Chapter 91: A Person’s Choice Belongs to Themselves

Lu Hai was stunned.

For a moment, he simply stared at his son.

He had imagined many possibilities, from the Director of the Department of Appointments wanting to recruit Lu Shishui and forming some sort of political alliance to even taking an interest in Lu Shishui’s literary talent and wanting to cultivate him.

But he had never expected this.

Marriage, and to the daughter of the Director of the Department of Appointments.

Lu Hai slowly leaned back in his chair.

"Tell me everything."

Lu Shishui nodded, taking another sip of tea before slowly explaining what had happened.

The youngest daughter of the Director of the Department of Appointments was twenty-six or twenty-seven years old this year, unmarried and a cultivator at the Fifth Stage of Body Tempering Realm.

According to the Director himself, there were naturally many young talents who wished to marry his daughter, but the most outstanding scholars of this year’s Imperial Examination were already beyond his reach.

The top three scholars had either been born into powerful families or already possessed connections with major factions within the Imperial Court, with one being a disciple of an official ranked even higher than him.

Even among the remaining candidates, many had powerful backgrounds behind them.

Some had relatives who were high ranking officials, some came from aristocratic clans, some had already been noticed by influential figures.

Trying to marry his daughter to any of them would not necessarily be beneficial.

Lu Shishui was different. At only thirty years old, he had passed the Provincial Examination on his third attempt and the Imperial Examination on his first.

His Palace Examination ranking wasn’t particularly high, but it wasn’t low either.

More importantly, he had no powerful clan behind him, he wasn’t connected to any major faction, and no powerful person had noticed him just yet.

He was, in the Director’s words, "a clean slate."

As for the matter of him once being married, that was irrelevant.

His wife had unfortunately passed away for years by now, and him having a child was no problem at all.

In fact, if he remarried, his son would gain a mother as well.

The Director had spoken very frankly at the time.

He wasn’t merely proposing the marriage out of non-existent affection between two young people, but proposing an alliance.

His daughter would gain a husband with potential, Lu Shishui would gain a powerful backer, and both sides would benefit.

The most important part was what the Director was willing to offer.

"If you marry my daughter, I will naturally support you."

Those had been his exact words.

"Even if you are assigned outside the Imperial Capital, I can ensure that you receive a position in a prosperous county."

Lu Shishui had remained silent at the time, but the Director didn’t mind.

"You don’t need to accomplish anything extraordinary. Just manage the county properly, maintain stability, and don’t make mistakes. If you can accomplish that for two consecutive terms, six years in total, I can arrange for you to enter the ranks of Prefecture level officials."

Lu Shishui’s heart had shaken slightly when he heard those words.

A County Magistrate was a Seventh-Rank Official, and above them were the various Prefecture level positions.

At the top of those positions was a Prefect, a genuine Fourth-Rank Official on par with the various Department Directors of the Six Ministries.

If everything went smoothly, he could potentially become a Prefect before reaching sixty years of age, and that was only the conservative estimate.

"If you accomplish one or two genuine meritorious deeds, that timeline can be shortened."

The Director had looked at him seriously.

"A fifty year old Prefect would have boundless potential."

After saying this, the Director hadn’t pressured him, only giving him time.

"Think about it carefully. This concerns your career and your aspirations. I don’t expect an answer today, but I hope you can give me an answer before the Grand Parade."

That was everything.

By the time, Lu Shishui finished narrating, the hall had fallen into silence.

Lu Hai didn’t answer immediately.

He had spent his entire life in the Imperial Capital and knew exactly what this offer meant.

It was akin to a shortcut that most people would spend their entire lives trying to obtain.

Lu Shishui had only just become a Jinshi, and normally, even an outstanding Jinshi would need to slowly climb through the Imperial Court.

They would be assigned somewhere, work, make achievements, encounter obstacles, form relationships, and wait for opportunities.

Perhaps after twenty or thirty years, maybe even more, they could finally reach a high position.

And even then, success was not guaranteed.

They could fail if they made a huge mistake, perhaps be transferred somewhere and remain there for the rest of their career by seeking too much comfort, and maybe even offend someone powerful and lose their future entirely.

But now, someone had directly placed a path right in front of him.

Lu Hai understood that the Director wasn’t making empty promises; he truly had the authority to fulfill them.

The Ministry of Personnel controlled the appointment and transfer of officials throughout Great Qian.

The Director of the Department of Appointments might not possess the highest cultivation realm or political power in the dynasty, but his authority within the official system was still enormous.

If he truly wanted to help a son-in-law, he could make Lu Shishui’s path far smoother than that of ordinary officials.

Lu Hai slowly exhaled.

"The offer is very good."

Lu Shishui nodded.

"Indeed."

Neither father nor son denied it, it was simply too good, after all.

But there was another question, perhaps the most important of all.

Lu Hai looked at his son again, a hint of complexity flashing past his eyes.

"But... can you marry again?"

Lu Shishui fell silent.

That was the problem.

Everything else was easy to calculate.

Whether it be career, future, position, benefits, or connections, all of them could be weighed, but emotions weren’t so simple.

His wife had died six years ago, yet he had never forgotten her.

He had spent years trying to move forward, and even made it his goal to make Great Qian a better place for the common people who had no power to resist in the face of cultivators.

But moving forward wasn’t the same as forgetting.

Could he really marry another woman?

He didn’t know, and neither did Lu Hai.

The hall was briefly in a suffocating silence before footsteps came from the study as Lu Yang walked out.

His expression was calm, with no surprise or confusion as he walked over, seemingly coming over to greet his father after hearing the latter come back.

Lu Hai looked at him and suddenly called out.

"Yang’er, come here."

Lu Yang raised his head and walked over.

"Grandfather?"

Lu Hai pointed at the chair beside him.

"Sit."

Lu Yang sat down quietly.

Lu Hai looked at Lu Shishui and said,

"Tell him."

Lu Shishui couldn’t help but hesitate slightly, his gaze falling upon Lu Yang.

He was still only six years old.

Would could a six year old child understand?

Would hearing about such matters confuse him?

For a moment, Lu Shishui wanted to refuse, but he then remembered something.

His son had been unusually intelligent since he was born.

And this wasn’t merely his own decision.

If he married again, the woman would become Lu Yang’s mother.

He indeed possessed the right to know.

Lu Shishui finally gritted his teeth and slowly explained everything.

Lu Yang listened quietly, not interrupting even once.

He already knew most of it, but he continued listening anyway.

When Lu Shishui finally finished, he looked at his son in silence for a moment before asking.

"Yang’er, what do you think?"

The question was deceptively simple.

But Lu Yang knew that his father wasn’t asking him to make the decision, but rather asking whether he would accept it or not.

Lu Yang thought for a second before answering.

"Father, you should do what you think is correct."

Lu Shishui was stunned, staring at him blankly.

Lu Yang continued in an innocent tone.

"Didn’t you teach me that before? A person’s choice belongs to themselves. Since this is your life, you should decide for yourself."

Lu Shishui felt like his mind was in disarray.

There was something extremely strange about hearing these words from a six year old, yet somehow, they made perfect sense.

Lu Yang thought for another moment.

"If you choose to marry her, then I will accept her as my mother. There is no reason for me to oppose it."

Lu Shishui’s lips parted slightly. He hadn’t expected such an answer.

Lu Yang wasn’t done just yet, continuing to speak.

"Besides, according to what you said, you will probably be assigned somewhere outside the Imperial Capital, and I will enter the Imperial Prison."

Lu Shishui nodded absentmindedly.

Lu Yang looked at him calmly.

"Then, we probably won’t see each other as often in the future anyway."

Lu Shishui was silent.

Lu Yang wasn’t wrong.

Once he entered the Imperial Prison, he would remain in the Imperial Capital.

His father, on the other hand, would most likely be sent somewhere else after receiving his official position.

If he became a County Magistrate, he might spend years in another part of Great Qian, and even if he eventually became a Prefect, it would be the same.

Their lives would naturally diverge.

Lu Yang didn’t have any particular attachment to the idea of having another mother, nor did he feel any resistance.

His mother had died before he had even properly opened his eyes in this life. He had no memories of her.

As for the woman he might eventually call mother, she was simply another person.

If she treated him well, he would naturally respect her and treat her as his mother too.

Lu Shishui looked at his son for a long time.

Then, he couldn’t help but smile softly.

"You’re right."

Lu Hai also shook his head with a smile.

"My grandson has more insight than my son."

Lu Yang looked at his grandfather expressionlessly.

Inwardly, he couldn’t help but wonder how his grandfather would react if he knew that his "grandson" was actually much older than two of him combined.