Chapter 065: Fulfilling Both Loyalty and Filial Piety

Having served as an official for many years, Yu Qian had never felt so stirred. He had never imagined that a problem which troubled the entire court could be resolved by a young man.

Once his excitement had subsided, Yu Qian suppressed his emotions and smiled, asking, “Did you truly come up with these methods yourself?”

All of these strategies were recorded in historical sources; perhaps Yu Qian himself had written them. Xue Rui had merely taken the initiative to present them before the distinguished members of the court could think of them, borrowing wisdom to offer as his own.

Of course, it was not his original idea!

Faced with Yu Qian’s approving gaze, Xue Rui longed to answer truthfully. Yet, if he spoke so frankly, it would be difficult to explain the origin of these methods. Thus he could only nod, suppressing his conscience.

Seeing Xue Rui’s response, Yu Qian sighed, “There are many officials in the capital, among them no shortage of learned scholars. Today, the court debated for half a day and found no solution, yet you resolved it. Truly, you make us ashamed.”

Hearing this, Xue Rui felt even more embarrassed and replied, “You flatter me, sir. It is only a humble opinion, and I am glad to ease the court’s burden.”

Yu Qian walked to the door, summoned a clerk, and instructed him to deliver the grain transport plan to the Directorate of Communications, and then to submit it to Prince Cheng and the Grand Academicians for review.

After the clerk departed, Yu Qian’s expression eased, and, feeling cheerful, he said to Xue Rui, “Your methods are excellent and constitute a great service to the court. Rest assured, I will not take credit for your achievement. Tomorrow, I will report it truthfully to the court and request that Prince Cheng commend you.”

“This is Yu Qian indeed!” Xue Rui thought, moved.

A Minister was a high-ranking official, and he had no need to be so courteous with a commoner. If it were another official, upon hearing such useful methods from Xue Rui, most would be tempted to claim the credit for themselves. Those with some integrity might offer a few words of encouragement, while the unscrupulous would dismiss the methods as unworkable, only to secretly present them to the court to gain favor.

There were few as upright as Yu Qian, whether in history or the present.

These methods, in truth, were borrowed—his only purpose was to persuade Yu Qian to help reclaim his grandfather’s carriages and horses. Unexpectedly, Yu Qian offered to request a commendation for him, which, for someone like Xue Rui with a sense of propriety, was too much to accept.

Of course, by presenting these methods early, Xue Rui had gained the court several days, a small but genuine merit. Asking Yu Qian to help recover his grandfather’s carriages and horses would more or less balance the scales.

Seeing Xue Rui’s conflicted expression, Yu Qian frowned, “What is it? Do you not believe my promise?”

Xue Rui snapped out of his reverie and quickly shook his head. “Sir, it is not that I doubt you. This is merely my duty, undeserving of such reward. If you truly wish to commend me, I have a small matter I hope you might help resolve.”

After decades in office, Yu Qian had never encountered someone who refused merit. Hearing that he needed help with a small matter, Yu Qian asked, “Speak, then. What matter could compare to such a great achievement?”

“To be frank, my grandfather is a country gentleman in Wanping County…” Xue Rui explained the situation and smiled wryly, “Our grain carts were forcibly requisitioned by the Shuntian Prefecture, and my grandfather has taken ill because of it. If I could help him retrieve the carts, he would not be so distressed.”

Yu Qian’s expression grew stranger as he listened, and when Xue Rui finished, he asked in surprise, “So you offered these methods just to help your grandfather reclaim the grain carts?”

There was no concealing it now.

Xue Rui sighed and cupped his hands to Yu Qian, “Sir, I beg your understanding. I was compelled to this course, not intending to deceive.”

Hearing his admission, Yu Qian’s countenance cooled, and he asked gravely, “You know that the court is short of grain transport, and Shuntian Prefecture had no choice but to requisition the people’s carts. These dozen carts are more useful to the court than to your grandfather. Knowing the court’s plight, why are you sure I would help you out of personal motives?”

“Sir, if I may, my advice to the court was out of loyalty, and my request for my grandfather’s carts stems from filial piety. Neither can be said to be purely public or private. Moreover, since ancient times, it has been difficult to balance loyalty and filial duty. I have exhausted my thoughts for this, and hope you will grant my request.”

Xue Rui had anticipated Yu Qian’s question, and answered calmly.

This exchange surprised Yu Qian. He regarded Xue Rui for a while before saying, “Have you considered that the reputation and benefits your achievement could bring far exceed a few thousand bushels of grain for your grandfather’s household?”

“I have no regrets,” Xue Rui replied serenely.

“Very well, I will grant you this filial wish.”

Yu Qian said no more, but returned to his desk, wrote a note, stamped it with his official seal, and handed it to Xue Rui. “Take this to the officials of Shuntian Prefecture.”

Xue Rui placed the registry on the desk, saluted, and said, “Thank you for your kindness, sir. I shall take my leave.”

“Go, then.”

Watching Xue Rui’s slender figure recede, Yu Qian shook his head and murmured, “This young man is sharp and virtuous—truly wasted in the Imperial Observatory. If he pursued the imperial examination, he would surely become a pillar of the realm!”

…

Whatever Yu Qian thought, Xue Rui did not know. At this moment, he was immersed in the joy of reclaiming his grandfather’s carriages and horses.

Upon returning to the Imperial Observatory, the archives were filled with laughter and cheer.

Liu Jin stood with hands on hips, laughing heartily. Xue Rui squeezed into the crowd, curious, “What’s got everyone so happy? Has the annual examination been postponed?”

Since the loss of his father, Liu Jin rarely showed such delight. He slapped Xue Rui’s shoulder and laughed, “The court has just returned the memorials from the officials of the Observatory. Some suggestions were adopted, others rejected, and some memorials vanished entirely—likely torn up by the ministers for being nonsense, haha.”

Xue Rui glanced around and saw Fan Yan sitting in his seat, face flushed, and knew Liu Jin was speaking of him.

Seeing Xue Rui looking his way, Fan Yan grumbled, “Perhaps my suggestion was feasible, and the officials kept it for reference!”

Fan Yan himself was unconvinced. Of sixty-five suggestions submitted by the Observatory’s officials, sixty-four had been returned, even Xu Chun’s adopted suggestion was no exception.

If all the returned suggestions had been rejected, perhaps Fan Yan’s was still under discussion. But since the adopted ones were also returned, that possibility was slim.

Naturally, Liu Jin mocked Fan Yan again.

Xue Rui, worried things might get out of hand, stepped in to smooth things over and persuaded the two to stop their quarrel.

With the examination approaching, the room quieted once their squabble ceased.