Be an official
"Five years have passed, and the rumors about you two have faded. Would you like to hear the dean's letter of recommendation?"
Cao Xi took out another letter, and Wen Ruo held her breath, her eyes revealing a hint of anticipation, "I really want to hear it."
Cao Xi read the text aloud with great emotion, saying, "My students are of excellent character, well-read, knowledgeable in a wide range of subjects, skilled in pharmacology, discerning, quick-witted, and adept at disguise and impersonation. They can be called all-rounders."
Wen Ruo's lips involuntarily curled upwards. "Is the Dean really that exaggerated?"
"His Majesty is cracking down on corrupt officials, and various departments are short-staffed this year, so he has granted special favors. However, by next spring's imperial examinations, things may be different. But with your skills, it seems you won't have to worry. Anyway, are you going or not?"
"You refuse to come down the mountain. Is it because you haven't read enough books, or because you have feelings for him?"
Wen Ruo shook her head, "I'll go."
"That's good. Chi Xu is a bit stubborn and slow to understand people. I hope he can improve after this experience."
"Wen Ruo, the steamed buns are here."
"They're here!"
As the sun rose, chaos erupted in a courtyard on East Street, a place where disciples of Honghu Academy would stay upon their arrival in the capital.
Wen Ruo came out of the house, dressed in a purple robe with a white collar and a shoulder bag embroidered with blooming epiphyllum flowers, the mark of a student from Honghu Academy entering officialdom. "Nervous?"
With a steamed bun in his mouth, Chi Xu straightened his collar and smiled shyly, "When I was picked up from the pile of corpses, I never imagined I would have a day when I could become an official."
Wen Ruo: "Don't be careless. If we are sent back, the dean will probably laugh at us."
"I will."
The dean was kind, but his playful and joking nature was not something most people could tolerate. Chi Xu's brows furrowed instantly, and she said with a stern face, somewhat dissatisfied, "I clearly understand the law, so why should I go to the Ministry of Revenue?"
Wen Ruo smiled; little did she know.
Wen Ruo, holding the official documents, walked into the Dali Temple again. She had walked this road many times before, and her feelings were completely different each time.
The other three arrived early, dressed in dark purple robes with a double-horned white-striped mythical beast, the Lingxi, on their headbands. Who shoved them in from Yanxi Academy?
What a small world!
Wen Ruo glanced at it and then looked away, standing at the very edge. "Student Wen Ruo is here to report for duty."
Zhu Fei reviewed the documents one by one, affixed the official seal, and looked at Wen Ruo with a particularly complicated expression. "Go downstairs, someone will come to pick you up in a while."
After Zhu Fei left, the people from Yanxi Academy immediately bared their fangs. Wen Ruo smiled slightly and said, "I advise you to keep quiet. With so many students and instructors recruited this year, there are many eyes and ears. Who can say for sure if there are any spies? If you are sent back to the academy, don't blame me for not warning you."
He held his breath so hard that his cheeks bulged out instantly, making him look like an angry toad.
Wen Ruo chuckled, "So cowardly and afraid of trouble, yet you dare to cause me trouble. I think you're not just bullying the weak and fearing the strong, you're bullying women and fearing men!"
"Indeed, women and petty men are the most difficult to deal with."
"Is this all the academy knows? No wonder the dean said your teacher's teaching is problematic. If the master knew that you had misinterpreted his words like this, he would probably be turning in his grave."
"you!"
Wen Ruo sat gracefully in the armchair, handed him a cup of tea, and said, "Calm down!"
When Wen Ruo tried to be friendly, a hint of disdain flashed across his eyes. However, after scrutinizing her for a moment, he still reached out his hand, his words still sharp, "I don't know what Qi Guanlan saw in you. Luckily, he didn't jump into the fire."
Wen Ruo calmly withdrew her foot, then loosened her wrist, causing the teacup to fall onto the carpet with a clatter, splashing tea all over his foot. "This humble woman is weak, please don't take offense, young master!"
He hurriedly took two steps back, his hem already soaked, looking utterly disheveled. Seeing her smiling face, his anger flared up even more. "You did this on purpose!!"
"You gossip and slander people. Who is more virtuous and harder to get along with? I think it's only the scoundrels and petty people who are hard to deal with."
"Brother Cen!"
A slightly round-faced man stepped in front of him and advised, "Both of you, calm down!"
“My name is Lü Shaoming, and this gentleman beside me is He An. Boyi, we are all colleagues, why make such a fuss?”
He An said with displeasure, "Please, both of you, be quiet."
Wen Ruo sat back down on her own.
"Slander?" Cen Boxi snorted. "Someone saw you and Qi Guanlan hugging and cuddling at the entrance of Honghu Academy. Do you dare to say no?"
The two gasping sounds were astonishing.
Wen Ruo rolled her eyes and said dismissively, "As expected, you have a filthy mind. Everything you see is filthy. He and I are like siblings. Can't we just say goodbye?"
"You only dare to say these things to me. If word gets out and ruins Qi Guanlan's reputation and marriage, even if you have some powerful backers, you won't be able to get away with it."
"Ridiculous," he laughed twice. Everyone knew who Qi Guanlan liked back then; why would he need to be so malicious?
Thinking of this, Cen Boxi's eyes showed a hint of confusion. He stared into her eyes for a long time, then his breath caught in his throat, and his face showed unexpected horror. "You didn't know!"
With her eyes slightly closed and a hint of mockery flashing across them, Wen Ruo raised her eyes again, her gaze now filled with only curiosity. "What do you know? Could it be that you like Qi Guanlan, and that's why you're jealous of me? But you've got the wrong person."
Cen Boyi clicked his tongue and shook his head, his eyes full of schadenfreude. "Some people have just lost their princess consort and have come to this sinister place full of malevolent energy."
She looked at the two people beside her with a surprised and bewildered expression, "Is he talking about me?"
Lu Shaoming gave an awkward smile, "I don't know either."
He An shook his head, "It's none of my business."
"Why do you have so many ulterior motives? You know so much about Qi Guanlan, it seems you've done some research on him. I won't play along."
Wen Ruo frowned. "Thinking about it carefully, it's a bit disgusting."
She moved to the furthest seat and turned to look at He An. "Isn't he a bit too difficult to get along with?"
"I'm straightforward, please don't mind me."
He An and Lü Shaoming's expressions turned somewhat strange, and Cen Boxi's face darkened.
Wen Ruo suppressed a smile. Did she think I was afraid of her? She glanced towards the door and immediately stood up. "Someone's here."
The visitor said with a gloomy face, "Come with me to the archives room. At dusk, I will present the archives to Vice Minister Zhu for review."
Several officials in the file room were writing furiously when someone entered, suddenly looked up, and revealed a strange smile.
A moment later, Wen Ruo looked at the files on the table that were almost piled up like a small mountain, and couldn't help but rub her shoulders. No wonder that person looked so pale just now. No one could stand staying here all day long; their eyes would get blurry from looking at all the files.
Wen Ruo was rubbing her wrist when someone else came in from outside the door. "You guys, come out with me."
Lord Zhu was accompanied by soldiers, and his expression was grim, indicating that something big must have happened. Wen Ruo quickened her pace.
A masked man rode a tall horse, followed by four people walking in step behind him. The two groups of people almost collided.
"Get out of the way!"
The leading man didn't even respect Lord Zhu. His gaze was dismissive, as if he were bestowing a handout. He spoke in a commanding tone, his voice cold and hard, devoid of any warmth.
Wen Ruo glanced at him quickly, and alarm bells rang in her mind. A bizarre feeling welled up inside her. Beneath the mask, a beast lurked in the eyes, lying in wait. Beneath that nonchalant gaze, sharp claws moved, poised precisely at her neck. Danger!
Wen Ruo looked at Zhu Fei, who nodded imperceptibly, reading his lips.
Give Way!
However, due to a chance incident, Wen Ruo buried the matter in her heart, and the group stopped in a dilapidated courtyard. Zhu Fei gave a wink; apart from the four of them, the others were all veterans.
The group of people went in with practiced ease and came out after the time it takes for an incense stick to burn. They then pointed at Wen Ruo and said, "You've looked at the files, right? I'll give you one hour to go in and organize what you've seen into a new file."
He An's face paled, and he looked somewhat resistant. "Just go straight in?"
Upon seeing this, Lü Shaoming immediately patted his chest and said, "If you are afraid, you can follow behind me."
The four of them went in together. Lü Shaoming, who was full of confidence and head held high, suddenly vomited up all his lunch. The stench immediately spread. Wen Ruo watched helplessly as the three men in front of her, one after another, were reduced to just Tangtang, a once dignified seven-foot-tall man.
Without the wooden stakes blocking the view, the entire courtyard is clearly visible.
He An covered his nose and held his breath, "This is disgusting."
After vomiting, Cen Boxi even covered half of his face with a handkerchief. Turning around and seeing Wen Ruo, he said disdainfully, "You haven't said a word for so long, have you been scared silly?"
"Stand up straight before you talk to me."
Her legs were shaking so badly they were practically sieves, but Wen Ruo calmly walked around with her hands behind her back and a measured gait.
Four corpses lay scattered: one was decapitated; another had his hands and feet severed, his limbs missing; another was emaciated, barely skin and bones, his lower body mutilated—he was a eunuch. Only the last one was somewhat presentable, sitting supine on the ground, his eyes bulging, with several loops of wire around his neck.
It was unclear how many days had passed since it died, but swarms of ants crawled into the hole beneath its rotting corpse.
I can't believe I'm only finding out now.
Wen Ruo observed for a while, then looked at the three crooked figures and asked, "Are you done vomiting? We still need to write a report, one for each of us."
Lu Shaoming, his hands trembling, leaned against the pillar. "Wen Ruo, are you even human? How can you remain so calm in the face of this?"
He An, pale-faced, slowly straightened up. "Don't you feel anything?"
Wen Ruo shook her head. "To be honest, I was seriously ill when I was young. The doctor said I had an emotional disorder and needed stimulation, which is why I studied hard and came to Dali Temple."
Cen Boxi's gaze fixed on her. A lack of emotion? No wonder he couldn't understand Qi Guanlan's feelings; it was pathetic. He couldn't help but sigh.
They were surprisingly easy to fool.
Wen Ruo calmly accepted the three people's sympathy and He An's envy. She took out a handkerchief and covered her nose. Her back, squatting in front of the corpse, was unusually imposing.
When she finished investigating one of them and wanted to rest, the three looked at her pitifully. Wen Ruo glanced at the wall and paused for a moment, "You owe me a favor, put it on your tab, do you want it?"
The three of them shouted in unison, "Yes!"
Zhu Fei stood outside the wall and couldn't help but sigh.
The person next to him chuckled, "We have to give them some time to adjust. I didn't expect Wen Ruo to have this kind of illness."
Zhu Fei glanced at him. Stupid, he can't even tell good from bad.
Wen Ruo not only became bolder and bolder, but also became more and more adept at lying through his teeth. It was worth his efforts to persuade the person to come.
It would be a waste of her talent to have her go elsewhere.
On the way back, the three of them hung their heads, their steps unsteady, as if they had lost their souls. Wen Ruo walked at the very back, and she always felt like a corpse driver, with three walking corpses in front of her, stiffly moving their limbs, creating a rather strange scene.
"Help!"
Wen Ruo withdrew her gaze from the three people and looked down to see that she had an extra pendant on her body. The woman looked anxious, her hair was messy, and there were bruises on her face and the corners of her mouth, as if she had just been beaten.
She clung to Wen Ruo's sleeve, trembling, "Save me!"
"Someone is trying to abduct respectable women."
Wen Ruo was stunned for a moment. After not seeing him for several years, a new bully had emerged in the capital?
"I don't want to marry Qi Guanlan."
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