(Two o 'clock in the morning, begging for pink, okay?)
Yu Shu received the letter of appointment and reported to the Celestial Commissioner the next day.
First, she had to go to the Taicheng Department to fill in her personal information, answer some messy questions from the bookkeeper, such as the age of her parents, whether she was married or not, how many properties she owned, and how many siblings she had. Finally, she had to sign and stamp her name.
They wanted to take her personal seal, so the main point of this segment was not to lie. She had to say whatever she knew. Otherwise, if someone found out that she was lying, it would be considered a dereliction of duty.
This was what Xue Rui had reminded her in advance. Yu Shu could only do as he said.
Next, she had to take the acceptance letter from the Great Prefect and go to the Imperial Secretariat to register and receive her official rank token. Although this token was small, it was very useful. As long as an official was in the capital, no matter if they were attending court, dispatching subordinates, or going in and out of important places, if they didn't have this token, they could only play with mud.
Therefore, it was said that many ministers with bad memories would tie their official rank tokens to their waistbands. Even if their pants fell, they could not lose the token.
The reception officer of the Secretariat would also tell her her annual salary. What made Yu Shu dissatisfied was that a dignified fifth-rank official, who held an important position, only had an income of fifty taels of silver a month. It was not even as much as the money she earned from selling a stone. No wonder there were so many corrupt officials.
Fortunately, in addition to the salary, he was also given rice, salt, candle oil, and the four seasons official uniform. This kind of welfare was complete, and he could save a lot of money.
After going to these two places, registering, getting the waist tag, listening to a lot of information and writing seven or eight notes, he still couldn't officially take up his post.
She would have to wait from five days to half a month. Tai Chengsi reviewed her supplementary information. The Secretariat rushed to make her official robes so that she could go to the Kun Ling Bureau to be the second-in-command.
Yu Shu entered the Celestial Commissioner's office in the morning and only came out at noon. She felt dizzy from the scorching sun above her head and regretted coming to this office.
Xue Rui was waiting for her at the door. Seeing her stumbling out with a confused look, he hurriedly asked the coachman to pull her into the car.
"How is it? Is everything settled?" Xue Rui handed over the tea that he had poured earlier to her. He then opened the fan to cool her down. His other hand was injured and he couldn't move it. It rested peacefully on his lap.
Yu Shu panted slightly, took a sip of water, and said,
"It's not easy being an official."
Xue Rui broke into laughter. Waving his fan, he said, "You speak as if you have been an official for many years. Didn't you just receive your appointment letter yesterday? You haven't even taken office yet, how can you sigh? "
Yu Shu curled her lips and took out the waist tag and a pile of paper from her sleeves, as well as the broken charcoal pen.
Xue Rui picked up a piece of paper and looked at it. On it was written hastily: 50 taels of silver, 16 dans of rice. 30 jin of oil, 100 sticks of wax.
This was obviously her monthly stipend.
He picked up another piece of paper. On it was written: Wake up at 5 o 'clock. Eat at 7 o 'clock, go to work at 9 o' clock, rest at noon, go to work at 6 o 'clock.
This was the schedule. Xue Rui looked up and asked, "What do you mean by going to work?"
Yu Shu looked at him. "It means going to the yamen to work and earn money."
Xue Rui nodded and didn't ask her why she remembered it like this.
He read through the notes she had recorded one by one. Tidying them up, he took out an empty sachet from under the coffee table and put it in it. He passed it to her and said,
"Actually, you will know after you take office. Although there are many Celestial Commissioner, they are not that strict. There are more than ten people in Kunling Bureau. You can get to know them all in one day. You can leave the trivial matters to the subordinates and write down the important matters. Later, you can check their progress and report to the Right Commander if you meet with any difficult matters."
Xue Rui taught her some simple ways of being an official. He said the last sentence through clenched teeth.
Yu Shu heard the last part of his words and couldn't help but laugh. She snatched the fan from his hand and fanned him a few times. She said,
"Don't get angry. It's hot today. If you get angry, something bad will happen."
Xue Rui was a little angry. Yesterday, when Jing Chen went to Yu Shu's house to read the appointment letter, he didn't care much about it at that time. After he went back, the more he thought about it, the more he felt that something was wrong.
Jing Chen got the position of Right Commander effortlessly. After a few days in office, Yu Shu was promoted to be his subordinate. Moreover, it was the Great Tiandao who accepted the appointment personally. It was obvious that he wanted to match them and create opportunities for them.
He always thought that the Great Tiandao of the Celestial Commissioner was an unfathomable person. His shrewdness was comparable to his grandfather's. Why didn't he realize that this person could also be like a gossipy old woman and was not unfamiliar with matchmaking.
He thought that he was broad-minded. It was rare for him to criticize. Looking at Yu Shu's cheeky smile, he felt even worse.
"I am serious. Don't take it lightly," Xue Rui frowned and said,
"I am not afraid that you will be softhearted toward Jing Chen. I am worried that if you continue to have a smooth journey and get involved with him, you will arouse the suspicions of those traitors. They will wait for an opportunity to make their move against you."
Yu Shu's smile disappeared. She said in a mocking voice, "Who knows what His Majesty is thinking. The Great Tiandao made me an official under Jing Chen. Perhaps he wants to use me, the genuine one, to lure the snake out of its hole."
Xue Rui pondered for a moment and said, "If it's really like this, then you have to be even more careful. Even though his majesty has sent people to look after you in the surroundings, those people's methods are secretive and full of tricks. Even an expert with formidable martial arts like Jing Chen has fallen into their schemes. You're a young girl, so if you really encounter any danger, you won't even be able to escape."
Yu Shu saw that his expression was not good. It was obvious that he thought of the dangerous situation where her identity was exposed. Although she was worried, she still pretended to be relaxed and patted his shoulder, saying,
"Big brother, you have forgotten what I do for a living. When there is danger, I know it earlier than anyone. The thing I am least afraid of is a trap."
Hearing this, Xue Rui's expression became better. He thought for a while and said,
"Don't you want to move to the north of the city? Tomorrow, take me to see how your house is being built. I will go to the Master's Courtyard and pick some clean guards for you to guard the house. It is best to find a woman with high martial art skills to follow you. Only then I can be at ease."
Yu Shu also thought that this matter was necessary to be put on the agenda, but tomorrow was not possible. "Tomorrow is Left Judge Xin Ya's birthday. He invited me to the Left Judge's Mansion as a guest. Let's go the day after tomorrow. Didn't big brother receive the invitation?"
Xue Rui shook his head and said, "I received the invitation from the Xin Mansion. However, grandfather has just had a disagreement with him. It is not convenient for me to go. I will not accompany you. "
"Okay."
Fortunately, the two of them were not the kind of man and woman who needed to see each other all the time. Otherwise, they would not be able to hide their secret.
***
On the day of Xin Ya's birthday, Yu Shu went to the Xin Mansion at the right time. That day, because of her joke, Xin Liu was really waiting for her at the gate. When he saw her, he pulled her in and helped her carry the gift. When she passed through the gate, she did not even need to take out the invitation card.
Because Jing Chen went to Yu Shu's house to send the letter. Therefore, the news of Yu Shu becoming a female official had not reached the ears of outsiders until today.
At a glance, Xin Liu knew nothing about it. Otherwise, he would have pulled her and chattered non-stop. However, at this moment, he did not let Yu Shu have a quiet ear. He brought her into the banquet, found a place to sit down, and began to gossip.
"Do you see the fat man with the silver belt over there? He is Feng Zhaomiao's eldest brother, the eldest son of the General's Mansion. Don't be fooled by his happy appearance. I heard that he led troops to the northwest to fight a war and killed more than ten people in a day. He even dried human blood and used it as ink to write. "
Yu Shu came today just to go through the motions. She did not want to use this occasion to make friends with anyone. So he sat next to her and listened to her made-up rumours.
Because of this, the guests who heard that the female fortune teller would come to congratulate Old Master Xin tonight did not notice the two girls hiding in the corner until the banquet started.
Xin Ya knew that Xin Liu was not reliable, so she had sent someone to keep an eye on her. Before the banquet started, he saw the figure of Yu Shu. However, he stroked his beard and smiled. He did not go up to greet her.
This old man was cunning. He knew that there were many people coming today. If he really brought Yu Shu out, it would not be a good thing.
At this time, the birthday banquet was just eating, drinking, watching the drama, chatting with the guests, and receiving gifts. There was nothing new.
The banquet lasted until dark. When Yu Shu saw that some guests were leaving, she wanted to leave. She told Xin Liu that the other didn't want her to stay and got up to send her out.
"You go first. There are many people today and Grandfather can't greet all of them. You don't need to say goodbye to him in person. I will talk to him later."
Xin Liu sent Yu Shu to the corridor outside, but was quickly stopped by a steward.
"Sixth Miss, the old master asked Miss Yu not to leave in a hurry. Wait for a while in the tea room in the garden. The old master will be there in a while."
Yu Shu knew that she would not come in vain today, so she agreed with a smile. She asked Xin Liu to lead the way and waited in the garden.
After the time it took to drink a cup of tea, Xin Ya sent away the guests around her and rushed over alone.
"Feifei, go and find your fourth brother. I haven't seen him all night. Is he playing with those unorthodox things again?"
Xin Ya had a stern expression on her face. When Xin Liu heard this, he immediately ran out. He was afraid that Xin Ya would catch Xin Nianguang and punish him according to the family rules. She had to inform him in advance.
When Yu Shu saw Xin Ya send Xin Liu away, she stood up and bowed,
"Congratulations to Official Xin for your long life. There are many people tonight, so this junior couldn't squeeze in to congratulate you. Please don't blame me."
Xin Ya waved her hand and looked at her with a smile. A moment later, she also bowed,
"I am the one who should congratulate Official Yu for taking up the post."
Yu Shu was not surprised that Xin Ya knew about it. Although the official appointment didn't need to go through his subordinates, she had gone to the Celestial Commissioner's office yesterday. It would be strange if the officials didn't hear the news.
"Congratulations to you too."
"I will send someone to congratulate you another day. Let's talk business first," Xin Ya sat down next to her. As she spoke, she reached into her bosom and took out a large bag. She handed it to her.
"The Lotus Room should know why I am looking for you."
Yu Shu opened the bag and looked inside. She counted carefully. There were exactly ten Tihu Incense Pills wrapped in gold.
Without a second thought, he tucked the bag into his sleeves. Raising his head, he smiled and said, "Lord Xin, you don't have to specially send someone to my house to congratulate me. I'll take this bag as a congratulatory gift. Hehe."
Xin Ya saw that she was smiling shamelessly and the veins on his forehead twitched.
Yu Shu pretended not to see his expression. She tucked up her sleeves, turned around, and sat up straight. She said to him seriously,
"Come, let's talk business."
Xin Ya swallowed his anger and cursed under his breath, 'This shameless thief!
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