r18novel Page 461
Page 461
Even the Silver Luo of the Night Watchmen's Office has never been transferred out, let alone the Golden Luo, because the Night Watchmen's Office is, after all, an intelligence agency, and is required to be absolutely loyal to the Great Feng.
The Golden Gong is equivalent to a thousand-household commander, with seven Silver Gong under his command. He is a man of high rank and great power. He is promoted from within the watchman's office, while those transferred from outside usually start as a Bronze Gong.
“If we’re going to make an exception, we can start with Silver Luo.”
Yang Yan knew that such an exception was already very rare, and Wei Yuan would need to submit a memorial to the emperor explaining the situation.
Wei Yuan stated directly that he was confident the emperor would grant him this favor.
Yang Yan and Nangong Qianrou accepted the order and left. When they reached the door, Wei Yuan suddenly said, "If he is willing to join, the conditions for his promotion to Golden Gong can be relaxed to one year."
"One year!"
The two night watchmen exchanged a glance. Even if Yinluo performed exceptionally well, it would take five years to be promoted to the Golden Gong. There were very few exceptions, and even if there were, it would still take three years.
It turns out that Wei Yuan, who seemed calm, was actually determined to get Li Chang'an. This was the highest offer he had ever made since the establishment of the Night Watchmen's Office.
"As ordered!"
After the two left, Wei Yuan took a deep breath and muttered to himself, "Such astonishing cultivation level, they must be either a great talent or a monster. If they are a great talent, of course they should be brought into my trap; if they are a monster, I should keep them firmly in my grasp."
In the palace of the eldest princess.
Princess Pingyang sat gracefully opposite the eldest princess, her expression one of trepidation, earnestly answering the princess's questions.
Since Princess Pingyang's accident, Huaiqing has personally supervised Pingyang's studies and would check on her every now and then.
"Not bad, and her demeanor is much more dignified. This is more like a royal lady, not a wild girl from an ordinary family."
Princess Pingyang smiled slightly and said respectfully, "It's all thanks to Sister Huaiqing's excellent guidance."
Huaiqing stretched out a hand and said coldly, "Give it to me. What book are you hiding in your sleeve?"
Princess Pingyang's heart skipped a beat. Princess Huaiqing was too resourceful; she was even discovered reading on horseback when she entered the palace.
"Did Lin'an give you those boring banned books again?"
Seeing Huaiqing's face gradually turn cold, Princess Pingyang took out a thin booklet from her sleeve and placed it in Huaiqing's hand.
"It's a letter of admonition written by the teacher to his students, which I read several times every day."
A thin, hardcover book caught Huaiqing's eye. It looked like a memorial to the emperor, with strong, elegant characters on the cover, written in a graceful and powerful style, yet exuding an air of nobility.
Huaiqing had never seen a scholar write so well; each stroke seemed to have been honed over decades.
"A Letter of Admonition to My Disciples..."
What Pingyang didn't see was that after Huaiqing opened the notebook, his pupils suddenly contracted, and a hint of surprise flashed in his eyes.
"Since it was taught by the teacher, you should remember it well and be able to recite it from memory. There is no need to recite it every day. You can go back now."
Huaiqing said something casually, then tossed the thin book onto the table without looking at it again.
Princess Pingyang felt as if she had been granted a pardon; she hadn't expected to be able to leave so soon.
"Sister, I'll take my leave now."
After Princess Pingyang bowed, she left respectfully. Just as she stepped out of the room, Huaiqing swiftly flipped open the book again.
Her long, slender, fair fingers caressed each character in the elegant, slender script, her breathing quickening as her clear eyes greedily savored the beauty of each stroke.
Li Chang'an's Slender Gold style calligraphy has been honed over two generations, long since shedding its frivolous and unrestrained air. Now, his handwriting is both elegant and exquisite, yet retains a profound and powerful quality.
Princess Huaiqing no longer concealed her fondness for the handwriting, holding the admonition to her disciples tightly in her hands, her beautiful face showing surprise and uncertainty.
"I've never seen such powerful and penetrating handwriting before. How could someone write like this? It truly reflects the person's character—elegant and graceful..."
As a noblewoman of the royal family, Li Chang'an's outstanding appearance could not move her, after all, she herself was a beauty that could topple cities.
"Without tranquility, one cannot clarify one's aspirations; without serenity, one cannot achieve far-reaching goals; without learning, one cannot broaden one's talents; without ambition, one cannot achieve learning..."
After reading two lines, Princess Huaiqing was reluctant to continue. She looked at the twenty-odd words she had read over and over again several times before continuing to read.
"The article is profound and persuasive, and it could not have been written without ten years of studying the classics and history. It is truly a wise and inspiring piece of advice for self-cultivation and ambition, and it is no less than that of the great Confucian scholars in the academy."
Huaiqing was lost in thought, muttering to himself, "No, the depth of this writing is probably even greater than that of the great Confucian scholars."
"From this article, it can be seen that Li Chang'an has great ambitions. Should I personally go and invite such a talented person to serve as an official?"
Princess Huaiqing slipped on her embroidered shoes and walked gracefully to the doorway. Suddenly, she grabbed the doorframe and calmed down.
"No, that would be too rash. I am the eldest princess. When bestowing favors, one should start with a small amount and gradually increase them; when exercising authority, one should start with a strict amount and gradually increase it."
"If I were to personally visit him and bestow such a high honor upon a wandering knight-errant, even if he agreed to join me, how much would it take for him to follow me wholeheartedly in the future?"
In the end, Princess Huaiqing suppressed the urge to discuss philosophy with Li Chang'an, and instead wrote a letter to Wei Yuan, asking him to try recruiting Li Chang'an into the night watchman's office.
The high status of a night watchman is already a considerable favor for a wandering swordsman. With this foundation, the favor can be gradually deepened to slowly win over Li Chang'an and bring him under his command.
After Huaiqing had the maid take the letter out, he still felt uneasy and wrote a letter to Dean Zhao Shou of Yunlu Academy.
After all, Li Chang'an was not only a warrior but also a scholar. Huaiqing had close ties with the night watchman and Yunlu Academy. Whichever side recruited Li Chang'an would be able to more easily make him one of their own.
By this time, Li Chang'an had already moved into his new house.
With Prince Yu's help, the move went very smoothly, and Prince Yu even sent several maids and servants, but this did not conflict with Li Chang'an's search for maids.
The maid he personally selected was essentially a head housekeeper; she had to be one of his own and intelligent enough. However, now that he had other people available, he only needed one maid.
Xu Pingzhi acted quickly, and within a few days he brought five women of good social standing, all of whom were sixteen or seventeen years old and incredibly young.
"Lord Li, these are all women from scholarly families, selected according to your requirements."
Li Chang'an sat imposingly in the main hall, while five young girls stood respectfully in a row, some of them occasionally stealing glances at him.
"Are you all willing to be my maids?"
"This humble woman is willing."
The five girls answered almost in unison, their voices beaming with joy. It seemed that while Li Chang'an hadn't yet taken a liking to them, they had already taken a liking to him.
Li Chang'an's gaze swept over them one by one, and he noticed that one of the girls had a delicate oval face, a high nose, and a very three-dimensional and beautiful face.
With her age of sixteen or seventeen, she appeared even more graceful, fresh and refined, and vibrant, making her stand out significantly among the five.
When her bright eyes met Li Chang'an's gaze, she suddenly looked away shyly, but a cleverness shone through them, indicating that she was not a naive or scheming girl.
Li Chang'an's family business will continue to grow, so he certainly can't hire a naive and innocent girl as his housekeeper. "What's your name?"
The young woman was flattered, while the other four women were somewhat disappointed. Li Chang'an had already asked for her name, which meant he had already made a preliminary decision.
"My lord, I am Xu Lingyue, seventeen years old this year. I have studied some books with my mother and am very skilled in embroidery and needlework. My father has also taught me the proper etiquette for welcoming and seeing off guests."
You could tell that Xu Lingyue was very nervous, just like a female student going for a job interview at a big company, eagerly anticipating getting the job.
However, Li Chang'an was somewhat surprised, as he had not expected that Xu Pingzhi would include his own daughter in the program.
Sensing Li Chang'an looking at him, Xu Pingzhi said seriously, "Sir, have you made up your mind?"
Xu Pingzhi did not reveal Xu Lingyue's identity in order not to interfere with Li Chang'an's choice.
He dared to send his daughter because he had confidence in her, believing that having her serve as Li Chang'an's maid and housekeeper would not disgrace Li Chang'an's status.
It's important to understand that Xu Pingzhi was a seventh-rank Imperial Guard centurion, and his current position as head constable for Li Chang'an was only a part-time one. Xu Pingzhi's attempts to curry favor and ingratiate himself were something most people would do.
However, it was not easy for Commander Xu to make the decision to have his daughter serve as a maid for Li Chang'an.
"Old Xu, you have good taste."
Li Chang'an's words were loaded with meaning, implying that Xu Pingzhi dared to invest, clearly indicating that he believed Li Chang'an would not be inferior to Xu Pingzhi in the future.
Xu Pingzhi chuckled, thinking Li Chang'an was saying the girls were well-chosen, "My judgment has always been excellent!"
Li Chang'an knew that Xu Lingyue was a sly and cunning young woman, with a bit of cleverness and a touch of malice; in short, she was a very fun girl.
"Xu Lingyue can stay. She'll be on trial for a month. The four of you can go home first. If Xu Lingyue doesn't perform well, you'll have another chance."
After seeing the four girls off, Xu Pingzhi returned to the main hall and said, "My lord, to be honest, Xu Yue is my daughter."
If we don't tell him now, Li Chang'an might find out on his own during his probationary period, and it wouldn't be good if he found out himself.
Li Changjian said in a mocking manner, "Old Xu, how can this be?"
Xu Pingzhi quickly said, "Sir, you are learned, knowledgeable, and righteous. Lingyue will surely benefit greatly from serving you."
Xu Lingyue seized the opportunity to say, "This servant is willing to serve you, sir!"
Li Chang'an said with satisfaction, "Be smart. If you do something wrong, I will discipline you on behalf of Brother Xu."
Having finished taking care of the maid, Xu Pingzhi hadn't even had a chance to say goodbye when a servant brought in a middle-aged man in an official robe.
Wearing a unicorn-patterned hat, he was clearly a third-rank official, which shocked even Xu Pingzhi.
My judgment was quite good; the third-rank official, Vice Minister Wang of the Ministry of Justice, actually came to visit me personally, and he seemed very polite.
"Brother Li, you've moved to a new house. I've come uninvited. Please don't be offended."
Li Chang'an also served as the head constable of the Six Doors of the Ministry of Justice. Wang Shilang was, after all, his superior, and now they addressed each other as brothers, which was already a very humble attitude.
"Your presence is an honor to my humble abode."
After exchanging a few pleasantries, Xu Pingzhi felt awkward about leaving and could only nervously sit at the lower end of the table, striking up a conversation with Vice Minister Wang, whom he had previously been unable to speak to.
Xu Pingzhi discovered that Li Chang'an spoke with the third-rank official with complete ease, showing no lack of knowledge or manners, and his aura was even slightly stronger than that of the official, making him seem nothing like a chivalrous knight-errant.
Vice Minister Wang was also somewhat surprised. The Minister of Justice had personally arranged for him to appoint Li Chang'an as the chief constable of the Six Doors, so he certainly dared not neglect the task.
But after chatting for a while, he realized that Li Chang'an was indeed no ordinary person; it seemed that his Confucian cultivation had truly been solid and diligent.