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Xiao Heng went to the Hanlin Academy, and Ning Zhiyuan had been waiting for him in his office.
When he saw Xiao Heng approaching, he stood up quickly and walked towards him with great enthusiasm, grabbing his arms and looking him up and down. He said, "Are you okay? I heard you were kidnapped by a.s.sa.s.sins! Who could be so despicable?"
The Emperor had originally intended to announce Ning w.a.n.g"s charge of abducting Xiao Liulang, but Empress Xiao and Princess Xinyang stopped him.
Although Princess Xinyang did not confess all the truth about Xiao Heng to Empress Xiao, she understood that if news of Ning w.a.n.g"s attempt to a.s.sa.s.sinate Xiao Liulang leaked, Xiao Heng"s ident.i.ty could no longer be hidden.
After all, no matter how you looked at it, Ning w.a.n.g had no good reason to kill Xiao Liulang unless there were hidden aspects behind Xiao Liulang"s ident.i.ty.
Xiao Heng replied, "I"m fine. It was a sect from the martial world that did it. They captured me to extort some money, but they’re already been taken care of."
The Dual Blade Sect was not innocent and had been dealt with by the imperial guards.
"Are you really okay?" Ning Zhiyuan looked at him skeptically. "I heard your hand was injured. Let me see."
This kind of scene between two grown men were truthfully a bit…
Ning Zhiyuan insisted, and Xiao Heng reluctantly extended his hand.
His injuries were mainly on the back of his hand and wrist. The palm of his hand had already healed without leaving a trace. Ning Zhiyuan looked at the gruesome scars crisscrossing his otherwise fair hand and shook his head in regret, "It"s truly a pity for this hand. Can you still write?"
"Yes." Xiao Heng replied.
Ning Zhiyuan finally let go of his worries, "Ah, you being kidnapped these days really scared me. I even wondered if your rapid promotion had made some people jealous. I even suspected Zhuang Yuheng! But I"ve met him several times, and he never appeared to be guilty, so I dismissed my suspicions of him. That martial sect really lacks some brains, huh? What money could a poor kid from the countryside like you have? Ah! Did little sister-in-law strike it rich? I heard that Miraculous Hands Hall has been doing really well lately. You both should be careful. Having too much money can attract trouble. It"s best to hire a few skilled bodyguards."
"Okay." Xiao Heng agreed.
The two of them sat down on opposite sides of the desk.
Ning Zhiyuan suddenly thought of something. He chuckled and said, "But you have actually benefited from your misfortune this time. You don"t have to partic.i.p.ate in the end-of-month a.s.sessment. Senior Compiler w.a.n.g messed up his a.s.sessment this time and got a harsh scolding from Lord Han. He almost got demoted to a lower rank."
"What about you?" Xiao Heng asked.
Ning Zhiyuan proudly said, "Well, I"m just your ordinary guy, I only placed third. First place is Zhuang Yuheng."
They were not the only Hanlin officials being a.s.sessed. The senior Hanlin officials also partic.i.p.ated in the a.s.sessment, except for Lord Han and the a.s.sistant Lecturers, who were the questioners and marking officials.
It wasn"t surprising that Ning Zhiyuan and Zhuang Yuheng ranked at the top. They had just gone through the metropolitan and palace exams. Their examination skills were still at their peak.
Those who ranked lower than them among the Hanlin officials didn"t necessarily lack talent or knowledge, they just weren"t as adept at taking exams.
"But it"s a bit of a pity." Ning Zhiyuan suddenly frowned.
"What"s wrong?" Xiao Heng asked.
Ning Zhiyuan said, "Remember Reader-in-Waiting Yang? He left his position, and it seems they are promoting someone to fill it. Zhuang Yuheng is the top candidate for the position right now."
Zhuang Yuheng was the legitimate grandson of Grand Preceptor Zhuang, ranking second in this year"s imperial examinations, and had achieved the highest score in the a.s.sessment. Apart from his lack of seniority, he had almost no shortcomings.
He even once stood in for the Crown Prince to serve as a hostage in the State of Chen, making him a meritorious figure in the State of Zhao"s history.
In the afternoon, the Hanlin Academy indeed announced the good news of someone being promoted to the Reader-in-Waiting position.
However, it wasn"t Zhuang Yuheng but Xiao Liulang.
"It"s you!" Ning Zhiyuan excitedly patted Xiao Heng on the shoulder.
Xiao Heng was also surprised at how the position of Reader-in-Waiting had fallen to him. Although he had initially intended to compete for it, he had gone into hiding for half a month after his injury, followed by ten days of recovery at home. He had even missed one of the a.s.sessments.
At the time, he had a.s.sumed the position was no longer within his reach.
"Liulang, congratulations!" Ning Zhiyuan sincerely said.
Xiao Heng replied, "Congratulations to you too."
Ning Zhiyuan had also been promoted, going from a seventh-rank Junior Compiler to a sixth-rank Senior Compiler, coincidentally taking over Xiao Liulang"s position.
Ning Zhiyuan cleared his throat and said, "Ahem. I might have taken your position, but I won"t take over your office."
Being so close to the outhouse was unbearable, especially in hot weather!
He"d rather stay in his own office!
Xiao Heng moved into the Reader-in-Waiting office, where Reader-in-Waiting Yang had previously stayed. However, his time here had been short and he had left hastily, taking all his belongings with him.
It was now a clean and empty room.
Upon becoming a Reader-in-Waiting, in addition to the change in office, the salary increased from five taels per month to eight taels per month. This was the regular salary. Besides this, there were annual allowances of ten pieces of fabric and ten bushels of grain. Additionally, there were seasonal gifts of ice in the summer and charcoal in the winter, which could either be taken as goods or converted into money.
In general, the Hanlin Academy was not as lucrative as the six ministries, but gaining experience at the Hanlin Academy could make a person more attractive in other positions.
Cabinet officials all had Hanlin Academy backgrounds, including Grand Secretary Yuan, Grand Preceptor Zhuang, and even Old Chief, Zhuang Xianzhi, and Dean Li, without exception.
Among them, Grand Secretary Yuan had risen from a Senior Compiler to the position of a fifth-rank Academician of the Hanlin Academy. Later, he became involved in an incident that led to his exile to a remote and impoverished region. He returned to the capital after five years, entered the cabinet, and eventually became the State of Zhao"s Chief Grand Secretary.
The others had all chosen different government offices after leaving the Hanlin Academy.
Ning Zhiyuan came to help him move his things.
Outside the door, a few Hanlin officials pa.s.sed by, and their conversation drifted in.
"Have you heard? An Junw.a.n.g is going to be transferred to the cabinet?"
"Who told you that?"
"I overheard a conversation between Lord Han and An Junw.a.n.g."
"You eavesdropped on Lord Han"s conversation?!"
"No, I was just pa.s.sing by! I overheard it by chance! Lord Han told him, even if you go to the cabinet, don"t neglect your studies. The fundamental principles of governing the country are in these books."
The exact words were probably different, but since he seemed to be trying to conceal something, the others didn"t press for more information. After all, knowing too much about certain matters might not be a good thing.
The group of Hanlin officials soon walked away, and their conversation gradually faded.
Ning Zhiyuan suddenly realized, "I get it now. That"s why he didn"t compete with you. It turns out he found a better opportunity."
What was the purpose of entering the cabinet if not to hope for the opportunity to become a courtier in power in the future? At the very least, it would be excellent to join one of the six ministries.
Those who genuinely wanted to spend their whole careers at the Hanlin Academy were probably a rarity.
Xiao Heng remained silent.
This was likely the meaning of Grand Preceptor Zhuang. Considering Zhuang Yuheng"s qualifications, it was actually still a bit far-fetched for him to enter the cabinet. It was estimated that Empress Dowager Zhuang"s att.i.tude towards the matter of Ning w.a.n.g had made Grand Preceptor Zhuang uneasy.
He no longer fully trusted Empress Dowager Zhuang and wanted to consolidate more power with the Zhuang Family.
Currently, in the cabinet, two of the Attendant Academicians were his people, and half of the six Grand Secretaries were also his people. Adding An Junw.a.n.g to the mix, once Grand Secretary Yuan retired, the cabinet would be completely under the control of the Zhuang Family.
Seeing Xiao Liulang lost in thought, Ning Zhiyuan thought he might be feeling disappointed and quickly patted him on the shoulder, consoling him, "Liulang, don"t lose heart. You"ll have your chance to enter the cabinet someday!"
However, Xiao Heng wasn"t thinking about entering the cabinet. He was wondering if that old man, Grand Preceptor Zhuang, had once again touched Grandaunt"s sensitive nerves.
In the palace.
The Emperor and Empress Dowager Zhuang left the morning court together and headed towards the Renshou Palace.
Empress Dowager Zhuang sat on her phoenix palanquin and cast a strange glance at the Emperor and asked, "Your Huaqing Palace is that way."
The Emperor shamelessly replied, "This son is going to imperial mother’s palace for a meal."
Empress Dowager Zhuang contemplated for a moment and then nodded.
The Emperor: Imperial mother actually didn"t refuse!
After the meal, Empress Dowager Zhuang said to the Emperor, "Come to the study."
The Emperor asked, "Is there something imperial mother needs from this son?"
Inside the study, Empress Dowager Zhuang spoke seriously, "Aijia has thought it over. You have been in charge of court affairs for many years, and it"s time for Aijia to hand over the reins of power to you."
The Emperor was taken aback and asked, "Imperial mother, why do you say this?"
Empress Dowager Zhuang sighed, "Starting from tomorrow, Aijia will no longer involve myself in the affairs of the court."
A thought flashed through the Emperor"s mind—— has the joy of attending court together with imperial mother coming to an end!!!
"Imperial mother!"
Empress Dowager Zhuang looked at him indifferently and said, "Haven"t you always wanted Aijia to stop going to the imperial audience hall? Your wish has been granted. Why? Aren"t you happy?"
"That was in the past." The Emperor mumbled.
Since the truth about Imperial Concubine Dowager Jing had come to light, he had realized that he had misunderstood his imperial mother all these years. His imperial mother had countless opportunities to eliminate him, but she had never done so. On the other hand, he had repeatedly plotted against her, even causing her to contract leprosy. If it weren"t for the little miracle physician, he might have spent the rest of his life living in regret.
Leaving aside emotional factors, his imperial mother did indeed have more courage and political ac.u.men than he did.
Empress Dowager Zhuang sighed softly, "Aijia is getting old. It"s about time for Aijia to spend her remaining days in leisure."
The Emperor"s expression darkened, "Imperial mother, you just want to go to Bishui Alley to play cards!"
And without bringing him too!
Empress Dowager Zhuang: “Ahem...Is it that obvious?"Raz P."s Thoughts
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