Chapter 6: Chapter Six: What's Up with the Nobodies?

Lying in bed, Jiang Yunzhou, who had a basic grasp of the situation, knew the urgent priority was to raise his rank.

In the capital, anyone you pick at random is a seventh or eighth rank; the female chief I stepped on today is also seventh rank, and Sister Qinqi is eighth rank.

Never mind being unrestrained and romantic; even plucking flowers and teasing grass carries risk.

Although Uncle Hu said his qi sea, under his master's training, far exceeds that of ordinary people, he also needs a good cultivation manual to unleash his power.

Otherwise, it would be like Lao Ai entering a men's prison—possessing great strength but nowhere to use it.

In this world, cultivation ranges from low to high, from ninth rank to first rank:

The lower three ranks push their qi sea to the utmost;

the middle three ranks absorb natural qi for their own use;

the upper three ranks are said to be able to embody heaven and earth.

These are the standards for cultivators; ordinary people say 'one rank equals five men's strength,' ignoring differences, the gap between ranks is about fivefold.

I am currently ninth rank; to break through to eighth rank, I must learn a complete external cultivation method and be able to release my inner strength through it.

Tomorrow I'll go see about buying a cultivation manual to bring back, but it's only three or two silver coins... If I buy it back and practice without going mad, that would already be burning high incense.

Indeed, figuring out how to get something for free is the proper way of the world.

The next morning, Jiang Yunzhou first went to find Zou Zhen, while also inquiring about the situation in Shangyang City, especially this Minister of Justice, Dong Yun.

"You mean Lord Dong? He's an upright official through and through, and his background is deep."

"Oh? How so?"

Zou Zhen looked left and right, then said in a low voice:

"Lord Dong has been the emperor's reading companion since childhood, so... you understand, later Lord Dong became a censor, and because he spoke frankly and offered advice, he was transferred to the position of Minister of Justice."

"During his tenure, not a single wrongful case occurred, and he is also well liked in official circles; many young officials in the court have been his disciples or former subordinates."

"I see, Lord Dong's leg is high and hard."

"Brother Jiang, why are you asking about this?"

"Nothing much; I also heard about him in Fog Prefecture, and I wondered if I might have a chance to pay a visit when I came to the capital."

Zou Zhen waved his hand as soon as he heard it:

"Don't even think about it; the people who want to see Lord Dong are as numerous as carp crossing the river, and the line would probably stretch all the way to Northern Rong."

I'm just here to deliver a letter and pick up something, so it doesn't matter if I don't get to see him.

Holding the silk box with the letter, Jiang Yunzhou was about to leave when Shen Qinqi called out to him.

Looking back, he saw Shen Qinqi in a green dress standing by the door, gracefully extending her hand to toss him a purse.

"Yunzhou, the capital is not like Fog Prefecture; carry some silver on you so you'll have ample funds."

Jiang Yunzhou reached out and caught it; a light squeeze told him it was a full ten taels.

Tsk tsk, with such a thoughtful sister at home, why go seeking far away?

"Thank you, Sister Qinqi; I'll repay you once I make money."

Shen Qinqi smiled faintly, treating it as a joke and paying no heed.

Jiang Yunzhou pushed the door and headed toward the inner city, looking at the purse embroidered with lingzhi herbs and still faintly fragrant, guessing that Shen Qinqi might have tossed her own purse to him.

After my master's passing, besides Uncle Hu, the only one who has treated me this well is probably Sister Qinqi, whom I've only known for a day.

The capital Shangyang City is divided into the outer city, inner city, and imperial city.

Most official and wealthy families, as well as the Minister of Justice I intend to visit, reside in the inner city.

The gate between the inner and outer cities is normally open and not inspected, except for large shipments, so Jiang Yunzhou entered without difficulty.

After several inquiries, he finally arrived at the gate of Minister Dong Yun's residence.

Indeed, it was a lofty mansion, with a bright vermilion lacquered main gate split left and right, and four sword-bearing guards stood before it.

What Jiang Yunzhou didn't expect was that Zou Zhen's words proved true.

Outside Minister Dong Yun's gate, six horse-drawn carriages were parked in a row; the carriages' decorations suggested many belonged to noble and wealthy families, and they appeared to be carrying many gifts as well.

Nearby, the attendants who had come with the carriages were lining up at the gate, presenting their name cards to the steward who came out to greet guests.

Seeing this, Jiang Yunzhou hurried forward as well, intending to fall in line and hand over his own prepared name card, which also contained a letter he had written in advance.

Knowing he wouldn't be allowed to enter directly, having someone send the box in would still leave him uneasy, and there was no proof for a summons, so he had written the situation plainly in the letter beforehand to avoid others gossiping.

However, as he drew near, Jiang Yunzhou noticed that each person presenting a name card also simultaneously gave the steward a purse, the smallest of which held at least five taels of silver.

The steward was fairly burly, dressed with a slight air of wealth, looking about forty; when he accepted the name card and purse, he wore a smile, his expression unchanged.

It seemed that accepting red envelopes had become routine, as if it were simply the proper procedure.

No wonder people say, 'The emperor's in-laws hold the three highest offices, while relatives of the prime minister are seventh-rank officials.'

Finally, the steward approached Jiang Yunzhou, who simply handed over the name card bearing his letter, without offering any token of respect.

The burly steward raised an eyebrow and gave Jiang Yunzhou several assessing glances.

Jiang Yunzhou thought, 'You looking at me is useless; I'm here to deliver something, not to ask for favors.'

With that money, wouldn't it be better to go to the Imperial Music Bureau to save lives and heal the wounded?

Several attendants nearby who had handed in name cards and money also glanced at Jiang Yunzhou with slight doubt.

As if they were saying, 'Who knows which clan's reckless young master this is, so ignorant of etiquette yet still wanting to see Lord Dong.'

The burly steward said nothing, merely opening Jiang Yunzhou's name card, glancing at it, then picking up the envelope addressed 'To Lord Dong'.

"If you have any grievance, you may submit a petition to the prefectural office; the Dong residence does not accept private complaints."

It sounded as if many had previously come to the Dong residence to submit petitions, indicating that Lord Dong's reputation had indeed spread far.

Jiang Yunzhou bowed his hands and said:

"You have misunderstood; I have an important item to deliver to Lord Dong, the details are already stated in the letter—please pass it along."

The burly steward raised his hand and said:

Just hand the items over to me.

No, I must personally hand this item to Lord Dong.

The burly steward frowned slightly but said nothing, big hands gripping the calling card and purse as he turned and walked inside.

Only after the steward disappeared inside did the few attendants relax, and they all simultaneously turned their gaze to Jiang Yunzhou.

They seemed to think this young lord, though dignified in appearance, was still too young and inexperienced in worldly affairs.

The attendants standing closer directly asked:

May I ask whose calling card you are presenting, sir? What business do you have with Lord Dong?

Jiang Yunzhou casually replied:

I merely wrote my own calling card; I just wanted to see Lord Dong's bearing.

Upon hearing this, the several attendants nearby also burst into laughter.

One of the older attendants laughed and said:

Who in the capital wouldn't want to know Lord Dong? You present a personal calling card with no real business—Lord Dong would hardly see a nobody like you.

Jiang Yunzhou had no patience to wrangle with these servants, and casually brushed them off:

Ah, yes, yes, yes.

After a brief wait, the burly steward strode out with a gust of wind.

Although I have not yet formally practiced any cultivation, I have seen many people in Mist Province; just from these few steps I could tell the steward was a master, something I had overlooked earlier.

The steward's movements were swift; he turned and returned the calling cards and purses to those few attendants.

However, Jiang Yunzhou's calling card was not among them.

Then the steward explained to the remaining six attendants:

My lord has pressing matters today and regrets he cannot receive you; please return for now.

Upon hearing this, the six attendants were stunned.

Sir, did Lord Dong really see my calling card?

Yes! My young master is in the carriage.

The steward still nodded calmly:

I assure you my lord has looked at all of your calling cards, but today he truly has urgent business.

The middle-aged attendant, still sharp-witted, again offered the purse:

If so, we'll come again another day to disturb you; please trouble the lord to pass this along, and we hope you will accept this small token.

Who would have thought the burly steward would wave his hand and say:

I think you have misunderstood; I never regarded this purse as a tribute. You presented the purse together with the calling cards, and I forwarded them both to my lord for inspection. Now that he has finished looking, I naturally return them to you.

Jiang Yunzhou suddenly realized: how could Lord Dong, a famed minister, tolerate his subordinates accepting such obscure tributes?

The six looked at each other, their faces slightly embarrassed.

Jiang Yunzhou thought: it turns out you six are from out of town, unaware of Lord Dong's manor etiquette; you likely came to the capital seeking office and hoped to ingratiate yourselves with Lord Dong.

The steward then turned and gestured for Jiang Yunzhou to follow:

Please, young master, follow me.

Upon hearing this, the embarrassed expressions on the six attendants' faces turned to shock.

These six calling cards, though not necessarily from prominent clans, were all from official families; Lord Dong's court background is deep, so it's no surprise he doesn't care about such things.

But what qualifies this brat to just waltz in after writing his own calling card?

Could he have some deeper background?

Seeing the six stare wide-eyed at him, Jiang Yunzhou merely shrugged and followed the steward into the Dong manor.

Outside, the attendants, still shocked, could only return glumly to their carriages to report, and the five carriages departed one after another.

Only the outermost purple carriage remained stationary; the attendant approached it, dropped his earlier deferential demeanor, and reported the situation inside.

Through the carriage curtain, the man inside remarked with interest:

Do you still remember that young lord's appearance? Quickly find out his identity.

Yes.

After entering the gate with the steward, Jiang Yunzhou walked down a long side corridor straight into the third courtyard, where a pond lay at its center, several red-tailed fish swimming about.

Beside the pond stood a two-story wooden pavilion, lacking grandeur but exuding a delicate, elegant charm.

Led into the wooden pavilion, Jiang Yunzhou found the central hall on the first floor resembled a vast study.

Behind the desk, the walls lined with shelves were filled with scrolls and books, and a thin old man in a long robe, his beard and hair silver-white, was sorting the scrolls.

At a glance he bore the air of an upright official; surely this was Lord Dong himself.

At the same time, a plump middle-aged cook in a short jacket placed seasonal fruits on the table with both hands.

Just as Jiang Yunzhou was about to salute, the steward stepped forward to report to the 'plump cook':

My lord, the person has been brought.

???

The plump cook gave a kindly nod, feeling no authoritarian pressure from him, and seeing him smile, he raised his hand and said:

No need to tidy up for now; you may withdraw for the time being.