Chapter 408: Chapter 409: Evaluation

Liu Donglai looked up at the pensive Hua Shunming. Combined with the Emperor’s recent purge of several court officials, the resulting gap in personnel was growing ever larger.

Yet, for the sake of their own interests, not a single one of the court’s many officials had mentioned adding a special imperial examination.

Hua Shunming spoke, "Even if We were to add a special examination now, it would be too late. We can only solve the problem at hand for the moment. Afterward, We will issue a Holy Decree to hold a special examination next year."

The court was short-staffed, especially when it came to capable, hands-on individuals. This had always been Hua Shunming’s biggest headache during his reign.

"Just now in the side hall, they did mention one person. We would like to ask for your opinion, Old Sir."

Liu Donglai said, "...And who might that be?"

"Gu Wenheng. We imagine you know of him, Old Sir."

"..." Liu Donglai was silent. ’Know of him? I couldn’t be more familiar.’

The two families had visited each other many times over a shared love for good food, and one could even say they had become friends despite their age difference.

But at this moment, he dared not conceal it and laid the matter of their private association out in the open.

Hua Shunming fell silent. ’So, the lives of these officials are even more colorful than my own as the Emperor.’

"Then what is your assessment of this man, Old Sir?"

"Erudite, multi-talented, visionary, and insightful," Liu Donglai replied instantly, without a second thought.

Hua Shunming couldn’t help but raise an eyebrow at such high praise. "You hold him in very high regard, Old Sir."

Liu Donglai nodded without reservation. "In his several conversations with Old Chen, he always spoke with substance. No matter the topic, he had his own unique insights.

Moreover, his perspective is clear and his character is upright. Perhaps one day in the future, he will become a great and capable minister under the Holy Emperor."

"Do you believe your acquaintance with him was a coincidence, Old Sir?" As the Emperor, Hua Shunming had seen too many schemes, and his first reaction was naturally suspicion.

Liu Donglai shook his head. "This old subject is just an ordinary old man from a farming family. I was the one who initiated contact with them back then, and I was the one who took the initiative for our families to start visiting.

Besides, what could he possibly hope to gain by scheming against an old man like me, who is already living out his days in honored retirement?"

Hua Shunming took a sip of tea to conceal his discomfort. "Since you also think so highly of him, Old Sir, what do you think of him serving as this Magistrate?"

Liu Donglai was speechless. ’An Emperor truly is a self-centered creature. He knows about the private friendship between our families, yet he still kicks a life-or-death question like this over to me?’

"This old subject has long since retired. It would be inappropriate for me to interfere in court affairs. The Holy Emperor should discuss the selection with the other ministers."

Hua Shunming was silent.

Gu Lehuan had recently bought a small courtyard house next to the brokerage, though the sum of his entire net worth hadn’t been enough to afford it.

Before leaving the capital, the old madam had secretly stuffed fifty taels of silver into his hand. It was her way of supporting his decision to start his own household, though she put it tactfully, "You’re a grown man now. You can’t still be living with your Seventh Uncle and the others when you get married.

It’s better to be the master of your own house than to live under someone else’s roof."

As his uncle, Gu Yuanshui naturally couldn’t give nothing. He grudgingly pulled out thirty taels of silver, saying, "Your Fourth Uncle has other important uses for his silver. When I make a fortune in the future, I’ll be sure to make it up to you."

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Of course, they didn’t do any of this in secret. Gu Wenheng soon had his long-term follower deliver a one hundred tael silver note as well.

With all this silver, he had enough to buy a small house with two or three rooms—a place to settle down and start his life.

Clutching the freshly acquired house deed, Gu Lehuan went to find Matchmaker Lao once again.

"Please, ma’am, give this to Miss Xu. This is all I can offer right now. In the future, I will rely on my own efforts to support a family."

To secure his future livelihood, he had also specifically sought advice from Chief Steward Hu, who was still recuperating at the Gu residence.

Hu Dong, tempered by years of experience, was a font of business wisdom. Seeing as Gu Lehuan was his master’s own nephew, he gave him a rather reliable piece of advice.

Gu Lehuan had plenty of strength, more than enough to manage a mobile stall.

All he would need was a pushcart or a carrying pole. He could stock up on common consumables needed in the nearby villages and travel between them to sell his wares.

One shouldn’t look down on such a humble peddler; the trade could often support an entire family’s expenses.

Once he had saved up some capital, he could slowly plan for other ventures.

Gu Lehuan listened and felt it made sense. Although he had never been formally educated, he had listened in on some of his younger cousins’ lessons during his time in the village, so he could understand simple characters and arithmetic.

Although Hu Dong had given the advice, he didn’t just wash his hands of the matter. After all, this was one of the Madam’s in-laws, and if he were settled properly, it would save her a great deal of trouble in the future.

He even took him to a storefront in Shangjing. This was the general store the Madam had just opened, and it had everything one could possibly need. It was much better than getting ripped off by suppliers elsewhere.

With a supply channel secured, Hu Dong also arranged for him to study under the shopkeeper and clerks for a while. After that, he would have to find his own way through trial and error.

Thinking of all the effort he had put in recently, the expression on Gu Lehuan’s face grew even more confident.

Matchmaker Lao truly had a soft spot for the younger Xu Nuo, and she couldn’t help but ask one more question. "But your uncle in the manor, he must have other arrangements for you."

Gu Lehuan smiled. "To be honest with you, ma’am, starting tomorrow, I’m going to be a peddler. I won’t be going too far, just working in the surrounding area."

Matchmaker Lao frowned. "A-a peddler? How did it come to that? That’s a terribly hard job.

This old woman has heard that Mr. Gu is now a Standard Fifth Rank official, and Mrs. Gu is a famous Imperial Merchant. A little casual help from them would be more than enough to set you up for life. Why must you choose such a difficult path?"

But Gu Lehuan answered with calm composure, "Those are things my Seventh Uncle achieved through his own efforts. Although I cannot walk the path of the imperial examinations, my Aunt Seven used to say that every trade can have its own champion. Even as a peddler, I am confident I can excel."

Besides, it wasn’t as if he had no plan. The general store was giving him their lowest wholesale price, and he was also thinking of writing a letter home to ask his uncles to send him some tofu skin and dried tofu products. With these two novel snacks, he should be able to get a firm foothold as a peddler rather quickly.

"You really don’t have to work so hard," Matchmaker Lao said. It wasn’t that she looked down on peddlers, but as someone from the lower rungs of society, she knew just how difficult it was to build a family fortune that way.

If he were marrying into his wife’s family, that would be one thing; an extra source of income would just be icing on the cake.

But to be the head of a new household and provide for a family, what he could earn was clearly not going to be enough.

Of course Gu Lehuan understood her hidden meaning. He might have once had thoughts of asking his Seventh Uncle for a leg up, but after repeated reality checks, he had long since given up on that idea.

His starting point now was already quite good. He had a stable home and a way to make a living, which was countless times better than when they were all holed up in that little wooden cabin.

Seeing that his mind was made up, Matchmaker Lao said no more. Taking the house deed Gu Lehuan had just given her, she walked directly to the brokerage at the end of the street.

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