Chapter 31... He's still just a kid, and I...

The next morning, under the bright but not scorching sunlight, Hengbo was already sitting at the small desk in Shen Guitang's study, starting another day of studying, while Shen Guitang was sipping tea and flipping through a volume of geographical maps, looking quite relaxed.

Hei Feng entered at that moment. He glanced at Heng Bo, who had a worried look on his face, and then turned to Shen Guitang, who was looking quite content. He couldn't help but think to himself: It seems that being favored by Shen Guitang is not such a good thing after all.

"Young master, someone from the palace has arrived."

Hengbo suddenly raised her eyes. Shen Guitang glanced at her, put down the book in his hand, and said, "Don't be so surprised. It's just that my term of office has come to an end."

He stood up, straightened his robes slightly, and then instructed, "Correct your mistakes properly, and don't sneak out when I'm not looking."

Hengbo's heart, which had been racing for a moment, calmed down a bit; at least it wasn't someone coming to see her.

However, looking at the densely packed corrections in front of her, she suddenly felt overwhelmed. How could this man surnamed Shen be more like a teacher than Master Chen?

Shen Guitang had already taken two steps out of the door, but after thinking for a moment, she deliberately turned around and locked the door from the outside. The little princess didn't seem very bright, so she hoped she wouldn't end up in the palace.

Black Wind, who was following behind, clicked his tongue in amazement. Judging from how much he treasured her, if one didn't know the truth, they would think he was keeping a mistress hidden away.

However, Hengbo, who was trapped inside, felt his heart rise again after it had half fallen back into his stomach. What was he going to do?

The man surnamed Shen was so kind as to tell her that the people from the palace were there to give him a position. Could it be that this was just an excuse, and his real purpose was to trap her like a turtle in a jar?

Had she been exposed after all? No, Hengbo put down her pen; she couldn't just sit and wait to die...

The person who came from the palace was Eunuch Zheng, who served the emperor. In addition, two other eunuchs stood outside the hall. Although Eunuch Zheng was not as favored as Eunuch Chen, he was still a prominent figure in the palace.

Zheng Gong was over forty years old, with a fair complexion and no beard, and had an approachable appearance. At this moment, he was sitting in the main hall where guests were being received, drinking tea. When he saw Shen Guitang rushing over, he slowly made a move to get up, but Shen Guitang helped him up: "Thank you for your trouble, Eunuch. Please sit down and rest."

After saying that, he glanced at the tea on the table and frowned: "Heifeng, pour the Phoenix Dancong tea that was just sent from home for your father-in-law."

Regardless of whether he was sincere or not, this attitude alone pleased Eunuch Zheng, and his smile became much more genuine: "I had heard that this year's new third-ranked scholar was exceptionally talented, and now that I see him, he is indeed a handsome and accomplished man."

Shen Guitang pushed the tea that Hei Feng had just brought to Eunuch Zheng and said modestly, "Eunuch Zheng is too kind. I know that I am not very talented, but I am diligent. I am fortunate to have received the Emperor's favor. It is a blessing I have accumulated over several lifetimes."

After tasting the uniquely flavorful Phoenix Dancong tea, Eunuch Zheng casually remarked, "This tea from the hometown of the 'Top Scholar' has quite a unique charm. I wonder if the 'Top Scholar's' ancestral home is Guangdong or Fujian?"

Guangdong, Guangxi, southern Fujian, and Qiongzhou were the main battlegrounds for the Zhennan Army to fight against the Japanese pirates. Shen Guitang seemed not to have grasped the deeper meaning in Eunuch Zheng's words and said with embarrassment, "I am really ashamed. My ancestral home is not in these wealthy coastal areas, but in Yunnan Province. If my elders had not come out of the mountains, I would probably still be picking tea and growing herbs at home."

Eunuch Zheng glanced at him with some surprise: "It's really not easy for a third-place scholar to come from Yunnan Province."

Yunnan Province has a complex terrain, mainly mountainous, which makes roads difficult to travel. Since the financial economy of a place has always been related to the accessibility of its roads, Yunnan Province has even had problems with trade, so it can hardly be considered rich.

The imperial examinations were a path that no one without considerable wealth could even dream of. Leaving aside the initial costs of education, the expenses on paper, ink, and brushes over the years were no small sum. Furthermore, the guarantee money for passing the examinations to become a scholar was something not everyone could afford.

Having learned more about the local customs and traditions of Shen Guitang's hometown, Eunuch Zheng dusted off the invisible dust on his body, stood up and said, "Today's conversation with the third-ranked scholar has been very beneficial to this old servant. However, this old servant is still carrying out His Majesty's mission."

As he spoke, he took out the emperor's edict from his sleeve.

Upon seeing this, Shen Guitang lowered his head and bowed to listen.

"The Emperor decrees: Shen Guitang, the newly appointed third-ranked scholar, is highly talented and knowledgeable. His essay 'On Civil Engineering' written before the Emperor greatly pleased me. Therefore, I hereby appoint you as an official in the Ministry of Works to assist in the completion of the mausoleum. The mausoleum is the root of the dynasty and must not be neglected. So be it."

Zheng Gonggong closed the imperial edict and placed it between Shen Guitang's hands, his face crinkling with laughter: "Congratulations, Your Excellency! Don't underestimate this lowly position of Ministry of Works official. His Majesty has directly appointed you to assist in the construction of the mausoleum. If you handle this task well, you'll have no trouble advancing on your career path."

Shen Guitang seemed encouraged, her face beaming with pride: "Your Majesty's grace is boundless, and Guitang will certainly live up to His Majesty's expectations." As she spoke, she instructed Heifeng to pack a few more boxes of Phoenix Dancong tea for Eunuch Zheng: "Eunuch, what fine things haven't you seen? These are some local specialties from my own family, and I hope you won't find them too bad."

Eunuch Zheng's smile deepened. This Lord Shen was polite, sensible, and knew his place; those who went far in officialdom were often like him. He was willing to make a good connection with him, so he accepted the packaged tea. However, before leaving, he added, "Repairing the mausoleum is His Majesty's way of showing filial piety. Lord Shen, you must not let a small matter cause you to lose sight of the bigger picture."

After seeing off Eunuch Zheng, Shen Guitang's initial confusion and hesitation about entering officialdom completely disappeared, returning him to his usual languidness and aloofness. Even his eyebrows and eyes seemed to have faded considerably.

He turned and walked back, with Hei Feng following closely behind: "Young Master, what did Eunuch Zheng mean by saying 'to lose the big picture for the sake of small gains' at the end?"

Shen Guitang walked with the wind on his feet: "That was a warning to me not to collude with Yan Zong and follow in the footsteps of the former head of the Ministry of Works."

Hei Feng was puzzled: "So Yan Zong hasn't given up yet? But then again, the military power in the Northwest is a huge piece of meat, and if it were me, I wouldn't be willing to give it up either."

The two had just reached the door of the study when Shen Guitang glanced at him and said, "You've come to the wrong place. Fatty is in the kitchen."

Black Wind, who was subtly but ruthlessly driven away: ...Fine, I won't bother you.

Shen Guitang took out the key from his sleeve pocket and opened the door. The room was exactly as he had left it, even the books he had put down were still there. Everything was fine, except that a living person who should have been sitting here practicing calligraphy was missing.

Shen Guitang walked into the room, his gaze lingering on the window frame that wasn't fully closed: Very good, the kitten really did run away.

He retreated back outside, walked to the tree in the yard, and said in a calm, emotionless voice, "Come down."

However, the only response he received was the rustling of the wind through the leaves.

Shen Guitang's voice carried a hint of coldness: "Get down, and don't make me say it a third time."

Amidst the rustling of leaves, another sound finally broke the silence. Black Wind effortlessly leaped down, landing bewilderedly in front of Shen Guitang: "Young Master, you were looking for me?"

It wasn't that he deliberately didn't come down; it was just that Shen Guitang had clearly seemed annoyed with him just moments before, so why was he suddenly approaching him now?

If he hadn't looked around to make sure he was the only one there, he would have thought Shen Guitang was calling someone else.

But Shen Guitang didn't even spare him a glance, coldly saying, "I'm not looking for you."

He looked up and said, "Miss Cuihua, it's windy up in the tree, be careful not to catch a cold."

As soon as he finished speaking, Hei Feng stared in disbelief and turned around. He saw a figure covered in leaves lightly touching the branches and taking a few steps to finally appear safely in front of the two of them.

He was shocked: "When did you get up there?" He hadn't noticed that there was another person in the tree besides him the whole time.

Hengbo didn't understand what was so surprising about him, since he had climbed the tree before him.

She looked at Shen Guitang with great frustration: How did you know I was in the tree?

Shen Guitang's face remained cold, even the smile that usually graced his lips had vanished. His thick, dark eyebrows and indifferent eyes revealed his less-than-pleasant mood, but he still pointed to the leaves on the ground.

Hengbo glanced at the ground as he moved, and saw that the clean bluestone ground was covered with fallen green leaves.

It was springtime, a time of renewal for all things, and so many leaves wouldn't have fallen unless someone had broken them. Hengbo looked at the branches and leaves entwined around him and suddenly understood.

But since Hei Feng was also in the tree, why suspect her alone?

Shen Guitang had already turned and walked towards the study. As for Hei Feng, when he realized that Shen Guitang wasn't targeting him, he had already slipped away to avoid being implicated.

Hengbo could only follow, but when he entered, Shen Guitang stopped him with her sleeve, saying, "Clean up the leaves on your body before you come in."

Shen Guitang knew what she wanted to ask: why not suspect that the marks on the ground came from Hei Feng? Firstly, as one of the four protectors of Bu Ming Pavilion, Hei Feng wouldn't make such a basic mistake in concealment. Secondly, Hei Feng wouldn't dare to make such a mess of the courtyard.

I don't know whether to say that this young princess is fearless like a newborn calf, or that I have been too lenient with her.

After shaking off all the leaves from her body, and even going back to her room to change her clothes just in case, Hengbo was finally allowed to enter the study.

Shen Guitang was still sitting in his previous seat, but no one could find any ease or comfort in him anymore; instead, he exuded a gloomy aura as if a storm was brewing.

Even the most composed Hengbo knew she had offended him. While she wasn't exactly restless at her desk, having such a formidable figure beside her made it impossible to concentrate. Shen Guitang spoke first: "What's wrong? Has your heart become wild after a trip?"

Hengbo felt a little relieved when she saw Shen Guitang take the initiative to talk to her. She put down the pen in her hand, which was almost worn out from being used so much, moved in front of him, opened her innocent and bright eyes wide, and asked him: I heard that you became a worker in the Ministry of Works and are going to repair the mausoleum.

Shen Guitang lifted his eyelids to glance at her. He himself had just received the imperial edict, so Hengbo's "heard" was undoubtedly because she had just overheard Zheng Gonggong's conversation with him.

He turned his body to the other side, wanting to avoid seeing it. But to his surprise, Hengbo didn't care about his cold face at all and moved her body over as well.

Disturbed by her, Shen Guitang could no longer concentrate on his book, so he simply put down his book and quietly watched her, waiting to see what kind of trouble she was going to cause.

Hengbo was unaware that Shen Guitang had seen through her intentions. She first poured him a cup of tea, pretended to test the temperature of the tea with her hand before handing it over, and then picked up a folding fan from the table and fanned him attentively.

Seeing that Shen Guitang's brows relaxed slightly after taking a sip of tea, Hengbo felt that she could move on to the next step.

She put down the fan she had barely used, and with her most sincere expression, gestured: "Congratulations on becoming an official and making a fortune."

Upon hearing this, Shen Guitang put down his teacup, his face expressionless: "Just a lowly Ministry of Works official, nothing compared to the prestige of being the Emperor's tutor."

Hengbo frowned. She knew in her heart that he was holding a grudge against her for saying that he would not be able to pass the imperial examination. Although it was indeed true, she needed his help now and had to make him happy.

So she denied it against her conscience: "But I think that the Emperor's tutor is all show and no substance, unlike you, who looks like a good official who does practical things for the people."

Looking into her clear eyes, which seemed to be free of any lies, Shen Guitang sighed inwardly. It was just that the cat at home was frightened and ran away with its fur standing on end. Why should he be angry with her?

However, he wanted to see what this brat was really up to, that he was putting on such a humiliating act.

He gave a soft hum, indicating his agreement with her words: "What you said is not wrong."

Seeing that his expression had softened, Hengbo knew that he had calmed down and began to extend her tentative little paw: "For a good official like you who benefits the people, how important is your life and safety? Besides, you will soon be personally involved in the construction of the mausoleum. I really don't feel at ease leaving you alone."

Shen Guitang was genuinely surprised, and seeing her serious little face, he couldn't help but chuckle. He quickly looked away, lest he ruin the atmosphere the little brat had worked so hard to create.

He frowned slightly but then relaxed immediately. “Miss Cuihua is right. However, Guitang is always protected by Black Wind Guards, so you can rest assured.”

Hengbo hadn't expected him to be so meticulous, but how could she give up so easily when they were so close to victory?

Therefore, she first silently apologized to Hei Feng in her heart, and then ran to check that all the doors and windows were sealed tightly and that there was no one outside before she ran back with peace of mind. Her gaze towards Shen Guitang gradually changed from conflicted and troubled to dignified and fearless.

Seeing her stance, Shen Guitang's eyelids twitched, and he inexplicably thought of some unpleasant things. Just as he was about to get up to stop her, he saw her practice a sword technique in front of him, using a pen as a sword…

After he finished reading with a blank expression, Hengbo walked up to him with a proud look on her face: "Heifeng is useless, so let me go with you to repair the tomb."

Shen Guitang: ...She's still a kid. I really overestimated her.

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Author's Note: Thank you to all the little angels who voted for me or watered my plants with nutrient solution between 17:59:00 on January 17, 2024 and 22:45:41 on January 21, 2024!

Thank you to the little angel who watered the nutrient solution: Wow, oh my god~ 1 bottle;

Thank you so much for your support! I will continue to work hard!