Chapter 117 Senior Brother

Chapter 117: Senior Fellow Apprentice

Meng Wan saw the basket of flowers and felt tempted, while Song Tingzhou seemed to sense it, staring at him with those deep, dark eyes.

It made Meng Wan feel guilty, so he fiddled with the jade pendant at his waist and suddenly said, "The messengers should have left the capital by now, right? Mother must be thrilled to know you’ve passed as a scholar back in the village."

People would also go to Shichun Lane to deliver the good news, and with Aunt Geng at home, there was no need to worry.

Song Tingzhou took his hand and said warmly, "After the Ministry of Personnel assigns my post, we’ll go back to fetch her."

Apart from the top three in the first tier—Zhuangyuan, Bangyan, and Tanhua—who would be directly assigned to the Hanlin Academy as officials, the remaining second-tier and third-tier Jinshi would be assigned to the Six Ministries, the Censorate, the Office of Transmission, the Court of Judicial Review, and other offices for a three-month probationary period. Only after the probation and subsequent evaluations would they be officially appointed to positions.

For ordinary people, it was nearly impossible to break into officialdom. Third Master Zhu wanted to take advantage of the probation period to scheme for his son; otherwise, the Ministry of Personnel would prioritize assigning the forty-seven second-tier Jinshi based on their rankings, leaving over three hundred third-tier Associate Jinshi to scramble for whatever was left.

Meng Wan and the others watched the excitement for a while before returning to Shichun Lane after a meal. Aunt Geng reported that the messengers had indeed come; she had given them silver and personally informed the neighbors of the good news.

A few days later, the Ministry of Personnel issued a decree stating that Song Tingzhou had been assigned to the Ministry of Rites for a three-month probation. Meng Wan thought this probation was similar to an internship in modern society, except that second-tier Jinshi who didn’t commit major mistakes would be kept, securing a government-guaranteed position and later moving to other posts after gaining experience.

Meng Wan wrote a letter to Chang Jinhua, explaining that Song Tingzhou still had three months of probation and would return home only in summer, urging her to eat well, take care of herself, and not to worry.

On Song Tingzhou’s first day as an intern at the Ministry of Rites, he ran into Wu Qianzhang, who was also assigned there. Among the top ten in the second tier, only the two of them had been sent to the Ministry of Rites.

As fellow Jinshi from the same examination, they were considered peers under the same examiner, but Wu Qianzhang’s attitude toward Song Tingzhou was hardly friendly.

"Before the palace examination at Baohe Hall, you lent your robe to Chai Jun, didn’t you?"

The first step in the probation was to study the laws and regulations of the Ministry of Rites and understand the court’s ceremonial systems.

So the ministry officials busied themselves with their work, and the newcomers sat down to read.

Song Tingzhou had just picked up a book on sacrificial rites when Wu Qianzhang stopped him with a hostile tone.

Song Tingzhou showed no sign of being caught off guard. Calmly flipping open a page, he replied, "No."

"You know he’s my rival, and yet you dare to help..." Wu Qianzhang stopped mid-sentence.

???

No?

"I clearly saw the three of you entering the hall last, and Chai Jun looked so grateful to you. If not you, then who?"

Wu Qianzhang was almost laughed in frustration. Song Tingzhou might look the part—handsome and upright—but he was lying through his teeth, treating him like a fool.

Song Tingzhou turned another page of the thick book and said evenly, "Each Tribute Scholar was issued a blue robe. Chai Jun was wearing his own."

The other Jinshi beside them hadn’t turned a page for a while, their ears pricked up.

Wu Qianzhang wasn’t stupid. How could he admit in front of so many people that he had ordered someone to ruin Chai Jun’s robe?

But deep down, he was still bitter. He had tacitly allowed his flatterers to cut Chai Jun’s robe—not because he thought Chai Jun’s literary talent was a threat, but simply because he disliked Chai Jun’s aloof attitude. A man from some remote prefecture dared to hold his head higher than his?

Yet, to his surprise, the assured top position had indeed been taken by Chai Jun. Naturally, he thought of the robe incident.

What if Chai Jun hadn’t made it to the palace exam that day?

Or had committed a breach of etiquette?

Just one rank lower, and he could have broken into the top three. He should have smoothly entered the Hanlin Academy, not had to endure this three-month probation.

Fourth place—how could Wu Qianzhang resign himself to that!

He shot a dark look at Song Tingzhou, who was still flipping pages, and said, "Don’t even think about staying in the Ministry of Rites."

Song Tingzhou didn’t spare him a glance. The Ministry of Rites had never been his first choice anyway. Wu Qianzhang was narrow-minded, and as fellow competitors, they would inevitably clash sooner or later.

Wu Qianzhang had been a strong contender for this year’s Zhuangyuan. Everyone knew his background—he was the nephew of Ministry of Rites Minister Wu Wei himself, groomed by his uncle, and entering the Ministry of Rites was like returning to his own home.

More than twenty people had come to the Ministry of Rites for probation. Aside from Song Tingzhou and Wu Qianzhang (both second-tier), the rest were third-tier Associate Jinshi. Who wouldn’t want to curry favor with Wu Qianzhang to secure a spot in the ministry?

What had happened to Chai Jun at Baohe Hall seemed to be repeating itself with Song Tingzhou, and this time, with more people trying to gain Wu Qianzhang’s favor, the situation could only get worse.

When they realized that covertly isolating Song Tingzhou had little effect, some, under Wu Qianzhang’s unspoken encouragement, decided to take action for the sake of their own careers—ambushing Song Tingzhou after leaving the office.

They were clever enough not to act inside the ministry, instead cornering him in an alley halfway home.

A few frail scholars, who would probably struggle even against Chang Jinhua, thought their numbers gave them an advantage? They naively dragged Song Tingzhou into a deserted alley.

But with his tall build and well-defined muscles, were those just for show? Without needing Xue Sheng, who had come to escort him home, to lift a finger, Song Tingzhou emerged from the alley in less than the time it takes to burn an incense stick, rubbing his wrists. In truth, he had been fed up, and his usually cool expression now bore a hint of fierceness.

Xue Sheng glanced discreetly into the alley. The men could still stand and make their way home, but their faces were a mess. They wouldn’t dare call in sick now; going to the ministry the next morning would only invite more scrutiny. Hopefully, this would calm things down for a while, letting them know Song Tingzhou wasn’t as easy to push around as Chai Jun.

By the time Song Tingzhou stepped off the carriage, his face had returned to a calm demeanor. He crossed the main hall and found Meng Wan in the garden in front of the main house, watering flowers with a ladle.

"Back already." Meng Wan tossed the ladle into the bucket and came over to take Song Tingzhou’s hand, leading him to the side of the garden.

"Look, my potatoes have sprouted." Half of the flower beds had been moved into pots, and the empty soil was now planted with potatoes, which he had just been watering.

Song Tingzhou crouched down to examine the potato sprouts closely as they broke through the damp soil, their tender green leaves still holding droplets of water.

Meng Wan had taken meticulous care of the potatoes, with neat rows of tiny leaves breaking through the earth, full of vitality.

Song Tingzhou gently touched a water droplet with his fingertip, letting it fall into the soil. "A new crop like this could alleviate the food shortage for the people."

The potatoes they had brought back to Sanquan Village last year weren’t many, but for villagers whose crops had been flooded, they provided something to eat. By the time the floodwaters receded, it was too late to plant other grains, but the short growth cycle of potatoes gave families a brief respite until the court’s relief arrived.

Song Tingzhou and Meng Wan’s efforts could only go so far. But what if he became an official?

Meng Wan stood quietly beside him, smiling, his gaze as gentle as the spring sun. "You’re different now." The way you think has changed.

Song Tingzhou stood up and took his hand. "I know my husband is praising me, but now it’s time to wash up and change for dinner."

Meng Wan obediently let himself be led away. As they walked toward the main house, Meng Wan asked about how Song Tingzhou was adjusting to the Ministry of Rites. Song Tingzhou didn’t hide anything, but he didn’t mention the ambush to avoid worrying Meng Wan, only talking about the conflict with Wu Qianzhang and the coldness from others.

Meng Wan couldn’t help feeling annoyed. Wasn’t this just... cold violence?

"Now that we’ve familiarized ourselves with the ministry’s rules, we’ve been assigned to different bureaus under various directors to do menial tasks. Since we’re scattered, we don’t see each other often."

Song Tingzhou tried to reassure him, but in reality, Wu Qianzhang, being trained directly under Wu Wei, had grown even more influential. During office hours, he would inevitably cause some trouble for Song Tingzhou, though he didn’t dare go too far. To Song Tingzhou, these were minor issues.

The next day at the Ministry of Rites, a few men with bruised and swollen faces scurried past him, behaving themselves.

Wu Qianzhang somehow got hold of the food supply list for the palace banquet in May, slammed it onto Song Tingzhou’s desk, and said, "The director of the Court of State Banquets wants you to inspect this list. Hand it in before the end of the day."

Song Tingzhou looked at the thick stack of papers and said coolly, "These routine tasks are the director’s responsibility. I’m just a humble Jinshi; I dare not overstep my authority."

The director was a fifth-rank official. To have a new probationary Jinshi do his work—if he did it well, the director would take the credit; if he did poorly, all the blame would fall on him. Only a fool would accept such a tricky job.

Wu Qianzhang laughed. Confident in his power, he summoned the Bureau Director, who immediately changed his obsequious demeanor when facing Song Tingzhou.

He puffed out his chest and put on an air of official authority, threatening coldly, "If you want to pass the three-month probationary evaluation smoothly, you'd better do the tasks this official assigns to you. Otherwise, not just three months, but even three years, I guarantee you'll never pass the Ministry of Rites' evaluation!"

Song Tingzhou's gaze grew dark. Since being assigned together with Wu Qianzhang, he knew this day would come. "It doesn't matter whether I pass the evaluation or not. But you, Director, have not found it easy to rise to your current fifth-rank position. If need be, we can take this straight to the Minister and Vice Minister. Even if I fail this evaluation, you will not get off easily either."

If he compromised today, tomorrow they would find another excuse to torment him. The more weak and bullied one appears, the more one is taken advantage of.

"How dare you!" The Director had thought that controlling a newly-appointed imperial graduate under his command would be easy. Little did he expect the other to yield not a word, turning out to be a tough nut.

"I've only been gone a few days, and already I see Lord Zeng throwing his weight around!"

Lin Congrong, in his forties, had a gaunt appearance. He wore a crimson official robe, with a rank badge embroidered with a colorful and vivid golden pheasant on his chest.

As he strode over, everyone quickly bowed in greeting.

"I wouldn't dare, my lord..."

The Director hurriedly tried to explain, but Lin Congrong bypassed him and walked to Song Tingzhou. "Since the exams are over, why didn't you bring Wan Geer to visit my home?"

Thoughts raced through Song Tingzhou's mind as he realized that this Lord Lin was the Vice Minister of Rites who had led them to study court etiquette after the metropolitan exam, and was also the high-ranking "Da Lang" that Mother Geng had mentioned, and Meng Wan's senior fellow apprentice whom he had never met.

"Greetings, senior fellow apprentice. I truly don't understand the capital's customs. Wan Geer was afraid of causing you trouble and instructed me to visit only after being assigned an official post," he said politely.

"That was my oversight. What do you young ones know? In a few days, let Wan Geer come to my residence. Your elder sister-in-law and several nephews and nieces have long wanted to see him."

"I'll send a visiting card to your residence as soon as I return."

"We are family; why trouble yourself? Just tell him to come directly."

The two of them chatted, while the crowd nearby was completely dumbfounded.

The fellow examination graduates who had previously been laughing at Song Tingzhou now wore regretful expressions. It turned out to be a battle between two powerful figures, and by meddling, they had not only offended people but also gotten beaten up!

Even more regretful was the Bureau Director, who dared not interject. He was inwardly seething, resenting that Song Tingzhou had connections with Vice Minister Lin but never revealed them sooner, causing him to inadvertently offend his direct superior.

Lin Congrong had come here only because he had heard some rumors within the ministry. He came to give a warning and incidentally help Song Tingzhou.

He exchanged a few words with Song Tingzhou, achieved his goal, and soon prepared to return to his official duties.

However, before leaving, Lin Congrong gave a mild but pointed warning to everyone present: "The Ministry of Rites is not one person's ministry. It is the ministry that upholds ritual order for the sovereign, manages imperial examinations, selects talents across the land to ensure the continuation of the Yu dynasty, and showcases our nation's majesty to foreign lands."

"Lord Zeng, you haven't been promoted in six years. Have you never asked yourself why? This year's performance review, I'm afraid, is still insufficient."

These words were practically a death sentence for him. The Bureau Director hurriedly abandoned Wu Qianzhang and chased after Lin Congrong, who was walking out.

"Lord Lin, I have served as Bureau Director for six years—no great merits, but also no mistakes..."

"Lord..."

Wu Qianzhang watched helplessly as the Bureau Director abandoned him to run after Vice Minister Lin. Face livid, he hissed through gritted teeth at Song Tingzhou: "I never expected you to have ties with Vice Minister Lin. I've underestimated you. The officialdom is like the sea, Brother Song. You'd better pray that you and I never end up in the same yamen in the future."

Song Tingzhou replied calmly, "Then I hope you get what you wish for, Brother Wu."

The two had essentially fallen out completely, but once Lin Congrong showed up, no one dared to cause any more trouble for Song Tingzhou.

Since Lord Lin had mentioned it, Meng Wan prepared a visiting card and had a servant deliver it. The next day, he took gifts and visited the residence.

Lady Lin was more than twenty years older than Meng Wan, but according to Madam Xiang's generation ranking, Meng Wan had to call her "elder sister-in-law."

The Lin family had a spotless reputation. Lin Congrong had no concubines. His wife had borne him two sons and a daughter. The two sons were studying at an academy in their hometown, and only his fourteen-year-old daughter stayed with him. She would address Meng Wan as "young uncle."

Given the age difference and Lady Lin's dignified and polite demeanor, Meng Wan and Lady Lin had little to talk about when they sat together. Instead, her younger daughter Xuanniang was extremely fond of seeking out Meng Wan to talk and chat.

Although Madam Xiang was a skilled painter, she didn't take on just anyone as a student. Nie the Second Young Master grew up under her care, but he was not considered her disciple. She had attempted to teach her sons, grandsons, and granddaughters, but they had no talent.

In her lifetime, she had accepted only three apprentices, and Meng Wan was the third.