Chapter 93 (Part 1): The Culinary Tycoon

Choice

This question is one that Jiabao is very curious about as well.

In the past, he only heard from his mother that his father was falsely accused by bad people and imprisoned, their house was ransacked, the household servants were dispersed, and he, his mother, and his younger brother were expelled from the capital, becoming homeless.

His younger brother’s health collapsed due to the overwhelming shock he experienced. However, they couldn’t dare to stay in the capital any longer, fearing that his father’s political enemies would come after them. So, they had no choice but to go to the residence his father had prepared for them. On the way, his younger brother couldn’t hold on and passed away.

Jiabao’s mother never mentioned why his father was imprisoned or who framed him. Perhaps he didn’t know either, or maybe he knew but chose not to tell him.

Jiabao held his father’s ashes in his hands, looking at Lord Cai, waiting for him to reveal the truth.

Lord Cai organized his thoughts and then said, “Fu Lei has always been upright and discontented with the corruption and tyranny of the previous dynasty. He never took the imperial examination. After the Great Rebellion, the talent pool was depleted. At that time, the current emperor ordered the imperial examination to be held to select talented individuals. It was then that Fu Lei participated in the imperial examination.”

“At that time, the war had just subsided, and the new dynasty had just been established. The common people were displaced, and production came to a halt. During the palace examination, he wrote about his ideas and strategies in response to the current situation. Fu Lei had long been concerned about the livelihood and production of the people. His ideas in this regard were very bold, and the feasibility of the measures he proposed was also very high. The current emperor was extremely impressed with his ideas and appointed him as the top scholar, specially assigning him to the Ministry of Household Affairs and instructing him to come up with even more effective plans and measures.”

Translated on ho lo lo novels dot com.

“Afterwards, the series of measures he proposed regarding the settlement of refugees, household registration, land issues, and so on, were all implemented. Many of our current household registration systems and land regulations were proposed by him back then. Two years later, due to his outstanding performance, he was promoted to the position of Assistant Minister of the Ministry of Household.”

Yu Qingze and Jiabao listened attentively. The young boy was amazed to learn how capable his father had been, and he instinctively held the urn containing his father’s ashes tightly in his arms.

However, Yu Qingze couldn’t help but furrow his brow. Fu Lei was obviously a talented person, and his abilities were beneficial to both the country and the people. But someone like him was also prone to attracting various forms of jealousy and resentment within the court.

“He received the emperor’s favor in his career. That year, his eldest son was also born, and it was the happiest time for him. He named the child Jiayu, which means a bright and promising future. He believed that our future life would be as splendid as his son’s name,” said Lord Cai, pausing for a moment, a hint of a smile on his face as if recalling those times.

Then, he restrained his smile and continued, “However, after he became the Assistant Minister of the Ministry of Household, his power increased significantly. This hindered the path to wealth for some people, including the two currently imprisoned. Those people tried to win him over, but he firmly rejected them with righteous words. After that, he started receiving threatening messages for a period of time.”

“Most of those people were officials who had contributed to the Emperor’s ascension but were later corrupted by power and money. Later on, the Prime Minister received a secret order from the Emperor to eradicate the worms within the court and eliminate the root causes of decay. The Prime Minister contacted Fu Lei and asked him to secretly gather evidence against those people. Fu Lei willingly agreed.”

“After a year, during a disaster relief effort, Fu Lei was accidentally discovered collecting evidence by the opposing party. Those people then schemed to falsely accuse Fu Lei of embezzling the relief funds. They had planned it meticulously, and the Prime Minister couldn’t find enough evidence to prove his innocence. Fu Lei was thrown into the prison of the Ministry of Justice. The Prime Minister’s men couldn’t save him, so they found ways to spare his family from exile, but they were only expelled from the capital city.”

“After that, the opposing party became even more cautious. It took us until now to gather enough evidence to expose them all. Unfortunately, the prison was under their control, and our people couldn’t arrange to get in. Fu Lei spent too long in the dungeon, and his body was completely ruined by the opposing party. In the end, he couldn’t hold on. After proving his innocence in the court and being released from prison, he only had time to write a letter to you, telling me about your possible whereabouts, and then he… went away.”

At this point, Lord Cai, this resolute man, was already choked with tears, wiping his eyes.

Jiabao, who had learned the truth, burst into tears again.

Yu Qingze didn’t know how to console him, so he gently patted his back.

The entire room was immersed in this atmosphere of sadness.

After a while, Lord Cai regained his composure and asked Jiabao, “Jiabao, no, Yu’er, where is your mother buried?”

(T/N: In Chinese culture, adding “er” (儿) after someone’s name is a common practice in certain regions, particularly in northern China. It is a form of endearment or affectionate nickname. The “er” (儿) suffix does not change the meaning of the name itself but rather adds a sense of familiarity or closeness. It is often used to address or refer to someone in an informal and friendly manner.)

Jiabao wiped his tears and sobbed, “At Wudao Slope outside the city to the west.”

“How do you plan to arrange your father’s ashes?”

Jiabao touched the ebony box and lowered his gaze as he answered, “Mother really missed father. He wanted them to be buried together, so they can be reunited.”

Upon hearing these words, a wave of bitterness swept through the hearts of everyone present. Lord Cai had even wetted his handkerchief with tears.

Jiabao looked at his father’s urn and then raised his head to look at Yu Qingze. He asked, “Big brother, I want to set up a new tombstone for mother. Can I borrow some money from you?”

Yu Qingze touched his head and said, “I’m your big brother, don’t treat me as a stranger. We’ll go find someone later to carve a new one.”

During the Qingming Festival previously, Yu Qingze and Jiabao went to Wudao Slope to pay their respects at the gravesite. Yu Qingze noticed that there was only a wooden sign in front of his mother’s grave, with the words “The Grave of the Yan Family” roughly carved on it. It was obvious that Jiabao had found a piece of wood and carved it himself.

At that time, he asked Jiabao if he wanted to set up a new tombstone, but Jiabao said there was no need. Now, Yu Qingze understood. Jiabao’s mother, Yuan Xin, was not from the “Yan” family, so there was no need to erect a new tombstone.

Now that Jiabao’s father’s name has been cleared, and they no longer need to live in hiding, nor will anyone be able to threaten them anymore, it is only natural to set up a new tombstone for his parents. Not only that, but they should also hold a funeral and perform the necessary rituals.

Yu Qingze added, “We should also hold a funeral for your father and perform the rituals for your mother. We can do it together. I’ll take care of the arrangements.” When Jiabao’s mother passed away, they didn’t hold a funeral and he was buried directly. But now, they had the means to do it properly, and his father deserved the same.

Jiabao shook his head and said, “Big brother, it’s not necessary. I don’t think father and mother would mind.”

“Jiabao, this is for the peace and rest of your father and mother. Trust me, okay?” Yu Qingze insisted.

Lord Cai also chimed in, “Yes, this must be done. Jiabao, listen to your big brother.”

Jiabao looked at Yu Qingze with teary eyes for a while before finally nodding.

Lord Cai also nodded and said, “I’ll have the steward assist you, and the manpower in the mansion will be at your disposal. If you need anything, assign them tasks.”

Yu Qingze expressed his gratitude, saying, “Thank you, sir. It couldn’t be better than this.”

Jiabao also expressed his gratitude, saying, “Thank you, sir.”

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