Chapter 662: Chapter 647: Let’s Make a Bet—I’ll Advance to Fourth Rank Tomorrow (Part 3)
Silver Coin in hand, the maids and servants all cried.
Upon arriving at the back courtyard, they knelt by the door...
Then, one by one, they took leave to send the money back to their families.
They too have families, past homes, officials, even after ruin, they still have a few relatives.
In this cold and cruel world, those who have fallen into decline face the greatest hardships, their relatives facing starvation daily. Lin Xiaosu went against the norm and set this precedent, giving them their wages, perhaps saving dozens of families...
Lin Xiaosu sat in the Red Pavilion, holding the teacup Qing Ying handed him. In his ear, he could still faintly hear the cries and laughter from the courtyard; his heart was in a state of turmoil.
In this world, he finds it difficult to empathize, because it is precisely this world that caused boundless catastrophe in his world.
Yet, every world has those at the bottom.
The hardship of being born human is universal...
That’s perhaps where the "Human Path" differs from the Heavenly Dao; Human Path can empathize.
"It’s only now that I truly believe that your decision to enter officialdom was the best choice," Qing Ying’s voice came gently.
Lin Xiaosu lifted his gaze; Qing Ying stood by his side, her eyes complex.
"Why the sudden sentiment?"
"Because of your kindness!" Qing Ying said, "If under the heavens, all officials were to treat the people as their own children, with such benevolence, would this land still have famine-stricken?"
"I heard your father, former Prime Minister Lord Du, was a representative of those who loved the people as their own children."
"Precisely because he focused only on the people and insufficiently understood the darkness of officialdom, he fell victim to treachery, dying in his prime," Qing Ying whispered, "Sir, you need to see the current situation clearly."
"The current situation you mean is..."
"Although Xishan Heart Pavilion is destroyed, its tendrils reaching toward the court are not severed, and in the Jianghu, countless sects are in collusion with the Heart Pavilion, not to mention Heart Pavilion has Heart Path and unorthodox methods behind it! Lord, your path will be fraught with peril," Qing Ying said, "Lord, it would be wise to make preparations early."
"I have already begun preparing!" Lin Xiaosu smiled slightly.
"The preparations you speak of are..."
"Currently, I have gained His Majesty’s favor and been appointed as a fifth-rank official, with His Majesty as my shield, the Heart Pavilion, who thrives in darkness, cannot openly oppose me. That’s my preparation."
Qing Ying sighed softly, "Sir, you’re a bit too optimistic! You’re just a fifth-rank official, still too lightweight; the heart pavilion infiltrated higher-ups can still easily manipulate you."
"Matters should be approached step by step! Today I’m fifth-rank, maybe tomorrow fourth-rank, and in a few months, perhaps third-rank, once I’m a third-rank official, court methods will scarcely affect me."
Qing Ying lifted her hand, gently rubbed her forehead, "Sir, you’re indeed quite optimistic; promotions aren’t that easy, many fifth-rank officials don’t move up even after decades."
"Is it so difficult?" Lin Xiaosu smirked, "Watch me get promoted two levels tomorrow!"
"Tomorrow? Promoted two levels?" Qing Ying was astonished, "Sir, are you joking?"
"Do I look like I’m joking?"
"...Very much so!"
Lin Xiaosu laughed.
Qing Ying also smiled lightly, extending her hand with a bundle, "Sir, this money isn’t quite fitting for me to manage. How about you keep some for yourself, while the rest is managed by the steward?"
"There are seven thousand coins with the steward, enough. It’s more suitable for you to manage these three thousand."
Qing Ying hesitated for a moment.
Thinking about it, this large amount of money indeed isn’t convenient for the lord to carry around, and the steward already has plenty; the lord should have a small treasury of his own.
But given my identity...
Never mind, since the lord hasn’t had the grand wedding yet?
Qing Ying put it away, "For now, I’ll manage on behalf of the lord. In three months, when the Qingqiu Seventh Princess arrives, I’ll pass it to the Seventh Princess."
Qingqiu Seventh Princess...
Three months later, the marriage...
Lin Xiaosu wore a smile tinged with mystery.
This wasn’t mere posing; he genuinely felt a few sentiments about the fickleness of the world.
This face of his bears the guise of Li Chengnian.
According to the agreement between Qingqiu and Heart Pavilion, it’s indeed three months later the Seventh Princess is to wed.
Will this marriage perish with the clearing of Heart Pavilion?
No!
Why?
Because this fake Li Chengnian has made a magnificent transformation; he is a fifth-rank official!
Imperial Court Fifth-Grade Inspection Envoy, carries far more weight than a Heart Pavilion Steward!
How could Qingqiu possibly abandon?
But for himself?
How to handle this tangled mess?
The Seventh Princess he has met is indeed a marvel among people, a fairy among foxes—pure and untouched, untainted by the wickedness of the world, still believing in the mythical love at first sight, radiantly fresh, full of Spiritual Energy...
If encountered in the wild, he could indeed flirt a bit freely. Setting aside if success is possible, the process of enticing would surely be delightful.
But, using someone else’s mature face for this, there’s a psychological barrier...
In the Red Pavilion, watching the Liuxiang River beyond, he felt an undercurrent within.
He guessed correctly.
At this moment in Qingqiu, inside the Council Hall, decorations were splendid, everyone was praising the Great Elder, even the clan leader who seldom emerged from retreat personally came out, face full of smiles.
Everyone in Qingqiu was excited for Li Chengnian’s officialdom meteoric rise.
The Fox Clan allied with a fifth-rank official, by chance.
Quite a pleasant surprise indeed.
Fifth-rank official; who could Heart Pavilion’s steward possibly compare with?
Fifth-rank official, a coveted marital alliance by millennia-old aristocratic families.
The Great Elder surely has discerning eyes.
The clan leader proposed a toast from all the elders together, to honor the Great Elder...