Xu Zhengying thought, What a hypocritical brat. You invited me here yourself, yet you trot out that polite nonsense about failing to welcome me at the door. You never had any intention of coming out to greet me. Still, he did not consider Hu Xiaotian rude. Hu Buwei was his immediate superior, and in his eyes, his superior's son had been born with a halo of nobility around him. Official airs were for putting on in front of other people; before the minister's son, he had to remain humble and discreet. Laughing heartily, Xu Zhengying stepped forward and clasped Hu Xiaotian's hand with extraordinary warmth.
Hu Xiaotian really found this hard to get used to. Fuck, are we that close? We've barely met twice, never even exchanged a complete sentence, and here you are holding my hand. You old bastard, your skin is far too thick. Trying to cozy up to me? Heh, did you fail to butter up my father, so now you've devised a roundabout rescue strategy and turned to me instead? I've seen plenty of these tricks subordinates use to suck up to their bosses.
Xu Zhengying certainly made himself at home. Holding Hu Xiaotian's hand without letting go, he peered at him through narrowed little eyes and said, "My dear nephew, I heard that your health was poor. A friend happened to bring me a thousand-year-old mountain ginseng root from the Yan Kingdom recently, so I came especially to give it to you to nourish your health."
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His servant handed him a brocade box. Xu Zhengying held it out respectfully with both hands. A Principal Fourth Rank vice minister of the Ministry of Revenue was presenting a gift to Hu Xiaotian, a political nobody without even the smallest official appointment, and doing it with such deference. This fellow certainly knew how to set aside his dignity.
Hu Xiaotian had already anticipated that Xu Zhengying's visit was meant to bring them closer. Still, he was curious. Thousand-year-old mountain ginseng? Keep blowing smoke. How could something like that be so easy to find? That's a treasure worth a whole city. Then he reconsidered. He could not measure everything by the values of his former life. Perhaps ginseng cost no more than radishes in Great Kang. Even so, he understood that a gift someone brought personally to his door was bound to be valuable.
He accepted the exquisitely packaged brocade box and, unable to restrain his curiosity, opened it right before Xu Zhengying. Inside lay a mountain ginseng root about a foot long. Although Hu Xiaotian's main field was Western medicine, he had also studied traditional Chinese medicine somewhat. There was a verse specifically for judging ginseng's quality: "Star-dotted neck, fine hairy shoots; a diamond body, short chicken-leg roots; deep winding wrinkles, coarse brocade skin; pearls strung along dragon-coiling whiskers; sturdy and small, neck and roots long; wild ginseng light as sponge." In other words, good ginseng needed a long neck and long rootlets with a short body; the body should preferably be diamond-shaped; its skin should have numerous deep wrinkles; both neck and rootlets should be long, with tiny pearl-like nodules along the rootlets; and the body had to be light, not heavier for the sake of being heavier.
This ginseng had many heads. A rough count gave him about twelve. According to the saying that it developed another head every hundred years, he could tentatively estimate its age at around twelve hundred years. Hu Xiaotian thought, The old fellow probably wasn't fooling me. This root really is excellent. Thousand-year-old ginseng is hard to come by. It must be worth a fortune.
Smiling, he closed the brocade box and handed it back to Xu Zhengying. "Uncle Xu, you're far too kind. I couldn't possibly accept such a precious gift."
Xu Zhengying pushed the wild ginseng back toward him, deliberately pretending to be displeased. "My dear nephew, your father and I are the closest of friends, as dear as brothers. In my eyes, you're no different from my own flesh and blood. You were ill for so many years, and now that you've finally recovered, your body needs nourishment. If it will restore your health, never mind a mere ginseng root-even if you wanted a piece of your Uncle Xu's heart, I would gladly cut it out for you!"
Hu Xiaotian cursed inwardly. You're taking advantage of me! You might want me as your son, but I don't want you as my father. He had discovered that flattery was positively fashionable here. Servants did it, and officials did it too. Xu Zhengying's speech had been so nauseating that it gave him goose bumps, yet the fellow delivered it without changing expression, full of heartfelt sincerity. Anyone who could bow and scrape like this before a junior possessed a hide thicker than most.
Although Hu Xiaotian understood that anyone who came bearing gifts wanted something, he thought of his father's insistence on arranging a crippled woman as his wife. He might as well do something bad and cause the old man a little trouble. If you won't let me be comfortable, I won't let you live in peace either. With that thought, he chuckled. "Since you're offering with such kindness, Uncle Xu, it would be disrespectful of me to refuse." In truth, he had wanted it all along. His earlier refusal had merely been an act.
Xu Zhengying had known Hu Xiaotian for quite some time, but had barely ever spoken with the boy. Who in the capital did not know that Hu Buwei, Minister of Revenue, had an idiot for a son? Only six months earlier had word suddenly spread that Hu Buwei's son had regained his senses overnight. In Xu Zhengying's opinion, an idiot who regained his senses was still a half-wit. Only after meeting him today did he realize that this boy was nothing like the imbecile of rumor. Far from being stupid, he fairly radiated shrewdness, cunning, and quick wit.
Hu Xiaotian gestured invitingly. "Uncle Xu, please sit. Let's have some tea and chat."
Xu Zhengying did not sit down. Smiling, he said, "My dear nephew, I only came today to bring you this ginseng to nourish your health. I have other business to attend to. When I have time, I'll come again for tea and a chat."
"Uncle Xu, judging by your clothes, you aren't going out on official business."
Xu Zhengying smiled. "I've arranged to meet several colleagues at the Misty Waters Pavilion for a literary gathering."
Hu Xiaotian blinked. Lately, he had been bored enough to make his balls ache. Hearing that Xu Zhengying was going to a literary gathering immediately made him want to join the fun. He smiled. "Uncle Xu, your nephew has a rather presumptuous request. Why don't I come along and broaden my horizons?"
Xu Zhengying hesitated briefly, then immediately nodded. "Of course! Nothing could be better than having you join us, my dear nephew!" Inwardly, however, he wondered, Can you even read? A refined occasion like that hardly seems suitable for you. After all, he knew something of Hu Xiaotian. The boy had only learned to speak less than six months ago. He probably could not recognize a basketful of characters even if each were as big as a bushel.
Before leaving, Hu Buwei had instructed Hu Xiaotian to go out as little as possible. If he absolutely had to leave the house, his six personal servants were to stay with him every step of the way. The servants, led by Liang Dazhuang, had consistently carried out Hu Buwei's orders to the letter.
As soon as they heard that Hu Xiaotian wanted to go out, all six servants came over. He had long since grown impatient with these tagalongs. Glaring fiercely at them, he said, "What are you doing? I'm going to a literary gathering with Lord Xu. Why are you following us? Is a refined place like that somewhere you can go?"
Hu An, the elderly steward, said, "Young master, before the master left, he specifically instructed us to protect you closely wherever you went. Please don't make things difficult for us."
Had he not said that, all might have been well, but the moment Hu Xiaotian heard it, his anger surged. Why should I have to do what he wants? He isn't even my real father... Yet he also knew that, by blood, they really were father and son. It was a tangled matter he could neither explain nor untangle. What real father would push his own son into a pit of fire? Even a vicious tiger did not eat its cubs, yet Hu Buwei was coldhearted enough. Thinking of his future marriage sent rebellion surging through Hu Xiaotian's heart. Hu Buwei, oh, Hu Buwei, if you won't let me be comfortable, I won't let you live in peace. At that thought, he widened his eyes and lashed out with his foot, planting a kick in Liang Dazhuang's stomach.
Liang Dazhuang had been standing to one side without saying a word. Never could he have imagined that the kick would land on his belly. It sent him sprawling onto his backside. The fellow had truly suffered an injustice.
Hu An had clearly been the one speaking, but he was over sixty. However unscrupulous Hu Xiaotian might be, he could not possibly beat an elderly man in his sixties, so he had chosen the tall, stout Liang Dazhuang instead. The kick came utterly without warning. Not only Liang Dazhuang but everyone present had been caught by surprise.
Pointing at Liang Dazhuang's nose, Hu Xiaotian cursed, "You insolent bastard! Since when did you get to pass judgment on my affairs?"
Liang Dazhuang's mouth crumpled, and tears of grievance nearly spilled from his eyes. Fuck, who did I offend? I wasn't even the one who said that!
Seeing their young master lose his temper, the servants immediately shut their mouths. None wanted to draw the fire onto themselves. Servants in a minister's household possessed at least that much political wisdom; every one of them knew how to preserve his own skin. Even the true culprit, Hu An, sheepishly fell silent. The young master had knocked down Liang Dazhuang, who weighed nearly two hundred catties, with a single kick. What chance did his own old arms and legs stand? Had that kick struck him, he would most likely have gone flying over the wall.
Xu Zhengying was an outsider, after all. Watching Hu Xiaotian discipline his servants in front of him, he could neither intervene nor comfortably stand aside. His expression inevitably grew awkward.
"Young master..." Liang Dazhuang's lips drooped. He was close to wanting to cry but having no tears left.
Hu Xiaotian said, "Lord Xu graciously invited me to attend the literary gathering. With him looking after me, what is there for you to worry about? If my father knew I was going out with Lord Xu, not only would he not blame anyone, he would wholeheartedly approve!"
Xu Zhengying felt a headache coming on. What kind of talk is that? When did I graciously invite you? I came to bring you ginseng to nourish your health, not to invite you to a literary gathering. You heard I was going and shamelessly insisted on tagging along! But he could hardly expose Hu Xiaotian to his face. Regret churned inside him. I'm a fucking fool. Why did I mention the gathering in front of him for no reason? I must have been so stuffed I had nothing better to do. Now look-he's dumped all the responsibility on me. If Hu Buwei finds out later, won't he think I lured his son away?
Hu Xiaotian affectionately slung an arm around Xu Zhengying's shoulders. "Let's go. We shouldn't let these servants spoil our refined enjoyment of the literary gathering."
Xu Zhengying could only smile awkwardly.
Having seen what had just happened to Liang Dazhuang, none of the servants dared say anything more. They could only watch helplessly as Hu Xiaotian and Xu Zhengying went out.
Rubbing his backside, Liang Dazhuang climbed off the ground and lamented bitterly, "I've been wronged!"
**********Thanks to Weeping Dě Blade, Mumu Sanshou 1, GIE, Black Dragon Crossing the River 999, Yingquan, Only Loves Fat Guys, and all the other longtime readers for your tips. Thanks to brother I Was Crazy and sister Rose Lemon for your support. There are many other brothers and sisters whose names I haven't mentioned; Octopus thanks you all. Please don't forget to bookmark this book. Octopus will give his all to write it well and bring you an entertaining, lighthearted historical novel.
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