Lantai Inspection Office.
Xue Huai'an dismounted his carriage here, but was stopped by the people at the gate as soon as he stepped forward.
"Who are you? What are you doing here?" The person guarding the door had a serious expression, exuding an air of incorruptibility.
Xue Huai'an adopted a very humble posture, befitting a typical gentleman. "I am Xue Huai'an. Please trouble you, young man, to convey my message."
The two guards exchanged a glance, then said, "This is not a place for playing around. Please go back, Young Master Xue."
Xue Huai'an had a bad feeling, but he still suppressed his temper, reached into his sleeve and took out a letter and handed it over, "This is a letter from the Censor-in-Chief, you can take a look."
He went to great lengths to get this letter, and Qin Su had to plead for him for a long time before he finally received it.
The Censorate was different from the other two agencies. The officials in the Censorate held low ranks, but had great power, which was exactly what he wanted.
"Then wait a moment."
Upon hearing this, Xue Huai'an immediately smiled and said, "Thank you for your trouble, young man."
After the gatekeeper went inside, the officials from the Censorate gathered together to eat tea and chat, not taking their work seriously at all. When the Censor-in-Chief heard that Xue Huai'an had arrived, he scoffed and said, "Let him in."
The doorman nodded and came out quickly.
Xue Huai'an immediately handed over a purse, saying, "This is a little money for tea, please accept it, gentlemen."
The two doormen readily accepted the money, and after Xue Huai'an went inside, one of them said, "The eldest son of the Duke of Cheng's family is so stingy. What can such a small amount of money do?"
Another shook his head, "They've fallen on hard times."
Xue Huai'an's face darkened upon hearing their conversation.
He cursed them inwardly for their greed, but he also felt that he was really in dire straits and was short of money. He would have to give something to the Censor-in-Chief later.
I need to find a way to get some money.
The Imperial Censor was an older, middle-aged man who was slightly overweight, but had very shrewd eyes.
"Lord Liu, it's been a long time. How have you been?" Xue Huai'an stepped forward and greeted the Censor-in-Chief with a smile.
The Imperial Censor then stood up, his face beaming with smiles. "Young Master Xue, please sit down, sit here."
They were still very enthusiastic, which calmed Xue Huai'an's uneasy heart.
"Have some tea." The Imperial Censor gestured to a servant to pour tea, then smiled and asked Xue Huai'an, "I heard that Young Master Xue was injured a few days ago. I wonder how you are feeling?"
Xue Huai'an said, "It's mostly healed. Thank you for your concern, Lord Liu."
"That's good, that's good. Young Master Xue is still young, he mustn't ruin his health."
After exchanging pleasantries for a while, Xue Huai'an noticed that the Imperial Censor never mentioned his official position, which made him feel irritated.
He couldn't hold back any longer and immediately spoke up after the Censor-in-Chief finished speaking: "I came to see Lord Liu today about the matter of the Supervising Censor. Does Lord Liu still remember?"
The Imperial Censor looked troubled. "Of course I remember, but all the positions are currently full, and there's really no room for me."
Xue Huai'an's temper flared up instantly, but because he wore a mask all year round, he suppressed his raging anger.
"Lord Liu made a promise before, and it would be bad to go back on your word now," Xue Huai'an said, trying his best to smooth things over.
The Imperial Censor spread his hands, "I have no choice. If there were a position, I would definitely give it to Young Master Xue, but there is no position, and my subordinates have not done anything wrong. How can I dismiss them?"
"Why don't you go look elsewhere, Young Master Xue? There are basically no openings at the Censorate." This completely eliminates the possibility of Xue Huai'an going to the Censorate or the Palace.
Xue Huai'an's chest heaved violently, as if he was about to lose his temper.
He can't give anyone a handle to use against him!
We mustn't give anyone a handle to use against us!
Xue Huai'an kept warning himself.
The Imperial Censor was actually looking forward to Xue Huai'an's outburst; he loved seeing people become hysterical and helpless. Unfortunately, Xue Huai'an seemed to have held back. This man… he's quite the stoic.
Such people either cannot be given opportunities, or if they are given opportunities, they can easily soar to great heights.
But... the feeling of crushing someone who has the potential to soar to great heights under your feet is just too exhilarating.
"Lord Liu, are you disrespecting the Marquis of Zhongyi?" He held back for a long time before speaking. "I am engaged to the Marquis of Zhongyi's only daughter, and I am his son-in-law. Are you sure you want to do this, Lord Liu?"
He didn't get angry, but he threatened the other party.
The Imperial Censor lay back in his rattan chair, smiling as he said, "Didn't you and Miss Qin already break off your engagement? Young Master Xue can hardly be considered the son-in-law of the Marquis of Loyalty and Righteousness."
Xue Huai'an guessed that the other party changed their mind because of this matter. That's how these people are. If they don't have connections, they'll trample on those who are capable.
"Qin Su and I just had a quarrel, it's nothing serious, it won't affect the marriage between our two families."
The Imperial Censor seemed quite agreeable, saying, "Then let's wait until Young Master Xue becomes the son-in-law of the Marquis of Loyalty and Righteousness before we discuss it further."
"see a visitor out."
Xue Huai'an was furious, but he couldn't do anything about it.
The two were escorted out the gate.
"Young Master Xue, welcome back next time." The doorman waved to Xue Huai'an with a playful smile.
Xue Huai'an stared at the two with his sinister eyes, already harboring murderous intent in his heart.
"Young Master, shall I make a move?" Xue Qi asked Xue Huai'an from the side, also quite angry, but he dared not make a move since his master had not said anything.
Xue Huai'an turned his head and cursed, "Idiot! No matter what, they are still people from the Censorate. If you dare to make a move today, you'll be in prison tomorrow."
Why are there so many foolish people around him?
"You go back first, I have something to do."
Xue Qi shrank back, not daring to refute.
"Oh right, send Qin Su a message saying that I'm inviting her to go boating on the lake tomorrow."
"yes."
Xue Huai'an turned around and changed direction.
He avoided almost everyone and went to an official's courtyard, where he bent down, picked up a small stone, and gently threw it onto the carved and openwork window.
The pebble startled the person inside. A pair of delicate hands pushed open the window, and seeing that it was Xue Huai'an, she came out with a face full of joy.
"Why did you only arrive at this hour, Young Master Xue?" The person who came was Yinghong. She looked up at Xue Huai'an and said urgently, "This servant is not blaming Young Master Xue, but my young lady has been ill for several days."
Xue Huai'an was startled. "Sick? What happened? When did you get sick? Have you seen a doctor?"
He hurriedly pushed open the door and entered, a strong smell of medicine filling his nostrils. Fortunately, he was already used to the smell of Chinese medicine, otherwise he might have had to hold his breath.
“Arou.”
A clear and gentle voice rang out, and the person on the bed struggled to get up. Her complexion was not good, her delicate eyebrows were furrowed, and she looked pitiful.
Yinghong followed up and replied, "The young lady has been sick ever since she came back that day. We have found a doctor, but she has refused to take her medicine properly, so she can't get better."
"Yinghong, cough cough cough, don't talk nonsense in front of Young Master Xue." She coughed heavily after saying just one sentence, almost coughing up her lungs.
Xue Huai'an held her slightly cool hand and said remorsefully, "It was my fault. I shouldn't have pushed you that day."
Chen Yirou withdrew her hand and said, "Young Master Xue, you should leave. This is the backyard, and men are not allowed to enter."
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