Zhou Gu saw Zhang Yun sit down and raised an eyebrow.
"Brother, shall we have a couple of drinks?" Zhang Yun hooked Zhou Gu’s shoulder.
Zhou Gu looked at him, "Feeling that good?"
Zhang Yun nodded, "Yes, I managed to snatch the Top Scholar of the imperial examination. It took some persuading, but I convinced him to join my Ministry of War. Naturally, I’m in an excellent mood."
Zhou Gu was noncommittal and clinked glasses with him. 𝗳𝚛𝚎𝚎𝘄𝕖𝕓𝕟𝕠𝚟𝚎𝕝.𝗰𝕠𝐦
After they both downed a glass, Zhang Yun praised Nangong Che, "The talent of Nangong Che really is worth the Princess personally grinding ink for."
Zhou Gu gave him a glance and said nothing.
Zhang Yun laughed and added, "And worth the Master of the Imperial Daughter grinding ink for as well." After saying that, he glanced over at Su Rong, who was standing and speaking in front of a scholar, leaned close to Zhou Gu’s ear, and whispered, "The Princess really knows how to win people’s hearts. Back then, just because of her extremely brief letter, I was persuaded by her. Later, when she welcomed me by sweeping the snow, speaking earnestly, I was touched and decided right then: she is a wise and just ruler, and I would be her loyal subject, pledging to follow her to the death. Now..."
He clicked his tongue, "All these scholars present today are probably going to be loyal to the Princess, serving her faithfully in the future."
Whether they were Top Scholars or ranked in the top three classes, she treated them all equally, not minding the trouble, speaking with each one in turn. Which scholar can resist such equal attention? No matter where they go to serve as officials, even thousands of miles away, they will surely always remember that there is such a Princess in the Court, wise, discerning, and administering benevolent governance.
Zhou Gu’s lips curled up, "Naturally."
Su Rong was excellently tutored by Xie Yuan, understanding the way of serving a monarch, yet possessed a modesty that those skilled in the art of ruling often lack.
She is a one-of-a-kind Crown Princess beneath the heavens, and from her actions today, one can see that scholars throughout the land will flock to her. Nanchu’s future is on the rise.
No one thinks that having such a monarch in Nanchu would ever be a wrong choice.
Zhang Yun, envious, said, "Zhou, you’re far too lucky, aren’t you?"
Hearing this, Zhou Gu turned to look at him, "What’s the matter? You’re envious? Or jealous?"
"Of course, I’m jealous," Zhang Yun said unabashedly. "Just how did you manage to have such good taste, cling to someone so tightly, and still make the Princess firmly choose you?"
Zhou Gu smiled again, "Of course, it’s because I made her fancy me."
Zhang Yun clicked his tongue, a bit sour, "Everyone used to say, the Fourth Young Master of the Duke Residence abandoned a great future for the Nanchu Princess. It hasn’t been that long, and now the winds have changed. They say the Nanchu Princess is decisive and formidable, and the Princess’s husband is talented in both literature and martial arts, truly a fine match."
Zhou Gu was in a very good mood, "Look at how sour you are. Do you want to get married?"
Zhang Yun cleared his throat, "Not really, just lamenting that your life is good, and we cannot compare."
Zhou Gu slung an arm over his shoulder, "Don’t worry, they’ve just introduced the examination for women. Many didn’t prepare and few participated this year, but next year or the year after, surely a large number of talented women will flock to the Royal Capital. Then, you’ll be able to choose someone to your liking. And you won’t have to jealous of me every day."
Zhang Yun rolled his eyes, "Who in the world can match the Princess?"
Zhou Gu instantly looked at him with suspicion, "Let me tell you, don’t even think about setting your sights on Su Rong. She’s mine. Otherwise, we can no longer be brothers. You’ve already experienced my Double-Handed Sword."
Zhang Yun laughed, "Don’t worry, I don’t want to lose my hand, nor can I pluck the moon from the sky. I’m just simply envious that you have such good fortune."
After he finished speaking, he looked at Zhou Gu and raised his glass, "Are we still brothers or what? I just got a little jealous, and you react so strongly."
Zhou Gu snorted, "You’d best not be jealous for a lifetime, otherwise we really can’t be brothers."
Zhang Yun burst into hearty laughter and clinked glasses with him, "Is it really worth it?"
Zhou Gu looked at him irritably. If this hadn’t been in the Great Hall, he would have kicked him to show that it indeed was worth it. If anyone dared to compete for Su Rong, he’d surely be waiting with his sword at the ready.
Ning Ze, who was half-drunk by then, also joined them. With nowhere to sit, he simply plopped down next to Zhang Yun on the floor. When the eunuch saw this, he quickly brought over a cushion. Ning Ze, without much fuss, lifted his bottom, placed the cushion beneath him, and started talking with Zhang Yun and Zhou Gu.
He mainly complained to Zhou Gu, "Brother Zhou, Master of the Imperial Household, Assistant Minister, why are you just sitting here without moving? The Chief of Staff values his dignity and wouldn’t want to be seen snatching people, but the Assistant Ministers from the other departments are not idle. Our Ministry of Revenue is still short of people. Everyone else is out there grabbing talent, you should make a move too. Now we haven’t got a single person from the top scholars, and looking at the second-class, it seems we don’t have a share there either. If you don’t act soon, we won’t even get the last in second-class for our department."
Zhou Gu looked at him, "The Ministry of Revenue has already taken in quite a few people, and yet you still dare to covet the top and second-class scholars?"
Ning Ze: "..."
Can’t he even wish for them?
He immediately said, "But our department is still short of people."
"Being short of people is one thing, but if you want to snatch them, you go do it. In the past six months, all the talents entering the Imperial Court have been first secured by our department. I’m too embarrassed to snatch any more," Zhou Gu said, immovable.
Ning Ze choked and looked at him, "Can I really go grab them?"
"What do you think? Aren’t you just one rank below me?" Zhou Gu replied, looking back at him.
Thinking it over, Ning Ze felt it made sense and immediately stood up, "I’ll go find the Princess now."
His arrival was swift, and so was his departure. In a blink, he passed step by step over the stairs and through the throng of officials to find Su Rong.
At that moment, Su Rong was chatting with the scholars from the latter half of the second-class, one by one. Seeing Ning Ze rushing over, the scholar talking to her stopped mid-sentence.
"Princess," Ning Ze stood dutifully by Su Rong’s side and carefully called out.
Su Rong turned to look at him, smiling, "What’s the matter?"
Ning Ze blinked, nodding, and said in a hushed voice, "The Ministry of Revenue is still short of people. We are almost going crazy with work, and there’s so much we can’t handle. We still don’t have enough manpower. You can’t just think about the other departments and leave ours out. Since the Chief of Staff and Brother Zhou are too embarrassed to snatch people, I’ve come."
Su Rong chuckled, sizing up Ning Ze, "Have you had a lot to drink?"
Ning Ze nodded, "Mhm."
Su Rong spoke again, "You seem to have slimmed down quite a bit since you returned to the capital. Is the Ministry of Revenue still that exhausting?"
She felt that lately Zhou Gu seemed much more relaxed; probably he had delegated most of the workload. After all, Cui Xingzhi and Ning Ze were both quite competent.
"Very exhausting," Ning Ze pointed to the dark circles under his eyes and complained, "Ever since I returned to the Royal Capital and joined the Ministry of Revenue, I haven’t had a good night’s sleep. I only manage to fall asleep at midnight every day. It’s been forever since I’ve had a really good drink with someone; I’m just too busy. The Court Affairs of the Ministry of Revenue are piling up like a mountain."
He almost regretted galloping back too quickly. If he’d returned a few days later, he could’ve slacked off for a bit longer. At the time, he thought that there would eventually be an end to the workload, and he could rest then. But who could have imagined that after all this time, the work is still unfinished? He’s so exhausted that he falls asleep as soon as his head hits the pillow; he doesn’t even have the energy to talk, let alone go out for drinks and scoldings.
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