Chapter 330: Toasting Brother Li

"Big Brother, lots of young lads have come to the capital—it's truly lively."

Tan Hu spoke with great enthusiasm.

He Qianian had already taken Ning Zhongtian and the other Anning Guard soldiers back to Yunzhou by large ship.

Li Rui, as a proper Assistant Regional Commander,

He certainly couldn't stay in the capital and become a commander with no troops—Nie Siming had brought seven or eight personal guards, so he'd left Tan Hu and Ge Hong behind.

Ning Zhongtian had originally been his most capable man.

But Ning Zhongtian was the Anning Guard Garrison Commander; without him aboard the large ship, at least another Garrison Commander should have been left to hold the line, or it would look far too unseemly.

Tan Hu still remembered Ning Zhongtian's resentful look as he left—and his own smug grin.

Once back in the Anning Guard, he could boast about it for a long time.

Li Rui nodded.

As the grand examination neared, the capital was overflowing with scholarly youths in white robes and sturdy young lads in black short-sleeved tunics.

Had he not joined the Anning Guard, he'd have had to cross that narrow bridge too.

The capital might even have gained a few sturdy old men.

Li Rui: "Get ready—we're going to the Ministry of War's training ground."

"Got it."

Tan Hu and Ge Hong nodded in agreement.

Ge Hong: "Back when I was young, I once dreamed of becoming a Martial Provincial Graduate, but unfortunately I took a master and gave up that idea."

He had once been the top candidate for Martial Provincial Graduate in Qinghe.

Later, after joining a martial arts school and inheriting its master's position, he abandoned the notion entirely.

After all, most Martial Provincial Graduates only became eighth-rank instructors.

They still had to answer to the County Magistrate—nowhere near as free as a school master.

As for joining the Anning Guard later—

it was simply because, in middle age, he thought: trees die when moved, but men thrive.

Tan Hu rolled his eyes: "Old Ge, no matter how you spin it, you're still just a Provincial Graduate. Everyone here is a Provincial Graduate. If you're going to brag, at least say you're a Metropolitan Graduate."

Ge Hong didn't bother arguing with this brute.

A Provincial Graduate was already impressive…

As for Metropolitan Graduates, even a third-rank one became a County Magistrate; if you made second-rank, you could land a post in the capital. Yu Kingdom always valued the capital over the outer provinces—serving in the capital was a big deal.

If you made the Top Three, you could be directly assigned to the Martial Evaluation Office—your future shone bright.

Li Rui, as an examiner, naturally felt none of the candidates' pressure.

He walked toward the Ministry of War's training ground with his hands behind his back.

Yesterday,

Nie Siming came to him and told him to report to the Ministry of War today.

The Ministry of War's Vice Minister Wang was presiding over the Martial Examination; such a serious matter required prior familiarization.

Not just Li Rui.

The Ministry of War's officials were the same.

Not long after,

Li Rui arrived at the location of the Ministry of War's training ground.

As one of the Six Ministries, the Ministry of War's offices were naturally located outside the Chengtian Gate, in the capital's "Thousand-Step Corridor."

But the training ground, due to its vast size, was set up on an open stretch of land outside the capital.

Having been here for several days,

Li Rui had already memorized the capital's layout and easily led Tan Hu and Ge Hong out of the city to the Ministry of War's training ground.

Inside the training ground, besides the soldiers conducting daily drills,

there were also several officials dressed in various official robes.

Nie Siming was among them.

Among them, the most striking was a middle-aged man in a peacock-patterned official robe.

The peacock-patterned robe meant this man was a third-rank official.

No need to guess—he must be Vice Minister Wang of the Ministry of War.

Li Rui quickened his pace and swiftly scanned the other officials; all wore plain robes, but their chest emblems were mostly bears, boars, and white pheasants—fifth-rank, like his own. The leading few wore tiger, leopard, and cloud-goose emblems—fourth-rank.

Nie Siming spotted Li Rui and called out: "Director Li, you've arrived."

Many others noticed Li Rui.

But Li Rui was a provincial official with no reputation in the capital, so no one greeted him.

Only Vice Minister Wang smiled and nodded at him.

Li Rui bowed in return: "Vice Minister Wang."

Then he stood obediently behind Nie Siming, eyes down, mind calm.

Tan Hu and Ge Hong, of course, had to stand at the outer edge of the training ground.

Not long after,

several military officers arrived at the training ground.

Forty-six in total.

Nine were fourth-rank; the rest, fifth-rank—not an overwhelming number, but certainly not small.

Clearly,

Nie Siming's claim that the Ministry of War was short-staffed was just an excuse—this examiner position was far from easy to obtain.

Seeing everyone assembled, Vice Minister Wang cleared his throat and spoke:

"Gentlemen, thank you for your hard work."

"The Martial Examination is a matter of imperial importance—no mistakes allowed. I thank you all in advance."

Vice Minister Wang spoke a few formalities.

Then he left.

The rest was explained by a Ministry of War Senior Clerk.

The role of examiner was not complicated.

The Ministry of War had overseen too many examinations to lack a fixed team; these men were merely here to lend authority.

The candidates were all martial cultivators, each with fiery tempers—if someone died or chaos broke out, it would be an ill omen and a disgrace to the Ministry of War. This year's Metropolitan Examination differed from previous ones.

Previously, the tests focused only on Strength and Tactics—individual prowess and military strategy.

This year, His Majesty specially added the Beast Subtest.

Each candidate must wrestle with a demonic beast.

Word was, it was added because of a royal marriage alliance and His Majesty's good mood.

It was this year's main attraction.

Demonic beasts were ferocious, so the Ministry of War had recruited so many examiners this year to prevent them from causing havoc.

By the time he finished, it was the hour of You.

Time for dinner.

The civil and military officials gathered in small groups to drink together.

Not a single one missed a chance to drink and socialize!

For examiners, preventing cheating was important, but bonding with colleagues was even more valuable.

How could one miss it?

Li Rui, a provincial official, was already lucky to be invited as an examiner; these capital officials looked down their noses at everyone—provincial officials held no value for them, so none would ever approach him first.

Li Rui took the cold shoulder in stride.

He didn't expect everyone to fawn over him.

But since he was here, he meant to gain something.

He walked slowly over to a middle-aged man and said: "Director Lin, I heard you're from Yunzhou?"

Lin Hai, Senior Clerk of the Weapons Storage Bureau, looked at Li Rui with surprise.

He felt unfamiliar.

But no one here was ordinary—he still held his patience and asked: "Who might you be, sir?"

Li Rui: "Assistant Regional Commander of Annan Town, Li Rui."

Upon hearing "Li Rui," Lin Hai's eyes flickered with surprise.

He'd known this old man was a provincial official—but hadn't realized he was a military officer from his own hometown.

Lin Hai recalled what his family letters had mentioned.

He immediately smiled, clasped his fists, and said: "So you're Director Li—I've long heard of your name. Would you join me for a small gathering at the White Crane Pavilion?"

Li Rui: "I've often heard you're a distinguished talent from Yunzhou—I've long wished to learn from you, Director Lin."

Watching the two chat warmly,

the officials who had been invited to drink with Lin Hai grew curious about this provincial official's background.

Lin Hai was famously sharp-witted.

For him to greet someone with a smile meant this man was no ordinary person.

Seeing Lin Hai's invitation, the others said nothing, only curious.

Not long after.

The group arrived at a modest, elegant little pavilion in Jingcheng.

On the surface, it seemed unremarkable.

Yet inside, it was a world apart.

A winding stream flowed past wine cups, with pavilions and terraces, evoking the charm of Jiangnan's water towns.

Li Rui murmured: "Jing officials really know how to enjoy themselves."

The five officials sat along the stream; though warriors, they carried a scholar's elegance.

In fact,

these officials, aside from Li Rui, were all civil servants.

Yet they came from the Ministry of War, the Ministry of Justice, and the Dalisi —offices brimming with martial virtue—and each possessed formidable martial skill.

On the way, Lin Hai had been exceedingly warm.

He introduced all three men to Li Rui.

As for why Lin Hai's attitude had changed so drastically—it was because he knew Li Rui's worth and the benefits he could bring.

Li Rui understood perfectly.

The essence of networking is exchange of interests: one's own strength matters, but others knowing of that strength matters more.

In Qinghe, he had already studied the circumstances of Yunzhou officials and Yunzhou natives serving elsewhere.

That was how he recognized Lin Hai.

Anyone who left Yunzhou to serve in office could not be ordinary; Li Rui was certain Lin Hai knew of him.

Li Rui still had some confidence in his reputation in Yunzhou.

As expected,

he had successfully entered the Jing officials' circle through Lin Hai.

Li Rui was no self-righteous recluse; having taken part in the martial examination supervision, to isolate himself would be pointless—better to stroll the Eastern Market than waste time here.

Knowing Jing officials had great advantages.

Lin Hai knew his old friends were waiting for him to introduce Li Rui.

He smiled and said:

"Brother Ma, Brother Liu, Brother Zhang, this is Li my lord, Assistant Regional Commander of Annan Town."

Upon hearing "Annan Town,"

the three fifth-rank Jing officials showed no change in expression.

Who wasn't a fifth-rank official?

Besides, they were Jing officials; in the past, even Assistant Commanders and Assistant Regional Commanders from the thirty-two towns rarely got to meet them.

Lin Hai continued: "Old Brother Li also serves as martial instructor in Marquis Yuan's household."

Upon hearing "Marquis Yuan,"

the three men's expressions finally changed.

Who was Marquis Yuan?

He was the Sage of War of Yu State—even as Marquis of Annan, he remained the foremost military figure in Yu State.

A martial instructor in the Marquis's household meant one could meet the Sage of War at any time.

That was no small thing!

All present were shrewd men; their smiles instantly bloomed like chrysanthemums.

"Old Brother Li, let me toast you."

(End of Chapter)