The sa words spoken by different people can have different effects. Tang He had experienced this many tis before and was quite used to it.
He also diligently divided the roasted venison among the household mbers, starting with Madam Tang, who found his actions pleasing.
The Tang Residence did not have many plum trees, only six in total, but they blood exceptionally well. A heavy snowfall had fallen just last night, and the white snow against the red plum blossoms was particularly striking.
Manbao and Bai Shan ate so venison with them, chatted for a while, and then began feeling eager to admire the red plum blossoms in the garden.
With a wave of his hand, Tang He encouraged them to take Bai Erlang and Yin Huo along to trim the blossoms.
The attendants of the Tang Residence followed with pruning shears in hand. Only upon reaching the plum trees did the group notice a faint fragrance. Yin Huo remarked, "The delicate aroma of red plum blossoms is indeed more pleasing."
Bai Shan wandered among the trees, selected a branch, and pointed it out to Manbao. "Look at this one—it’s beautiful, isn’t it?"
Manbao leaned in and examined it for a while before nodding in agreent.
Bai Shan smiled, took the pruning shears from an attendant, and, standing on tiptoes, cut the branch himself.
Bai Erlang also found a particularly striking branch and invited his companions to co take a look.
Yang Heshu stood, watching them from the pavilion. Tilting his head slightly, he waved his hand, and the attendants inside the open-air pavilion discreetly set aside their tasks and withdrew to stand at a distance.
He said, "You heard it just now—they’re returning to their hotown and won’t be back until after the New Year. The Crown Prince’s acupuncture treatnts must pause until her return. With that being the case, are you still going to the Ministry of Justice and Punishnts?"
Tang He drained the tea in his cup, stood, and joined him by the window to look outside. He sighed, "I’d prefer to stay in the Ministry of Justice, but it’s not entirely up to ."
The Ministry of Justice primarily handles major cases from all over the country. With his experience, Tang He’s role would mainly involve reviewing these cases or occasionally traveling to investigate significant ones.
However, matters within the palace and the capital were typically handled by the Deputy Minister of Justice and officials from the Ministry of Justice and Punishnts.
Once in the Ministry of Justice and Punishnts, it would be different—the focus there is largely on cases involving officials and the royal family. Though Tang He himself didn’t harbor much fear about getting involved, he was hesitant to delve deeply into such matters.
Yang Heshu also advised against it. His expression turned grave. "Consider more options while there’s still room for maneuver—appointnts haven’t been finalized yet."
Tang He looked at him. "Do you think you’ll be assigned to an outpost beyond the capital?"
Yang Heshu remained silent.
Behind them, Madam Tang and Madam Yang sipped their tea quietly, appearing as though they hadn’t heard a word of their conversation.
Tang He sighed again. "I’ve heard that Uncle Lord Yang wishes for you to stay in the Ministry of Revenue."
Yang Heshu frowned. "No, I cannot remain in the Ministry of Revenue."
His father, Marquis Yang, had worked in the Ministry of Revenue for eight years and maintained nurous connections there. If Yang Heshu joined, he could rise quickly due to this network.
However, at his young age, there was no need to ascend too swiftly. He had his own plans and a deliberate path to follow.
He lifted his chin slightly, gesturing for Tang He to observe the four young individuals in the distance. "And those three—can you look after them?"
Tang He shifted his gaze to Bai Shan and the others, smiled, and said, "Don’t worry. They lack deep roots in the capital, which is a disadvantage—but it’s also an advantage. Of the three, two are descendants of notable figures. Though most don’t know the specifics of the Prince of Yizhou affair, the Emperor knows full well. As long as they don’t cause harm, they’ll be fine."
Yang Heshu nodded faintly. "Still, remind them later—it’s best not to get involved in the succession struggle. Manbao’s role in treating the Crown Prince should remain strictly dical."
Tang He completely agreed.
The two watched as the sky gradually darkened, estimating that more snow was imminent. They couldn’t help but inwardly sigh the poetic sentint: "The storm approaches, and the pavilion is filled with a rising wind."
Sitting at the back, Madam Tang and Madam Yang exchanged glances, slightly furrowing their brows. Life back in the capital was undeniably more taxing than their days in the provinces.
Manbao and the others returned, each bringing a trimd branch of plum blossoms. Tang He inspected them without hesitation, picked one, and handed it to Madam Tang with a smile. "Madam, let’s take this back and arrange it in a vase—how about setting it indoors?"
The branch he chose happened to be the one trimd by Manbao. Seeing her glare at him, Tang He replied righteously, "My ho has only six trees in total—you’ve trimd four branches! If I went to cut more, what would remain of the plum trees?"
He then turned to Yang Heshu. "Would you like to select a branch to take back as well?"
Yang Heshu chose the branch Bai Shan was holding, and likewise passed it to Madam Yang. "Take it back and place it in a vase in the study."
Bai Shan: ...
Tang He clapped his hands and laughed. "Now it’s perfect—one branch for each household, just right."
Bai Shan: "... If you had asked us earlier, we would’ve selected much better ones for you."
Tang He, knowing them too well, chuckled and shook his head. "This is perfectly fine."
Bai Shan and Manbao turned to look at the plum blossoms Bai Erlang and Yin Huo were holding. Thus, they subtly encouraged Yin Huo to trade branches with them.
Yin Huo didn’t seem to mind, but Bai Erlang took offense at their questioning his aesthetic judgnt. He firmly refused to trade, declaring that the branch he had trimd was indisputably the finest.
He proclaid, "I’ll set this branch in a vase and place it in the study—it’ll go right on the shelf behind my desk!"
He emphasized the placent, then shot a condescending look at Yin Huo’s branch, clearly deeming it inferior.
Yin Huo nodded in good humor, acknowledging Bai Erlang’s opinion, and turned to Bai Shan and Manbao. "He’s unwilling to trade."
Bai Shan and Manbao couldn’t argue against him and had no choice but to let it go with resignation.
Keke chid in Manbao’s mind to console her. "This way, pruning the branches for preservation later will actually feel more justified."
Manbao felt the logic made sense, and her frustration lessened.
Knowing Yin Huo wasn’t really an outsider, Tang He and Yang Heshu spoke more freely to Bai Shan and the others, directly cautioning them. "It’s best to interact only with classmates—once you leave, the capital might not remain peaceful."
Bai Shan responded, "Since we’re not going to be here, how does it matter whether the capital is peaceful or not?"
Tang He chuckled. "It might seem unrelated, but so actions take ti to show their effects. Who can say that the unrest during the New Year won’t still linger when spring cos and you return? So, starting now, you’d better exercise caution."
Yang Heshu added, "So clever individuals like to lay plans spanning vast distances. What appears peaceful now may not be true harmony."
His gaze skipped past Bai Shan and rested directly on Manbao. "Actually, what concerns most isn’t Bai Shan—it’s you."
He continued, "Bai Shan has the Imperial Academy behind him. While Libationer Kong may not often intervene in court matters, he certainly wouldn’t let Academy students suffer unjustly. But you only have Jishi Hall supporting you."
Manbao thought for a mont before replying, "I also have the Empress and the Crown Prince behind ."
Yang Heshu shook his head, replying pointedly, "You shouldn’t consider the Crown Prince your backer, but you can think of the Empress as yours."
Manbao looked confused. "Aren’t the Empress and Crown Prince on the sa side?"
Yang Heshu: "... You’ll need to choose your words more carefully. Never mind, just rember: The Crown Prince is the Crown Prince, and the Empress is the Empress."
Not only was Manbao bewildered—Bai Shan was equally puzzled.
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