Qingchen was stunned for a moment, and then an inkstone fell to her feet with a "crack", breaking off a corner and dripping ink onto her boots.
The man inside was still shaking the inkstone he had thrown up, and his roaring continued, “Three thousand taels to repair a county’s dike? That’s not even enough to buy cotton! It will collapse in a flood, inundating the people and rice paddies of an entire county. It would be better to divide the three thousand taels among themselves and let each of them buy a coffin!”
There were two desks in the room, originally intended for the two chief clerks of the Ministry of Works, but one of them was not there, and only this one remained. He had been shouting for a long time, but it was unclear who he was shouting at. The fire was confined to a small room, and if it weren't for these people coming, it would have only burned himself.
The person in charge who likes to burn himself is actually very good-looking, with a straight nose and bright eyes. It's just that he gets very angry, and his face is all distorted with anger, and his thick eyebrows seem to stand up straight.
Shen Qingchen bent down, picked up the inkstone, and placed it back on the man's table with both hands. Upon seeing Qingchen, the man roared, "Who are you? I don't have time to see idlers right now. If you have a way to repair the dike, then speak. If not, then get lost!"
The clerk who had led the way rushed forward to defuse the situation, saying, "Lord Han, Lord Han, please calm down. The cabinet submitted a draft the other day, and these gentlemen are the officials who have come to the ministry to observe the administration."
The official in charge was named Han Yuanshu. He was merely a scholar who hadn't even passed the provincial examination. He was promoted to a position in one of the Six Ministries because of his exceptional talent in architectural engineering. He came from a wealthy family in Jiangnan, and his fiery temper was well-known throughout the Six Ministries. When the officials gathered, they would occasionally talk about him, jokingly saying that he seemed to have sprung from a volcano.
"I've already said I don't have time for idle chatter. All this classical Chinese is useless to me. You can take your opinions and look around however you like, just don't bother me." He said, glancing at Shen Qingchen, angrily throwing the brush into the brush washer and stirring it violently a few times. Then he raised the brush at the three of them, "You, you, and you, please, you three idle chatterboxes, please remove your feet from this room and get out—"
The steward looked troubled and said, "But the Minister has instructed that you, Lord Han, should arrange their observation of the government and evaluate their performance... Oh, by the way, this Junior Attendant is named Xu Silin, and he is the Grand Secretary's son." As he spoke, he gestured to Xu Silin beside him.
Xu Silin remained expressionless, simply watching without speaking. He was already quite used to such special, individual introductions. He had also heard of Han Yuanshu's reputation, and he had long anticipated the other's reaction, guessing it wouldn't be the same as with ordinary people.
Sure enough, Han Yuanshu raised an eyebrow, looked at Xu Silin, then at the steward, and threw the pen in her hand at him in dissatisfaction. "Can you even understand human language? I don't have time to see idle people right now, whether they're surnamed Cat or Dog. They're all useless trash who only know classical Chinese, not even half a piece of cake."
The words "cat and dog" were uttered without any mercy, sounding particularly jarring. Even Gu Shaoheng found it hard to bear. There were many people in the court who disliked Xu Yan, and many who cursed him as "Xu the Dog" behind his back, but to humiliate someone to his face like this was still somewhat uncivilized.
Gu Shaoheng couldn't help but glance at Xu Silin. He noticed that Xu Silin was acting strangely today. After he finished speaking, Xu Silin didn't react at all. He just stood there quietly, his eyes not even blinking, as if he were in a trance.
Ever since Qingchen took off his clothes in the hall that day, he has become somewhat different from before. No matter how much noise the people around him make, it can't affect him. It's as if he has isolated himself in his own little world.
Even now, being verbally abused to his face, he remains silent, and no one knows what he's thinking. His calm, handsome face makes him seem somewhat aggrieved.
Qingchen blinked slightly, bent down to pick up the pen that had rolled to her feet, and placed it back on Han Yuanshu's desk.
Before she could speak, Han Yuanshu said irritably, "Don't expect to do these things to please me. It's useless."
Qingchen looked at him, cupped his hands, and calmly said, "Your Excellency is mistaken. A cat can catch mice, and a dog can guard the door. All living beings are equal, each with its own duty, and there is no distinction of high or low, noble or base. How do you know we are useless?"
She paused for a moment, then continued, "I did not pick up the pen to curry favor with you, sir. I did this simply to prove that the pen was useless after you dropped it, but it became useful after I picked it up. It is clear that all that was missing was an opportunity."
Xu Silin's expression froze slightly. After a moment, he couldn't help but glance at her. Her head was slightly lowered, her nose was straight and delicate, and her profile was relaxed and serene.
Is this... speaking up for him?
Han Yuanshu's eyes narrowed, and as he looked at Qing Chen, his brow furrowed sharply. His deep voice held a barely suppressed rage, "I don't have time to listen to your empty talk. Do you know that every single one of your nonchalant words is costing the lives of hundreds of thousands of people in this county? I'm saying this one last time, get out—"
Qingchen originally wanted to go back, because she was trying to fight for an opportunity because of the lives of these tens of thousands of people, but the steward stopped her when he saw that the situation was not right: "Alright, alright, Lord Han has important matters to attend to, let's go first, let's go. We'll come back when Lord Han has time."
Having said that, he half-persuaded and half-pushed the three of them out the door.
They had only taken two steps when they heard the sound of breaking utensils coming from inside the house again, followed by another roar, "If it's useful, then come up with a solution!"
I don't know who he was saying that to.
Once on the corridor, Xu Silin remained silent, and as he walked, he fell behind.
Qingchen's back was within reach of him, which made him even more uneasy.
Even though she was the one who had always been bullied by herself, one day she actually stood up for herself.
It's a feeling that's hard to describe.
The next day, while the other officials were on leave, Shen Qingchen still went to the Lin family.
Because it was late autumn, the sky was high and the clouds were light inside the house, the pond water was clear, and ornamental crabapple trees had been placed in the courtyard. The two apricot trees had turned golden, and the branches were bent over with apricots.
Shen Qian was not at home today as he was not on leave. The servant led Qingchen directly to his room.
The room was covered with a light blue carpet with a lotus pattern. The dark blue cloak that Shen Qian had worn last year was draped over an ebony frame, and a book he had read the night before lay face down on the desk. Although he was not there, the room still smelled of him.
"There's something that Lord Shen asked me to give to the young master," the servant said, presenting a small wooden box. "Don't forget to take it with you when you leave, young master."
"This is..." She took the box, opened it, and saw that it contained a delicate and small hand warmer.
The lid is openwork and exquisitely crafted, with a small handle on top. The entire body of the furnace is made of smooth and even bronze with an elegant luster. It is decorated with plum blossom patterns, clearly a work of art.
"Master said that the young master is physically weak and has been afraid of the cold since he was a child. Winter is coming soon, and the nights will be chilly. The young master can use this to warm his hands and body while he studies at night," the servant said. "Oh, Madam didn't know. I'll just leave it with you for now, and I'll send it out when the young master leaves."
Shen Qingchen started eating from various families shortly after birth, sometimes going hungry and sometimes full, so his constitution wasn't very good from a young age. He had weak blood and qi, and his hands and feet were prone to getting cold in winter.
Qingchen thought for a moment, then remembered Lin Shi, and replied, "Tell Second Uncle that I bought one myself, so I don't need this one."
"Young master, don't you know the master's temperament? Some food is eaten, so it's fine as it is, and we don't even know who ate it. This stove is right here. If you don't want it, I can only return it to the master. It's one thing for me to be unable to complete my task, but it's not like you won't come again. Since the master wants to give it to you, he won't let you refuse. Young master, please don't refuse. If the madam wakes up and sees it, they'll still argue about whether you want the stove or not. It's just a stove, not anything too precious. If there's going to be an argument, it won't be about the object, it'll be about the people involved."
The servant had been with Shen Qian for many years and had a clear understanding of the Lin family's situation.
Qingchen didn't want to put him in a difficult position, so she nodded and said, "Then I'll go and teach Yu-ge'er first."
As they approached Lin Yu's house, Lin came over from the other side of the corridor.
Qingchen greeted her, "Greetings, Second Aunt."
Lin was dressed in a rose-colored silk dress, looking like she had just woken up. She covered her mouth with a handkerchief, yawned, and glanced at her. "Have you eaten yet?"
Qingchen lowered her head and answered softly, "Second Aunt, I finished at home before coming."
Madam Lin adjusted her hairpin and said gracefully, "That's good. There's no gold or silver in this house, so we have to be careful with everything. Your second uncle isn't here today, so there's no food prepared for you."
"Qingchen understands. Qingchen has already eaten and dares not trouble the kitchen any further."
Madam Lin added, "There's one more thing. My cousin wants you to be her teacher, and I've made the decision for you and agreed. Your second uncle doesn't agree, but it's not up to him. She's the daughter of the Marquis of Qing'an's family; it's not worth offending the Marquis over something like this. Anyway, teaching one more person won't kill you."
She continued, "From now on, you won't need to rest at noon. You'll be teaching from morning until afternoon. The money will remain the same, two taels. She'll be here this afternoon, so teach her well and pay attention to the rules."
"Qingchen understands. Second Aunt, rest assured, Qingchen will definitely teach diligently and observe proper etiquette."
Lin raised her head and said, "Go in and serve Yu-ge'er breakfast first before you teach him. Be more energetic when you talk to him. As a man, he should have more masculinity. Don't make him like you, with that indescribable feminine air."
Shen Qingchen agreed and went into the house with the books in her arms.
Lin Yu lay on the arhat step, engrossed in his own game, and didn't even greet Qing Chen when he saw him.
Qingchen didn't say anything, but walked over, took out the comics he had drawn from the bundle, placed them on the small kang table next to him, and then went to tidy up his messy desk.
This behavior puzzled Lin Yu. Usually, the teacher would urge him to study as soon as he arrived, afraid of delaying even a moment. Why was he not saying anything today?
After Qingchen turned around, he glanced at the picture book on the kang table and saw that there seemed to be some strange little figures on it. He immediately grabbed the comic book and took a look.
After reading a few pages, he burst out laughing and asked excitedly, "Teacher, is this picture book for me?"
Qingchen didn't turn around, only humming in response.
As he looked at the document, he said, "I will never say that you taught poorly again!"
Qingchen tidied up the table and pulled out an armchair for him. "Bring it over. Today I'll teach you what's on it."
Without saying a word, Lin Yu walked over, half of her face still flushed from pressing against the pillow. When she reached Qing Chen, she looked up and asked, "Teacher, what's its name?"
After a long pause, Lin Yu heard his teacher say calmly:
"Huluwa"
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