Ch. 37 - Teaching the Proteges of the Powerful Who Stayed With their Benefactions like Parasites
The Famous Detective of the Red MansionThis chapter is broken. Please report this on discord.
This chapter is broken. Please report this on discord.
After Jia Yucun showed up at the reception banquet the day before, Sun Shaozong met the big boss of the Central Judicial Office, Minister Han Anbang.
After Han Anbang called him over, he just said a few polite things. Apart from encouraging him to work diligently for the public and enforce the law for the people, there was nothing important.
But this nonsense sent an unmistakable signal that Han Anbang did not want to be on bad terms with his future Deputy because of Sun Shaozong!
So in the next few days, everything became calm again, as if the series of difficulties at the beginning were just Sun Shaozong's illusion.
Of course, Sun Shaozong didn't think it was an illusion, and he would not let down his vigilance. Instead, he became more cautious.
Han Anbang chose to give up at this time, mainly because Jia Yucun suddenly intervened, which made him a little unprepared. When he calmed down, he might not be able to think that ”peace is the most precious thing.”
Therefore, Sun Shaozong couldn’t let anyone pick fault and find evidence of it during this period, otherwise, Han Anbang would certainly take him out to punish him as a warning to Jia Yucun once he had a bad relationship with him in the future!
For seven or eight days in a row, Sun Shaozong familiarized himself with his official duties and took time to review the case files accumulated by his predecessor. If he didn't understand something, he had to look up the law of the Great Zhou Dynasty or lead Zhao Wuwei and the others to the scene for prospecting. He was busy for a moment.
However, he couldn't trust any of the petty officials and clerks of the Department of Punishment. He didn't dare let them touch any of the official documents, so he thought about hiring a secretary, who should be called a private adviser these days, to help.
When he went home to discuss with his big brother, Sun Shaozu said, "We are all swordsmen and spearmen. How would we know any advisers? The second master of the Jia family loves to raise proteges of the powerful who stay with their benefactions like parasites the most. Isn't it nice that you will have three days off for the upcoming Lantern Festival? You might as well go to the Rongguo Mansion and ask Jia Zheng to see if he has a reliable candidate to recommend."
Sun Shaozong was in a hurry to hire people. He couldn't think of a more suitable way for the moment, so he had to do so first.
So on the 14th day of the first month, Sun Shaozong took Ruan Rong with him to visit the Rongguo Mansion again.
However, when they arrived at the gate of the Rongguo Mansion this time, they saw that there was heavy traffic on the quiet, long street, and the hustle and bustle cut off most of the street.
"Get out of the way! Get out of the way! Don't block our distinguished guests from entering our mansion!"
Sun Shaozong was looking at the heavily blocked road worriedly. He heard someone screaming in front of him. Several donkey carts hurried to the side of the road and flashed out of the shadow of the servant boy, Xing'er.
Xing'er held a whip for the purpose of chasing people on the street away from the cart in his hand. In the awe and flattery of the people's eyes, he swayed his way to the carriage. He then bowed down and sang loudly. He said with a smile, "Second Master Sun, this chaotic situation must have let you incur ridicule. Let's go, I'll lead you in."
Along the way, Sun Shaozong was curious when he saw that both men and women, young and old, were wearing bright clothes, but they could not hide their poor and pedantic selves from the bottom of their hearts. He urged his horse to go to Xing'er's side to find out.
"Isn't it the infinite royal graciousness to grant our eldest lady permission to go back to visit her relatives?" Then, he heard from Xing'er showing off, "Since she’s going to pay a visit to her parents or elders, we have to prepare a yard for it especially!"
He swung the street whip from the Rongguo Mansion to the Ningguo Mansion two times, exaggerating by saying, "A few days ago, the Old Master and his wife sent a message that they were going to open up the gardens of the Rongguo Mansion and the Ningguo Mansion and tidy up!"
As he said this, he glanced at the impoverished people and said, "The boss' project won’t lack the opportunities to earn a profit. Look, anyone who is related to our family has sensed the news and came."
Then he lowered his voice and said proudly, "But these are those who have no identity. The people who have real connections have probably gotten the offer early in the morning!"
Looking at his triumphant face, it was likely that he had already gotten some ”benefit” from it.
Sun Shaozong thought to himself that if his big brother hadn't succeeded in inheriting the rank of nobility, the Sun family would have been one of the*”‘relatives.”* He didn’t know whether they belonged to those who had no identity or those who had connections.
With Xing'er leading the way, they managed to arrive in front of the mansion without any obstruction.
As usual, Sun Shaozong first sent Ruan Rong to Lin Daiyu in the West Wing room, then asked Xing'er to lead the way to the Rongxi Hall to meet Jia Zheng. Although Jia Lian personally invited him on the fifth day of the lunar new year, it was Jia Zheng who gave Sun Shaozong the letter of engagement. Therefore, before he took over his position in the office, meeting Jia Zheng was also the intention of the letter.
Compared with the booming noise outside, Rongxi Hall was quiet and solemn.
Because he was hired to teach his son, Jia Zheng did not make him wait as he did last time. He welcomed Sun Shaozong out early and invited him into the main hall.
After the host and guest took their seats, Jia Zheng could not help sighing after a few polite words and said, "Your Brother Zhu was a self-motivated man before, but it's a pity... Now I don't request the vile spawn to have any achievements in anything. As long as he can strengthen his muscles and bones, it’s enough to pass on my family business."
"Uncle must be joking."
Sun Shaozong laughed and said casually, "I heard that Brother Baoyu was gifted and had brought some psychic jade with him when he was born. I think he will have a great achievement in the future. I'm afraid my skills are too bad and will delay him."
Hearing Sun Shaozong's praise of Baoyu, Jia Zheng became more complacent, but quickly waved his hand and said modestly, "What giftedness and intelligence! His head is just filled with foolish ideas! You can just do it freely, no matter whether it's moral character, talent, or martial arts, riding, and shooting. If you can make that unfilial son make some progress, I will be grateful and find great benefit here!"
He kept on saying, “Unfilial son, vile spawn,” but this time Sun Shaozong came to teach, and Baoyu was not the only one he would be teaching. However, he did not mention Jia Huan, his concubine's son, or Jia Lan, his immediate grandson. Obviously, Jia Baoyu was regarded as the most important person in his heart.
Sun Shaozong got up and solemnly answered. He changed the subject and said with an arch hand, "To tell you the truth, I'm in a small predicament in the Central Judicial Office recently. I’m looking for two private advisers to help me, but I can't find a suitable one. I heard that there are many talents around you. I wonder if you can bear the pain and recommend one or two to me."
Most of the so-called ”proteges” were those who had fallen into the ranks and were unwilling to be petty officials. They rely on their words to show off their literary skill and make some free meals for the big and noble family. Instead of saying they were noble, only they knew their well-being.
It would be a good job to be a private adviser for a sixth grade, especially Sun Shaozong, who became famous when he was young. It would be of great use in the future.
Naturally, Jia Zheng was happy to do the same, so he asked someone to send invites to several people to take on the challenge, including Zhan Guang, Hu Silai, Cheng Rixing, Shan Bingren, Bu Guxiu, and Wang Zuomei. There were about seven or eight people.
Although Jia Zheng didn't make it clear that this was like an audition to hire a private adviser, these people's eyes and eyebrows all gave them a worldly-wise person look. They only spoke a few words and had already guessed 70% or 80% of the total. Immediately, everyone was enthusiastic and competing for the place. They were full of red flushes that spread from their faces to their necks.
If it weren't for Jia Zheng's presence, he was afraid that they would all start to expose each other's past misdeeds.
However, in Sun Shaozong's opinion, most of these people were talkers. It was fine to talk, but if he wanted to do something secretly, it was useless.
Only one of them, Cheng Rixing, was pretty good at it. In addition to being a protege, he also worked as a shopkeeper in the Xue family antique shop. He has experience handling mundane affairs and was proficient in accounting.
Just the first impression alone was not enough to make Sun Shaozong make up his mind, so he asked Cheng Rixing to visit his mansion in the evening to get to know him better.