Chapter 160
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The night before meeting the new officials, Yuan Li couldn’t stop talking about them, even though Chu Hechao warned him several times. This angered the “older” man, and Chu Hechao coldly lectured him after bringing him to bed.
He couldn’t remember when he fell asleep, but early in the morning, Yuan Li opened his eyes with weariness.
His whole body felt sore, as if he had exerted himself too much during exercise. Yuan Li’s eyelids drooped, and when he turned his head to the side, he saw red marks on his arm where he had been sucked on. The blue veins on his fair arm were conspicuously visible, giving a sense of luxurious ambiguity.
Yuan Li moved a bit, and someone behind him snuggled up, kissing his ears, neck, and lips, their temperature scorching hot. The voice was low and hoarse, “Sleep a little longer.”
The room was filled with a strong fragrance, inducing sleepiness.
Yuan Li stretched lazily, yawned, and pushed the person behind him, saying, “No more sleeping, it’s time to get up.”
“It’s still early,” Chu Hechao lazily responded.
Yuan Li said, “I have things to do today.”
Chu Hechao, with half-opened eyes, coldly sneered and teased, “Why, still thinking about those officials in their early twenties?”
“…”
In an instant, Yuan Li recalled the scene from last night when Chu Hechao became angry as he repeatedly mentioned the new officials. Chu Hechao asked him mockingly during that time: Can those young officials compare to him?
No, they couldn’t compare. Now, Yuan Li had nothing to say when he thought back.
Yesterday, he did it deliberately, just to tease Chu Hechao and see how the Great General would react with jealousy. Unexpectedly, things got out of hand.
Yuan Li shook his head heavily and said, “I’m not thinking about them. They are just officials under my command. Brother, get up quickly, I’m hungry.”
After saying that, he looked at Chu Hechao with sincerity, and his stomach growled in agreement.
Chu Hechao couldn’t bear to let him go hungry, so he playfully pinched Yuan Li’s cheek as a warning and got up from the bed.
The clothes he was going to wear today were already placed on the side. Chu Hechao picked them up and put them on, with broad shoulders and a narrow waist. Yuan Li laid on the bed watching him, appreciating the beautiful lines of Chu Hechao’s muscles.
Chu Hechao smirked and glanced at him, raising an eyebrow. “Is your man handsome?”
“Handsome,” Yuan Li honestly nodded, “and he doesn’t look eight years older than me at all.”
As soon as he finished speaking, Chu Hechao’s face darkened.
He couldn’t stand to hear such words now.
Yuan Li also realized he said the wrong thing, and his expression immediately turned serious as he tried to remedy it. “But you don’t look old at all.”
Chu Hechao’s mouth twitched. “…Just shut up.”
After Chu Hechao finished dressing himself, he came over to help Yuan Li get dressed. Yuan Li cooperated willingly.
Seeing Yuan Li like this, Chu Hechao wished he could tie him up with his belt and take care of everything from head to toe.
Yuan Li’s legs extended from under the bedding, and he hissed, not daring to look.
There were red marks all over.
Chu Hechao was quite satisfied with what he had done. He let Yuan Li embrace his shoulders and bent down to help him put on his pants. He playfully teased in Yuan Li’s ear, “I really love your legs to death.”
They were long, well-proportioned, covered with thin muscles, and incredibly elastic. They were undoubtedly a pair of masculine legs. If they wanted to, they could easily wrap around someone’s neck and strangle them, making Chu Hechao unable to get enough of them.
Yuan Li pressed his neck and lowered his head, their foreheads touching. He threatened playfully, “Brother, try saying one more word?”
Chu Hechao chuckled softly and remained silent.
After the two of them finished preparing, nearly half an hour had passed. Yuan Li had regained some energy after washing up, and after finishing breakfast, he was full of vitality again.
The scholars had already arrived at the residence of Duke Wen.
This time, the meeting with the scholars needed to be more formal, so Yuan Li wore the attire of Duke Wen. As Duke Wen, he delivered some inspiring words to these scholars, visibly exciting them.
Afterward, Yuan Li instructed someone to take the first two hundred scholars on a grand parade.
At the same time, he changed his clothes and discreetly accompanied Chu Hechao to the streets to observe the scholars’ parade.
He called these recruited scholars “Jinshi,” and the parade was known as “Kua Guan,” where the Jinshi rode horses through the streets, enjoying the cheers and praises of the common people.
Yuan Li did this to boost the scholars’ sense of honor, making them feel a sense of belonging to Wen Principality and deepening the impact of the imperial examination system. Only by pursuing such greatness and honor would the scholars keep striving for improvement and continue their studies, enabling the imperial examination system to reach even higher heights.
With the spring breeze at their back and their horses galloping, they witnessed the flowers of Chang’an in just one day.
This kind of scene was a dream come true for countless scholars.
To achieve this, Yuan Li had specially arranged the streets in front of Duke Wen’s residence and dispatched his own guards to maintain order.
The two hundred scholars were brought to the front gate of the residence and had no idea what was going on when they saw the guards of Duke Wen bringing over two hundred spirited warhorses.
Among the first two hundred scholars, one-fifth were from humble backgrounds. They had never seen so many horses before, and some of the scholars couldn’t help but exclaim, worried that they didn’t know how to ride.
Lin Tian looked at the horses and shouted, “Where are the Zhuangyuan (first-place scholar), Bangyan (second-place scholar), and Tanhua (third-place scholar)?”
These were titles given to the top three scholars in the imperial examination. Wang Qianzhi, Du Minglan, and Cui Xian quickly stepped forward and said, “We are here.”
Lin Tian smiled at them and personally led them to stand beside three spirited horses at the front, asking them to mount the horses.
The three hesitated for a moment but eventually climbed onto the horses. The guards standing nearby held the horses for them and then led them towards the street.
The other scholars were also helped onto their horses one by one. Some of the scholars from humble backgrounds carefully stroked the horses’ manes and couldn’t help but smile.
They were also led by the guards and followed behind Wang Qianzhi and the other two.
At this moment, they didn’t understand what was happening until they saw the long streets filled with crowds on both sides.
Soldiers stood guard along the sides of the street, and everyone looked at them with curious and eager eyes. People even leaned out of the windows to get a glimpse.
Du Minglan, the second-place scholar, saw his wife and children in the crowd.
He waved to them in a daze, but to his surprise, the crowd suddenly erupted into cheers, making his face flush.
Apart from the common people and the scholars, the people standing at the very front of the street were the trusted officials whom Yuan Li had invited to watch the parade. They smiled as they watched the scholars sitting on their horses, showing their admiration.
The fact that so many high-ranking officials were smiling at them from both sides of the road left Wang Qianzhi and the others breathless. They wanted to dismount and bow, but Lin Tian stopped them. He chuckled and said, “The three of you don’t need to dismount. Just sit tight. The other officials should step aside at this moment.”
Cui Xian, the third-place scholar, nervously said, “How can we let the officials step aside for us?”
Just look at those officials – Lord Shangshu, Lord Pushe, and the General of the Kingdom… all of them were important figures in Wen Principality, the trusted ministers of Duke Wen! On the other hand, they were just unknown students, how could they do such a thing?
Lin Tian smiled and said, “This is Duke Wen’s wish. The three of you should rest assured.”
As he finished speaking, the three of them were led to the street. Firecrackers exploded, gongs and drums rang, and the cheers and excitement of the people erupted.
Countless expressions of envy and praise were directed their way, and handkerchiefs were boldly thrown at them by young girls. People shouted loudly, “Zhuangyuan Lang, Bangyan Lang, Tanhua Lang”… Everyone’s eyes were passionately focused on them, including the high-ranking officials who applauded them.
Wang Qianzhi felt a bit dreamy, as if he were drunk, and his limbs felt light, as though he could fly.
His gaze swept from left to right, and he felt that he would never forget this scene in his life.
The common people and the unsuccessful scholars looked at him with admiration and envy. The thunderous cheers, the deafening sound of gongs and drums, made Wang Qianzhi’s face turn red, and he couldn’t control his smile, completely losing his usual composure.
After all, he was just a young man in his twenties, and he was feeling a bit overwhelmed by the grandeur of the event.
Even though there were two hundred “Jinshi” scholars parading on horseback, the most prominent and eye-catching were the three at the front.
Not only the unsuccessful scholars on the roadside and the other scholars outside the two hundred admired them, but the scholars following behind were also filled with envy as they enjoyed the cheers.
However, they were also content. Xu Kang and Xiang Feijin were excited, grinning widely, waving their hands to the surrounding crowd, even showing their teeth.
The other cousins and Xiang Feizhang were also among the crowd, observing the scene. They didn’t need Wang Qianzhi and the others to explain what “Kua Guan” was; they knew it now.
They stared closely at the impressive scholars on the street, their eyes turning red with envy.
It was so close; if they worked a bit harder, maybe they could be one of those people too.
Envy, too much envy. They wished they could go back to the day of the exam a month ago and take it again.
“This Wang Qianzhi…” Xiang Feizhang said sourly, “Look at him, his face is all wrinkled from smiling. We’ve known him for so long, but we’ve never seen him like this before.”
After the parade ended, the two hundred scholars were still immersed in the joy and splendor when Lin Tian gave them an unexpected surprise.
Among the one thousand scholars selected this time, the top two hundred would have the opportunity to join Wen Principality’s central government agency – the Ministry of Government Affairs – to serve Duke Wen directly. The remaining eight hundred scholars would need to start from the grassroots level, serving as county officials and working their way up.
This was an additional joy. The experiences of this day were too unforgettable, and even when Wang Qianzhi returned to the Zhou Mansion, he was still lost in joy.
His cousins and friends surrounded him, asking eagerly, “After the parade, did Duke Wen tell you something else?”
Xu Kang was the first to recover from the joy and grinned as he told them about their opportunity to join the Ministry of Government Affairs.
Even some of the older cousins couldn’t help but feel jealous. “You are so lucky to be able to enter the Ministry of Government Affairs directly. It’s the Ministry of Government Affairs, after all!”
Xiang Feijin quickly added, “The most enviable thing is Brother Wang. Did you see his majesty when he paraded on horseback today?”
Everyone turned to look at Wang Qianzhi, asking him how he felt.
Wang Qianzhi remained composed and casually said, “Not bad.”
Seeing his appearance, everyone exchanged glances and remembered his silly smile during the parade earlier that day. They couldn’t help but burst into laughter together.
The next day, the newly appointed officials received their respective assignments.
Those who were going to the counties set off to their destinations, and those going to the Ministry of Government Affairs were guided by experienced officials. The new officials were a bit flustered at first, but they quickly adapted to their new roles.
There was no need to mention the scholars serving in the Ministry of Government Affairs, but those going to the grassroots level were given an important task by Yuan Li.
Their task was to register the population and survey the land.
It was a tedious and laborious job, but Yuan Li trusted the new officials with it. These scholars were enthusiastic and full of energy in their new positions. Even if they felt tired, they would strive to impress Yuan Li.
Yuan Li never forgot about promoting knowledge to the people.
The lightly wounded soldiers from the battlefield were assigned to the villages as village chiefs. Their main duty was to teach the common people how to read and count. Yuan Li’s expectations were not high; he aimed to make the people learn how to count their age and recognize simple and basic characters.
They didn’t even need to know how to write; recognition and reading were enough.
Time passed quickly, and soon it was approaching early winter.
As usual, Yuan Li had the women in the countryside make a batch of winter clothes and boots for the soldiers of Ji, You, and Bing Zhou to keep warm. Just as the soldiers received their clothes, heavy snowflakes began to fall, covering the ground overnight with ice.
The cold wave hit hard, and several servants in the Chu Mansion fell ill. Yuan Li gave them an extended vacation to rest properly.
Early in the morning, Chu Hechao and Yuan Li dressed and went for a short run outside. However, due to the extremely cold weather, they didn’t dare to stay outside for long and quickly returned.
They stayed inside while washing up. Chu Hechao used a scoop of cold water to brush his teeth, and when Yuan Li saw this, he said, “I’ve told you so many times, don’t use cold water to brush your teeth.”
He frowned and pinched Chu Hechao’s neck, “Do you want to become a toothless old man when you’re older?”
Chu Hechao switched to warm water and sighed deliberately, “Fine, fine, I get it.”
He glanced at Yuan Li and intentionally sighed again, “You’re getting more naggy.”
Seeing his raised corner of the mouth, Yuan Li rolled his eyes secretly and thought, “If you don’t smile, that would be more like it.”
As if he knew what Yuan Li was thinking, in the next moment, Chu Hechao smiled playfully and approached him, “But I like it when you nag.”
Yuan Li couldn’t help but laugh and scolded, “Get out of here.”
With fewer government affairs during the harsh winter, they could soon take a break. Today, they had nothing to do, and Yuan Li was bored, so he brought out a deck of playing cards and got Lin Tian and Yuan Congyun, who was staying for a meal, to play cards.
After several rounds, both the Grand General and his deputy had pieces of paper stuck on their faces. When they spoke, the papers trembled as if they were about to fall off. Under the papers, Chu Hechao’s face remained expressionless as he stared at the cards in his hand, and his serious expression could scare a three-year-old child.
Among the four, only Yuan Li had a clean face. He smiled and gathered the cards in his sleeve, skillfully, easily taking advantage of the other three who had never played Dou Dizhu.
Lin Tian racked his brain, and Yuan Congyun wore a serious expression, using the tactics he used in battle to lay out his cards.
Although they hadn’t won many times, they became more and more addicted to the game. But before they could continue, Chu Hechao, relying on his willpower, noticed the time outside and said, “It’s time for dinner.”
Lin Tian was stunned for a moment, then immediately reacted and quickly removed the papers from his face, excusing himself to prepare dinner.
Yuan Congyun put down the cards with some reluctance, “This thing is interesting.”
Yuan Li smiled, “It’s a good way to pass the time, but don’t get too addicted.”
“You’re right, Duke Wen,” Yuan Congyun nodded repeatedly, then smiled, “The three of us can’t beat you alone. Duke Wen, your heroic demeanor opened my eyes.”
Yuan Li teased, “Lord Yuan, you flatter me. I don’t feel comfortable winning against all of you. But why did Lord Yuan come to the Chu Mansion today? Don’t tell me it’s to discuss something with the General?”
He asked casually, not expecting Yuan Congyun to actually nod, “Duke Wen, General Chu ordered me to use the prairie map you gave us to create a sand table. It’s done now, and I came here to show it to both of you.”
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