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The sultry weather of the capital at the end of the fifth month was like midsummer.
It had been twenty days since Xiao Liulang started going to Hanlin Academy. He was a Senior Compiler in Hanlin Academy. However, because he was a newcomer, he was still focused on learning.
In the morning, they were taught by a specific Academician Reading-In-Waiting or Expositor-In-Waiting, with the class lasting for one shichen(2 hours), and then spend the rest of the time studying on their own.
If one didn’t understand something, they could consult the Academician Reading-In-Waiting or Expositor-In-Waiting in private. Otherwise, they could consult the Hanlin Academy Chancellor or a Five Classics Erudite.
The highest official of Hanlin Academy was the Chancellor, a fifth-ranking official who was in charge of all matters of Hanlin Academy. He was often busy with his official duties and usually had no time to answer questions for new officials.
Under the Hanlin Academy Chancellor were two academicians reading-in-waiting and two academicians expositor-in-waiting of the sixth rank. They were mainly engaged in lecturing, but not limited to training Hanlin academicians and bachelors. With enough qualifications, they had the opportunity to enter the imperial palace to give lectures to the Emperor and the Crown Prince.
Xiao Liulang as a Senior Compiler in Hanlin Academy was a sixth-ranking official.
The Bangyan— An Junwang, and Tanhua— Ning Zhiyuan were Junior Compilers of Hanlin Academy, and they were seventh-ranking officials.
Under the three of them, there were nine Five Classics Erudites who were eight-ranking officials.
It was worth mentioning that among all the officials of Hanlin Academy, only the Five Classics Erudite had a hereditary position.
Therefore, even though their official rank wasn’t high, they had a strong literary accomplishments and background, and had a high status in Hanlin Academy.
In addition, there were two officials of the eighth rank from the office of ancient records archiving, two academicians calligrapher-in-waiting of the ninth rank, six ninth-ranking officials working with imperial decrees, and a Hanlin Clerk, a position without rank.
The responsibilities of Hanlin Academy were different in the past dynasties. The Hanlin Academy in this dynasty was in charge of the drafting of imperial decrees, studying history, official documents and correspondence etc., and recording the Emperor’s daily life.
After studying for a period of time, Xiao Liulang and others gradually came into contact with some basic work regarding official documents and correspondence.
Today, a Senior Compiler surnamed Yang summoned Xiao Liulang.
He was the oldest Senior Compiler, and he was expected to be promoted after the year-end assessment. Now he was in charge of all the Senior Compilers of Hanlin Academy.
He asked Xiao Liulang to write a monumental inscription saying that His Majesty had the intention of rebuilding the imperial mausoleum.
Half an hour later, Xiao Liulang handed his written inscription to Senior Compiler Yang.
Senior Compiler Yang frowned with great dissatisfaction after reading it, "You are at least the new Zhuangyuan, is this the level you can do? Why don’t you look again at what you’ve written? If this kind of inscription were shown to His Majesty, it would definitely anger His Majesty!"
Xiao Liulang paused and asked, "May I ask which exact words will anger His Majesty?"
Senior Compiler Yang looked incredulous, "Can’t you even tell them yourself? You still need me to point them to you? How did you even become the Zhuangyuan?"
Xiao Liulang pursed his lips, said nothing, and went back to rewrite the inscription.
As a result, Senior Compiler Yang was still not satisfied.
Xiao Liulang wrote seventeen or eighteen inscriptions all morning, all of which were rejected by Senior Compiler Yang.
Senior Compiler Yang said furiously, "Why can't you even write a decent inscription? I don't think you need to eat lunch; just stay here and continue to write! Write until I am satisfied!"
Saying that, Senior Compiler Yang left Xiao Liulang behind and coldly went to the cafeteria of Hanlin Academy.
Xiao Liulang went back to his office room with the inscription in hand, and continued to grind ink, lift a brush and write inscriptions.
The weather was sweltering, and his office room was like a steamer. Thin sweat seeped from his body and soaked his clothes.
All of a sudden, a head with an official hat poked into the room. He pinched his nose and looked around. After making sure that no one else was outside, he silently snuck into the room with a food box in hand.
When a shadow fell on his paper, Xiao Liulang paused writing and looked up at the other party, "Why are you here?"
Ning Zhiyuan put the food box on the table and replied, "To bring something to fill your stomach! I just met Feng Lin and Lin Chengye in the cafeteria. They asked me why you didn't come to have lunch. I told them you have eaten."
As he spoke, he opened the lid of the food box.
It wasn’t a good dish.
His family was poor and the prices of goods in the capital were high. His meager official salary wasn’t even enough to cover his own expenses every month.
He brought Xiao Liulang a bowl of plain noodles sprinkled with some chopped green onions and a plate of marinated bean sprouts.
Honestly… Xiao Liulang’s office room was too close to the lavatory. It was fine during cold weather but right now it was too hot, so it kinda smelled a lot.
He hurried to close the door and windows.
The smell was finally better, but the room was more and more like a steamer.
"Eat quickly, eat quickly!" Ning Zhiyuan urged Xiao Liulang.
Xiao Liulang wasn’t hypocritical either. He took out the chopsticks and went on eating the plain noodles and marinated bean sprouts.
The plain noodles was lacking in flavor while the taste of the marinated bean sprouts was a bit too salty, but he wasn’t picky and ate them very cleanly.
It had only been a short time, but Ning Zhiyuan could already wring a bucket of water out of his body. He really wondered how Xiao Liulang could endure staying here every day.
Seeing that Xiao Liulang had finished eating, Ning Zhiyuan hurriedly resisted the onslaught of heatstroke and went over to open the door and windows.
A breeze blew in, relieving the summer heat… but also the relish.
Xiao Liulang put away the dishes and chopsticks.
Ning Zhiyuan looked at the dense stack of inscriptions on his desk. He hesitated for a moment before asking, "Is Senior Compiler Yang making things difficult for you again?"
This wasn’t the first time.
It was still subtle the last few times, only asking him to rewrite things three or five times. But today, he didn't even allow Xiao Liulang to eat lunch.
Ning Zhiyuan picked up some of the written inscriptions and read them, then he was speechless, "It's much better than the one I wrote, and he praised me this morning… I think you should stop writing new ones, just pick one and hand it in again. I bet he didn't even read any of the first inscriptions you’ve written!"
It was undeniable that every inscription of Xiao Liulang was better than the last one, but his first one was actually amazing enough already.
Just how did this guy do it?
"No one saw you when you came over?" Xiao Liulang asked.
Ning Zhiyuan said with a smile, "Everyone is having their lunch, and no one pays attention to me."
"Still, don't stay too long and go back early." Xiao Liulang said, then took out a silver ovule ingot from his purse, "Here's the fee for the meal."
Ning Zhiyuan waved his hand, "I don't want your money! I can still afford a bowl of plain noodles!"
Xiao Liulang thought for a moment and didn't force it again, "Alright, thanks."
Ning Zhiyuan had only been sitting there for a while, but the stuffiness and the smell was already too much for him. Xiao Liulang really had it hard staying in such a tough place every day, not to mention others were constantly making things difficult for him.
If he was in his shoes, he probably would have collapsed and resigned a long time ago.
"You... Nevermind."
He had been trying to persuade Xiao Liulang to give in to An Junwang for now, but he could guess that this actually wasn't An Junwang’s doing. An Junwang had just arrived here as well, and he still couldn't order these people around. Ning Zhiyuan guessed that it was Grand Preceptor Zhuang's instructions.
He wanted to make Xiao Liulang suffer.
Raz P.'s Thoughts
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