Today, Xiao Qianer followed Zhao Rong when they went out.

Originally, he wasn't planning to bring any more followers into the palace, but she insisted on coming.

Maybe it was because when Su Qingdai tiptoed to put a scarf around Zhao Rong's neck when they went out this morning, and when their eyes met, she lowered her head with a tender look, which stimulated the little girl...

Xiao Qian'er was rarely willful for once, so Zhao Rong had no choice but to give in to her.

So the favored little girl tilted her head towards Su Qingdai who was going to stay in the residence and smiled...

At this time, Zhao Qian'er, dressed in pretty men's clothes, was happily following behind Zhao Rong, who was meeting with Gu Yiwu and other students in the mansion, chatting, and going out together.

As soon as they opened the door, they met a group of eunuchs from the palace who had been waiting for a long time.

Leading the group was an old eunuch dressed in bright red, holding an imperial edict in his hand.

Zhao Rong and Gu Yiwu then received the order in an orderly manner.

Upon hearing this, it turned out that the two of them had indeed agreed on the official positions in Weiyang Palace last night.

One of the four departments under the Ministry of Rites, Langzhong of the Ministry of Sacrifices and Temples.

The old eunuch congratulated him a few times in a flattering manner, then left tactfully without asking for any reward.

After Zhao Rong and Gu Yiwu put on their official uniforms, they looked at each other, smiled at the same time, and bowed to each other.

"Doctor Zhao, nice to meet you."

"Mr. Gu, you are disrespectful and disrespectful."

After some banter, Zhao Rong and Gu Yiwu and other students from the Justice Hall split up into two groups.

According to the arrangements made last night, Gu Yiwu first took the students to the Ministry of Rites to "take office".

As for Zhao Rong, he first went to the palace to attend the morning court, then went to Dali to pay his respects where the late emperor's body was placed in the morning, and then gathered at the Ministry of Rites in the afternoon.

At this time, in front of the mansion, Zhao Rong walked down the steps with Xiao Qian'er.

Looking up, the morning mist filled the street, occasionally revealing the tall brick-red palace wall not far away, and behind it was one of the most magnificent buildings in Hanjing.

This street is close to the imperial palace, but it is not deserted. Instead, it is quite lively, with breakfast shops along the street.

Because today is the day for an early morning court session, many court officials have to crawl out of their warm beds before dawn, get ready and go to the palace. The sedan chairs they are riding in are parked outside the palace gates.

Officials and their entourage stood outside the palace gate in the autumn wind, waiting for the towering palace gate to open at a designated time.

Most officials chose to have breakfast at breakfast shops along the street and keep warm at the same time.

Therefore, this street is particularly lively in the morning.

Zhao Rong walked in front with his sleeves rolled up and a warm white scarf around his neck.

This scarf is something similar to a scarf. Many wealthy and powerful people like to wear it.

But after walking in front for a while, he couldn't help but stop, took off his scarf, turned around and put it on Xiao Qian'er, who had a sad look in her eyes.

"This is warm, you wear it."

Zhao Rong smiled gently.

Xiao Qian'er took a step back and shook her head, "No, I'm just a petty little maid, how dare I wear this?"

“…”

Zhao Rong's forehead darkened.

He coughed twice, cleared his throat, and said seriously, "You are not a maid, you are the second wife of our Zhao family, I can't pamper you enough."

Xiao Qian'er glanced at the scarf, then glanced at him, snorted twice and said nothing.

Zhao Rong gave an awkward laugh, but still insisted on going forward and surrounding her.

But this time, Xiao Qian'er just struggled and then gave up and obeyed him.

She still muttered, "I...I will knit you a better one when I get back, and you can wear mine."

Zhao Rong smiled, without comment, and continued to lead the way towards the palace gate.

"Brother Rong'er, it's so lively here."

"Um."

"Well, how come they all have sedan chairs? Brother Rong'er, you are a high-ranking official now, so we should get one too. It must be respectable."

"Well, my position is only temporary. Besides, I am just a small-time official. Why do I need a sedan chair?"

"Oh." Xiao Qian'er nodded and didn't ask any more questions.

Zhao Rong laughed, but the next second, he heard the little girl behind him suddenly ask: "Brother Rong'er, what were you doing in the room with her last night?"

Zhao Rong was stuck.

He pretended not to hear and looked around.

Xiao Qian'er pouted, "Brother Rong'er?"

The tone was a little dissatisfied.

Zhao Rong suddenly turned around, leaned forward, put his hands on Xiao Qian'er's delicate shoulders, and moved his head closer.

In their eyes, the reflection of each other's faces grew bigger and bigger.

"You...what are you doing, don't...don't try to bully me."

After Xiao Qian'er came to her senses, she thought he was going to evade the question by "bullying" her again. Brother Rong'er was sure that she would not be able to help but indulge him.

The little girl in men's clothes sniffed. This time, the man surnamed Su was almost riding on her face. Who is whose maid?

Xiao Qian'er decided that she could not give in easily this time, so she faced the eyes of Zhao Rong who was so close to her.

She puffed her lips, opened her peach blossom eyes, pretended to be fierce and angry, and glared at him: "Well, this... there are many people here, and it's not private, don't bully others... I, I won't fall for it."

The girl who didn't buy it stuttered a little.

Zhao Rong was startled and realized that she seemed to have misunderstood, and couldn't help laughing.

Seeing Rong'er laughing, Xiao Qian'er got angry and said fiercely with wide eyes: "She...she is my maid. You promised me that your maid's maid is not your maid."

The smile on Zhao Rong's face grew even wider.

He stared at the charming peach blossom eyes in front of him, and the little fangs that she subconsciously showed when she was angry, and just thought that this girl was so cute.

She just likes to have wild thoughts and be jealous. I don't know if she learned it from some jealous person who poured some vinegar into her little jar... Zhao Rong laughed and shook his head.

"You...what are you laughing at? Be serious, humph!"

Xiao Qian'er wanted to stand on tiptoe to bite Zhao Rong's big nose, but there were many people around, so she held back, and her tone was fierce at this time.

Zhao Rong nodded and said slowly:

"First, you are not a maid, you are the second lady, stupid girl."

He shook his head, his tone serious.

"Second, when you took Uncle Xiaobai shopping last night, she and I were in the main room, and we slept in bed. We didn't do anything like what you thought."

Xiao Qian'er couldn't help but ask, "Then what are you doing? She's such a coquettish woman, she won't take the initiative to chat with you, and when I went in, it was so messy, and you still said you didn't have sex..."

Zhao Rong thought about it, nodded and shook his head.

"Well, say something!" Xiao Qian'er got angry when she saw his indifferent look. She didn't care about anything else and stood on tiptoe to bite his tall and straight nose.

Books say that men with big noses have strong sexual desires. Well, you stinky brother Rong'er, I'll bite them all off and eat them... she thought angrily.

“…”

Zhao Rong also leaned back quickly and his nose escaped the disaster.

Zhao Rong coughed and said directly, "We didn't make love. I...taught her a lesson for you. I spanked her hard. My goodness, Qian'er, you don't know that I almost broke her butt. Later, I spanked her while chatting with her until you came back."

“…”

Spanking? Zhao Qian'er was shocked.

Zhao Rong looked at his palm and sighed, "It's a good opportunity to try out our Zhao family rules on her. They are specially used to teach disobedient girls a lesson..."

As he said this, he glanced at Xiao Qian'er's little butt.

The little girl's shoulders trembled, and she subconsciously covered her buttocks.

The fierce expression on her face suddenly collapsed, "Well, did you really...really hit me?"

"How could it be false? If she doesn't listen, she will be beaten. I have disliked her for a long time, humph." Zhao Rong smiled and clapped his hands, looking as if he was ruthless but calm.

“…”

Xiao Qian'er was stunned for a moment, frowned, and shook her head, "Why did you spank her?"

Zhao Rong pretended to be puzzled.

Xiao Qianer waved her hands and explained: "No, it's how could you spank her buttocks? She is an outsider, a woman, and you are a man, so you shouldn't touch her, how...how could you spank her buttocks..."

As she spoke further, her tone became more and more urgent, but her face also blushed subconsciously.

Zhao Rong tilted his head, "Although my second wife's maid is not my maid, she is also a maid of our Zhao family, right? I am the master, so I can't punish her according to family rules?"

"Well, this..." Xiao Qian'er frowned and thought, there is some truth to this.

The little girl looked as if she was confused by Zhao Rong.

Zhao Rong smiled secretly.

After thinking for a while, Xiao Qian'er always felt something was wrong.

She shook her head, getting rid of all the tangles, and crossed her arms, saying:

"No, then why did I find her face flushed red when I entered the room last night, looking like a foxy girl? And this morning, too, the look in your eyes made me almost shed tears. Did you really spank her to enforce our family rules? This is not right!"

Xiao Qian'er spoke confidently, nodded her head, and became more and more certain the more she spoke.

Zhao Rong nodded, "That's true, there's something wrong with her."

Xiao Qian'er grabbed one of his sleeves with both hands and sniffed, "It's obvious that something's wrong with you too."

Zhao Rong sighed and said seriously, "I really spanked her, and it was a very severe spanking. But after I spanked her, she looked like what you saw. It was so wrong."

He paused and said seriously, "Well, maybe... she just likes this? The more I beat her, the happier she is. Well, it's very likely that, damn, she got a taste of the sweetness..."

Zhao Rong angrily hammered his hand.

Xiao Qianer: “???”

You...you are all wrong...

Along the way, Zhao Rong made jokes from time to time and planned to demonstrate to her what was 'wrong' next time. He finally managed to coax the little girl temporarily.

The two stopped behind the crowd in front of the palace gate.

It was daybreak and foggy, and the palace gates were closed before the appointed time.

Zhao Rong was dressed in an ordinary official uniform. Although it was inconspicuous, he was still recognized by many savvy officials around him. They all looked for opportunities to come forward and greet him, including some high-ranking officials.

Sure enough, this handsome face makes him stand out in the crowd like a firefly in the dark...

Zhao Rong sighed, rubbed his face, and exchanged a few polite words with them with a smile.

Later, he happened to have not had breakfast, so he left the enthusiastic crowd waiting, took Xiao Qian'er, sat down at a breakfast stall near the palace gate, and ordered two bowls of hot wontons.

While Qian'er was spooning sesame oil, onions and garlic for him, Zhao Rong, who was sitting at the table, casually glanced around. Suddenly, his eyes fell on a young man in official uniform wearing a jade disk not far away...

Zhao Rong lowered his eyes and stared at the familiar jade disk on the young man's waist for a while.

He reached down and touched the temporary jade disk at his waist.

In Wangquezhou, scholars in the academy all wear jade pendants around their waists.

Among them, the styles of the jade walls of scholars in the two academies in the north and south are somewhat different.

The jade disk on the waist of the young man not far away was different from Zhao Rong's Linlu Academy jade disk, but Zhao Rong was familiar with it because a good friend of his in Zhongnan Mountain had one...

At this moment, Xiao Qian'er, whose heart was completely devoted to Brother Rong'er, also noticed his strangeness and turned to look.

She exclaimed softly, "Is he your senior from the same academy? No, that jade disc..."

The young scholar nodded gently: "He is the scholar brother from Siqi Academy on the other side of Wangque Continent. He should have graduated."

As he spoke, he scooped a spoonful of wonton soup, blew on it, and put it into his mouth while glancing at the young man in official uniform.

At first glance, this young man has only one word.

thin.

As thin as if cut by a knife or an axe.

Especially his face, which was like carved marble, calm and rigid, without any expression.

The young man was tall and thin, wearing a washed-out green official uniform with an embroidered xiezhi patch.

Zhao Rong looked and guessed that it must be the imperial censor who left the court.

The thin censor was followed by an old servant.

The old servant was hunchbacked, lame, and blind in his left eye. He was leading an old and skinny horse.

At this time, the thin censor was taking the hollow sesame cake handed to him by the old servant and eating it with the old servant in the cold wind outside the palace gate.

The thin censor ate in a very polite manner. After chewing a few bites, he broke the pancake in half and handed it to the lame old servant.

The latter quickly waved his hands to refuse, but he was no match for the calm former, so he had to take it with both hands.

The appearance and behavior of the master and servant attracted quite a lot of attention outside the palace gate at this time.

But no colleague approached the thin censor.

There were no people within a few meters around them.

Vaguely isolated.

According to the rules of the morning court, the officials who were waiting outside the palace gate were at least fifth rank or above. Even if they were from humble offices, they were all wealthy families in Hanjing...

But this senior brother from Siqi Academy lives a very miserable life.

Zhao Rongrao looked at that side with interest.

As far as he knows.

In Dali, there are not only Confucian scholars such as Zhao Rong and Gu Yiwu in the academy.

There are also several scholars from Linlu Academy who are pursuing a career in officialdom here.

At yesterday's banquet, Zhao Rong met two of them. After a few familiar greetings, he found out that they were both seniors from the academy who graduated in previous classes.

Some of them are locals who return to their hometown to serve their country after completing their studies.

Some wanted to present their literary and martial arts to the imperial family, eager to establish meritorious careers and become nobles or prime ministers, and they saw an opportunity in the Dali Dynasty.

After all, the Dali Dynasty is quite famous in the northern part of Wangque Continent.

Moreover, the Li royal family of Dali had just established the dynasty, and the atmosphere was very new. Although the atmosphere revered Confucianism, there were no powerful and aristocratic families like those Zhao Rong had encountered before, such as Wen Ruo's Lanxi Lin family and the Qin family, the first-class aristocratic family in Wei.

It lacks the common chronic diseases of the old dynasties down the mountain.

Well, the brothers came here, worked hard, and tried their best to become the "stubborn disease" of this dynasty a hundred years later. The dragon-slaying boy likes to be the evil dragon...

Zhao Rong said something amusing in his heart.

At present, these senior brothers have all held very high official positions.

Although after leaving the college, they need to be independent and lose many of the college’s benefits.

But at least among the scholars in Wangquezhou, they are already a small group of people with a very high starting point. They are highly regarded and promoted by many royal families of the secular dynasty, and the same is true in Dali.

The Empress Dowager Dugu held a palace banquet last night. Maybe she also wanted to invite these fellow disciples to win over Zhao Rong.

Although there are many brothers here, there are no outstanding ones...

Thinking of this, Zhao Rong felt that this was a good place for Confucian scholars in the academy.

If 'Gou'er' were to work here, he should be able to do more, right?

Looking at the thin censor who also graduated from Siqi Academy, he couldn't help but think of his good friend.

"Zhongnan Country is still too small. The dragon-slaying and dragon-supporting techniques you learned are of little use..."

Zhao Rong muttered something and shook his head.

At this time.

"He has no cultivation, he is just an ordinary scholar."

Xiao Qian'er, who was standing next to him, glanced at the shabby and thin censor and whispered something to Zhao Rong.

Then she thought for a moment, tilted her head and said:

"Brother Rong'er, your senior brother from Siqi Academy is quite frugal. It seems that he should be an honest official."

Zhao Rong smiled.

No response.

Afterwards, he stopped looking and continued to hold the bowl.

Soon, Zhao Rong and Xiao Qian'er finished eating the wonton stew together.

Soon, the tall palace gate slowly opened.

All the officials entered in an orderly manner.

A new day, the morning court begins...