Entering the Ministry of Works or these places involved real work, and Su Rong never intended for the top ten to enter the Hanlin Academy for idle positions to accumulate seniority. After all, the current court was in short supply of those who engaged in actual work. He hadn’t planned to assign them to local posts either.
Cui Xingyu and Cui Xingyi had already received veiled hints from Duke Cui. Upon hearing these words, they exchanged glances. Cui Xingyu said, "I wish to join the Ministry of Works."
Su Rong nodded, "Good."
Cui Xingyi said, "I wish to join the Dali Temple."
Su Rong nodded in agreement, "Alright."
She raised her glass and clinked glasses with the two of them, taking a drink before she continued to walk on.
Being the top of the second class, Lu An faintly heard what the Princess had said to the people in front of him, and quickly began to ponder. If the Princess asked him the same question, where would he like to go? He was utterly unprepared.
Originally, he thought, with talent teeming in the Royal Capital and having no connections or backing, just himself alone, plotting a local assignment as a magistrate would be best to avoid being devoured by the cutthroat officialdom of the Royal Capital.
However, having spent many days in the Royal Capital, what he saw, heard, and felt differed from his previous thoughts. The Princess truly was a worthy heir apparent. Her reputation was immensely high among the court and the people, everyone admired her, and even the old court officials dared not act arrogantly in her presence because the Princess was decisive and acted swiftly, leaving no place for them to exploit.
This was not merely an illusion presented to people, but rather, she established such recognition after returning to the Royal Capital; no one could deceive her or control her on her Imperial Court or under her watch.
Of course, this was related to the Princess’s capability and the fact she had brought a group of close courtiers with her early on during her time in Nanchu. This group, composed of capable and ambitious individuals, led by the Master of the Imperial Princess, virtually reshaped the Imperial Court of Nanchu.
Of course, the Princess also had her benevolent and magnanimous aspects. She hadn’t indiscriminately purged the Imperial Court or ousted dissenters and old ministers. Instead, she stabilized it by ensuring they were all contributing to the court, even the previously laziest officials were now extremely busy, and none harbored any complaints.
Considering such an environment in the Imperial Court of the Royal Capital, he thought that even if he stayed in the Royal Capital, it seemed manageable.
When Su Rong came to him, she accurately called out his name and asked with a smile, "Lu An, you’ve heard everything, haven’t you? Which ministry do you wish to enter, or where do you want to go?"
Lu An hastily bowed and then tentatively asked, "Princess, if I say I wish to be assigned locally..." 𝓯𝙧𝙚𝙚𝔀𝒆𝓫𝓷𝙤𝓿𝒆𝙡.𝒄𝙤𝓶
Su Rong looked at him and directly said, "There are others designated for local assignments. Not to mention those behind you in the second class, but also a large group from the third class. However, if you really wish to be assigned locally and not work as a Capital Official, the palace will permit it. Your wish is the priority."
These new scholars didn’t require her to be concerned, Zhou Gu’s capable people had already had their backgrounds thoroughly checked by Ziye. Moreover, she was now clear about the reasons behind Lu An’s consideration of a local assignment.
Having pondered for quite a while, Lu An then asked Su Rong, "Princess, may I ask you a question?"
"Certainly."
Lu An looked at her and asked, "Do you think I am suited for being a Capital Official? I am not adept at the ways of officialdom."
Su Rong smiled, "That’s simple. Learn, then. No one is born with this ability."
Lu An then said softly, "People used to say, the Royal Capital is fierce as tigers; drop a flowerpot, and eight or nine out of ten victims are nobles or scions of grand residences. If I am marginalized because of my integrity..."
Su Rong was amused to laughter, "I see."
"Yes," Lu An sighed heavily with concern and said seriously, "After all, I am truly not adept at currying favor and ingratiating myself with others."
Even under the Princess’ governance, where the imperial order seemed clear and the laws well-maintained, one could not guarantee the absence of ostracism and conflicts. After all, where there are people, there is Jianghu, especially in officialdom where one doesn’t need to wield a knife to kill someone.
He felt he was not quite cut out for this.
Su Rong wanted to laugh—it was a genuine urge from the heart. She found Lu An very interesting, particularly his temperament, which she thought was quite amusing. There were many court officials, but few as interesting as him. Unlike Nangong Che, who would not have asked her such a question, likely because his Nangong surname made him overly cautious and wary.
She asked with a smile, "Do you actually want to stay in the Royal Capital then?"
"Of course I do," Lu An replied earnestly, "The Royal Capital is prosperous, at the foot of the Emperor, the Crown Prince governs diligently. I also wish to be closer to power, loyal and nearby, it’s better for getting promotions, isn’t it? Being dispatched to govern a region as a local official is not bad either, but there are too many such officials, and it’s hard to ensure that the Princess won’t forget me after a few years. If I want to make something of myself in the future, I still need to work hard, accumulate achievements, strive to rise up, and also need to rise back to the Royal Capital."
Wouldn’t he face the same problems then? Maybe be ostracized, maybe have to fight. Ah, he clearly felt quite helpless.
Su Rong smiled, "So?"
"So..." Lu An asked in a soft voice, "Princess, what I mean is, could I possibly become one of your close officials, whether in the Six Ministries or somewhere else, so that even if I offend someone, no one would dare touch me?"
Su Rong said, smiling, "So, you’re the truly clever one here."
Lu An’s eyes blinked rapidly, his face showing embarrassment. Although he did not refute Su Rong’s words, his expression seemed to say, no, that’s not it, it’s just that I am a bit worried about the future in officialdom and afraid I won’t be able to fight others.
Su Rong chuckled, "Alright, I promise you."
She raised her hand and called out to Ye Guixue, "Lord Ye, come over here for a moment."
Ye Guixue stood up and approached Su Rong, smiling as he asked, "You called me, Princess?"
"Yes, isn’t your Ministry of Personnel short of people? This Lu An, how about he joins your Ministry of Personnel? Look out for him a bit," Su Rong said with a smile. "He fears he’s too honest and could be devoured by the officialdom of the Royal Capital. He wants to be one of my close officials. I was thinking, since you’re the closest official I trust most, I naturally should give him to you."
On hearing this, Ye Guixue looked at Lu An with a smile and said, "Top of the Second Class entering the Ministry of Personnel, I am honored."
Lu An was shocked. He was very aware of Ye Guixue’s status in the court, and he was also an idol of countless scholars from Nanchu. Unlike the Fourth Young Master Zhou from the Daliang Duke of Protectorate’s Mansion, who as the Master of the Imperial Princess’ husband, was initially too far removed, Ye Guixue was closer and earned fame early—an early fame that shook the world, and scholars felt they likely could never match his scholarship and prominence, especially since he was both a scholar and a warrior, of noble birth, without a single shortcoming.
The current Ye Xiang Residence was thriving, and the Princess showed no intention of suppressing it. More than that, the Ye Xiang, his sons, and his household were all deeply relied upon in the court.
Particularly the Second Young Master Ye, who was destined to be the successor to Ye Xiang, as the Princess had already declared.
Now, the Princess had quickly called him over to gift him directly, indicating he should take care of him. Lu An felt as if he were dreaming. The Princess was too generous, not finding his remarks too complaining or kicking him out of the palace banquet, saying he thought too much. Instead, she directly solved his problem.
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