Chapter 127 The New Official [The Third Case Begins] Flies have started swarming around him again…
At 3:45 AM, the morning drums ceased.
The solemn outline of the imperial city emerges from the thin mist, its vermilion walls and golden eaves heavy and somber.
Wearing a brand-new sixth-rank official robe and a fish-shaped tally symbolizing the Minister of the Ministry of Personnel and concurrently the Imperial Edict Drafter, Yue Yining stepped over the high threshold of Chengtian Gate.
The Ministry of Personnel's office was located on the west side of the imperial city, with an imposing presence. Stone lions guarded the gate, and the guards were clad in gleaming armor.
Yue Yining handed over the official document issued by the Ministry of Personnel. The gatekeeper checked it and found it to be correct. His gaze lingered on her young and beautiful face for a moment, with an imperceptible scrutiny. Just as he was about to step aside to let her pass, a middle-aged official in an indigo robe with gray hair pushed open the door and came in with hurried steps.
"Is it the new Yue Du official?"
Yue Yining looked up. The man who had rushed over had a calm and kind face. Before speaking, he bowed to her, his manners impeccable.
He said, "I am Zhang, the clerk in charge of miscellaneous affairs in the clerk's office. Since you are new to the capital, please accompany me to handle your registration and obtain your official seal."
Yue Yining responded in a friendly and gentle manner: "Alright, please lead the way, Manager Zhang."
Passing through the front courtyard, we entered the main hall. Inside, some officials and clerks were already busy, with piles of documents stacked high.
Yue Yining's appearance instantly attracted a lot of attention.
The gazes cast upon her from all directions, converging on her, formed an invisible net that enveloped her.
Some people lowered their heads, facing their colleagues, their lips moving slightly, whispering something unintelligible.
Yue Yining's gaze swept over the officials in front of her. When they saw her looking at them, they fell silent again, each going about their own business and avoiding eye contact with her.
Manager Zhang seemed oblivious to anything amiss; his smile remained unchanged as he led Yue Yining toward the east corridor.
"This is the registration office. All officials need to register their names here and receive their official certificates and seals."
Inside the register room, an elderly clerk with gray hair sat upright behind his desk, meticulously checking documents. He picked up his brush and neatly copied the documents onto the thick yellow register. His aged voice was flat and calm: "Yue Yining, age twenty-one, native of Luoshui... Formerly a court attendant, newly appointed as a provincial official, concurrently serving as a drafter of imperial edicts. One seal, one copper tally, and one official document."
The procedures were cumbersome and time-consuming. Yue Yining handled them patiently and calmly, ignoring the overwhelming gazes and whispers.
That was the spying and probing from all sides, trying to magnify and interpret her every move, and to judge from her words and deeds whether she herself matched the rumors.
Yue Yining had anticipated this; they were destined to be disappointed.
To everyone else, this new female official, who had just entered the core of the bureaucracy, showed no sign of panic or unease. Instead, she was calm, composed, and even her demeanor and manners were impeccable.
After the formalities were completed, Zhang, the steward, led her to meet several superiors.
Before officially taking office, Yue Yining had confirmed with Zhou Congyi the high-ranking officials she might come into contact with.
Three of them were people she paid particular attention to.
The most important one is Zuo Yingfeng, the current head of the Council of State and a core figure of the "Hall of Commoners". He was the first scholar to be selected as the top scholar in the civil service examination after the court reformed the selection system. He was a true beneficiary of the civil service examination system and his career progressed smoothly and steadily after entering the court.
He never associated with powerful families, remaining loyal only to the interests of those from humble backgrounds. He was known for his integrity and uprightness, earning him an excellent reputation among officials from humble origins and achieving outstanding political results. After the deaths of Xie Zhi and Wang Zhichang, only Zuo Yingfeng remained in the Hall of State Affairs, and the family from humble backgrounds held absolute power for nearly half a year.
Secondly, there is Rong Xuan, the Minister of the Imperial Secretariat, who has been promoted several times this year and is about to enter the Council of State as a second-rank official. He saved the emperor during the assassination attempt this spring and has become a new royalist trusted and relied upon by the emperor. He is currently enjoying great influence in the court.
The third-ranking scholar in the twelfth year of the Jiahe era was exceptionally capable. Born into a commoner family, he was dismissed from office and relegated to a minor local post for several years when the Wang family held immense power at court, having offended them. He openly remained neutral in the succession struggle, neither taking sides nor expressing any opinion on the matter.
Zuo Yingfeng and Rong Xuan did not appear. It is said that they were summoned by the emperor to discuss matters. There were only a few vice ministers in the hall. Their attitude was polite but distant. They gave a few perfunctory words of encouragement such as "be conscientious in your duties" and "be diligent in serving the public," and then waved for her to leave.
As Zhang, the steward, led Yue Yining toward her duty room located in the west corridor, a group of people approached from the opposite direction.
The leader was tall and slender, about twenty-eight or twenty-nine years old, wearing a fourth-rank scarlet official robe with a leather belt around his waist. He walked with a steady gait, followed by two clerks carrying full of files.
Yue Yining seemed to sense something and raised her head.
In early December, the air was bitterly cold, and the morning dew was crisp and clear. Through the withered branches and leaves of early winter, she could make out the person who had come.
With long eyebrows that reach his temples, deep and wide double eyelids, and thin, tightly pursed lips, his overall demeanor, from afar, is like a heavy, cold iron sword yet to be drawn—solemn, hard, and unquestionable.
"It is the Left Attendant." Zhang, the steward, immediately bowed and greeted him with reverence.
Yue Yining also bowed, understanding the situation.
This man is Zuo Xulin, the younger brother of Zuo Yingfeng, the Grand Secretary, and currently serves as a Secretary in the Grand Secretariat.
The third important court official she closely monitored.
Rumors say he is upright, incorruptible, and decisive, which makes many officials wary of him. Meeting him today, I found him solemn, exuding a breathtakingly cold aura; indeed, his reputation is well-deserved.
If he treats his colleagues this way, he must be even more harsh on his subordinates.
Yue Yining's mind was racing, but her face remained impassive. She lowered her head, waiting for Zuo Xulin to pass her by, but as he passed by, his steps suddenly slowed down.
Yue Yining sensed that Zuo Xulin's gaze seemed to linger on her for a brief moment.
Her brow twitched as she pondered, but Zuo Xulin had already averted his gaze and walked straight past her.
The footsteps faded into the distance, and outside the corridor, a blue-beaked bird sang softly and melodiously.
Yue Yining slowly straightened up. She turned back to look at Zuo Xulin's departing figure, her eyes filled with a thoughtful expression.
Zhang, the steward standing to the side, also breathed a sigh of relief, his tense shoulders relaxing slightly. But then he heard Yue Yining ask softly, "Was that the Left Secretary of the Secretariat just now?"
"Yes. In the future, as the Minister of the Imperial Secretariat, you will often deal with Minister Zuo. You need not worry, Your Majesty. Minister Zuo may seem unapproachable, but he rarely makes things difficult for his subordinates," said Zhang, the steward. "Just handle official business impartially and do your job well."
"I understand, thank you, Manager Zhang."
Several days passed in the blink of an eye. Yue Yining's official residence was located on the west side of the inner hall of the Ministry of Personnel, where papers piled up like mountains every day.
As a newcomer, she was "taken care of" intentionally or unintentionally, and was mostly assigned old files or tedious but unimportant tasks to review.
Yue Yining was well aware of the situation, but remained calm and carefully examined even the dusty documents.
Life may seem routine on the surface, but hidden dangers lurk beneath.
The matter that Yue Yining received that day was a thorny one: the final write-off of a royal villa expansion project in Gyeonggi Province that had taken place two years prior.
The problem lies in the reimbursement forms transferred from the Ministry of Works to the Ministry of Revenue. Several key bulk material purchases, such as Phoebe zhennan wood and Taihu stones, only have the total price and the vague phrase "purchased from merchants in the south," without specific merchant names, detailed transportation routes, loss records, or final acceptance stamps and attachments.
The Ministry of Revenue reimbursed a huge sum of money based on this, but the original receipts were missing, indicating a major oversight in the process, making it impossible to file and seal them. This would be a ready target for future audits.
Yue Yining glanced at it and immediately understood the implications.
So someone deliberately slipped a landmine into her hand so quickly?
Yue Yining closed the file and pondered to himself. To resolve this matter, he needed to find the Ministry of Works official in charge of the case, retrieve the original procurement contract, transportation documents, and acceptance records, and supplement the attachments.
She went to the Ministry of Works and the Water Department. The person in charge of the case was surnamed Zhao, a shrewd-looking middle-aged man.
Yue Yining explained her purpose to him in a respectful but not arrogant manner, but after listening, Zhao, the head of the department, showed an embarrassed and awkward smile on his face.
He hesitated before speaking, "Oh dear, Lord Yue, this matter... is a bit difficult to handle."
"It's been two years, and the clerks who handled it have probably all been transferred. Those contracts and receipts are piled up like mountains in the warehouse. It would probably take at least ten days to half a month to find them. Besides, the write-off has already been processed, and the Ministry of Revenue has acknowledged it. Why bother digging up old accounts again? It's better to avoid trouble."
Zhao, the person in charge, spoke tactfully, each word a evasion.
Yue Yining wasn't angry. Instead, she smiled gently and kindly, pushing the file forward: "What Steward Zhao said is true. However, the process is incomplete and the original document is missing, so this file cannot be archived."
“If the Censorate or the Department of Revenue investigates in the future, the Ministry of Works, the Ministry of Revenue, and even my Department of State Affairs will be implicated. I am just a newly appointed minor official, how can I bear such a great responsibility? That is why I am trembling with fear and have come to you for help. I really have no other choice. I hope you can understand my predicament.”
She spoke tactfully, but it was clear she was unwilling to compromise.
The smile on Zhao's face froze, and a hint of impatience flashed in his eyes, which she caught: "Indeed, indeed! But as you know, accessing old files, especially original contracts for large-scale purchases, requires the approval of the Vice Minister of this department according to regulations."
“Minister Lin is very busy today, so I don’t want to disturb him. Why don’t you come another day, Your Excellency? I will report this matter to him first, and I will have someone send it to you when he has time to approve it.”
They were all shrewd people in officialdom; who didn't know that "another day" and "when I have time" were practically tantamount to a polite refusal? First, they passed the buck to the absent vice minister, and then they implied that the process was complicated. All their words and actions were intended to make Yue Yining back down.
Yue Yining was rubbing her fingers together in her sleeve, thinking of a solution, when a voice suddenly rang out from not far behind her: "What are you two gentlemen talking about?"
Yue Yining's thoughts were interrupted. She turned around and looked in the direction of the sound. She saw a handsome young official walking towards her.
Before taking office, Yue Yining had already memorized the names of all the officials she might come into contact with in the princess's residence. However, the portraits of the officials were too abstract, and she couldn't match their faces. For example, she couldn't recognize the person in front of her.
Judging from the official's robes and rank, he shouldn't be a high-ranking official, but when Chief Clerk Zhao saw him, he almost immediately stood up and greeted him with a smile: "What brings Lord Zang here?"
Yue Yining raised an eyebrow slightly. The surname Zang was relatively uncommon, and considering the newcomer's appearance and demeanor, she already had a guess in her mind.
She vaguely remembered that one of the most useful clerks around Zuo Xulin, the Secretary of the Imperial Secretariat, was surnamed Zang.
Zang Lingshi first bowed to Yue Yining: "Greetings, Yue Dushi."
Yue Yining returned the greeting, then turned to Chief Clerk Zhao and said politely in a calm tone, "Lord Zhao, I think I heard you mention the handwritten notes of the Vice Minister of Works just now outside the door?"
Zhao, the clerk, was puzzled, but his keen political instincts told him something was amiss. He lowered his head and said respectfully, "Yes, this is the newly appointed Minister of the Ministry of Works, Lord Yue. He needs to verify the construction of the villa two years ago and requires an old contract from the Ministry of Works. According to regulations, this requires the approval of Vice Minister Lin. I was just explaining this to Lord Yue, and Lord Lin today..."
But Zang Lingshi didn't let him finish, gently interrupting him: "Isn't this a coincidence?"
"I have come to the Ministry of Works on the orders of the Left Attendant to retrieve a detailed list of materials and work for the repair of the West Garden last year. The Left Attendant is pressing me urgently, and I have already received an oral instruction from your Vice Minister, who has granted me permission to access the relevant old files immediately."
Caught off guard, Chief Zhao looked astonished: "This...you mean, it was requested by the Left Attendant?"
"Yes." Zang Lingshi lowered his eyelids, his gaze sweeping over the dossier in Yue Yining's hand before casually looking away.
He coughed lightly twice and continued, "Since the archives of the two-year-old villa construction required by the Yue Du Affairs Office and the archives of the Xiyuan Villa that I need to access both belong to the Ministry of Works' Construction Department warehouse and are from similar years, they should be stored in the same place. Why don't I just transfer them out together? This will save Chief Clerk Zhao and the warehouse clerk from having to run back and forth and delaying the Left Attendant's important business."
"What is your opinion, Master Zhao?"
These words were spoken flawlessly.
He not only brought up the urgent matter from Zuo Xulin, the Secretary of the Secretariat, and the oral edict from the Vice Minister of Works, but also pointed out the convenience of storing the archives, and implied that if Zhao, the Chief Clerk, continued to shirk his responsibilities, he would be delaying the important affairs of the Secretariat.
The smile on Manager Zhao's face completely vanished, and beads of sweat even appeared on his forehead.
He could ignore Yue Yining's authority, but he would never dare to offend the Left Attendant, who was known for his coldness and ruthlessness!
"Ah...this...Zang Lingshi is right, absolutely right!" Zhao Zhushi quickly stood up, his attitude completely changed, and a fawning smile appeared on his face. "Since it is the Left Attendant's order and the Vice Minister's verbal instruction, it is naturally convenient! This humble servant will go to the storeroom personally and guarantee to find the necessary files."
After saying that, he hurriedly went to find the keys, not daring to be negligent in the slightest.
Yue Yining was slightly surprised.
The situation took an unexpected turn, and before she could even make a move, it was resolved smoothly and unexpectedly.
Taking advantage of the moment when Chief Zhao left, Yue Yining turned to Clerk Zang and nodded in thanks: "Thank you for helping me out of this predicament, Clerk Zang."
Zang Lingshi returned the greeting: "You're too kind, Lord Yue. I was just following orders and happened to be there. It was nothing more than a small favor."
His tone was humble, but his gaze towards Yue Yining carried a subtle hint of inquiry, which Yue Yining keenly noticed.
...Something just feels off.
As Yue Yining walked out of the Ministry of Works with a thick stack of hard-won files in her arms, doubts began to creep into her heart.
What a coincidence!
Zuo Xulin's clerk happened to appear just when she was being harassed, and happened to want to access files from the same warehouse and from similar years. He also happened to bring up Zuo Xulin's name, which was enough to suppress Zhao, and the verbal order from the Vice Minister that he had already obtained.
Yue Yining sat down at her desk, still pondering.
In matters of politics, she always thought deeply and complexly. In fact, under normal circumstances, she would have directly concluded that what happened today was all Zuo Xulin's scheme from beginning to end. Even the difficulties faced by Chief Zhao were arranged in advance by him, just to make her feel indebted to him and to make her have a good impression of him.
His real purpose was to take advantage of her once she lowered her guard.
However, when they met by chance in the corridor, Yue Yining had seen Zuo Xulin's face.
Zuo Xulin has an excellent face. His three sections of the face are well-proportioned, full, and broad, with smooth skin and no wrinkles, indicating that he is wise, insightful, and has a clear and bright mind. He will achieve success at a young age. The area between his eyebrows is flat and broad, with a bright color, and there is no trace of cunning or scheming in his eyes.
She glanced at him and immediately recognized him as a rare man of integrity and upright character, consistent inside and out.
Even if someone with this kind of temperament wants to win her over out of a sense of duty, they will do so openly and honestly, without beating around the bush or using such roundabout and complicated methods.
Yue Yining had some doubts in her mind, so she kept a close eye on the matter.
Whatever his intentions toward her, he will eventually slip up; she just needs to wait and see.
The "cold reception" from the Ministry of Personnel was not limited to bureaucratic difficulties.
Subtle forms of exclusion, like ubiquitous dust, quietly settle in Yue Yining's daily life.
The most obvious example is tea.
Her office was in a remote location, and the clerk in charge of this area was a thin, pale-faced young man with shifty eyes who always looked very busy.
Whenever it was Yue Yining's turn to bring water and tea, he would either arrive late, bringing a copper kettle with only lukewarm water that tasted of rust; or he would do a perfunctory job, haphazardly sprinkling a handful of coarse tea leaves with stems into the teacup, resulting in a cloudy, yellowish tea soup that was bitter and astringent, making it difficult to swallow.
The fragrant tea that filled her colleagues' duty rooms was replaced by perfunctory indifference and neglect when it came to her.
Yue Yining saw it all.
Although the tea was indeed not very good, she was used to hardship and did not feel ashamed.
Besides, once they leave the capital, what kind of good tea wouldn't the Princess's residence have? She even complained that there was too much tea sent before, and she couldn't finish it all.
This kind of underhanded, workplace-style tactic seemed rather ridiculous to her, almost like a prank. She was neither angry nor did she consider mentioning it to the Princess or Fu Yao.
Drink whatever is available; if you really want a good cup of tea, bring your own tea bag.
Yue Yining had almost gotten used to it, and she even found a unique flavor in drinking cold water tea every day. However, one day while working, she habitually reached for the teacup on the corner of her desk, and when her fingertips touched the cup, she unexpectedly felt a warmth.
She paused slightly, then looked down.
The celadon gaiwan was still the same celadon gaiwan, but the tea soup inside was completely different. It was clear and bright, with an almost transparent tender green color. The tea leaves, shaped like sparrow tongues, unfurled and floated in the water, emitting a delicate and lingering aroma.
The aroma alone is enough to cleanse the lungs and lungs, which speaks volumes about the quality of the tea.
Yue Yining froze in place.
It's not her fault; the contrast was so stark that she began to wonder if the servant had brought the wrong tea earlier that day.
Surely they couldn't have poisoned it? This is the Imperial Palace, the Ministry of Personnel!
After much deliberation, Yue Yining decided it was better to be safe and cautious, so she resisted the tempting aroma of the tea and poured it into the potted plants in the inner room.
She called for someone to bring her water, but instead of the familiar, timid figure, a stranger appeared at the door—a servant.
A young servant, dressed in a neat official's uniform and with a handsome face, entered carrying a copper kettle. His steps were light and silent, and his movements were quick and precise as he quietly added hot water to Yue Yining's cup.
After refilling the water, he did not immediately leave, but stood respectfully to the side with his hands at his sides, asking clearly in a voice that was neither too loud nor too soft, "Does the steward have any other instructions?"
Yue Yining stared at him, looking him up and down before asking, "I don't think I've seen you before. Are you new here?"
"May I have your name?"
The servant immediately bowed and said, "Reporting to the Chief Clerk, my name is A-Gui, and I was recently transferred to the Ministry of Works."
"A-Gui?" Yue Yining nodded. "You're quick and efficient, and you act with composure. You don't seem like a novice serving in this outer guard post. Where did you serve before?"
“I… used to do odd jobs like running errands and relaying messages in the Secretariat.” A-Gui answered cautiously.
Yue Yining caught the key phrase: "From the Secretariat."
Ah Gui lowered his head even further: "Yes."
"What about the servants who used to serve us? Do you know where they were transferred to?"
"Reporting to the Chief Secretary, the servants who served here previously were severely punished by their superiors for being negligent and derelict in their duties, and have been transferred to work in the North Garden warehouse."
He paused for a moment, as if considering his words, before continuing, "The North Garden warehouse is mostly filled with hard labor jobs involving inventorying and moving heavy objects, and requires shifts day and night, unlike the more leisurely work here. The higher-ups have given strict orders that we must serve you gentlemen with utmost care and not slack off in the slightest. Therefore, I was transferred here to take your place."
Yue Yining has figured it all out.
Her first reaction wasn't surprise or emotion, but regret: the tea that had just been poured out must have been good, and she hadn't even had a sip of it—what a pity!
Yue Yining sighed, her face expressionless, neither sad nor happy nor angry, and she remained silent. The servants in front of her, seeing her expression, felt their hearts pounding with anxiety and fear.
"I know everything, you may leave."
Upon receiving these words, he breathed a sigh of relief, said "This servant takes his leave," and went out.
Silence returned to the duty room, and the ink on the Xuan paper gradually dried. Yue Yining stared blankly at the bamboo shadows that covered the wooden corridor outside the door.
Cold tea turned into fragrant tea, unruly servants were replaced by capable officials, and then there was the Ministry of Works' timely intervention...
This Zuo Sheren took very good care of her.
Yue Yining stared at the official document in front of her, pursing her lips in thought. At first, she thought Zuo Xulin wanted to win her over, and his repeated help was indeed thoughtful, making it impossible for her to dislike him.
But she really didn't like passively and unknowingly accepting other people's kindness.
Find an opportunity to test the waters and take the initiative. After all, it's only polite and reasonable for her to thank you in person, right?
That's what they say, but Yue Yining was busy for several days in a row. Even though she managed to go to the Secretariat twice, she was disappointed both times.
A few days later, Yue Yining, carrying a copy of the thoroughly clarified and archived file of the villa's expansion and cancellation, was about to send it to the Ministry of Personnel's Performance Evaluation Department for filing.
The Ministry of Personnel and the Secretariat were adjacent to each other on the east and west sides, separated by a long corridor and an exquisite courtyard. Today, she deliberately took a detour, passing through the corridor on the Secretariat side.
The courtyard was quiet, and dusk was falling. In early winter in December, darkness came earlier, and the last sliver of pale purple light on the horizon slanted through the courtyard, casting long shadows of bamboo, plum branches, and pillars on the ground, creating a desolate and chilly atmosphere.
Just ahead was a corner. Yue Yining turned her gaze away from the courtyard scenery and happened to bump into a figure in a scarlet official robe stepping out.
His familiar, aloof demeanor, with sharply defined brows, exudes a chilling aura that keeps strangers at bay, and his posture is profound and imposing.
It was Zuo Xulin.
Zuo Xulin had obviously seen her as well.
A hint of surprise suddenly flashed in his eyes, as if he hadn't expected to run into her here.
But that was only for a very brief moment. Immediately afterwards, as if he had been burned, he quickly looked away from her. If you looked closely, he even quickened his pace. The sudden turn caused even the hem of his usually neatly trimmed robe to flutter.
Seeing that he was about to leave, Yue Yining's eyebrows twitched, and she quickly quickened her pace, calling out to him, "Lord Zuo, please wait a moment!"
Zuo Xulin stopped in her tracks, and the guy who was trying to pretend he hadn't seen her and run away froze in place.
He slowly turned around, his usually expressionless handsome face half-frozen. Compared to his usual coldness and sternness, he seemed to have an added hidden unease, and his slightly pursed lips revealed the stiffness that was not easily noticeable.
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A note from the author:
surface:
Xie Qingyu: Miss... I beg you, Miss, don't go to anyone else. Just let me be your dog. I am your most loyal dog... (pitifully)
actual:
Xie Qingyu: I'll grind you all into red bean paste right now, let's see who dares to seduce her when I'm not looking! (Eerie and terrifying)
Xie Qingyu's assassination list [Add one]
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