Prince's Mansion
The chief steward walked out of the main hall. Along the way, many people came and went, bowing to him. Ren Wei and Zhao Xu Ting saw the chief steward coming out and hurriedly welcomed him.
When Butler Qing saw the two people coming up, he looked at them with disdain and sneered.
"Chief Steward Qing, did His Highness allow us to return home?" The two of them asked anxiously.
"Hmph, how can His Highness not know that you want to leave the palace? His Highness was furious and said that he would break your legs and throw you out, to teach you a lesson. If it wasn't for me pleading on your behalf, you would be lying on the floor. "Chief Steward Qing said arrogantly.
Hearing these words, the two of them broke out in cold sweat. Chief Steward Qing looked at them and laughed coldly, "You can be spared. Originally, you were given 10 taels of silver. Now, you only have 2 taels of silver. Are you satisfied?"
When Ren Wei and Zhao Xu Ting heard this, they didn't say anything. They were a little suspicious, but also a little panicked. Their faces turned red and then white. It wasn't like they were prostitutes. Even if they were beggars, they wouldn't be treated the same way. For a moment, there was silence.
After some time, Ren Wei tidied himself up and received the silver, "Thank you, His Highness."
He accepted it calmly. Zhao Xu Ting wanted to say something, but Ren Wei interrupted, "Brother Zhao, how can we not accept the silver from His Highness?"
As he said this, he tugged on Zhao Xu Ting's sleeves. Zhao Xu Ting was unwilling to accept it, but still took the silver, "Thank you, His Highness."
These words sounded weak. Seeing the both of them accept the silver, the chief steward snorted, "Move it out in the afternoon. The palace is too small for two big figures."
Zhao Xu Ting's eyes were red with anger, but Ren Wei shook his head. Seeing that Chief Steward Qing was far away, Zhao Xu Ting asked, "Brother Ren, why did you stop me just now? I wanted to ask him."
Ren Wei laughed coldly, "Brother Zhao, if you dare to question His Highness, go ahead."
Zhao Xu Ting paused, "I feel that Chief Steward Qing is trying to cheat us of our silver. It's normal for us to come and go. After half a year, we would be given 10 taels of silver as travel expenses. How could he just deduct it? I think Chief Steward Qing is being greedy."
Ren Wei's expression was unclear as he said, "And then?"
"Then, we will definitely report this to the prince and let him know how powerful we are, so that he will spit out the money." Zhao Xu Ting said indignantly.
"And then?" Ren Wei asked again.
"Of course it was Wangye who punished him and gave us the rest of the money." Zhao Xuliang was startled and said.
Hearing these words, Ren Wei laughed coldly, "The Chief Steward of a King's Mansion is a trusted aide. If he wasn't a trusted aide, who else would be able to hold such a position? The Prime Minister's doorstep is a seventh-ranked official, what more a Chief Steward of a King's Mansion."
"King Lu is a valiant man. If the chief had done anything to His Highness's plans, we could have sued him. Who knows, we might even have been rewarded. But now, we're just dealing with two mercenaries. Do you think His Highness would stand up for us?"
"Not to mention, if we leave now, we would be betraying the Prince. If we really go and report him, not to mention the remaining eight silver taels, we might even be beaten to death on the spot." Ren Wei said lightly as he turned around and left.
Zhao Xu Ting looked at Ren Wei's disappearing silhouette and paused.
Ren Wei didn't hesitate as he brought his luggage out of the palace. He had already handed over his identity token. He looked back at the palace and pondered for a long time. He looked at the huge palace in front of him, which was covered with green tiles and had white walls. He pondered for a long time. This was the place where he had placed all his hopes and hopes on. But now, he could only leave quietly, as though he had lost his spirit.
'Zhou Qi sued King Lu for violating the rules and was fined three thousand silver taels. This seems like a small matter, but a storm is coming. I'm just a small guest who doesn't have an important position. I have no choice but to leave.' Ren Wei shook his head as he walked towards the pier.
When he arrived at the pier, he bought a ticket. However, he didn't board the boat for the day, and had to wait for another two days. He turned around and walked back. Along the way, there were many shops.
Ren Wei didn't even look at them as he walked past a bookstore. This bookstore sold both old and new books. Scholars wouldn't sell their books unless they were in dire straits. However, there were always people who sold their old books to bookstores.
Ren Wei wasn't here to buy new books. He was here to buy old books, which were cheaper than new ones. Since he didn't have anything to do, he entered the bookstore.
When the shopkeeper saw Ren Wei, he smiled, "Old Ren, you're here to buy books again? There's a new book that's not bad. You can buy it and read it. "
"Oh, shopkeeper Gong, let me take a look." Ren Wei spoke as the shopkeeper retrieved a book from the shelves, "Old Ren, this book is very suitable for you. Although it's an old book, it's still very new. You can buy it the next time you get your monthly salary."
Ren Wei laughed bitterly, "There's no need for that. I've already resigned from my position as a guest of King Lu's palace. I'll leave tomorrow. I don't have much silver, and can't afford to buy a book."
"What? Old Ren, you're so talented that King Lu doesn't need you? He even forced you to leave? "Shopkeeper Gong asked in surprise.
"It's just that I can't stay here any longer." Ren Wei didn't mention anything about King Lu's palace. Hearing this, the shopkeeper paused for some time, "You and I have known each other for half a year. Forget it. This old book, Old Ren, I shall give it to you."
"I can't accept it, I can't accept it." Ren Wei hurriedly replied. The shopkeeper had a look of melancholy on his face, "You often come to my shop to buy books, and we can be considered acquaintances. Now that you're leaving, I shall give you a book. You won't accept it?"
Ren Wei then received the book.
At this point, several people who looked like scholars arrived at the entrance of the bookstore and asked, "Shopkeeper Gong, has there been any new books published recently?"
"Yes, yes. Recently, there's been a new book, 'Story of the Western Wing' and 'Chess Spirit'. It's very interesting. You can buy it and take a look." Shopkeeper Gong replied.
The leading scholar's eyes lit up as he slapped the fan in his hands, "Shopkeeper, hurry up and give it to us. We want to buy it. It's definitely a good book."
He then turned around and said, "Everyone get a book. I'll pay for it. You don't have to copy it." Hearing these words, several young scholars cheered as they followed behind. When they reached a corner, they picked up the book and started reading. The quiet bookstore became lively.
Another young scholar entered the bookstore and asked, "Shopkeeper, do you have any new books today?"
Shopkeeper Gong hurriedly replied, "Yes, there are new books. Recently, 'Story of the Western Wing' and 'Chess Spirit' have been published. They're very interesting to read. You can buy them."
Ren Wei looked at these scholars and thought back to when he was still a student. He couldn't even read properly and had to beg his parents to give him a chance to copy books. Now that things were peaceful and life was much better, and the imperial court was printing books at a much lower price, nobody was reading them. Instead, they were reading novels. He shook his head and mumbled, "Not for reading, but for novels. It's such a disgrace. Ai, if this goes on, how can we be a country?"
The scholar who had just entered was actually Pei Zi Yun. He had put on some makeup and heard Ren Wei's words clearly. He looked at Ren Wei and saw the title of the book in his hands. He smiled, "Indeed, Ren Wei has been chased out, and yet he's still buying my books."
Pei Zi Yun had been to the bookstore a few times, and was not surprised to see the books lying in a corner, collecting dust. However, he had heard that the sales were not as bad as he had imagined. Every bookstore sold at least ten copies. In truth, he did not really care about it.
The more one kept a book, the more interesting it would be. How could a textbook be more interesting than a novel? This was the same logic in the past and present. Pei Zi Yun picked up a novel and flipped through it.
The printing was of high quality, and the cover was well made. He thought to himself, "The Grand Princess is a trustworthy person. All I had to do was say a word and she immediately started selling them. This saved me a lot of effort."
As he flipped through the book, he secretly opened up the system. A Plum Blossom appeared before his eyes. It grew bigger and became a translucent information interface. It floated in front of his eyes and words appeared before him.
"Divine Powers: Stars Transposition Level 2 (65.76% Completed)"
He thought to himself, "The last time the completion was 25.11%. Now it's 65.76%. If this Chess Spirit were to be distributed, I would be able to complete the third level."
"Stars Transposition Level was originally only three levels. This should be the limit."
"It's a pity that in ancient times, the dissemination of books was too slow. If not, it would be much faster."
As he read, he looked at it once more, "Mission: Help the Crown Prince attack King Lu. Force Ren Wei to leave King Lu's Palace (Incomplete)"
The mission to force Ren Wei to leave King Lu's Palace had been completed. However, the mission hadn't been completed yet. It seemed like the attack on King Lu hadn't been completed yet.
As he thought about this, he looked at Ren Wei and shouted, "Shopkeeper, I'll buy this book. How much is it?"
The shopkeeper then walked up to him, "Young Master, this is a new novel. It costs three silver coins."
"This is the book. Here are three silver coins. Please keep it well." Pei Zi Yun handed the three silver coins over and looked at Ren Wei before he turned around and left.
The next day, they boarded the ship. Ren Wei was in front carrying the book, while Pei Zi Yun followed behind him. They were led into the cabin by the boatman. Ren Wei looked at the door opposite him and was taken aback. Pei Zi Yun stepped forward and bowed, "I'm studying under Pei Shen, and I don't know your name."
Ren Wei paused, he felt that Pei Zi Yun looked familiar, but couldn't recall where he had seen him before.
"My name is Ren Wei, and I'm preparing to return to my hometown. The rice in the capital is expensive, and I can only survive for a year. I can't stay here any longer." Ren Wei said with a sigh.
"Brother Ren, you're too humble. Although this is the first time we've met, I can feel that you're extraordinary. You're not someone who's just a fish in a pond. A setback like this doesn't mean anything!"
"Haha!" Hearing these words, Ren Wei laughed, "Thank you for your kind words."
Pei Zi Yun looked at Ren Wei and saw that apart from a few pieces of clothing, he was left with a book box. Initially, he didn't know Ren Wei and didn't want to help him. But now that he knew him, he could help him out.
The boxes of books were heavy, and they were afraid that they would be damp. Pei Zi Yun looked at them and said, "There are so many books, they must have cost a lot of money right?"
"Not much. Half of them are old books. I bought them at a discount."
"The other half are books from King Lu's Mansion. My main job is to copy books. Whenever I see a good book, I'll memorize it. When I get back, I'll make another copy. Speaking of which, I'm using my official position for personal gain." Ren Wei sighed.
Pei Zi Yun fell silent. This person had been hiding in King Lu's Mansion for a few years, and had risen to the top. Then, he died for no reason. It was only because of Pei Zi Yun that he lost his chance.
Although Pei Zi Yun managed to avoid being killed, Pei Zi Yun was the one who ruined his good fortune. Pei Zi Yun had to take care of him. Thinking about this, he laughed, "You're using your official position for personal gain? There are too many people who use their official position for personal gain."
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