Ning Ze, along with Zhang Mao, Zhang Yun, and Jiang Zhu, had come to Nanchu having fought wars together, sharing bonds of life and death. Since arriving in the Royal Capital, it had been a while, yet they hadn’t found time to gather and reminisce; their meetings were always brief.
Ning Ze always claimed he was naturally not a diligent person, but now he felt he was almost becoming like Old Yellow Cow, working hard and tirelessly like a donkey turning a millstone.
He looked at Su Rong pitifully, "Princess, could you grant me a few more people to the Ministry of Revenue?"
Su Rong, amused, said, "Alright, I understand."
Ning Ze stood without leaving, understanding the implications. Was she going to give them or not?
Su Rong turned to ask the scholar standing before her, "Han Zhang, are you willing to go to the Ministry of Revenue?" She added, "It’s the same Ministry of Revenue where Zhou Gu, Cui Xingzhi, and Ning Ze are."
The implication was clear: the Ministry of Revenue was for capable people, and climbing the ranks quickly there was next to impossible given the many people above you, but being amidst so many capable people, there was a lot to learn quickly.
Han Zhang promptly bowed, not hesitating for a second, "Your servant is willing."
He had already inquired about it; the Ministry of Revenue was short-staffed because the Princess’s own direct appointees were sent there to cope with the crisis. Thus, compared to other ministries, the Ministry of Revenue currently had relatively more people, fewer vacancies to fill, and consequently, the scholars ahead of him had not chosen the Ministry of Revenue; good positions in other ministries were almost all taken. When it came to his turn, he indeed could have squeezed in, but those were relatively less attractive, and he did not want external postings; he was pondering this when Lord Ning coincidentally mentioned it—it was like receiving an umbrella amidst a downpour. He was very pleased.
Su Rong smiled and turned to Ning Ze, "Alright, this man is now part of your Ministry of Revenue."
Classified second-class, thirty-fifth place, Ning Ze was immediately overjoyed.
He grabbed Han Zhang, saying joyfully, "Brother Han, you have foresight."
Han Zhang bowed, "In the future, I will rely much on the care of Lord Ning."
"No problem at all," Ning Ze whispered. "Sit down for now; we’ll talk more later."
Seeing Su Rong walking ahead, he quickly followed her, trailing behind.
Han Zhang, a clever man, instantly realized that Lord Ning didn’t think one person was enough; he still wanted more.
Su Rong stopped before the next scholar. Ning Ze didn’t speak, just stood behind her. Su Rong glanced back at him; Ning Ze blinked eagerly. Su Rong was both annoyed and amused but didn’t shoo him away, choosing instead to converse with the scholar in front of her.
Zhang Yun and Zhou Gu had drunk several cups and, noticing Ning Ze’s actions, clucked their tongues, "This guy really can shamelessly throw his weight around, which is a talent in itself."
Back in Daliang, few had respect for the second son from the Marquis Nanping Residence, who had indeed not sparked any brilliance in Daliang Capital City and had also suffered alongside the Crown Prince’s faction. Unexpectedly, to settle Marquis Nanping, Su Rong had sent his son and daughter to pacify Nanping, which turned out to be Ning Ze’s opportunity to make a significant turnaround.
As it turned out, his potential was unearthed by her, and not only was he not worthless as before, but he had also become hugely useful.
Zhou Gu glanced at him, "Who got the Top Scholar transferred to the Ministry of War? Aren’t your talents even greater?"
Zhang Yun laughed, "With a country rich and the military strong, weapons are naturally of paramount importance. Come, brother, let’s drink."
Ning Ze, following behind Su Rong, managed to secure four or five people for the Ministry of Revenue before reluctantly stopping and returning to Zhang Yun and Zhou Gu.
Zhang Yun clapped him on the shoulder, "Not bad at all."
Ning Ze whispered, "Actually, I wanted two more, but I was afraid the Princess would get annoyed and chase me away, so I hurried back." As he spoke, his eyes widened, "Zhang Mao has gone over there."
Zhang Yun turned to look and sure enough saw Zhang Mao standing beside Su Rong, talking with her. At this time, what else could he be doing there if not trying to recruit people for the Ministry of Personnel? He clicked his tongue again, "My brother, who used to be too proud to stoop low, has now learnt bad habits from you."
Ning Ze was filled with regret. "Had I known, I wouldn’t have come back. Several people have already been admitted into the Ministry of Personnel, hasn’t the top second-class candidate been accepted there?"
No sooner had he left than his spot was taken. Had he known, he would have unabashedly asked for more.
"That’s enough, be content!" Zhang Yun pulled him to drink.
Ning Ze had no choice but to give up.
Zhang Mao had successfully taken a few people. After he left, Jiang Zhu followed suit. When Su Rong saw him, she was too lazy to ask what it was about, and simply let him tag along.
Seeing the situation, the old Chief of Staff from the Ministry of Works couldn’t sit still and nudged Cui Yanjin, "Master Cui, you should go too."
Cui Yanjin was reluctant, "Chief of Staff, you can’t just order me around."
"The Princess is your cousin by marriage, and you keep calling her ’cousin’. No one else is as suitable as you," the Chief of Staff said.
Cui Yanjin pouted, "Ah, my lord, have you forgotten about Brother Fen? He’s also from our Ministry of Works, and even more so, he used to be our cousin’s Hidden Guard, and he’s still living in the palace. His involvement would be more useful than mine."
The Chief of Staff turned his head to look, and saw Fen Ling talking with Ye Xiang, Xie Yuan, and Duke Cui. He couldn’t tell what they were discussing, as Ye Xiang seemed to be in a difficult position, and both Master Xie and Duke Cui had frowns of deep thought. He shifted his gaze back, "Fen Ling is busy, you go!"
Now in the Ministry of Works, whatever Fen Ling was discussing with Ye Xiang, Xie Yuan, and Duke Cui, it certainly had to do with the Ministry of Works.
Cui Yanjin also saw this and sighed, "My lord, this should not set a precedent."
"Alright, alright, this will not set a precedent," the Chief of Staff nodded repeatedly.
Cui Yanjin had no choice but to go.
After Jiang Zhu left and Cui Yanjin came, Su Rong saw him and was both irritated and amused, "How come you’re here too? Are you envious seeing others asking for people?"
Cui Yanjin whispered, "Cousin, it’s not that I’m envious. It’s the senior chief who is, and he sent me here." He was helpless, "Cousin, I really didn’t want to come. I just begged my cousin, and it took a lot of talking."
"Alright then." Su Rong smiled.
The court officials, watching the people constantly appearing beside Su Rong, thought to themselves, being close to the Princess was indeed enviable. They could scoop people into their own bowls so freely, unlike the rest of them who needed to be extremely careful even speaking a word before the Princess, let alone snatch people. They could only wait for the Princess to assign them.
However, the Princess was still fair. Even though there were no one in places like Jingzhao Prefecture, Dali Temple, and the Five Cities Soldier Horse Division that had deep connections with her, she still asked and assigned people according to the situation without showing too much favoritism. They were quite content.
Thus, the first Imperial Examination and Jeweled Grove Banquet after the Princess’s return ended with all departments getting new scholars, and everyone was highly satisfied with how it concluded.
After the banquet dispersed, Zhou Gu and Su Rong walked back, Zhou Gu asked with a smile, "Wasn’t that quite a mouthful?"
Su Rong hummed, "My legs also stood too long, my feet hurt."
Zhou Gu reached out and pulled her onto his back, "Come on, I’ll carry you."
Su Rong grunted, climbed onto Zhou Gu’s back, and muttered softly, "It’s not easy being a ruler, huh."
Zhou Gu burst into laughter.
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