societies were precocious? In her view, it was the children of this ancient time who were truly mature.
At such a young age, he already knew to cling to a girl? Moreover, Xiao Yao believed that with He Zi'an's cunning mind, he would definitely not let the Princess think he had any ulterior motives.
It was just a casual joke, but now Xiao Yao suddenly felt that perhaps this matter might actually come true? Who could say for sure?
As for He Ziyi, as the heir, he would have no worries about the future.
This is what they call "the blessings of descendants belong to the descendants," so there is no need to worry; worrying is useless.
While she was lost in thought, she heard He Ziyi's voice, "Mother, I'm back!" Before he even arrived, his voice had already reached her.
Xiao Yao waited for a while before He Ziyi entered the inner room.
As expected, He Ziyi was once again dressed in dirty clothes that looked like they had rolled in the dirt. She immediately said, "Hurry up and go take a bath and change your clothes. Go on!"
"Mother is biased; my brother doesn't have to bathe this frequently," He Ziyi complained clearly dissatisfied.
Xiao Yao scoffed and said, "If you could keep your clothes as clean as your brother does every day, you wouldn't have to bathe several times."
"..." Being looked down upon by his own mother, He Ziyi could only sulkily go take a bath.
Just as he stepped out, he ran into He Yu returning. He Ziyi weakly greeted He Yu. He Yu looked at his dirty clothes that were unrecognizable from their original state and joked with a smile, "Are you being chased by Mother to wash up and change clothes again?"
"Yeah..." He Ziyi pouted in dissatisfaction, "There's no need for my brother to act like that."
"If you were like your brother, going out one way and coming back the same, I think Mother definitely wouldn't make you wash up several times," He Yu raised an eyebrow.
He Ziyi opened her mouth wide, and after a while, she scratched her head and said, "Dad... you... sound just like what Mother said earlier."
"Fool..." He Yu tapped He Ziyi's head, "That's why your mother and I are a couple."
"...Oh." He Ziyi, blinded by her parents' affection, dragged her heavy body towards the Bath after suffering a combined attack from them.
Watching the swaying, dejected figure ahead, He Yu smiled and shook his head before turning to walk into the inner room.
Xiao Yao was happily sipping tea from a bowl. "I heard everything you just said."
"Yeah," He Yu said nothing more and sat down beside Xiao Yao, asking, "When did you get up?"
"It's already past noon. Who told you to tire yourself out so much last night..." Xiao Yao complained.
However, He Yu felt quite proud of this kind of complaint and couldn't help but smile joyfully.
After a while of playful banter, Xiao Yao asked, "Did you go to see the Emperor?"
"Yes," He Yu nodded readily; there was no need to hide such matters. "I went to discuss with the Emperor mainly about welcoming the Eldest Princess."
"Welcoming the Eldest Princess? Shouldn't that be Elder Brother and their Honglu Temple's responsibility? When did it fall to you?" Xiao Yao found it strange.
He Yu explained, "Naturally, someone has to step up to lead this matter. After all, it's the Eldest Princess; we can't let the Minister of Rites handle it, as that would be quite disrespectful." After finishing, he analyzed for Xiao Yao the reasons why this responsibility fell on him, and Xiao Yao nodded as she listened, "So that's how it is."
However, upon reflection, she realized it was quite similar to her previous role in the reception office at her company. The reception office was responsible for arranging processes, routes, and guides, but depending on the identity and status of the visitors, different levels of leadership would be assigned.
And now He Yu was that leader.
With this comparison in mind, Xiao Yao understood and nodded in realization, "Oh, I get it now."
"That's good to hear," He Yu said with a smile as he patted her on the head.
Meanwhile, He Ziyi finally emerged looking neat and tidy. Seeing He Ziyi restored to his elegant young gentleman appearance, Xiao Yao nodded in satisfaction, "This is how it should be! How can a child from the Xuanping Prince's Mansion look like a muddy monkey? He Ziyi, you really need to pay more attention to your image!"
"Huh?" He Ziyi, who had lived for five years, was stunned to hear the word "image" from his mother's mouth for the first time.
Xiao Yao clicked her tongue twice and shook her head, "You know, you actually look quite good. Why do you have to make yourself look like a muddy monkey? You're all dirty; what girl would like you like this?"
"Hmph! This is called masculinity!" He Ziyi retorted defiantly.
"Is masculinity about getting your clothes dirty?" Xiao Yao raised her eyebrows and looked at He Ziyi with slight disdain. "Who told you that rolling around on the ground and getting your clothes dirty is masculinity?"
"But Father said I need to endure hardships if I want to be a General in the future!" He Ziyi exclaimed loudly.
"Enduring hardships has nothing to do with getting your clothes dirty," Xiao Yao replied. "He Ziyi, tell me what it means to arrange troops? What are strategies and tactics? Most fundamentally, what does it mean to ally with distant states while attacking nearby ones?"
A series of questions left the five-year-old He Ziyi completely dumbfounded; he had no idea what he was supposed to do.
Xiao Yao looked at her son's silly expression and sighed, waving her hand. "Son, come up here." He Ziyi was intimidated by his mother's presence and obediently took off his shoes and climbed onto the couch, sitting opposite Xiao Yao.
Xiao Yao took a deep breath but spoke to her husband instead. "It's your turn."
"Alright." He Yu nodded and patiently addressed his son. "Son, the truth is that leading troops into battle isn't just about brute strength. A general's ability to strategize is more important than actually charging into battle. A good leader must understand troop deployment, strategy, and tactics, aiming to achieve the greatest victory with the least number of soldiers. This requires intelligence, not just raw power. Do you understand?"
He Ziyi had never thought about these things and was momentarily stunned by his father's words. After a while, he weakly replied, "But... Dad has never mentioned this before."
"He hasn't before because of your age," He Yu said as he switched places with Xiao Yao, reaching out to pat He Ziyi's shoulder with a smile. "However, now Father believes you have grown up. It's not just about being brave; you need to use your mind to solve many problems."
"Indeed, military tactics and strategies can be learned from actual battles, but every battle sacrifices real lives. Son, you cannot use others' lives to gain your own experience. Understand? In this world, you are not the only one with parents and siblings; those soldiers also have brothers, sisters, parents, and loved ones. As a leader, you cannot afford any unnecessary sacrifices. Do you understand?" He Yu spoke earnestly.
To be honest, these words were still difficult for He Ziyi to grasp, but as long as he remembered them, he would eventually understand in the future; that was He Yu's hope.
"So what should I do?" After thinking for a while, He Ziyi asked.
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