Chapter 6

After the Crane Minister left, the five of them expanded their conversation, even reaching points of unbridled teasing and mockery.

Such as Director Tu being cowardly and afraid of his wife, Manager Zhang repeatedly making basic mistakes that cost him his post, Iron Palm Beauty looking monstrous without makeup, Lu Xiongying terrified of insects and rats, and so on.

That night, one thing puzzled Jiang Mingyu.

So he asked: “Why did the Minister choose the pavilion for this banquet?”

Manager Zhang laughed, stroked his beard, then replied: “Young Master Jiang, take a look.” He raised his hand and pointed toward the pond’s edge in the distance.

He asked again: “Look closely—how far is this pavilion from the shore?” Though the night was dark, the lantern light from the distant palace allowed them to estimate the distance.

Jiang Mingyu replied: “From my observation, the pavilion is less than two arrow-shots from the shore.”

“Precisely! That’s the reason!”

Manager Zhang continued: “This place is surrounded by water, making concealment impossible; entry and exit rely solely on the Nine-Turn Bridge, making it easy to defend and hard to attack. Arrows fired from afar—even from a hundred-stone bow—cannot cross the pond’s surface.”

Jiang Mingyu: “What if someone swam over?”

“That’s the view of a scholar…”

Director Tu took over, sneering: “The splashes from swimming are so obvious—even a blind man could see them!”

Upon hearing this, all four others except Jiang Mingyu burst into laughter.

“Then why,” Jiang Mingyu asked again, “are the men standing behind the Minister not imperial guards, but mercenaries from the Lu Family Escort Agency?”

Manager Zhang and Director Tu exchanged a glance, then spoke hesitantly: “Within the court… there are the Three Inner Factories, with eyes everywhere…”

Here, he stopped, leaving Jiang Mingyu to infer the rest.

“The court… isn’t just divided into Crane Faction, Plum Faction, Rabbit Faction…” Iron Palm Beauty lifted the teapot, filled Jiang Mingyu’s cup, then added:

“There’s also the Eunuch Faction! They are truly… His Majesty’s own men.”

Only then did Jiang Mingyu understand why so many officials had offered gifts and banquets over the past half-month—it was all a carefully laid trap to win him over!

Jiang Mingyu lowered his head, about to lift the teacup to drink; but the very cup Iron Palm Beauty had just handed him began to change color!

It was a black-glazed teacup with silver-white speckles, like stars scattered across a night sky, exquisitely beautiful; now, heated by the tea, it began to shift hue.

The base of black glaze shimmered with interwoven blue-green patterns.

Mixed with purple and blue hues, the pitch-black base scattered with lustrous glaze halos, glowing like silk.

Jiang Mingyu had never seen such a thing; he stared intently for a long time, utterly captivated.

“This is a Jian kiln ‘Radiant Change Tianmu Teacup’…” Iron Palm Beauty pointed to the cup and explained: “Radiant Change—the supreme divine product of Jian ware, exceedingly rare in the world. Its base is black, with small, thin star-like speckles surrounded by jade-white halos, beautiful as brocade, worth ten thousand bolts of silk—that’s exactly what this is.”

“Young Master Jiang is a proper scholar, ten years of cold window study—he wouldn’t understand our vulgar tastes in elegance…” Manager Zhang interjected, trying to ease Jiang Mingyu’s discomfort.

“Hehe… this humble student has never seen such a marvel—truly exquisite,” Jiang Mingyu admitted humbly.

“Then…” Iron Palm Beauty continued, “this teacup is yours. Consider it a gift to mark our friendship.”

“Quickly thank Master Huo!” Director Tu urged: “Out of ten thousand teacups, only one oil-drop variant is fired—this cup… is priceless!”

Hearing Director Tu’s words, Jiang Mingyu turned pale with alarm and immediately refused.

He repeatedly said: “This gift is too valuable—I cannot possibly accept it…”

They pushed and pulled, offered and declined, three or four times over—until even Manager Zhang could no longer watch.

He advised: “Just accept it. If you refuse, you’ll be the one showing disrespect.” Upon hearing this, Jiang Mingyu reluctantly accepted the teacup.

After a few more cups of yellow liquor, Jiang Mingyu began worrying about his family in Nanping, pondering how to bring his eight relatives to the capital.

At that moment, Lu Xiongying laughed.

She said: “Young Master Jiang, rest assured—I sent someone to Nanping yesterday to arrange for your family’s relocation to the capital. If they take the canal, they should arrive in about a month and a half.”

“Young Master Jiang, rest easy…” Iron Palm Beauty added: “Lu Family Escort Agency is universally recognized in the martial world as the best at transporting goods and guarding travelers.” Hearing this, Jiang Mingyu finally felt reassured.

Compared to the high officials of the past half-month who only offered gifts and banquets, the Crane Minister’s gesture—giving a house, introducing allies, even caring for his entire family—was vastly more astute.

In just one night, the simple, straightforward Jiang Mingyu had been drawn into the Crane Faction.

For the next half-month, Jiang Mingyu would hold that Radiant Change Tianmu Teacup daily, examining it repeatedly—he truly loved this cup; or rather, it was the first treasure that opened his eyes to the world beyond books.

One afternoon, Manager Zhang arrived with Old Xie and a group of retainers.

They carried black gauze hats, court robes, official garments, boots, belts, and ceremonial tablets, asking Jiang Mingyu to try them on.

As Jiang Mingyu donned the black gauze hat and stood before the bronze mirror in his green court robe, an immediate air of official dignity filled the room.

“The Taizishidu is a regular eighth-rank post; by regulation, one wears a green robe,” Manager Zhang said, adjusting his belt and tablet.

“Only eighth rank?”

Jiang Mingyu said, puzzled: “I thought the top scholar would start at seventh rank.”

“Seventh rank is for county magistrates…”

Manager Zhang continued: “You’re merely a companion reader now, with no real authority—so you begin at eighth rank. After passing evaluation, you’ll be promoted based on talent and virtue.”

Jiang Mingyu: “How long will that take?”

Manager Zhang: “The previous Taizishidu … served three years before being appointed county magistrate. I’d guess at least three years for you.”

Jiang Mingyu frowned, looking somewhat disappointed.

Seeing Jiang Mingyu’s expression in the mirror, Manager Zhang added: “Don’t rush. You’re the top scholar, studying beside the Crown Prince—your chance to enter the Grand Secretariat is higher than any of your fellow jinshi. That’s precisely why the Crane Minister chose you.”

Two days later, Jiang Mingyu, dressed in court robes and official hat, presented himself at the Ministry of Rites.

Alongside thirty-one other jinshi of his cohort, he would spend a month learning court etiquette—from the three kneelings and nine prostrations to proper conduct and protocol—every rule, without exception.

Only after completing this education at the Ministry of Rites could he formally enter the palace to meet His Majesty.

Late August, autumn had arrived. Jiang Mingyu’s family from Nanping—eight people altogether—finally reached the capital, safely escorted by Lu Family mercenaries, arriving at the eastern district residence; then Old Xie took over and quickly settled them in.

That evening, Jiang Mingyu, imitating Beijing’s customs, hosted a banquet at his residence to welcome his family and wash away their journey’s dust.

Jiang’s father, Master Jiang, found his son—whom he hadn’t seen in over half a year—strangely unfamiliar, as if transformed into another person.

Jiang’s wife, Tang Shi, was even more disoriented—she couldn’t get used to how large their new house had become, and worried she’d never be able to clean it alone!

“Yuqi,” Jiang Mingyu said to his wife Tang Shi, “don’t worry… you won’t need to clean the house anymore. That work… will be handled by the servants.”

He then called Old Xie forward and introduced him to the newly arrived Jiang family, one by one.