Chapter 27 - 2#

Zheng Hong: “I really don’t understand you.”

If you say you don’t want to climb up, you barely made it to the assessment at the age of twenty. You should know that Zheng Hong is already a third-rank eunuch, and that was a few years ago.

But if you really want to climb up, people strive for higher places. With such a good opportunity right in front of you, why don’t you take it?

Jingzhe: “Going to the Imperial Kitchen is too eye-catching for me.”

Whether it was what he had to do, or his relationship with Rong Jiu, he could still hide it in a place like the Zhidianjian, but in the Imperial Kitchen, it was absolutely impossible to hide.

There were too many people watching the Imperial Kitchen.

Not to mention the issue of benefits, the most important thing was that this place made things for the palace staff to eat. People from all the palaces would definitely be watching. With more movement, trouble would come.

It wasn’t suitable for him, but that didn’t mean it wasn’t suitable for Mingyu.

“Let’s go.”

Jingzhe patted Zheng Hong’s shoulder.

Zheng Hong: “Just leaving? Not staying to see the results.”

Jingzhe: “You know better than I do about seeing things through to the end. You and I have already helped him get the opportunity. Whether he can get it or not is Mingyu’s business. I can’t help him for the rest of his life.”

If he could, Jingzhe would certainly do so.

But he knew best that nothing in this world was absolute.

If he could do something himself, it was better to rely less on external forces.

The results were actually announced very quickly.

They were announced on the spot.

When Mingyu heard the news, his fists hidden in his sleeves clenched tightly. He suppressed his excitement, knowing that from now on, he had shed his identity from the North Wing.

After turning back, he immediately sent the news to the Zhidianjian.

Jingzhe was also very happy for him, but he didn’t have more energy to care about this matter. For no other reason than that their assessment had been moved up.

This was a decision made after discussion between the Head Eunuch and several other directors. After the news of the advance was announced, the people below were a little worried.

For so many years, it had always been a fixed date. Why was it suddenly moved up?

But the people below couldn’t guess the meaning of the higher-ups. Since it was moved up, many people began to cram at the last minute. On his way back, Jingzhe could hear many people hanging their heads and pricking their thighs, shaking their heads as they recited.

Huiping secretly told Jingzhe, “Lü Tang didn’t watch where he was going when he was reciting a few days ago and fell directly into the pond. He almost froze to death in the middle of winter.”

Jingzhe: “No wonder the Director’s reminders have increased recently.”

Huiping specifically told Jingzhe a lot more, muttering, looking even more talkative than Shi’en.

Jingzhe: “Are you nervous?”

Huiping touched his head and said in a low voice, “A little.”

Huiping was a year or two younger than him, and he was also taking the assessment this year.

Jingzhe: “You don’t have to worry. I’ve asked Zheng Hong and others in the Zhidianjian. Except for the palace rules, which are more difficult, the other assessments are not tricky.”

Not to mention, they still had Yunkui.

Yunkui had inquired several times. Although Jiang Jinming didn’t tell him anything, he disliked this kid for being talkative and getting in the way, so he told him not to worry and that he could pass normally.

Yunkui also told Jingzhe and the others this.

But not everyone could remain as calm as Jingzhe. The night before the assessment, Jingzhe could hear Huiping tossing and turning. When he woke up the next day, there were dark circles under his eyes.

Huiping said apologetically, “Did I disturb you last night? I just couldn’t sleep.”

Jingzhe was not surprised and took out a small pill and handed it to him.

“Eat it.”

Huiping didn’t doubt him. Since Jingzhe gave it to him, he ate it. He was immediately so bitter that his face turned green. No matter how drowsy he was, he had to wake up.

Jingzhe smiled, “You can’t spit it out. This is for refreshing.”

After Huiping ate it, he immediately felt that his originally tired spirit was much better. He also knew that this was a good thing, so he naturally didn’t want to spit it out.

Those of them who were taking the assessment today didn’t go to work, but went to wait in front of the palace.

Before long, the director came out.

Jiang Jinming looked at the dozen or so young eunuchs standing in front of him and said with his hands behind his back, “Those whose names are called, come in one by one.”

Jingzhe didn’t expect that he would be the first one to be called.

He followed Jiang Jinming in and saw Yunkui arranging things in the room. When he saw Jingzhe come in, he winked at him.

“Cough.” Jiang Jinming coughed, and Yunkui immediately returned to his expressionless face, standing obediently behind him.

Jiang Jinming looked at Jingzhe and said slowly, “The first test is on the palace rules. You can choose to have me test you, or you can go to the desk and chair behind you and write down the answers with a pen and ink.”

Jingzhe was slightly stunned. He looked at the things Yunkui was organizing just now. So there was this way?

He pondered for a moment and walked to the desk and chair.

On the table was a page full of small characters, with a stack of white paper in the middle. Although it was not very expensive paper, it could still be written on. On the right was ink and a brush that had already been ground.

Jingzhe stared at the questions for a while before carefully sitting down at the table.

His movements of picking up the pen were very clumsy.

It was as if he hadn’t touched this thing for a long time, and the characters he wrote were crooked and lacked style.

In fact, after entering the palace, Jingzhe had been practicing secretly on his own. At his age, it might not have been possible for him to learn profound knowledge. But for common characters, Jingzhe had already learned most of them.

He still remembered how he stood on Cen Xuanyin’s lap, his fingers held by him, learning stroke by stroke.

He practiced very well back then.

His father always praised him.

But after so many years, even though he still remembered what the characters were and often practiced with a stick on the sand, he had never touched a pen, and the time he had stopped would not just disappear.

Jingzhe’s hand that was writing was trembling slightly.

The characters he wrote were also limp, but barely legible.

The only good thing was that the characters were not too big. Unlike some people who had just learned, they couldn’t control the structure of the characters well, and almost filled a large page with just a few characters.

After writing for an unknown amount of time, when Jingzhe stopped his pen, he found that his fingers were a little stiff.

He curled them up and hid them in his sleeves, stood up and walked out, handing the few pages of dried answers to Jiang Jinming.

When Jiang Jinming was looking at them, Yunkui stood behind him and winked at Jingzhe.

Yunkui: Why didn’t you tell me you could read?

Jingzhe looked back: You didn’t ask me either.

Before long, Jiang Jinming interrupted their eye contact and nodded, “Passed. Go to the back and wait.”

Jingzhe bowed to Jiang Jinming and went to the back.

After his figure disappeared from the room, Jiang Jinming suddenly said, “Yunkui, how much do you know about your friend?”

Yunkui was originally going to call the next person. He was stunned when he heard this and thought for a while, “He’s a good person.”

“In what way?”

“He is steady and introverted, looks lukewarm, but is very resilient and kind. He is very good to his friends and is not stingy with money.” Yunkui said honestly, “I heard that he spent a lot of money to help his friend from the North Wing find a way out, and now that person has gone to the Imperial Kitchen. I don’t think he… is a bad person.”

He naturally understood his own master.

Yunkui moved closer, “Master, is there something wrong with Jingzhe?”

Otherwise, why would he ask this?

Jiang Jinming rubbed the paper in his hand and said lightly, “It’s not a problem. However, not only can he read, but his writing is also not bad. He probably studied before.”

In the harem, to be able to climb to a high position, character and temperament were not important, but one must be able to read.

Even if Jingzhe’s performance in the later assessment was terrible, just because he could read, it was impossible for him not to pass.

Jiang Jinming glanced at Yunkui.

Unfortunately, this was a block of wood that couldn’t be enlightened. Making him read was like slaughtering a pig. Every time he screamed so miserably that the other directors thought he was a villain who tortured his apprentice.

Thinking of this, Jiang Jinming kicked Yunkui angrily, “Get out, get out, go and call the next person in for me.”

Yunkui went off happily.

As expected, among the remaining dozen or so people, none of them tried to write on their own. They all recited and answered honestly under Jiang Jinming’s gaze.

After eliminating those who were not proficient and those who were not quick enough to react, half of the people were left to pass.

Not to mention how annoyed those who went out were, Jiang Jinming had already taken those who passed the first item to Fengxian Hall.

Jingzhe had never thought that one day, he would return here in this way.

As Jiang Jinming walked, he said, “Fengxian Hall lost a lot of tiles in the heavy snow a few days ago. After these days of repairs, it has been repaired. But the remaining cleaning is your assessment this time. You are not allowed to violate the palace rules during the process.”

Jingzhe understood in his heart that this was to use the cleaning of Fengxian Hall this time as an assessment.

Although Fengxian Hall had a reputation and was very noble.

But there was no master here after all, and the memorial tablets were just memorial tablets. As long as one was careful and did not violate the rules, this assessment could be passed smoothly.

I believe that no matter which one…

They all heard the subtext in Jiang Jinming’s words.

It was not until this time that the anxious Huiping truly relaxed. He found that what Jingzhe said was right. As long as they followed the steps and were not overly nervous, they could still pass with their level.

After all, this was only the assessment for third-rank eunuchs, not first or second-rank.

Of course, the assessment was only for the third rank this time.

Whether one could be promoted to the first or second rank did not depend on the assessment, but on whether there was a suitable vacancy and whether the people above would promote them. At this step, relying on oneself was already useless.

Jingzhe was not outstanding among these young eunuchs who were busy working. Jiang Jinming stood outside the hall with his hands in his sleeves, his eyes looking back and forth at these eunuchs.

On the one hand, it was to prevent them from causing trouble so that he could find out in time; on the other hand, he was also selecting suitable candidates.

Yunkui was going to the Procurement Office, but Jiang Jinming couldn’t have no one to serve him. He had other god-sons, but none of them were as satisfactory as his apprentice Yunkui. It was better to choose from the new people.

Among this batch of people being assessed, Jiang Jinming had taken a fancy to Jingzhe.

Not only because he could read and write, but also because his temperament was not bad.

Jiang Jinming had never liked those who were cunning and slippery, especially those who were two-faced.

Jingzhe had at least been under his nose for a few months. Yunkui had a good relationship with him, and his temperament was firm, not like the ungrateful type.

He had a plan in his heart, and his gaze on Jingzhe was filled with satisfaction.

In the hall, Jingzhe bent down to collect the broken tiles that had been cleaned up, moved them to the corridor, and wiped his sweat.

He subconsciously glanced at the palace wall on the left.

In that direction was another small hall.

Under the shade of the trees, Jingzhe could vaguely see the small building in the small hall.

After all, it was only two stories high, not very high.

He lowered his head and grabbed the broom.

And then swept layer by layer.

After a busy day, this group of young eunuchs from the Zhidianjian were more tired than ever before. When they went back, they were all exhausted and couldn’t even speak.

The palace was swept every day. Even if it snowed or leaves fell, there was a limit to how dirty it could be.

But after the renovation of Fengxian Hall, although the important places were protected, the remaining places were naturally covered with dust, not to mention the broken tiles and stones left over from the renovation. Moving them out and sweeping them again and again, this repetitive bending motion almost broke their waists.

Jiang Jinming simply announced that they had passed the assessment, told them to come and get new palace clothes and waist tags tomorrow, and then let these dusty people go back.

However, he only kept Jingzhe.

The time he stayed was not long. Huiping only felt that he had waited outside for a while before he saw Jingzhe walk out slowly.

Seeing that Jingzhe’s expression had not changed, Huiping also felt that it was not a big deal. After returning and simply washing and changing his clothes, he finally caught his breath.

“Why did the director look for you just now?”

After a day of hard work, after taking a bath and eating, Huiping already felt sleepy. He lay down on the bed, hugging his quilt and feeling drowsy.

Jingzhe sat on the edge of the bed, not knowing what he was weaving.

Huiping was used to Jingzhe’s dexterity and didn’t look closely.

Jingzhe said while weaving, “Isn’t Yunkui going to the Procurement Office? There’s a vacant position by the director’s side. He asked me if I wanted to go.”

“What!”

Huiping immediately woke up and sat up abruptly.

“Jingzhe, don’t tell me you didn’t agree.” Huiping looked even more nervous than Jingzhe.

He knew that Jingzhe was sometimes a strange person. Even if he was his own friend, he still had to say so. Sometimes, he might even push away the benefits that came to his door.

Huiping was worried, what if Jingzhe did this again this time?

Jingzhe was helpless, “What kind of person do you all think I am… This kind of natural thing, and it’s a good thing, why should I refuse?”

Huiping: “You should ask yourself that.”

He said as a matter of course.

“Jingzhe, you should ask yourself why you always give people this feeling.”

Jingzhe’s hand movements slowed down, and he looked at Huiping with some doubt.

“Tell me why?”

Huiping: “Jingzhe, you are always willing to help us, whether it’s your friend from the North Wing, or Yunkui, or me. But you never want anything.”

Jingzhe raised his eyebrows, “But I really don’t need anything.”

He could help, he wanted to help, so he helped.

But no one could help him with his affairs, so naturally there was no need to say. Besides, he didn’t have anything that needed help with.

Of course, the existence of the system, he had asked the system if he could reveal the existence of the system.

The system’s answer was no.

After binding, they were already one.

The rules that the system needed to abide by were also the rules that Jingzhe needed to abide by, so he could not reveal the existence of the system to anyone.

Violation would definitely lead to trouble.

In this way, Jingzhe really couldn’t think of anything he needed help with. He didn’t lack anything himself.

Huiping shook his head and said softly, “It’s not like that, Jingzhe. Even when you really need help, you never say it.”

He gave an example.

“When Wude came to you, why didn’t you say anything?”

Jingzhe was slightly stunned, “At that time, the matter was already over. Besides, if I didn’t come back for a long time, you would have come to find me. Yunkui and I had already discussed it beforehand…”

“No, this is not help, this is just a part of the plan.” Huiping interrupted Jingzhe’s words, “After you came back, you didn’t tell us that you met Wude. Wude specifically came to find you.”

Wufu was already insane enough, what about Wude?