Chapter 215 - New Office (1)
The news of Director Zuo's promotion of Crane City Prefect spread like a snowflake. There were those who doubted him, those who despised him, those who looked forward to him, and those who truly admired him.
As a new official, Zuo Shaoqing was not in a hurry to complete his official duties on the first day of his assignment. Instead, he first familiarized himself with the people in the prefectural attendent, and when He Min proposed to welcome Prefect in the evening, no one rejected his proposal. As a result, everyone in the yamen entered one of the large restaurants in Crane City.
On this day, Jiung Hengzhou had already started counting the treasures in the Lin Residence. Only when he took out all the valuable items from the Lin Residence did he realize that he had underestimated Lin Zhihao's greed.
He was not a bookworm who paid no heed to worldly affairs. His master, a scholar, had taught him many different things, including knowledge and the path of an official.
The amount of oil and water used by the Southern officials was well-known, but the extent to which it was used was not something that could be known by others through word of mouth.
Upon receiving Zuo Shaoqing's invitation, Jiung Hengzhou immediately went to fulfill his promise. However, when he saw the officials from Crane City once again, he couldn't help but think of the gold and silver assets from that courtyard.
Thinking of this, his expression stiffened a bit. Looking at the table full of delicious food, he lost his appetite.
Jiung Hengzhou's reputation was well-known, and he was seen as a talented youngster by everyone. Thus, he was also the target of Crane City officials trying to curry favor with him.
He forced himself to smile as he accepted the toasts. Out of the corner of his eyes, he saw Zuo Shaoqing being besieged by waves and waves of officials. His brilliant smile was like the sun on a winter day, stinging people to the point that they couldn't open their eyes.
As the main character of today, Zuo Shaoqing's smile never stopped. At his age, as a Prefect of a city, the number of people who truly admire him was few in number. How to win over such an experienced and cunning official like him was a big problem.
He lifted his glass in one hand and the jug in the other and went to each of the tables, matching each face to the name he remembered, and memorizing each person's expression and eyes.
Some of these people could truly be used by him, some of them needed to be used by him through coercion and temptation, and some of them were people he could not afford to stay away from.
His attitude was neither intimate nor distant, neither too high nor too low. It just so happened that he was in a state that others could see but not touch, which many officials who wanted to test him could not figure out.
When Lu Zheng arrived, Zuo Shaoqing was already half-drunk. His cheeks were flushed and his eyes were a little intoxicated. When he looked at Lu Zheng, he smiled innocently, making Lu Zheng unable to look away.
He walked up and put his arm around his shoulders in front of the crowd. “Why are you drinking so much?” he asked unhappily. Zuo Shaoqing's alcohol tolerance was not bad. It could be seen that he had drunk quite a lot. He didn't want Zuo Shaoqing to be seen like this.
“Still ok… Do I look drunk to you? ” Zuo Shaoqing smiled as he handed the wine cup to him, and pushed him to the main table, “Come, come, come. Master Lu finally came. Everyone must greet him well.”
Lu Zheng glanced at him helplessly. When he saw him blinking mischievously, he knew that Ye Zichen did indeed have some intelligence. At least Lu Zheng knew to find a shield for himself.
Everyone was worried that Master Lu would be angry. After all, no man could stand seeing his wife in public. Although Lord Zuo was special, with his identity as Wife of Duke Zhen and a bunch of men, Master Lu definitely wouldn't like him, right?
Lu Zheng pushed Zuo Shaoqing into his seat. Knowing that he had already toasted a round of wine, he raised his glass and said, “Shao Qing is young. I hope everyone will take good care of him in the future!”
This short sentence made everyone understand Lord Zuo's place in Master Lu's heart. Everyone curiously looked at Zuo Shaoqing and wondered: “What ability does this lord have to make Duke Zhen put down his status for him and win over the hearts of others?”
Everyone hurriedly came back to their senses and raised their wine glasses in reply, “I dare not dare not …” Lord Zuo has outstanding talent, he should be the one taking care of us… “Lord Zuo is a literary star that is rarely seen in a hundred years. He has a bright future ahead of him. The officials here are all impressed …”
Zuo Shaoqing heard the praise that was even more exaggerated and passionate than before and sneered in his heart. If he didn't have the backing of Lu Zheng, with his qualifications, no one here would have treated him nicely.
Right is a good thing. Only those who stand at the top are qualified to put their thoughts and opinions above others.
Gratitude and benevolence were the charity given by the victor to the loser. Similarly, when he reached a certain level of strength, whether it was by blood or by blood, who would care about his age?
Zuo Shaoqing held his head up with one hand as he looked at Wu Tie sitting there expressionlessly. He occasionally accepted a glass of wine given to him by others, but very few officials dared to get close to him. Not only that, even his voice became a lot softer.
“The arrival of Master Lu took away the atmosphere that I had painstakingly built up.” Zuo Shaoqing deliberately sighed and looked at him with a smile.
Lu Zheng gave him a piece of meat and said expressionlessly: “Have you drunk enough? Eat something first. “
The two shamelessly acted intimately, causing the men to feel uneasy. They lowered their heads to eat their food. Their already drunk stomachs were forced to fill up with a bowl of food, becoming full as they rolled on their stomachs.
The officials who were originally surrounding Jiung Hengzhou also sat down. His seat was arranged under Liang Qi. As long as he raised his head, he would be able to see Sun Tie's handsome face, as well as his gentle and loving gaze every time he lowered his head to look at Zuo Shaoqing.
Every time Jiung Hengzhou saw it, he felt that it was incredible. A man who was usually cold and emotionless suddenly showed his gentle side, which made people unable to look away from him.
After the feast ended, Jiung Hengzhou was the first to leave. He wanted to go back and tidy up the books.
Zuo Shaoqing looked at his lonely back and glanced at Lu Zheng's confused expression.
With Lu Zheng helping him get on the car, Zuo Shaoqing directly fell on top of him. He recounted the division of power and the situation of the personnel in Crane City Prefect's yamen in detail.
As soon as the words were said, the door of the carriage was pushed open and a man reeking of alcohol crawled in. He lay down on a thick pillow and gave a comfortable groan.
Lu Zheng kicked him away and asked with a frown, “What are you doing up here?”
Liang Qi turned over and saluted him with a cheeky smile, “This official is drunk. I'm afraid I might fall to my death halfway, so I want to go back in the carriage. You two can't be that stingy, right?”
“That's right. This official is already used to being petty. Didn't Vice Minister Liang know about it?” Zuo Shaoqing was lying lazily on the bed. The atmosphere between him and Lu Zheng, which he had been alone with, was suddenly destroyed. One could imagine how he was feeling now.
Liang Qi closed his eyes and mumbled, “Do whatever you want. I can't hear you. Just pretend that I don't exist.”
Zuo Shaoqing's face turned red and he had the urge to kick him off the carriage.
Liang Qi seemed to be able to read Lord Zuo's thoughts. He lectured him in all seriousness, “Lord Zuo, I have been your teacher for a few days. As the saying goes, one day a teacher is a lifetime a father. You better not destroy the bridge after crossing the river!”
“How dare you? “This official's position is not even as high as Vice Minister Liang's. How dare he offend me?”
At this point, Zuo Shaoqing suddenly stopped smiling and asked in a serious tone, “You're really not willing to ask for the position of the Emperor?”
Liang Qi sat up straight and opened his eyes, looking at him with clear eyes, “You already left the Ministry of Works, why are you still thinking about this?”
Zuo Shaoqing pouted, “Isn't that for your own good?”
“Haha …” Liang Qi leaned over and patted Zuo Shaoqing's shoulder. Receiving a warning look from Lu Zheng, he smiled and said, “I'm afraid that it will be difficult for me to make a comeback in my life. Although I have power, I definitely won't be able to live a carefree life like this.”
Zuo Shaoqing had already heard this reason once. He couldn't say whether it was good or bad, but as long as Liang Qi was willing, he really couldn't say anything.
“Then are you really willing to be suppressed by Ke City for the rest of your life?” He's not as easy to talk to as Minister Lee. “
“That's a problem …” Liang Qi scratched his chin and thought for a moment, then winked at Lu Zheng, “I wonder if Master Lu has a good candidate?”
Zuo Shaoqing followed his line of sight and turned around, curiously looking at Lu Zheng, “It seems that Master Lu has quite a few people planted in the court!”
His gaze was full of curiosity, but he wasn't surprised when he said it. Duke Zhen was such a powerful person, it was impossible to say that he didn't have any backup in the court.
“You don't need to worry about that. Just wait and see the result.” Lu Zheng pressed down Zuo Shaoqing's head and let him rest on his lap, “Smells full of alcohol. Sleep for a while, I'll wake you up when I get there.”
Liang Qi shouted, “The two men are so bored that they hurt their eyes!”
Lu Zheng glared at him and with a wave of his arm, a strong force pushed the noisy man off the carriage. He ordered coldly, “Soong Hanlin, watch him carefully. Don't let him get on the carriage again!”
Soong Hanlin's gloating voice quickly came from outside the carriage, “Yes, subordinate will obey! “Hee hee …”
The source of this c𝓸ntent is fr𝒆e(w)𝒆bnovel