Chapter 44 The Examiner Man
The fine spring rain that fell in the middle of the night turned into a thick spring fog as the sun rose, which did not dissipate until 9:00 AM.
As soon as the fog dissipated, it was almost dinnertime, and bluish-white smoke began to rise from the chimneys of every household, swirling and blending together. Lu Wensheng's house was no exception.
The newly added firewood in the stove crackled and popped. Song Zhiyun vaguely heard what sounded like a knocking sound, so she said to Yingniang, who was busy chopping meat, "It sounds like someone is knocking. I'll go check it out."
With a swift motion, Yingniang stopped her actions and said, "Alright."
Wiping the dust off her hands on her blue apron, Song Zhiyun quickly walked to the courtyard gate.
She had just unbolted the door and opened it when the person burst in without a second thought, accompanied by a barrage of shrill shouts and accusatory remarks.
"Look what your new dog has done!" A baby blanket and adult cotton pants were thrown in front of Song Zhiyun. "Strange people raise strange dogs. The last one was like this, and this one is like this too. Other people's dogs can't stop eating shit, and your dog can't stop biting pants!"
Song Zhiyun bent down to pick up the bedding and trousers, shook them out, glanced at them briefly, and said kindly, "It's alright, there's still hope. It can be patched up and still be used."
The burly woman opposite her scoffed, hands on her hips: "What's the point of patching! We'll have to pay for this!" She raised her hand demanding payment, her expression a mixture of smugness and disdain: "Our Qikuan is about to take the imperial examination this year, and he might even become the top scholar. It's embarrassing for the adults to be dressed in shabby clothes and the eldest son to be wearing old clothes!"
Song Zhiyun glanced calmly at her neighbor, who was practically blaming her, and said gently, "Then I'll go in and get the money. You wait here for a while."
"Hey!" She grabbed Song Zhiyun's upper arm and craned her neck to look inside. "I'll go in with you. What if you change your mind and lock me out?"
Thinking of Lu Wensheng, who was still fast asleep in the room, Song Zhiyun pushed her hand away and politely declined, "It's a little inconvenient for the time being. How about this, I won't close the courtyard gate, you can wait here for a while."
Withdrawing her reluctant gaze, she reluctantly agreed, "Alright then." She wondered if the man she'd seen last night was gone; his profile was truly handsome.
Inside the kitchen.
Upon hearing the familiar, sharp and sarcastic voice, Yingniang quickly grabbed a kitchen knife and ran to the courtyard gate.
Yingniang lifted her skirt and asked, "What's wrong? Are you here to cause trouble again?"
Song Zhiyun wanted to resolve the matter amicably, so she said, "It's alright, you wait here for me for a while, and keep Sister Ren company." Anything that can be solved with money isn't a big deal, and besides, if she really wins, she'll be a colleague of Sheng Sheng's at the Hanlin Academy. It's better to avoid trouble.
Seeing Song Zhiyun walk away, Sister Ren pretended to flick her greasy bangs a few times and glanced at the wary Yingniang.
Aunt Ren cleared her throat, as if she was about to share some earth-shattering secret, but her voice didn't hold back at all: "Let me tell you something interesting. Last night, we had a new baby in our family. We were busy until 9 PM. When we sent the midwife away, I saw with my own eyes that your little adult was carried back by a tall man!"
His shrewd eyes scanned Yingniang's beautiful figure from head to toe, then he shook his head with a hint of pity: "You're already eighteen and still not married. I thought he had high standards, but I didn't expect he got in through connections! It's really unfair to you. In the future, if you don't want to stay in the Lu family, you can come to our Ren family. My son just happens to need a concubine..."
"Dream on!" It was rare to see someone so shameless. Yingniang sneered and immediately interrupted, rolling up her sleeves: "Stop spreading rumors. If you say another word, I'll have a knife for you!"
Aunt Ren didn't believe Yingniang would dare to cut her, and retorted, "Hey! I'm doing this for your own good. Aren't you disgusted by a man who walks both the dry road and the waterway?!"
Yingniang knew that Lu Wensheng was also a girl, but she couldn't say it. She could only get angry. She brandished the kitchen knife in her hand, pretending to chop him up: "If you spread another word of slander, I'll really chop you up!"
The gleaming blade reflected a cold light under the sunlight, quite intimidating.
Sister-in-law Ren instinctively took two steps back.
Unlike Song Zhiyun, Qingying was not tolerant. She sneered and said directly, "I heard what you said to my lady just now, and I saw the bedding. The tear was neat and the threads were clear. It was not bitten by a dog at all. My lady was kind enough not to hold it against you, but you are not satisfied with being able to extort money. You actually stood at my door and spread rumors."
It was lunchtime, and most of the neighbors were home. The loud voices of the argument quickly attracted a crowd of onlookers.
Holding their rice bowls, some stood, some squatted, too intimidated by the cleaver and the power of Aunt Ren to approach; they could only watch from afar.
“You little rascal, your eyesight is terrible. Who would cut up a quilt for no reason?” Aunt Ren argued, her eyes darting around.
“My little girl never said the blanket was cut, Aunt Ren, you’re just admitting it!” Lu Wensheng, who had been standing behind the screen wall, appeared casually and tossed a string of copper coins to Aunt Ren. “I’ll only compensate for what I should pay.”
She had rushed out, so she only casually threw on an outer robe. Her disheveled and languid appearance, combined with her heroic spirit and beauty, easily captured everyone's attention.
Upon seeing Lu Wensheng, Yingniang's eyes lit up. She immediately threw the kitchen knife in her hand onto the shelf beside her and happily went to greet Lu Wensheng, "My lord, you're awake!"
Lu Wensheng affectionately pinched Yingniang's nose and casually draped an arm over her shoulder, saying with a smile, "You're awake."
Aunt Ren shook the string of copper coins in her hand and said with dissatisfaction, "Are you trying to fob me off like a beggar? Those cotton trousers alone are worth half a tael of silver."
Lu Wensheng lifted his eyelids, his arrogant demeanor revealing his nonchalant attitude: "Yeah, they've all come to my doorstep."
She pulled Yingniang behind her and stepped forward, her gaze slightly cold: "The other day, when my family was repairing the wall, you made trouble and insisted that our wall was blocking your light. You managed to extort a sum of money from my mother. You've tasted the sweetness of it all, and now that the blanket for swaddling the baby is torn, you want to use the same trick again. My dog does like to chew pants, but it only chews dirty pants that have been worn for a long time."
At the foot of the imperial city, the Embroidered Uniform Guards are everywhere; we need to find a reason to help Lu Fugui maintain his bad habit.
Looking around at the onlookers, Lu Wensheng raised his voice, each word clear: "When I go to the outhouse, I use toilet paper; when you go to the outhouse, you use toilet sticks. In winter, I hang my underwear out to dry in the yard every day; you only hang your cotton-padded trousers out to dry once every two weeks. Think back to the times you took them off—weren't they dried out by then? Wolfhounds are not only fiercer than mongrels, but their noses are also much more sensitive. A leopard can't change its spots; I'm sure you know that yourself."
Mrs. Ren's face flushed red and then turned pale, filled with doubt.
Having said too much at once, Lu Wensheng couldn't help but lick his slightly numb and sore lips, and then continued, "Also, you saw me using connections! And do you think becoming the top scholar is so easy? Let's leave aside the current affairs essay in the provincial examination for now, let me tell you about the current affairs essay in the palace examination..."
She paused for a moment to ease her discomfort.
A thought flashed through my mind: Was there something wrong with the abalone and mutton I ate last night? My lips are swollen from eating it.
Lu Wensheng: "The policy question in the palace examination is a major policy question posed on the most pressing and fundamental issues facing the country at present. It involves macro-level issues such as politics, economy, military, culture, and education, and requires citing classics and combining them with the current situation."
Lu Wensheng stepped closer and pressed on, saying aggressively, "Does your son know what major and minor events have occurred in the country this year and last year, how significant each event was, and what the gains and losses were? Has he ever considered what it would be like if he were in that position..."
"Enough!" Suddenly feeling as if Lu Wensheng had pierced her heart, Aunt Ren couldn't help but shout.
Her chest heaved violently. "I don't want to hear your sarcastic remarks. No matter how eloquent you are, you haven't been promoted yet! It's been four years. And everyone outside is saying that you won't be in this position for much longer."
“Oh—” Lu Wensheng drawled, “I was saying how dare you bully my mother again while I was away. So you thought I couldn’t keep my official position anymore.”
It's a pity that the appointment letter was submitted to the Ministry of Personnel; otherwise, we could have used it to slap her in the face.
He won't listen to well-intentioned advice, it's pointless!
By the way, Mother and Yingniang don't know the good news of her promotion yet.
Bathed in the warm sunlight, Lu Wensheng stretched, glanced at the onlookers, and decided to close the door, ignoring Aunt Ren.
However, just as she touched the doorknob, a commotion suddenly arose at the entrance of the alley in the distance.
Lu Wensheng was debating whether to meddle in this mess when she saw a large, imposing crowd rushing straight toward her house.
The Imperial Guards led the way to drive the people away, with Feng Gou riding in the middle and the blue-clad eunuchs following behind.
Meeting Lu Wensheng's gaze, Feng Gou neatly dismounted, his eyes gleaming with dark circles, and said happily, "Congratulations on your promotion, Lord Lu. In these special times, we won't go through that complicated process of issuing decrees."
Feng Gou gestured to the accompanying eunuch to hand over the scarlet official robes, ivory token, and imperial edict to Lu Wensheng before continuing, "His Highness asked me to pass on a message to Lord Lu: Just go directly to the Ministry of Rites tomorrow. You will be the chief examiner for the imperial examination in April. You will also be the chief examiner for the metropolitan examination in March. Do a good job, and you will be richly rewarded if you achieve good results!"
Holding the brand-new official robes, Lu Wensheng stood there stunned, incredulous: "The provincial examination and the palace examination are just around the corner, and I'm a newly appointed official. This is just too much of a hasty decision!"
Has Shen Hegui taken the wrong medicine? Why would she let such a sought-after person be the chief examiner?
Moreover, the approval process was far too fast, taking less than twelve hours. And the official robes were probably made overnight.
Exhausted, Feng Gou forced a smile and whispered, "It's alright. The imperial examination was only decided last month. If Lord Lu has any questions or concerns, feel free to speak with His Highness. I haven't slept all night and I really can't stay up any longer. I just want to get back as soon as possible."
Pulling herself back to reality, Lu Wensheng noticed the dark circles under his eyes and sincerely said, "You've worked hard, Da Ban!"
Feng Gou: "It's not bitter, just tiring." It's one thing for His Highness not to treat me like a human being, but it's another for him not to treat me like a human being either.
He turned and waved to the long procession behind him, urging loudly, "Why aren't you moving the boxes inside? Are you waiting for Lord Lu to do it himself?"
Lu Wensheng considerately made way for Feng Gou and stood beside him. He counted the boxes and found that there were actually dozens of them. He quickly asked, "What are these?"
Feng Gou: "Ginseng, deer antler, bird's nest, cordyceps and other tonics, plus bedding made by the needlework bureau, tribute silk, and some gold and silver, as well as soap specially selected by His Highness."
Lu Wensheng: "?"
The first part is understandable, but what's with the last one?
Before the doubts had subsided, a huge sense of confusion arose in an instant.
Lu Wensheng raised his hand and pointed to the end of the line: "And what's that?"
Feng Gou squinted and followed her fingertip, answering matter-of-factly: "Stone pole, knife, spear, sword, club, bow."
Lu Wensheng: "...I remember, I joined the Ministry of Rites, not the Ministry of War."
Feng Gou suddenly realized: "It's the Ministry of Rites. His Highness said your body is too weak and he's afraid you won't be able to withstand much hardship in the future. He wants you to stay home and exercise properly. He will check on you once a month from now on."
Lu Wensheng didn't understand.
It's just going to work at the Ministry of Rites, what's so difficult about it?
They're even doing spot checks! She didn't believe Shen Hegui had the time or energy for that! Maybe he'd forget about it in a few days.
...
After seeing Feng Gou off, Lu Wensheng closed the courtyard gate with a satisfied smile.
Shen Hegui was a lifesaver for her; Aunt Ren's expression just now was absolutely priceless!
The neighbor I offended actually became my son's examiner.
Hahaha! Even a wish-fulfillment novel wouldn't dare write something like this, it's too fantastical.
As Lu Wensheng was savoring the moment, her fair earlobe was suddenly lifted up.
Lu Wensheng: "Ouch, ouch, ouch!" This familiar feeling... I'm doomed!
"You still know pain!" Song Zhiyun said to Yingniang, who was standing nearby, "Go check the fire on the stove. We'll eat together after I've finished beating my son."
"Alright." Yingniang was used to it, only giving Lu Wensheng a helpless look.
After navigating around the numerous boxes in the courtyard, Song Zhiyun carried Lu Wensheng back to her room.
With a stern face, Song Zhiyun picked up the feather duster she had prepared beforehand and asked, "Who was the man who carried you back last night? Did you let him get close to you?"
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Author's Note: Little Deer: The hassle of going to work
Crown Prince: Tossing and turning on the bed
P.S.: I was locked out by zjk in the middle of the night last night. The inexplicable candlelight descriptions in the previous chapter were for the purpose of creating a barrier. I was worried that some readers might not have understood, so I'll explain: It's because after the male lead kissed the deer, he discovered that he could actually get aroused when he was with the deer.
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