"Master, Mistress, Miss, the eldest young master is back." Without Mei Haoxuan around, the others had little appetite. Mei Qingxue still remembered the frowning look on Mei Haoxuan's face before he entered the palace. She felt quite uncomfortable. When she heard the maid's announcement, the stone in her heart dropped a bit, but she still couldn't fully relax.
Mei Haoxuan walked into the dining hall. After greeting Master Mei and Mistress Mei with a calm expression, he sat down. Seeing Mei Qingxue safely back in the mansion, the worry that had been weighing on his heart finally dissipated.
"Since everyone's back, let's start the meal." Before Mistress Mei and Mei Qingxue could ask Mei Haoxuan what the emperor had summoned him for, Master Mei spoke up and stopped the two who were about to speak.
Mei Qingxue knew that Master Mei didn't want them to talk about such things during the meal and ruin everyone's appetite. They'd better wait until after the meal.
During this meal, the four members of the Mei family adhered well to the principle of "eat without speaking, sleep without making noise." They really didn't say a single word. After the meal, the maids removed the dishes and served fragrant tea.
Normally, Master Mei wouldn't stay long at this time and would get up and go to his study.
Sure enough, after half a cup of tea, Master Mei stood up and walked outside on his own. But when he reached the door, he stopped, and said with his back turned, "Haoxuan, come to my study."
"Yes." Mei Haoxuan responded and got up, following Master Mei out.
Watching their departing backs, Mei Qingxue and Mistress Mei each had their own concerns, but they were both worried about Mei Haoxuan.
Seeing the frown on her mother's face, Mei Qingxue lovingly reached out her small hand to smooth it. "Mother, don't worry. I believe that no matter what happens, Father and Brother will handle things well."
Mistress Mei, who had been a bit absent - minded, gradually relaxed her frowning brows after hearing Mei Qingxue's words. She held Mei Qingxue's soft and boneless little hand and said with a gentle smile, "It seems that our Xue'er has grown up and knows how to care about her mother. Mother is very gratified. We women don't understand the affairs in the court. We can only leave them to these men. But we women have to share their burdens in the mansion so that they won't be bothered by the affairs at home when they come back."
"Mother has done a great job. Over the years, you've managed our Prime Minister's Mansion in perfect order!" There were over a hundred people in the Prime Minister's Mansion, not counting those in the shops and manors outside. Her mother managed all these people so well. It was really hard not to admire her!
"Mother is saying this to tell you that when you get married in the future, you have to manage your husband's concubines and maids properly. Mother was so lucky to marry your father. Your father doesn't even have a concubine or a maid - in - waiting as a concubine. But who knows if our Xue'er can find such a husband? A man like your father is rare in this world. So, even if your husband has concubines and maids - in - waiting in the future, don't argue with them too much. Keep the obedient ones and secretly get rid of those who are disobedient and don't know their place." Mistress Mei sighed softly as she said this. Which woman in this world could bear her husband having multiple wives and concubines without feeling sad? But even if they were sad, who could change this fact?
"I should have told you this in a couple of years, but as you've seen, these days there have been so many match - makers coming to our Prime Minister's Mansion that they've almost worn out the threshold. Your father and I can fend them off for a while, but we'll eventually have to choose a suitable husband for you..."
Mei Qingxue had been quietly leaning against Mistress Mei, listening. She knew that every word Mistress Mei said came from the bottom of her heart without any falsehood.
However, as a person who had lived nine lives without ever being in love, she was really unwilling to marry a man chosen by her parents and match - makers. She hoped that in this life, she could find her true love and grow old with him hand in hand. In this life, she didn't want to miss some things again.
"Mother, Xue'er isn't in a hurry. Xue'er wants to marry the man she loves just like Mother did. So, please give Xue'er some time. Don't arrange a marriage for Xue'er before I come of age, okay?" The age of coming of age here was sixteen. She was thirteen this year, which meant she still had three years to find her true love. If she still couldn't find him after three years, she would have to accept her fate and get married...
"This..." Mistress Mei frowned in distress. She had never heard of such a thing before. A noble official's daughter wanted to find her own husband? What if she was deceived?
Mei Qingxue knew what Mistress Mei was worried about, so she quickly said, "Mother, don't worry. Xue'er will never let you and Father down."
Looking at her daughter's cute appearance, the words Mistress Mei wanted to refute seemed to be stuck in her throat and she couldn't say them. She could only sigh softly. Forget it. Let her give it a try. Even if she was deceived in love, it would be good for her to experience the pain.
"Forget it. I'll let you have your way."
"Hehe, thank you, Mother." Originally, she planned to talk to her mother about this later, but unexpectedly, her mother brought it up first. It was just right to make things clear and avoid any future troubles.
At this time, in Master Mei's study, Master Mei stood with his hands behind his back, and Mei Haoxuan quietly stood behind him. Both of them were silent for a while.
"What did the emperor summon you for today?" After a long time, Master Mei finally asked in a deep voice.
"The emperor said he wants me to temporarily take the position of the deputy commander of the Imperial City Guards."
"Oh? What about Su Shangyu?" Su Shangyu was the eldest legitimate son of Su Yuan, the Minister of War. He had just turned twenty this year, but he had taken the position of the deputy commander of the Imperial City Guards three years ago. It showed how much the emperor valued the Su family.
"Su Shangyu has been transferred to the border to quell the disturbances caused by the neighboring small countries." Mei Haoxuan sounded a bit indignant when he said this.
"Does the emperor want to give him a chance to make contributions?" Master Mei frowned slightly.
"Recently, Father's influence in the court has faintly overwhelmed that of the Minister of War. I'm afraid the emperor is worried and made this decision to balance the influence between Father and the Minister of War." Actually, when the emperor summoned him, he had already vaguely guessed that this might be the case.
"Some officials under the Minister of War were punished by the court for embezzlement and corruption a while ago, which somewhat weakened his influence. In order not to let him be at a disadvantage in the court, the emperor made this decision. The small border countries rob our small border towns for food to survive the winter because they have no food. Most of these people are weak and sick because they've been hungry for a long time. The emperor just needs to send someone capable to subdue them..."
The more Master Mei talked, the more solemn his voice became. The emperor was already so obviously wary of his influence. This was definitely not a good thing for them.
"The emperor wants to balance the influence of our two sides and prevent either side from becoming too powerful..."
"If it's just that, it's not a big deal. I'm afraid the emperor wants to gradually weaken the influence of our two sides and then take over our forces for his own use. And then we..." As he said this, Master Mei made a slashing motion on his own neck.