Tianliangyuan

Chapter 403: Heavy Gifts

Li Shun's performance in Lantian County quickly reached Xu Zhaozhao's ears.

She now has a tiny bit of expectation for Li Shun, not much, but enough.

Moreover, according to her observation, even with her support, Li Shun wouldn't be able to reach a very high position.

Compared to Fu Pei and Xu Junting, he is far inferior.

Well, considering he's my second aunt's nephew and my second sister-in-law's cousin, I can't really just ignore him.

Let it air out first, and we'll talk about it again in a few days.

After dealing with the Qian family's affairs, Li Shun did not rush back to the capital, but instead went to pay a visit to the magistrate of Lantian County.

Both men were officials, and both had inextricable connections with Xu Zhaozhao, so it was natural that they could sit together and drink.

Li Shun then realized that the women he thought he knew were not really confined to the inner quarters.

Moreover, even though someone like Princess Anle never attends court or directly interferes in court affairs, she can still do many things if she wants to.

The fact that His Majesty and the Empress dote on Princess Anle alone is enough to make people admire them.

The key point is that Princess Anle never became arrogant or rude because she received the favor of His Majesty and the Empress. On the contrary, she was always low-key and often relieved the Emperor and Empress's worries.

This is what a true noblewoman from a powerful family looks like!

Thinking about the women I've had the most contact with, besides my mother, it's this aunt.

They were the type of people who, upon learning that their relatives had been promoted or had gained the favor of their superiors, would eagerly announce it to the world.

They always think that their relatives are the best, and they use their relatives who can become officials as capital to show off to others, but they never think about what situation the other party is in, who they need help from, and who they need to be wary of.

Li Shun and Fang Youwei, the magistrate of Lantian County, found themselves getting along very well. They were both grateful to the Princess of Anle County, and it was precisely because they had met such a princess that they suddenly understood.

Fang Youwei, in particular, might have remained a county magistrate for his entire life if the county magistrate hadn't given him the opportunity.

His academic achievements were insufficient to reach those at higher levels, and his family connections were simply not enough to do so.

Now, he has become the magistrate of a county. As long as he does his job well according to the magistrate's instructions, promotion in the future will not be difficult.

Therefore, for Fang Youwei, Xu Zhaozhao was his mentor!

Things I never dared to dream of before, I'm doing now. This is what a man with ambition should do!

Li Shun finally understood why the Princess of Anle was willing to promote this Lord Fang.

It wasn't just because of their kinship; more importantly, this Lord Fang was also talented and willing to listen to advice, which gave him a chance to be promoted!

After sorting out his family affairs and aspirations, Li Shun returned to the capital and first went to the inner quarters to have a good talk with his mother.

"From now on, all household affairs will be handled by the steward, and the inner quarters will be managed by the nanny by your side. As for your aunt, if she doesn't cause trouble and does come, we should naturally treat her as a relative. But if she tries to use my name to do evil outside, I certainly won't allow it."

Li's mother never expected that her sister, whom she had always thought was weak and easily bullied, would actually have such methods.

The thought that if her son hadn't acted quickly, her sister would have ruined the marriage between her son and the Duke's family filled her with deep regret.

"It's all Mother's fault. I didn't dare to listen to just anyone. Don't worry, I won't interfere in things anymore. Once the new bride enters the house, she will be in charge of managing everything. I'm old and not very capable, and I really don't know much. My greatest wish is just not to cause you any trouble."

“Mother, there’s no need to be so self-deprecating. You’ve managed the household perfectly for so many years, and you’ve probably lived far away from Auntie, so you didn’t know that Auntie was such a vicious person. Fortunately, I stepped in to handle this matter, so at least she won’t go to jail. But if she tries to embezzle any of the family’s money in the future, that will be impossible.”

Li's mother nodded. She could see that too. As things were now, at least she could live out her old age in peace.

"And your cousin?"

"Let's talk about it after the three-year mourning period. However, it's unacceptable for my aunt to say in public that we have an affair. If this matter doesn't satisfy the Duke of Huguo's mansion, we'll be in trouble too."

This time, Li's mother spoke with particular firmness: "My son, rest assured, I will definitely arrange this matter properly. Fortunately, Pan'er has to observe three years of mourning. After three years, if she is sensible and well-mannered, I will arrange a good marriage for her, which will also fulfill your aunt's wish."

Li Shun nodded: "That's excellent."

This matter can be considered to have come to an end.

Two days later, Li Shun resumed his work duties.

Xu Zhaozhao didn't intend to use him for the time being, but just wanted him to hone his skills for a few years first.

After all, he is still young, and it is already quite good that he holds a position of the seventh rank.

Because Xu Zhaozhao valued Zheng Tuo more, she simply ordered someone to invite Zheng Tuo's sister to the mansion for a talk.

Zheng Tuo's older sister is Gu Dongyang's second daughter-in-law. The Xie and Gu families have some connections, so it's normal for the younger generation to visit each other.

Only Zheng Bao'er felt that she was climbing the social ladder by marrying the county princess, and that if it weren't for her younger brother, she wouldn't have the right to sit with the county princess to enjoy the scenery and tea.

"I heard that Sister Zheng's child can already walk, which is very cute. If there is a chance next time, I will bring him over to play together. I was just thinking of bringing my nephew over for a few days as well."

"I dare not accept such praise from the county magistrate. My child is simply too naughty to bear. The nanny beside me said that he is just like Zheng Tuo when he was young. She also said that nephews are like uncles, and who knows, he might also be wielding swords and spears when he grows up."

Xu Zhaozhao smiled amiably: "There's nothing wrong with wielding swords and spears. A man should aspire to conquer the world. Moreover, with our nation's strength growing and our civil and military officials working together to serve the court, we can alleviate Your Majesty's worries. If we learn martial arts, we can expand Your Majesty's territory in the future. What's wrong with that?"

Hearing these words, Zheng Bao'er felt quite encouraged.

Although the child is still young, after being praised by Xu Zhaozhao, he felt that his son would be able to accomplish great things in the future.

"Then thank you for your kind words, Your Highness. I only hope that this child will study hard in the future and serve the court."

Because Zheng Bao'er's son was mentioned, Xu Zhaozhao had someone present her with a set of writing implements and a very exquisite bow inlaid with gemstones when she left. It was clearly something used by a child or a woman.

Zheng Bao'er felt the gift was too heavy and dared not accept it, but Xu Zhaozhao had given the order, so how could the people below dare to take it back?

This was a big deal, and Zheng Bao'er dared not hide it. After telling her husband first, the couple took these valuable gifts to the study to report to her father.