After putting the letter away, Jing Zhe washed his face.
After he left, Wu Ma brought him a new set of clothes, saying that Zhu Xinning had come over in the morning, but had to go to court, so she left the clothes behind when she saw that he was still asleep, and told him to wear them when he took office.
I couldn't help but feel grateful; it's so good to have an older sister who dotes on you!
After changing my clothes and having some food, I took Hanhan out.
Logically speaking, the working hours of Anguo officials should be after 5:00 AM and no later than 7:00 AM. However, Jing Zhe got up after 5:00 AM, so by the time he arrived at the courtyard behind the Imperial Academy, it was almost 9:00 AM.
The new broom sweeps clean, and the first thing he does is show up late. Jing Zhe thinks, "No one else does this, right?"
As soon as he entered the courtyard, he heard a great deal of noise coming from inside the house, which was incomparable to the Imperial Academy next door. Jing Zhe frowned and thought to himself that the discipline of these Grand Secretaries of the Imperial Academy and the idle Grand Secretaries was not very good!
Before he even entered the house, he saw Chen Jiannan.
He was crouching in the corner, head facing the wall, just like a criminal.
"Brother scoundrel, what are you doing here?"
Chen Jiannan turned around, saw it was Jing Zhe, and gave a wry smile.
Then he said cautiously, "Brother Jing, you're too late!"
"Hey bastard, you didn't arrive late too, did you? Are you being punished by standing here?"
Jing Zhe raised his eyebrows, thinking to himself that the discipline here was too strict.
However, since there is no leader here, who punished him?
"Oh, I wasn't late, I was too early!"
So Chen Jiannan began to speak in a low voice.
On his first day in office, Chen Jiannan arrived before dawn to make a good impression. However, when several idle scholars arrived, they complained that he had come too early, gave him instructions on what to do, and were still not satisfied. So they made him stand as punishment.
After hearing this, Jing Zhe was so angry he laughed.
"Who are those people on the other side? I remember yesterday Grand Secretary Song said that this group seems to consist of Grand Secretaries of the same rank, such as those who are not in official positions. Can they punish you at will?"
Chen Jiannan sighed, "I didn't know at first either. I asked a few questions in return, and look what happened!"
Turning his head completely around, Jing Zhe realized that half of his face was red, as if he had been slapped.
Holy crap!
He cursed inwardly, then shouted angrily, "What kind of people are these? They even dare to hit people?"
Chen Jiannan quickly tugged at him: "Brother Jing, keep your voice down! We're new here, so we need to be extra careful! I just found out that these idle scholars have powerful families. If they make a move, it will have far-reaching consequences. How can we afford to offend them? We might as well just accept our bad luck! By the way, when you go inside, just listen to what they say. Don't end up like me, getting beaten up and punished!"
"..."
Although Jing Zhe and Chen Jiannan had never gotten along, Jing Zhe was still very moved by Chen Jiannan's words.
"You scoundrel, wait here for me to avenge you!"
"Hey, Brother Jing, stop!"
But it was too late; Jing Zhe had already strode inside, while Chen Jiannan sighed behind him.
...
Upon entering the building, Jing Zhe was furious at the sight of the chaotic scene before him.
The room was filled with tables and chairs scattered everywhere, and various bowls and plates were piled up on the tables. The air was filled with a pungent smell of alcohol. This was hardly the office of a Grand Secretary.
The scholars inside the room were divided into two groups. One group stood in the corner, meekly and submissive, while the other group, some sitting in chairs and others at tables, were holding wine cups and playing drinking games.
After he entered the room, everyone glanced at him, but did not stop what they were doing.
"Slap! Slap!"
Jing Zhe grabbed a bowl from the table and smashed it on the ground with a loud, jarring sound, instantly silencing the room.
"Who the hell is this?"
"Is he just like that bastard outside?"
"Why the hell are you throwing things like that? Are you looking to die?"
At this moment, the scholars who had been drinking put down their cups and walked over, cursing and swearing.
"Who gave you permission to drink here?"
Jing Zhe asked in a cold voice.
The scholars looked at each other, then burst into laughter.
"Who the hell is this bastard?"
The leader was about seventeen or eighteen years old, wearing a small gray-black felt hat, with an arrogant and unruly look on his face.
As soon as he finished speaking, a burly man dressed in a scholarly outfit, looking rather out of place, stepped forward, clearly intending to stand up for the man in the felt hat.
"Our Young Master Wu is asking you a question, are you deaf or mute? Looking for a beating?"
Jing Zhe glared at him.
Perhaps not expecting Jing Zhe to dare to resist, the burly man took a step back in fright, then angrily shouted, "Who the hell are you glaring at? You're not convinced? Do you even know who our Young Master Wu is? Here, you have to listen to Young Master Wu!"
The burly man kept calling him "Young Master Wu," which made the man in the felt hat so happy that he tilted his head back. Needless to say, he must be Young Master Wu.
The burly man clearly mistook Jing Zhe for the newly appointed Grand Secretary of the Baohe Academy, who had come to report for duty just like Chen Jiannan. That's why he was so unrestrained. He believed that as long as he announced Wu Shao's name, just like before, the man in front of him would be scared out of his wits, just like Chen Jiannan had been. He would beat him up and send him to stand in the corner as punishment.
To everyone's surprise, Jing Zhe was not afraid at all. He continued to glare at him and said coldly, "I don't care if you're called Young Master Wu, Young Master Dog, or Young Master Pig. From today onwards, everyone here can only listen to me!"
"..."
The room fell silent instantly, everyone staring intently at Jing Zhe, though their expressions varied.
The scholars standing in the corner were visibly agitated upon hearing this, but many also shook their heads and sighed, seemingly worried about Jing Zhe's fate.
The group, led by Wu Shao, the man in the felt hat, looked on with amusement.
"Haha, that's hilarious, so funny!"
With him taking the lead, everyone burst into laughter.
"They'll listen to everything he says? Who does he take him for?"
"He must never have heard of our Young Master Wu's name. If he had, he would be scared out of his wits!"
"Haha, absolutely! I can't wait to see Young Master Wu make his move, to see how he begs for mercy on his knees!"
"Young Master Wu, we have to make a deal, okay? When it's time to slap someone in the face, I'll have to do it. I didn't even have a chance to do it before, but I'm going to have a good time this time!"
"..."
Most of these idlers come from families with connections, which is why they were able to get in as idle Grand Secretaries. Despite not having official titles, they are not afraid of those Grand Secretaries who got in through their own abilities, and they look down on them.
So what if you're capable? Once you're in, you still have to listen to us.
Among this group, it was clear that the background of this "Young Master Wu" was the most powerful, so the group followed his lead without question.
Seeing that Jing Zhe was handsome and well-dressed, they naturally couldn't stand him.
He's dressed way more flamboyantly than us, let's get him!
————
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