GBP Chapter 943: 1 emperor and 1 courtier
Chapter 943: 1 emperor and 1 courtier
Upon hearing this, Xiaoyuer secretly pursed his lips. He had never believed in ghosts or gods, perhaps influenced by Zhang Ping'an, or perhaps he was just naturally bold.
He knew from a very young age that the idea of ghosts and gods was a lie, a means for those in power to rule over those below.
Otherwise, why would those eminent monks eventually pass away? Even the National Preceptor Yuantong of Daxiangguo Temple died an unnatural death.
This shows that you have to earn your own destiny!
But he knew he couldn't say it aloud, so he only thought it to himself.
It was through this opportunity that Green Eyes managed to shake off his troublesome colleagues and get close to Zhang Ping'an.
Zhang Ping'an had noticed this long ago, but he smiled without saying a word.
Not long after, the fireworks ended, and the crowd began to make noise again. It was then that Green Bean Eyes spoke up. He first bowed to Zhang Lao Er, and then praised Xiao Yu'er: "Hmm, it's only been a few days, but Xiao Yu'er has grown taller again. He has surpassed his master and is quite handsome!"
Little Fish smiled modestly, "Uncle Ge, you flatter me!"
“Hey, I don’t praise just anyone,” the beady-eyed man said seriously, then waved his hand, “Young people should go play with other young people. Your dad, your grandpa, and I will talk for a while so you won’t get bored with us.”
Xiao Yu'er glanced at his father's expression, and seeing Zhang Ping'an nod slightly to him, he bowed again and went to join the group of his peers.
Watching Xiaoyuer's retreating figure, the man with the beady eyes casually sighed, "Your son is going to be something special in the future!"
“You have quite a few sons; if you raise them well, they won’t turn out badly,” Zhang Ping’an said.
Zhang Lao Er chimed in with a smile, "That's right! Your boys are all so sturdy and spirited, it's a joy to see them. When they get a little older, they'll be able to help you with the chores, which is great!"
"Hehe, thank you for your kind words," the beady-eyed man smiled.
The two chatted amongst themselves, and the conversation eventually turned to food.
Zhang Ping'an then learned that the Ge family's grain transport teams had already begun to disperse and collect grain in grain-producing areas across the country.
"So fast?" Zhang Pingan was surprised.
Green Bean glanced into the distance and said, "This is the most basic sense of smell for a businessman. Food is the most important thing for people, and there is no shortage of grain everywhere! Not only our Ge family, I heard that the Wu family has also set off."
Zhang Ping'an paused for a moment before saying, "The national treasury is full of grain. With the foundation laid by the late emperor, even if the people suffer from disasters, disaster relief will not be a problem. You must not be too ruthless."
The man with the beady eyes nodded. "I understand. I just want to see when the opportunity arises to make a profit. Besides, you never know what will happen if there's a disaster. You know, no merchant is without guile. That may sound harsh, but it's not entirely without reason."
While Zhang Ping'an was pondering, the imperial carriage had already been rearranged and began to head towards the inner palace.
The other ministers and their families, guided by the palace servants, moved in batches toward the inner palace.
While responding to the greetings from those around them, Zhang Ping'an and Green Eyes continued in a low voice, "It seems that we can no longer sell the grain on our estate."
Whether they were powerful families or landlords and gentry, they generally exchanged old grain for new grain, that is, they sold their stored grain before the autumn harvest when the price was good, and then exchanged it for new grain after the autumn harvest.
Those with substantial wealth will stockpile for three to five years, while those with limited resources may only stockpile for a year.
The Zhang family typically stores grain for only three years, and they have more than ten small granaries. They sold some of them before the Lunar New Year, but still have quite a lot left.
After listening, Green Bean Eyes pondered for a moment, "It's up to you. Anyway, your family has few people and a lot of fertile land, so selling some won't hurt. It won't have much of an impact. I was just saying it casually. After all, our family are imperial merchants, and you are an official. We have different considerations."
Seeing that they were about to enter the hall, Zhang Ping'an didn't ask any more questions and nodded, "Okay, I understand!"
After everyone was seated in order, it took some time to serve the dishes. Zhou Pu, sitting at the head of the table, gave some words of encouragement, and then the court officials raised their cups in a toast. Year after year, Zhang Ping'an had eaten this kind of New Year's Eve banquet many times, and he no longer felt anything about it.
The dishes were delicious, but they didn't taste as good as home-cooked food, and they had gone lukewarm by the time they were brought over from the imperial kitchen.
"A new emperor, a new court"—Zhang Ping'an now felt that this saying was truly accurate. Ever since the emperor changed, he felt that everything had changed as well.
The most active people at the banquet were the scions of various prominent families. They were adept at handling the table manners and social interactions, and were quite accustomed to them.
Without the sound of string and wind instruments, the scene couldn't be too quiet, so halfway through the New Year's Eve banquet, people from the Ministry of Rites started playing various games, mainly word puzzles, lantern riddles, and poetry.
It's not very difficult; it's just a way to pass the time, and you have to cooperate.
Perhaps Zhou Pu, who was seated at the head of the table, also found the meal boring. After the last course of fruit tea was served and the head eunuch announced the end of the banquet, he composed a poem for New Year's Eve and then left.
Generally speaking, during the New Year's Eve banquet, after the emperor leaves, the remaining court officials can eat, drink, and have fun on their own, and those who want to leave can leave early.
So after several older ministers got up to take their leave, Zhang Ping'an also got up.
After greeting his familiar colleagues, he quietly instructed the palace servants beside him to go and inform Zhang Lao Er, Xiao Yu Er, and the Xu family members in the distance, and to bring them to the door to meet.
Once outside the inner hall, a cool breeze blew, and Zhang Ping'an felt the heat on his face subside a bit. The floor heating and brazier in the hall were burning too brightly, making him feel a bit tight in his chest and short of breath, and he also felt drowsy.
Before long, Xiaoyuer helped Zhang Lao Er out, and Xu Shi also came over led by a palace servant.
"Dad!" Little Fish called out.
“We’re here. I see it’s getting late. Your grandparents are getting old. Let’s go back and keep vigil for the New Year,” Zhang Ping’an said.
Xiao Yu'er, Zhang Lao Er, and Xu Shi all nodded and followed.
Once the family was seated in the carriage, Zhang Lao Er finally let out a sigh of relief and wiped the sweat from his neck: "Good heavens, this is the first time I've ever known that the inner palace is so warm. It turns out that nobles really don't have to suffer from the cold in winter."
"It depends on the person. When the late emperor was alive, the earth dragon didn't burn this well," Zhang Ping'an explained with a smile.
“Your father is just making a fuss over nothing,” Xu said with a laugh.
The New Year should bring good fortune, so Zhang Lao Er smiled and didn't mind.
After the family arrived home and settled in, Zhang Ping'an finally had a chance to quietly ask, "Have you sent the person away?"