The Empress's First Running Dog

Chapter 12 Meeting the “Buyer”

"Speak clearly!" Zhao Duan was shocked and some of his sleepiness disappeared.

"Yes," Zhu Kui said:
"Yesterday, according to your order, I sent someone to follow Wang Xian and asked him to report any unusual movements.

As a result, after leaving Dingfeng Building, this person went straight home. He did not go out during that time and no one came to visit him.

At dawn, a servant quietly went out and went straight to the residence of the head of the Ministry of Personnel, presumably to pass on a message, and then returned.

Ministry of Personnel Selection Department? Zhao Duan was startled and asked:

"Which one is in charge?"

Each of the six ministries had several "departments" under its jurisdiction. Each department had a doctor, a deputy doctor, and two principals.

The chief official is of the sixth rank, in charge of various "departments" below. Although it sounds like a low rank, the Selection Department is in charge of the transfer and appointment of local officials below the fourth rank, which is related to one's future.

Therefore, even in the capital, he was considered an official with real power.

Li Shizhen (not Li Shizhen), the father of Li Shutong, the lyricist of the famous song "Farewell", once served as the head of the Ministry of Personnel.

"Feng Ju, Director Feng," Zhu Kui had obviously done some background checks before he came over. Seeing Zhao Duan frowning, he whispered a reminder:
"He is also a scholar from Jiangnan, and he passed the imperial examination in the 38th year of Longjing."

The thirty-eighth year of Longjing?

Zhao Duan just felt that the number sounded familiar.

After thinking about it carefully, he suddenly remembered that the "prisoner" who was currently detained in the Ministry of Justice and whom Ning'an County Master bribed him to rescue was also a Jinshi in the 38th year of Longjing.

As they are born in the same year, it is very likely that they belong to the same "small circle" in officialdom.

Maybe it was out of friendship, maybe there were interests involved, they belonged to the community and had to be rescued... It didn't matter. What mattered was that Zhao Duan had finally locked on the "buyer".

"Well done," Zhao Duan praised, "I will give you credit for this."

Zhu Kui laughed and asked:
"What are you going to do, sir?"

The old official had figured out what was going on by now and realized that his envoy was probably going to cause trouble.

Zhao Duan did not answer. He looked at the pale sun rising in the morning mist outside the window and the dark clouds gathering in the sky, and remained silent.

……

……

Noon.

Outside the gate of the Ministry of Personnel in the capital, a seemingly plain carriage slowly drove out and returned to the mansion.

Feng Ju is over 40 years old this year. He looks thin and has the typical temperament of a scholar.

Given his background, it was extremely difficult for him to climb to this position at this age in the officialdom of the Dayu Dynasty.

Of course, support from fellow townsmen and classmates is indispensable.

In the small circle of officialdom, scholars who passed the imperial examinations in the same year would form small groups, and those who came from the same place would also have "fellow townsmen associations."

Members must support and recommend each other, a model similar to that of Indian executives who recommended each other in large American companies in Zhao Duan’s previous life.

There is gain and loss. Feng Ju has benefited from his small circle, but he also had to take risks to rescue members when they were in trouble.

Take a recent incident for example:

A local bureaucrat in the circle was caught by the Inspector General and found to be corrupt. He was arrested and brought to Beijing, and detained in the Ministry of Justice for investigation.

Faced with the request for help from his colleagues, Feng Ju tried to make his way to Ning'an County and bribed Zhao Du'an, the rumored "male favorite" of the saint.

As a result, the other party did not take any action for a long time. Feng Ju became anxious and urged Wang Xian to ask.

The good news is:

This morning, Wang Xian's servant came to deliver a message that Zhao Duan has agreed to provide assistance in the next few days.

The bad news is:

When I went to the government office this morning, I learned that Zhao Duan had failed to capture the rebels and was facing impeachment from the imperial court and the Censorate. His situation was very dangerous.

"Ugh."

In the carriage, Feng Ju felt a headache and was very uneasy.

Although Wang Xian said with certainty that Zhao Duan would not fall, he asked him to rest assured.

But things in officialdom are unpredictable, who can say for sure?

Gathering his thoughts, he decided not to think too much about it for the time being and go home for lunch first - Feng's house was not far from the government office, and he was used to going home for lunch at noon.

However, when the carriage was halfway there, it suddenly stopped. Feng Ju asked through the curtain:
"What happened?" the driver asked.

"Someone is blocking the road... Hey, who are you? Do you know that the people in the car are..."

"Master Feng," a sinister voice sounded.

Feng Ju was surprised to see the curtain of the carriage opened and several men standing outside. The leader, Zhu Kui, smiled and said:
"My master has invited you to have a chat by the lake. Would you be willing to honor me?"

……

……

When Feng Ju was forced by the tyranny to arrive at the north bank of the Hun River, which runs across the capital from east to west, and got off the carriage, light rain was falling from the sky.

Dark clouds gathered, and willow trees were planted all over the long river bank.

On the gray muddy river surface, a black-sailed boat was floating, and a small boat was moored on the shore.

"Master Feng, please come in."

Zhu Kui stared at him and made a gesture of "please get on board".

Feng Ju was nervous, but as a scholar he had to respect himself and did not believe that he would be in danger under the emperor's feet, so he told the driver to wait and happily boarded the boat.

Zhu Kui personally steered the boat. Soon, the two boats docked. The old official left Feng Ju behind and sailed back to the shore.

In this way, the conversation on the ship will not be known to a third person.

"I am a rude servant and may be impolite for inviting you so presumptuously. Master Feng, please come in and take a seat." A voice came.

Only then did Feng Ju discover that inside the black tent, there was a man in gorgeous clothes sitting cross-legged with an extremely handsome appearance.

There is a small table in front of him, and he is cooking tea with a small fan in his hand. Scarlet flames are licking from the small red clay stove, and curls of steam are rising. There are pastries placed around him.

In the misty rainy season, black boats are sailing on the lake, and people are brewing tea around the stove...

Feng Ju's scholarly DNA was activated, and he was shocked by this elegant and bourgeois scene.

In a trance, I couldn't tell whether I was "kidnapped" or invited to attend a private gathering of literati.

"May I ask who this gentleman is..."

Feng Ju couldn't figure out the other party's intentions and asked questions cautiously.

There were countless officials and dignitaries in the capital, and Zhao Duan had only been in power for a year, and Feng Ju had never seen him.

"Master Feng, don't you recognize me?" Zhao Duan pretended to be surprised and said with a smile:
"Then why did Wang Xian come to me?"

Feng Ju was stunned and said in astonishment:
"You are Zhaodu... Envoy Zhao?!"

He was confused. He didn't understand why the other party found him and knew that he was the person behind Wang Xian... This was against the rules!

Feng Ju suddenly became furious, thinking that Wang Xian had not followed the rules and, as a middleman, had revealed his identity to the other party.

Then, he turned to caution and suspicion, unable to figure out the other party's intentions.

Zhao Duan took his expression into his eyes and nodded slightly:

"It's me. Although the rain outside is light, it can still cause a cold. Come in and sit down."

Feng Ju was surprised and confused, so he stepped into the black tent and sat cross-legged opposite him.

At the same time, he looked at it carefully and was quite surprised.

According to the rumors he had heard, "the empress's lover" Zhao Duan was a frivolous villain who gained power overnight.

He is arrogant and domineering to his subordinates and fawning to his superiors. He was born as a soldier in the imperial guards. Although he has a good appearance, his temperament is foul and scholars are ashamed to associate with him.

But seeing it in person is very different.

The man in front of him was not only handsome, but also had a calm and restrained temperament. He did not look as crude as a soldier, but instead had a faint scholarly air.

He has a calm demeanor and even has the air of someone who has been immersed in officialdom for many years.

If Zhao Duan knew what he was thinking, he would probably roll his eyes and say something nonsense.

After all, I was a test-taker from a small town, and was admitted to a prestigious university through the test-oriented education system. I also worked in the system and followed senior leaders for several years.

Having been influenced by his surroundings and having insights far beyond the current times, he is truly worthy of being a head of the Ministry of Personnel.

"I wonder why Envoy Zhao asked me to come here?"

Feng Ju was very cautious and spoke tentatively.

(End of this chapter)