Peace and prosperity reigned, the aroma of wine and dishes permeated the air, and the Jeweled Grove Banquet was naturally bustling and festive.
Su Rong didn’t sit upright in her seat, but instead stood up with a wine cup in hand, moving from the front to the back seats of the newly admitted scholars.
The first, taking the brunt of her attention, was Nangong Che.
Su Rong stood in front of his seat, smiled, and toasted to Nangong Che, "Undoubtedly worthy of being the top scholar."
Nangong Che quickly stood up, suppressing his emotions, "Princess, I lack talent, it troubles the Princess to personally grind ink, I am ashamed."
Though not yet appointed an official position, he could already claim himself as a servant, as it was set in stone he would be entering the court.
Su Rong smiled, "Ashamed of what? Your writing deserves that I grind ink for you, can’t you see? I pay respect to the virtuous."
Nangong Che didn’t expect Su Rong to be so straightforward. For a moment, he didn’t know what to say, opening his mouth wide and after a long while, he finally spoke hesitantly, "I am honored."
Su Rong looked at him, "You are honored? After all, besides my brother, my fiancé, I have never ground ink for anyone else."
Nangong Che quickly bowed his head, "I am overwhelmed by your favor."
Su Rong smiled and added, "Oh, I also pulled in Zhou Gu. Besides the Crown Prince of Daliang, he probably hasn’t ground ink for anyone else, at least that’s my guess, maybe he hasn’t even done it for the Crown Prince of Daliang since he rarely takes orders from anyone."
Nangong Che bowed even lower, "I am terrified."
Su Rong laughed, "Come now, what are you terrified of? Your article truly deserved it, after all, it captivated both me and Zhou Gu."
She usually called Zhou Gu by his name rather than ’Master of the Imperial Princess’ as she liked to address him directly by name.
Nangong Che’s heart relaxed, "It is my honor to have caught the attention of both the Princess and the Master of the Imperial Princess."
Su Rong smiled and asked, "Which of the Six Ministries would you like to enter?"
Nangong Che was stunned. Could he really choose which ministry to enter? Wasn’t it customary for the King to arrange it? Oh, the King didn’t interfere, and the Princess ruled as regent, but shouldn’t it be the Princess who arranged it directly for him?
Besides, customarily, if the top scholar won the favor of the King, he would enter Hanlin to accumulate experience, which was an established rule. If not favored by the King, he would be assigned to a district as a low-ranking official.
It was rare to go directly into the Six Ministries unless someone in his family served as an official in court and was an important minister, which only then might navigate a position in the Six Ministries for him.
Perhaps he hesitated for too long because Su Rong asked, "Haven’t thought it through yet?"
Nangong Che honestly replied, "I never even thought that I could choose for myself."
Su Rong laughed, "But you can."
Nangong Che finally dared to meet Su Rong’s gaze.
Zhou Gu spoke earnestly, "Perhaps I couldn’t before, but now as the Crown Prince, I naturally can. After all, I also want my officials to enter the places they wish to enter and do the things they wish to do. Isn’t that the way to better and more vigorously promote the welfare of the state?"
Finally, Nangong Che’s face showed a moved expression, one that he had suppressed even when he had personally ground ink for him during Zhou Gu’s Palace Examination, when his fellow scholars had gathered around him to offer congratulations and envy, and when he contained his inner excitement. It was only in the deep silence of the night that he vaguely realized he was indeed different from before; he had stepped onto the ladder of grace opened after the Princess’s return to court, and finally, his talents were fully recognized and basked in the sunlight.
Even though his surname was Nangong, it hadn’t led to his oppression, to being trampled into the dust, shrouded from the daylight; instead, he flourished.
But precisely because of this, he also became more cautious, not daring to make mistakes or become arrogant due to his success.
Now, when the Princess asked him like this, he was momentarily so moved that he could hardly contain himself. After a moment, he asked, "May your servant think about it first?"
"Of course," Zhou Gu clinked glasses with him, "Come, let’s drink first. I also want to say congratulations on achieving the Triple First."
Nangong Che hurriedly picked up his wine glass, not daring to clink it too hard against the Princess’s glass, but gently and cautiously touched it, holding the cup so tightly in his hand as if afraid to drop it.
Just then, Zhang Yun came over with his wine glass, facing Zhou Gu with much more ease, and with a mischievous smile, he spoke very casually, "Hey, Princess, Brother Che, if you haven’t decided where to go yet, come to my Ministry of War."
Zhou Gu turned to look at Zhang Yun, chuckling, "You’re quite clever, seizing the opportunity so quickly."
Zhang Yun sighed, "Princess, it’s not that your servant is greedy to see talent; it’s just that the Ministry of War is really short-staffed. You’ve assigned me to the Ministry of War, and I’m happy to oblige, but as you know, the Ministry of War in Nanchu is a bit indescribable. If you want me to meet the standards you’ve set for me, I need people, especially talented and intelligent ones; I really need them now."
Zhou Gu shrugged, "I have handed over the Ministry of War to you, and if you can persuade him to join your Ministry, I have no objections."
Zhang Yun knew Zhou Gu would naturally have no objections. He turned back to Nangong Che, "Brother Che, let’s go, how about we have a private chat?"
Nangong Che had never thought about joining the Ministry of War. Even though Zhou Gu had allowed him to choose, looking at Zhang Yun, he honestly said, "Director Zhang, I am accustomed to scholarly pursuits."
"I know you are a scholar. I read your papers three times; your answers in the Palace Examination were truly excellent, and an extraordinary performance indeed. Not in vain did the Princess and Brother Zhou personally prepare the ink for you," Zhang Yun patted his shoulder as if they were close friends, "But being a scholar doesn’t mean you can’t join the Ministry of War. You should know that our Ministry isn’t about sending you to the battlefield. Now that we have peace with Dawei, there won’t be wars for at least ten years, well, it’s uncertain, but certainly not in the short term. The current role of the Ministry of War, use your clever mind to think about it. Anyway, being non-martial doesn’t matter; as long as you’re smart and practical, you are qualified to join the Ministry and make great strides with me."
Nangong Che looked towards Zhou Gu.
Zhou Gu smiled, "You can go find a place to chat, and just let me know the outcome."
Nangong Che finally nodded to Zhang Yun, "Very well, Director Zhang, please lead the way."
"Alright, let’s go," Zhang Yun pulled Nangong Che away to find a place to talk.
Zhou Gu smiled and walked to the next seat, greeting the two cousins from the Cui Family, "Cousins."
Cui Xingyu and Cui Xingyi quickly stood up, "Princess."
They, unlike Cui Xingzhi and Cui Yanjin, did not consider themselves equals to those two from the Qinghe Cui family who had also come to Nanchu, and dared not address the Princess as ’cousin,’ let alone call her a younger sister.
Zhou Gu smiled, "My cousins also possess great talents and embody the spirit of the Cui Family. I wish to ask personally, which of the Six Ministries would you like to join?" She paused, then added, "If you are not interested in joining the Six Ministries, Jingzhao Prefecture, the Dali Temple, Imperial Household, or the Five Cities Soldier Horse Division are also options."
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