“Inventory complete. Nothing missing.” The youth’s cool voice was like winter eaves where occasionally wind-blown ice shattered on bluestone bricks with crisp sounds, making listeners feel peaceful at heart.

Fu Su carefully observed the arc of the youth’s brows, discerning from subtle differences that today, seeing so many precious antique bronze vessels, his mood was quite good. He boldly unrolled one of the pending memorials in his hands and inquired in his gentlest tone.

The youth raised his brows even higher but didn’t say anything extra or turn to walk away. Instead, he turned his face sideways, listening carefully from beginning to end. After pondering slightly, he slowly voiced his opinion.

Unlike the Prime Minister’s or Superintendent of Trials’ biased suggestions citing classics, the youth directly expounded from the perspective of common people receiving decrees. He made no subjective judgments but concisely summarized several advantages and disadvantages, then left Fu Su to decide himself.

Fu Su felt suddenly enlightened, as if opening the door to a new world—governmental affairs could be handled this way too. Every time attending Father King’s court deliberations, when encountering undecided matters, he’d hear supporters and opponents endlessly arguing. Continuously stepping forward ministers were like weights added to both ends of a scale until one side completely pressed down the other, determining the victor.

Of course, these matters requiring ministerial deliberation were all non-critical decisions. Father King’s iron-fisted wrist absolutely tolerated no vagueness on major directions. But when he, Fu Su, handled them, he was far from Father King’s brilliant martial prowess, unable to determine which direction to take next, causing him to be indecisive even on these small matters.

But with his young attendant reader’s analysis like this, even if Fu Su were a fool, he’d understand how to review memorials. Moreover, there was a subtle sense of being a superior, after all, the final decision was still his own.

Perceptive Caiwei brought writing brush and cinnabar from the great hall. Fu Su directly wrote reviews on the memorials. After writing, Gu Cun immediately issued them. Soon all the memorials pending for days were completely resolved.

Fu Su handed the brush to Caiwei, cleaned his hands with the handkerchief she passed over, exhaled with whole-body relaxation, finally having the mind to consider other matters. Because his young attendant reader had just solved problems troubling him for days, Fu Su’s attitude became even more intimate, casually discussing with him.

Originally, these coming days would continuously bring spoils captured from Zhao to Xianyang. Besides rewards Father King initially promised, they must also distribute to everyone according to custom from high to low status. Usually Minister of Ceremonies and Minister of the Ancestral Temple would arrange everything properly. But now Fu Su temporarily managed affairs himself. Having obtained so many bronze vessels, he naturally also wanted to distribute some.

The young Superior Minister hadn’t expected his eldest prince to think so carefully. But glancing at those present princes’ envious gazes, he also knew since these were displayed for exhibition, obviously they couldn’t just let them look without benefiting. Seems this eldest prince wasn’t as pedantic as he imagined. The young Superior Minister lowered his eyelids, blocking the sharp light in his eyes, and said flatly, “Can let them choose now. This can also observe their temperaments.”

Hearing this, Fu Su’s eyes flashed with appreciation. Here, various kinds of bronze vessels—from food vessels, wine vessels, musical instruments, water vessels to weapons—speaking deeply, all represented different meanings. These already-enlightened brothers weren’t fools. They’d naturally pay attention when choosing. Of course, if they were fools, they wouldn’t be worth fearing.

“Do I have one too?” Ying, who’d been following the young Superior Minister like a shadow, suddenly approached asking. Because recently he’d been doing quite well with his A Luo backing him, his courage had grown considerably. He’d listened throughout to Fu Su and the young Superior Minister talking. The earlier parts discussed governmental affairs where he couldn’t interrupt. Now discussing dividing things—Ying was most interested in this! Having lacked clothing and food since childhood, what he cared most about now was collecting good things.

“Yes, yes. You and the Superior Minister both have some. Choose freely.” Fu Su was quite generous. But after pondering a moment, he continued, “Not rushed. First pick one to send to the Empress Dowager.” His mother consort had already passed when he was young. His only uncle Chengjiao had long defected to Zhao, obviously wouldn’t survive this winter either. So besides the Empress Dowager secluded in Yong Palace and King Zheng of Qin, Fu Su had no proper elders needing filial piety. These bronze vessels were all Father King’s rewards—he needn’t redundantly pick one to send back. And clearly this was family etiquette, so he needn’t consider court ministers either. Otherwise, his suspicious Father King would probably overthink whether he was bribing court officials. But these present royal youths could conveniently be sent some—consider it winning hearts.

This kind of question obviously didn’t trouble the young Superior Minister. His gaze swept around the bronze vessels on the ground, then slightly raising his chin, he pointed at one bronze vessel. “That square sky gu is good. A Shang Dynasty treasure, and a rare old vessel shape.”

Fu Su raised his brows, hearing the youth’s deliberately emphasized last sentence. Sending this square sky gu wasn’t arbitrary. Thinking briefly, Fu Su smiled. “The Master said: Gu is not gu.”

The young Superior Minister nodded. The two looked at each other, both feeling a rare sense of kindred spirits.

Very few could immediately understand what he wanted to say next when he said the first sentence. If two people hadn’t cultivated tacit understanding over long years, then they could only be naturally compatible in temperament, with many thoughts, viewpoints, and knowledge all comparable.

Fu Su instantly somewhat understood why Father King assigned this young Superior Minister to his side as attendant reader. With Father King’s vision, he should have also clearly seen this point.

As both harbored their own thoughts, Ying beside them asked full of suspicion, “Mushroom? Which mushroom? Where are mushrooms?”

One sentence exposed this fellow’s illiteracy. Seems the earlier examination wasn’t comprehensive enough. The young Superior Minister curled his lips, pointing at that square sky gu and slowly explained, “Gu written with left foot right melon radical—that large-mouthed, slender-necked one with four corners having flanges from mouth to foot, neck decorated with banana leaf and snake patterns, with inscriptions on the vessel. Like jue, the two are often used paired—both wine vessels.”

“Then what does ‘gu is not gu’ that the eldest prince said mean? Did Confucius say it?” Ying had completely developed the habit of asking when he didn’t understand, not feeling at all that he’d be mocked. Because he knew his former self basically didn’t even have such questioning opportunities.

“Mm, that’s from the ‘Analects: Yong Ye’ chapter. You haven’t learned it yet.” The young Superior Minister explained gently. Perhaps because his youthful learning was almost all self-study, though later masters taught him, he also knew how painful having no one to ask and groping alone was. So he was especially patient with Ying.

Fu Su didn’t feel his time was wasted. He smiled standing in winter’s sunlight, listening to the young Superior Minister’s flowing narration.

When gu was first manufactured in the Shang Dynasty, both mouth and bottom were trumpet-shaped with square corners and angles. Gu wasn’t ordinary drinking vessels. Once saying “cannot operate gu for oneself” meant gu’s quantity correlated with drinker’s status, character, and alcohol capacity. Only high-quality people could use this vessel, could possess this vessel. This point matched the Empress Dowager’s status. But Shang Dynasty people loved drinking. By Zhou Dynasty, commoners rarely drank, so wine vessels stopped being popular in mid-Western Zhou. Gu’s vessel shape also changed accordingly—edges gradually became smooth. Even later-period made gu all had round bellies and ring feet.

The phrase “gu is not gu” was actually Confucius lamenting that gu didn’t even resemble gu anymore—could it still be called gu? Using this to metaphorize Spring and Autumn Warring States period’s collapsed ritual and music customs. In his old man’s view, Zhou ritual was perfectly good. But warring lords had already destroyed everything, creating chaotic situations of “rulers not being rulers, ministers not being ministers, fathers not being fathers, sons not being sons.”

Though the Empress Dowager’s deeds hadn’t openly spread, privately everyone had heard somewhat. After King Zhuangxiang of Qin’s death, not only did the Empress Dowager have an affair with Prime Minister Lü, afterward she even kept a male concubine Lao Ai, fooled around with him, and actually bore two brothers for the King of Qin. Still unsatisfied, that Lao Ai actually wanted to poison the King of Qin and usurp the throne. After learning this, the King of Qin killed to the two’s residence Yong Palace, tore Lao Ai apart by chariots, smashed to death those two cheap brothers, then confined the Empress Dowager.

Fu Su couldn’t evaluate elders well, but hearing these anecdotes, he inevitably felt contemptuous. If Lao Ai was true love, why not risk everything, abandon the Empress Dowager title, and truly marry him? Not like Xia Ji, that “killed three husbands, one lord, one son, destroyed one state, two ministers” disaster bringing calamity to the country and people. Why covet glory and wealth while indulging lovers seeking power, not considering her son’s feelings and safety at all? Even poisonous tigers don’t eat their cubs. For the Empress Dowager’s situation, using “gu” to allude was truly apt.

Even this phrase coming from the “Yong Ye” chapter coincidentally matched the “Yong” character in the Empress Dowager’s secluded Yong Palace. The more Fu Su listened, the more he felt his young attendant reader was truly meticulous. Plus earlier lightly handling memorials—given time, absolutely pillar talent. He secretly regretted why he made the relationship so stiff initially. When could favorability improve now?

“Is just this one gu enough?” After satisfying curious youth Ying, the young Superior Minister turned back to ask still-dazed Fu Su.

Fu Su came to himself, nodded. “One is sufficient.” Sending too many things to that secluded and confined woman would instead arouse Father King’s displeasure. But sending nothing wouldn’t do either. Since taking over his private treasury at age ten, every year during festivals he’d send something to the Empress Dowager. So this time was also customary.

Arranging Gu Cun to wrap that square sky gu properly and dispatch someone to Yong Palace, Fu Su also waved his hand, letting brothers and royal youths who’d watched half the day choose bronze vessels they liked. After choosing, register selected items with Gu Cun. Everyone cheered, all unceremoniously surging forward. Some fancied the same item and mutually yielded to each other, some mutually challenged to duels. For a time, Luming Residence was extraordinarily lively.

“A Luo! Which do you want?” Ying first returned holding a large plate. He alone couldn’t hold it, so Caiwei helped beside him.

The young Superior Minister glanced and knew why this fellow chose this—because this plate was densely inscribed with inscriptions. This kid probably wanted to recognize more characters. But… where in their room could they place this…

Pressing his slightly aching temples, the young Superior Minister felt the tutor’s task was quite heavy. Next time, bring back more scrolls to prevent Ying from bringing back an even bigger bronze vessel.

He had Ying fetch him that tallest bronze tree-branch-shaped lamp vessel. The room truly needed a taller lamp vessel—this way he could protect his eyes when reading at night.

Because he focused on Ying, the young Superior Minister simultaneously noticed Wang Li, always standing at the periphery, obviously more interested in weapons, choosing a somewhat incomplete bronze yue axe. Since that night’s fight at Half-Step Hall, the two hadn’t spoken. Occasionally having eye contact, Wang Li would first shift his gaze.

Look, just like now.

Smiling slightly, the young Superior Minister also shifted his gaze, just in time to see Jianglü push aside several brothers and unceremoniously choose the largest, most exquisite bronze ding cauldron in the venue.

The young Superior Minister subconsciously glanced at Fu Su. The latter indeed also saw this scene. His ink-black eyes grew even more profound and dark.