The next day, Shen Qingchen received a document delivered by the clerk.
When she opened it, she found it was the dike repair proposal she had submitted to Han Yuanshu. He had obviously read it carefully, marking several problems in small print and sending it back for her to revise and improve.
Han Yuanshu was very dedicated to his work, so busy that he often forgot to eat or groom himself, always looking like he was worried about not having enough time. He was very demanding of himself and others, seemingly nitpicky and somewhat unapproachable. But Qingchen understood him; that was how a responsible engineer should behave.
She carefully reviewed his annotations, borrowed some books from the pawnshop, and revised the proposal overnight. It was a cold night, so she hugged the hand warmer her second uncle had given her to keep warm. Several times, the kitten October jumped onto her lap, wanting to play with her, but she cruelly took it off each time.
The next morning, Qingchen took the revised proposal to Han Yuanshu.
The wintersweet in the Ministry of Works is in bloom. The abundant yellow flowers bloom in the courtyard, bathed in sunlight, adorning the gray walls and tiles, making them appear especially golden and delicate.
Outside Han Yuanshu's cell, she encountered Xu Silin. He came from another direction, seemingly having just returned from elsewhere; his fur collar glistened with what appeared to be snow or dew.
When Xu Silin saw Qingchen, his heart skipped a beat, and he subconsciously pressed the silver notes hidden in his chest.
This morning, Lin Mo came to him to borrow five hundred taels of silver, saying he was short of money lately and wanted to buy a house for his cousin who was going to the capital. He didn't lend it to him, afraid that he would spend too much money and Xu Yan would find out. If Lin Mo knew that he didn't lend money to his brother but instead used money to curry favor with Shen Qingchen, he didn't know how he would look at him.
"Are you looking for Lord Han?" he asked first, his voice slightly hoarse from not speaking for a long time.
Qingchen nodded. "Yeah. You too? Why don't you go in first, I'll wait outside."
“No, no, I’m not in a hurry,” he said quickly, blinking his eyelashes and gesturing, “You go inside first… it’s cold outside.”
Because the teachers had taken responsibility, and he himself had caused the trouble and couldn't help them, he felt less at ease around Qingchen, as if he had done something wrong. Qingchen didn't say anything, didn't blame him, and didn't distance himself, but he still had that feeling.
Actually, seeing her blame herself so much for her teacher, he felt a mix of emotions: annoyance, self-blame, helplessness, and a little bit of... jealousy.
"You...you just recovered from being sick." She hesitated for a moment, looking at him. "It's not good for you to be out in the cold wind. You should go in first."
"I'm fine now, this little illness is nothing." He quickly shook his head, then his voice softened, "I'm very healthy, you go first."
"...Then I'll go in first."
"Okay." Xu Silin nodded and took a few steps away.
After a while, Qingchen came out of Han Yuanshu's room and found Xu Silin still waiting there, maintaining the same posture as before.
Fine snowflakes had begun to fall from the sky. Under the eaves, he stood with his hands behind his back, chin slightly raised, gazing at the blooming wintersweet and the distant sky, a sense of tranquility in his eyes.
This scene gave Qingchen a sudden feeling that he had matured.
He used to have a carefree, eccentric, and aloof demeanor, which made him seem somewhat complicated. But after going through these things together, she felt that he was actually quite simple.
She didn't blame him for implicating the teacher, knowing it was just his nature. She could also tell he felt guilty, otherwise he wouldn't have wanted to stand up and tell the truth.
Qingchen shook her head slightly; her feelings for him were somewhat contradictory, and she couldn't quite put her finger on it.
She walked over to him and said, "I'm done talking, you can go in now."
He turned his head, nodded, and then casually asked, "Were you just talking to Lord Han about repairing the dike?"
"Yes, that's right."
Has he agreed to use your method?
"Not yet." Han Yuanshu was only criticizing her proposal; he hadn't said whether he intended to adopt it.
“He’s a stubborn person with a bad temper.” He looked down at her, his eyes showing concern and comfort. “Don’t take it too seriously.”
"Okay." She smiled slightly. "Then I'll be going now."
"Okay." Xu Silin replied, and then Shen Qingchen brushed past him.
Although she was wearing winter clothes, her back still showed a slender figure. The belt was tied loosely, and her waist was faintly visible. The length from her waist to the sole of her boots was quite impressive, indicating that her legs were also long and straight.
With such great body proportions… his Adam's apple bobbed involuntarily.
After a long while, Xu Silin withdrew his gaze, composed himself, and asked permission to enter Han Yuanshu's cell.
Meanwhile, as the year drew to a close, Emperor Zhu Rui, taking a rare opportunity to attend to state affairs, summoned all the cabinet ministers to the Qianqing Palace.
Zhu Rui usually neglected state affairs, but with the New Year approaching, he needed to know what had happened throughout the year so that he would be well-informed when officials came to the capital to report on their work the following spring.
Each cabinet minister reported on the matters under their jurisdiction, and Zhu Rui listened to them while sipping the last batch of tender Longjing tea leaves from West Lake.
His expression wasn't good. Although the Ming Dynasty hadn't experienced any major wars or disasters this year, there were still quite a few minor disturbances in various places. He had been lazy and hadn't paid attention to them before, but now, hearing about these incidents one after another, even though they weren't major issues, was still painful enough.
The cabinet had a division of labor, but Song Yue had been in charge of most of the affairs for years. Now that he had stepped down from the cabinet, the cabinet ministers became increasingly unsure of their answers as they reported, fearing Zhu Rui's questioning, because they knew almost nothing about the matter.
As fate would have it, after everyone had finished presenting their reports, Zhu Rui indeed asked the question. The fifty-year-old Grand Secretary Zhang stammered and mumbled for a long time without being able to answer.
Zhu Rui was very unhappy, but he couldn't scold or hit anyone. The cabinet had lost the capable Song Yue, and if he also drove these people away, then there would really be no one to do his work.
The thought of Song Yue made him rub his temples. Having such a capable minister wasn't a good thing; being without him felt like losing an arm.
Since he couldn't scold the Grand Secretaries, he could only summon the heads of the Six Ministries to do so. To ensure his scolding was well-founded, Zhu Rui first summoned the Supervising Secretaries of the Six Departments. These Supervising Secretaries corresponded to the Six Ministries and were responsible for supervising and auditing their work. He summoned them and asked them to first submit their reports to the Six Ministries.
Among these six officials, there was one whose term lasted only three months. He was always trying to show off his power but was eventually subdued. That person was Zhou Shiping.
This was the first time in Zhou Shiping's life that he had entered the Qianqing Palace.
As he stepped into the magnificent hall, he felt both nervous and excited. He and Song Yue were from the same hometown, and he had always admired Song Yue for his high position and proximity to the emperor. He never imagined that he himself would one day be so close to power.
After entering the hall, Zhou Shiping glanced at the Grand Secretaries but did not see Song Yue. He suddenly remembered that Song Yue had been expelled from the cabinet and felt a sense of triumph, as if he had finally defeated him.
After Zhu Rui spoke briefly, the censors from each department began to report on their respective situations. The Department of Engineering was the last of the six departments, and after the censors from the previous five departments had finished their reports, Emperor Zhu Rui's face had turned ashen.
Zhou Shiping considered himself a smart man, and he wouldn't dare to report on his superiors. But he didn't need to be polite to anyone other than his superiors, such as—Han Yuanshu, a mere sixth-rank official.
Han Yuanshu is like a stinking rock in a latrine; he won't shed a tear until he sees the coffin. Today is the day for Zhou Shiping to take revenge.
"Your Majesty, I, Zhou Shiping, a supervising secretary of the Ministry of Works, am responsible for supervising and auditing the affairs of the ministers of the Ministry of Works. Since I took office three months ago, all the ministers of the Ministry of Works have been loyal to their duties... except for one person."
As he spoke, he looked up and glanced at Zhu Rui, who was speaking to the emperor for the first time. He uttered only one word: "Who?"
"Your Majesty, it was Han Yuan, a senior official in the Ministry of Works, who submitted the memorial."
Zhou Shiping continued, "A few days ago, I went to the Ministry of Works to inquire about the dike repair work they were in charge of, especially the dike on Qinglong Gorge in Huairou, which has been completed for ten years. Huairou is close to the capital, right under the emperor's nose. If we can't even protect the emperor's nose, how can we protect the people of the world..."
"No need for nonsense, just tell him what he did."
"Yes, yes. Your Majesty, Han Yuanshu... has done nothing. The New Year is almost here, and he has yet to submit the proposal to repair the dike to the cabinet. When I asked him when and how the dike would be repaired, he refused to answer any of my questions, clearly showing his disregard for the common people. I have heard that he is a talented man, but he has a slightly impatient temper, so I did not hold it against him. However, when I pressed him for an answer, he even cursed at me."
Zhu Rui raised an eyelid and asked, "What did they say to you?"
The Censor-in-Chief was a close advisor to the emperor, responsible for overseeing the Six Ministries. How dare Han Yuanshu even insult a Censor-in-Chief!
Zhou Shiping secretly rejoiced upon seeing the emperor's expression. In truth, Han Yuanshu hadn't insulted him; he'd merely been rude and dismissed him. However, Zhou Shiping wasn't about to miss the opportunity to embellish the story: "He called me a vile beast..."
Before he could finish speaking, Zhu Rui roared at the eunuch Huang Heng, "Go and bring Han Yuanshu here to me!"
Not only did he fail to fulfill his duties, but he also insulted the officials who represented the emperor... He knew that Han Yuanshu had a fiery temper. He had seen that Han Yuanshu was somewhat talented before, and when he heard that Han Yuanshu disregarded the law, he just laughed it off.
Unfortunately, he just happened to be in the mood to swear today!
Zhou Shiping was secretly delighted upon hearing this, eagerly anticipating Han Yuanshu's downfall, unaware that Han Yuanshu already had a plan to repair the dike.
The plan that caught Han Yuanshu's extremely picky eye and surprised Fang Xun was Shen Qingchen's idea.
At this very moment, Xu Silin was standing in Han Yuanshu's cell in the Ministry of Works.
Han Yuanshu was bent over his desk, carefully looking at the revised proposal by Qingchen. The sunlight shone through the lattice screen onto his handsome face. His expression was focused and serious, his thin lips were slightly pursed, and his pen moved quickly across the paper.
"Lord Han, Lord Fang," Xu Silin bowed respectfully.
Han Yuanshu looked at Xu Silin, somewhat puzzled. The son of the Grand Secretary had been at the Ministry of Works for almost two months and had never visited him before; this was the first time.
He had long been aware that Xu Silin never sought him out; Xu was a son of a powerful family, naturally different from Shen Qingchen, and there was no need for him to rush to curry favor with a mere clerk. Compared to the Grand Secretary, who could draft and reject proposals, what was a mere clerk like himself? His sudden appearance today begs the question: what "instructions" does Young Master Xu have?
Fang Xun noticed that Xu Silin resembled the Grand Secretary Xu Yan and immediately guessed his identity. As soon as Xu Silin bowed, Fang Xun smiled and said, "You must be Xu Shuchang? I heard you've come to the Ministry of Works. Passing the imperial examination at such a young age, Xu Shuchang, you are truly exceptionally talented. The Ministry of Works is full of work and many things to do; if there's anything you don't understand, feel free to come to me… Lord Han has been busy lately and may not have time for me sometimes."
Despite having shared a room with Fang Xun for years, Han Yuanshu was used to his instinctive fawning and rolled her eyes at him before coldly looking at Xu Silin and asking, "What brings you to see me?"
Xu Silin hesitated and looked at Fang Xun. Fang Xun immediately understood and tactfully made an excuse to leave, saying, "I'm going to the outhouse."
Once only the two of them were left inside, he said, "Let me do you a favor, sir."
Han Yuanshu paused, then frowned. The help he needed most was for the Huairou dike, a task even his father, the Grand Secretary Xu Yan, couldn't handle, only offering three thousand taels of silver. What help could a pampered young master like himself, who had grown up in luxury and knew nothing of hardship, possibly provide?
Does he think he's as smart as Shen Qingchen? At least Shen Qingchen put in so much hard work, while he did nothing and expects to help out of thin air? Does he treat matters of public welfare as a joke?
"No need," Han Yuanshu said irritably. "I don't need any help. I'm very busy right now, you can go." With that, she lowered her head and picked up her brush again to dip it in ink.
Xu Silin wasn't surprised by his attitude; his subsequent actions were incomprehensible to anyone. He quietly looked at Han Yuanshu, then slowly took out three silver notes, unfolded them, and gently placed them on his desk.
After a long while, Han Yuanshu's gaze slowly moved up from the silver note, finally landing on the face of Xu's eldest son, the future core figure of the Xu Party, and stopped there.
The face bore similar features to Xu Yan's, but the younger face was incomparably handsome, with even darker, brighter black eyes. His expression lacked the cunning of a seasoned veteran, instead displaying a fearless, untamed spirit. He saw in that face a frankness, even sincerity.
Han Yuanshu frowned. "What is this?"
“Three thousand taels of silver notes,” Xu Silin said calmly. “As I said, I’m helping you, sir. Father only approved three thousand taels of silver for the dike in Huairou, which is probably not enough. We still need three thousand taels. Although Lord Han is a capable man, he is not omnipotent. With this silver, it will be just enough to repair the dike.”
Han Yuanshu withdrew his gaze, and after a long while said coldly, "Is Xu Shuchang teasing me?"
"I wouldn't dare." Xu Silin shook his head slightly, his earnest and persistent gaze fixed on Han Yuanshu. "I know Lord Han has some doubts. This dam has nothing to do with me, not even my father cares about it, so why should I fill this gap? Actually, there's no reason. I, Xu Silin, owe someone something, so I'm using these three thousand taels to repay it... Lord Han, this three thousand taels of silver to help the people of Huairou isn't without conditions. I have one condition."
Han Yuanshu narrowed his eyes, his mind racing with all the possible conditions related to the three thousand taels of silver. After a long while, he uttered a single word: "Speak."
"The credit should go to Shen Qingchen, but don't let him know that I paid for it."
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