r18novel Page 462
Page 462
"Brother Li, the Minister went to the palace today, otherwise he would have come in person. You avenged the Chief Constable of the Six Doors by killing the wanted criminal. The Ministry of Justice wants to appoint you as the Chief Constable of the Six Doors, with the same rank as a fifth-rank official, and an annual salary of four hundred taels of silver."
The chief constable is a fifth-rank military officer, which is a very high starting point. The Six Doors also has the practice of recruiting people from the martial arts world, but this is the first time that the chief constable has been directly hired.
Therefore, Xu Pingzhi's hand holding the teacup trembled slightly. He was already a fifth-rank official at less than twenty years old, three ranks higher than Xu Pingzhi, who was a seventh-rank centurion.
He glanced at Xu Lingyue with relief. If he had introduced Xu Lingyue to Li Chang'an as a maid even a little later, his motives would have seemed even more impure.
Wang Shilang was full of confidence. If Li Chang'an had no interest in officialdom, why would he come to the capital? Starting with a fifth-rank official position, ordinary Jianghu figures simply couldn't refuse.
"Thank you for your kindness, Minister and Vice Minister. Please allow me to consider it."
Wang Shilang's radiant smile suddenly froze. Li Chang'an hadn't agreed immediately. Wasn't his status as a third-rank official enough? Unconsciously, his expression turned cold.
"Brother Li, such an opportunity is a once-in-a-lifetime chance, something many people could only dream of in several lifetimes."
Li Chang'an was very familiar with Wang Shilang's reaction. Officials cared about their reputation. This third-rank Wang Shilang did not really admire Li Chang'an's merits and abilities; he was just following orders.
If Li Chang'an offends him, he will immediately change his attitude.
Li Chang'an simply smiled without saying a word, but the servant outside the door came again to report, "Sir, two night watchmen are requesting an audience."
Upon hearing that two officials were requesting an audience, Vice Minister Wang's arrogance vanished instantly. Who would dare provoke the Night Watchmen's Office? It was an office specifically responsible for monitoring all officials, and to make matters worse, it was two officials with golden gongs.
When he first entered, he acted arrogantly, barging in without the servants stopping him. However, the two men with golden gongs did not barge in.
This was the first time that Vice Minister Wang had ever seen such an unassuming night watchman.
"Invite them in."
Then, Yang Yan and Nangong Qianrou walked in, and everyone in the main room except Li Chang'an stood up.
"Greetings, Lord Yang and Lord Nangong..."
Wang Shilang and Xu Pingzhi spoke almost simultaneously, demonstrating the prestige of the night watchman, whose official rank was not high, but whose status was by no means low.
The two night watchmen ignored him and instead cupped their hands in greeting to Li Chang'an, saying, "Brother Li, we've come to bother you again."
Li Chang'an pointed to the chair below and said, "Please, gentlemen, make yourselves at home and have a seat."
After the two sat down, Vice Minister Wang and Xu Pingzhi sat down awkwardly, facing the night watchman. Both of them felt like they had a thorn in their side.
“Brother Li, we have come here to convey Lord Wei’s wishes. We would like to invite you to join the night watchman’s office as a silver-robed night watchman.”
Yang Yan spoke calmly, but Vice Minister Wang and Xu Pingzhi stared wide-eyed, hardly believing their ears.
He was sent directly to the night watchman's office to become a silver-robed night watchman!
Given the status of the night watchman's office and Wei Yuan's identity, ordinary people simply couldn't get into it. Those who could were selected through rigorous screening, one in ten thousand.
In the capital city, where throwing a brick could easily kill several officials, the night watchman's office was the one you absolutely couldn't afford to offend.
Xu Pingzhi straightened his chest after his initial shock. If he were to become acquainted with a night watchman in silver robes, no one in the capital would dare to bully him!
Xu Lingyue, who was standing in the corner before starting her job, had her beautiful eyes wide open. She had met a very important person in one day, someone she might never have seen in her entire life. It was worth all her hard work in persuading Li Ru to finally agree to let her apply for the job.
It seems this Lord Li is quite extraordinary; so many high-ranking officials are begging him for favors.
"My lords, how much is Yinluo's monthly salary?"
Yang Yan said, "The salary for a night watchman varies depending on his years of service, but I'm sure you'll receive the maximum salary, which should be around five hundred taels a year. But night watchmen are never short of money..."
Both Vice Minister Wang and Xu Pingzhi knew that night watchmen made a lot of money when they raided homes, and that night watchmen were usually the ones handling major cases involving the raids on high-ranking officials and wealthy merchants.
It can be said that the night watchman's salary is not important; as long as you become a night watchman, you will be worry-free for the rest of your life.
At the time, they overlooked the dangers they faced as night watchmen.
“Brother Li, Lord Wei said that as long as you perform well, you can be promoted to Jinlu within a year.”
Although the Golden Gong Night Watchman did not have a clearly defined rank, he was at least not afraid of officials of the third rank, and could be said to be powerful and influential.
Wei Yuan's pronouncement was of unprecedented importance, causing both Vice Minister Wang and Xu Pingzhi to gasp in surprise.
Wang Shilang also knew that a position as the chief constable of the Six Doors, which was under the jurisdiction of the Six Ministries, would not be attractive to Li Chang'an. No wonder he was considering it; it turned out there was such a good way out.
"Please convey to Lord Wei that he is very grateful for his kind words, and that I should give him some time to consider it."
I need to think about it again!
Wang Shilang was stunned, and Yang Yan and Nangong Qianrou were also greatly surprised.
If Li Chang'an wasn't interested in power, he wouldn't have come to the capital. If he were interested in cultivating power, why would he offend Duke Wei?
He was a great hero in the Battle of Shanhaiguan, the most favored person by His Majesty's side, and a powerful figure in the Great Feng Dynasty who controlled the night watchmen and the Censorate!
What gave Li Chang'an the confidence to refuse Lord Wei's invitation?
Chapter 276 Wei Yuan: Please invite Mr. Li to sit in the yamen.
The people in the hall all had strange expressions.
Vice Minister Wang of the Ministry of Justice would occasionally steal glances at the expressions of the two night watchmen. He had assumed that Li Chang'an had refused the position of Chief Constable of the Six Doors in order to join the night watchmen's office.
But now it seems that Li Chang'an is not very enthusiastic about recruiting Wei Yuan, which is quite puzzling.
The two night watchmen were truly at a loss for words, because Li Chang'an's performance was simply too unexpected.
Before Yang Yan and Nangong Qianrou arrived, they believed that Li Chang'an had no reason to refuse. Wei Yuan had already attached so much importance to him, and with Li Chang'an's strength, once he aligned himself with Wei Yuan, his future would be limitless.
"Commander Xu, stop shaking your leg."
Wang Shilang gave a cold reminder, and Xu Pingzhi smiled awkwardly and stopped shaking his leg.
Xu Pingzhi was extremely nervous. The reputation of the night watchman's office was great, but it wasn't necessarily good. Joining the night watchman's office would certainly lead to instant success, but offending the night watchman would result in a terrible death.
So he started to worry again, wondering if sending his daughter here was the right thing to do.
Li Chang'an's courage far exceeded his expectations.
Actually, Li Chang'an's thoughts were not complicated at all.
In this world, Princess Huaiqing and Wei Yuan's faction are relatively upright and can be relied upon for the time being.
However, given Li Chang'an's strength and experience from his previous two lives, it was impossible for him to go to work every day. He was also confident that he could use his abilities to gain a foothold in the capital and become an ally of Huaiqing and Wei Yuan, rather than a subordinate.
After all, no matter how powerful Wei Yuan was, in Li Chang'an's eyes he was nothing more than a powerful eunuch.
Therefore, it's impossible for someone to join the night watchman and work a regular job; there's absolutely no way they could ever work a regular job in their lifetime.
The awkward silence didn't last long, as another visitor arrived at Li Chang'an's residence: the great Confucian scholar Zhang Shen.
Zhang Shen was one of the four great Confucian scholars of Yunlu Academy, a fourth-rank gentleman, and a master of military strategy.
His early work, "Six Treatises on Military Strategy," was essential reading for military officers and generals of the Great Feng Dynasty. He was one of the few military strategists in the Great Feng Dynasty who could be compared to Wei Yuan.
Zhang Shen, dressed in a blue robe, walked into the main hall, holding a handwritten copy of a letter of admonition to his disciples. The original manuscript of the letter of admonition was in Huaiqing's hands, but the contents had already spread from the Prince Yu's residence.
Upon hearing this, the students of Yunlu Academy submitted the short essay to the academy. Zhang Shen, who had originally intended to investigate Li Chang'an's strengths and weaknesses, could no longer sit still.
This short essay, which encourages students to study and set goals, is concise and to the point, and its writing and theme are both very clever.
Zhang Shen, who had initially been skeptical of Li Chang'an's scholarship, completely changed his attitude after reading this article. After all, the writing reflects the person, and these great scholars were all experts who knew their stuff.
"Greetings, Mr. Zhang..."
When Zhang Shen arrived, even the night watchman stood up to greet him. This was a highly respected Confucian scholar who, when angered, would even dare to scold Wei Yuan.
However, Li Chang'an remained seated without moving.
Zhang Shen sat in the seat that Vice Minister Wang had given up, and said expectantly, "Young friend, your letter of admonition to your disciples is truly wonderful. I wonder if you would like to join Yunlu Academy? Dean Zhao said that you can choose one of the four great Confucian scholars to be your teacher."
Li Chang'an replied irrelevantly, "I've heard that Mr. Zhang is an expert in military strategy. I have recently written a book called Thirty-Six Chapters on Military Policy and Administration, and I would like to ask Mr. Zhang for his guidance."
Upon hearing this, Zhang Shen's eyebrows immediately rose. It seemed that Li Chang'an had been prepared all along. In the Great Feng Dynasty, when it came to military expertise, only Wei Yuan dared to challenge him.
His "Six Treatises on Military Strategy" was widely circulated and had long established his reputation as a military strategist. Could it be that Li Chang'an was planning to become his student?
That must be it, otherwise why would they prepare military and political strategies in advance? It seems we made the right choice coming here.
"Young friend, it turns out you have a fondness for military strategy. I didn't know that from that admonition to your disciples. Show me your masterpiece. If it is truly insightful, I may take you as my disciple!"
Zhang Shen was overjoyed. He had made up his mind that no matter how low Li Chang'an's strategic thinking was, he would still take him on as a disciple.
After all, having a foundation like the "Admonitions to Disciples" is enough to prove that this young man is a rare talent.
At least the most outstanding students at Yunlu Academy could not produce such an article.
Li Chang'an smiled slightly, turned to Xu Lingyue and said, "Go to the study and bring the manuscript."
There were many people in the lobby, and the newcomer Xu Lingyue didn't feel comfortable asking where the manuscript was located. She could only bite the bullet and go to the study to look for it, since she recognized the characters in the Thirty-Six Chapters on Military and Political Affairs.
Zhang Shen couldn't help but take another look at Li Chang'an. Li Chang'an had a calm demeanor, and his aura felt very familiar to Zhang Shen.
It was that kind of aura of authority that Wei Yuan and Dean Zhao had accumulated over a long period of time. They didn't seem to be asking for my advice at all. Their attitude wasn't like that of someone seeking a master, but rather like they were trying to broaden my horizons.
Zhang Shen sat up straight, rolled up his sleeves, and was determined to teach this young man a lesson today, to show him what a great military strategist was!
When Xu Lingyue arrived at the study, she found the newly bought bookshelf empty, but there was a stack of manuscripts on the desk, beginning with the words "Thirty-Six Chapters on Military and Political Affairs".
She took out the manuscript and respectfully handed it to Zhang Shen.
When Zhang Shen saw Li Chang'an's handwriting, his pupils contracted sharply. This handwriting had already overshadowed everyone else in Yunlu Academy!
The hall fell silent immediately, for Zhang Shen's astonishment was too obvious; this highly cultured scholar was actually so overjoyed.
Then, everyone saw that Zhang Shen's hand was trembling as he turned the pages. He kept glancing up at Li Chang'an with disbelief in his eyes.