From CEO to Concubine-Chapter 217: Duet
Preposterous. Ludicrous. Completely out of hand.
Behind closed doors, these were the words and phrases used most commonly by court officials to describe His Majesty’s latest set of decisions.
And who could blame them? The heir of Prince Zhenhai, a warlord’s son, breached the rules against leaving his father’s territory to visit the capital without permission and trawl through its brothels in a flashy show of decadence. And what did the emperor do? He insisted Xie Qinzhen had been officially called in by secret summons, rewarded such blatant disregard of authority by bequeathing him the title of Duke Xianglin, Duke Vanquisher of Jungles and in the biggest slap to the face of everyone who had disapproved of the imperial marriage between two men, betrothed him to the youngest son of Grand Tutor Lu Yang.
The grand tutor was known for his staunch loyalty to the imperial family. As one of His Majesty’s teachers, he was the pinnacle of propriety and had done his duty to nurture the young crown prince in the strict tradition. The Lu Clan were a family whose roots were firmly grounded in the ’fragrance of books’ (1). Generation upon generation of scholars had been cultivated to pass on their elegant mannerisms and intellectual minds. Little Young Master Lu Lan was a child begotten in Imperial Tutor Lu’s old age and the crowning jewel of his lineage.
And now, this white cabbage had been mercilessly plucked by the biggest, most obnoxious of wild pigs.
Which self-respecting father wouldn’t protest such a devastating match for his beloved child? Stuffy, inflexible Lu Yang had made his distaste for Xie Qinzhen clear from the get-go, going so far as to vocalise his disapproval of the young general in court.
Thus, when the emperor had pronounced during morning court that he was formally making the betrothal, everyone had looked at the grand tutor, some with pity in their eyes, others with barely concealed glee. What a monumental betrayal this was, after all. The unrest in the southwest was brewing and to ensure that the general he had decided to send there had his interests tied firmly to the imperial faction, His Majesty had sacrificed the future of the favourite son of one of his most loyal subjects.
Everyone had expected Grand Tutor Lu to blow up. To feel embittered. Instead, the old man had stepped out onto the aisle, his back straight with dignity as he fell into a deep bow and thanked the emperor for the imperial honour bestowed upon his family.
It was unexpected, to say the least. Just as everyone thought that Grand Tutor Lu was going to allow this slight to be swept beneath the carpet, the old man added, "Your Majesty, this old subject also has a humble plea to make."
"This sovereign’s teacher only needs speak."
"With the change of the seasons, this old subject has realised that these creaking bones are no longer what they used to be. As such, this old subject begs that Your Majesty allow me to retire from my position in the cabinet and morning court."
An excited murmuring broke out amidst the stirring officials, members of different factions trading meaningful glances with their allies as they tried to figure out how best to take advantage of this new development. So this was how the grand tutor chose to protest! This was it, the moment where the imperial faction started to turn against their liege.
It was, after all, inevitable. Why were there so many independent factions in court? It was because no one dared trust their sovereign at the end of the day. Blind loyalty led to nowhere but tragedy. Today, Emperor Xuanjun could make use of Grand Tutor Lu, tomorrow, it could be Grand Preceptor Du Yi. Where did the list end?
Up on the throne, his intense gaze half-hidden behind the twelve-string beaded crown, Emperor Xuanjun’s mouth pulled into a flat line. Those who dared sneak glances at him knew that this was a sign their emperor was irritated.
"Teacher, what is the meaning of this?"
Grand Tutor Lu shook his head. "Your Majesty, this old subject’s youngest son has sat on the apex of my old heart and it was with great concern for his future that this old subject forced myself to continue attending morning court despite the grievances my body has long since made known to me. Now that I know he will be in good hands, it is time for me to let go and find a measure of peace before my final days."
"...Teacher has just had a couple of colds but needs not start planning for the worst. The imperial physicians have sent word to this sovereign that you just need to start taking the herbal remedies they have prepared for you."
Grand Tutor Lu harrumphed. "Colds? On the contrary, this old subject has felt very hot in recent times, with so many recent ’incidental visits’ to my humble household causing my blood to boil."
There was no doubt as to the identity of his uninvited guest.
Emperor Xuanjun sighed. "If Teacher wishes to retire now, this sovereign understands. But this sovereign still requires Teacher’s guidance. If Teacher wishes to take a step back from morning court, that is fine but to leave the capital at this hour...this sovereign will have to harden my heart and declare it out of the question."
Grand Tutor Lu bowed. "This old subject has a suggestion if Your Majesty would be amendable to listening?"
"By all means."
"Even before the reign of the imperial forefather, this subject’s family has been dedicated to the pursuit of the literary arts. At the time of the founding of the new dynasty, the imperial forefather was faced with the difficult task of recruiting officials to serve the kingdom and it was thus that this subject’s great-grandfather, at the throne’s behest, agreed to take on a role in the foundation of the Imperial Academy and to help reinstate the imperial examinations."
The old man kept his head bowed but if anyone had bent down to see, they would have noted that his lips, always pressed flatly into a stern line, were now curved upwards with pride. At his family, at his heritage, and at the young liege he had personally trained from a cub into a tiger. Along with Grand Preceptor Du, he had played a large part in moulding their emperor into who he was today. So even when it was his beloved child who was being bargained, being used as a lease to control a potentially wayward dog...he couldn’t feel the resentment at all.
Especially since he had seen the way his pampered little Lan Er’s face had brightened up for the first time in forever upon hearing the news.
That would have to suffice, wouldn’t it? The reservations of a stodgy old man would only hinder his boy’s happiness.
"Your Majesty, this old subject was having a casual discussion with Left Prime Minister Zhao on the way to morning court earlier today. During this conversation, Left Prime Minister Zhao voiced some of his troubles regarding finding appropriate tutors for the schoolyard for young ladies that he had just set up."
On cue, Left Prime Minister Zhao stepped out and bowed as well. "It is as Grand Tutor Lu has said, Your Majesty. The teaching posts at the government schools have met with good response from scholars willing to impart their knowledge to the new generation. However..." His brows furrowed as he added, apologetically, "to ask gentlemen educated in the traditional notions to stand before a room full of ladies...this...it appears the question of propriety still needs to be addressed."
Wait, how had the conversation topic changed this quickly? Those who had been watching eagerly to see the emperor’s most respectful grand tutor admonish him in public, to witness liege and subject turn against one another, found themselves flummoxed and unable to keep pace.
How did the matter of Young Master Lu Lan’s marriage turn into the education of women?
But the emperor didn’t give them time to figure it out.
"Oh? That is a problem indeed. Does Grand Tutor Lu have a solution for this sovereign?"
The grand tutor straightened up. "Indeed." With the self-assuredness of a man confident in his abilities, he said, "Your Majesty, this old subject is not one to boast but this subject has served as the Head of the Lu Family for decades now. My ancestors had believed that it wasn’t just the sons of the family that had to be educated; if daughters were not raised with the same literary spirit, how could we expect them to become wives capable of supporting their intellectual husbands in their pursuits? How could they as mothers nurture the next generation of Lu sons successfully? Those were the values that this old subject had adopted and that is the reason why the women of the Lu Family are not less established in their understanding of the imperial curriculum than their male relatives." Upon saying this, a note of moroseness seeped into Grand Tutor Lu’s next words. "In the past, this old subject had been narrow-minded. My expectations for the women of my clan had been limited to their role in the household. If it weren’t for Your Majesty, I would not have considered any other possibility by which they could bring honour to the family."
And yet, right now, there was one such opportunity laid out before them.
With a collective intake of breath, the morning court realised what Grand Tutor Lu was about to do. This wasn’t about going against the emperor, they had all been duped! They weren’t watching an impending conflict that they could take advantage of, they were just the foolish audience to another one of the emperor’s infuriating duets, one singing and another harmonising (2). To think they were led to believe that Grand Tutor Lu was going to be disappointed in his liege; this stubborn old man was so set in the ways of tradition that he wasn’t even going to consider betraying the emperor for his flesh and blood!
"Your Majesty, this old subject would like to ask for the honour of training my daughters and granddaughters to serve as the first set of teachers for the first batch of female court officials!"
If everyone had thought Emperor Xuanjun insane for betrothing the son of one of his most loyal officials to another man, right in front of his father, they now realised that the "bride’s" father was even crazier.
"With all due respect, Grand Tutor Lu, have you lost your mind?!"
"Grand Tutor Lu, this isn’t appropriate, as the grand tutor of His Majesty, such a task is beneath you and will only disgrace the imperial name! The emperor’s teacher educating women? Did all your propriety fly out of the window at the news of your son’s marriage?" 𝒻𝑟ℯℯ𝑤𝑒𝑏𝑛𝘰𝓋𝑒𝓁.𝒸𝑜𝘮
Grand Preceptor Du, who had until now remained silent, let out a hearty laugh. "Not bad, not bad at all, Old Lu! This old man has a couple of granddaughters too, all as bright as the boys of the Du Family! You have my permission to educate them too!"
"Grand Preceptor Du...stop adding more oil to the fire!"
It was only when Head Eunuch Cao cleared his throat that the room regained some semblance of order.
Emperor Xuanjun drummed his fingers on the arm of his throne. If they were in private, Grand Tutor Lu would have called him out for fidgeting by now but...ah, never mind. This was no longer his crown prince, whom he could once chastise for poor behaviour. This was a full-fledged emperor, one who was working hard to change their kingdom for the better.
All those years ago, this was why the Lu Family’s ancestors chose to enter the morning court, firmly believing that it was their duty to use the wisdom they had learnt from the books to help guide the emperor, help improve the lives of their fellow countrymen.
Now, the Lu Family had the chance to take it one step further.
"Permitted," Emperor Xuanjun said at last, as though this hadn’t been his plan all along, as though he hadn’t spent nights in secret discussions with the closest members of his cabinet to make the events of today unfold in this exact manner. "Teacher will be doing a big service to the country. Are there any requests that this sovereign will be able to grant in return?"
As though expecting that the emperor would ask, Grand Tutor Lu didn’t miss a beat when he nodded. "There is one. This old subject is bold to raise this concern but this subject’s new...son-in-law"—the disgruntlement in his tone was still evident but there was no real malice in it—"is undoubtedly one of the biggest military talents of the kingdom but he has only ever fought on water before. This old subject fears for the life of my son should he follow him onto a battlefield that he is not familiar with."
Emperor Xuanjun nodded. "This sovereign is aware of that and of course would be a fool to send Duke Xianglin into unfamiliar terrain without a guide."
Perhaps the rapid turn of events was too much for Right Prime Minister Ren to take because he chose this moment to interject with a polite but firm, "Your Majesty has already decided on the rest of the southwestern entourage?"
Emperor Xuanjun’s mouth curled up. "Indeed. And this sovereign can guarantee that there is no other more suited to the position of Deputy General. After all, it is no secret that before his untimely death, Deputy General Chen had imparted his teachings and personally trained his favourite nephew, Chen Qi. Ah, you gentlemen of the morning court might know him better by the title Imperial Concubine Chen."
