Joy of Life: The Mei Family's Son Grows Up

Chapter 22 Qilin Palace

"Hanlin", which means the forest of literary men, was the place where Qing State nurtured talents and stored promising prospects. It was also the place where scholars gathered. They were responsible for compiling books and writing history, drafting imperial edicts, and serving as readers for members of the royal family.

Those who can enter the Hanlin Academy are basically the best among the Jinshi, so it can be said that the most talented people in the entire Qing Kingdom are gathered here.

Many high-ranking officials in the court and even Prime Minister Lin Ruofu came from the Hanlin Academy, so the Hanlin Academy was a stepping stone to becoming a high-ranking official. From imperial examination to Hanlin, and from Hanlin to court official was the life ideal of all scholars in Qing Kingdom.

That is why some people say that Mei Cheng'an has achieved success overnight, because he has stepped right into the training base for future high-ranking officials of the Qing Kingdom.

It seems that Emperor Qing also wants him to go to the Hanlin Academy to gain some experience, which is to conduct further long-term observation and training in various aspects. This is what Mei Chengan thought after he learned what the Hanlin Academy is.

Today is the day that Mei Cheng'an is going to report to the Hanlin Academy. He packed up early in the morning, had breakfast, got on the carriage with a blue bird carriage and headed for the palace. Yes, the Hanlin Academy's office is inside the palace.

He did not wear official uniform today, because the way he looked in official uniform was laughed at not only by the four maids, but also by the whole family. Mei Cheng'an was so angry that he simply refused to wear it.

When they arrived at the side door of the palace, Mei Cheng'an just got off the carriage and saw Eunuch Hou standing at the palace gate. He didn't know who he was waiting for, so Mei Cheng'an walked over.

"Eunuch Hou, why are you here? Have you eaten?"

"Oh, Master Xiaomei, you are finally here. I have been waiting for you for a long time."

Mei Cheng'an was stunned for a moment.

"Wait for me? But what does your majesty want?"

"Your Majesty is worried that Lady Xiaomei is unfamiliar with the route since this is her first time on duty in the palace, so he has arranged for an old servant to lead the way for Lady Xiaomei. Lady Xiaomei, just follow me."

Eunuch Hou showed a token to the guards at the palace gate and then took him into the palace.

After the two men entered the palace, Eunuch Hou looked him over.

"Why isn't Master Xiaomei wearing his official uniform today?"

"Oh, please don't laugh at me when I tell you this. The official uniform is actually ready, but I don't want to wear it. When I tried it on, it was obviously a good fit, but everyone who saw it laughed, without exception. Although I am small, I am still a scholar, and I have to save face, so I simply don't wear it. Although this is a bit against the rules, you can understand it, right?"

Eunuch Hou found what he said interesting and the picture came to his mind, so he started laughing too.

"Understand, understand."

Eunuch Hou took him for a long time, but he didn't see anyone on the road. He wondered, shouldn't it be working hours now? Where are the people?

When they arrived at a certain place, Eunuch Hou pointed to a courtyard in the distance.

"Master Xiaomei, that courtyard is the Hanlin Academy."

Mei Cheng'an looked up. Although the distance was a bit far, he still saw the vertical plaque above the main gate with the words "Hanlin Academy" inscribed on it.

"Thank you, Eunuch Hou, for showing me the way. I will..."

Before he could finish his words, he was interrupted by Eunuch Hou.

"Don't worry, Mr. Xiaomei. Your office is not there. Come with me." After saying that, he left.

Mei Cheng'an was stunned and took two quick steps to catch up.

"Am I not from the Imperial Academy?"

"Yes."

"Not on duty at the Imperial Academy?"

"Your Majesty specifically instructed that Lady Xiaomei has a separate office."

"According to normal procedures, shouldn't I go see my superior first?"

Eunuch Hou waved his hand.

"His Majesty said that you are still young and it is not appropriate for you to get caught up in all the red tape and official rules too early."

Is there such an advantage to being young? I was moved.

"Then do I still need to go to court?"

"Well, if you want to go, go. If you don't want to go, that's fine too."

Mei Cheng'an was stunned, it felt so unreal. What was he worth? Why was he treated so preferentially? Why did he feel so uneasy?

"This... isn't a bit against the rules? I hope no one will say anything."

Eunuch Hou glanced at him.

"Your Majesty is talking about the rules, Master Xiaomei, don't worry."

Okay, you have a point.

As they were talking, Eunuch Hou took him to a palace of considerable size. As they walked up the stairs, Mei Cheng'an looked up. It was the Qilin Palace. From the name, he couldn't tell what it was used for. There were no guards guarding the Qilin Palace, but there were guards patrolling in the distance. At this time, there were two young eunuchs standing at the door.

When they arrived at the palace gate, Eunuch Hou waved his hand, and two young eunuchs opened the door. They went inside to greet people, and seven or eight eunuchs and palace maids came out one after another. They were holding brooms, water, and rags in their hands. They should be cleaning.

After paying their respects to Eunuch Hou, they each stood in a line and left.

Eunuch Hou was dignified when facing these young eunuchs, but when he looked at Mei Chengan, he put on a smile and explained to him.

"These eunuchs and maids are responsible for cleaning the Qilin Hall. They have to clean it once a day and leave after cleaning. On weekdays, there is no one on duty in the Qilin Hall, and these eunuchs and maids sometimes slack off here. I'm sorry to make you laugh, Master Xiaomei."

"Aren't they afraid of being discovered?"

"There are people taking turns guarding the door. If someone comes, the lookout will give a prompt warning and can hide behind the door with cleaning tools in hand."

Mei Cheng'an thought about it and felt that this trick worked quite well. He didn't notice anything wrong just now.

"Since Lord Hou knew about this a long time ago, why didn't he point it out just now, but let them leave in peace?"

Eunuch Hou smiled.

"There is no evidence. Being on duty in the palace is different from being outside the palace. There are many rules. There are some things that don't need to be criticized. Just turn a blind eye and let it go."

"Eunuch Hou has a kind heart, but is it appropriate for you to tell me these things?" "What's inappropriate about this? After all, Lady Xiaomei will be on duty in Qilin Hall in the future, so we still need to explain the situation here to Lady Xiaomei."

"I see. Aren't we going in?"

"Wait a moment, the interior is not yet ready."

Before he finished speaking, a group of eunuchs came over from a distance. Some were moving tables, some were moving stools, some were holding pens, ink, paper and inkstones, some were holding incense burners, some were carrying snacks, some were carrying teapots and teacups, and some were even carrying fruits. They all walked into the hall carrying things.

Mei Cheng'an was stunned. He could understand the pens, ink, paper, inkstone, tables and chairs, but what about all the food, drinks and fruits?

"Eunuch Hou."

"Does Master Xiaomei have any questions?"

"Who are those meals prepared for?"

"Of course it's prepared for you, Master Xiaomei."

"This... the treatment for being on duty in the palace is so good?"

"Of course, no one else has these. These are specially prepared for Lady Xiaomei by His Majesty."

Mei Cheng's face was moved, and he folded his hands and stretched them towards the center of the palace.

"Your Majesty has been so kind to me. I will do my best to fulfill my duties and live up to your grace."

Eunuch Hou was very satisfied with his reaction and nodded silently.

The eunuchs in charge of the arrangements finally came out, and Eunuch Hou took him into the hall.

It doesn't look real from the outside, only when you come in do you realize that this is where the royal family stores books. Since the windows all around the Qilin Hall are made of lattice glass, they are very light-transmitting, so the hall is not dark but very bright. The densely packed bookshelves on both sides are arranged in an orderly manner. The bookshelves are towering to the ceiling, and the squares are filled with all kinds of bamboo slips and books. At a glance, there should be no less than ten thousand books.

Eunuch Hou led him straight forward, and at the end was the work station that had just been arranged.

"Lord Xiaomei can work here in the future. This Qilin Hall was built only ten years ago. The original collection of the royal family and the subsequent collections were all placed here. It has been neglected over the years, so it is a bit messy. It will be up to Lord Xiaomei to sort it out in the future. There is a sliding spiral staircase between the bookshelves."

Mei Cheng'an nodded. It was not difficult to classify and organize the information and remove the dross and retain the essence.

Eunuch Hou took out a token from his waist and handed it to Mei Cheng'an. The token was gilded all over, and had two dragons flying among the clouds carved on both sides.

"This is a travel token. With this token, you can enter and exit the side door after the palace is closed at night. This is to prevent Lady Xiaomei from forgetting the time and getting locked in the palace."

Mei Cheng'an took the token, looked at it, and put it in his arms.

"There is always someone waiting outside the palace. Lady Xiaomei can ask him for anything she needs. If there are no other questions, I will take my leave now."

"I'll see Eunuch Hou off."

Mei Cheng'an escorted Eunuch Hou out of the hall and watched him leave.

Back in the hall, Mei Cheng'an randomly found a bookshelf, picked up a book and started flipping through it. He didn't read it in detail, just looked at the general content. After flipping through a few books, he couldn't help but feel a headache. Four categories of books, classics, history, philosophy and literature, appeared on one bookshelf at the same time. It was really messy. Then he changed a few bookshelves, and the same thing happened all over.

Looking at the densely packed bookshelves around him, Mei Chengan felt a bit overwhelmed. The workload was too exaggerated.

The only good news is that this job does not have any time or progress requirements. There is still a long time to go, so just take your time.

The first step is classification.

Mei Cheng'an opened the door of the palace and looked to both sides. He immediately saw a eunuch standing far away. He was not very old and he happened to be looking over here when he heard the noise.

Mei Cheng'an waved at him, and the young eunuch came over in quick steps.

The young eunuch bowed.

"Sir, what are your orders?"

"May I have your name."

"My name is Xiao Ming."

"Xiao Ming?"

"Xiao, bleak Xiao."

"Oh, Xiao Ming, can you do me a favor?"

"My lord, please give me your instructions."

"follow me."

Mei Cheng'an took him into the Qilin Hall, came to his own desk, looked around, and pointed.

"Xiao Ming, please help me move all the books and bamboo slips from this bookshelf and put them next to my desk, on the open space here."

"All of them?"

"all!"

"As ordered."

The young eunuch started moving the books without saying a word. His hands and feet were very quick and he placed the piles neatly in the place where Mei Chengan requested.

When it reached a high place, Mei Chengan went to lend a hand.

After a lot of effort, I finally emptied the bookshelf.

Mei Cheng'an was fine, but the young eunuch was already exhausted and out of breath.

"You've worked hard. Go take a rest. I'll call you if there's anything else."

The young eunuch left flattered.

As the door of Qilin Hall slowly closed, Mei Chengan was the only one left in the hall.

(End of this chapter)