Chapter 205: The Avengers

This favor, Du Shitou has noted it down!

He wanted to go and express his gratitude, but Wen Gu rarely returned to Jingxing Fang.

Du Shitou heard people say that Deputy Envoy Wen was likely kept at Zhao Fu again to discuss important matters.

There were also people who wanted to find him to inquire, but he truly knew nothing at all.

He was actually very confused as to why Deputy Envoy Wen, who did not bear the surname Zhao, possessed such great power within the Zhao Clan.

In the Du Clan, it was said that the highly favored Eighth Young Master, as well as the Eleventh Young Master who held some real power, did not receive this level of preferential treatment. However, it was enough for Du Shitou to be clear on one point: this Deputy Envoy Wen was indeed among the top-tier power holders in Xinzhou!!

Wen Gu had not lied to him either.

After making his choice, Du Shitou soon received—

One official establishment quota for the Patrol Guard Division.

And, in a prime location of Jingxing Fang near the Jingqing Public Office, a small blue-brick courtyard with a stable.

Living there all by himself, this small courtyard was spacious enough, and it was a blue-brick tiled house, not a stone-and-mud thatched hut!

Besides this, he was also rewarded with Money Vouchers, rice and grain, and various other daily necessities.

Even if Du Shitou just lay around doing nothing and slacked off all day, he would no longer have to worry about food and drink.

It was equipped with a stable, but there was no horse yet; the Bai Family had already sent over a donkey.

The manservant from the Bai Family also explained that another exchanged Money Voucher had been returned to Yao Xiaoniangzi.

Du Shitou stroked the donkey, standing in the middle of the courtyard with complicated feelings as he looked at all of this.

The blue-brick courtyard had already been taken care of by someone, and Pei Jing would have people come over to look after it from time to time.

Du Shitou only needed to move in with his bags.

This kind of blue-brick courtyard near the "government office" was not for sale to the public. In Wen Gu's words, these dwellings were used for rewarding talent. Being close to the Jingqing Public Office, the public security was also better; let alone ruffians and Idlers, even that group of young masters from Wanfu Garden would not come here to cause trouble. It was not actually quiet, but it possessed a kind of peace distinct from the chaotic times.

If it were in the past, Du Shitou would certainly have become conceited.

He had grown up never having lived in such a good house, nor having seen so much money.

But the moment he stood here, what came to his mind was his father and the others from the opera troupe when they left the valley.

Why did his father repeatedly urge him to make sure he protected Shan Mi and brought her to Xinzhou City?

For people of such humble status as them, this was a path to success!!

It was not enough!

Once the new house was in his hands, Du Shitou's first priority was not to tidy up his bedroom, but to organize a small room and set up a spirit shrine.

In chaotic times, whether they were wealthy families and nobles or ordinary commoners, those with the means would set up a spirit shrine in their own homes.

However, the spirit shrine Du Shitou set up was not for worshipping God and Buddha, but for placing spirit tablets.

They were the spirit tablets of his parents and the members of the opera troupe.

Du Shitou earnestly offered incense and burned paper money.

They hadn't lived good lives while alive; they couldn't remain lonely ghosts and wandering spirits, poor and helpless, even in the afterlife.

He spoke with them for a while longer.

He missed them too much.

On this first night living in the new house, Du Shitou suffered from insomnia.

The first half of the night he spent thinking about his past life, thinking of his father, and thinking of the members of the opera troupe.

The second half of the night he spent agonizing over how to walk his path in the future.

He already knew that the Patrol Guard Division was a special place, but how could he manage to get ahead in it?

He used to hear others from the opera troupe discuss that when there were many people in one place, many factions would form. For instance, those professional opera troupes in the theater, even if they were few in number, could split into two or three factions. If power were added on top of that, it would be even more complicated!

With his background, his learning and experience were limited, and he had no connections or backing; wanting to get ahead would surely be extremely difficult!

But it didn't matter; by choosing this path, he had already prepared himself!

The first day of officially starting his duty.

Du Shitou piously put on his Clerk uniform and bowed at the spirit shrine before heading to the Patrol Guard Division.

He was too small in stature now, so the Logistics department of the Patrol Guard Division had urgently altered a Clerk's uniform to fit him.

He was the youngest among the official staff of the Patrol Guard Division, and also the smallest in stature; before he had even officially started, he had already stirred up quite a bit of discussion. Du Shitou tried his best to steady his state of mind and, amidst the scrutinizing gazes, arrived at the Main Courtyard.

He should have gone to report to Pei Jun first, but at this moment Pei Jun and Ming Tiao were discussing matters, so Du Shitou stayed outside to wait.

The scribes of the Main Courtyard walked by from time to time, casting curious glances.

Xue Yanzhi, yawning, exchanged pleasantries with people along the way as he arrived at the Main Courtyard, first preparing a cup of tea for himself.

Conditions were limited, so there was no time for tea ceremonies or tea play; he just roughly prepared a cup of tea to his own taste, and then, while sipping it, came over to greet the new little colleague. As for Du Shitou's information, Xue Yanzhi had his own sources and knew more than others. However, he did not show any abnormality at this time, maintaining his usual appearance of being thirty percent refined and seventy percent casual. "You are the new little Du? What is your name?" Xue Yanzhi asked.

Du Shitou replied honestly: "Shitou."

"Oh, oh, tenacious and simple," Xue Yanzhi said.

If one went out and shouted "Shitou," half the street's people would look over.

Du Shitou performed a greeting gesture a bit stiffly and asked: "May I ask who you are?"

"Me? Just a plain and unremarkable stray dog," Xue Yanzhi said.

Du Shitou: ………

Don't think I didn't hear it; just now a Commander outside called you Xue Er Gongzi!

Du Shitou thought to himself: This must also be a descendant of a noble family, the kind with a rather high status. An ordinary person wouldn't dare to casually prepare and taste tea in a place like the Main Courtyard of the Patrol Guard Division. Xue Yanzhi set down his teacup and sat over: "You can just call me Brother Xue Er. I've heard a bit about your situation, sigh... the beastly Du Family!" "Oh, I mean the Du Clan, not your Du; I have no intention of attacking your surname."

As Xue Yanzhi spoke, he observed the expression on the other's face and the look in his eyes.

Seeing Du Shitou purse his lips, remaining cautious and silent, Xue Yanzhi asked again: "Are you inclined toward civil or military affairs?"

Du Shitou was puzzled.

Xue Yanzhi said: "I mean, are you here for a civil position or a military position?"

Du Shitou hesitated and said, "A military post... I suppose."

Xue Yanzhi nodded: "Then it is a military post."

He then asked: "Do you want to change your name?"

Du Shitou was puzzled: "Why would I want to change my name?"

The name was given to him by his father, and he did not want to change it.

However... his father had also said that when arriving in a new place, one could change their name and surname to reduce risks.

Du Shitou thought about it; he would not change his surname, and the given name could be put off for now, but he still needed to ask clearly.

Thus, Du Shitou asked: "Is there any particular reason for this name change?"

Xue Yanzhi said: "There's no special reason, just consider it a tradition here. For example, Commander Lei used to be called Lei Da, but after joining the Patrol Guard Division, he changed his name to Lei Da, and sure enough, his path became smooth and unobstructed!" Du Shitou listened quietly; this information helped him understand the Patrol Guard Division.

Xue Yanzhi continued to observe and continued: "Take Commander Yu for another example, he used to be called Yu the Mouse, and changed his name to Yu He. And also Ming..." "Ahem!"

A cough came from inside.

Commander Ming Tiao had excellent hearing and suddenly let out a cough at this moment.

Xue Yanzhi stopped, made a gesture, and signaled for Du Shitou to walk to the side so they could continue gossiping.

Du Shitou was very reserved and did not know what to do.

Xue Yanzhi pulled him to one side and said: "It's fine, he won't hold it against us, let's keep talking. I was just saying about changing names, there's also that Fu from Dongshu... never mind, never mind, let's show some respect." Du Shitou stiffened his face, only then letting out a sigh of relief.

Good thing he stopped; the person you were gossiping about is a Deputy Envoy of the Patrol Guard Division!

You are truly bold!

However, after listening to Xue Yanzhi gossip for a few moments, the feelings of strangeness and awkwardness in Du Shitou's heart relaxed a little.

Xue Yanzhi noted the change in the other's emotions and, like an overly enthusiastic colleague, continued to ask: "So, let's return to the main topic, do you want to change your name? You could change to a new name to celebrate a new beginning. If you can't bear to part with your old name, you can wait until you come of age and take a courtesy name to use it then."

Du Shitou listened and felt that was also fine. The seniors had all changed their names and their fortunes were very good, so could he follow suit?

He had studied for a few years, but generally speaking, the knowledge he could access was limited. He looked at this Xue Er Gongzi, who seemed to be a person of broad learning. Thus, he asked for advice: "Brother Xue Er, do you have any suggestions?"

Xue Yanzhi said: "Little Jian, how about that?"

Du Shitou was bewildered.

Xue Yanzhi explained: "The rocks are steep, and they are high."

Seeing Du Shitou reveal a look of understanding, Xue Yanzhi showed an even deeper smile and asked him: "Have you read books?"

"I have, but not many," Du Shitou replied properly.

Inside the study, Ming Tiao listened to the movement outside and said to Pei Jun: "This Xue Er Gongzi is full of schemes! It won't be long before he has the temperament of that kid surnamed Du figured out completely!" Pei Jun, however, had no intention of interfering and said: "No need to worry about them."

Outside, Xue Yanzhi not only had Du Shitou's temperament figured out completely but also used the fact that they had a common enemy to quickly close the distance between them. Having finally found someone who could be an ally, every additional person in the alliance meant one more source of strength!

What he wanted was pure revenge, everything else came second!

At this moment, Xue Yanzhi leaned in close to talk to Du Shitou: "Do you know what kind of qualities we, as people seeking revenge, need to have?" Du Shitou sincerely asked for instruction: "Diligent study and hard training, and charging forward bravely?"

Xue Yanzhi said: "No! It is 'having no bottom line'!"

Du Shitou:???

Huh?

Xue Yanzhi asked: "You are the only one left in your family, right?"

Du Shitou: "Yes."

"My family only has me left too. So, we have nothing to fear!" Xue Yanzhi draped one arm over Du Shitou's shoulder and clenched his other hand into a fist, "No one can sanction us!" Just then, someone outside shouted: "Xue Er Gongzi, Deputy Envoy Wen wants you to go over, he says there is a problem with the newly arrived Account Book."

Xue Yanzhi jumped up as if he had been whipped and said: "How is that possible! I checked it myself!"

He hurriedly said to Du Shitou: "I'll be right back!"

Then he ran off in a great rush.

Du Shitou, left where he was: "..."

His new career had not even begun for an hour, and it was a bit of a shock to his worldview.

An hour ago—my colleague has a noble status.

An hour later—what is wrong with my colleague?

Ming Tiao had already walked out by this time, looked at Xue Yanzhi running toward Dongshu, and patted Du Shitou on the shoulder:

"Don't listen to his nonsense; only half of what he says can be listened to... actually, even less! Ten sentences might have nine that are just trying to fool you!" Du Shitou did not believe it entirely. He could tell that this Xue Er Gongzi was often teasing and testing, and there was not much malice; compared to what he had faced back in Jizhou, it could truly be called friendly! He was just a bit unaccustomed to it.

It was just as Qian had said, different lands and waters nurture different people; the differences between Xinzhou and Jizhou were too great. Afterward, he went to report to Pei Jun. Pei Jun had nothing to arrange for him at the moment, only telling him to listen and watch more to familiarize himself first.

On his first day on duty, for the first half of the morning, Du Shitou had no time to be lost or sorrowful.

In just half a day, he had been met with many probing conversations and heard many pieces of gossip; just analyzing these used up all his mental energy. After eating a meal at the canteen at noon, Du Shitou returned to the Main Courtyard and happened to run into Xue Yanzhi, who was returning from Dongshu.

Du Shitou thought of the discussions he had heard, and the look in his eyes when he glanced at Xue Yanzhi could not be hidden in time.

Xue Yanzhi, however, appeared very open and walked over: "What? If you have any questions, just say them directly; there is nothing your Brother Xue Er cannot say!" Du Shitou thought about how the two had chatted quite a bit before, so he said truthfully: "I just heard a little rumor."

Xue Yanzhi: "That I went to Dongzhu to be a dog?"

Du Shitou did not expect the other to be so blunt and his eyes darted away: "Well... it's not quite like that."

Xue Yanzhi was open and honest: "Why wouldn't it be?! Our Dongzhu..."

Du Shitou:?

Xue Yanzhi immediately corrected: "No, I mean, our Patrol Guard Division, especially them in Dongshu, 'dog' over there is not the lowly meaning you think, but a term of endearment and affection, just like the 'slave' in 'cat-slave'. There are also many people who use 'slave' as a nickname, pinning simple and beautiful wishes on it, understand?"

Du Shitou listened and felt it made a lot of sense.

Xue Yanzhi continued: "Think about it, every time they talk about me, isn't it with a kind of anger and helplessness, and if you look closely, there's also a bit of jealousy and fear, that kind of implication?" Du Shitou: Now that you mention it... it does seem to be the case.

From what he saw in Jizhou, when those nobles were high and mighty and scolding people, that was not the look in their eyes.

So it turned out he had misunderstood!

Du Shitou showed an apologetic expression.

Xue Yanzhi said magnanimously, "It's fine, you'll get used to it. Look carefully next time; isn't it always that look of 'I can't stand you, but I can't get rid of you' whenever they speak?" Du Shitou offered an apologetic bow, saying, "Many thanks for the guidance, Brother Xue Er!"

He had already learned several more types of etiquette from others, but he still carried a rough, grassroots air, so his bowing looked a bit awkward.

Xue Yanzhi did not correct him; with time, he would adjust, and he didn't care about such things. Besides, for those in military posts, there was no need to keep up such pretenses. Xue Yanzhi showed more patience toward this newly developed companion for his Avengers Alliance.

He taught Du Shitou the way to survive in the Patrol Guard Division.

"It's actually simple: whatever talent you have, show it, and you won't be buried!"

"Here, the capable rise, and the mediocre fall!"

"Of course, there's bound to be fighting behind the scenes. If someone tries to hit you, don't just stand there, run! If our Chief Pei isn't around, run to Dongshu." Du Shitou asked, "What about West Office?"

Xue Yanzhi said, "The Deputy Envoy of West Office... their Deputy Envoy has a volatile temper; they can't even handle him themselves, so you'd have even less of a chance. Besides, the West Office Deputy Envoy has official business recently and isn't in Xinzhou City." Xue Yanzhi concluded, "Anyway, when Wen Gu... when Deputy Envoy Wen is around, go find Deputy Envoy Wen."

"He's the type of person who, while the rumors in the streets might make him sound a bit scary, but..."

Du Shitou: "He's not scary?"

Xue Yanzhi: "... but, setting other things aside, it will certainly be good for your future!"

Du Shitou believed Deputy Envoy Wen was a good person and did not hold a condescending attitude toward grassroots commoners like them.

Xue Yanzhi could see that Du Shitou had been fooled too!

Xue Yanzhi sighed with emotion: "In the eyes of our Deputy Envoy Wen, it doesn't matter if you're a clerk, a historian, or a Commander, or whether you're a servant or from the Three Great Halls; here, everyone is just... sigh, you'll understand later!" Thinking of that familiar 'fatherly' air about Wen Gu, Xue Yanzhi didn't dare finish his sentence. He still had to be a bit cautious with his words.