Chapter 56: I Have No Interest in Becoming an Official, I Only Wish to Serve the Nation with Loyalty
After leaving his territory, Xiao Wen returned to Dragon Manor in Luoyang through the teleportation array.
When Xiao Wen arrived back at Dragon Manor, one hundred White Dragon Cavalry were standing guard around the estate. Their faces were cold and stern, and their entire bodies radiated a murderous aura.
Xiao Wen nodded inwardly, calculating whether he should redistribute the four hundred White Dragon Cavalry in his territory and have them take turns guarding Dragon Manor, treating it as a vacation.
Mm. Not a bad idea.
I truly am a benevolent lord.
Xiao Wen muttered to himself several times.
In this world filled with 996 and 007 work schedules, kind lords like me are far too rare.
After sighing inwardly, Xiao Wen left Dragon Manor and headed toward the clothing shop in his memory.
When Xiao Wen arrived at the clothing shop, there was not a single person inside. Only the empty shop remained.
Although the shop was empty, the moment Xiao Wen reached the entrance, he could sense more than a dozen gazes staring at him from the unseen darkness.
Those naked gazes seemed as if they wanted to devour him completely.
Xiao Wen was startled inwardly, but his expression remained calm.
Crouching Tiger was merely the title of an official.
Under him, there were still many intelligence organizations.
At this moment, Xiao Wen had undoubtedly been targeted by those people.
Standing at the shop entrance, Xiao Wen neither entered nor left. He simply stood there, straight and unmoving.
After about an hour, a ghostly voice rang out from diagonally behind Xiao Wen.
“Little brother, did you come here specifically to look for me?”
Xiao Wen suddenly turned his head and immediately saw a figure standing behind him.
Who else could it be but Shen Que?
Such elusive methods were likely possessed by only the Crouching Tiger in all of Luoyang.
After calming his fluctuating emotions, Xiao Wen forced a smile onto his face, looked at Shen Que, and said, “Since I came here, naturally, there is a tremendous good thing I wanted to tell the shopkeeper.”
As Xiao Wen spoke, his gaze involuntarily swept to both sides several times before he withdrew it and gave Shen Que a meaningful look.
Shen Que’s expression remained unchanged. He stared at Xiao Wen for a few moments before forcing a smile onto his face and chuckling.
“A good thing? Then let us go inside and talk.”
Xiao Wen was naturally not polite and entered the rear courtyard of the shop together with Shen Que.
There was a stone table in the courtyard, along with three stone stools. On the stone table sat a pot of tea, steam rising from its spout, and three teacups with their openings facing upward.
“Sit,” Shen Que said.
Then, with a sweep of his sleeve, he silently put away the three teacups. Afterward, he took out two brand-new teacups from his other sleeve and poured Xiao Wen a cup of tea.
“I wonder what good thing little brother wishes to speak of?”
Xiao Wen smiled faintly, then took out the fifteen letters from his inventory space and pushed them in front of Shen Que.
“Everyone says the shopkeeper is a man of the capital, with wide connections and many channels. These things should be useful to you.”
Shen Que looked at the envelopes before him with suspicion on his face. He then picked them up and opened them.
When he saw the contents of the letter paper, his eyes narrowed, and a faint gleam flashed between his brows. He hurriedly put down the letter in his hand and picked up another one.
Only after he had finished reading every letter did he stack them together and place them on the stone table. Without saying a word, he lifted the teapot beside them and pressed it on top of the papers.
That way, the letters would not be blown away by the wind.
“Little brother, where did you obtain these letters?”
Shen Que narrowed his eyes and smiled, causing the flesh on his face to fold layer by layer.
“As a wandering hero of the Divine Province, I acted righteously and cut down the chief of a mountain stronghold, then seized them from his stronghold. Right, that chief seemed to be called Bian Xi. Judging from the contents of the letters, he should have been one of the Yellow Turban rebels.”
“How could the vast Divine Province be ruined by these rebels? When I saw these letters, my righteous fury was stirred. I only hated that I possessed martial strength, yet had no channel to offer my service and no way to serve the nation. I wished I could personally behead those rebels as a warning to others!”
Xiao Wen’s impassioned words rang out from his mouth, every sentence filled with fervor.
At this moment, he looked exactly like a righteous man loyal to the nation, bitterly forced to vent his anger because he had no path through which to serve.
Shen Que watched him and could not help but nod inwardly.
This boy’s character is truly quite good.
The Yellow Turban rebels had long caused suffering throughout the world!
Now that the Ten Attendants held power beside the Son of Heaven, there were no capable ministers and few trusted confidants. If this boy could be taken under his wing and promoted a little, it might not be impossible.
Such thoughts flashed through Shen Que’s mind.
Shen Que looked calmly at Xiao Wen and said, “Young hero, your words are deeply moving. They make my blood surge with passion, and I can hardly calm myself!”
“These letters are useful. Extremely useful!”
“If young hero trusts this humble one, then hand these things to me. I will definitely report young hero’s merits through my connections and submit them to those above. I will surely be able to exchange them for an official post for you!”
Hearing this, Xiao Wen was slightly startled. He looked at Shen Que with admiration all over his face, cupped his hands, and bowed.
“Shopkeeper, you are truly a pillar of the nation!”
“As for whether I receive an official post or not, I do not care. I act for the righteousness of family and nation, absolutely not for some tiny personal profit! How could an official position be used to stain our sincere hearts that wish to serve the country?”
“However...”
“Shopkeeper, what rank could it be specifically? It should at least be above the seventh rank, right?”
“Seventh rank? What level is that?”
Shen Que looked at Xiao Wen, whose attitude had suddenly changed drastically, and a trace of doubt appeared on his face.
What official position is seventh rank? Why have I never heard of it?
Xiao Wen: (⊙o⊙)...
He had been misled by the quest requirement!
According to ancient history, the Nine-Rank System only became widespread after the Wei and Jin dynasties, at the earliest. Only then did official ranks become categorized by grade.
At the moment, there was no such thing!
The simplest way to classify the hierarchy of officials was by salary.
Damn it! I’m reporting this to the dog planners. I found a bug!
The corners of Xiao Wen’s mouth twitched, but he quickly calmed his shaken mind. He looked at Shen Que and then patiently explained.
You do not know what seventh rank means?
No problem.
Just convert a seventh-rank official into the Eastern Han official system.
It was roughly equivalent to positions such as Left or Right Senior Clerk, Secretariat Gentleman, or Assistant to the Minister of Ceremonies.
After Xiao Wen’s explanation, Shen Que understood.
Only after understanding, the way he looked at Xiao Wen changed somewhat, carrying a strange glint.
This fellow still says he does not want an official post?
His understanding of the official hierarchy is actually clearer than mine!
Shen Que complained inwardly, and the way he looked at Xiao Wen became somewhat different. He smiled, patted Xiao Wen on the shoulder, and promised,
“Young hero, rest assured. I will report all these requests of yours on your behalf.”
“I dare not guarantee anything else, but as long as young hero has a chivalrous heart, a loyal heart that wishes to serve the nation, and is willing to devote yourself completely to the Son of Heaven and the Divine Province until death...”
“A bright pearl like you will surely shine with dazzling brilliance beneath this flourishing age!”
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