She's clearly a beautiful girl with delicate features, so how did people spread rumors that she's a fat, tigress who could kill two cows with her fists? Even a江湖子 (jianghu zi, a term referring to a person from the martial arts world) is more attractive than her, with such a graceful waist.
Thinking this, the student was first taken aback, then looked away and saw that his colleagues all had slightly flushed faces and were staring at him in a daze.
"Get things done, get things done." They looked at each other awkwardly and coughed to brush it off.
"She can sit there for most of the day." Although he pretended not to care, the young scholar's eyes couldn't help but wander. "It is Lord Ji's idea to recruit Jianghu people for the court. According to the rules of the court, whoever promotes them becomes their disciple. They are also considered to be from the 'new stream' faction. So why has Lord Ji not summoned them for so long?"
"Perhaps he's unwilling to submit to the Lord," someone said in a low voice. "Now that the cabinet is in power, the Minister spends all his time in the Ministry of Personnel and hasn't entered the Qianqing Gate in a long time. A few days ago, the Minister of Revenue hanged himself at home; I hear he'll be next to suffer..."
He didn't go down any further, but only made a token glance at the inner office of the Minister of Personnel, and everyone understood.
"Alas, what a pity about the 'new flow'."
"It's a pity, but this is the imperial court. Even though we are students, we should recognize this as soon as possible."
Serving the country and its people is just the naivety of scholars. They only studied in the Great Ming Gate for a few days before realizing that their own lives and property were the most important things.
"Excuse me."
As they were still sighing, someone asked a question. The students looked up and saw that the woman had already walked to the side.
"What can I do for you?" The older man stood up.
Although the person in front of him was a fifth-rank official, his pride as a man prevented him from addressing him as "Sir."
"How much longer will it take?" Yu Zigui asked politely.
"That depends on what the Minister thinks."
"And what about lunch?" she asked again.
I really admire those gossipy old men who kept talking and talking, but she was so hungry that her stomach was practically sticking to her back, and she really couldn't take it anymore.
The students stared wide-eyed, as if they had asked something they shouldn't have.
Are all the officials of the Great Wei so diligent that they have reached the lofty level of neglecting sleep and meals?
A faint, lingering fruity aroma tantalized her appetite; it was from charcoal unique to the imperial city, used to make cakes by mixing jujube and pear juice with charcoal powder. The cakes were not only smokeless but also had a pleasant fragrance.
This was something she heard a student boast about when she first entered the Ministry of Personnel.
His demeanor and tone made it hard to believe he would become a diligent and honest official who would serve the public even in poverty.
“My lord…” the young student called out, but his colleagues clearly did not approve of the title. Rejecting his intention to lead the way, the young student stepped behind the table and said, “There is the Taiguan Office, which supplies breakfast, inside the Daming Gate. It is located to the west of the Shanglin Garden Supervisory Office.”
Thank you.
Yu Zigui thanked him profusely. As he left the Ministry of Personnel, he felt that the clouds were high and the imperial city he was in was really small and cramped.
"This is where you'll be working from now on. It's inside the Great Ming Gate and outside the Meridian Gate. It's the office of the Five Ministries and Six Departments. You'd better keep your eyes wide open and serve them well."
"yes."
The timid and cowardly child's voice surprised her. Yu Zigui looked straight ahead and saw a blue-robed eunuch leading a group of little eunuchs walking by. Every time they reached an official's office, they would stop and lecture the children who were not even up to his waist, and then leave one or two people to clean up the place.
"You, and you too, stay here and clean the Thousand Steps Corridor. Every pillar and every inch of ground must be cleaned. We can't let anyone see a speck of dust in our house, hmph."
The head eunuch snorted, startling the two children so much that they knelt down with a thud.
“Yes, Father-in-law,” one of the more quick-witted ones replied immediately.
Seemingly quite pleased with Tongwei's imposing manner, the head eunuch turned around in a good mood, intending to lead the remaining children forward, when he saw a person standing five steps away.
Wait, a woman? What's a woman in a government office?
His eyes darted around, finally landing on the official seal hanging at his waist.
An official? A woman? Could it be that infamous female leader, the one that officials are ashamed to talk about?
These days, the news has spread throughout the Great Ming Gate that a woman has become an official—truly the biggest joke in the more than 160 years since the founding of the Great Wei Dynasty. And this joke was caused by Lord Ji himself. Now that the Grand Secretary is in the limelight, even though he is just a steward eunuch, he still has to choose sides.
Thinking about it, he didn't even glance at her before walking straight past her.
The clever little eunuch probably guessed something from his master's attitude. He stood up and pretended that Yu Zigui was invisible. He said to his little companion who was still lying on the ground, "You wipe the floor and I'll wipe the pillars. I'll go from east to west, and you'll go from west to east. Do you hear me?"
"Mmm," the child on the ground responded.
"Really, you're so dull-witted, I hope you don't drag me down with you."
Watching the little eunuch run off towards the sunlit east without looking back, Yu Zigui withdrew his gaze, squatted down, and stared at the little figure kneeling on the ground.
When they first met, the child was lying on the muddy official road. In that instant, it was as if they saw themselves, and they felt a humble longing for their loved ones. So they accepted a copper coin.
I recognized him from among the group of eunuchs just now, and I could hardly believe my eyes, but now that I'm looking at him up close, it really is him.
“They’re all gone.” He helped his thin body up.
"Thank you, Auntie."
Seeing that he mistook her for a palace maid, Yu Zigui did not refute it.
"Just entered the palace?" he asked softly.
"Yes, I was cleansed a month ago."
Cleansing —
Yu Zigui looked at him with shock and pain.
Seventh Senior Brother had just sent him and his mother out of Zhili a month and a half ago. What happened in those forty-odd days that caused such a healthy child to...?
"Are you feeling alright?" she asked cautiously.
"I've already peed, thank you for your concern, Auntie." The little child, unaware of the dangers, answered truthfully.
The wind in the north is sharp, cutting straight to the heart.
Her moon-like eyes narrowed again and again, and it took her a long time to hide the shock and pain in them. Picking up the rag from the ground, she soaked it in the cold water, and under the little girl's surprised gaze, Yu Zigui rolled up her sleeves and vigorously wiped the floor.
"Auntie! This... is my job."
"What? Afraid I'll steal your job?" he teased.
"No...no..."
"Then you sprinkle water in front, and I'll mop the floor," he commanded without looking up.
"I'll do it..."
"Hmm?" Yu Zigui snorted, feigning anger.
"Water turns to ice as soon as it's spilled on the ground..." he muttered softly.
Zigui was stunned.
"Auntie, this is my job." His small body knelt down like a snail, and he took another rag, trying his best to keep up.
"What's your name?" Zigui deliberately slowed down.
"My name is Jixiang."
"auspicious?"
"Yes, that was Senior Brother Fugui. It was given to me by my master after I entered the palace. My mother calls me Wazi."
Yu Zigui glanced at him. "And what about your mother?"
"My mother...is dead."
Although Yu Zigui had guessed it, he was still heartbroken.
Jixiang diligently wiped the ground, her little hands, face, and even her pupils were red from the cold.
Without asking any further questions, Yu Zigui asked in a low voice, "How did the child get into the palace?"
“I…” Remembering the rules of the palace, he quickly changed his words, “Jixiang sold herself.”
"Self-sale?"
"Well, I just happened to run into Master who came to buy a baby, so Jixiang sold himself for one copper coin."
This was an answer she hadn't expected. "Why?"
"Because Jixiang wants to be a superior person."
She was stunned when she heard the childish voice speak.
“Mother was beaten to death… just because she carelessly blocked the master’s way. I thought the Copper Coin Hero would come to save Jixiang again. He had saved Jixiang and Mother before, but… but…”
She didn't.
Although it wasn't her fault, she couldn't look directly into those misty eyes.
"Jixiang must become a superior person, she absolutely must."
He scrubbed the floor hard, his young face full of stubbornness.
"Auntie?" Seeing her kneeling on the ground, not moving, Jixiang stopped what she was doing. "Auntie, what's wrong?"
He was speechless for a moment, when his stomach suddenly growled.
"Didn't Auntie have lunch?" Jixiang carefully took out a worn-out little pouch from her chest and placed the contents of the pouch into Yu Zigui's hand. "Auntie, eat this. Although Jixiang doesn't have much good food, this ball of white flour was saved by Mother for Jixiang."
It's not white flour, it's clearly...
…………
The steam from the bath turned into wisps of smoke in the cold night, abruptly adorning the winter night.
Yu Zigui sat on the small window on the second floor of the Shangguan Mansion, letting his wet hair fall over his shoulders, and looked up at the moon.
"Something on your mind?"
A large cloak was draped over my shoulders, and a familiar, pleasant human scent wafted from behind me.
Without turning back, he simply stretched out his hands to the wind. "A child told me today that this is flour."
Shangguan picked up the small white ball, looked at it for a moment, and then put it in her palm. "It's Guanyin clay, originally a raw material for firing porcelain. Because it's soft, it was often used to stave off hunger during years of famine."
Today we entered the Imperial City, and inside the Great Ming Gate, a child mistook Guanyin clay for wheat flour and ate it—
"Which newly arrived eunuch gave you this?"
Upon receiving her surprised look, Shangguan smiled slightly: "It has always been the rule in the capital to take good sons from poor families who are starving during famine years to become eunuchs. People would never choose this path unless they are in dire straits."
"Using charcoal made from jujube and pear juice to push the people who eat soil to the brink of despair—so this is the rule of the imperial city." Zigui murmured, clutching the white ball in his hand.
"This is what officials are like, and this is what the people are like. And what kind of officials there are determines what kind of emperor there is; birds of a feather flock together—this is an eternal truth."