Chapter 143: Seeing Off

Chapter 143: Seeing Off

At 5:30 the next morning, Du Yunse got up. Qiu Huanian had intended to get up to see him off on his first day of work, but after struggling a couple of times in bed, he fell back into sleep before fully waking up.

After finishing his morning routine and donning his official robe, Du Yunse came to the bedside. Qiu Huanian weakly waved his hand at him, and Du Yunse leaned down to plant a kiss on his ear.

"Brother Hua, rest well. I'll be back by 5 PM."

Ancient government offices were inhumane in that they started work at 6 AM, but fortunately, the end of the workday was relatively early. As long as there were no special circumstances, one could usually return home before 5 PM.

Qiu Huanian hummed a couple of times, making an effort to open his mouth and show his support, "Good luck on your first day of work, Young Master Du."

Du Yunse smiled, kissed him again, and then turned to leave.

The imperial examination probationary period had concluded, and the new imperial examination graduates had gradually taken up their respective positions. Wang Yinzhi, as he had hoped, was assigned to the Finance Department of the Capital Region's Administrative Office without attracting any attention. It would only be when the Yu Dynasty's maritime trade truly began to develop that this seemingly idle move would prove useful.

Wang Yinzhi had returned to his hometown to fetch his elderly mother and son and had already taken up his post in Hejian Prefecture. Hejian Prefecture was coastal, and the Finance Department of the Capital Region's Administrative Office was established there to facilitate the management of maritime affairs. The future Tianjin Port, then known as Haijin Town, also fell under its jurisdiction.

Wang Yinzhi and Deng Die hadn't waited for Qiu Huanian and the others to return to the capital, but Hejian Prefecture was only a little over a day's journey from the capital, not too far. It would be easy to get together during leisure time.

Qiu Huanian's residence was located in the southwestern part of Nanxun Ward. A few minutes by carriage, crossing the Jade River Bridge, would bring one to the cluster of the Six Ministries and other government offices. The Hanlin Academy was located on the eastern side of this area, built along the Jade River, and one would arrive almost immediately after crossing the bridge.

The entire commute from home to the main gate of the Hanlin Academy took only about ten minutes.

The family coachman dropped Du Yunse off at the main gate of the Hanlin Academy, turned the carriage around, and headed home. Bai Quan followed Du Yunse into the government office.

The first day of work for the new top scholar attracted much attention. Although the Hanlin Academy saw a new top scholar every three years, a scholar like Du Yunse, who had topped all six subjects, was unprecedented in history.

According to protocol, Du Yunse had to first pay a visit to the Hanlin Academy's director on his first day.

The Hanlin Academy was the official historical and literary body of the Yu Dynasty. There were over thirty regular officials on the roster, in addition to a variable number of probationary scholars. The Hanlin Academician, the highest-ranking official, held only the fifth rank. In terms of official hierarchy, the entire Hanlin Academy consisted of low-ranking officials.

However, due to the unwritten rule that "only jinshi can become Hanlin scholars," these low-ranking officials were all potential future leaders.

The Hanlin Academy was built along the Jade River, forming a long strip divided into several courtyards from south to north.

Du Yunse arrived at the central courtyard's main hall, which was the office of the highest-ranking official, the Hanlin Academician. The side chambers flanking the main courtyard belonged to the two Reader and two Lecturer Academicians, who, holding the fifth rank, served as deputy heads of the Hanlin Academy.

The current Hanlin Academician was Shi Chen, a jinshi from Yuanhua's fifth year. On the surface, he preferred to avoid both merit and fault, having overseen batches of Hanlin officials without ever achieving anything notable or making any mistakes.

Shi Chen offered Du Yunse some perfunctory encouragement, assigned him a stack of historical documents to process, and then let him go.

After leaving, Du Yunse turned left into a side room, which was the office of Wen Huiyang, the Hanlin Lecturer Academician.

Emperor Yuanhua had reinstated Wen Huiyang to his former position, and Wen Huiyang had no reason to take leave. He had taken up his post a month ago.

Wen Huiyang, clad in the robe of a fifth-rank official, was sitting at his desk reading classical texts. Time had unmistakably marked him, but it also gave him a unique charm, like aged wine.

Seeing Du Yunse, Wen Huiyang breathed a sigh of relief, and a smile unconsciously appeared on his face.

"You're back?"

Du Yunse bowed, "I arrived in the capital yesterday afternoon. I was busy settling in and canceling my leave at the Ministry of Personnel, so I didn't visit you immediately. I hope you can forgive me."

"It's alright. Brother Hua already sent someone with gifts yesterday to explain the situation. I never thought that I would be remembered by someone now."

Wen Huiyang sighed and then instructed Du Yunse, "Brother Hua is newly pregnant, so you must be careful and attentive. You are two years older than him and his husband, so you must take good care of him."

Du Yunse nodded, "Brother Hua has always been restless by nature. I will do my best to help him and make sure he rests well."

Wen Huiyang smiled, "Who does he get his personality from..."

Without waiting for Du Yunse to answer, Wen Huiyang changed the topic, "Yun Se, you are twenty-two this year, and Hua Nian is twenty. It's time for both of you to receive your courtesy names."

"Two years ago, I was under house arrest in the capital, and you went back to your hometown to prepare for the exams, delaying the selection of your courtesy names. How about I take on the task of choosing your courtesy names?"

"As a teacher is like a father, it is only natural for you to choose our names. Hua Nian will surely be very happy."

Wen Huiyang's scholarly reputation spans the entire Yu Dynasty, and he is the great scholar in the hearts of all scholars. Having him personally choose a courtesy name is a dream come true for many.

However, Wen Huiyang shook his head and insisted, "Go back and ask Hua Nian. He must agree to it himself."

Once Wen Huiyang gets stubborn, no one can change his mind.

Du Yunse had no choice but to say, "In a few days, during our day off, we will invite you to our home for a small gathering. At that time, Hua Nian will personally tell you that he is willing."

Wen Huiyang was satisfied and casually spoke a few words to Du Yunse, telling him to go and get settled in his own office.

"You are young, but your understanding of officialdom and social etiquette far surpasses mine. I have nothing to teach you in this regard. Once you have chosen your path, just keep walking."

After bowing and taking his leave, Du Yunse followed a clerk's directions and entered the adjacent courtyard.

The position of Hanlin Compiler is a sixth-rank official position, which is relatively high in the Hanlin Academy, where the highest-ranking official is only a fifth-rank. There are three Compiler positions in the Hanlin Academy, and the three of them share the main hall of a courtyard.

The main hall, as per regulations, is five bays wide. The leftmost and rightmost bays are filled with shelves containing various classics and historical texts. The middle three bays are separated by display shelves and lattice doors, each belonging to one of the three Hanlin Compilers.

The building is quite tall, with wide and open windows, providing excellent lighting. The morning sunlight illuminates the room full of books, and a faint scholarly aroma permeates the air.

After greeting his colleagues, Du Yunse went to his desk in the left bay and immersed himself in studying historical texts.

Bai Quan helped Du Yunse tidy up his small space a bit, placed the commonly used items, and then left to wait in the small tea room next to the main gate of the Hanlin Academy. The personal servants of the officials mostly gathered here.

The important areas of the yamen are off-limits to outsiders. If Du Yunse wanted to call Bai Quan to do something, he had to ask a clerk to go to the tea room and fetch Bai Quan. The same applied to others.

Du Yunse, the unprecedented Number One Scholar with six top honors, captured the attention of all the officials in the Hanlin Academy upon his arrival. There was curiosity, as well as some resentment and nitpicking.

In literature, there is no clear winner; in martial arts, there is no runner-up. They are all scholars, and scholars who can enter the Hanlin Academy at that. Who doesn't have some pride in their hearts?

Seeing that Du Yunse, after paying respects to his superiors and teacher, did nothing but immerse himself in reading for the entire morning, the restlessness in those people's hearts finally subsided a bit.

"The new Number One Scholar is young, but in terms of mindset, he doesn't seem like someone in his early twenties."

"The more he is like this, the more uncertain he becomes... We are colleagues, let's visit him during lunch."

Although the Hanlin Academy has a kitchen, the culinary skills and dishes of this modest yamen are just so-so. The officials prefer to eat food from their own homes.

At noon, servants from the officials' families brought meals to the Hanlin Academy. The servants in the tea room took the lunch boxes, and if the food was cold, they would heat it up in the kitchen before delivering it to the designated dining area in the Hanlin Academy.

The dining area is a separate small courtyard located next to the kitchen. Several rooms are filled with tables and chairs. Those who are close will sit together to eat, while those who prefer quiet will find a corner.

Wen Huiyang used to not care about these things, and Ru Shi would go to the Hanlin Academy kitchen to fetch his meals on time. Today, he arrived at the dining courtyard on time, and Ru Shi was already waiting at the corner table where he usually sat.

Wen Huiyang noticed that the lunch box Ru Shi was holding had a different style.

"Where is this from?"

"Lady Qishu sent someone to deliver it. There are two portions, this one is for you, and Bai Quan has the one for Master Du."

Du Yunse was surrounded by people chatting on the other side. Wen Huiyang stroked his beard, and a myriad of emotions flashed through his heart, "He is so thoughtful."

"Sir, let’s open it and take a look. The lunchbox feels quite heavy; there’s probably a lot inside," Ru Shi said eagerly.

Wen Huiyang took it himself and placed it on the table to open it.

As Ru Shi had guessed, the lunchbox contained many dishes. To avoid waste, each portion was small, but the variety was rich—there were meat and vegetable dishes, hot and cold dishes, soup, as well as desserts and fruits.

As soon as the lunchbox was opened, the aroma of the dishes wafted out, the distinct savory flavor of oyster sauce making people nearby turn their heads.

"The person who delivered the meal said that Lady Qishu knows you are not accustomed to spicy flavors, so she made the dishes less spicy, different from those for Du Yunse, and reminded us not to mix them up."

"How did Huanian know..."

"Sir, have you forgotten? The uncle who cooks at our residence was arranged by Lady Qishu. He’d know if we asked."

Ru Shi said with a smile, "Lady Qishu is so thoughtful, just as filial as Du Yunse."

A mentor is like a father; Wen Huiyang is Du Yunse’s mentor, and Qiu Huanian is Du Yunse’s husband, so Wen Huiyang is also considered a mentor to Qiu Huanian.

"Sir?"

Wen Huiyang paused for a moment, then picked up the lunchbox and walked towards the central table and chairs in the room.

He nodded to his nearby colleagues and started setting out the dishes from the lunchbox.

"Great Scholar Wen, what is this?"

Wen Huiyang smiled and stroked his beard, "This is from my disciple’s husband. You’ve heard of Lady Qishu, right? The Lady Qishu who was personally granted a title by the Emperor, who established Qiu’s Six Staples, writes agricultural books, and cares deeply for the people."

"..." The colleague who asked twitched his mouth, "Of course I know."

Last autumn and winter, Lady Qishu sold nearly ten thousand *jin* of cotton to the border at a low price, and the Yuanhua Emperor specifically mentioned this during the morning court, forcing all the capital’s officials to chip in.

Wen Huiyang took out the last bowl of soup and placed it among the seven or eight dishes, "I didn’t want him to send meals, afraid it would tire him, but this child is really too filial. What can I say? He’s just too good!"

"..." Is he showing off?

His colleagues suddenly didn’t want to talk to the great scholar Wen anymore.