Chapter 41 Let's take you home
Jiang Ru didn't expect Pei Wu to be so clear about the distinctions. He would use his own money to buy drinks at the beverage shop, but he would keep the money Jiang Ru gave him.
Jiang Ru looked at the money in his purse with surprise, paused for a moment, and then said, "Well, you're quite principled."
Pei Wu then put away the tassel. Although he didn't say anything, his thoughts were clearly written on his face. Jiang Ru initially thought he had no temper, but later realized that Pei Wu often had his own little thoughts.
Having proven himself, and with time running out, Jiang Ru urged Pei Wu to leave quickly, and Pei Wu turned and left.
He walked at a leisurely pace, his back view long and slender. The sunlight bathed his crimson robe in a warm golden glow, his sleeves fluttering, making him the most outstanding figure in the crowd.
But he was walking too slowly, so Jiang Ru called out to his back, "Hurry up, run, or you'll be late!"
Pei Wu paused for a moment, taking larger strides. He didn't run, but his walking speed increased significantly, and his steady gait was reassuring.
Thinking that she shouldn't be late, Jiang Ru returned to the shop.
At this moment, the crowd of onlookers outside the shop dispersed slightly, but they were filled with resentment and cursing the scoundrel who had cheated them.
Before Jiang Ru, the "petty person" being insulted, even got close, some sharp-eyed customers spotted her and condemned her, saying, "How dare you lie to us?"
Faced with the indignant guests, Jiang Ru patiently reassured them: "I'm doing this all for your own good."
Everyone:
Jiang Ru said earnestly, "The top scholar is young and easily embarrassed. Didn't you see his face turn red when you looked at him like that? What if you frighten him and he doesn't come back?"
What she said seemed to make some sense; at least the guests who were initially angry softened a little.
Jiang Ru pressed on, saying, "Come visit me more often in the future. What if you happen to see the top scholar one day? If you do, don't go up to him. Just steal a few glances, that way everyone can see him, right?"
People can easily distinguish between seeing something once and seeing it many times. Seeing that everyone had been persuaded, Jiang Ru suggested, "Would you like a bowl of drink?"
"Since you're already here, bring a bowl. Bring out whatever you like to drink."
"I want the one that the top scholar drinks, bring me a bowl."
"I want one too! I want one too!"
Jiang Ru smiled and said, "Right away, right away, one by one."
Riding on Pei Wu's coattails, Jiang Ru shamelessly renamed several drinks that Pei Wu had consumed in the shop as "Top Scholar Drinks." With the celebrity effect, the shop was packed with customers every day, and the income soared.
After Jiang Ru made grand promises to them, she was worried that Pei Wu would come over on his own again. However, Pei Wu was so busy from that day on that he didn't even have time to eat, let alone go to the beverage shop. He simply didn't have time to come over.
Sometimes he was so busy at night that he often didn't get back until after midnight. At first, Xiao Fang and Xiao Chen would stay with him, but after a few times, Pei Wu sent them back.
Sometimes he would come back and only get two hours of sleep before he had to go back. It wasn't that there weren't places to rest in the Hanlin Academy; it was common for people to stay there when they were too busy. But Pei Wu was particularly stubborn about this; he insisted on coming back no matter what.
Although he was an official and lived under the emperor's nose, and no one dared to lay a hand on him, Jiang Ru still felt unsafe.
Pei Wu left early and returned late. She slept soundly at night and in the morning, so she didn't run into him at all. She only heard from Xiao Fang and Xiao Chen that he didn't return until after 1-3 AM the day before, and then left again at 5-7 AM.
Working day and night with little sleep, Jiang Ru was afraid he would die suddenly. She was not only afraid he would die suddenly, but also afraid he would have an accident.
Finally, one day, when Pei Wu returned in the early morning, Jiang Ru stayed in the room, forcing herself to stay awake and wait for him. Her room and Pei Wu's room were located at opposite ends of the main hall, and Pei Wu's return was very quiet. If Jiang Ru didn't listen carefully, she wouldn't hear it at all, let alone when she was fast asleep.
Even so as not to wake Jiang Ru, Pei Wu would wash up before returning. Jiang Ru didn't understand why he still wanted to come back after all that. Was the Hanlin Academy really that hard to stay in?
The moment Pei Wu stepped into the main hall, Jiang Ru came out of the room, looking at Pei Wu with hostile eyes.
Pei Wu was startled by her. He was already being careful, afraid that Jiang Ru would hear him. Suddenly, someone appeared out of nowhere, and he slipped, only managing to avoid falling by grabbing the door.
Before Jiang Ru could speak, he reflected on his own actions and asked, "Did I wake you up?"
Jiang Ru didn't answer him, but pointed to the moon outside. In the dead of night, a bright moon was hidden in the clouds. It was dark and windy, and there was no sound.
Jiang Ru said irritably, "Look at the time yourself."
Pei Wu still thought he had woken Jiang Ru up, and quickly admitted his mistake: "I'm sorry, I'll try to be quieter in the future."
Is this a problem with speaking softly?
Jiang Ru was almost furious with him. She pointed at Pei Wu, wanting to yell at him, but she didn't know how to yell because she wasn't used to it. In the end, she could only take a deep breath and say, "I'm telling you not to come back too late in the future. Aren't you afraid to walk at night?"
Pei Wu said, "I'm not afraid."
Jiang Ru: "Why did you have to come back? Couldn't you have just stayed at the Hanlin Academy?"
Pei Wu remained silent, offering only silent resistance.
Before Jiang Ru could say anything more, Pei Wu spoke first: "Cousin, it's late, you should go to sleep."
After saying that, he fled back to his room as if trying to escape.
Jiang Ru was so angry that she couldn't sleep at night, tossing and turning. She was determined to teach Pei Wu a lesson.
The next day, just as midnight struck, Jiang Ru took Xiao Chen and Xiao Fang out together.
This area is residential, and the Daxia Night Market is bustling, but the houses are very quiet at night, with very few people around.
Not to mention Pei Wu, even with Xiao Fang and the others, the three of them were a little scared to walk alone at night.
Fortunately, this place was not far from the Hanlin Academy. Jiang Ru walked cautiously for a while and finally arrived at the Hanlin Academy.
The Hanlin Academy is guarded daily, including at night. Xiao Fang and Xiao Chen had been there before, and the guards only recognized them, but not Jiang Ru. To be on the safe side, he told Jiang Ru and the others that they needed to report before they could enter.
Jiang Ru naturally had no objections and went in to report.
A few footsteps sounded from inside the door shortly after. When the door opened, Pei Wu stood there, his slightly brooding gaze falling on Jiang Ru. He asked, "Why are you here?"
Although it was summer, it was still cold in the middle of the night. Jiang Ru shivered. Pei Wu paused for a moment, then stepped aside to let them in.
Jiang Ru was visiting Pei Wu's office for the first time and looked around curiously.
The room was fairly tidy, surprisingly clean compared to the other rooms. Apart from a few scraps of ink on the books and some slightly messy documents, everything else was neatly arranged.
Pei Wu offered his chair to Jiang Ru, tidied up his desk, and then asked Jiang Ru, "You still haven't answered me, what are you doing here?"
Jiang Ru placed the food box she had brought on the table and looked innocently at Pei Wu: "I brought you a midnight snack."
"Nothing else?" Pei Wu's voice was low, his brows furrowed, as if he was suppressing his anger.
Jiang Ru shook her head: "Of course not. You've worked so hard, of course I have to bring you a late-night snack."
Pei Wu stared at her silently for a long while. The room was eerily quiet. Confirming that she really had only come to deliver a late-night snack, Pei Wu couldn't help but scold, "Nonsense."
Jiang Ru: "What nonsense am I talking about?"
Pei Wu's aura seemed to drop several degrees: "What time is it? Why would I need a midnight snack? It's you who went so far at night, so careless about yourself?"
Jiang Ru said seriously, "It's okay, I asked Xiao Chen and Xiao Fang to come with me."
Pei Wu frowned: "That won't work either."
Jiang Ru: "Why not? You don't come back until midnight, why can't I come to see you in the middle of the night?"
These are completely different. He is him, and Jiang Ru is Jiang Ru. It would be very dangerous for a young woman like Jiang Ru to go out alone at night.
Pei Wu was completely helpless against her, unable to scold her, and could only get a little angry in the end: "Come on, I'll take you home."
Jiang Ru refused to leave, saying, "You've taken me home, are you coming back?"
Naturally, he wouldn't come. It would take a lot of time to come and go, and besides, Pei Wu was originally planning to go back, but who knew that Jiang Ru would suddenly come.
Hearing that he wouldn't reply, Jiang Ru finally felt relieved. She opened the food box and said, "I really brought you a late-night snack. Eat it and then come back."
Pei Wu wanted to refuse, but when he saw Jiang Ru's bright eyes, he immediately lost all his temper and could only sit on the low stool and quickly finish the midnight snack.
After finishing their late-night snack, the group headed back home. Pei Wu remained silent, his face cold, and walked quietly behind Jiang Ru. Jiang Ru, on the other hand, was in a very good mood and occasionally hummed a few lines of a song.
Jiang Ru returned home smoothly and ran happily into the yard as soon as she entered the door. After running a few steps, Pei Wu called her back.
Jiang Ru turned around. Under the moonlight, Pei Wu's figure was aloof and cold, but his expression was somewhat helpless. He said in a low voice, "If it's too late in the future, I won't come back. Don't come to pick me up anymore."
He said this as if he had forced a big concession, unwillingly, but Jiang Ru liked to force things. She raised her lips and smiled, "We need to set some rules first. Let's do it this way: after 7 PM every day, don't come back."
Pei Wu frowned: "Hai Shi (9-11 PM)."
Jiang Ru: "It's the hour of Xu (7-9 PM), after which you can no longer bargain."
It's also because it gets dark later in summer, otherwise Jiang Ru would have adjusted the time forward a little more.
Pei Wu: "The fourth quarter of Hai hour."
Jiang Ru thought for a moment and said, "Okay, but that's the most I can have."
Perhaps seeing that Jiang Ru was more agreeable at this moment, Pei Wu paused, then tried to push his luck again, but Jiang Ru raised an eyebrow and said, "If you say that again, it will still be the hour of Xu (7-9 PM)."
Pei Wu had no choice but to keep his words to himself.
It must be said that this "lesson" was quite useful; at least Pei Wu really didn't come back in the middle of the night anymore. Sometimes, when he was really in a hurry, he would stay overnight at the Hanlin Academy.
However, he rarely stayed overnight at the Hanlin Academy because he had learned to time his arrival perfectly, and he would arrive just in time for the fourth quarter of Hai hour (9:45 PM). Jiang Ru wanted to say something to him, but she couldn't.
Later, Pei Wu became even smarter and started bringing the books home, often staying in his study until midnight.
At least he was at home, so there was no danger. Since he was always busy working late into the night anyway, Jiang Ru didn't say anything to him.
After working for more than a month, Pei Wu finally finished. He had been working non-stop and finally got a few days off, so he stayed home to catch up on sleep.
Jiang Ru thought that Pei Wu might be able to rest for a few days after finishing all this work. However, on a sunny morning, an imperial edict promoting him was delivered to the Hanlin Academy.
"By imperial decree, Pei Wu, a compiler of the Hanlin Academy, is a highly capable and virtuous official, skilled in compiling the national history. His talents are exceptional, his character harmonious, and he is entrusted with the responsibility of governing the country… He is hereby appointed as the Privy Councilor…"
He rose from a sixth-rank official, a compiler in the Hanlin Academy, to a fifth-rank official, a chief secretary of the Privy Council.
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The author's note: The imperial edict comes from the Song Dynasty's Great Edicts Collection.
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