The Kingdom That Never Sleeps CH 093 The Coming-of-age Ceremony
In the cold winter of the 12th lunar month, the city of Shengjing was covered in a thick layer of snow, and the imperial palace was sealed in a vast expanse of white.
Wearing a deep red official robe, Su Wenyun, the Right Vice Minister of the Ministry of Works and the Junior Minister of the Court ofJ udicial Review, walked into the palace, braving the heavy snow to reach Chuigong Hall. He couldn't directly enter the hall to meet the emperor, so he waited until a eunuch went in to announce his arrival.
Su Wenyun first paid his respects to Zhao Fu, then raised his head, and his gaze suddenly stopped on Tang Shen, who was standing in the center of the hall. The two men's eyes met, and Tang Shen looked away, his expression calm.
Zhao Fu, still sitting on the couch with his heat warmer, said, "Fei Ran is also here. Look at your official hat, there is nearly a pile of snow collecting on it."
“Su Wenyun greets Your Majesty."
Zhao Fu smiled and said, "Have a seat."
A small eunuch immediately brought a chair, and Tang Shen and Su Wenyun sat down together.
Zhao Fu said, "Jing Ze has written a memorial, take a look." The chief eunuch, Ji Fu, immediately handed the memorial to Su Wenyun.
Su Wenyun opened the document and read it, his expression becoming increasingly strange. After finishing, he restrained his urge to ask Tang Shen questions and said to Zhao Fu, "Your Majesty, it seems that Tang Shen and I have the same idea."
Zhao Fu, seemingly in a good mood, laughed and said, "Indeed, I was also surprised when I read the memorial. You submitted your memorial yesterday, and today Tang Shen also submitted one."
Tang Shen realized that Su Wenyun must have submitted a memorial to Zhao Fu the previous day, recommending that he send spies to the Liao State!
However, Tang Shen didn't know what method Su Wenyun planned to use to infiltrate the Liao State. But logically speaking, he shouldn't have thought of the Silver Pull Division. The Silver Pull Division was managed by Wang Zhen, and Su Wenyun had always been at odds with Wang Zhen; the two had no interactions. Unless Wang Zhen had privately mentioned the Silver Pull Division to Tang Shen, there was no way he would have thought of using it to investigate enemy intelligence from the Liao State either.
As they spoke, a eunuch brought in a bowl of matsutake pigeon soup, saying that it was specially made by a consort from the inner palace for the emperor. Zhao Fu drank the soup, his eyes cast downward, his expression calm, like an ordinary old man. After drinking a few sips, Zhao Fu said, "Today's soup doesn't taste as delicious as it used to."
Ji Fu, standing beside him, forced a smile and said, "Consort Shu's cooking skills are renowned in the palace, perhaps the soup was blown cold by the wind when it was brought to Chuigong Hall."
Zhao Fu said, "I don't think that's the reason. I think that if the matsutake were fresher and the pigeon were more tender, the two would complement each other, and even if the snow were heavier, it wouldn't affect the flavor of the soup."
Ji Fu's heart tightened, as he realized that Zhao Fu's words had a hidden meaning, but it was clear that they weren't directed at him. Ji Fu looked at Su Wenyun and Tang Shen, thinking that the words must be meant for them.
Tang Shen and Su Wenyun both had their own thoughts.
Not long after, Tang Shen left Chuigong Hall, while Su Wenyun remained inside.
As Tang Shen walked out of the hall, he opened his umbrella, and the snowflakes gently fell on the umbrella, making a barely audible sound. Tang Shen walked towards Qinzheng Hall, and when he approached the gate, he stopped and slightly quirked his lips.
Zhao Fu wanted him to collaborate with Su Wenyun, which might not be a bad thing.
This was a rare opportunity for him to interact with Su Wenyun after two years. If he could gather some information from Su Wenyun, it would be worth the trip.
That afternoon, Zhao Fu issued an edict, ordering Tang Shen to travel to the northwest in the second month of the following year to inspect the establishment of the Silver Pull Division and to conduct an imperial inspection on behalf of the emperor.
The eunuch directly brought the imperial edict into Tang Shen's office and read it aloud. After Tang Shen received the edict, the news quickly spread to Xu Bi's ears. Xu Bi was holding an ancient book, reading it carefully. When he heard the news, he nodded thoughtfully and didn't react further.
Before the officials left for the day, the news had already spread to the offices of other officials. Meng Lang, the Minister of Rites, was surprised when he heard the news. He turned to Wang Zhen, the Minister of Revenue, who was in the same office, and said, "Wang daren, I seem to have heard that Su daren, the Right Vice Minister of the Ministry of Works, also received an edict today, saying that he will go to the northwest to inspect the military situation next year?"
Wang Zhen was admiring a beautiful white jade and seemed to be in a trance, not noticing Meng Lang's words. Meng Lang scolded internally, "This guy probably embezzled again, and I'll catch him sooner or later." He then tapped his fingers on the desk and continued, "I remember that the Silver Pull Division is under your jurisdiction, and it's also in Youzhou. Tang daren is going to Youzhou, and Su daren is also going. Could they be traveling together to Youzhou City?"
Wang Zhen finally put down the jade and looked at Meng Lang, smiling. "I don't think I've heard that Right Vice Minister Su is going," he said.
Meng Lang replied, "The edict was just announced today."
Wang Zhen then said, "Meng daren, as the Minister of Rites, you are very concerned about the officials in the Ministry of Works.”
Meng Lang, “En?”
“And you're also very interested in the middle-ranking officials under Xu xianggong."
“...?”
Wang Zhen continued, "Meng daren seems to know a lot about the Silver Pull Division as well, as clear as the back of your hand…”
“Wait a minute, Wang Zifeng, when have I ever been clear about the Silver Pull Division. Don't try to slander me."
Meng Lang quickly denied it. He didn't want to get involved with the Silver Pull Division at all. Every official in the court had their own speculations about the Silver Pull Division, and Meng Lang was no exception. Although he didn’t know exactly why Zhao Fu had established this institution, it was undoubtedly meant for something significant. As for the so-called benefits, they never fell to him, and he had no desire to get involved in any troublesome matters. Meng daren, the Minister of Rites, had always been reluctant to deal with such headaches.
Wang Zhen put away the jade and stood up. The next moment, the sound of a government worker announcing the time could be heard from outside.
It was time to leave for the day.
Wang Zhen looked at Meng Lang seriously and bowed deeply, saying, “Meng daren is truly talented, but it's a pity that you're stuck in the Ministry of Rites." He then turned and left, leaving Meng Lang to look after his graceful figure.
Meng Lang didn't react until Wang Zhen had left, and then he thought to himself, "Wait, was Wang Zifeng praising me? Something doesn't feel right."
As the end of the year approached, officials began to take leave for the holidays.
Tang Shen didn't return to Gusu for the New Year because he had received the imperial edict to go to the northwest in the spring. On New Year's Eve, Tang Shen's family had dinner together at Xixia Tower. A few months ago, Madam Tang had come from Gusu to arrange for Tang Huang's “inserting the hairpin” coming-of-age ceremony, which marked her transition to adulthood.
Tang Huang was now 15 years old and could get married. According to tradition, Tang Huang should have returned to Gusu for the ceremony, but Madam Tang had come to Shengjing instead. Tang Shen felt a bit guilty about this.
Madam Tang smiled and said, "I know you're busy, and I've never been to Shengjing before. Now, it is just the right time to see the sights outside of Gusu." Even someone like Madam Tang, though she was a lady from a prominent family, had never left Gusu before.
After the New Year's Eve dinner, Tang Huang toasted Tang Shen, saying, "It's Brother's turn to have a ‘tying the hair’ coming-of-age ceremony now."
Yao San also said. “Little boss's birthday is in March, and according to tradition, should have a coming-of-age ceremony. However, since you will be leaving for Youzhou in February, it might not be possible to hold the ceremony.”
Tang Shen said, "We can hold the ceremony when I return."
Not only did Yao San notice that Tang Shen would be spending his birthday in Youzhou, but Fu Wei also realized this when Tang Shen visited his residence to pay his respects during the New Year. Fu Wei had been working on compiling books in the Hanlin Academy and had lost weight, but he still looked energetic and spirited. He frowned and stroked his beard, saying, "This is a problem."
Tang Shen smiled and said, "Don't worry, Sir. We can hold the ceremony when I return. At that time, I must ask Sir to be my distinguished guest and preside over my coming-of-age ceremony."
“Of course.”
According to tradition, a man's coming-of-age ceremony marked his transition to adulthood at the age of 20, and a woman's coming-of-age ceremony marked her transition to adulthood at the age of 15.
During the coming-of-age ceremony, a distinguished guest to preside over the ceremony and an honored guest to help on the side were required. Usually, the distinguished guest was the father of the person having their hair tied in a topknot, and the honored guest was a teacher or mentor. However, since Tang Shen's father had passed away, Fu Wei would have to take on the role of a distinguished guest.
As for the honored guest, Tang Shen said, "I'd like to ask Senior Brother Zi Feng to be my honored guest."
Fu Wei nodded and said, "Zi Feng is your friend and mentor, so it's suitable for him to be your honored guest. However, you should ask him yourself, as being an honored guest is a significant responsibility and a once-in-a-lifetime event for both of you. If he's not willing, I won't be able to do anything about it."
“Yes.”
After visiting Fu Wei, Tang Shen didn't go to see Wang Zhen immediately because Wang Zhen had returned to his hometown, Jinling, for the New Year.
When Tang Shen returned home from the Fu Residence, he suddenly felt a bit empty and like something was missing. After thinking about it, he couldn't help but laugh: "I've been spending the New Year with my senior brother for the past few years!"
Indeed, whenever Tang Shen didn't return to Gusu, Wang Zhen would also stay in Shengjing. The one time Tang Shen did return to Gusu, Wang Zhen happened to be in Jinling, and they met up in the Langya Wang family estate, where they even shared a bed.
This year, without Wang Zhen's presence, Tang Shen felt uncomfortable.
Ten days later, Wang Zhen returned from Jinling. The next day, Tang Shen visited Wang Zhen with gifts to wish him a happy New Year.
Wang Zhen accepted the gifts and gave Tang Shen some things he had brought back from Jinling. Tang Shen's page boy received the gifts.
Wang Zhen said, "I heard from Sir that you want me to be your honored guest for your coming-of-age ceremony?"
Tang Shen was taken aback, wondering why Wang Zhen seemed hesitant to accept his request.
Tang Shen explained, "Yes, I'm turning 20 this year and will be having my coming-of-age ceremony. Since my parents passed away, I was hoping to ask you and Sir to preside over the ceremony."
Wang Zhen drank some tea and said, "Heave a seat."
Tang Shen sat down, and Wang Zhen didn't directly answer his question. Instead, he said, "I remember your birthday is on March 7th."
Tang Shen replied, "That's right."
Wang Zhen continued, "But you're supposed to leave for Youzhou in February?"
Tang Shen said, "Yes, it can't be helped. I was thinking of having the coming-of-age ceremony after I return from Youzhou."
Wang Zhen played with the tea lid for a while before saying, "It's not necessarily so."
Tang Shen looked up at Wang Zhen in surprise.
Half a month later, the emperor suddenly issued an edict, ordering Tang Shen to delay his departure to Youzhou until the end of March. At first, Tang Shen was confused, but then he remembered Wang Zhen's words and couldn't help but laugh.
"What kind of magic potion has my senior brother fed the emperor, making him listen to his every word and letting him abuse his power for personal gain?"