TL: Hua
Chapter 18: Clues – Pei Zi is looking for a job
The one-time bodyguard turned into a short-term bodyguard, and the bodyguard himself took the initiative to come to the door, so the corresponding salary naturally changed. According to the discussion, Party A and Party B verbally signed a hiring agreement. During the period, Party A would cover Party B’s food, clothing, housing, and transportation and pay 50 taels/month, and Party B would protect Party A’s “delicate chrysanthemum” with all his heart and responsibility.
With a high face value and a great martial arts bodyguard, Pei Xiting went to bed early that night and slept for six hours in one breath. When he got up the next day, the sky was gray, and the remaining lamp lights were still burning in the corridor. Two lazy slackers were yawning while sweeping the floor in the yard.
Pei Xiting tied up his hair and did morning exercises in the yard in his pure white undergarment. The servants had changed from “What is the Third Young Master doing?” when they first saw him doing this to “The Third Young Master is very enthusiastic,” and they no longer find it strange. In the middle, they followed him to do a set of Eight-Section Brocade[mfn]A traditional fitness technique that originated in the Northern Song Dynasty. It has the benefits of enhancing body flexibility, relieving fatigue, reducing stress, improving sleep quality, etc.[/mfn]. Half an hour later, the servant filled the bathtub with hot water right on time. Pei Xiting washed and changed clothes, ate two rice dumplings, and then went into the study to paint.
Yuan Fang sat cross-legged on a couch not far away, peeling mugwort-scented rice dumplings in his hand. “I heard that many dignitaries have commissioned you to paint recently. Why do you refuse them and instead go to the art gallery to sell paintings? The art gallery takes 30%, which is really not cost-effective.”
“Those people asked me to paint, mostly because of Qu-shaoqing. As the saying goes, ‘What the superiors like, the subordinates will like it even more.'” Pei Xiting was painting a Dragon Boat Festival scene, pressing the manuscript without raising his head, “But if I accept their orders, whose order should I accept first?”
Yuan Fang’s cheeks were stuffed with zongzi (glutinous rice dumpling)
. He chewed and swallowed them before saying, “Accepting the one with the highest rank?”
“What if the two are of the same rank? How to decide the order? If I accept one, will the other one think I’m being biased?” Pei Xiting shook his head. “It’s too complicated. It’s better to finish the painting and sell it anonymously in the gallery. The painting is what I want to paint and what the buyer really wants to buy. There will be fewer disputes.”
“You’re right.” Yuan Fang peeled the second zongzi. “But I don’t think you want to make that much money; otherwise, you wouldn’t be so worried.”
Pei Xiting said, “Nothing can compare to my aspiration.”
Yuan Fang glanced at Pei Xiting and said, “Few people can think so, and even fewer dare to do so, especially those of you who have families with complicated rules. Unlike us Jianghu[mfn]Jianghu refers to the martial arts world, outlaws, or those who don’t fit in.[/mfn] people, although we don’t have a bright future, extravagant wealth, and many people live a life of licking blood from the mouth of a knife, we are more carefree.”
After saying that, he bit off most of the zongzi and hummed with satisfaction.
Just as Pei Xiting was about to join in, there was a knock on the window. A servant’s voice came from the outside: “Third Master, Lord You from the Longhe Division is here!”
The tone was horrified, as if the King of Hell was knocking on their door!
Pei Xiting put down his brush, glanced at the person who was eating zongzi, and said thoughtfully, “Maybe the opportunity for us to move out has come.”
Then, the other party encouraged him with a “you must seize it” look before he left the study.
You Zong stood in front of the courtyard gate in his official uniform, with his hands behind his back. He was tall and slender, with a steady posture and calm temperament. Behind him followed the steward, who led the way. The steward had his hands together, his waist slightly hunched, and his face was full of humor, pretending to be dignified and generous even though he was afraid and nervous—after all, the visiting deity was the fierce god of the Longhe Division.
Pei Xiting stepped forward quickly, putting his hands together and saying, “Lord You.”
You Zong nodded and said, “I came here on official business. I don’t want to trouble Madam Pei and Third Young Master Pei to go to the front hall, so I came directly to Wangchun Courtyard. I hope Third Young Master Pei will excuse my impudence.”
“Thank you for your consideration. Please take a seat in the hall.” Pei Xiting signaled the steward to leave and asked You Zong to go to the front hall to chat.
“…” The steward looked at the third young master’s extremely calm, elegant, and composed silhouette… In short, it was a very unfamiliar figure. He turned around and slipped away in a daze.
Pei Jintang came halfway and asked, “What’s the matter?”
The steward quickly recounted the matter of Lord You’s direct visit to Wangchun Courtyard and said in a flustered manner, “Longhe Division came to visit for no reason. Should I notify the master immediately?”
“No need. Lord You came alone and went directly to Xiting, so he should be inquiring about something.” Pei Jintang breathed a sigh of relief and turned back to the courtyard.
The steward hurriedly caught up with him and asked about the strange thing he noticed: “Second Young Master, do you feel that the Third Young Master is like a different person?”
“What’s so strange about that? Good people can become bad; bad people can become good. Why can’t Xiting change his temperament?” Pei Jintang yawned, thinking about going back to sleep again, but was stopped by the steward, who asked him in a low voice, “Did you study today?”
“…”
“Oh my dear Young Master, the exam is in August!” The steward said anxiously.
“I won’t pass the exam anyway.” Pei Jintang muttered, “Don’t mention this year; even if you let me take the exam a few more times, I still won’t pass.”
“Whether you can pass the exam or not is another matter. But from the bottom of your heart, you don’t even want to take the exam!” The steward sighed, his face bitter, “If you can’t pass the exam this year, Madam will still make you take the exam in the next three years; won’t this add another three years of trouble? Why don’t you work hard this time and pass the exam in one try!”
“Even if I pass the exam in one try, I still have to continue preparing for the next spring exam. After the spring exam, I will take part in the palace exam. If I become an official and am sent to a remote place, I will have to find ways to crawl back to Yejing, and I have to get married, have children, and have grandchildren, right?” Pei Jintang sneered, “Work hard and pass in one try? It’s a lifetime of working hard! Besides, I don’t give a damn about the exams. If someone like me can pass the exam, Daye will be finished!”
Without waiting for the steward to persuade him again, Pei Jintang turned to leave, went back to the courtyard to get his sword, and happily went out to fight for justice.
*
“I came here today to ask Third Young Master Pei about something. If possible, I would also like to ask for your help.” You Zong said, “That day on Pixia Mountain, before queuing to enter the hunting ground, did a woman bump into you?”
Pei Xiting, who was sitting opposite him, nodded, “It was a woman dressed as a man.”
You Zong stroked the teacup. “How did you notice?”
“Spring and summer clothes are thin, and riding clothes are close-fitting, so even if they bind their chests, the curves of their bodies are still visible. In addition, the deliberately lowered voices and tanned skin are also loopholes.” Pei Xiting said with a little trepidation, “Although I noticed it at the time, I didn’t think much about it.”
You Zong shook his head to indicate that it’s not a problem. “Young master, you do have a good eye, but, ‘they’?”
“Isn’t the person who accompanied that woman also a woman?” Pei Xiting exclaimed with just the right amount of surprise and said with embarrassment, “Maybe I was wrong.”
“You’re not wrong. The girl who bumped into you was the pearl in the palm of Marquis Shangguan and Shangguan Jie’s younger sister. The other girl is the third daughter of the Wang family of Xigeng Avenue.” You Zong said.
There is more than one Wang family on Xigeng Avenue, but “Wang Family of Xigeng Avenue” is by default the Wang family of the empress. It’s just that Empress Wang died early, and her brother, former Imperial Censor Wang Wei, was dismissed for his crimes three years ago. The once prosperous lineage of the first house has fallen into decline. Now only the third house is left, that is, Wang Yelai’s father, an official in the Ministry of Justice.
Pei Xiting said, “Oh,” but seemed a little confused, “But I heard that Madam Wang believed in Buddhism, and later, because of occasional headaches, she went to the Buddhist temple to cultivate and seek rest before Wang Wei’s accident. Didn’t Third Miss Wang also accompany her mother and never return to Yejing?”
“Yes, so Miss Shangguan happily went out of the city to greet her as soon as she received the visiting card from her old friend and took Third Miss Wang to Pixia Mountain the next day.” You Zong said, “Third Miss Wang’s return to Yejing was a secret, so Miss Shangguan simply dressed up as a man with her to enter the hunting ground, one for convenience, second for covering up for Third Miss Wang, and she even bribed the ceremonial guards for this purpose. Seeing that their identities were correct, the guards thought it was nothing serious, so they agreed to cover up for them and let them go.”
Pei Xiting suddenly realized, “Fourth Young Master Zhao’s accident is related to Third Miss Wang?”
You Zong nodded. “But I suspect this Third Miss Wang is fake.”
Pei Xiting didn’t ask why. He just stood up and said, “I understand. I remember what she looks like, so I will draw her portrait. My lord, please wait a moment.”
You Zong nodded, “Good.”
The servant wanted to change a cup of hot tea for him, but You Zong waved his hand to refuse, stroking the untouched teacup thoughtfully, always feeling that something was wrong with Pei Xiting, but this feeling was like a strand of silk thread, which could not be found after brushing past.
After a while, Pei Xiting returned to the front hall with the painting.
You Zong picked it up for a look, saying, “Is this a full-length portrait?”
“The ‘Third Miss Wang’ of that day wore padded shoes, so her actual height should be five feet three, not exceeding half an inch. In addition, there is a small mole on the edge of her left earlobe.” Pei Xiting smiled embarrassedly, “We only met briefly, so I can only provide you with limited clues.”
“Young master, you are too modest. Your meticulousness and sharpness are beyond the reach of ordinary people.” You Zong rolled up the painting, stood up, and said, “This painting is very useful. When I find out the result, I will recommend you for the credit.”
After that, You Zong keenly noticed that Pei Xiting’s eyes showed hesitation, as if he wanted to say something but was very entangled. He said, “If you have something to say, just say it directly.”
“Then I’ll say it.” Pei Xiting cleared his throat; his voice was a little small, as if he was mustering up courage. “I wonder if your government office has any vacancies.”
You Zong was stunned. “You want to join the Longhe Division?”
“I dare not aim too high, but there should be people who do pen work in the office.” Pei Xiting pointed to the painting in You Zong’s hand. “For example, this wanted portrait, I can draw it, and the quality shouldn’t be too bad, right?”
Third Young Master Pei was looking at him eagerly. You Zong was not a soft-hearted person, but he had just asked the other party for help after all, so he couldn’t be too indifferent at this moment. He politely declined, “There are indeed clerical jobs, but they don’t have ranks. If you take the imperial examination seriously, there will definitely be a wider path to go. Why come to our place?”
“I don’t care about any official position or rank. I… To be honest with you, I don’t plan to be an official.” Pei Xiting’s ulterior motive was finally exposed. “But I heard that the Longhe Division has its own dormitory, right?”
“We are often busy at night, so it’s more convenient to live in the government office. Of course, some people will rent a house nearby. In addition, some are from poor families, and the houses in Yejing are expensive to rent or buy, so they can only live in the government office.” You Zong paused. “But what’s your plan?”
“I want the freedom to go out, stay up late, sleep in, and mess around.” Pei Xiting clasped his hands together in a sincere gesture, “I know that not everyone can enter the Longhe Division. It’s indeed a bit unreasonable for me to say this, and it may seem like I have ulterior motives, but this is the only way out I can think of at the moment. I will try my best to fight for it. Lord You, I will be your painter for free without taking any salary, as long as you accept me and give me a nominal position.”
This young master wants to find a reason to leave home. Longhe Division is far from here, and it’s common to be away from home for a month or two during busy periods. Outsiders dare not investigate what is happening inside. It is indeed a great place to go.
You Zong did not comment, but he could not agree immediately. He said, “Longhe Division is different from other government offices. It is not under the supervision of the Imperial Court. All matters are decided by His Royal Highness the Crown Prince. Moreover, this office is mostly involved in confidential matters, so entry and exit may not be arbitrary.”
Pei Xiting pursed his lips upon hearing these words, and the radiance in his eyes immediately extinguished. He wilted down, and his eyes turned slightly red, as if he was about to cry. He lowered his head and said in a muffled voice, “I see.”
You Zong paused when he saw this, and after a little thought, he said, “How about I bring up this matter to His Highness first?”
Pei Xiting’s eyes lit up again, and he immediately said, “Thank you, Lord You, you are really the best man in the world!”
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