Early in the morning, Yu Shu was awakened by the chirping of birds outside the window. Lying on the bed, she kicked her legs and giggled foolishly under the quilt. Then, she turned over and got out of bed. As she put on her clothes, she called for Yun Dou to fetch some water.
"Miss, Madam asked me to ask if you want to have breakfast at home or outside?" Yun Dou wrung the handkerchief clean and folded it into a square. She gave it to Yu Shu and went around to tie her hair so that it wouldn't get wet. She served her more carefully than usual. The little girl didn't see much of the world, but after yesterday's battle, no matter how stupid she was, she knew that her miss's identity was different now. All the servants in the yard envied her for being the girl's servant. How could she not cherish this blessing?
"Mother woke up so early?" Yu Shu wiped her neck and smelled the handkerchief. There was no smell of alcohol, so she gave up the idea of taking a bath before going out.
Yun Dou pursed her lips and smiled: "Madam was too happy to sleep. She asked me to ask before dawn. She was afraid that Miss didn't sleep well at night. If she woke up late today, it would delay the important matter."
Yu Shu still remembered that she was sent home by Xue Rui yesterday. She slept in the car and went home in a daze. Zhao Hui, He Fangzhi and Pei Jing were waiting for her. As soon as they saw her, they surrounded her and kept asking questions. It was Xue Rui who helped her out by saying that she drank wine. Then Zhao Hui quickly let her go back to her room to rest.
"By the way, when did Brother Xue go back yesterday?" Yu Shu only remembered to find a bed to sleep last night. She didn't remember anything else.
Yun Dou said: "Mr. Xue talked with master and uncle for a while and left after drinking tea."
Yu Shu nodded, wiped her face and sat in front of the mirror to comb her hair: "I will go out after having breakfast at home. There's no hurry. Oh, you can ask someone to hitch the carriage, the one sent a few days ago. Clean the outside. I remember Liu Zhong will drive the carriage. After combing your hair, you can ask him to talk to me."
Liu Zhong was a servant that Yu Shu bought from the Human Training Hall to guard the courtyard. He was in his twenties and had great strength. He was responsible for feeding the two horses in the stable.
It was time for breakfast. As soon as Yu Shu entered the dining room and saw Pei Jing, she couldn't help but be surprised, "Uncle didn't go back last night?"
Pei Jing looked at her with a smile, but before he could say anything, Zhao Hui exposed him. "Your uncle didn't talk to Master Suan Zi last night. This morning, he came knocking on the door, anxiously waiting for you to wake up."
"Pfft!" Yu Xiaoxiu burst into laughter. She quickly covered her mouth.
Pei Jing blushed and pretended to glare at Zhao Hui. He coughed and pulled the stool beside him. "Come and eat. Don't you have to go to the Celestial Commissioner's office? Don't be late and let others think that you are arrogant. "
Yu Shu obediently agreed and sat next to Pei Jing. She didn't even stretch out her chopsticks during the whole breakfast. Several elders at the table put a mouthful of food into her bowl. They couldn't wait to feed her.
After breakfast, Yu Shu first led Yu Xiaoxiu back to their room and asked him if he wanted to go to the Celestial Commissioner's office with her. Yu Xiaoxiu quickly shook his head and said no. He then pulled Yu Shu's sleeve and asked her to go home early.
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As soon as the sun rose, Yu Shu arrived at the Celestial Commissioner's office in the fancy carriage given by Xue Rui.
There was already an official waiting for her outside the magistrate's office. This time, she wasn't stopped by the imperial bodyguards. As soon as Yu Shu reported her name, the official cupped his hands and invited her in. He didn't even check her name card. After all, no one had the guts to pretend to be the head of the Great Calculation Department.
On the way, the official was obviously chatting with Yu Shu and had a friendly attitude. Yu Shu looked at the official's robes. It was obvious that he was more than a level higher than the official who gave her directions last time. Thus, she had a better understanding of her status as an operator.
"Official Li, are we going to see the Great Commissioner directly?"
"Yes, the time is just right. The Great Commissioner is already waiting for Miss Yu at Taixi Restaurant."
When Yu Shu heard this, she thought that it was no wonder that the officials of the Celestial Commissioner's office were generally of high quality. It turned out that they followed the example of their superiors. They weren't like the officials she had met in her previous life who didn't care about time. They were often the last to arrive at the scene and let a group of people wait. They had never arrived early.
Yu Shu already had a good impression of the Great Commissioner. This small detail added a few points to her impression. She thought that if she became an official in the Celestial Commissioner's office in the future, she would have a good life if she could work under such an official.
As they spoke, they passed through a stone mountain and the surroundings suddenly became cool. A pool of green water suddenly appeared in front of them, which made one feel relaxed and happy. In the middle of the lake stood a tower shaped like a pagoda. It had purple tiles and vermillion walls, and there was a 'Z' shaped bamboo bridge at the bottom. It was completely green, as if it was floating on the surface of the lake. There were a few solitary bamboos growing on the shore. They were less than ten feet tall, but each of them had glossy leaves and a pleasant green color.
"We're here. Miss Yu, look, this is Tai Xi Tower. It's the place where the Imperial Secretary usually handles official business and rests."
Yu Shu followed on the pontoon bridge and looked down at the clear lake water. Coincidentally, a school of red and white fish swam happily across the bridge. The fish scales faintly glowed with a golden light. They looked like carps but weren't carps. She couldn't even identify the species. She then looked at the stones at the bottom of the lake. They were colorful and bright, as if each stone had been carefully selected.
'A place with good feng shui.' This phrase appeared in Yu Shu's mind. She felt that it was the most suitable word to describe this Tai Xi Tower.
After crossing the bamboo bridge and arriving at the foot of Tai Xi Tower, Yu Shu saw that there was only a tall imperial guard guarding the door. She couldn't help but take a second look.
The official who led the way for Yu Shu politely bowed to the imperial guard and said, "Bodyguard Shao, please report to the Imperial Secretary that this official has brought the new year's chief accountant."
"Okay, wait a moment." The unsmiling imperial guard looked at Yu Shu with a somewhat scrutinizing gaze before he turned and went inside.
After a while, he came out and said, "Miss Yu, please come in."
Yu Shu thanked the official who led her here and walked into the tower.
Inside the door, there was a row of painted screens that blocked the view. The floor was covered with jade slabs that were so bright that one could see their own face if they looked down. It gave the illusion that there was nowhere to hide. Yu Shu turned her head to see that the imperial guard didn't follow her in. She scratched her head and boldly walked around the screens.
In the spacious hall, there were windows on the east and west sides. Yu Shu looked left and right and suddenly turned her head. She saw a carved staircase on the north side. On the staircase was a jade chair, and on the chair was a figure wearing a purple robe and a jade crown. His sleeves reached the ground. He was looking at her with a slight smile, "I see you again, Miss."
Yu Shu knew that she was being presumptuous, so she quickly bowed and said, "Student Yu Shu greets the Imperial Secretary."
The officials of the Celestial Commissioner respectfully addressed the Imperial Secretary as the 'Imperial Secretary', which was a metaphor for 'extremely capable'. But Yu Shu wasn't a subordinate of the Celestial Commissioner, so when she saw this famous' Hidden Minister 'of the court, she still had to respectfully address him as an official.
"There's no need to be so formal. Since you were able to win first place in the Grand Examination, you're a person of high status. Be at ease. Miss, please sit."
Although he said to be at ease, Yu Shu didn't dare to be impolite. After thanking the Imperial Secretary, she found a chair on the side and sat down obediently. She glanced sideways and saw a cup of cold tea on the side table, so she guessed that someone had been here before.
"Before you came, Old Teacher Han from the Imperial Historian's Library came to find me to denounce me." The Imperial Secretary's words made Yu Shu focus her attention, "This old fortune-teller can be considered my teacher in terms of seniority. He's old and has a bad temper. He insisted on asking for your arithmetic exam papers to see which two of his disciples were inferior to you, which was why you took first place. If he can't be convinced, he will seek justice for his disciples."
Yu Shu's mind instantly tensed up, afraid that the duck that was right in front of her mouth would fly away.
The Grand Tutor looked at Yu Shu's reaction with interest and asked, "Miss Yu, do you know why you surpassed Old Sir Han's two brilliant disciples to take the first place despite all of you being in the top three?"
Yu Shu stood up straight. This was not the time to feign ignorance. She thought about it seriously for a moment before replying in a loud voice, "This student is guessing that I might have given a variety of solutions to some of the questions. That's why I was able to beat them."
Hearing this, the Imperial Secretary nodded his head in satisfaction and looked at Yu Shu with admiration. He slowly said, "That's right. Examiners of the Grand Examination, including me, although not everyone has the ability to change their own disciples, I was at least a Grand Examination Master in the past who was in the top three of the two rankings. How could I make a mistake on the exam papers? Since you were able to take first place, you must have some outstanding points. Thus, I refused Old Teacher Han and didn't make an exception to show him your exam papers."
When Yu Shu heard this, she calmed down. She knew that this fortune-teller couldn't escape. Unexpectedly, the Imperial Secretary's next sentence made her expression turn strange.
"Old Teacher Han is not satisfied and will definitely find opportunities to make things difficult for you in the future. However, he is older and has a higher status, so you should be more tolerant." The Imperial Secretary kindly reminded her.
Yu Shu was depressed. She hadn't even become a fortune-teller yet, but she had already offended an old one. What was this?
She couldn't show her dissatisfaction on her face, so Yu Shu respectfully nodded. Just as she was thinking about how the Imperial Secretary would test her to confirm her ability, she saw the person on the throne wave his sleeve at her, "Okay, you can go now. When you leave Taixi Restaurant, someone will take you to get the manual and seal."
Yu Shu hadn't even warmed her chair when she was told that she could leave. This made her, who had been 'interrogated' by Ren Qiming for a full hour when she came to the Celestial Commissioner last time, a little uncomfortable.
Seeing that she didn't move, Ren Qiming asked, "Miss Yu, is there anything else?"
Yu Shu shook her head and bowed to him. She was about to obediently leave. After a few steps, she suddenly remembered something. She turned around and carefully asked, "That … dare I ask the Imperial Secretary, I am now a fortune-teller who is ranked third in two rankings. Can you recommend me to study at the Imperial Historian's Library?"
Back then, Ji Xingxuan had been admitted to the Master Yi examination at the age of thirteen and entered the Taishi Library with just one roll. Although she was indeed a genius, it was mostly because of her grandfather, Ji Huaishan, who was an official. As a genuine fortune-teller, how could she not be qualified to be specially recruited?
The Imperial Secretary raised his eyebrows and smiled. He thoughtfully glanced at her and didn't pursue her additional request. He just nodded slightly and said, "You can go. I will write a letter tomorrow. The day after tomorrow, you can directly take the name card to the Imperial Historian's Library to enter."
Yu Shu took advantage of this and quickly thanked him for fear that he would regret it. She quickly left Taixi Restaurant.
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