Chen Zhuangshi was led to Chang'an Palace by the palace servants.
He had just come out of Xingqing Palace and was still thinking about the deep meaning of the words that His Majesty had said to him.
Before he could figure it out, or perhaps before he dared to think about it, he had already arrived at Chang'an Palace.
After being informed, he finally stepped into the gate of Chang'an Palace.
The scenery here is different from other places in the palace.
The pattern is also very different.
He looked around with great curiosity, and looked around openly, attracting the attention of the palace servants.
Outside the study, Xu Yousi said to Chen Zhuangshi, "The queen is inside. General Chen can go in directly."
"Thank you, Eunuch Xu."
Chen Zhuangshi understood the palace's rules. This time, he had prepared twenty or thirty purses, and had already spent more than half.
At this moment, another purse embroidered with gold thread naturally fell into Xu Yousi's hands.
Xu Yousi put the thing into his sleeve, his expression remaining unchanged throughout the whole process.
Only after seeing the other party take the purse did Chen Zhuangshi feel at ease and step into the hall.
"Your humble servant pays respects to Her Majesty the Queen. May Your Majesty be blessed with good health and happiness!"
Walking into the study, Chen Zhuangshi greeted the guests loudly.
"No need to be polite!"
Gu Jiu sat on the soft couch and motioned Chen Zhuangshi to sit down and talk.
"Thank you, Your Majesty!" Chen Zhuangshi sat down carefully on the round stool.
Just like chatting about family matters, Gu Jiu asked casually, "How does it feel to be back in the capital?"
Chen Zhuangshi smiled and said, "It's pretty good! Better than the Northwest, we don't have to eat sand. The only downside is there are no battles to fight."
Gu Jiu raised his eyebrows and smiled, "Has the capital changed a lot?"
"The changes are enormous! In the past few days, I have visited the Imperial College, the Military Academy, and even sat in on a few classes at Zhixing Academy. I'm deeply impressed. Your Majesty is truly remarkable. She has generously supported the establishment of an academy, allowing students, rich and poor, to study for free. This is a great achievement that will endure for generations to come!"
Gu Jiu laughed and said, "Stop flattering me! I have no shortage of flatterers around me."
"I'm not flattering you. I really mean it, and every word I say is from the heart."
Chen Zhuangshi looked sincere.
Gu Jiu waved his hand and told him to stop talking nonsense and say something useful.
Chen Zhuangshi chuckled, "Your Majesty, could you please arrange a mission for me that involves fighting?"
Gu Jiu looked at him with a half-smile, "This is the truth, I heard it. Do you really want to fight?"
Chen Zhuangshi said seriously, "To be honest, Your Majesty, I come from a humble background. If it weren't for the free study and scholarships at Shanhe Academy, I wouldn't have come to the capital, and my fate would have been completely changed. I'm not good at studying, and I was lucky enough to barely pass the exam. I was able to rise to prominence only through fighting.
If I don't fight, I won't be qualified to compete with the sons of noble families, with civil officials and military commanders. Only by fighting can I, a humble servant, have the opportunity to climb to the top and make our Chen family a prestigious family that everyone will admire. The children of our family can study if they want to, and become military if they want to, without having to worry about money or the hardship of studying that I did.
It's all the truth.
Everyone in the palace was secretly shocked. Is it really okay to just tell the truth?
The desire for fame, wealth and power is fully revealed. Is this really a good thing?
Gu Jiu laughed, "Back then, I knew you were a very ambitious person, but also a vulgar person who was only interested in fame and fortune. Fortunately, although you are vulgar, you still have a bottom line in doing things. In these years, I have observed your performance, and I think you are barely qualified."
"Just barely qualified?" Chen Zhuangshi felt that he had performed quite well, but he didn't expect that in the eyes of the Queen Mother, he was just qualified.
It hurts!
Gu Jiu smiled. "According to my requirements, it's not easy to meet them. You don't have to worry about the qualification standards. If I asked you to lead the troops in the Jing Camp or to teach students at the Military Academy, would you be willing?"
Chen Zhuangshi looked embarrassed. "In front of Her Majesty, I can only tell the truth. I don't want to go to the Jing Daying Camp, nor do I want to go to the Military Academy."
Gu Jiu was curious. "I understand why you're not going to the Jing Daying Camp. But I don't understand why you're not going to the Military Academy. You know, after graduation, the students of the Military Academy will become the backbone of each unit. If you go to the Military Academy as an instructor, your students will be spread across various military camps in the future, and you're not happy about it? You know, many people are vying for the position of instructor at the Military Academy. However, only those who have made military achievements and have experience in leading troops in battle are qualified to enter the Military Academy as instructors."
Chen Zhuangshi pondered for a moment and said, "I'm not ungrateful. Your Majesty has always been thinking of me, and I'm deeply grateful. However, I know the limits of my abilities and what I excel at. If I were to be stuck teaching a bunch of student soldiers in the academy all year round, I'd probably suffocate to death, considering my mischievous nature. I just want to fight for a few more years while I'm still young and strong. When I'm old and can't go to the battlefield anymore, perhaps I'd consider joining the military academy to teach students and take care of myself in my old age."
hehe!
This statement is straightforward enough, honest enough, and of course, annoying enough.
Gu Jiu deliberately kept a straight face and said, "The Military Academy is not a place to retire. Don't make the wrong decision."
"If the Military Academy cannot provide for my retirement, then I will go home and retire directly."
Chen Zhuangshi smiled and looked heartless.
Gu Jiu snorted, "Go back and wait for news!"
Huh?
Is that it?
Don't want to chat for a while?
It has not yet been revealed where his job is.
He hesitated, wanting to speak but stopping himself.
Gu Jiu smiled, "What else do you want, Mr. Chen Aiqing?"
"No, it's okay!"
Chen Zhuangshi suddenly became intimidated and stood up and left.
When he reached the door, the Queen's voice sounded behind him.
"If you have time, it won't hurt to look up more information about the South."
Chen Zhuangshi was startled at first, then delighted. "Okay! I obey your order. I will go to Lantai Temple after leaving the palace."
He left in high spirits, his mission finally coming to fruition.
Go to the south to fight, hahahaha...
Call Yan Ci and Wang Xuecheng tonight, and the three of us won’t go home until we are drunk.
…
Sure enough, a few days later, Chen Zhuangshi received a transfer order and reported to the overseas camp.
"Now, I can fight alongside Brother Yang again. How awesome! With Brother Yang leading me, my chance to go down in history has arrived!"
Chen Zhuangshi was very proud and did not hide his inner joy.
Yan Ci and Wang Xuecheng wish him a safe journey
"Are you going by land? Or by water?"
"Of course, by water! Since we're going to an overseas camp, I have to take this opportunity to practice my sailing skills. Learning one more skill will always come in handy."
"Brother Chen, what you said makes sense. Lately, while writing a book, I've also felt that my knowledge isn't enough to support the content. The more I write, the more I realize I lack a lot of knowledge. After I finish this book, I'll need to retreat and supplement my knowledge."
"Brother Yan, it's great that you have this realization!"
Wang Xuecheng sighed, "Among us, I'm the least ambitious. I'm content with my life right now and have no desire to study."
"I understand Brother Wang! Studying is indeed hard." Chen Zhuangshi patted Wang Xuecheng's shoulder, feeling sympathetic.
"Without the pressure of the imperial examination, I don't even want to read a book," Wang Xuecheng said.
Chen Zhuangshi laughed heartily. "Same as before! But for my future, I still have to bite the bullet and flip through the book every day, reading as many pages as I can."
"Brother Chen is right. Brother Wang should also pick up the book and read a few pages every day." Yan Ci said with emotion.
You only regret not having read enough books when you need them.
After writing on various topics, if you want to make a breakthrough, you need a huge amount of knowledge reserves.
Yan Ci clearly felt that he had reached a bottleneck. What he had learned and knew in the past was no longer enough to support him in continuing on the path of novel writing.
If you want to make a living by writing novels for the rest of your life, you have to stop and supplement your knowledge.
Or just sink into despair and live off your past savings.
Either you settle down with your heart, or you soar into the sky.
Yan Ci wants to soar into the sky.
After seeing Chen Zhuangshi off, Yan Ci plunged headfirst into the archives, Lantai Temple, and the library of Wenqing Bookstore.
He even retook the entrance examination for Shanhe Academy, wanting to return to the academy for further studies.
After only two attempts at the exam, he was admitted to Shanhe Academy.
Except for the imperial examination, he studied every subject very seriously.
Wang Xuecheng was inspired by his work and picked up a book after work. Reading a few pages every day calmed him down and made him less impulsive.
…
Time passes by little by little.
Chen Zhuangshi arrived at the overseas camp and met Yang Ji.
When brothers meet, they are especially affectionate.
Yang Ji patted his shoulder. "You're finally here. Over the next month, I'll personally guide you through the situation here and visit key figures. In a month, you'll be the chief officer of the overseas camp."
Huh?
He couldn't understand what this meant.
Chen Zhuangshi was completely confused!
Yang Ji laughed and took out the appointment letter.
"The imperial court has appointed you as the deputy chief of the overseas camp, in charge of its operations. As for me, I will return to the capital to report."
"If you leave, who will be the chief steward?"
"You! The prerequisite is that you can work as the deputy chief steward for a full year. If you do well, you will be promoted to chief steward. If you don't, the court will send someone else to be the chief steward, and then you, the deputy chief steward, will be in trouble."
Chen Zhuangshi fumbled around for a year, "I'm confident I can do the job of the chief steward well. I'm just confused. Why didn't I hear this news when I was in the capital? When did His Majesty transfer you back to the capital?"
Yang Ji explained, "Three days after you left the capital, His Majesty issued an edict abolishing the Jiangnan Grand Military Governor's Office and summoning me back to the capital to report. He also appointed you as the deputy general manager of the camp. The edict and the letter of appointment reached the overseas camp before you did."
"Your Majesty and the Queen actually hid such a trick. I have such a stupid brain! With so many hints, I couldn't have guessed it."
Chen Zhuangshi slapped his head.
Yang Ji was worried that he might get beaten stupid, so he quickly stopped him.
"Time is limited, I'll welcome you another day. Pack up and follow me."
"Where are you going?"
"To the port!"
Chen Zhuangshi had just arrived at the overseas camp and before he had time to catch his breath, he began a busy life.
There wasn't even time to acclimate to the local climate!
Yang Ji treated him like an animal.
Chen Zhuangshi secretly made up his mind that he would treat his subordinates like animals in the future.
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