Free Web NovelChapter 1115: Chapter 951: What a Coincidence
Yun Zemin heard that Gu Chengyu and Fang Huai had some friendship, and his heart couldn’t help but feel delighted. Is this a sign he’s going to be retained? Otherwise, he wouldn’t have openly talked about it.
He raised his hopeful eyes to look at Gu Chengyu, but found that Gu Chengyu was no longer talking to him. Instead, Gu Chengyu had turned to look at Wang Zui.
Wang Zui’s background was not as tumultuous. He arrived at the Dali Temple around the same time as Yun Zemin. But since arriving, there was no movement of officials, and he was therefore put aside.
Moreover, the person who recommended him wasn’t a high-ranking official, just a distant relative of the third branch of Duke Zhen’s Mansion.
The saying goes, "A distant relative is far away," but his family pleaded, considering past familial ties, Duke Zhen’s Mansion reluctantly found him a position.
Gu Chengyu touched his nose, thinking, "It’s a small world indeed!"
Wang Zui himself said that being able to pass the provincial examination was like burning incense in a previous life, as he barely scraped through at the bottom.
Gu Chengyu actually wanted to laugh because he was reminded of Hua, who always came last in previous exams.
Unfortunately, Hua’s good luck seemed to run out when he took the academy exam; despite taking it twice more, he still couldn’t even pass as a scholar, just a step away.
However, Wang Zui probably wasn’t very knowledgeable. Given that Duke Zhen’s Mansion is such an opportunistic family, if he was truly talented, they wouldn’t just support him until he became an Advanced Scholar, but they would have found him a decent and less demanding job.
The workload of a clerk at the Dali Temple isn’t small, leaving no time for studying.
Furthermore, before becoming an Advanced Scholar, doing errands here doesn’t sound too dignified.
Wang Zui didn’t expect Mr. Gu to actually pick him; this was truly good luck. As long as Mr. Gu chose him, he couldn’t be replaced.
After all, Mr. Gu’s fiancée is the legitimate daughter of the Duke Zhen’s Mansion’s main branch; even if not for Mr. Gu, one must show respect considering their status!
His cousin is indeed the wife of the third branch of Duke Zhen’s Mansion. Although her husband is of illegitimate birth, she retains the title of daughter-in-law of Duke Zhen’s Mansion before the family split.
Finding this job, his cousin indeed exerted a significant effort.
Upon learning the general situation of the two, Gu Chengyu had a grasp. For him, as long as one earnsestly does the job, there’s no need to care for other matters.
"I chose you two because you don’t seem like the type to shirk responsibilities. This official appreciates doing one’s duty with a proper attitude. In this place, there’s no need to be constrictive, but don’t make decisions on your own; otherwise, I won’t be kind. No matter who you are connected with or who has relations with me, these are treated equally here. As long as you work earnestly, this official won’t treat you unfairly. Alright, do you have any objections?"
Gu Chengyu felt that starting with authority and then showing kindness was most appropriate; this Yun Zemin was not a concern.
But Wang Zui, being a relative of Duke Zhen’s Mansion, if he relied on this identity to slack off, Gu Chengyu would still not keep him.
Gu Chengyu didn’t think highly of the impulsive nature of the Duke Zhen’s Mansion head. As for other members of the mansion, he hadn’t interacted with them; hence, couldn’t comment much.
It was said that two years ago, the head of the third branch, Yao Qingqi, secured an external County Magistrate position. As for why he only handled miscellaneous affairs within the mansion for so many years, there might have been many reasons, which an outsider wouldn’t know.
At any rate, it was evident of the status of the third master in the mansion, and the relationship with the main branch wasn’t that close.
Plus, being a distant relative of the third mistress, one doesn’t know how distant of a relative. They weren’t closely related to the main branch, so how much face could they expect to leave?
"Reporting to the official, we have no objections!" Yun Zemin and Wang Zui exchanged glances, each saw delight in the other’s eyes.
Gu Chengyu hadn’t expected that casually choosing two people would connect them to him, which only goes to show how small the official circle is!
"Hmm!" As soon as Gu Chengyu finished speaking, both of them stepped forward to tidy things for Gu Chengyu.
When Gu Chengyu arrived earlier, he brought his usual four treasures of the study.
"Official, I’ll go ahead to see if Lord Kuang has returned to the government office." Yun Zemin took a step forward and said to Gu Chengyu.
Gu Chengyu nodded, "Go ahead and have a look! Though Lord Kuang is busy with official duties, as I just arrived today, it’s appropriate to pay respects to Lord Kuang."
After all, having just joined the Dali Temple, without guidance from above, how could he start working?
"Earlier, I heard Mr. Ma was just in the room and hasn’t gone out on official business these past days." Wang Zui saw Yun Zemin beginning to show initiative, so he naturally wanted to keep up.
The Mr. Ma referred to was Ma Zhihong, who was initially tasked by the Emperor to investigate the Hejian Prefecture case. freёweɓnovel.com
However, later Ma Zhihong didn’t find any useful information and was harshly reprimanded by the Emperor.
Gu Chengyu later discovered that Ma Zhihong belonged to the Eldest Prince’s faction.
Ma Zhihong was the Left Vice Minister of the Ministry of Justice, and Gu Chengyu was the Right Junior Minister, which ranked him indeed ahead of Gu Chengyu.
And this is Gu Chengyu’s first day as a new officer, so an initial visit was necessary.
Though previously Ma Zhihong was reprimanded because of him, one wonders if he would react negatively upon seeing him.
Alas! Gu Chengyu couldn’t help but feel a headache; it’s just the first day on duty, and there are already two who dislike him, making future days presumably arduous.
"Official! Then I’ll leave!" At this moment, Yun Zemin was full of enthusiasm; if Gu Chengyu’s career prospered, his status would simultaneously elevate, and perhaps he might even have the luck to work closely under him.
In the future, depending on connections, he could be part of becoming an unofficial official too.
Scholars can become officials; even if unofficial, an eighth or ninth grade rank is still an official, isn’t it?
The Director at the Dali Temple is just a Standard Ninth Rank. He was also just of scholar origin.
Moreover, if he had the opportunity to retake the provincial examination and became a scholar, wouldn’t the opportunity be even greater?
Gu Chengyu nodded in approval, very pleased to see the two of them secretly competing, working diligently. So far, these two choices hadn’t been a mistake.
For busy people, time passes quickly. For Gu Chengyu, such peaceful moments are extremely rare.
Ever since entering the officialdom, he seemed to be always busy, never having a moment to spare.
A person is not made of iron; even if the physical stamina keeps up, the mood still needs rare relaxation.
Over an hour had passed, yet Kuang Zhao Ying was still not back.
After Yun Zemin and Wang Zui roughly explained the Dali Temple’s personnel to Gu Chengyu, they withdrew, going to the next room, which was their office and resting place.
After leaving the room, both couldn’t help but let out a sigh of relief. It was apparent that Mr. Gu was being ignored by Lord Kuang; at the moment, although Mr. Gu didn’t express it verbally or appear anxious, they felt that Gu Chengyu might already be burning with anger inside.
How would they dare to remain before Gu Chengyu to be an eyesore? Who knew if this official would become indignant and vent on them?
