Chapter 65 Master Xu
As Zhu Yuhuan's carriage arrived at the entrance of the Xu family clinic, she saw a familiar person working inside. She raised her eyebrows slightly and said to Han Guilan, "This Xu Yun is still staying at the Xu family temporarily?"
Han Guilan whispered, "I asked Madam Xu last time. Real estate in the capital is expensive, and Editor Xu can't afford to buy a house. After all, he's a distant relative, so I rented a room to him."
Zhu Yuhuan watched Xu Yun gathering all his strength to grind the herbs, and he was a little amused. He said, "This editor Xu is really hardworking and motivated."
She had seen the imperial edict. Xu Yun was ranked second, which was already a good result. In addition, he performed well, so he was selected as a Shujishi and soon got the position of editor in the Hanlin Academy.
Logically speaking, if he had developed to this point on his own, he could have gotten an official position in one of the six ministries by simply clinging to the thighs of the cabinet ministers. Why bother to bother Zhu Yuhuan? But Xu Yun was quite stubborn. Zhu Yuhuan only came to the Xu family once in a long time, but he always met him. It seemed that even the military general Shi Heng was more reserved than him.
Han Guilan was very cautious about this and said to Zhu Yuhuan, "This Xu Yun definitely has bad intentions, and his appearance is not as dignified as others. Your Highness must be careful."
Zhu Yuhuan was amused by her words and said, "Having bad intentions has its uses. If he has no ability, even if I put food in front of his mouth, others can still snatch it away." She lowered her eyelids and said, "Besides, if someone can make a living by his own ability, why would he come to serve us?"
Looking around, who was less reliable than Zhu Yuhuan, Zhu Zhanji or the Three Yangs in the cabinet? Zhu Zhanji's connections were difficult to reach, but the Three Yangs would also review the list of candidates, and if they found someone they admired, they would undoubtedly promote him privately. In contrast, Zhu Yuhuan was a shady individual, with little to no long-term or even short-term benefits.
Although Xue Xuan didn't mention it, Zhu Yuhuan knew he was recommended for an external post by the Three Yangs, and that Wunong Temple was merely a stepping stone. However, Xue Xuan was a candid and knowledgeable person, and a gentleman's friendship was as pure as water, so associating with him wasn't a bad idea. Zeng Heling, a former lecturer to Zhu Yuhuan, naturally had a close relationship with him, so there was no need to specifically win him over; simply maintaining contact and taking the next step when the time came would be enough.
Han Guilan understood what Zhu Yuhuan meant and asked, "Then...what are your plans, Your Highness?"
Zhu Yuhuan said with a smile: "He is so determined, it would be bad for us to keep him hanging. Let's go."
"yes."
Zhu Yuhuan lowered the curtain and entered the courtyard. He looked around but didn't see Xu Wangzhi. Then he asked, "Why don't I see Madam Xu?"
Xu Yun finally had the chance to put down his work and hurriedly said, "Madam Xu, please count the herbs in there. The older stock needs to be processed as soon as possible. There are also the newly arrived herbs sent by the merchant..."
Zhu Yuhuan looked him up and down and said, "Are you the scholar who's staying at Madam Xu's house temporarily?" Seeing Xu Yun put down the millstone in his hand, she quickly said, "Master, don't worry, my business is not urgent. You can continue with your work. Don't let me delay your own work. It's really rare for someone as talented as you to find time to help Madam Xu with her work."
Xu Yun knew Zhu Yuhuan's true identity. Once he was given this high hat, Xu Yun could only pick up the millstone and grind the medicine again, saying, "How dare I? I'm just a lowly official. How can I be called a master?"
Zhu Yuhuan said with a smile: "All things are inferior, only reading is superior. When you meet a scholar, you naturally have to call him master." After that, she added a handful of herbs, as if she was afraid that Xu Yun would grind them all.
Seeing Xu Yun looking at him in disbelief, Zhu Yuhuan's smile widened. He waved the herbs in his hand and said, "God rewards hard work. Knowledge and action should be integrated. It's best if your understanding and work don't conflict. It's best if you don't delay either. This is the kind of well-rounded pillars of our country need."
Xu Yun sensed a hidden meaning in Zhu Yuhuan's words and dared not entertain any further thoughts. He pondered for a moment and said, "Some time ago, Your Majesty issued an edict inviting close ministers to visit Wunong Temple. This shows that while knowledge is important, what is more important is that knowledge can be put to use by Your Majesty and benefit the country and the people."
Zhu Yuhuan couldn't help but smile when she heard this and said, "You seem to be very clear about the affairs of the court. It shows that you have great ambitions." After that, she put the new medicinal materials into Xu Yun's grinding trough, obviously signaling him to continue.
Wunong Temple and Zhu Yuhuan are indeed closely connected, and it can be said that Zhu Yuhuan fully promoted its establishment. However, Zhu Yuhuan himself did not hold any official position in Wunong Temple, and the greatest credit should go to the emperor who "agreed to build Wunong Temple", so naturally no one paid much attention to Zhu Yuhuan.
More importantly, the Wunong Temple was mainly responsible for the kind of craftsmanship and machinery that most scholars looked down upon, and its functions overlapped with those of the Ministry of Works. The Ministry of Works could at least make some money, but the Wunong Temple was just a group of craftsmen, and with Princess Shunde as its "goddess of hearing", it was not really a good government office.
Xu Yun's hands kept moving, and he remained neither humble nor arrogant. He said, "If you want to serve the people as an official in the court, you must be fully aware of the court's movements."
Zhu Yuhuan raised the corner of his mouth and said, "Master Xu is truly a good official."
Xu Yun's words were somewhat bland, and he immediately realized that his words were too vague. He quickly tried to make amends, "But I am also a scholar after all, and naturally I also want to realize my ambitions. Only by paying more attention to... paying attention to the court's movements, can I have the opportunity to climb to a high position..."
He was very cautious when he said this, obviously afraid that he would accidentally anger Zhu Yuhuan.
In order to meet Princess Shunde, Xu Yun started helping out in the clinic. It has been almost a year now, and Xu Yun's mentality has gradually calmed down from the initial anxiety. He also thought about giving up halfway. After all, no matter how much reputation Princess Shunde has among the people, it cannot be used to make a living. What's more important is how solid can a princess's background be?
But over the past year, while working as an editor, Xu Yun had heard from several eunuchs that Princess Shunde had a very good relationship with the Crown Prince and the Second Prince. The princess had even personally taught the Crown Prince riding, archery, and schoolwork. If he could establish a connection with the princess, he could eventually become a tutor to the Crown Prince. While it wouldn't be considered a meteoric rise now, it would mean he was close to the current Crown Prince and the future Emperor!
Will you still worry about not having a high position, generous salary, and reputation by then?
As long as he can achieve his goal, he would be willing to grind not only one pound of medicinal materials every day, but also ten or a hundred pounds!
Zhu Yuhuan just smiled when she heard it and said, "That's right. You can tell it's the truth just by listening to it." There seemed to be a hint of smile in her tone, but her eyes did not have the slightest warmth. She just stared at Xu Yun quietly.
Since they were both sitting, they were looking at each other at eye level, but her gaze made Xu Yun inexplicably feel as if he was being looked down upon from above.
Xu Yun was unsure of Zhu Yuhuan's thoughts for a moment, so he could only grind the medicine mechanically and quickly think about Princess Shunde's intentions.
It was Xu Wangzhi who came out of the house first. Seeing Xu Yun's already full grinding trough, he couldn't help but scream and shouted, "Stop grinding! How can you use up all this?"
Her precious medicinal herbs! They are almost ground into powder!
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