Sun Jian took the two silver ingots, which weighed a total of forty taels each, and each ingot was made of pure silver and weighed twenty taels each.
"Why is that?" Sun Jian frowned, not understanding what Magistrate Wang meant.
Wang Youren reminded him from the side, "Sir, this has always been the rule. You can give them to Imperial Envoy Liu of the Hanlin Academy and Eunuch Zhang, the Deputy Chief Eunuch of the Directorate of Ceremonial, later."
"What the hell... what kind of rules are these... I haven't even been to the imperial court yet, and they're already so blatantly greedy..."
Before Sun Jian could finish complaining, Imperial Envoy Liu from the Hanlin Academy and Eunuch Zhang, the Deputy Chief Eunuch of the Directorate of Ceremonial, strode forward.
"This old servant congratulates Reader Sun."
"Haha, congratulations, Reader Sun!"
“At such a young age, you have already gained His Majesty’s favor; your future is limitless.”
The two men exchanged pleasantries with clasped hands, appearing polite on the surface, but in reality, they were waiting for Sun Jian's money.
Magistrate Wang had been an official for many years. Although his official rank was not high, he knew the ins and outs of the place. He quickly turned to Sun Jian and said, "Reader Sun, let me introduce you. This is Eunuch Zhang, the deputy chief steward of the Imperial Household Department in the capital."
"The Directorate of Ceremonial is one of the twelve directorates of our Great Qian Dynasty, responsible for the seal, the pen, court proceedings, criminal matters, and inner court etiquette."
"This is Lord Liu, a scholar and compiler of the Hanlin Academy, and also the imperial envoy nominated to draft the edict and convey the imperial decree."
Sun Jian greeted the two men with clasped hands, exchanged a few pleasantries, and then stuffed the silver ingots that Magistrate Wang had prepared for him into the hands of Eunuch Zhang and Lord Liu.
The two pretended to decline for a while, exchanged a few polite words, and finally both took the two into their arms.
"You're too kind, Attendant Sun. This old servant will gladly accept your offer."
"Yes, Attendant Sun is clearly a man of great talent. His Majesty's eye for talent is truly excellent. He will certainly take good care of Attendant Sun in the court in the future."
Anyone can say polite words, and Sun Jian was no exception.
After a brief back-and-forth, Sun Jian said loudly, "Could you gentlemen please wait a moment while I settle my family affairs? Once everything is settled, we can set off with the team immediately."
According to the normal procedure, after the imperial edict of appointment is delivered, one must pack up briefly and set off immediately, without any delays along the way, to return to the capital to express gratitude.
However, since Eunuch Zhang and Lord Liu had just received twenty ingots of silver from Sun Jian, they would naturally give Sun Jian some time to make an exception.
"Alright, Reader Sun, do it as soon as possible."
"It's alright, it's alright, as long as it's not too late."
Sun Jian also took the opportunity to back down, saying, "You two have worked hard and the journey has been arduous. Please rest for a while while I make some arrangements at home, and then we will set off."
Seeing that the two men had agreed, Magistrate Wang gave Wang Youren a look, and Wang Youren understood immediately. He then led the two men to the village chief's house to rest.
Seeing that everyone had left the courtyard, leaving only Magistrate Wang and his three wives, Sun Jian finally breathed a sigh of relief.
"Thank you very much, Lord Wang, for the forty ingots of silver."
"It's alright, it's alright, it's nothing."
Magistrate Wang waved his hand and landed next to Sun Jian.
"Forty taels is no small sum. Here, take it back."
Not wanting to owe Wang County a favor, Sun Jian casually counted out forty taels of silver from his pocket and handed them to him.
To everyone's surprise, Magistrate Wang flatly refused.
"What are you doing, sir? I haven't even repaid the favor of saving my wife before. Why do we need to be so clear about things?"
Seeing that his stubbornness was not a bad thing, Sun Jian stopped worrying about it too much.
He then put the silver note back into his pocket.
"Sir, you must know that this matter was recommended by your mentor, Yao, right?"
Since there was no one left, Magistrate Wang no longer bothered to hide anything.
"Alas, Teacher Yao recommended you, partly out of a sense of duty, and partly out of concern for the people of the world."
"His Majesty is currently in poor health, beset by internal and external troubles, and the Great Campaign is already in a precarious state."
"Please don't blame my teacher, sir. He had no choice but to do it."
Sun Jian waved his hand, saying that things had come to this point, so why blame anyone?
"Oh, what are you saying? Without Governor Yao, my three wives might have met with misfortune. He's not trying to harm me. Please understand."
Ultimately, Sun Jian should thank Yao Tianzheng.
If Yao Tianzheng hadn't stepped in first to subdue that scoundrel of a prefect, his three wives would probably have been defiled by Li Jian that very night.
However, the imperial decree came too quickly. His small workshop had just started, the potatoes had just been harvested, and everything was just starting to look good. But now he was about to leave his hometown and go to Kyoto to take up a post.
"I am deeply gratified that you, sir, are so understanding and righteous."
Magistrate Wang patted Sun Jian on the shoulder: "Sir, you will soon be serving as an official in the court. The court is fraught with danger, so you must be careful in everything you do."
"Wang came here today to remind you of these things."
Sun Jian listened attentively, after all, he was still too unfamiliar with the court of Daqian. If he was not prepared, even if he was very smart, he would not be a match for those old foxes in the court.
"After all, I am of low rank and have little influence. It was Governor Yao who asked me to convey these words to you."
Magistrate Wang began to explain in detail to Sun Jian the important people in the court.
"The current court is divided into four factions. First, there are many old ministers led by His Majesty's lineage. You are His Majesty's appointed tutor to the Crown Prince. I think these old ministers will at most question you, but they won't do anything else."
"Then there is the lineage of the current prime minister, Lin Xuanfu, led by the Longxi clan. We should pay special attention to him. He is the head of the Three Dukes and holds the title of Grand Commandant. The Longxi clan under his control is full of talented people, scattered in various departments and offices. It can be said that it is a large and deeply rooted clan."
"This person is too ruthless, unscrupulous, and has a deep and cunning mind."
"Hmm, second only to the emperor, holding the highest position among ministers. It seems His Majesty trusts him a lot. Such a person should be cultivated."
Sun Jian nodded, agreeing with what Magistrate Wang had said.
"No! I'm reminding you to stay away from him! And to be extra careful around him."
"Stay away? Be careful?"
Sun Jian frowned and pressed for an answer.
That doesn't seem right.
This person holds a very high position in the court and should be one of His Majesty's closest confidants. As the Crown Prince's tutor, we should be aligned in our goals after His Majesty's death and the Crown Prince ascends the throne. Why should we be wary of him and keep our distance?
"Perhaps Governor Yao and I are overthinking it. As the tutor to the Crown Prince, you naturally wouldn't have the opportunity to come into contact with such a powerful minister in a short period of time. But please remember, sir, try not to have any contact with him or any interaction with him."
"The more you talk, the more confused I get."
"Why should we be so careful and stay away? Could it be that he has ulterior motives?"
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