Chapter 76 The Third-Rank Scholar Has a Break
The bracelet hung perfectly on Zhao Pingfeng's wrist, radiating a soft silver glow.
Jiang Yuzhi recalled what Erlang Shen had said and casually looked away from his wrist.
"It's getting late, you should get some rest."
"Miss, you should get some rest too."
Zhao Pingfeng's gentle smile slightly soothed Jiang Yuzhi's inexplicable unease.
"Ah Ting, Xiao Hua, let's go eat some more, it's time for us to go."
Di Ting responded with a "woof," nudging Jin Xiaohua and Chi Chi, who were still playing, with its head, and followed Jiang Yuzhi.
In the following days, fearing that it would implicate others, Jiang Yuzhi instructed the children at the orphanage not to come and work anymore.
The children were filled with fear and trepidation, thinking they had done something wrong, and kept apologizing.
Jiang Yuzhi asked Zhong Yuxiu to act as an intermediary, and also asked Zhou Niangzi to help the head of the orphanage to take them to the temporary market outside the city that would last until the end of the palace examination, where they could set up a stall to sell some handicrafts.
She could no longer make frequent trips to the funeral clothing shop.
He simply stayed at the Jiang residence and refused to go out.
Even though Di Ting and Jin Xiaohua, who were beside her, said they couldn't sense anything else, Jiang Yuzhi remained highly vigilant.
She always felt that Zhao Qingyun was watching them from an unseen corner.
Waiting for the right opportunity to act.
After Diting and Xiaohua realized Jiang Yuzhi was tense, they dared not let their guard down.
There's no one in the house, so they really need to eat.
Chichi wouldn't feel hungry if he was near Jiang Yuzhi; Zhao Pingfeng was a living dead; Di Ting could stay energetic for a long time by absorbing the essence of the sun and moon; Jiang Yuzhi and Jin Xiaohua were a ghost and a spirit, respectively, and neither of them needed to eat.
Normally, meals are eaten when everyone is craving something.
During special times, no one cares about such trivial matters as meals.
All it does is eat, and it spends its days restlessly sniffing around the house, seemingly searching for something.
...
The Emperor of Fengdu spent no more than half a day in heaven, but several months passed on earth.
Xie Bi'an was in a state of utter chaos.
Each of the Ghost Kings has its own territory to guard, and they cannot easily leave when the Emperor is not around.
Especially after a ghost escapes from the underworld, it becomes even more necessary to keep watch over it.
Fan Wujiu would usually take over from Xie Bi'an, one managing the ghost messengers and the other searching in Hell to fill in any gaps.
Xie Bi'an happened to be on duty in hell.
He actually found a mistake.
In the seventeenth level of hell where Zhao Qingyun was, there was a hole no bigger than the eye of a pin, which stubbornly broke through layers of barriers to form a passage.
Now, even someone who's completely clueless can figure out how Zhao Qingyun escaped.
At first, Xie Bi'an didn't take it seriously, thinking it was just a small hole, and he could just patch it up.
The hole looked small, but it seemed to have no boundaries.
Xie Bian filled in a little bit, and then a little bit of space was left open.
He then realized that a hole that could be drilled in the Emperor's barrier could not be a simple patch.
Fortunately, there were no other ghosts trapped inside the barrier, otherwise Xie Bi'an would not have been able to rest for a moment and would have had to keep a close watch without blinking.
The gap that even he couldn't fill, perhaps only the Great Emperor could fill.
It is unknown when the Emperor will return.
Xie Bi'an sighed deeply, feeling even more that Zhao Qingyun was no ordinary person.
The wailing of various ghosts around him made him even more irritable. Xie Bi'an squatted down on one knee by the hole, pinched his brow hard, and lowered his voice, "If you keep making noise, I have plenty of reasons to add to your punishment."
The threatening words, though not loud, could carry throughout the entire hell.
In an instant, everything fell completely silent, except for the occasional muffled groans of suppressed frustration.
When Fan Wujiu arrived, he thought something big had happened here again, otherwise why would the usually "lively" hell be in such a strange silence?
"Let's leave the ghost messengers to Ox-Head and Horse-Face for now. How's it going? Any discoveries?"
Fan Wujiu casually squatted down next to Xie Bi'an and followed his gaze.
"This is?"
"I cannot repair it with my own strength."
“Of course,” Fan Wujiu looked at Xie Bi’an with a puzzled expression. “How could you possibly patch up a hole that’s been made in the Emperor’s barrier?”
The overly matter-of-fact tone almost made Xie Bi'an furious. "If it can't be fixed, then tell me what to do!"
Fan Wujiu frowned, but before he could speak, a cluster of eerie blue flames suddenly ignited around them.
"Xiao Zhi has sent a message." Fan Wujiu pinched the blue flame, and the firework turned into a piece of paper in his hand.
[The barrier has a hole; Zhao Qingyun escaped; Xiao Hua apologized and said she'd fix it.]
With just one short sentence, the Black and White Impermanence understood everything.
The golden thread of merit is perforated, and even the Great Emperor himself would find it difficult to repair.
Xie Bi'an's face darkened. As long as this cave wasn't repaired, he couldn't leave. If other ghosts managed to escape, not only would the Great Emperor punish them, but Heaven would also likely punish them for their negligence.
"...Xiao Zhi's message came a month ago." Fan Wujiu followed the text to the signature.
"..."
So he burned it right after returning from Xiao Zhi's place. Xie Bi'an was speechless with emotion.
For the past month, Xie Bi'an and Fan Wujiu have been extremely busy, and this is their first meeting.
Jiang Yuzhi's note was burned for the two of them, so it would naturally only reach them when the Black and White Impermanence were together.
She hadn't expected that Xie Bi'an wouldn't immediately communicate with Fan Wujiu after returning to the underworld, and that she wouldn't receive the news until a month later.
Jiang Yuzhi was still waiting for the Black and White Impermanence to send ghosts to help her go down to repair the barrier.
They waited and waited, but he didn't come.
She almost thought something was wrong with the underworld.
Jiang Yuzhi dared not leave rashly; she had to be constantly vigilant for Zhao Qingyun to harm those close to her.
For the past month, she had hidden the paper doll on everyone she knew, including Sun Chengjian.
Although Jiang Yuzhi didn't like Sun Chengjian because of what happened last time, strictly speaking, Sun Chengjian hadn't done anything wrong, and she didn't want to implicate him because of her.
Moreover, after the palace examination, Sun Chengjian actually won the third-highest rank and is now waiting to be selected in the capital.
There was no one at his home, and his clan had scattered in all directions during the famine, so there was no need for him to return home to report the good news.
After Jiang Yuzhi stopped going to the shop, Sun Chengjian often asked someone to send some novelties or food to the house.
Jiang Yuzhi was initially unwilling to accept them, but after giving so many, there were always one or two that touched the hearts of Diting, Xiaohua, and Chichi.
She wouldn't accept it for nothing; she would also ask someone to send her some appropriate amount of silver as a way of paying for it.
The moon gate between the Jiang residence and the Bai residence has been completed.
After the results of the imperial examination were announced, Bai Yan finally had some free time.
Every day, he would come to the Jiang residence through the moon gate and stick to Jiang Yuzhi's side.
If she hadn't still maintained some of the principles expected of a young lady from a prominent family, Bai Yan might have actually stayed overnight.
Whenever Sun Chengjian sent something, Bai Yan would feel wronged for a long time, as if Jiang Yuzhi was a heartless woman who had let him down.
But in the end, it didn't stop it.
Bai Yan was involved in the selection process for the top-ranked candidate.
Sun Chengjian did indeed possess some genuine talent and learning. Those who were sent out to investigate all returned saying that he was a gentleman of excellent character and learning, and of noble virtue.
Bai Yan only tolerated the items he sent; nothing more was possible.
Occasionally, she would send a letter to Sun Chengjian in her own voice, under the name of Jiang Yuzhi, to say hello.
Jiang Yuzhi could only laugh at his childish behavior.
“Is it necessary? He’s all alone now and wants to have a friend to socialize with, so he’s not all alone and has no one to talk to. I helped him once, so naturally he thought of me.”
As Bai Yan wrote a letter to Sun Chengjian, he said matter-of-factly, "Looking for someone to talk to? Isn't that me? Yu Zhi, look, I'm keeping him company, saving you the trouble."
After writing the last sentence, Bai Yan put down his pen and held up the letter to show Jiang Yuzhi.
His small regular script, written in a flowing, elegant style, was full of grand and pretentious affectations.
"Brother Sun sent me this Mohe Le (a type of yogurt), and on behalf of Manager Jiang's sister, I would like to express my gratitude," Jiang Yuzhi read aloud, then burst out laughing, "Pfft."
"What are you laughing at? Is it not well written?" Bai Yan said, while his hands kept stuffing letters into envelopes. He called over A Zhao and instructed him to send the letter to Sun Chengjian, along with some silver, just at the market price of Mohele.
Ah Zhao accepted the order and quickly withdrew.
Having returned the gifts several times, A-Zhao was quite familiar with Sun Chengjian's residence.
This third-ranked scholar initially lived in a small inn, but later, when the emperor learned that his family was poor and he didn't even have a decent place to live in the capital, he bestowed upon him a small three-courtyard house.
Living alone feels rather empty.
Emperor Huizong was a meticulous man, and he instructed Eunuch Xu to select a few servants outside to help manage the affairs.
Ah Zhao and Eunuch Xu, who came to see off the servants, bumped into each other.
Two maids, two servants, and another page followed behind Eunuch Xu with their heads down and their manners restrained.
A-Zhao glanced at them subconsciously, and felt that one of the maids looked somewhat familiar, but she couldn't remember who it was, so she didn't think much of it.
Most of the servants at the broker's place were sold off from various mansions, so it's not surprising that some of them were familiar with the place.
He didn't take it to heart and turned to greet Eunuch Xu, "What brings you here, Eunuch?"
With a smile, Eunuch Xu explained his purpose to A-Zhao, "Well, His Majesty instructed me to send a few servants to the third-ranked scholar. Young brother, has His Highness Prince Xiao given you any instructions?"
A-Zhao: "It's nothing, it's nothing. The prince sent me to deliver a letter."
Eunuch Xu nodded to indicate that he understood.
Before they had exchanged more than a few words, Sun Chengjian came to open the door himself.
He was still dressed in a plain blue robe, and the dark circles under his eyes had faded considerably. He nodded and said, "Eunuch Xu, A-Zhao."
Eunuch Xu: "I am here on the orders of the Emperor to send some servants to the third-ranked scholar. This is a private trip, so there is no need for the third-ranked scholar to express his gratitude."
Sun Chengjian bowed deeply and said, "Thank you for your mercy, Your Majesty."
Eunuch Xu took out a stack of papers from his sleeve and handed them to him. “These are indentures, all of them are legally binding. Their monthly allowance will be paid by the palace for now. Once the third-ranked scholar receives his official position and has a salary, his monthly allowance will have to be paid by him himself.”
“This…” Sun Chengjian really didn’t expect that he, who had no merit or reward, would receive such treatment after only passing the imperial examination and becoming a third-ranked scholar. He was truly flattered.
Eunuch Xu, an old man in the palace, easily saw his fear. "Don't worry, Scholar Tanhua. In the past few years, there have been many disasters, and many candidates' families are not well-off. There are many who can't even afford to eat. The Emperor has issued a special decree that all candidates who meet the requirements, regardless of whether they pass the exam, will receive some subsidies so that they can survive normally."
As for what the requirements were, Eunuch Xu did not specify.
It's not like they're destitute or anything like that. In order to preserve the dignity and face of scholars, it would be most appropriate for the imperial court to step in and provide some assistance.
“But isn’t this a bit too generous?” Sun Chengjian said, then opened the door wider as if he remembered something. “I am unworthy of this. Eunuch Xu, and Ah Zhao, I have been disrespectful to you both. Please come in and have a cup of tea.”
Eunuch Xu waved his hand, "No need, no need. The better you do in the exam, the richer the reward will be. The third-ranked scholar is a first-class scholar, so he is naturally different from ordinary candidates. I have to go back to report, so I won't stay any longer."
Sun Chengjian then beckoned the servants in.
Ah Zhao: "Young Master Sun, I won't go in either. The Prince has given me other instructions. Here's the letter, and I'm leaving now."
Sun Chengjian took the letter, staring at it for a long time before finally meeting A Zhao's kind face. "Please ask A Zhao to pass on a message to the Prince and the shopkeeper for me... Never mind, please tell them thank you and apologize."
A-Zhao: "Young Master Sun, you're too kind."
Ah Zhao is gone.
Sun Chengjian watched him leave, then lingered there for a long time.
After Shun'er's burial, he did develop some romantic feelings for Manager Jiang. Later, when he learned that Manager Jiang was the woman who had been entangled with Prince Xiao, he felt a little regretful.
I don't know if she was regretting not having a chance, or if she was arrogantly thinking the other person was a superficial person.
Later, he passed the exam and was admitted to the top tier. He still had some unrealistic ambitions, but he didn't know why Manager Jiang's attitude suddenly changed.
After several days of correspondence, Sun Chengjian clearly knew that King Xiao was demonstrating and showing off, but he still did not back down.
Perhaps it was because he was too lonely, but he found it extremely amusing to read Xiao Wang's childish words in his letter and to see Manager Jiang trying to make amends.
I wonder if he had the honor of becoming their friend?
"Young master, it's time to go back inside."
Sun Chengjian put the letter and the indenture into his bosom, then turned around and found that it was the new maid who was speaking to him.
She had her head down, so her face was obscured, which made Sun Chengjian feel a little strange. So he casually asked, "What's your name?"
The maidservant bowed slightly. "This servant is Yun Dou."
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
